Chapter 589
Ying Bing's eyelashes fluttered as she lifted the teapot to wash the head of the doll.
Not long after, Gu Xueqin came down from upstairs, saying that some friends and relatives from Ziyang Mansion had sent word, inviting the couple to gather. Most of them were colleagues of Li Dalong, along with some of Gu Xueqin's own relatives.
Even some distant relatives who were originally from out of town had rushed over upon hearing the news to reconnect.
Having wealth in the deep mountains means dealing with distant relatives, which left the couple feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Before they could voice their thoughts, Ying Bing said, "I’ll go too; I’m quite familiar with Ziyang Mansion."
"Little Bing, you often visit the capital, don’t you? That works out perfectly..."
"Yeah, Li Mo hasn’t been managing the Xiyangyang Hotpot Restaurant for a while. I really have no choice but to go take care of things."
As the boss lady, it was only reasonable for her to keep an eye on the business.
It made sense; there was nothing wrong with it.
After all, she had grown up in the Li family. Uncle Li and Aunt Gu would inevitably struggle to handle so many people, so it was only right for her to help maintain order.
Bing Tuozi changed into a dark black Liuxian skirt, her hair elegantly pinned up, and she even wore the family heirloom.
Then she left with Li Dalong and his wife, exuding an aura of grace and wisdom as she prepared to meet her in-laws.
Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi exchanged knowing smiles.
"She may not understand love, but she sure knows how to be a daughter-in-law..."
"Keep it down; Little Bing is shy and hasn’t gone far yet."
"Ah, watching them together is making me feel all giddy."
Shang Qinqing’s expression turned serious for a moment as images filled her mind.
If the childish boy and Bing Tuozi ended up together, she would shout "sweets" at their wedding, and instantly break through to the next realm!
"The eighth realm is definitely within reach," Qin Yuzhi chuckled.
Shang Qinqing asked, "How did you figure it out back then?"
"I’m not quite sure; this realm is incredibly mysterious." Qin Yuzhi fell into thought, then shook her head, saying, "At that time, I was genuinely hoping everyone could sleep peacefully, have sweet dreams, and wake up to a life as sweet as those dreams. I vaguely felt the path of dreams approaching me."
"I see..."
Shang Qinqing pondered, secretly vowing in her heart.
One day, when she reached the Tongtian realm, she would punish all the fools in the world who didn’t believe in pure love!
Just as she was contemplating her methods of punishment, footsteps approached the door. She saw Li Mo poking his head in, carrying a pile of sour and spicy ingredients. The confident demeanor he had just moments ago faded into that of an ordinary gentleman.
"Where’s Bing Tuozi?"
"She went to see your relatives."
"???"
---
Chapter 682: Just a Childish Boy
"Ah?"
Li Mo scratched his head, lost in thought.
Once upon a time, when relatives visited, Old Li would pat his head and tell him to greet them.
That was one of the rare moments when Li Mo felt socially anxious.
Little Bing Tuozi, on the other hand, would hide in her room during lively gatherings, making her presence completely undetectable, like a wary little cat.
Now, she was actually going along with her parents to meet friends and family?
If he remembered correctly, he was the biological one, and Bing Tuozi hadn’t even officially joined the family yet...
"Xiao Mo," Shang Qinqing suddenly spoke up.
"Ah?"
"When that family of three left, it was quite heartwarming. I hope you can join them soon."
"Sure... huh?"
Feeling like an outsider, Li Mo's mouth twitched. He thought, could it be that Bing Tuozi discovered something? Like how that childish boy was getting bolder, even daring to transform into a werewolf to bully his sister, and was becoming increasingly hard to manage?
So, Bing Tuozi cleverly took control of the entire Old Li family, making him lose his footing and forcing him to obey his sister?
Damn it, that mischievous Bing Tuozi was truly unpredictable!
"Meeting friends and family? Where?"
Shang Wu sat down, her sleepy eyes suddenly brightening.
Don’t get it wrong; Shang Wu just loved this kind of lively atmosphere. During festivals, it felt awkward for relatives and friends to visit without bringing gifts, like a bottle of fine wine or something.
"Let’s talk about it next time, next time."
Li Mo dared not agree.
By then, he would probably end up on the floor, with Shang Wu drinking and everyone else getting beaten up.
"It’s not even mealtime yet."
Little Shang Li glanced at the sky, then carefully wiped the shiny stuff from the corner of her mouth.
