The Zhou family.
“It’s so late. Why haven’t you rested yet?” Zhou Kanghe walked into the room and casually greeted Sun Miaoyin.
“Miaomiao sent me a message. Today, Xiao Jingting and Xiao Qingyan’s son got into a fight,” Sun Miaoyin said.
“I heard about it. Among the four major families, news spreads quickly. Whenever one family has an issue, the other three immediately know,” Zhou Kanghe chuckled.
“The standout of the second branch of the Xiao family is Xiao Qingyan. However, Xiao Jinfeng and Xiao Jingting have both reached the fifth level of Qi cultivation. Xiao Qingyan doesn’t have the advantage in either cultivation or age. Moreover, Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng seem to be cooperating. Xiao Qingyan’s position is precarious,” Zhou Kanghe smiled.
“This time, Xiao Jingting’s return seems like a complete transformation,” Sun Miaoyin said.
Xiao Jingting used to listen to Sun Miaoyin’s every word. Now, according to her, not only was he cold toward her, but he also seemed to harbor resentment.
“Yes, indeed. I didn’t expect this from Young Master Xiao. We can’t underestimate him anymore. When Xiao Jinfeng was in trouble, Xiao Jingting helped him out. Xiao Jinfeng is straightforward, and now he’s getting very close to Xiao Jingting,” Zhou Kanghe remarked.
Hearing Zhou Kanghe talk about Xiao Jinfeng, Sun Miaoyin’s mood became somewhat complicated. Sun Miaoyin’s engagement with Xiao Jinfeng had been arranged a long time ago. As she grew up, she became increasingly dissatisfied with the marriage arrangement. Due to her outstanding talent in cultivation, the Sun family regretted rushing into the engagement. After Xiao Jinfeng’s parents passed away, the Sun family took the opportunity to dissolve it.
After the engagement was dissolved, Sun Miaoyin breathed a sigh of relief. She had expected Xiao Jinfeng to feel low for a while after the cancellation. However, she later learned that even before the engagement was officially broken, Xiao Jinfeng had already been involved with someone else: Mu Shuyu. At that time, Mu Shuyu was already pregnant with Xiao Jinfeng’s child.
Knowing about Xiao Jinfeng’s relationship with Mu Shuyu made Sun Miaoyin feel very uncomfortable.
It was said that Mu Shuyu had good attributes and a cultivation level similar to hers, both at the fifth level of Qi cultivation, which only made her feel more frustrated.
—-
Early the next morning, Xiao Jingting’s family left home.
Xiao Jingting also invited Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu. Although Xiao Jinfeng felt it wasn’t appropriate to go out for fun right after Xiao Xiaofan had hit Xiao Yue’er with a brick, he couldn’t resist Xiao Xiaofan and Xiao Xiaodong’s eager expressions and agreed.
Xiao Xiaofan had never gone out for a stroll before. When he saw the bustling streets, he was dazzled by the variety of things on display. Xiao Xiaodong was equally curious, looking around everywhere.
When Xiao Jingting returned to Mocheng, he had already sold off the land and houses in Tuqiu Village. He had left behind some wealth, and now whenever Xiao Xiaofan wanted something, Xiao Jingting bought it for him.
Xu Mu’an looked at Xiao Jingting, who was spending money freely, and helplessly said, “Don’t indulge his whims. It will only spoil him.”
Xiao Jingting smiled and replied, “Xiao Xiaofan is still young. It’s natural for him to enjoy playing.”
Xu Mu’an smiled as well and didn’t continue to dissuade him. After Xiao Xiaofan was born, he had suffered a lot, and Xu Mu’an always felt indebted to him.
Xiao Xiaodong wore a sour expression as he sneered at the toys Xiao Xiaofan was interested in, but there was a hint of envy in his eyes.
Xiao Jingting looked at Xiao Xiaodong and asked, “Xiao Xiaodong, is there anything you want?”
With his hands behind his back and a proud expression on his face, Xiao Xiaodong replied, “I don’t play with toys anymore.”
