Ji Yunlang followed the crowd to the place where the excitement was being watched, and found it was precisely that steamed bun stall from just now.
The stall had already been mostly smashed, and the steaming buns were scattered all over the ground.
His house’s child capable of one matching ten was currently carrying a chair grabbed from the neighboring stall, a bun still held in his mouth, treading a person beneath his feet, while a crowd of people was down on the ground.
One of the people who fell onto the ground clutched his stomach and stood up, retreating while looking at him in terror, “Do you… do you know who my master is? Ruining our business, there will be no good fruit for you to eat!”
“Is that so?” Husheng smashed the chair onto the body of the person beneath his feet, and sat down straight pressing onto him, “Who is your master? Let me witness it bei.”
“You wait!” That person finished shouting and wanted to run, but just as he turned around he was kicked heavily in the stomach by a boot, and tumbled back again.
Ji Yunlang stepped across him, walked to the front of Husheng, and raised his hand to twist his ear.
With an “Ow” sound, Husheng dropped the bun held in his mouth, hurriedly going to catch his hand: “So painful, so painful, so painful! You’ve finally returned!”
Ji Yunlang pinched him without letting go, “Told you not to smash people’s stalls, don’t have ears?”
“I didn’t!”
Husheng rose from the chair, dragging over the stall owner to one side, “Come, elder sister, you speak to him, is it not that I saved you?”
Having been no sound for long, Ji Yunlang looked toward the side. From the moment she was dragged over, the stall owner kept her head lowered without uttering a single word, her shoulders shrinking as she shivered.
Just as Husheng rose, the person beneath his chair hurriedly crawled up, and the several rolling around nearby also supported each other to stand up. The one leading clutched his stomach, and panting with coarse breaths said toward the stall owner:
“Ji Lan, you can dodge this one time, but you cannot dodge for a lifetime. Think about your father and mother, and then think about your husband. Our Family Head has said, as long as you go over, he will release your husband back to provide for your father and mother’s old age; otherwise, he has been locked without food or drink for three days. Think about it well!”
Finished speaking, he swept across the two of Ji Yunlang, staring with wide eyes and saying: “The two of you wait for me. If you have the guts, don’t leave the city before dark!”
Husheng grabbed the chair and smashed it fiercely toward him.
Those few people abruptly scattered, no longer supporting each other either, each running their own way, and in a wisp of smoke ran to the end of the street.
“Ji… Lan.” Ji Yunlang repeated these two words, raising his hand to pat the dust caught on Husheng’s shoulder, soliloquizing, “Very ear-familiar ah.”
Husheng immediately looked as if confronting a formidable enemy.
He looked at Ji Yunlang, and again looked at the stall owner, violently dragging Ji Yunlang to the side, and saying in a low voice: “No way! Did you not hear just now, she already has a husband!”
Ji Yunlang: “What?”
Husheng gave him a glare, “Do you think I don’t know what you are thinking? When you, the Immortal Continent’s people, want to pursue a girl, you will first say words like ‘Feel like you look so ear-familiar, have we met somewhere before.’ I advise you to save it! With me here, don’t you think of pursuing any girl!”
Ji Yunlang ignored him, walking straight toward the stall owner who was currently bending her waist to clean up the messy situation, halting in front of her for a moment, and opening his mouth: “Lanlan?”
Ji Lan’s entire person stiffened for a bit.
She didn’t make a sound, so Ji Yunlang called a second time, his tone positive, “Lanlan.”
Only then did Ji Lan raise her head to look at him, answering in a small voice, “Big Brother.”
Ji Yunlang took the steamer from her hand, placing it onto the stall, and said: “I didn’t recognize you.”
From the time he followed Jiang Zhou home, fourteen years had already passed. The interval was too long, and Ji Yunlang had no way to match the ten-year-old younger sister with the twenty-four-year-old one.
His vision swept across the floor full of, and finally fell onto Ji Lan’s face. Thinking about it, he asked: “You are married?”