"Almost forgot."
"Hey, it seems we’ve been enjoying our daily four dishes and a soup thanks to Little Bing," Shang Qinqing joked.
But the reality was different; Chef Li was simply distracted today.
With the sect's promotion... the engagement coming up... would the cool and aloof Bing Tuozi adapt to the warmth of her relatives? And how much money did he actually have on him... the trouble of spending money he couldn’t even count...
You see, even a childish boy had a lot to think about!
While lost in thought, he prepared a few dishes and boiled a pot of clear clam soup.
"Hey, why are there only shells in this clam dish?"
Shang Qinqing noticed something was off after trying a few.
"Look." Li Mo gestured with his chin.
At a glance, Little Shang Li scooped with a spoon, and it was all clam meat; the shells had all fallen apart, as if they had willingly offered their meat to him.
"Big sister, you eat." Shang Li placed all the meat into someone else's bowl.
"Such a good kid; if only Shang Wu had half of his sense..." Shang Qinqing murmured.
"Didn’t hear that the cycle of life and death could change one’s temperament?" Qin Yuzhi also found it strange.
"Hey? How are you two talking?" Shang Wu, who had just returned with a bottle of wine, raised an eyebrow.
"Uh, it’s nothing; you’re the most sensible one," Qin Yuzhi waved her hand.
"Where did your little uncle and aunt go?"
"She went to... uh, meet some not-so-familiar relatives and friends."
As Li Mo spoke, he seemed to recall how Little Bing Tuozi used to hide away during the New Year, looking wary:
"Don’t be fooled by your little aunt’s cool demeanor; she seems smart and knows everything. In reality, she doesn’t know how to interact with people. Whenever someone came over, she would hide away, waiting for me to bring her food."
"Well, in that regard, my sister is stronger," Shang Li nodded his little head.
"Family always supports family."
Shang Wu felt relieved that she had saved her brother, but her joy was premature.
"I remember one New Year, my sister and Grandpa had a drinking contest, and she even pulled him by the neck to drink. It was so lively that Grandpa kept calling her 'Auntie.'"
Shang Li’s recollection plunged everyone into silence.
Shang Wu frowned, "Who told Old Deng that he had eaten more salt than I’ve had rice, and drunk more wine than I’ve had water?"
"....."
Glancing at Shang Qinqing and Qin Yuzhi, who were still munching away, and then at the somewhat sensible Shang Wu and the little bean, Li Mo suddenly felt that the downfall of the Shang Dynasty might not have much to do with fate.
Before long, Old Qian also came over to mooch a meal.
The engagement banquet and the promotion ceremony of Qingyuan Sect were set to be held on the same day, which sounded quite absurd. A major event for the sect was being held alongside the engagement of two disciples.
But in the minds of many, including many elders of Qingyuan Sect, the latter was indeed more important.
After all, the current reputation of Qingyuan Sect was simply "the sect that produced Li Mo and Ying Bing."
The forces that sent invitations, indicating they would visit, were mostly coming for the latter.
From the grand Tianshan Sword Manor in the imperial capital to the Hengtong Trading Company, and even the nearby Chijing Gang and Fen Yu Lin from Ziyang Mansion, Qingyuan Sect would likely be bustling with people, far more lively than the capital of the Great Shang.
However.
With Bing Tuozi at the Old Li family keeping things in check, it seemed Qingyuan Sect was struggling to maintain its own order.
Putting aside the likes of the Lijun Sword Hero and the Cold Fairy, Qingyuan Sect was indeed just a provincial-level force, having almost been replaced by the Chijing Gang not long ago.
The sect's foundation was simply insufficient, but at such a time, they couldn’t afford to appear weak.
"I just checked; there are 77 pieces of Xuanjing in the treasury, 63,000 taels of gold, and... exactly three million in silver... wait."
Elder Qian took off his boots and pulled out a silver note from inside.
And two pieces of broken silver.
"3,050,002 taels."
And it was all neatly accounted for.
"Our sect..." Li Mo gasped in shock, "Is it really this poor?"
It sounded like a lot, but for a provincial sect, it was hardly enough to save face.
Elder Qian remained silent, looking at Shang Wu, who was munching away.
Shang Wu was whistling, her gaze drifting up to the sky, clearly not understanding what Old Qian was talking about.
Li Mo: "..."
Suddenly, everything started to make sense.
Table of Contents
