Chapter 5

Once again, Jichangkong woke up in pain from a nightmare, sat up on the wooden bed, and glanced out the window. It was just beginning to dawn. He quickly put on his blue robe, splashed some cold water on his face, and then ran out impatiently.

The year's plan is made in spring, and the day's plan is made in the morning. However, for Jichangkong, the morning was not a good time.

Rushing to the kitchen, he rolled up his sleeves and immediately started to work. Adding materials, starting the fire, adding water, and kneading the dough, his series of actions were incredibly skilled, clearly not the first time he had done these things.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Outside, a series of violent sounds could be heard. These were the sounds of fists breaking through blue stones and feet shattering hard wood. The young men of the Ji family were taking advantage of the morning to exercise their skin and bones, hoping to make further progress on the arduous path of becoming a Heavenly Scholar.

In the kitchen, Jichangkong was stir-frying lettuce. Hearing the sound of blue stones being shattered outside, he was momentarily stunned, his face suddenly showing a hint of loneliness. He sighed lightly and then refocused on the lettuce in the pan, but he secretly cursed—overcooked lettuce.

"Changkong, is breakfast ready? The city lord will be coming today. The triennial Heavenly Scholar test of the Ji family will start at dawn. We need to hurry!" A pleasant female voice came from the door. Just as the voice faded, Jiwanyun had already arrived in the kitchen.

"Aunt, it will be ready soon," Jichangkong turned and smiled, revealing his bright white teeth on his soot-blackened face.

Seeing the radiant smile on the soot-blackened face, Jiwanyun felt a sudden pang of sadness. She sighed and stepped forward, extending her delicate hand to wipe the dust off Jichangkong's face.

Jichangkong immediately put down the spatula, took two steps back, and turned to face the steamed buns on the rack, saying softly, "Aunt, my face is dirty, I'll wash it later. Don't get your hands dirty."

"You child! What are you saying?" Jiwanyun suddenly became angry. Her body gracefully moved, and she was already in front of Jichangkong. Her left hand quickly grabbed Jichangkong's shoulder, preventing him from dodging, while her right hand continued to wipe the blackness from his face.

However, Jiwanyun's right hand, without water, only made his face look even worse, like a chaotic mess.

"Aunt, I told you not to wipe it. Look, your hands are dirty now," Jichangkong felt moved, knowing who was good to him.

"Dirty hands can be washed!" Jiwanyun lightly scolded, her face serious. She sternly said, "Changkong, no matter what others say or think about you, in Aunt's eyes, you are always the best child of the Ji family!"

"I know Aunt cares for me," Jichangkong smiled, raised his hand, and carefully brushed away the long hair covering Jiwanyun's left cheek. Seeing the four ugly scars extending from her eyebrow to her white neck, Jichangkong's eyes were resolute. "Aunt, I may never have the ability to avenge you, but I will definitely find a way to remove these four scars from your face!"

The four scars on Jiwanyun's face looked like four ugly snakes, completely destroying her once beautiful appearance. From the marks, it was clear that they were caused by someone's sharp nails digging into her skin!

The scars were so deep, one could imagine the nails were embedded in her flesh, the pain unimaginable...

Physical pain was one thing, but the mental pain was even more devastating!

For a woman, especially a once beautiful woman, the cruelest and most vicious revenge could not be more severe!

"Don't talk nonsense. Aunt just needs to know you have this heart," Jiwanyun's eyes flickered, her face showing some panic. She quickly used her long hair to cover the four ugly scars on her left cheek, then helped Jichangkong arrange the steamed buns and a few dishes. "Let's go, the Ji family men have no patience. They will be waiting impatiently."

Jichangkong clenched his hands, the nails digging into his flesh until he felt a piercing pain, then he let go. Taking a deep breath, he calmed his mind, picked up the remaining bowls of clear porridge, and silently followed Jiwanyun out of the kitchen.

***

In the dining room.

On the long table were a few small dishes, two large baskets of white steamed buns, and a bowl of clear porridge for each person.

Jiyuxing and Jiyusheng, two elders, sat at the head of the table. On the left were Jiyuxing's two sons, Jihong and Jiguang, and their grandsons, Jichangxiao, Jichangsheng, and Jichangle. On the right, the first person was Jiyusheng's daughter, Jiwanyun, followed by Jiguang's eldest daughter, Jiyueqing, Jihong's youngest daughter, Jixiaolian, and finally Jichangkong.

At the Ji family dining table, except for the head seats, men sat on the left and women on the right. Jichangkong should have sat on the left, but the table was not long enough, so he had to move to the right, joining the women.

There was also a small table where Jihong and Jiguang's wives, Lu and Zhao, were waiting with their heads bowed.

Those who were not part of the Ji family, even if they entered the Ji family's door, had no right to sit at the main table. The main table was always reserved for those surnamed Ji.

With Jiyuxing and Jiyusheng present, the dining table was usually quiet. The two elders did not speak, and the younger generations kept silent, a rule.

Jiyuxing lightly coughed and said, "Let's eat."

After speaking, Jiyuxing picked up a small piece of lettuce, chewed it, and lightly frowned, but did not say anything. Once Jiyuxing started eating, everyone else followed, the bamboo chopsticks moving over the small dishes.

Jichangkong's heart tightened. He suddenly remembered that in his haste to talk with Jiwanyun, he had accidentally served the overcooked lettuce. He secretly glanced at Jiyuxing, seeing that he did not seem angry, Jichangkong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Spit!" Jichangle, with a bitter face, spat out a piece of lettuce onto the table, glaring fiercely at Jichangkong. He quickly lowered his head and drank the porridge loudly.

