The sun hadn't yet reached the sky, only illuminating the surroundings. A ten-year-old girl looked at herself in the mirror, pouting and looking unhappy.
The pretty girl turned around and saw her friend still sleeping sprawled out on the bed, occasionally picking her nose. She looked indignant.
Why is it that everyone else is playing in the sun but she's the only one who gets tanned? Da Ni'er didn't get tanned either; she was already tanned to begin with.
"Huo Xiaolong!"
"Get up quickly! We agreed to go hiking today, hurry up!"
The little girl on the bed rolled over and ignored her, muttering something under her breath.
"Oh, little sister, let me sleep a little longer~"
"No way, you're the one who loves to stay in bed the most, and now I have to get a slap on the hand along with you."
Hou Xiangxiang tugged at Huo Xiaolong's body and shook him back and forth, but eight-year-old Huo Xiaolong remained unmoved. He seemed to think, "Go ahead and shake me, but if you wake me up, I'll admit defeat."
"Xiangxiang, you and Long'er should get ready. Dani'er has already arrived. Should I let her come in and find you two?" the Lady Hou asked from outside.
"Alright, Mother, let Da Ni'er in. Long'er is being stubborn and refusing to get out of bed again."
Just as brine is used to curdle tofu, there's a saying that everything has its counter. Huo Xiaolong isn't afraid of Wang Tianci; it's just that Sister Tianci is too cunning, like right now.
"Isn't she getting up again?"
"Yeah, he sleeps in every day, doesn't go to sleep until midnight, and doesn't get up in the morning. Last night it was already past midnight, and he was still pulling me around."
Da Ni'er's clothes were all tight-fitting. Perhaps Aunt Wang knew that the child came from the grasslands, so every piece of clothing she made for her was very similar to what people there wore.
"Get up, Long'er."
The little girl had bronze skin, somewhat narrow eyes, and a headband. She usually wore clothes from the grasslands, so anyone with a discerning eye could tell at a glance that she wasn't from the Central Plains.
But it doesn't matter. Everyone on the street knows Wang Dani from the Wang family's pancake shop in Pingyang County. She's just a child. Our child just loves wearing clothes from the grasslands, so what?
Our kids are guarding the city walls for us. Let them wear whatever they want, who dares to say a word? Aren't they afraid of being drowned in spit by everyone in Pingyang County?
"If you don't get up, I'll smear manure all over you."
Upon hearing this, Huo Xiaolong sat up abruptly, without even opening his eyes, and followed the sound to Wang Dani'er's location, saying...
"Hey chuunibyou, can you be any more sarcastic?"
"He's incredibly wicked."
Huo Xiaolong was dragged out the door by his two girlfriends. None of the three of them usually combed their own hair. Huo Xiaolong's hair looked like a bird's nest, so he tied it into a topknot. He didn't mind and went out with it on.
Lady Hou, unable to bear it any longer, stopped the three of them and said...
"Hou Xiangxiang, you're ten years old, and you're still taking your sisters out with that hair?"
Miss Hou, too, had her hair down, with a hairpin casually stuck in it, and she thought it looked quite pretty. It matched her summer outfit, making her look both cool and beautiful.
"Isn't it pretty, Mom? I think those two whiskers are gorgeous, don't they look like fairy maidens from a storybook?"
After saying that, the little girl ran her fingers through her hair and asked her mother with a happy smile.
Lady Hou couldn't bear to look anymore, so she grabbed the child and started taking apart his hair, saying as she did so.
"What kind of mess have you made? It's an embarrassment to say you're the legitimate daughter of the Hou family. My Hou family made our fortune in embroidery, how come we have a daughter like you with almost no sense of aesthetics!"
"Looks good? Look at your face, it's tanned like a donkey dung ball. Looks good? It looks good in a white shirt, huh? What? The Lantern Festival is over, do you still want to go out on the street and let people see your sesame-filled glutinous rice balls?"
The little girl ignored her mother's nagging, twisting and turning in front of her while saying...
"Anyway, I think it looks pretty good."
Da Nier tugged at Huo Xiaolong's sleeve twice and asked in a low voice.
"Has Hou Xiangxiang always had such poor eyesight?"
"Yeah, you forgot? All she knows is what kind of men are handsome. As for the rest... tsk tsk tsk, she even said that the big pink dress my dad bought me was pretty."
My daughter's sense of style is truly hard to describe, but luckily she has a mother who knows how to dress well.
After tidying up Hou Xiangxiang, Madam Hou combed Huo Xiaolong's hair. Looking at the child's green clothes, which resembled those of a grasshopper, the woman softly asked...
"Long'er, who bought you these clothes?"
Huo Xiaolong said while drinking from the ice bowl
"My father."
"Mom, don't you think this dress is pretty too?"
Lady Hou didn't want to speak and ignored her daughter, mainly because she was so angry her head was throbbing. She patted Huo Xiaolong and pointed to a stain on his back, saying...
"Long'er, your clothes are dirty. Auntie made you a few new ones. Do you want to change into them and go out to play?"
"want!"
I can finally get rid of this grasshopper costume, really.
Hou Xiangxiang, standing to the side, was displeased and said...
"Oh dear, Mother, don't change it for Long'er, I like this one!"
"If you like it, wear it!" Lady Hou said to her daughter.
"Is it okay, Mom? Can I wear it? Really!?"
"ah!"
The woman was only thirty years old this year and couldn't control her temper very well. With a scream, Madam Hou started looking for a feather duster. Huo Xiaolong, who had changed his clothes, was pulled away by Hou Xiangxiang and ran away.
"Mom, you promised to give me these clothes, but you went back on your word and even hit me!"
Wang Dani'er, following behind, dawdled politely and bowed to the woman chasing after the young girl.
"Goodbye, Aunt Hou."
He then walked out of the room.
"Father, the mistress of the wealthy household you mentioned has been driven crazy by her daughter again."
Xu Qiushui was served her meal, and she took the opportunity to tease Xu Zheng, who was sitting in the main seat. The father and daughter hadn't returned to Jiangnan for three years. Mainly, Xu Qiushui didn't want to go back; she had no close relatives at home, so she preferred to spend her days eating, drinking, and fooling around with Huo Xiaolong in the red-light district.
The key point is that the nitrate mine allowed Xu Qiushui to make up for half of the family fortune that the Xu family had previously given to Xiao Lanyi.
When are you planning to go back to Jiangnan to visit your elders?
"I'm not going back. What if that little potato comes up with some new business opportunity? I'll regret it for the rest of my life if I miss out."
"You're not getting any younger, you should find someone..."
"What are you looking for? A husband? Dad, look at those girls in the brothel. They're all so happy. Even after being married for years, they're still like little girls. Take that top courtesan, Mantuo, for example. Look at her face. She's so tender, you could squeeze water out of it."
"I won't get married. If I do, it has to be like the girls in brothels who find someone obedient, willing to marry into the family, and most importantly, someone who will take care of you. I'll take care of you with him and support you in your old age."
Xu Zheng has gotten quite used to the food in the border town now. He feels weak all over if he doesn't eat some meat every day. The man sighed, his heart churning.
I really don't need you to support me, I have money...
Daughter, you can just say you're after my family's wealth. It's okay, this stuff... was originally yours.
"Okay." Xu Zheng could only utter one word. This is outrageous.
What else can we do? After all, half of the Xu family's wealth comes from other people, so they have the power to make a decision.
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