Chapter 24: The Mission

The Qin family matriarch wore an unusually radiant smile today. Her third son had returned, and her husband would be home soon. Though her youngest son, the one she worried about the most, still hadn’t sent word, the sight of her family gathered in the house reminded her to be content.

“Picking on a child? Some mother you are,” Mrs. Qin playfully chided her usually cheerful and bold third daughter-in-law, who now seemed lost in sentimental melancholy.

The children, already engrossed in their own little world, played together. Xiao Qi clung to Xiao Jun, while Xiao Yao supported Xiao Yuan.

“My dear wife, I also feel like I’ve been abandoned by our daughter,” Xiao Jingmin confessed dramatically. He hoped this would mend things and save him from the dreaded prospect of sleeping on the floor again. But just as he finished speaking, his daughter’s bright, carefree laughter echoed through the house.

Oh, my precious girl, do you have no regard for your poor father’s dignity?

Xiao Yao glanced at her third uncle with sympathy. Her father and mother were deeply in love, and her second uncle and his wife were also perfectly matched. However, her third uncle and his wife… well, their relationship seemed to be tinged with a certain fearfulness. If memory served her correctly, her third uncle had lost a sparring match against her third aunt, essentially surrendering himself to her. Such fearfulness was entirely understandable. Her seemingly shrewd and gentlemanly third uncle probably ranked fourth in authority within his own household.

She wondered what kind of personality her never-seen fourth uncle might have.

“Flowers… flowers…” Xiao Qi slowly articulated, his speech still dominated by baby-like repetition.

Xiao Jun, the good elder brother, held his little brother’s chubby hand while grasping his sister’s hand, intending to take them to see the flowers.

Xiao Yao shook her head. Her younger sister couldn’t walk yet. What if she started crying when left behind?

“You all go… I’ll stay here,” Xiao Yao decided, remaining by her sister’s side.

Xiao Rui eagerly volunteered to take the boys to the garden. He’d been itching to escape the stifling room. Finally free, he ran about like a bird out of its cage, leaving his younger brothers dazzled and unsure where to look.

“Arang, you should check on them,” Yuan Yutong urged her eldest son. “Don’t count on Xiao Rui to take care of the two little ones. If he doesn’t make them cry, I’ll light incense in thanks.”

Knowing her son well, Yuan Yutong immediately sought Xiao Lang to assist. Xiao Lang, harboring similar concerns, quickly followed.

“How bad could he be?” Xiao Jingmin attempted to salvage his son’s reputation.

“Hmph,” Yuan Yutong replied, refraining from pointing out the obvious. Moments later, Xiao Jun’s frustrated voice came from outside.

“Fourth brother, you’re so mean!”

Xiao Jingmin wisely fell silent, choosing instead to look for his niece and daughter. Between his son and daughter, he had already lost face several times today. His standing in the household seemed to be plummeting.

Meanwhile, the adults began discussing the patriarch’s upcoming birthday celebration.

Before they got far, Xiao Jun and Xiao Qi reentered the room. Xiao Jun appeared angry, and Xiao Rui trailed behind, trying to placate his brother. Xiao Yi was off handling tasks, while Xiao Lang remained in the courtyard to clean up the aftermath.

“Ahyang, go play with your younger siblings for a while,” Xiao Jingmin said, splitting his attention between the conversation and his eldest son.

For Xiao Yang, this was a daunting task. Of the four younger siblings, he was only familiar with Xiao Yao. Even though Xiao Jun was his biological brother, the two rarely spent time together. What now? At that moment, Xiao Yang missed his eldest and second brothers more than ever.

Seeing her third brother’s despairing expression, Xiao Yao offered a helpful suggestion. “Read to them. Read to them.”

Xiao Yang agreed enthusiastically. This was his specialty! Bless his considerate younger sister for thinking of him.

The young scholar retrieved his own study materials and began reading to the younger ones. “Thwack!” Two small hands simultaneously slapped the book.

Xiao Rui, who had already started learning, recognized the title “Analects” and immediately objected. What a dull choice! Finally free of lessons, and now this? Absolutely not.

Xiao Yao also disagreed. “Dear third brother, do you really think such tiny children can understand ancient philosophy? We’re not sleepy yet; you don’t need to lull us to sleep.”

“Change it!” came their unified demand.

After going through four or five books and facing objections each time, Xiao Yang gave up. His only choices were his school textbooks.

Xiao Yao was speechless. Dear brother, you’re supposed to entertain them, not bore them to tears! Any travelogues or casual essays would do. Even sharing tales from your school life would be better. Clearly, watching over children wasn’t his forte.

Even Xiao Yuan eventually stood up, leaning on the table to voice her dissatisfaction, gesturing animatedly at her brother’s book.

Defeated, Xiao Yang closed his book and went to find his third uncle, pleading for a different task. Anything but babysitting! As soon as he left, the children seamlessly resumed playing together. Apparently, Xiao Yang had been the odd one out all along. His younger siblings’ indifference stung.

A servant entered to report that someone was waiting in the study for the second master.

The three brothers went to the study together, where they found the spy sent to monitor the Fang family in Xuzhou.

“What’s going on?” Xiao Jingtai asked.

“The Fang family has come to the capital,” the spy reported.

“When will they arrive? Why are you reporting this so late?”

“They’ve already entered the city. I was deceived and beg your pardon.”

“If the Fang family acted intentionally, what could we have done on their turf?” Xiao Jingkang sighed. “I underestimated them. Fang Yufu is far too cunning for ordinary tactics.”

“Do you think they’ve come for Father’s birthday celebration?” Xiao Jingmin wondered aloud.

The brothers exchanged uneasy glances.

“Now that he’s reappeared, he must be seeking answers. With Father back, this is the time to resolve things once and for all,” Xiao Jingtai declared. If he had his way, he’d eliminate Fang Yufu entirely to prevent future trouble.

“If this were only about our two families, it’d be easier. Don’t forget the Han family is also involved,” Xiao Jingkang reminded them.

“How is the Han family connected to this?” Xiao Jingmin asked.

Xiao Jingkang provided a concise explanation.

“That complicates matters,” Xiao Jingmin admitted with a frown.

“Complicated or not, this must be resolved soon. Second Brother, assign more people to keep a close watch on Fang Yufu. On the sixth, we must ensure he doesn’t cause trouble during Father’s celebration,” Xiao Jingkang instructed.

“Why go to such lengths?” Xiao Jingtai suggested with a hand gesture mimicking execution.

Xiao Jingkang and Xiao Jingmin both shook their heads. This was a last resort, only to be used if absolutely necessary.

“If you don’t heed my advice, you’ll regret it someday. Fang Yufu isn’t the kind of man to give up willingly,” Xiao Jingtai warned.

“I know it won’t be easy, but…” Xiao Jingkang trailed off, unwilling to let their mother bear a guilty conscience for the rest of her life.

Their discussion was interrupted by commotion from the courtyard. A servant reported that Tong Mingyu’s second sister-in-law had given birth.

Worried that his wife might want to return to her family, Xiao Jingkang lost interest in continuing the conversation. Unable to reach a resolution, the brothers parted ways and returned to their respective quarters.