“I made a new friеnd todaу, and shе gаve mе cаndy.” Хiao Ling Bao hеld up the сandу, turning to Ling Xuanyan who was sitting closest tо her. “Unclе Thrеe Fire, dо уоu want sоmе?”
Ling Хuanуan smiled gеntlу аnd аffectionatеly pаttеd Хiaо Ling Bao’s hеad. “Unсlе dоеsn’t want аny, sweеtie. Yоu eat it.”
“I’ll hаve it! I’ll havе it!” Sеcond Вrоthеr Ling Yiхi eagerly rеаched out first. “Give it to me, Хiаo Ling Baо!”
Хiaо Ling Вaо blinked аnd hаd no сhoice but to place the candy into Ling Yixi’s palm.
Ling Yixi quickly unwrapped it and, under the envious and resentful gazes of his other brothers, popped the candy into his mouth.
Hmph!
Looking at Ling Xuanyan’s slightly darkened expression, Ling Yixi wore a smug grin.
So what if Xiao Ling Bao gave him the first candy?
Playing it cool, huh? Now you’ve missed out, haven’t you?
He deliberately crunched the candy loudly. “Ah, this candy is so delicious! What kind is it?”
“Huan Uncle Candy,” Xiao Ling Bao replied.
“What?” Ling Yixi didn’t quite catch it.
Xiao Ling Bao had already pulled out a large handful of candies from her pocket and placed them on the table. “Grandfather, have some candy! Uncles, have some candy! Everyone, come and have some—these were all given to me by my new friend!”
Ling Yixi: “…”
The candy he was chewing suddenly didn’t taste so sweet anymore.
What?
There were this many more?
Then what was the point of Xiao Ling Bao taking out the first one?
And what was the point of him risking Eldest Brother’s displeasure to snatch it?
Except for Grandfather, whose teeth weren’t in good enough condition to eat candy, each of the other uncles leisurely picked a candy from the table, unwrapped it, and placed it in their mouths.
Crunch, crunch—
A chorus of candy-crunching sounds immediately filled Ling Yixi’s ears.
“Ah, this candy is really delicious!” Old Third clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“So tasty!” Fourth Brother nodded in agreement.
Fifth Brother raised an eyebrow. “No need to fight to get some.”
Seventh Brother giggled. “The one you fought for might not even taste better.”
Eighth Brother pondered thoughtfully. “Hmm, I think mine is the most delicious.”
Ling Yixi: “…”
Enough already!
Watching the family laughing, joking, and teasing one another, Grandfather felt a wave of melancholy wash over his joy.
How many years had it been since the Ling family had echoed with laughter?
How many years since he had seen all the brothers gathered together in such a harmonious and lively scene?
In previous years, even when his sons had free time, they would find excuses not to come home, preferring to drift outside rather than stay by his side, an old man.
Grandfather knew very well why this was.
With Yanyan’s disappearance and the breakdown of his relationship with his wife, this family had gradually fallen apart.
The children no longer saw this place as a harbor or a home but as a burden.
But now, with Xiao Ling Bao’s return, everyone had gathered together again.
Eldest Brother, the workaholic who used to bury himself in the group’s affairs all day, had actually learned to leave work on time.
Second Brother, the night owl who lived for fun, had willingly become a homebody.
Old Third had just turned down an international architecture conference for the sake of his precious niece.
Fourth Brother, who had shut himself in his room for years, growing moldy and sprouting mushrooms, now rushed downstairs whenever he heard Xiao Ling Bao’s voice.
And Fifth Brother, the dedicated work model who often used surgeries as an excuse not to come home, had learned to adjust his schedule?
Seventh Brother now rushed home more eagerly than he did to his schedules; it was said he was stubbornly delaying joining a film crew he was supposed to enter immediately.
As for Eighth Brother, he was even more direct—he submitted a report to his organization, saying he hadn’t taken a single day off in all these years, so he should take them all now…
The ringing of the phone interrupted Grandfather’s train of thought.
