Chapter 25

"...Uncle."

"I'll call the doctor right away... Did I do something wrong? I did something wrong, didn't I, Lian?"

"Uncle. Did you see the baby ducks? There were mallards in the pond at Yuelingzhai."

"I think I've seen them before..."

"They're ugly. Small, black, and their feathers stick out."

Duan Muxian listened blankly for a moment, then burst into laughter. He felt a surge of emotion seeing his usually mature and adult-like nephew pouting about how ugly the baby ducks were.

"No, no. That's not it. They're very cute."

"No, Uncle. It's not a conceptual issue; I'm talking about real ducks."

As Lian passionately described the shape of the ducks with his hands, Duan Muxian laughed until his neck turned red, for a very long time.

"How about this?"

Lian only blinked when he saw Duan Muxian, who had come at a time close to dawn.

Duan Muxian looked as if he hadn't slept all night, with bloodshot eyes.

"Uncle? Are you okay?"

"I drew some pictures."

"What kind of pictures..."

Lian held the paper that Duan Muxian, who was kneeling in front of him, unfolded, and his eyes widened.

There were several rough but skillfully drawn pictures of birds sitting by the water, their beaks painted with bright yellow pigments.

"Uncle..."

"What do you think?"

It seemed as if he was asking if they were good enough, cute, and handsome. Lian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Qinglianshui has a special effect, so instead of engraving it on the front of the bottle, why don't we engrave it on the bottom?"

"Do you mean to make the bottle with the bird design embossed on the front?"

"...Do you like the picture?"

"This one. The one with the big duck and the small duck."

Lian brought the last piece of paper to the front. All of Duan Muxian's drawings were impressive, but the last one was especially endearing, with its plump body and the beaks touching.

"But first, we should ask Chief Xue."

"...Chief Xue Guanxi of Zhaijing?"

"Yes. He's the best at making and spending money in our clan."

"...What if Chief Xue says no?"

"Then we'll just engrave it on the bottom of the bottle..."

"Fine! Fine!"

Duan Muxian grinned.

Xue Guanxi was initially surprised by Lian's sudden visit, but after listening to their proposal and plans seriously, he clapped his hands and nodded.

* * *

As the sun changed and Lian's residence moved to Yuelingzhai, Lian was in the empty room, laying out a few pieces of clothing that had not yet been moved.

After much deliberation, he chose three or four sets. The nanny, Zhang, looked a bit disappointed.

"These are still pretty clothes..."

"I don't feel the cold much, so it's fine. And they're a bit small for me."

Lian was right. Even in the dead of winter, Lian didn't feel particularly cold. His nose would turn a bit red in the cold wind, but that was about it.

"You're also not in the best health."

"I have plenty of other coats."

Lian smiled and pushed her away. Zhang hesitated a few more times before picking up the clothes.

Duan Mu Bi was scooping water from the pond into a jar, offering to move the small pond that had been built in front of Lian's residence.

Hua Lun, who had been pretending to help, ran over when he saw Nanny Zhang taking Lian's clothes.

"What are you going to do with those clothes?"

"I'm going to sell them to make dumplings. It's almost the first month of the lunar calendar, and I'll distribute the dumplings on the streets."

Lian's words made Hua Lun's eyes widen.

"Are you not going to have a party?"

"What party?"

"The young master's birthday party."

This time, Lian's eyes widened. The clan didn't prepare a special party, so how did Hua Lun know about his birthday?

"Oh! Hua Lun, have you eaten those dumplings before?"

The dumplings he was talking about were the ones the clan made and distributed on the streets every year on Lian's birthday.

Since his daughter was sick, they couldn't have a birthday party, so they did good deeds in her name, hoping for her recovery.

The clan wasn't particularly wealthy, so they only distributed one dumpling to each person in the poor areas.

"Um... yes."

"Really? Really?"

Lian was genuinely surprised. He never imagined there was such a connection.

'The young leader of Machengjiao ate our family's dumplings in the old days?'

"Why are you so surprised when you're the one who distributed them?"

