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墨書 Inktalez
"Uncle, why are you back so soon?"
Xia Muxin was taken aback, her hand that had been tugging at Zhou Guilian's hair now dropped as she dashed toward Shen Muhan.
Shen Muhan smiled slightly, opening his arms to embrace her tightly. His starry black eyes locked onto her delicate face as he teased, "If I didn't come back soon, someone else would have taken you away."
He was well aware that the Second Young Master of the Ouyang Family came to court her every day, and Ye Feng and Su Yan-Chu also had ill intentions toward her. With a sigh, Shen Muhan affectionately ruffled her hair and took her hand as they walked home.
This left a group of people dumbfounded. Zhou Qinglian's eyes were bloodshot as she coldly glared at Xia Muxin's back. If only she had taken one more step, she would have been the Top Scholar's Wife...
Xia Muxin let Shen Muhan hold her hand as they went upstairs and entered her room. As soon as the door was closed, Shen Muhan's lips descended upon hers.
Xia Muxin was caught off guard by the kiss, her eyes widening in surprise. He looked darker and thinner...
"Girl, did you miss me?"
Just when she thought she might suffocate, Shen Muhan released her and lifted her effortlessly, placing her directly onto the bed. His strong body pressed down on hers, sending a shiver through Xia Muxin. She heard Shen Muhan's soft voice whispering in her ear.
Xia Muxin pushed against his warm chest with both hands, letting out a nervous laugh as she tried to change the subject.
"Uncle, the water at the border must be dark; how did you get so tanned?" She added with concern, "And you've lost so much weight; your cheekbones are showing."
Xia Muxin blinked her clear eyes, her hand resting on his sharply defined chin, gazing intently at him with a hint of bittersweetness in her heart.
Knowing that the girl was shy, Shen Muhan didn’t point it out. He flipped Xia Muxin over, and they switched positions—her on top, him below. Xia Muxin felt a certain sensation, and her little face suddenly flushed.
"I heard that the old man from the Su Family came by and made things difficult for you?"
Shen Muhan smiled faintly, but his tone was noticeably colder.
"Yes, he came. I even treated him to tea—very expensive tea that I couldn't bear to drink..."
Xia Muxin pouted, recalling the old man's words from that day. Her little face darkened as she began to complain while fiddling with Shen Muhan's clothing.
Shen Muhan frowned. Expensive tea from a roadside stall?
What intrigued him was how that Old Immortal managed to charm this girl. He was so proud; he wouldn’t even go to an ordinary teahouse on the street, let alone the famous ones in the capital.
Seeing him staring at her, Xia Muxin's gaze flickered as she laughed lightly and said, "You know, I’ve contracted all the abandoned fields in Dayao Village. I spent a fortune and borrowed quite a bit from the money shop. I'm very poor now—having to support both the elderly and children—I have to save money."
Upon hearing this, Shen Muhan nodded in agreement, his gaze sweeping over her flat abdomen. A green glimmer sparkled in his eyes, making Xia Muxin swallow hard.
She felt like a little white rabbit caught by a big gray wolf—inevitably destined to be devoured...
“Muxin, shall we get married?”
After a long while, he finally turned his gaze to her face and said seriously.
“Uncle, I’m only thirteen.”
Xia Muxin inexplicably let out a sigh of relief, pouting her lips and speaking pitifully.
Getting married meant that according to Shen Muhan, she would probably be pregnant within a month. What would happen to her vast piece of land then? Her Workshop had only just started, the lobsters hadn’t even been put into the pond yet, her reputation hadn’t made its way to the capital, and she hadn’t even managed to infuriate his Old Immortal grandfather yet. She would have to bear a big belly...
Just thinking about it made Xia Muxin feel terrified.
Moreover, Xue Er was only half a year old, and her sister-in-law was already pregnant. If she got pregnant too, this family would truly be in chaos.
“You’ll soon be fourteen.”
Shen Muhan looked at her conflicted expression and continued speaking.