Ji Lan nodded gently.
Ji Yunlang: “Oh.”
Mutual wordlessness.
Ji Yunlang’s brain was currently pondering what other words could be spoken.
Ji Lan could count as a relative inside his distant memory; how should one speak with a relative? Over these years, the only one around him who could be called a relative was Jiang Zhou, but when he was together with Jiang Zhou he only would…
Before Ji Yunlang finished thinking through, Husheng rushed over to shatter the awkwardness, hugging his arm and tilting his head up to shout loudly: “Dad! When do we return ah? My mom is still waiting at home!”
Ji Lan opened her eyes with slight astonishment, looking at Husheng, and then looking toward Ji Yunlang, “This child… Big Brother already has such a large child?”
Just as Ji Yunlang was about to open his mouth, Husheng interrupted, “No, elder sister, I came over following my mom when she remarried. My mom is much older than my dad, but they are very affectionate.”
Ji Yunlang pulled him away, saying to Ji Lan: “Picked up by the roadside, the brain is no good.”
Hearing this, Ji Lan nodded her head.
Ji Yunlang asked her: “Do you have any business to speak of?”
Ji Lan shook her head.
She only knew how to nod and shake her head; Ji Yunlang was somewhat impatient, and the few threads of caring heart toward a relative that had just risen were close to being worn completely away.
Fourteen years could change anything, but this pair of eyes of his wouldn’t change. Ji Lan certainly had recognized him since just now.
But looking at her appearance, Ji Lan also didn’t want to have any more entanglements with him.
“If there is nothing then forget it.” He dragged Husheng and turned his body intending to leave, when a shouting suddenly came from not far away. A boy holding a large club, while running toward this direction roared at them: “Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah don’t touch my elder sister!”
Before he even ran close, his left foot tripped his right foot on the flat ground, falling into a dog-eating-mud posture.
“Xiaobao!” Ji Lan let out a startled cry, hurriedly going to support him.
Ji Yunlang’s footsteps stopped in an instant.
Seeing he didn’t leave anymore, the sense of crisis inside Husheng’s heart heightened once more, reversing his hand to grasp his arm and pulling outward with all his strength, “Hurry up and leave ah, Dad! You think about my mom, you think about my small mom is also fine, they are all still waiting for you, don’t be blinded in your heart by the beautiful elder sister outside!”
Ji Yunlang was motionless, staring toward the front. Ji Lan had just supported that child up, currently patting the dust off his body.
“Husheng,” Ji Yunlang opened his mouth, his hand moving onto the top of Husheng’s head, measuring his height for a bit, “According to the Immortal Continent’s calculation method, you should at least be thirteen years old this year.”
Husheng thought about it, “Is it so? Then how many full moons should that have passed?”
“Many ones.”
Ji Yunlang had once roughly calculated that one full moon rotation in the Bafang Region was equivalent to a day and a half passing in the Immortal Continent. Six years ago when he first met Husheng, this child also looked merely seven or eight years old.
At that time he had newly recovered from heavy injuries; before even opening his eyes he perceived there was someone beside him. The person wasn’t clear-headed yet the sword moved first; if it weren’t for the bone dragon timely blocking over, that sword of his would have had to stab Husheng straight through.
Later why did he begin to raise him? Because every time he stood up his body to look at this small child—leading him to stroll around, giving him food to eat, and teaching him to read books and write characters—every single scene made him think of the days spent together with Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou also raised him up day by day like this, but Jiang Zhou was very stupid, simply unable to raise a child. Ji Yunlang accumulated a lot of dissatisfaction from childhood to adulthood, and on the first day he decided to raise Husheng, he thought in his heart that he certainly would know how to teach a child better than Jiang Zhou.
“You look,” he pointed to the Ji Lan and Xiaobao ahead, asking Husheng, “Is that kid about the same height as you?”
Husheng took a glance, put his hands on his hips and said: “I am taller than him.”
