Chapter 59 – One Big Family

“You can’t really say we helped the wrong people,” Qin Ying was rather open-minded. “Our original intent in helping others wasn’t exactly pure anyway.

“If only our family was doing well while others in the village were still struggling, they’d definitely be jealous. That would just bring us more trouble.

“That’s what the saying means—‘the rafters that stick out rot first.’

“Why did Guo Nier and the Hu family come looking for us? Wasn’t it because they heard we were doing well?

“It’s only because Lord Zhou and the others are here that we’ve managed to stay safe. Otherwise, do you think we’d be so lucky?”

“Exactly,” Aunt Zhao sighed and chimed in, “When everyone’s equally poor, no one says anything. But the moment you’re doing better than them, they start feeling upset.

“That’s why your sister and I were so proactive in taking you and An’an around to help others in the beginning.

“Wasn’t it just to earn a bit of their gratitude?

“If they’re grateful to us, they’ll be less jealous, and our days will be more peaceful.

“That’s why merchants always say, ‘Get rich quietly.’ When you have something good, you hide it. You don’t let others know.

“But right now, we don’t have a choice. We live in the same village. Who doesn’t know what goes on in whose house?

“Just like your sister said—there’s no way to hide the smell of our cooking. The four of us aren’t fighters. If someone barges in, who could stop them?

“We’d be worse off then! So it’s better to just share the method for growing mushrooms.”

These kinds of things had been said before, but never with this much clarity.

Zhao Hu clenched his fists, even more determined. “I’m definitely going to learn kung fu properly from Brother Xu! Once I get stronger, no one will dare to bully us!”

Aunt Zhao’s nose tingled, and she choked up. “Good boy!”

Qin Ying hesitated for a moment, then walked over to Zhao Hu and asked, “Huzi, once you’ve learned from Brother Xu, can you come back and teach me too?”

She never wanted to be in a position of helplessness again!

She wasn’t alone—she had family behind her, and An’an too!

Zhao Hu nodded without hesitation. “Of course!”

“Don’t agree so quickly,” Qin Ying smiled. “Ask Brother Xu first. If he says yes, then we’ll talk.”

Just then, An’an woke up and crawled over to Aunt Zhao. She leaned carefully against her, puffed up her little cheeks, and gently blew air at the wound on Aunt Zhao’s face. “Huuu… huu…”

Mommy said that blowing on it makes the pain go away!

Aunt Zhao’s heart melted at the little one’s sweet gesture, but tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away and hugged the little girl tightly, rocking her gently. “Anbao’er! Grandma’s sweet treasure! Grandma doesn’t hurt, no need to blow anymore!”

“Graa~” An’an affectionately nuzzled into Aunt Zhao’s arms.

No amount of energy points could make her as happy as this warmth.

Qin Ying propped up the kang table, set out the food, and prepared to bring a serving over to Zhao Hu. But he had already hopped over on one leg, grinning. “I’m tough!”

The family sat together around the table. Qin Ying was about to feed An’an, but the little girl refused to let go of the spoon. She pointed firmly to her own head and declared, “An, eat!”

“Oh my!” Aunt Zhao patted her head. “Our little Anbao’er wants to eat by herself now?”

“Mm!” An’an nodded vigorously and puffed up her little chest proudly. “An, awesome!”

“That’s right,” Qin Ying chuckled and gently pinched her cheek. “Our An’an is the best!”

An’an immediately turned to look at Zhao Hu. Grandma and Mommy had praised her—only Uncle was left!

Zhao Hu nodded enthusiastically like a pecking chicken. “Yes, yes, yes! Our little Anbao’er is the best in the world!”

Satisfied, An’an lowered her head and began eating with the spoon.

But while her imagination was lovely, reality was…

It was her first time using a spoon. Though she had a firm grip, her movements weren’t very smooth. The first spoonful of corn porridge only half made it to her mouth—the other half fell on the kang table, and a few grains of rice stuck to her face.

She held up the spoon, frowning. Why was this little thing so disobedient?

“No worries,” Aunt Zhao picked up the porridge from the table and put it in her mouth, encouraging her, “Our An’an is so smart—just needs a few more tries!”

“Mm!” An’an nodded resolutely, scooped another spoonful, hesitated, and dumped half of it again. Even though the kang table was wiped daily, it wasn’t perfectly clean. If she was too slow, who knew whose mouth that dropped porridge might end up in?

What if it upset her stomach?

Seeing her expression, Qin Ying gently stroked her head. “It’s okay, An’an. Take your time.”

An’an responded and tried again. This time, she successfully fed the whole spoonful into her mouth.

Ah!

Her eyes widened instantly, sparkling brighter than the stars.

The three adults put down their chopsticks and applauded, showering her with praise.

An’an beamed with joy—so happy!

After finishing half a bowl, she became much more proficient at eating porridge on her own.

Qin Ying smiled and asked, “Want another half bowl?” No matter how warm the room, food cooled quickly, so they’d only served half a bowl initially.

“Yes!” An’an answered loudly, thrilled. She had mastered a new skill!

The second half went down much more smoothly.

The three adults had long since finished eating and watched An’an with fascination. Hey, no matter how long you looked, you just couldn’t get enough of this cute little thing!

When she finished the second half, they clapped again.

An’an straightened her little back, tilted up her round chin slightly, and looked very proud.

Qin Ying asked with a smile, “Are you full? If not, Mommy will get you a cookie.”

An’an patted her belly, still a bit hungry, and nodded. “Cookie!”

Qin Ying handed her two small round cookies, told Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hu to keep an eye on her, and went to wash the dishes. After that, she came back and removed the kang table.

When she returned again, An’an was already leaning against Zhao Hu.

After icing, his face was less swollen, but the bruises were more visible. An’an looked heartbroken and gently touched his face with her little hand.

Zhao Hu felt warm and fuzzy inside—he just knew it! He was Anbao’er’s favorite uncle!

Suddenly, a flash of light flickered in front of An’an’s eyes. She immediately checked herself. One glance—and she was shocked!

Her energy level had jumped to 15!

How did it go up so fast?

She thought hard. Mommy, Grandma, Uncle, and the handsome uncle—though there were several people, their energy contributions shouldn’t have added up to that much, right?

Then she remembered wanting to overdraft her energy to save someone and how much she cared for her family…

It had to be that!

Oh well, that wasn’t important. What mattered was checking what new features unlocked after reaching 15 energy points!

First, malicious intent rebound!

Great! Not unlocked!

An’an’s little fists clenched tightly.

Next, system store.

Great. Also not unlocked!

An’an ground her teeth. Seriously, none of the features useful in a crisis were unlocked!

So annoying!

“What’s wrong, Anbao’er?” Zhao Hu hugged her, confused by her puffed cheeks and angry little face.