Xiao Xiaofan looked at Xiao Xiaodong with surprise and exclaimed, “Brother, did you have toys before? Why didn’t I know? Did you secretly play with them?”
Xiao Xiaodong glared angrily at Xiao Xiaofan, as if his hair were on end, and said, “Idiot!”
“Brother, please don’t scold me. You’ve made me feel stupid,” Xiao Xiaofan said, frustrated.
Xiao Xiaodong: “…”
–
The next day, after Xiao Qingyan got up, he felt dissatisfied. He had wanted to find Xiao Jingting to demand an explanation, but he heard that Xiao Jingting had taken his family out for a stroll, which made him almost faint with anger.
Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng found a restaurant and sat down.
Sitting in the restaurant in Mocheng again, Xiao Jinfeng felt like he was in a different world.
Xiao Xiaofan looked at the dishes on the menu and ordered one after another.
Xu Mu’an looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “You’ve ordered so much. We won’t be able to finish it.”
Xiao Jingting didn’t mind and replied, “It doesn’t matter. It’s rare to indulge once in a while. It’s Xiao Xiaofan’s first time in this place, so we naturally want him to eat his fill.”
Xu Mu’an smiled and said, “Alright.”
Mu Shuyu casually remarked, “It’s been a long time since I last went to a big restaurant for a meal. The last time I went was with the mercenary group…” She paused halfway through her sentence, feeling a bit guilty as she glanced at Xiao Jinfeng.
Xiao Jinfeng held Mu Shuyu’s hand and said, “You’ve lost a lot of weight. When the dishes arrive, you should eat more.”
Mu Shuyu sighed helplessly and replied, “Where did I lose weight? You’re just talking nonsense.”
Xiao Xiaofu in Mu Shuyu’s arms yawned in boredom.
Xiao Xiaofan, who had finished ordering, looked around excitedly.
The dishes were served quickly, and soon the table was filled with a variety of dishes.
Mu Shuyu fed Xiao Xiaofu some egg custard with a spoon, while Xiao Jinfeng, seeing that Mu Shuyu was too busy taking care of the child to eat, picked up a dumpling and fed it to him. “Try this dumpling. It’s delicious.”
Mu Shuyu blushed and felt a bit embarrassed, but he didn’t refuse.
“Master Zhou, Madam Zhou, please come this way,” the waiter led the two guests upstairs.
Xiao Jingting looked at the two approaching figures with a hint of interest in his eyes. They were Zhou Kanghe and Sun Miaoyin, two acquaintances.
Xiao Jinfeng glanced casually at the two newcomers, calmly held a bowl of tangyuan, and fed it to Mu Shuyu’s mouth, saying, “The tangyuan tastes good. Give it a try, Shuyu.”
Mu Shuyu smiled awkwardly and swallowed one.
Sun Miaoyin couldn’t help but feel a bit awkward as she watched the affectionate interaction between Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu, feeling as if she had swallowed a fly.
Zhou Kanghe looked at Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng and said, “Long time no see, gentlemen.”
“Zhou Shao, long time no see.”
“Xiao Xiong, is this your wife?” Zhou Kanghe asked, looking at Mu Shuyu next to Xiao Jinfeng.
Xiao Jinfeng nodded and replied, “Yes.”
“Is this your son? He’s so cute, and he’s already so big,” Zhou Kanghe said, looking at the child in Mu Shuyu’s arms.
“Almost three months old,” Xiao Jinfeng said, knowing that Zhou Kanghe was probing, and admitted frankly.
“Did Xiao Second Young Master and his wife know each other long ago?” Zhou Kanghe asked.
Xiao Jinfeng nodded, looking affectionately at Mu Shuyu, and said, “Yes! We met in the mercenary group. I saved Shuyu’s life, and he saved mine. We can be considered a couple who have been through thick and thin together.”
Sun Miaoyin blushed with embarrassment. When Xiao Jinfeng was rejected before, some people felt sorry for him. They speculated that Xiao Jinfeng must have been depressed and lonely after being rejected, but who knew that in less than a year, Xiao Jinfeng would come back with not only a wife but also a child.