Ji Yunlang didn’t agree, “Separated by this far, how do you know who is tall?”
Following that he grabbed Husheng, the leaving steps taking a turn, walking toward Ji Lan’s direction, “Go compare.”
“Not…” Husheng was so anxious a breath didn’t come up, “If you don’t want to leave just speak straight; why do I have to go compare heights with a person when free and having no business? You wouldn’t truly like that elder sister, right? I tell you, don’t think of doing anything sorry to my big brother, you”
Ji Yunlang dragged him over, placing him beside Xiaobao’s side, retreated two steps to look for a bit, nodded his head, “Indeed it is you who are relatively taller; it seems the usual food wasn’t eaten in vain.”
Seeing the two of them, Xiaobao immediately picked up the club on the ground to block in front of Ji Lan, saying with a trembling voice: “Y-you all leave quickly! With me Ji Bao here, don’t you all think of bullying my elder sister!”
“Puff”
The moment Husheng heard his name he couldn’t hold it in, clutching his stomach and laughing loudly out loud, “Haha-haha-ha, no wonder your elder sister calls you Xiaobao. Good name ah, good name; to be this large yet still a baby…”
Laughing for a long half-day, he perceived the awkwardness—only he alone was laughing. His voice grew smaller and smaller, rapidly walking to Ji Yunlang’s side, and asking in a small voice: “Why don’t you laugh?”
Ji Yunlang asked: “Is it funny?”
Although Husheng was awkward, he wasn’t submitted, asking back: “Is it not funny?”
Ji Yunlang ignored him, looking toward the Ji Lan who kept not making a sound.
Perceiving his vision, Ji Lan suddenly snatched away the club in Xiaobao’s hand with one movement, uttering not a single sound, dragging up her younger brother, turning her body and leaving straight away.
Seeing her like this, Husheng let out a sigh of relief, nudging Ji Yunlang, “See ba, she has a husband, and doesn’t want to manage you. We also leave—”
Ji Yunlang lifted his steps to follow up, “Leave.”
Husheng: “…”
Husheng: “Do you also act like this when chasing your wife?”
Ji Yunlang gave him a strange glance, “Of course not; where does he need chasing.”
Husheng suddenly saw the light, “My big brother also doesn’t need chasing, so that’s why you don’t cherish him, coming out to pluck flowers and grass!”
Ji Yunlang rubbed his head, “At this age of yours it’s still better to read more proper books. Go back and burn all those casual books of yours.”
Ji Lan and Xiaobao walked in front, and the two of Ji Yunlang followed step by step behind, the voice with which they spoke only large and not small, completely devoid of the self-awareness of tracking someone else, just like this following the two of them all the way to the house door.
Ji Lan let Xiaobao enter first, turned her body to block in front of the door, her face revealing uneasiness, and saying to the just-approached Ji Yunlang: “Big Brother had still better please return.”
Ji Yunlang stared at her, asking: “Do you invite me to enter, or do I break in?”
Ji Lan’s face was full of difficulty, “Big Brother, Xiaobao he is”
At this time, the door that had just closed opened with a zhiya sound. A middle-aged woman carrying a large broom barged out with a ferocious aura, “Unfinished with you all! To think you even followed to my house, let me see who dares touch my daugh—”
The instant her eyes intersected with Ji Yunlang’s, she shut her mouth, that ferocious aura through her body looking as if it suddenly decayed down, and the one foot that had just stepped across the threshold also stopped in place.
Ji Yunlang took the lead to remove his vision, moving from her face onto that pair of hands holding the broom.
Wei Mingxia had a pair of very formidable hands very diligent in working, very delicious in cooking food, and very painful when beating a person.
When he was small he loved this pair of hands most, and also feared this pair of hands most.
But now this pair of hands had already aged along with the person; he had been away for fourteen years, and she had aged fourteen years.
