your forties, before reaching fifty, you start acting like an old man, what will happen then"Dad, I'm not saying this to offend you, but you won't attract any older women like that."The old man was t...Sometimes, I feel that Xiao Qiao's importance and stable position in our family aren't just because of her brother-in-law.

It's because of my cooking skills.

She has a gentle personality and never finds cooking rice, oil, salt, and other necessities to be a burden. Instead, she finds joy in the patience and meticulousness of preparing meals and watching us eat with gusto.

Perhaps because we cooked with love, everyone who ate felt happy bubbles of pink with every bite.

Mr. Chen and Da Bao were definitely coming to eat, they not only treated this place as a dining hall but also as their second home. They were even happy sleeping on the sofa or on the floor in the living room.

Da Bao bit on his chopsticks and sighed with admiration, "Little Lady's here to improve our meals, it's truly remarkable. Though these dishes are simple and light, I taste the ethereal tranquility of a fairy…"

"...You're making my skin crawl with flattery." I couldn't help but retort.

Dabao has been in this shop for a long time, and his flattery skills have improved significantly.

Mr. Chen clasped his hands together, his eyes glistening with... tears

"Ah, Little Madam, it's wonderful that you're back! I've been cooking every day, and I'm getting tired of eating the same things..."

"Have you got any shame! Even your own cooking is unpalatable! Tomorrow, I'll sign you up for a new Eastern culinary class. Learn properly, alright" I was extremely dissatisfied with Old Chen, this high-paid worker.

This guy gets 20,000 yuan every month now. He and Da Bao get paid the same amount. Usually, he handles both company and family affairs, inside and out, helping me manage everything. The two of them are multi-talented, they have to be good at everything.

As a result, both of them couldn't cook at all. Dabo claimed to be the instant noodle prince, saying that since he started boarding in high school, he had tried all kinds of flavors from various brands of instant noodles across the country, but he just wouldn't learn how to cook.

Old Mr. Chen is doing well. He's older and knows how to cook, the food he makes is edible, it's just that he keeps making the same few dishes over and over again. After a while, it gets boring.

Yanqin's chef often improves our meals, but nothing compares to Xiaoqiao's cooking.

I looked at the steamed tofu in front of me, feeling delighted.

Xiao Qiao scooped out small pits in each piece of soft tofu and filled them with meat balls, sprinkling some dried tangerine peel on top before steaming. It felt like eating a medicinal dish, but there wasn't any odd medicinal flavor; it was all sweet, smooth, and tender, and most importantly, it had meat.

Yanqin was happily eating, and said to Xiao Qiao: "I can't even make a simple breakfast. Xiao Qiao, you stay for a few more days and teach me, okay"

"Okay." Xia Qiao nodded, her eyes meeting mine.

I understand what she means. She wants to help me solve this.

The old man has mostly withdrawn from this circle. Ever since he was affected by the evil spirits, his health hasn't been good, and Xiao Qiao and I don't want him to be exposed to such a gloomy environment anymore.

I held chopsticks in my mouth and crossed my legs, gazing at the crowd of people gathered around this large table.

Father, the old mother, Yanqin, Xiaoqiao, Old Chen, Dabao, and Younan sitting on the baby stool, as well as Yu Gui, plus Xiaonie lying on the lounge chair and Meowling hiding in the corner.

This small courtyard is pretty good, it's hidden in plain sight, carefree and at ease, and full of joy.

I don't want any more bad vibes coming into my home. I keep everything I've collected in the secret vault at my company, rarely bringing anything back home.

Those shoes, that ghost, if it hadn't involved me, I might have just ignored them, no matter how much commotion they caused.

I've also become lazy, afraid, and cautious. I constantly worry about the future and the past.

The reason, roughly speaking, is probably all these ancestors at this table.

My worries have increased.

The feelings of being under twenty are irretrievable.

Perhaps from when Xiao Qiao stood against the summer sunlight at the store's entrance, my life was destined to bear responsibility.

Perhaps, from the moment Yanqin said to me in a choked voice, "Then I won't get married anymore," I began to indulge in this sweet burden.

》》》

After dinner, everyone went back to their rooms. Xiao Qiao stayed with me and my father on the first-floor sofa, drinking tea.

She smirked after we finished telling her about our previous experiences, saying, “We’re just too afraid to get involved. If we weren't so worried about karmic repercussions, things wouldn't be this complicated.”

What

"I don't care who her mother and child are, as long as they threaten our family, just take them out and we'll talk later." Xiao Qiao said with a sneer.

" ... Little Imperial Concubine is powerful." I laughed twice.

I know she's just saying that out of spite.

Xiao Qiao was a very "dutiful" girl. She never felt that her relationship with Jiang Qiyun would allow her to run amok in the underworld.

She had no ulterior motives and no vanity.

In these aspects, she truly is as Grandma Shen said: born with an innate spiritual disposition.

Yin and yang, life and death, power and status, meant nothing to her.

Her relationship and love with Jiang Qiyun seem to be just between the two of them, and this kind of relationship wouldn't extend to Jiang Qiyun's divine position.

Xiaoqiao is more afraid of incurring karmic obstacles.

She didn't want to be separated from Jiang Qiyun, nor did she want their relationship to be fraught with peril because of heavenly retribution.

"Brother, the Dragon King you're talking about, should he be the figure from the South Seas sorcery organization we messed with before Is he the mastermind" Xia Qiao asked.

“I don't know, foreign evil forces, and even such a mysterious organization, the country can't find much useful information... But this matter is definitely related to the Dragon King. His minions are everywhere collecting children's bones, using them to refine little ghosts and sell them off. Who knows how much oil and water there is in this business It's definitely hard to find domestically because our country values future generations, but in many foreign places, children are very pitiful. God knows how many children's bones he has collected”

Old Dad stroked his chin and said, “….Magic is rampant in Nanyang, raising little ghosts has even become a common ‘secret’ that wealthy and famous people can't afford to show off. This business is a no-cost business in many places. Those poor mountain villages, buying a child doesn't cost much...”

Xiao Qiao is now a mother and can't stand to hear about things that hurt children. She said angrily, "This Dragon King is wicked and will surely meet a bad end."

"...Shall we settle the ghost's matter first Both worlds are pulling strings to find that man. He was a concubine of the widow, probably drained of his essence and left weak, allowing the ghost to possess him." I quickly steered the conversation in a different direction.

Xiao Qiao nodded and poured tea for me and my father, saying, "Brother, if you're going out, I'll accompany you—"

Before she could finish her words, the doorbell in the backyard suddenly rang. I hurriedly went to check the monitor and saw it was Dabo.

I pressed the unlock button, and Dabao opened the door. She ran in, dusty and breathless, saying: “Your Highness, Master, I’ve found that ghost’s trail. She appeared in the commercial district not far from here, but the earthbound soldiers guarding the land didn’t dare get too close, so I lost her… But based on her movements, she definitely intends to come to our side!”

Of course not, embroidered shoes are locked away in a chest, and the widow lives in a boarding house down our alley. She probably thinks that scaring the widow will get her child's bones back.

I guess... there's no hope for that.ard from outside."...Where am I" I asked in terror.The man just gave me a silent back, without a word.This is too scary, you know It's all surrounded by stones, so gloomy and cold. And from the corner...