Xia Muxin silently stared at the ceiling, pretending not to hear him, before lying on his chest and playing dead.
Shen Muhan sighed, his large hand began to wander restlessly until Xia Muxin let out a soft whimper. His gaze darkened as he rolled over and pinned her down...
In the afternoon, Xia Muxin took Shen Muhan to Dayao Village.
"Uncle, did you see? This whole piece of land is mine."
She proudly pointed at a patch of uneven land that resembled a series of small hills.
Shen Muhan's forehead twitched with countless black lines as he glanced at Xia Muxin a few more times, then asked in confusion, "Muxin, I'm not an expert in planting, but this land is uneven and irregularly sized, like a ladder. What do you plan to do with it?"
Xia Muxin simply smiled, her eyes turning into crescent moons as she rubbed against Shen Muhan's chest and playfully said, "Uncle, could you ask the Little Emperor to grant you Dayao Village and Daimiao Village?"
She secretly thought to herself: Don't regents have territories?
"You like me, so go talk to him yourself."
Xia Muxin cheered inwardly; her uncle was so impressive...
On the way back, she heard that someone had died in Dayao Village. Just half a month ago, Xia Muxin had been there, having contracted this piece of land. She met with the village chief and held a small meeting with the villagers. They were grateful to her for coming last year to collect Orchid Beans, and even upon her return, they welcomed her warmly.
There weren't many people in the village; after a few greetings, she recognized everyone she needed to know. Naturally, Xia Muxin made sure to remember some of them since they would be essential for maintaining things here in the future. Given the recent tragedy in the village, it was only right for her to offer her condolences.
"Ah, both elders are gone, leaving behind such a small child. What are we going to do?"
"Yes, it's quite pitiful. Their son and daughter-in-law left early, and just when they finally had something to eat, both old folks are gone."
"Woo... Grandpa... Grandma... please wake up, don't leave me..."
From a distance, such conversations could be heard. By the pond, a crowd of villagers had gathered, their eyes glistening with tears as they expressed their sympathy. At the same time, a faint and weak voice could be heard. Xia Muxin was suddenly startled and hurried forward, parting the crowd to look in the direction of the boy's cries.
What she saw made her gasp in shock. Lying on the ground were two elderly people, breathless and soaked through—wasn't that Small's grandparents?
"Aunt? What happened here?"
Seeing Small's voice had turned hoarse from crying, Xia Muxin turned to a nearby aunt who was wiping her eyes.
"Ah, it had just rained. Old Aunt was washing clothes here and might have slipped into the pond. When the old man saw it, he rushed to pull her out, but..."
The aunt spoke through her tears.
"Small..."
Hearing this, Xia Muxin felt a pang in her heart and walked over to Small, gently calling his name.
"Woo... Muxin sister, did Grandpa and Grandma leave me like my parents did? Woo..."
To be precise, Small was four years old this year, but he understood much more than most children his age. At that moment, seeing Xia Muxin, he could no longer hold back and cried out loud.
Perhaps, in this world, besides his grandparents, Xia Muxin was the closest person to him.
Xia Muxin pulled him into her embrace, silently ruffling his slightly messy hair.
Soon after, the village chief arrived. Xia Muxin explained her desire to adopt Small to him. After some discussion among the village chief and the villagers, they agreed.
Then, she paid for the funeral arrangements for the elderly couple and stayed at Small's home for three days before taking him back to Daimiao Village.
"Small, from now on this will be your home. You are not alone; you have brothers, sisters, and many relatives."
She shared the details of Small's situation with her family, who were very willing to welcome him as a member of their household. Songzi, seeing that Small was much smaller than him, patted his shoulder generously and said loudly.
Aunt Xia had always been soft-hearted and was particularly fond of Small, so she pulled him close and asked him many questions.
As for Xia Jihua, there was no need to mention his enthusiasm.