“Mom!” Seeing her come out, Ji Lan hurriedly went over, snatching the broom from her hand, supporting her arm, her tone blaming, “Who let you come out? The doctor all said to let you rest quietly; if you act like this again do you still want your legs or not?”
Only then did Ji Yunlang notice that pair of legs of hers below that were trembling and tottering.
Wei Mingxia barged out alone carrying the broom; at this moment her legs and feet lost strength, most of her body pressing onto Ji Lan’s body.
Wei Mingxia’s frame was robust, and Ji Lan supported her with difficulty, having no way to bring her into the house alone, shouting inside the room for Xiaobao, shouting for Dad, yet not even hearing an answering sound.
Ji Yunlang didn’t move.
Husheng stood beside him, looking at him, and again looking at the two people at the doorway. Hesitating for a bit, he went over to frame up Wei Mingxia left and right together with Ji Lan.
In a corner of the main hall, the thin-statured middle-aged man held Xiaobao tightly grasped as he shrunk into the corner. On top of his head sat a large pot, swaying and rocking with the trembling of his body.
Xiaobao desperately wanted to go out from his embrace, “Dad, you let go of me! Elder sister and Mom are still outside!”
“Shut up! Shut up!” Ji Xing lowered his tone, while covering Xiaobao’s mouth, picking up a small pot lid beside his hand to cover onto his head.
Just upon entering the room, what Ji Yunlang saw was precisely such a comical scene.
Ji Xing’s eyes were blocked by the large pot, only capable of seeing a pair of unfamiliar tall boots walk to front of himself. Terrified until his head carried the pot straight to shivering, he pushed away Xiaobao on the spot and knelt down.
“Young Master! Young Master spare my life, Young Master! You go back and tell Young Master Lin to wait a bit more, the daughter is too stubborn, her mom and I are still persuading, at the latest tomorrow, no! Tonight! At the latest tonight, our Xiaolan will certainly obediently climb onto his”
Before his words finished speaking, his head together with the large pot was flung onto the ground by a boot. The large pot was squeezed flat, clamping his head dead.
“Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!”
He rolled on the ground clutching his head to release miserable cries, and Xiaobao to one side was terrified into directly crying out loudly, “Dad!!”
Over there Ji Lan had just supported her mom onto the bed. Hearing the sound, she hurriedly ran into the room.
Seeing the scene inside the room, she first paused for a moment at the doorway, and immediately after dragged out the terrified-into-crying Xiaobao, closing the room door.
While crying, Xiaobao pointed inside the room, “Elder sister, Dad he—”
Ji Lan covered his mouth to bring him to the room where her mom was, stuffed him into Wei Mingxia’s embrace, and turned her body intending to go out to the courtyard.
Hearing the sound, one knew Ji Yunlang was thrashing the person. Seeing the situation, Husheng wanted to go out together.
Yet Ji Lan suddenly pressed him back onto the chair, picking up an apple from the table and stuffing it into his palm, “Small child obediently stay inside the room.”
Finished speaking, she hurried out, closing the room door.
Husheng looked at the apple in his hand, not having reacted yet.
He tilted his head up, looking toward the Xiaobao who was terrified into weeping and wailing; his mom was currently cradling him, while coaxing smoothing his tears for him.
Husheng silently turned his body around on the chair, turning his back to them to begin chewing the apple.
Later he couldn’t hear Xiaobao’s crying sound anymore, and again heard Wei Mingxia behind him calling him.
Husheng turned himself back over again.
Wei Mingxia first expressed thanks to him. Husheng didn’t know what to say, so he gave an “Mm” sound.
Wei Mingxia again tentatively asked him about his relationship with Ji Bao.
Husheng: “Who?”
Wei Mingxia pointed to the neighboring room, “Ji Bao, the eldest son of my house.”
Husheng was raised up by Ji Yunlang, and could count as a rare clever child inside the Bafang Region, but at this moment his small brains simply couldn’t turn over this a bit complicated bend.
He asked: “Is Ji Bao not your youngest son?”