This time, some people said that Xiao Jinfeng was despicable. He had a marriage contract with Miss Sun but was fooling around everywhere. Some even said that Miss Sun was not worthy of sympathy because Xiao Jinfeng didn’t really care about her. Rejecting her was exactly what Xiao Jinfeng wanted, and although Miss Sun was talented and extraordinary, she was still not as good as a concubine in Xiao Jinfeng’s eyes.
“Master Zhou, bring your wife to dine! The food here is delicious,” Xiao Jingting lazily remarked.
Xiao Xiaofan looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “Dad, you’ve eaten all the tangyuan. Leave two for me.”
Xiao Jingting knocked Xiao Xiaofan’s head and said, “Don’t be picky. There are still so many dishes left.”
Although Xiao Xiaofan was dissatisfied, he accepted Xiao Jingting’s suggestion.
Zhou Kanghe looked at Xiao Jingting and said, “Indeed, one must not judge a book by its cover. Young Master Xiao has changed a lot! I didn’t expect him to reach the fifth level of Qi cultivation so quickly. At your age, your elder brother was only at the fourth level. With Young Master Xiao’s talent, if he wants to enter the Bifeng Academy, I’m afraid he can.”
Xiao Jingting smiled and replied, “I’m just lucky. I can’t compare to Master Zhou. You’ve steadily reached the sixth level of Qi cultivation. I’ve already passed the age to enter the Bifeng Academy. I dare not hope to enter the academy.”
“What a pity. If Young Master Xiao had joined the Bifeng Academy a few years earlier and received their training, he might have reached the sixth level of Qi cultivation by now,” Zhou Kanghe said.
Xiao Jingting smiled and said, “Master Zhou is joking. If reaching the sixth level of Qi cultivation were that easy, the streets would be full of people at that level.”
Zhou Kanghe and Sun Miaoyin left, and Xiao Jingting watched their departing figures with a glint in his eyes.
Sun Miaoyin glanced back and gave Xiao Jinfeng a couple more looks.
At the Xiao family’s residence:
“Brother Qingyan, didn’t you go out?”
Xiao Qingyan glanced at Xiao Muhong and asked, “Go out? Where to?”
Xiao Muhong casually remarked, “It seems Jinfeng and Jingting went out for a stroll early this morning. Didn’t they invite you? I thought when Jinfeng and Jingting came back, the three brothers would have a good time catching up.”
Xiao Qingyan gave Xiao Muhong a cold glance and said, “You seem to know a lot about our family’s affairs.”
Xiao Muhong smiled and said, “I just happened to see it. How is Yue Rong doing?”
“No problem,” Xiao Qingyan replied.
Xiao Muhong seemed relieved and said, “That’s good. Brother, when are you going back to the academy? Once you’re back, your wife and child will be alone at home. I’m afraid it won’t be easy for them.”
“It’s my business. You’re meddling too much. You should take care of your own wife. It seems she still has feelings for my third brother. My third brother is not the same as before. I saw them together in the corridor last night, under the cover of darkness. I wonder what they said,” Xiao Qingyan said sarcastically.
Xiao Muhong’s face darkened immediately, and Xiao Qingyan smiled sarcastically. When the news of his parents’ death spread, Xiao Muhong didn’t hesitate to put on an act in front of him. Now, he was pretending to be friendly with his brothers again, which was nauseating. Xiao Qingyan turned and walked toward his own courtyard.
Taking a deep breath, Xiao Qingyan was well aware that Xiao Muhong’s words were meant to sow discord between him and his two brothers. However, he couldn’t control his anger. Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng were now united, and they clearly didn’t regard him, the eldest brother, highly.
Watching Xiao Qingyan’s back, Xiao Muhong couldn’t help but clench his fists.
After marrying Sun Miaomiao, he had become much more understanding, but deep down, Sun Miaomiao was still a woman who was both strong-willed and admired strength.
Xiao Jingting’s transformation had quite an impact on Sun Miaomiao. Although she still seemed understanding when facing him, occasionally mentioning Xiao Jingting would always put her in a trance.
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