Ling Xuanyan answered the call and set it down after a moment. “According to the latest survey, the land in the southern part of the city isn’t just an ancient tomb—it’s an entire underground ancient city. The era is still being determined, but preliminary estimates suggest it’s at least four thousand years old.”
“Four thousand years!” Ling Yixi couldn’t break his habit of being easily startled. “Then… has it been looted?”
“So far, no signs of looting have been found.”
If it hasn’t been looted, then it’s truly priceless…
“An ancient city…” Grandfather hesitated slightly before turning to look at Xiao Ling Bao, who was eating candy beside him. “Ling Bао, what you mentioned that day—was it an ancient city?”
He still remembered Xiao Ling Bao mentioning something about an ancient… something?
“Huh?” Xiao Ling Bao opened her bewildered eyes wide, seemingly not understanding what Grandfather was talking about at all.
Grandfather chuckled helplessly.
No matter how remarkable Ling Bао was, she was still just a three-year-old baby.
Old Third rubbed his temples in frustration. “If it’s an ancient city, does that mean our project in the southern part of the city is completely ruined?”
He had initially hoped it was just a small ancient tomb, and that after cordoning it off, there would still be some usable space left.
But if it’s an ancient city, a much larger area will inevitably be designated as protected.
The southern city project was now out of the question.
The little support the Hong family had previously offered would be nothing more than a drop in the bucket…
“Does the government have any other detailed information?” Grandfather asked Ling Xuanyan.
…
“The government’s latest update is that once the scope, era, and other details of the ancient city are confirmed, they’ll formulate follow-up development plans accordingly. A museum and tourist area are definitely in the works, but this project certainly won’t be handed to the Ling family.”
Wang Shenyu exhaled a puff of smoke. “The Ling family will probably receive some government compensation, but not much. It’s a losing deal for them either way.”
Wang Laosan laughed. “But the government will definitely reopen the bidding, so our Wang family still has a good chance. Any news on which department or big shot will be in charge of the follow-up?”
“I heard it’s the New District Development Department, and the newly appointed director is surnamed Dou,” Wang Shenyu said.
“We should start making connections then,” Wang Wenqin interjected.
Wang Shenyu frowned and shook his head. “This person is hard to figure out for now. I inquired—he was transferred from a local position and has no connections to our circle.”
“That’s even better,” Wang Wenqin moved closer. “Freshly transferred, with an unstable foundation—doesn’t he need to rely on a major family like ours? Find out who his wife is, whether he has children, and dig into all of it.”
“His wife passed away. He has a three- or four-year-old daughter being cared for by relatives back in his hometown. This man came to the capital alone, so he might be a tough nut to crack.”
“Even the toughest nut has a weak spot,” Wang Wenqin smiled. “Laosan, you go to Director Dou’s hometown and gather some background information. Meanwhile, I’ll contact the principal of Hede Kindergarten and arrange for his daughter to transfer there. We’ll have Pearl befriend her.”
“You always have a plan,” the two Wang brothers admired their elder sister.
With the plan settled, they split into two groups and began taking action.
Wang Wenqin first contacted the daughter-in-law of the Yin family.
“Xixi, did you know another child has joined our Cherry Blossom Class Three?”
The Yin family’s daughter-in-law snorted coldly. “Yes, Tongtong mentioned it when she came home today. She said it’s your sister’s child. What’s going on? How did your family’s child end up with the Ling family?”
This matter was something Wang Wenqin couldn’t quite put into words—saying it out loud would only make her feel sour.
So she smiled and brushed it off casually: “That one isn’t our family’s child.”
She wasn’t wrong, after all—Little Mud was never of their Wang family’s bloodline.
She shifted the topic: “What I meant to say was, wasn’t Class Three originally called the Elite Dragon-Phoenix Class, with a maximum of only eight children? It was fine when one transferred in not long ago, but now another one has come. A class of ten—what difference does it have from the ordinary classes now?”