Small was used to living in a small house, and now seeing the large building of Muxin's family, he felt timid. His eyes darted around, looking at this and that without saying a word.
"Wow wow... wow wow..."
Suddenly, a loud crying sound came from inside the house. Aunt Xia hurriedly ran in and soon emerged holding the crying Xue Er.
Xue Er was already five months old and was particularly easy to care for. Aside from being a bit picky about people, she rarely cried like this; her voice could be heard even from a distance.
"Oh... oh... Xue Er, don't cry, Xue Er, don't cry."
Aunt Xia comforted her while taking the spoon handed over by Xia Jihua, scooping some rice flour from the bowl to feed her.
Despite her small size, Xue Er had an astonishing appetite. Aunt Xia's milk was insufficient, so Xia Muxin ground the rice into powder and made rice porridge for her every day. Xue Er didn't fuss about it and could eat a whole bowl in a day.
But today, this girl refused to eat at all, crying incessantly, making everyone worried.
"What’s wrong? She hasn’t caught a cold or anything, has she?"
At that moment, Summer Old Man leaned in, placing the back of his hand on Xue Er's forehead to check. However, she swatted his hand away with a pout and glared at him with a look of grievance, using her tiny palm to wipe her forehead a few times, yet her cries continued unabated.
Aunt Xia pressed her face against Xue Er's forehead and then said anxiously, "Her temperature is normal. What could be wrong?"
"Can I hold her for a moment?"
Small, who had been silent until now, stepped forward and timidly spoke up.
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone turned to look at him in surprise. He widened his eyes and took a few steps back, lowering his head silently. But to everyone's astonishment, Xue Er stopped crying and looked at Small with sparkling eyes, giggling happily.
The crowd was taken aback as they watched the little girl stretch out her arms towards Small.
Xia Muxin raised an eyebrow and exchanged a glance with Shen Muhan, breaking into a smile.
The next morning, Xia Muxin found herself at the Fortune and Longevity Restaurant, where she encountered the rumored Second Young Master Shen, Shen Muqing.
Alongside him were two individuals she was not particularly fond of, Su Rong and Su Xiuning.
If Shen Muhan resembled her mother, Su Tian, then Shen Muqing took after his father, Shen Yu. He was handsome with distinct features, though his serious demeanor suggested he had spent many years stationed at the border.
Su Rong was still fuming. Upon seeing Xia Muxin, she shot her a cold glare and pointed at Shen Muhan, scolding him:
"I entrusted Ning'er to you, and what do you do? You carelessly left her halfway! If it weren't for a familiar face taking her in, who knows what could have happened..."
Who knows if she would ever see her again? That would be just fine; it would save this girl from being tainted by such nonsense.
Xia Muxin silently completed the thought in her mind.
"Isn't she just plump and adorable?"
Shen Muhan's tone remained indifferent as he ignored the aggrieved expression on Su Xiuning's face and pulled Xia Muxin down to sit.
Hearing Shen Muhan call her fat, Su Xiuning's pretty face flushed crimson, her eyes shimmering with tears of grievance. This sight only fueled Su Rong's anger further, making her bristle with rage.
Xia Muxin completely ignored them. Sitting beside her was the calm-faced Shen Muqing. Xia Muxin flashed a smile at her, but the boy's facial muscles seemed frozen, showing no reaction at all. After a long pause, they heard his reluctant voice:
"Shen Muhan, are you looking for a doll to be my sister-in-law?"
Xia Muxin raised an eyebrow and shot a cold glare at Shen Muqing, thinking to herself: You're the doll; your whole family is made up of dolls.
Her good impression of him took a significant hit.
Shen Muhan also glanced at the not-so-happy Shen Muqing and said in a flat tone, "If you're jealous, you can find someone even younger."
Xia Muxin: "......"
Shen Muqing: "......"
"Since we're all back, let's set off for the capital immediately," Su Rong suddenly exclaimed in frustration, slamming his hand on the table.
- End of Chapter -
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