Chaochao looked up at Lan Yuxi, "Mom?"
Lan Yuxi gently patted her son's head, "This is a Nan family tradition, and also a token of respect from Grandpa and Dad. When the time comes, you just pick those you feel a connection with. Don't worry about their abilities, because they are all children with a strong foundation, and they will grow up with you, just like Uncle Xiang Dong and the other three. You will be as outstanding as they are."
Chaochao silently nodded.
Mu Mu, however, was not as serious as her brother. She asked in her milky voice, "Mom, then what about the people you arranged for us?"
Nan Xiao looked at Lan Yuxi suspiciously, realizing she had already arranged people for the two children.
Lan Yuxi smiled at him and then said to her daughter, "When they return from the base, they will follow you. As descendants of the Nan and Lan families, it is good to have more people protecting you."
Lan Haolin nodded, "Your mother is right. You never know what dangers you might encounter on your growth journey. One more person protecting you means one more degree of safety."
Mu Mu said, "Oh," and pressed her little face tightly against her father's.
Nan Zhenting smiled and glanced at his little granddaughter, then said to his son, "Take the two children out to meet those children. Your mother-in-law is still resting, don't disturb her."
"Okay."
Nan Xiao bent down to pick up his son, but Chaochao dodged him.
"Dad, I'm a big kid now, you don't need to carry me."
Mu Mu blinked her big eyes and slid down from Nan Xiao's embrace, "Dad, then I'll get down too."
Nan Xiao smiled at Lan Yuxi, "Why do you like me carrying you so much, but it's all different with them?"
Lan Yuxi pouted, "Don't flatter yourself. I don't like you carrying me."
Nan Zhenting shook his head with a smile.
Lan Haolin also smiled, finding their bickering delightful to watch.
Nan Xiao smiled helplessly, taking his two children by the hand, and said to Lan Yuxi, "Let's go out and take a look together."
Lan Yuxi hummed softly and followed the three of them out of the living room.
Nan Zhenting curiously asked, "How many people did Yuxi arrange for the two children?"
"Four personal bodyguards for each, twenty hidden guards, and thirty devoted followers. The bodyguards and hidden guards are training at the base. The devoted followers have always been with them, but I still haven't seen where those people are. They only appear when the two children encounter extreme danger."
Lan Haolin sighed softly and continued, "Yuxi has had a difficult time over the years. I only found out later that she and her two children were once hunted. She single-handedly carved out a bloody path with her two children. Later, she realized that she alone could not protect the two children, so she arranged so many people for them."
Nan Zhenting sighed softly, "This child says nothing and endures all the hardship alone. Alas, let's go, we'll go take a look too, and pick more helpers for her. These eight people are loyal retainers who would exchange their lives for them."
Lan Haolin responded and stood up.
When the two came out, Chaochao and Mu Mu were already standing in front of a group of children around seven or eight years old.
Their serious little expressions almost made Lan Yuxi laugh.
Nan Xiao looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Are you sure you want them to choose for themselves?"
"Yes, these four people will be with them for life. Let's not interfere." Lan Yuxi met his gaze, "When you chose Xiang Dong and the other three back then, did Grandpa and Grandma interfere?"
"Grandpa didn't care at all. My mother arranged them for me, and I didn't even have a chance to voice my opinion."
Lan Yuxi frowned, "Are those four all loyal retainers of the Nan family?"
"Xiang Dong, Xiang Bei, and Xiang Xi are loyal retainers of the Nan family. Xiang Nan is a loyal retainer of the An family."
Lan Yuxi narrowed her eyes slightly, "I knew it, she wouldn't put all her eggs in the Nan family's basket."
When Nan Zhenting came out and saw that the two children hadn't started yet, he asked suspiciously, "Why haven't the two children started choosing? Are they not satisfied with any of them?"
Lan Yuxi looked back, "No rush, they are looking for their destined ones."
Nan Zhenting smiled with relief, "These two little ones are quite patient."
Lan Haolin smiled, "They take after me in this!"
Nan Zhenting gave him a side-eye, then looked at the two children with doting eyes.
Nan Xiao glanced at his father from the corner of his eye, "Is this what they call grandparental affection?" When he chose people back then, his father not only didn't participate but didn't even return from the army.
Nan Zhenting seemed to sense something and turned his head to look. Nan Xiao had already looked away before he could see him.
Nan Zhenting guiltily glanced at his son. The debt he owed his son was something he could never repay, so he could only make up for it with his grandchildren.
Chaochao and Mu Mu looked for less than three minutes. They separated their little hands and walked into the crowd of dozens of children. In a short while, they had picked out eight children. The chosen children were overjoyed, while those not chosen were dejected. Mu Mu looked at her brother with some pity. Chaochao shook his head at her. Mu Mu then reluctantly took her brother's hand and returned to Lan Yuxi.
Lan Yuxi lovingly stroked her children's heads, "Have you chosen?"
"Mm."
Nan Xiao gave Nan Yi a look. Nan Yi, understanding, led the remaining children away quickly.
Just as Nan Yi and his group withdrew to outside the main gate, more than a dozen men in black appeared before them as if descending from the heavens. Their target was simple: Chaochao and Mu Mu.
Lan Yuxi was the first to react, and just as she was about to shield her children, Nan Xiao pulled her back. Lan Yuxi instantly understood what the men in black were there for and raised her hand to make a gesture. The bodyguards of Half-Mountain Villa, who had already rushed halfway, retreated.
When the group of men in black appeared, a hint of ferocity flashed in Chaochao's bright black eyes. His first reaction was to rush in front of his sister and strike a fighting pose. The eight children who had just been chosen immediately formed a circle, protecting their young masters in the middle.
Just as the battle was about to erupt, a black SUV crashed through the gate. The car spun behind the men in black, dispersing their encirclement. Immediately, a tall man with shoulder-length curly chestnut-brown hair leaped out of the SUV.
Lan Haolin pulled his hand away from Nan Zhenting's grasp and shouted at the newcomer, "Get lost, don't cause trouble!"
Lan Yuxi pouted and looked at Nan Xiao, "Barbecue time, your plan is ruined."
Nan Xiao narrowed his eyes at the man with chestnut-brown hair, "Is this your third brother? The photos I saw didn't show him like this."
Lan Yuxi's mouth twitched, "He escaped. If he still looked the same, wouldn't he be discovered at a glance?"