"You little brat, where did you run off to!!"
As soon as Wang Qiancheng returned home, he was kicked to the ground by Wang Langji, who had heard the news. Wang Qiancheng lay on the ground, the biting cold wind whistling into his clothes through the collar. If it weren't so cold, he might have felt an urge to lie there and observe the world from a different angle.
Too bad it was too chilly!
He got up from the ground and brushed off the dust clinging to him.
With a dismissive tone, he drawled, slinging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner, "Dad, what are you doing? If your feet are itchy, have the concubines scratch them. No need to take it out on your son!"
"You..."
Wang Langji's eyes widened in anger, and he raised his leg for another kick. Wang Qiancheng nimbly dodged to the side, evading his father's groin-targeting kick.
"Dad, if you keep this up, you can marry the young lady from the Liu family yourself!" Wang Qiancheng issued a stern warning.
"You heard?"
Wang Langji pointed at Wang Qiancheng's nose, his hand itching again. This little brat dared to eavesdrop!
Wang Qiancheng scoffed disdainfully, pointing to his own head, "Do I need to hear? Can't anyone with a brain figure this out?"
"You? Brains?"
Wang Langji let out a cold laugh, "It's best not to mention your water-logged brain!"
Wang Qiancheng crossed his arms and tilted his head back slightly, looking at his father through his nostrils with a hint of arrogance, colloquially known as asking for a beating. "Well, that's inherited from you!"
"I %&*..."
Wang Langji glanced around, unable to find a suitable weapon. Seeing that things were about to get bad, Wang Qiancheng took off running.
"Dad, I actually don't take after you!"
His voice, carried by the wind, drifted into Wang Langji's ears. When he looked up, Wang Qiancheng had already vanished.
Wang Langji stared blankly for a full second before realizing the little scamp was mocking his lack of intelligence!
"You little scoundrel, stop right there!"
...
Wang Qiancheng rubbed his backside, thinking his father shouldn't have been in a civilian post; he should have joined the army! Those old veteran hooligans like Qin Qiancheng were more cultured than his own father.
"So, it's the eldest daughter from the second branch of the family?"
Wang Qiancheng was not at all surprised; it was as expected.
Wang Langji looked at Wang Qiancheng. If he wasn't sure there was no human skin mask on his face, Wang Langji would have thought someone else was impersonating him. How could his idle, good-for-nothing son, who only knew how to raise fighting cocks and chase dogs, suddenly seem like a different person, as if his brain had been artificially enhanced?
"Dad, what's with that look?"
Wang Qiancheng didn't even need to guess to know what his father was thinking!
"I just feel life is short and one should enjoy it while they can, I'm not truly stupid!" By establishing this connection with the Liu family, Wang Qiancheng felt he should make some appropriate changes to gain more say and decision-making power in the future.
Wang Langji remained skeptical!
"Your small brain can't possibly understand!"
Wang Qiancheng sighed, and before Wang Langji could fly into a rage, he decisively changed the subject, "Lord Liu has woken up, so the Wang family's debt of gratitude to the Liu family has reached a new level."
"Will the Liu family dismiss such a favor with small gifts like properties and shops? So, the moment Lord Liu woke up, I guessed the Liu family would definitely seek an alliance with our family through marriage."
"And it must be with their嫡女 (di ni)!"
A strange thought crossed Wang Langji's mind. His first reaction wasn't to marvel at his son's newfound sense, but rather to want to tie him up and take him to a temple for an exorcism.
"Dad, what's with that look?"
Wang Qiancheng felt Wang Langji's gaze was filled with malice.
Wang Langji coughed and asked, "Son, do you remember when you stole Aunt Wang's chest wrap as a child and I beat you so badly you couldn't get out of bed?"
Wang Qiancheng replied with a serious expression, "Dad, I took Xiao Lan's bib. The time you beat me so badly I couldn't get out of bed was when I kicked Cheng Zai into the cold water pool."
"Dad, have I passed the test?"
"Cough, cough, cough, cough~"
Wang Langji choked on his own saliva, coughed violently, picked up his teacup and gulped down several mouthfuls before suppressing the cough. He then hit his head with some annoyance, a look of dejection on his face, and sighed, "Alas, I'm getting old, my memory is failing!"
Wang Qiancheng silently picked up his teacup.
Forget it, as long as you're happy!
Wang Langji looked at Wang Qiancheng, who was lounging on the chair, drinking tea. After struggling to acknowledge his son's intelligence and quick wit, the delayed excitement and pride finally surged into his heart.
Look at him, this is my son!
If my son weren't so unrestrained and unruly, with his intelligence, wouldn't it be easy for him to be ennobled and appointed as a minister!
Wang Qiancheng swallowed his tea!
Dad, don't get carried away!
...
After a meal at Dongbo Tower, Nan Shiying, holding her slightly bulging stomach, returned to Xingyuan Pavilion.
Ever since the Poison Elder had been administering the Minor Heavenly Circulation Needling Therapy to Ji Jinmo every two weeks, Nan Shiying rarely accompanied them to the stone cave.
She returned to her room, dismissed Lu Wan and the others, and then took out the medical book Liu Wanjun had given her.
To be precise, it was a poison scripture!
It was the poison scripture that Yue Sinan had given her back then.
If her memory served her correctly, it should contain Yue Sinan's handwritten annotations, and of course, hers as well!
She ran her fingers over the pages, and the memories etched into her bones churned up from the dusty corners. Nan Shiying still remembered Yue Sinan's whispered instructions when he gave her the book.
Yue Sinan!
The first stirrings of affection were always unforgettable, so much so that even with Ji Jinmo standing beside her, Nan Shiying didn't notice until the book in her hand was snatched away. Only then did she snap back to reality, look up, and find Ji Jinmo's luminous eyes making her feel exposed, and for some reason, she suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
Ji Jinmo looked at the poison scripture in his hand, flipped through a few pages, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Where did you get this?" Ji Jinmo closed the book and asked.
Nan Shiying replied, "Liu Wanjun gave it to me."
"He certainly knows how to give!" Ji Jinmo grinned, it was unclear whether he was genuinely praising him or being sarcastic.
Nan Shiying feigned ignorance and agreed, "Indeed, this poison scripture looks like it's several hundred years old."
It was well-preserved, otherwise, it would have been unusable!
"Hundreds of years!"
Ji Jinmo repeated the words, his voice sounding as if it were squeezed through his teeth.
Nan Shiying was not just feeling guilty now; her scalp was starting to tingle!
He, should, probably, not have guessed anything, right? He couldn't have! If she hadn't personally experienced it, when Princess Hui An had said those words back then, she would have definitely thought she was crazy!
Nan Shiying felt it must be because she was too lost in thought about Yue Sinan just now, and Ji Jinmo's sudden appearance had startled her, triggering an acute stress disorder! .oΓg
What kind of disorder is that?
She didn't know; she just made it up!