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The Wei family’s main house was one of the few spacious tile-roof houses in the entire village, located at the foot of the back mountain. Scattered around, half-hidden among the trees, were several small mud-brick homes.
Wei Ci and her brother stood facing the empty rooms, staring at each other.
“They really cleaned it out.”
Wei Qingfeng had never had a chance to come home until now. The sight shocked him. Their house looked as if it had been thoroughly looted—nothing was left behind, not even a hair. If the house itself could have been moved, even the roof tiles wouldn’t remain.
“Ah Ci, just wait! I’ll bring everything back for you.”
He pushed his sister into the house and turned to leave, his eyes blazing with fury. As he ran, he waved at a few childhood friends trailing behind him. The young men’s eyes gleamed with excitement—it was like they were about to storm a treasure hoard.
Wei Ci obediently waited at home, her gaze sweeping over the surroundings. According to her memory, this should be the northernmost part of the country. Winters were bitterly cold, summers scorching hot, and the capital was unimaginably far away.
“The far north, huh…” she murmured. Wasn’t this the very region where criminals were exiled in Great Yong Dynasty? Still, it didn’t look so bad. Poor, yes, but not nearly as barren as the county annals had described. The mountains and rivers here were beautiful, the forests vast.
Ding~
Suddenly, it was as though time froze. The water dripping from the eaves hung suspended in midair, the breeze halted mid-flow.
Wei Ci immediately sensed the abnormality. Her hand clenched tightly around a dagger that had appeared out of nowhere, the cold gleam briefly flashing before she hid it behind her back. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with wariness.
“Little Ah Ci, it’s me.”
A strange yet familiar voice rang out. Then, in midair before her, a tall illusory figure appeared. He smiled at her gently, his gaze filled with warmth and indulgence.
“Uncle Tong?” she asked in surprise. He was the mysterious man who had always stayed by her mother’s side.
The system puffed up its chest, nearly giddy at being addressed as “Uncle”:
“Yes, it’s me. I came on your mother’s behalf, to give you something to protect yourself with.”
Wei Ci sheathed the dagger, then walked up to study his current appearance, her eyes full of curiosity.
“So this is what you look like?”
Indeed, he was very handsome—no wonder her mother had kept him around so long. His looks matched her mother’s taste exactly. But after scrutinizing him, she felt he looked strangely familiar, like someone she had seen before.
The system coughed lightly, a bit guilty. In truth, this form was based on features borrowed from several men the host had admired, slightly adjusted. Of course she would find him familiar.
“Cough… your mother told me, since you’re here, you must live well. Don’t forget what she taught you. Don’t worry about her—she has people protecting her, nothing will happen.”
As he spoke, he handed Wei Ci two space rings, a little embarrassed.
“It’s not much, but enough to keep you safe. I can’t stay long in this plane. Take care of yourself.”
Wei Ci held the rings tightly, her eyes reddening.
“Alright, Uncle Tong. Please… take care of my mother.”
The system sighed. Just before fading away, he reached out to gently pat her fluffy little head, then smiled as he waved goodbye.
“Little Ah Ci, you must live a good life from now on. Don’t be fooled by scumbags like your mother was! Oh, and—I brought you a small gift. Took it from your mother. Remember—use it cautiously!…”
As she watched him vanish, Wei Ci quickly wiped away her tears. Looking at the two space rings in her palm, she checked their contents carefully. After a long silence, she tossed them straight into her own space. As for the so-called “small gift,” she had rummaged through both rings thoroughly but found nothing.
“Mysterious as always. What exactly is it?”
She had seen too many such things in her life already. She could easily guess who these rings had come from.
A hint of melancholy welled up in her chest. Clearly, her presence here was tied to her mother and this “Uncle Tong.” Otherwise, the compensation this time wouldn’t have been so generous—they had practically emptied their reserves for her sake.
But even after thinking it over, she still couldn’t imagine what her mother might have had that could be “plucked away” for her. And what did he mean, “use it cautiously”?
