Qiao Zhen originally thought that teaching Lin Zhao how to use a knife and fork would be a very patient thing, but Lin Zhao remembered it firmly after she only said it once.
This is what they call "no comparison, no harm"—Qiao Zhen might need to calm down for a while.
When she first learned how to use knives and forks, she was completely baffled, unsure whether to place them horizontally or vertically, or how to position them in different situations. It wasn't until she was doing a Western fantasy quest, when she was truly in dire need of help, that she finally managed to memorize them.
"Is that so?" Lin Zhao awkwardly imitated Qiao Zhen's movements of using a knife and fork.
"Yes, Zhao Zhao was great today!" Qiao Zhen praised without reservation. Actually, this wasn't the first time she'd taken care of a child on a mission, so she was quite adept at it.
After finishing their meal, Qiao Zhen and Lin Zhao went for a stroll. She took Lin Zhao into a shop selling long gowns, which also had tiger-themed clothes and shoes for babies. After all, she had brought Lin Zhao into the Qiao family under the guise of tormenting him, so it wasn't unreasonable for her to give him a little slap on the wrist. "Boss, can I order some?"
"What kind of item do you want to order? What size?" The shopkeeper put down his round glasses that he had been looking at the accounts.
Qiao Zhen pointed to the adorable tiger-patterned clothes and shoes, "Like this, his size." She pointed to Lin Zhao.
The boss took out a tape measure to measure Lin Zhao's size, but Lin Zhao reluctantly dodged and weaved.
Qiao Zhen smiled dismissively, "The boss can just take a rough measurement. Whether it's too big or too small, just ask him to fit me."
The shop owner had been selling clothes for decades, and his eyes were incredibly sharp. He could tell you the approximate length of legs and arms, as well as measurements. So, while Lin Zhao could dodge the measuring tape by dodging left and right, he couldn't escape the shop owner's discerning eye.
Qiao Zhen left a deposit and the address, then took Lin Zhao back to the car. On the way, she even bought a few pounds of peanuts and melon seeds.
Chu Chu was overjoyed; the mouse rolled around in the peanuts and melon seeds, squeaking incessantly.
Lin Zhao looked unhappy, but refused to speak.
Qiao Zhen ignored Lin Zhao and opened her mental channel: [Chu Chu, didn't you say we'd have to stay for ten or twenty years to complete this mission?]
Chu Chu finished a peanut, making a "squeak, squeak, squeak" sound. [Zhenzhen, can you please finish reading the tutorial? Chain quests can manipulate the timeline; a few years are just a blink of an eye (v＾＿＾)v]
Oh, I see.
Qiao Zhen felt a little restless. She had never played a mission where several years passed in the blink of an eye before. She brought up the "time progress" option in her mind. Lin Zhao was eight years old this year. She could adjust the time to ten years in the future so that she could skip the boring time period.
Without hesitation, Qiao Zhen mentally shifted the timeline to ten years in the future. A wave of dizziness washed over her; her head felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. She looked at the familiar-looking room before opening the window to let in some fresh air, which helped her regain her senses.
“Squeak…” Chu Chu requested to open a mental channel with Qiao Zhen to communicate.
[Application approved.]
【Oh my goodness, Chuchu, you're still alive?!】
"Squeak squeak squeak..." [Hehe, Zhenzhen, you should worry about your own situation first.] Chu Chu slumped wearily onto the sofa.
Qiao Zhen didn't care. She believed in dealing with whatever came her way, and besides, this task was only of a simple level. According to the Heavenly Realm's usual methods, it wouldn't be too difficult. She casually slipped on some slippers and went to look in the mirror. She found that time had been kind to her; apart from being mature, Qiao Zhen, who was nearly thirty years old, didn't have a single wrinkle on her face.
In ten years, the Qiao family's courtyard has been replaced by a villa.
The peach blossoms in the courtyard were in full bloom; it was March. Qiao Zhen changed into cloth shoes and strolled around the back garden. She casually stopped a passing servant and asked, "Where is Lin Zhao?"
The servant shrank back somewhat, and replied timidly, "Master took the young master to the military for exercises, and they won't be back for another half a month."
Qiao Zhenzhen genuinely felt this was a good thing. If the target of the mission held power in the military, then at least he would have the means to fight against fate in the future. Her next task was to help the target not to go too far.
Thinking about it this way, Qiao Zhen felt that she was absolutely awesome!
Chu Chu, indulging in a decadent lifestyle amidst piles of sunflower seeds and peanuts, glanced at the word "difficult" in the "task difficulty" section, and ultimately stuffed her mouth full of peanuts, without saying a word about it.
During the two weeks of waiting for Commander Qiao and Lin Zhao to return, Qiao Zhen went from being elated by the success of her mission to despair. She extracted information from her personal maid and cook that Lin Zhao had committed countless evil deeds over the past ten years.
According to Lin Zhao's own account, Qiao Zhen left him alone in a rented room in Y country, and he survived for a week on just two pieces of bread and water.
According to Qiao Zhen's classmate in country Y, a spoiled brat named A, the nanny Qiao Zhen hired for Lin Zhao was a woman with a very messy private life. Moreover, the language of country Y is different from that of country H, so it was extremely difficult for Lin Zhao to survive.
According to Qiao Zhen's personal maid, after returning to China, Qiao Zhen tried his best to stop Commander Qiao from bringing Lin Zhao into the military, which caused the father and daughter to often quarrel.
According to the cook, even though Lin Zhao was fortunate enough to survive in Y country, after returning to China, Qiao Zhen personally ordered people to cut back on Lin Zhao's food, clothing, and lodging.
Furthermore, within the upper echelons of H country, everyone knows that the daughter of the two powerful generals, Commander Qiao, utterly dislikes Lin Zhao and finds pleasure in humiliating him. Therefore, aside from having some support within the military, Lin Zhao is a laughingstock in the social circles.
[Your precious Zhenzhen said with tears streaming down her face: Chuchu, save me, cough cough cough…]
"Squeak, squeak, squeak." Chu Chu replied with a heavy heart, "[No, it's beyond saving, there's nothing we can do. Please accept my condolences, Zhenzhen.]"
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