Chapter 85

With the empire's great victory, the sky, which had been overcast for more than a month, finally cleared, leaving people marveling at the change.

The sun shone down, illuminating the snow, making the world seem even more transparent and bright. Although the temperature was still low, it lifted people's spirits in a surprising way.

Jiang Xingchen was no exception. Originally, he had been carried by the old man and was drowsy, but after the sky cleared, he no longer felt sleepy. Especially as the village came into view, his spirits soared even higher.

When they reached the village entrance, Jiang Xingchen refused to be carried any longer, insisting on walking into the village himself.

"Lord Jiang, you're back!" A villager saw Jiang Xingchen and immediately shouted excitedly. Almost instantly, the entire village came out to welcome him.

Jiang Xingchen, moved by the scene, calmed the villagers and then saw Mei'er running out from the lord's residence.

"Brother!" Running up to him, Mei'er tightly grabbed Jiang Xingchen's hand and quickly asked, "Did you get hurt on the front lines? Did you encounter any enemy soldiers? Are you tired...?"

The little girl spoke rapidly, asking a series of questions. Jiang Xingchen didn't pay much attention to what she was asking; at that moment, his heart was filled with the deep concern and longing Mei'er had shown.

Telling the villagers to go home, Jiang Xingchen led Mei'er back, softly saying, "Brother is fine. I was only gone for a little over ten days, you..."

"I've never been apart from you for so long!" Mei'er said, lowering her head, her eyes misty.

During these ten days, Mei'er could think of nothing else but how her brother was doing on the front lines. Although he was only there to fish, she couldn't put her mind at ease. She couldn't even eat properly, drinking only medicine every day.

Hearing Mei'er's words, Jiang Xingchen stopped in his tracks, slowly squatted down, and held her face with both hands, looking deeply into her eyes. "Brother won't be away from you for so long again!"

"Um!" Mei'er pursed her lips, feeling happy, but for some reason, her nose felt a bit stuffy.

"Alright! Look at you, you said you would take care of me, but I've only been gone for a short time, and you've already lost weight. You just started to gain some, and now it's all gone!" Jiang Xingchen chuckled, teasing Mei'er.

At that moment, a young voice suddenly came from beside them: "Sister Mei'er is thin from being tired. She cooks for that big guy every day..."

"Ah?" Jiang Xingchen was taken aback, turning his head to see Nier speaking earnestly.

"What's with the big guy?" Jiang Xingchen asked, not caring that Nier was only five years old.

"That big guy eats a lot, Mei'er sister cooks so much for every meal..." Nier gestured with her small hands, "It's not enough for him alone!"

Biting her finger, Nier continued, "And that big guy is really bad. He doesn't care about others when he eats. Mei'er sister sometimes doesn't even get to eat... and neither do I... sniff sniff~"

Before Nier could finish, a large hand covered her entire face. Zhao Danqing's smiling face appeared, "Brother, you're back! We've been waiting for you for days!"

"Uh!" Jiang Xingchen was taken aback, then realized, "I was wondering who the big guy was, it's you!"

Pulling away Zhao Danqing's hand from Nier, Jiang Xingchen said coldly, "You're really something. Knowing my sister is sick, you still make her cook! That's one thing, but you actually..."

"Brother, don't listen to this little girl's nonsense. How could I ignore our sister? She just can't eat, so I helped clean up. I didn't want it to go to waste!" Zhao Danqing quickly explained.

"The little girl is lying! How old is she, can she lie? And helping clean up, in this cold weather, the food wouldn't go bad... Do you think I believe you or her?"

"Little girl!" Zhao Danqing, seeing the situation, immediately changed his target. He squatted down and showed what he thought was his most amiable smile, saying to Nier, "Brother promises not to eat it all, I'll leave you some good stuff! Wasn't the fish from yesterday delicious? I'll save some for you, but you have to tell the truth..."

"Wah~" Nier burst into tears, kicked Zhao Danqing, and ran to Jiang Xingchen, pulling his pants and shouting, "Lord, the weird uncle wants to take me to see goldfish!"

"Phew!" Jiang Xingchen almost spat out a mouthful of blood, coughing hard. He had only said that to mock the old man once, and now this little girl had learned it.

"You can't say such things in front of children, it's ruining the next generation!" Jiang Xingchen blamed himself.

Beside him, Mei'er was almost laughing to the point of convulsing, her shoulders shaking.

Behind them, the old man's forehead veins were bulging, and he remembered Jiang Xingchen's mocking words: "With your appearance, even if you were thirty years younger, you'd still be a weird uncle who tricks little girls to see goldfish, exuding perversion!"

