Chapter 32

Jiang Xingchen was startled and turned his head to see that it was Qian Feng, who looked pitiful and was staring at him as if he had seen a savior, with his eyes shimmering with moisture.

"What's wrong with you?" Jiang Xingchen asked curiously, finding it hard to suppress his laughter at the expression on the tall man's face.

"Miss Meier has been making us play Gomoku with her all day!" Qian Feng swallowed, his voice trembling as if he had gone through a terrifying experience.

"Uh!" Jiang Xingchen was taken aback and laughed, "Playing Gomoku shouldn't scare you this much, right?"

"If it was just playing Gomoku, it would be fine. The problem is that when we lose, not only do we have to do housework and boil water, but we also have to pose... what's it called... right, we have to pose like Dynamic Man for her to draw... Since you left, we haven't won a single game all day..."

"This girl..." Jiang Xingchen's lips twitched, and he broke out in a cold sweat, large beads of sweat instantly sliding down his forehead.

"Zhou Xiong is still posing inside!" Qian Feng added.

Jiang Xingchen hurriedly stepped inside. As he approached the door, he heard the little girl's cheerful voice: "Uncle Zhou, be more serious. When you raise your right hand to point at the sky, you need to look up and smile... No, your left hand should be on your waist..."

Then came Zhou Xiong's voice, tinged with tears: "Miss Meier, I beg you, can we stop this game? My body is stiff!"

"Uncle Zhou, we agreed. You lost..."

Jiang Xingchen couldn't bear to listen anymore and quickly pushed the door open and walked in. He saw Meier holding a doll in one hand and a white silk for drawing in the other, directing Zhou Xiong to pose.

Hearing the door open, the little girl turned her head, her eyes instantly forming a crescent moon. She ran over and pounced: "Brother, you're back! Did everything go well?"

"Yes! Very well!" Jiang Xingchen affectionately ruffled Meier's head.

"Master Jiang, you're back, that's great!" Zhou Xiong's expression was the same as Qian Feng's, showing the excitement of being about to escape from their ordeal.

"Brother! I've already boiled the water. You should go take a bath quickly!" Meier's eyes no longer saw Qian Feng and Zhou Xiong as she said with a smile.

"We boiled the water!" Qian Feng stood behind Jiang Xingchen, shouting in his heart.

"Let's wait a bit before I take a bath!" Jiang Xingchen smiled and asked, "When I left, didn't I leave you a jigsaw puzzle? Why are you still playing Gomoku with Qian Feng?"

"I finished the jigsaw puzzle in less than a month!" Meier pouted and continued.

"So fast!" Jiang Xingchen's eyes widened. A 300-piece jigsaw puzzle was no small feat, and the little girl, who had never played before, managed to complete it so quickly.

As he was surprised, Meier continued, "After finishing the jigsaw puzzle, I played Gomoku with the doll. Later, Uncle Qian came in, saw me playing, and asked to play with me!"

Qian Feng's face turned red, and he felt embarrassed, thinking to himself, "I just thought the game looked interesting, who knew it would end up like this... Curiosity killed the cat, I'll never be so foolish again!"

Hearing Meier's words, Jiang Xingchen felt a pang of discomfort and asked, "How do you play Gomoku with the doll?"

"Didn't brother say that when you're not around, the doll can keep me company... I used to play alone, and no one ever played with me!" Meier said softly.

Jiang Xingchen had heard Meier mention before that she was often scolded when she asked to play. But this was the first time he realized that Meier had been playing alone all these years.

"Has Meier never interacted with other children besides me?" Jiang Xingchen frowned, imagining a little girl playing alone, talking to herself, and felt a lump in his throat.

"This little girl is so sensitive... It turns out she has been so lonely all along!"

A flash of realization crossed his mind. Along with the pain in his heart, he also felt a sense of empathy. He had come to a completely unfamiliar world and felt equally lonely. Although he tried to control himself, he couldn't help but think of his family and friends on Earth...

"Phew~" He took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions, thanked Qian Feng and Zhou Xiong, and sent them out before turning to Meier with a smile, "We've bought a 1,000 square meter house, and we can move in tomorrow!"

"Ah! Really..." Meier's eyes widened in surprise. She had been thinking about reminding her brother that the rent was due today.

"Of course it's real!" Jiang Xingchen nodded. Sun Sanqiang had told him that all the procedures for the house were completed.

"I want to decorate the house!" Meier demanded loudly.

"Sure, Meier can buy whatever she wants and decorate the house however she likes!" Jiang Xingchen agreed with a smile.

