Snowball had gone out with us earlier and had been running around like crazy for a while. Now the snow on its fur had melted and it was a little damp.

Shen Xingmian pressed it to the edge of the stove fire, letting it lie flat and slowly dry.

The little thing is quite clean; it stuck out its little tongue and licked itself quite thoroughly, finally cleaning itself up very well.

But I just looked at it.

The thought of its body turning from snow water into saliva made Shen Xingmian think it would have been better if it hadn't licked at all.

Finally, she couldn't bear to look at it anymore, so she took a towel, wet it, and wiped the little tiger from head to toe again. Only then did she think it was still bearable to raise it.

In winter, it gets dark early. After they finished eating and played for half a day, it was only a little past eight o'clock. They stir-fried some snails, chatted for a while, and then went to sleep.

Shen Xingmian only needed to provide the ingredients for the late-night snack; she didn't need to worry about anything else, as her uncle would go over and help her aunt.

Wow, in this era that advocates "a gentleman keeps away from the kitchen," my uncle actually went to help in the kitchen, which shows how much their relationship has warmed up recently.

His blissful smile was truly dazzling.

He initially intended to cause trouble, but considering the extent of his suffering in prison, he ultimately decided to let him go.

The price was indeed high, but his current happiness is something his uncle deserves.

Soon, with the sizzling sound of the wok, the aroma of the base ingredients spread, and the fragrance was simply overwhelming.

Then came the sounds of snail meat being thrown in, water being added, and the lid being put on the pot—it was truly wonderful.

Shen Xingmian closed her eyes as she planted ginseng, taking in everything inside the tent.

In just a few days, she has grown dozens of perfectly shaped ginseng roots. If she were to sell them, they would surely cause a huge sensation.

But keeping it was really useless; it would be better to grow radishes, which could be used to make soup for everyone. Eating radishes in winter and ginger in summer is just right.

If ginseng were used to make soup, everyone would probably have nosebleeds after eating it—it's too much of a tonic!

However, people are inevitably limited by worldly values. Even if she has no use for ginseng, she will think about turning it into cash one day instead of actually planting radishes, which she thinks are more useful.

Of course, once she has enough superpowers, even if the space becomes unusable, she won't starve.

She used to think of a saying: "He who does not plan for the future will have trouble in the present." So she was worried all the time. The main problem was that she had no one to rely on, and she could only rely on herself.

That feeling of panic and anxiety gradually faded away from her.

Even if she can't use the space one day, her family can still be her support; she has that confidence.

What is Mianmian thinking about?

Xiao Yanyue couldn't help but observe her. While admiring her vivid expressions, she was also curious about what was going on in her little head.

Why are some people able to have such a rich array of expressions, and why do they all seem so adorable, no matter what expression they have?

He couldn't help but glance at it again and again, until finally he desperately warned himself to seize the time to improve his strength, otherwise he wouldn't be able to look at it anymore.

It was this sense of crisis that made him work exceptionally hard, even daring to practice internal energy cultivation techniques that he wasn't entirely sure about.

Today, Grandpa Shen reminded him that in martial arts training, one must never be impatient for quick success, as it is easy to make mistakes. In the end, not only will the effort be wasted, but it may also damage one's fundamental health.

But he was so anxious that he had to do something to relieve his anxiety.

He thought looking at Mianmian would calm him down, but it didn't; it only made him more anxious. Of all the books he had read, not one had taught him how to handle situations like this better.

well.

"I wonder if there will be anyone willing to rely on me if I can't do anything. Ugh, I wish I could be a lazy bum and not be looked down upon!"

Shen Xingmian sighed, half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Although I don't know what a salted fish is, with me around, I will make sure that Mianmian only does what she likes."

Shen Xingmian was somewhat surprised. She turned to look at the little face and saw a serious expression on it. She found it a little funny, but she was more touched.

"Oh my, this is incredible! Dao Dao is so sweet at such a young age. When he grows up, he'll charm so many girls with that face and that mouth~ Hahaha."

"However, you can't make promises lightly, otherwise not only might you fail to keep them, but you might also end up doing the opposite. Be careful what you say!"

Shen Xingmian pretended to be mysterious to scare the child.

We can't let a child who grows up like this have exceptionally high emotional intelligence, otherwise how many girls will be heartbroken in the future? That would be such a tragedy.

This possibility must be nipped in the bud.

"No, I just..."

Forget it, let's not explain anymore. No matter how much I say now, she won't take it seriously. She'll just think I'm talking like a child.

If you want to be taken seriously, you have to grow into a man first.

Alas, the road ahead is long and arduous.

Xiao Yanyue sighed silently in his heart, wishing that his time flow could be several times faster, until he caught up with Mianmian's age.

Ideally, he should be a bit older than her, so that taking care of her would be a matter of course.

"Alright, alright, anyway, don't say things like that to other girls that make them feel special to you, or it could cause trouble, you know?"

Shen Xingmian was still trying to persuade her cute younger brother to be a little more straightforward, instead of flirting without realizing it.

"Okay, I understand."

Xiao Yanyue didn't want to dwell on this topic any longer, since it was pointless anyway, so she might as well talk about something happier.

Just then, the adults lifted the lid of the pot, and he pretended nothing had happened and went over to join in the fun, but the complicated emotions in his heart just wouldn't dissipate.

Shen Xingmian watched the child's retreating figure, feeling a little puzzled. Why was the child acting so strangely? Was he unhappy?

Should I blame myself for not being appreciative?

Although children in ancient times were precocious, isn't his situation a little complicated?

Did she have any of these inexplicable moments when she was in elementary school?

Wow, it seems there really is one!

One night, she suddenly dreamed of the boy sitting behind her, and dreamed that they were dating. The next day, she could no longer look at him directly.

She always felt that if she watched too much, she would inevitably start to overthink.

The boy sensed her inexplicable hostility and became angry, so he stopped talking to her, and the two gradually drifted apart.

That was when I was over ten years old, which is quite different from when I was nine.

No wonder Grandpa said this child was precocious, understanding everything very early and learning things exceptionally quickly. It turns out that a top student's learning ability can even be reflected in their emotional development...

That's really something.

No, it seems I need to give him more proper guidance in the future, lest his mind gradually become distorted and he turn into an extremely cunning bad person.

That would be too dangerous.