That sentence had shocked him to the core, leaving him speechless. Especially after understanding the meaning of "weird uncle," he had wanted to kill Jiang Xingchen in a fit of rage.

Hearing Nier say it again, the old man's mood was unimaginable.

Zhao Danqing was dumbfounded, completely confused by the meaning of the words, muttering, "Weird uncle, what does that mean, is it that funny... Ow!"

As he spoke, the old man had already pounced, giving him a hard knock on the head.

"Why did you hit me?" Zhao Danqing asked, his face falling. The old man was not someone to provoke.

"Because you're perverted!" The old man couldn't explain, so he just walked into the yard.

Jiang Xingchen, who had just caught his breath, heard the old man's words and almost spat blood again, coughing so hard he bent over. Mei'er had to help him into the yard.

Zhao Danqing, dumbfounded, watched the others' backs, his mind a mess.

At that moment, Nier, who had been by Jiang Xingchen's side, suddenly turned and made a face at him.

"Ow!" Zhao Danqing was so struck that he fell over, having been tricked by a five-year-old girl.

Jiang Xingchen, catching his breath, couldn't help but laugh and shake his head, "This little girl is a bit of a schemer!" He knew Nier was deliberately retaliating against Zhao Danqing, probably because she had come to freeload but ended up with nothing, as the big eater had taken it all.

At that moment, Mo Hongxian and Wan Rou, who had been in the house, also came out.

"Sister Hongxian, Sister Wan Rou, why are you here?" Jiang Xingchen asked, seeing them.

"Of course, to see the spectacle of catching thirty thousand pounds of fish in one net!" Mo Hongxian explained, patting Jiang Xingchen's shoulder, "Little brother, don't disappoint us!"

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen was speechless, inwardly lamenting, "Why is this happening again? Can't they stop patting me and calling me little brother?"

At that moment, Mei'er also turned to look at him, and Jiang Xingchen's lips twitched. He clearly read the meaning in her eyes: "Elephant."

"Destroying my worldview!" Jiang Xingchen was so depressed he wanted to bang his head against the wall, secretly vowing never to draw Crayon Shin-chan for Mei'er again.

Finally, Wan Rou spoke, helping him out, "They're here to see you fish, but I'm here to discuss dance and music with you. It's almost the end of December, and there are only two months left until the New Year performance, so you need to focus!"

"Sister Wan Rou, I've been busy! I'll rest for a couple of days and then think about it!" Jiang Xingchen said.

He was also looking forward to the New Year performance. Originally, he wasn't too enthusiastic about music and dance, but since the appearance of the Mingzhen array, his singing and control of sound waves had made him feel like a fish in water. Plus, he enjoyed the feeling of standing on stage and seeing the audience cheer, which had changed his attitude.

"Let's wait on the fishing for now. We've been fishing so much at Bi Bo Lake that we're all tired of it!"

"It's fine, no rush on the fishing!" Zhao Danqing, finally recovering, stepped forward and said, "You've been on the front lines for so long, you must not have eaten well. You should replenish yourself when you get back! I think we should make dumplings. I haven't had dumplings in a long time!"

"Um! Dumplings sound good!" Mo Hongxian nodded, adding, "Do you have enough garlic? Don't forget to braid it!"

"Go away! You really eat garlic by the braid!" Jiang Xingchen was so struck that his body swayed.

"Lord, don't listen to them. Making dumplings is so troublesome. Mei'er sister told me, you have to prepare the filling, knead the dough, roll out the wrappers, and wrap them..." Nier's young voice sounded like music to Jiang Xingchen's ears.

"Only this little girl understands. I've been so tired and sleepy..."

Glancing at Mo Hongxian and Zhao Danqing, Jiang Xingchen was about to praise the little girl when he heard Nier say, "Lord, let's make fried rice with eggs. It's also very delicious!"

The situation suddenly changed, and Jiang Xingchen was momentarily stunned. It wasn't until Mo Hongxian and the others burst into laughter that he suddenly cried out, "Heaven! Do you have any sense of decency? Can't you see how tired I am..."

Wait, halfway through his cry, Jiang Xingchen suddenly stopped and looked up at Mei'er, "Fried rice with eggs! Has this little girl eaten fried rice with eggs?"

"Yes!" Mei'er nodded, explaining, "That day you and the old man left in a hurry, and the fried rice with eggs wasn't finished. When Nier came, she ate it all!"

"Oh!" Jiang Xingchen sighed in relief, nodding, "I see, then..."

Before he could finish, Mei'er's eyes twinkled, and she said, "Later, I thought the fried rice with eggs was good, so I tried making it myself! Since the wild pheasant eggs you left couldn't hatch, I..."

"Ah!" Jiang Xingchen, struck again, lunged forward and crashed into Mei'er.