Of course, if you asked the people passing by the clan, two or three out of ten would have eaten the dumplings, but Lian had never met anyone who had actually eaten them.

"There is such a thing as fate... Anyway, I ate them well."

Hua Lun, a bit embarrassed, avoided Lian's gaze and spoke quickly. Lian, still surprised, closed his eyes and smiled.

"Then my recovery must be thanks to you, Hua Lun."

"What are you saying, the person who gave the dumplings?"

"When I gave them, I wished for my recovery, and now I'm better. It must be because you ate them well, right?"

As Lian stroked Hua Lun's head, Hua Lun looked at him with a frown.

"If someone comes and says their sister got better because they ate the dumplings well and demands something in return, you should chase them away immediately. Got it?"

"..."

"Really."

"Got it..."

"Anyway, shouldn't we have a birthday party this year? Even if we don't have a party, do we have enough money to distribute dumplings on the streets?"

Hua Lun deflected her question and countered. Lian swallowed.

"...We're not short! The advance payment for Qinglianshui has come in."

Moreover, once Qinglianshui started selling, even if it wasn't a large amount, some money would start circulating.

If Jian Yanjiao's third son did well, as she hoped, they could expect a much larger sum of money.

Although she had said to Jian Yanjiao that it didn't matter whether Qinglianshui sold well or not, she secretly hoped it would sell well.

That's why she had the idea of using a top-ranked scholar as an advertisement.

But she didn't plan to rely solely on that. Qinglianshui was just a small start.

'In the future, I'll do my best to revive the clan, make money, and do a lot more...'

"Then are we not having a birthday party?"

"Um, well..."

Lian scratched his cheek. His mother, Wei Zhiqing, had mentioned a birthday party, but Lian himself had declined.

He suggested continuing the annual dumpling distribution as a way to wish for his recovery.

Honestly, if the dumplings, which were given out to wish for his recovery, were to stop once he got better, people might think the time when he was sick was better.

Even if it was just a simple royal dumpling given once a year.

But now he realized that for young boys like Hua Lun, a party at the clan might be more exciting than free dumplings.

Just as Lian was about to console him, Hua Lun waved his hands.

"I don't want a party."

"Lian, let's have a party for your birthday!"

"No, I don't want a party."

"When is your birthday, Lian? I'll make your birthday party really grand when I make a lot of money. Just keep your promise."

"What promise?"

"Didn't you forget the promise to stay here?"

"Oh, that one."

"Yeah, yeah," Hua Lun replied half-heartedly.

"So, when is your birthday, Lian?"

"I don't know."

Lian, who was about to insist, quickly closed her mouth.

Wei Zhiqing had said that Hua Lun was an orphan with no relatives.

A boy who had become a servant in the clan, with no relatives to take advantage of him. It was natural that he didn't know his birthday.

'When was Tian Hua Lun's birthday?'

No matter how hard she tried to recall, nothing came to mind.

Even if the Black Heaven Lotus, Machengjiao, and Bai Dao Alliance were all part of the Wulin Alliance, it was unlikely that they would celebrate the birthday of the young leader of Machengjiao in the heart of the Bai Dao Alliance.

'Maybe they celebrated it among themselves.'

"Hmm, okay? Then how about we create a birthday for you now?"

"Sure, whatever."

"How about the 15th day of the ninth month?"

Hua Lun nodded.

'Really, he doesn't care at all...'

Lian sighed inwardly and turned his head slightly towards the window. White paper on the window slowly revealed some words.

Hua Lun

Martial Arts: Partial synchronization failed.

Talent and Enlightenment: Partial synchronization failed.

Concerns: Partial synchronization failed.

Lian's lips twitched for a moment, then he smiled awkwardly. Hua Lun asked why he was smiling like he had eaten a new grape, then walked away, shaking his head at Duan Mu Bi, who had broken a jar while moving the pond water.

'Even if he really didn't have a birthday, to decide it so quickly...'

Lian's gaze fell on the last line.

Note: Birthday - 15th day of the ninth month

Hua Lun now had a birthday, as she had decided.