"Qingnan, does that thing the little girl is holding, the one used for digging, look familiar?"
The girls in Huo Xiaolong's group have recently become obsessed with frying cicadas. Every day before the sun is fully up, they go to collect them with their tools, and sometimes they even dig in the soil to find a few that have escaped.
“It does look familiar, Your Highness, it resembles our Tiger Tally.”
The two elderly people are quite old and have poor eyesight, probably due to presbyopia, but they are still quite familiar with the things they have carried with them all their lives.
"They're probably just toys. If those kids like them, send someone to buy some more."
The Prince of Zhennan sat up and, with the help of his old servant, put on his clothes and shoes.
“Yes,” Lan Qingnan replied.
The old man walked to the window, looked at it carefully for a while, and said...
"But when I got closer, I still felt that the clever little girl was holding our family's tiger tally."
"No, Your Highness, you always carry the tiger tally with you. How could you possibly take it to that young girl?"
As Lan Qingnan folded the quilt and made the bed for the Prince of Zhennan, she turned around and said.
The old man leaning against the window stroked his beard a couple of times, and only replied after a long while.
“But yesterday, I gave the tiger tally to Tingche.”
"..."
"..."
Giving it to Lan Tingche is not a problem. After all, the Prince of Zhennan loved his youngest daughter the most, and by extension, even her brother couldn't surpass her.
People are always biased. The young master is pitiful. He lost his parents at such a young age and is not well received in the mansion. What's wrong with giving him some protective items?
but……
However, judging from the young master's reaction when I went to the brothel yesterday.
Even though it was Huo Xiaolong who ordered his men to knock her unconscious first, Lan Tingche still showered her with compliments by her bedside.
When he was in the Prince's mansion, the young master never interacted with anyone, even those who tried to please him. So... it's not impossible that he gave the tiger tally to Huo Xiaolong.
"Your Highness, you should ask the young master instead."
The Prince of Zhennan smiled indifferently, his beard trembling, and said...
“Our family’s Che has been sensible since he was a child. How could he give such an important item as the Tiger Tally to an outsider?”
Lan Qingnan looked at him seriously and said...
"But the young master has never had any brothers or sisters, he calls her his sister."
Are you serious?
Prince Zhennan suddenly felt that his leg pain had stopped and he had regained his strength. With the help of his old servant, he went outside and summoned Tingche.
"Grandpa, how are you feeling? Are you feeling better? Why are you up so early?"
"Grandpa thinks it's alright. Um... the tiger tally I gave you last night..."
The Prince of Zhennan was also a rough man who led troops into battle, and he spoke frankly even to children. Lan Tingche pointed at Huo Xiaolong and said...
"Oh, I lent the tiger tally to my little sister Long'er to dig for cicadas. She said the small shovel isn't as useful as the tiger tally."
The Prince of Zhennan felt he could easily live another thirty years, and wished he could immediately go to Gu Shilin to extend his life by another twenty years. His blood rushing to his head after finally calming down, he still managed to composed himself and asked...
"Tingche, the Tiger Tally is an important item for the Zhennan Army to mobilize troops. It's better to keep such an important item in your own hands."
Today, the young boy, dressed in shorts and a top, nodded to the old man and said...
"Alright, I'll go ask Long'er for it back to you!"
“Hey, that’s not what I meant.”
Lan Tingche tried to run away after he finished speaking, but the old man quickly grabbed him and said...
"What I mean is, Tingche should keep the tiger tally by his side at all times."
"If the tiger tally and Grandpa mobilized troops at the same time, whose order would be effective?" the little boy asked.
"Of course it's my maternal grandfather. Only when the commander is not present can the entire army obey the tiger tally."
"Then let Grandpa live a few more years, you are more useful than the Tiger Tally."
The Prince of Zhennan felt that his grandson's words were becoming increasingly hurtful. He had only been here for a few months, yet his words were already as sweet as honey.
The old man looked back at Qingnan, then pointed at Lan Tingche who had run away and said...
“Look...look at this child, he’s grown up and he still dares to talk back.”
Just as the Prince of Zhennan was making amends for his grandson, the two elderly people discovered the culprit behind it all.
"Dad, you're up?" Huo Xiaolong greeted Huo Shuwen, carrying a bucket of cicadas.
The man nodded, responded to his daughter, and continued filling the bucket with water. Then the little girl asked another question.
"Dad, do you still have any money?"
"What's wrong?"
"I'm out of loose silver, could you give me some?"
Huo Xiaolong was always carrying large sums of silver notes, which were usually used for war chariots or business. She would just pull them out without hesitation. However, her allowance came from her two mothers and the older women in the building. The little dumpling spent money quickly, buying whatever was delicious every day, and never hesitating when she saw something she liked.
"You're out of money again?"
"Yeah, I bought a belt yesterday. It has lots of pretty beads on it. I can wear it around Xiongzi's neck even when I don't need it anymore."
Huo Shuwen replied expressionlessly.
"Its neck is thicker than your waist."
"So, Dad, will you give it to me or not?"
The eagle lowered its head, rummaged through its belt and pockets, and after searching for a long time, found not a single coin.
But he didn't feel ashamed at all. He carried the basin into the house, and before leaving, he said something to his daughter.
"Dad doesn't have any either, but it's okay, I'll ask your mother for some, and I'll give them to you when I get out."
"Okay." Huo Xiaolong nodded, but felt something was off, and then she said behind her father's back.
"Dad, don't you feel like you're living off a woman these days?"
The two elderly people watching the commotion were stunned. They felt that the little girl was going to get a beating today, so how could she say that her own father was a freeloader? These words were just as hurtful as what Tingche had just said.
But the eagle didn't care. After a moment's thought, it turned around and nodded with a serious expression.
"Indeed, your father can't earn as much money as your mother, so Long'er, you should be nicer to your mother in the future and try not to upset her. Her arm always hurts after she hits you."
The little boy looked furious, pointing the tiger tally at Huo Shuwen.
“My mother hit me! My butt still hurts! You don’t care about your daughter at all! You only care about your wife’s arm.”
The man squatted down and patted the little girl's head twice, saying...
“I feel sorry for both of you, but if you have to rank them, I’ll definitely feel more sorry for your mother. After all, if I get along well with your mother, your father can bail you out when you get beaten.”
Huo Xiaolong thought his own father was quite eloquent; really, otherwise how could he have controlled his mother?
Look at what they're saying! They're clearly not on my side, but it still makes me happy.
"Alright! Father, remember to ask for five taels later."
"Okay, I'll buy you something delicious later."
"Yeah, let's split it in half!"
Although it was said that each person would receive half, in reality, four out of the five taels of silver would end up in Huo Xiaolong's stomach.
The morning light shines, the time is just right, and it wouldn't be bad if I could spend more time with my grandchildren.
It's just a pity for my wife and daughter; they'll have to wait for me a little longer at the Bridge of Helplessness.
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