"Uh... The lettuce is overcooked, but Xiaole, you really shouldn't do that," Jichangle's father, Jiguang, smiled and tried to excuse his son. The Ji family had strict rules, and Jichangle's behavior at the dining table was already improper. Jiguang, fearing that his father Jiyuxing would scold his grandson, pretended to shift the blame to Jichangkong.

"It is overcooked," Jihong nodded, glancing at Jichangkong, who was hanging his head, and said coolly, "Changkong, you need to be more careful next time."

"I understand, Uncle. Tomorrow I will cook the dishes well, so you won't have to eat something you don't like," Jichangkong lowered his head, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, but his voice was gentle.

Clang!

Jichangkong's grandfather, Jiyusheng, heavily placed his porcelain bowl down and suddenly shouted, "Cooking! Just cooking! A proper Ji family man, only focusing on such lowly tasks, what good will come of it?"

Pausing, Jiyusheng saw Jichangkong hanging his head in silence, and slammed the table again, angrily scolding, "Knowing that important guests are coming today, you still get dirty and don't even change into clean clothes. You lack decorum!" As he spoke, Jiyusheng threw down his chopsticks and stood up, coldly snorting.

Jiyusheng's outburst was sudden, with no warning. Everyone looked at each other, temporarily putting down their chopsticks and bowls, staring at him in shock.

Jichangle, who had glared at Jichangkong earlier, was full of schadenfreude. Jichangxiao, Jichangsheng, and Jiyueqing looked indifferent, not even glancing at Jichangkong, but rather at Jiyusheng, wondering why he was so angry over such a small matter.

Jihong and Jiguang sat upright, their expressions serious. Their wives, Lu and Zhao, sitting at the small table, lightly lowered their heads, a barely noticeable sneer on their faces.

Only Jixiaolian, sitting next to Jichangkong, timidly tugged at his sleeve, her eyes full of sympathy.

"Father!" Jiwanyun stood up, looking at Jiyusheng fearlessly, and said indignantly, "If Changkong could gather elemental energy, he wouldn't be any worse than anyone else! As a direct descendant of the Ji family, cooking for everyone every day is already a lot of work. An occasional mistake is inevitable. Why are you angry with him?"

"Cough..." Jiyuxing, who had been drinking porridge with his head down, finally looked up, put down his bowl and chopsticks, but did not stand. He looked at Jiyusheng and frowned, "Third Brother, it's because Changkong cannot gather elemental energy to become a Heavenly Scholar that I let him handle the daily meals. I just wanted to give him something to do since he can't cultivate. If you don't like it, I can find someone else to replace him. Why be so angry?"

"He is clumsy, and I don't like the food he cooks!" Jiyusheng glared at Jichangkong and stormed out, muttering outside the door, "Xiaozhou's cooking is good, I like him!"

"Hong, starting tomorrow, let Xiaozhou handle the daily meals," Jiyuxing said to his eldest son, Jihong, before Jiyusheng's figure disappeared.

"Understood, Father," Jihong nodded, glancing at Jichangkong, who was hanging his head in silence, a hint of displeasure in his eyes.

"The city lord should be here soon. Finish eating quickly and go to Qingyan Mountain to prepare for the test. Any little brat who is late will be locked in the Cold Ice Cave for three days!" Jiyuxing stood up, about to leave, and glanced at Jichangkong. After a moment's thought, he frowned and said, "Changkong, stay behind to clean up. Since you can't gather elemental energy, it doesn't matter whether you participate in the test or not." With that, Jiyuxing's figure, having reached the Sixth Heaven, vanished in an instant.

Once Jiyuxing left, Jihong and Jiguang did not even look at Jichangkong, just nodded at Jiwanyun, wiped their mouths with a wet cloth, and left. Their wives, Lu and Zhao, followed closely behind.

"I'll deal with you after the test, huff!" Jichangle glared at Jichangkong, not even bothering to continue eating. As he passed Jichangkong, he whispered in a voice only they could hear, "I'll deal with you after the test." Then he hurriedly went to Qingyan Mountain with Jichangxiao and Jichangsheng, fearing they would be late and locked in the Cold Ice Cave for three days.

"Big Brother Changkong, it's all because Big Brother Changle spit out the food that made Third Grandfather angry. Don't be sad," Jixiaolian tugged at Jichangkong's sleeve, her bright eyes, round face, and pouting lips softly comforting him.

"Xiaolian, let's go. Do you want to be locked in the Cold Ice Cave?" Jiyueqing frowned and scolded before Jichangkong could speak, seemingly disliking Jixiaolian's interaction with Jichangkong. She grabbed Jixiaolian and pulled her out before she could say anything.

Jixiaolian stuck out her tongue, waved at Jichangkong, and ran out with Jiyueqing.

When the dining room was left with only Jichangkong and Jiwanyun, Jichangkong, who had been hanging his head, finished the last of his porridge, then looked up, a faint smile on his face, as if the scolding from Jiyusheng had not affected him at all, calm and unperturbed.

"Changkong, don't blame your grandfather. In the entire Ji family, the one who cares for you the most is not Aunt, but your grandfather!" Seeing everyone leave, Jiwanyun sighed and said softly.

"Aunt, I naturally know that Grandfather did this because he cares for me. Sigh, it's my own fault for not being strong. It's hard for Grandfather to go to such lengths to save me some effort," Jichangkong sighed.

Hearing this, Jiwanyun smiled, patted Jichangkong's head, and said with satisfaction, "You are smarter and more sensible than those little rascals. You always make people feel at ease. If you can gather elemental energy and become a Heavenly Scholar one day, I don't think any of those rascals can match you!"

PS: Xin's new book is uploaded. Please add it to your collection and give it some recommendations. Thanks! (*^__^*)...

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