"Great!" Meier cheered, hugging the doll and rolling on the bed, giggling.

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen reached out, speechless, and patted his forehead, "This girl, how can she get so excited..."

"Cough! Meier!" After a moment, Jiang Xing cleared his throat and said, "There's another piece of good news. Do you want to hear it?"

"Ah! More good news?" The little girl sat up quickly, nodding her head.

"Brother's noble status..."

"Hmph!" Meier suddenly pouted, interrupting Jiang Xingchen, "Brother, you don't need to lie to me. I know that when you said you would become a noble to comfort me, it was just to make me feel better!"

"Ha ha!" Jiang Xingchen laughed, walked to the bed, and sat down. He reached out with both hands, grabbed Meier's thin shoulders, and said solemnly, "The night before last, brother was indeed comforting you... but this time, it's different!"

He paused for a moment, waiting for the expectation to show in Meier's eyes, and then continued, "Brother has contributed to the prosperity of Hongyuan City, and I will definitely be promoted to a noble. The results will be out in a few days!"

"Ah!" Meier covered her small mouth in surprise, hardly believing it, "Brother, are you serious?"

"Yes!" Jiang Xingchen nodded, then said gently, "Brother promised you that we would get our home back. Now we've taken another step forward!"

Meier hesitated for a moment, looking doubtful and a bit uneasy, and asked, "Brother, is there really hope to get our home back?" Although she had always encouraged her brother to reclaim their territory, she knew how difficult it was to obtain a noble title!

"Definitely!" Jiang Xingchen said firmly, "To be promoted in just a few days, don't you believe in brother's strength? It won't be long before brother gets the noble title... Moreover, Captain Mo said that our territory is remote and the land is barren, so it won't be divided anytime soon..."

"Brother, you're so awesome!" Before Jiang Xingchen could finish, Meier's smile bloomed like a flower, her joy erupting like a volcano. She grabbed Jiang Xingchen's arms and lunged forward.

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen, knowing that Meier would get excited, tried to avoid her. However, he forgot that his hands were still on her shoulders and was caught off guard, unable to dodge.

Jiang Xingchen was knocked back onto the bed, and the little girl cupped his face, pecking him several times, making a series of "pop" sounds.

"Little girl, get up!" Jiang Xingchen quickly pushed Meier away, his face slightly red.

"Ah~" Meier realized she had been too excited and struggled to get up, her face flushed.

"If I had known you'd act like this, I wouldn't have told you!" After sitting up, Jiang Xingchen raised his hand and tapped Meier's head.

"Hmph!" Meier bit her lip, lifted her head, and said carelessly, "You're my brother, what are you afraid of?"

"But you can't just kiss... Ah!"

"On the night of the heavy snow, didn't brother hold me and kiss me for a long time... mouth to mouth?"

"Ah! Little girl, that's different, I was just..."

However, before he could finish, the little girl added, "And that day, you also gave me a bath!"

"Cough, cough, cough..." Jiang Xingchen started coughing violently, quickly got up, and said, "I'll go get you something to eat," hurriedly leaving the room. He suspected that if the little girl said a few more things, his blood vessels might burst.

"Hehe..." The little girl watched her brother's retreating back, her eyes narrowing into slits, but her face turned even redder...

The next day, Sun Sanqiang brought people to hand over the property deed and staff to Jiang Xingchen and then left.

When they arrived at the new house, the excited Meier hesitated, "Brother! If we can reclaim our territory in the future, do we still need to buy this house?"

"Of course we do! At least for now, we need a place to live... And brother promised Meier that you would live in a 1,000 square meter house!" Jiang Xingchen patted Meier's head.

"Brother!" The little girl bit her lip and tightly held Jiang Xingchen's hand...

Then, under Jiang Xingchen's direction, a group of men started working, transforming the bedroom bed with blue bricks, filling it with a mixture of clay and hemp, and leaving specific ventilation holes...

The kitchen stove was also renovated, with doors added to the front and back, and pull rods installed on the wooden boards...

By the time the basic renovations were completed, it was already noon. Jiang Xingchen didn't have time to cook, so he took everyone to a restaurant for a meal.

After everyone left, Jiang Xingchen took the eager Meier to buy supplies.

While Jiang Xingchen and Meier were setting up their new home, the commander of the Third Legion had already arrived in Hongyuan City with his men. He rode into the city in front of a crowd, causing a stir. Some nobles who happened to see this were suddenly alarmed, as each legion's uniform was easily recognizable. The news of the Third Legion's arrival quickly spread.

Not long after, an even more explosive piece of news spread through the city's restaurants, causing a frenzy!