Meanwhile, Wei Qingfeng and his gang stormed into the second and third branches of the Wei family like bandits raiding a village. They ransacked the houses so thoroughly that even layers of plaster peeled off the walls. They even dug out secret stashes of money hidden in mouse holes by Second and Third Uncle. The adults and children of the two branches trembled with rage at the sight.
“Qingfeng, this isn’t your family’s stuff.”
“How is it not? Looks just like ours to me!”
“Qingfeng, your family didn’t have this much grain.”
“What do you mean not this much? These grains look exactly like ours, as if they grew from the same ear of wheat. Take it all!”
At that, everyone rolled their eyes. Grain across the entire country looked the same—how could it all be his? Still, no one helping him said a word. They simply hauled the food into carts, ready to take away.
“Good heavens! This is a sin! My own nephew won’t let us live! The little bastard is emptying our house—he’ll starve us all to death!”
Third Aunt, already furious because her son had been arrested, now saw the two children of the main branch trampling over her family. She slapped her thigh and threw herself on the ground, wailing bitterly.
Wei Qingfeng sneered. A kitchen knife flew from his hand and stabbed into the ground right in front of her. Her face turned pale with fright, her lips trembled, and her hand shook as she pointed at him, unable to speak for a long time.
Wei Qingqing frowned and quickly shielded his mother, glaring at Wei Qingfeng.
“Qingfeng, you’ve gone too far! No matter what, my mother is still your aunt, your elder. How can you threaten her with a knife?”
Wei Qingfeng’s eyes glinted with contempt.
“And when your family tried to sell my sister, did you call her an elder then? When you needed us, we were ‘family,’ but when we were of no use, you treated us like burdens. With family like you, what did I do in a past life—slaughter fish every day to end up cursed with relatives like you? Filthy luck!”
Ptui!
Wei Qingqing choked on his words, stomping his foot in frustration, but powerless to stop him.
Like it or not, aside from some filthy things he disdained, Wei Qingfeng emptied both houses clean. The food stores were so bare even a mouse would have to do the splits to find a crumb.
Back at the main house, Wei Ci didn’t wait long before Wei Qingfeng swaggered in with his crew, hauling back a mountain of goods.
Furniture, bedding, grain, oil, salt, vegetables—even Second Uncle’s two hens were dragged over, squawking pitifully with their necks stretched.
With a proud grin, Wei Qingfeng shoved a small bundle into his sister’s arms.
“Ah Ci, Second Brother found this for you—face cream and some little jars. All from Wei Qingmiao’s stash. Don’t worry, none of it’s been used. Won’t disgust you.”
Wei Ci’s lips curved into a smile, dimples deepening.
“Thank you, Second Brother.”
Though she had no use for them, she treasured his thoughtfulness.
After all, her own space was overflowing with skincare: gifts from her mother’s mysterious physician, products from the system, recipes she’d bought from imperial doctors and made herself. And if all that weren’t enough, she had the spiritual spring water—the best skincare of all.
Behind Wei Qingfeng, the other young men nudged each other, exchanging glances as they stole peeks at the graceful girl standing there. Her wheat-colored skin was flushed red, and they blushed harder just looking at her.
“Dog Egg, is that really your sister?” one whispered.
Dog Egg? Who?
Wei Ci and Wei Qingfeng froze at the same time. Wei Ci couldn’t help but burst into laughter, her smile blooming like a thousand pear blossoms. The boys blushed crimson, stammering so much they forgot what they had wanted to say.
Wei Qingfeng’s face darkened. It had been years since anyone had called him “Dog Egg.” Hearing it now made shame surge through him like a tidal wave.
“I have a name! It’s Wei Qingfeng!”
Dog Egg, indeed! In this village, nothing was more abundant than eggs, and “Dog Egg” was the most common nickname of all. Shout it out loud in the street, and a dozen snot-nosed kids would answer.