Gu Mingshan stared at the young boy who had suddenly appeared before him, his voice deepening as he asked, “Who is this?”
The young boy showed no sign of panic, his gaze cold as he looked at Old General Gu.
“Grandpa! Don’t scare Little Koi!” Little Tuanzi puffed out her cheeks as she looked at Old Marquis Gu’s stern face. “He’s An’an’s good friend!”
The young boy glanced helplessly at the little dumpling: only this Little Grass would worry about him being scared by mortals.
After all, he was a minor deity—how could he possibly be frightened by mortals?
Seeing how fiercely An’an was defending this young boy, the Gu family found themselves at a loss for words.
“An’an, how did your good friend suddenly appear?” Gu Yi was utterly baffled.
She had clearly been holding the little dumpling alone when she put her to bed. Who could have imagined that after the little dumpling woke up, another person would suddenly appear in the room?
An’an scratched her head, unsure how to explain it to her mother.
“Little Koi missed An’an, so he came to see An’an!”
An’an patted her little chest, proud.jpg
The Gu family: …
This explanation was, well, a bit far-fetched, wasn’t it?
“Aiya, Mother, Mother, Little Koi isn’t a bad person!”
Seeing that everyone still seemed skeptical and fearing that Little Koi might be driven away, An’an stomped her feet anxiously.
What else could they do when the child was acting like this?
“Alright~ Mother believes our An’an.” Gu Yi smiled and patted An’an’s head.
“Hehehe.” The little dumpling was easily appeased.
“Oh, I almost forgot!” An’an trotted over to Song Qingxi. “Sister-in-law, your throat can be cured now!”
Song Qingxi’s eyes reddened as she smiled, watching the little dumpling bustling about for her throat, having gone to Master Nianci’s place early in the morning.
She gently stroked An’an’s head, silently mouthing her thanks.
“Ah, speaking of this,” An’an ran over to the young boy, extending her chubby little hand. “Little Koi, the medicine!”
The Gu family watched as the previously cold and silent young boy revealed a helpless yet gentle smile, taking a medicinal herb from his robes.
An’an took it and gently stroked the small herb, whispering quietly, “Little Immortal Herb, don’t be scared~ It might hurt a little later~ Hush~”
Then she trotted over to Song Qingxi and handed her the small herb. “Sister-in-law, here~ Eat this little herb, and your throat will get better!”
Song Qingxi took the herb without a moment’s hesitation and immediately swallowed it.
Seeing that the illness shrouding her sister-in-law’s throat had dissipated significantly, An’an reached out for Qingxi to hold her. “Sister-in-law, hug~”
Song Qingxi gently picked An’an up. The little dumpling in her arms was warm, and she nuzzled her plump little cheek.
“Sister-in-law, say ‘ah’ with An’an.” The little dumpling reached out and touched Song Qingxi’s throat.
The entire family watched fondly as little An’an enthusiastically taught Song Qingxi to speak.
Song Qingxi smiled and followed the little dumpling’s lead, trying to open her mouth and make a sound.
After countless attempts, a slightly hoarse “ah” finally emerged from Song Qingxi’s mouth.
An’an’s eyes lit up. “Sister-in-law, ‘ah’.”
“Ah.” This time, it was clearer.
“Wuwuwu, that’s wonderful, Miss!” Zhe Zhi was the first to burst into tears.
“Ah, An, An.” Song Qingxi called An’an’s name, one syllable at a time.
The little dumpling grinned from ear to ear. “Hehe, that’s great! Sister-in-law!”
Song Qingxi’s eyes were red as she kissed An’an’s little cheek: “It’s all thanks to little An’an.”
An’an kissed her sister-in-law back and giggled foolishly.
However, Little Tuanzi stared at the last trace of dark aura lingering around Song Qingxi’s throat and tilted her head in confusion: “Everything’s healed, so why is there still dark aura?”
Never mind, as long as Sister-in-law can speak again! At worst, I’ll just brew a few more doses of medicine for her to drink, and she’ll probably be completely cured!
Little Tuanzi thought happily.
Gu Chen approached the young boy and, sitting in his wheelchair, respectfully bowed deeply: “Thank you, young master. May I ask for your honorable surname?”
Little Koi watched Gu Chen’s bow without even raising an eyebrow.
“Jin Li,” the young boy replied coldly.
“Little Koi, your name is quite nice!” An’an, nestled in Song Qingxi’s arms, smacked her lips in approval.
She had grown so accustomed to calling him “Little Koi” that she hadn’t realized he had also chosen a mortal name for himself!
Gu Chen, standing nearby, naturally noticed the different attitude this young boy named Jin Li had toward their An’an.
To everyone else, the young boy was cold and aloof. Gu Chen guessed that perhaps due to his extraordinary status, he didn’t engage much with others.
“Regardless, Young Master Jin, the herbs you provided have cured our Qingxi’s throat. Please rest for a while. Our Gu family will surely repay you properly.”
Xu Tinglan smiled and immediately instructed someone to make arrangements.
Earlier, Old Marquis Gu had been somewhat wary of Jin Li, but seeing An’an’s attitude toward him and considering that he had provided the herbs to cure Song Qingxi, his guard softened.
“Indeed, we must not neglect Young Master Jin. From now on, he is our honored guest,” the Old Marquis instructed.
In the evening, the Gu family prepared a lavish banquet specifically to entertain Jin Li.
“Wow!” An’an gazed at the abundance of meat, her mouth watering.
Beside her, Jin Li watched the little immortal herb drooling and took out a handkerchief to gently wipe the corner of the little dumpling’s mouth.
This little grass probably found it too boring to drink water and eat soil all day in the heavens. It was good for her to come to the mortal realm and taste human food.
Although, in his opinion, mortal food was rather ordinary.
Gu Yi, who had just taken out a handkerchief to wipe his daughter’s mouth: ??
“Young master, I thank you on behalf of our family. This humble meal is all we have to offer. Please do not disdain it.”
Old General Gu, seeing the young boy’s meticulous care for An’an, felt slightly reassured.
“I won’t,” came the terse reply.
An’an watched as her family expressed immense gratitude toward Little Koi and puffed out her cheeks.
Hmph! It was me who asked Little Koi to help, but I don’t even get to eat this much meat! The immortal herb was quite angry!
Ahhh, this little immortal herb is going to throw a tantrum! I’m going to make a scene!
“Ah—mmph!” Just as the little grass was about to speak, Little Koi swiftly stuffed a small piece of meat into her mouth.
“Mmph mmph.” The little dumpling’s cheeks bulged as she chewed, her eyes instantly lighting up.
So tasty~
“Ah—” The little dumpling opened her mouth, waiting to be fed.
Jin Li smiled helplessly and dotingly served An’an more dishes.
This little silly grass was just like before—once distracted, she forgot everything completely.
The Gu family watched in astonishment as the previously cold young boy smiled gently, feeding An’an and wiping her mouth.
“Ahem.” Old Marquis Gu cleared his throat softly, signaling everyone in the family not to stare too obviously.
The meal was enjoyed by both host and guests.
In the evening, Jin Li stayed in the courtyard arranged by the Gu family.