OFTLHFRO C18

Chapter 18: How Did You Know?

In front of a brothel, a few thugs had just beaten a man in green clothes out the door.

A woman dressed rather scantily gave the man lying on the ground a disdainful glance. “No money and you still dare to come? Do you really think our Yao’er is like the Bodhisattva Guanyin here to save all? And what was that about being a scholar? So what? Being a scholar means you can just freeload?”

Passersby overheard this and stopped to watch the commotion.

The man looked embarrassed, stood up, covered his face, and without a word, slunk away.

Luo Mingchen found the figure and profile somewhat familiar and said to Huo Yan, “Isn’t that Lin Qingfeng?”

Perhaps because he spoke a little loud, Lin Qingfeng turned and glanced at them, then lowered his head and left tightly pursing his lips.

Huo Yan was not surprised, “He’s always been like that.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

Luo Mingchen, having enjoyed the gossip, felt some reflection.

A few steps later, Luo Mingchen suddenly reacted, “How did you know?”

“I…”

Before Huo Yan could explain, the previously sharp-tongued woman noticed them approaching, came over, and flicked her handkerchief filled with sweet-smelling powder, “Oh, isn’t this Master Huo? Coming to play today? Where’s Master Xiao?”

Hearing this, Luo Mingchen noticed the odd look in Huo Yan’s eyes.

Huo Yan instinctively wanted to explain but saw the woman still there, so he said, “We have other matters.”

Then, carrying puzzled Huo Xinyue and holding Luo Mingchen’s hand, he left.

Watching their departing backs, the brothel madam was stunned.

“Huh?”

“Are they sworn brothers?”

Realizing she might have caused trouble, the woman hurriedly called the thugs to follow her back.

Luo Mingchen stared in shock at Huo Yan’s handsome face, “You’re actually a ladybug?”

Who’s the client at a brothel with that face?

Realizing what he meant, Huo Yan said, “I’m just an escort.”

Seeing Luo Mingchen’s disbelief, Huo Yan elaborated, “Xiao Lin’s old flame is inside. He was driven out by his family years ago, poor and destitute, and rescued by a peasant woman. That woman was later sold to the brothel by her family, and he paid her ransom. But as an escort, he made many enemies, so that woman had to stay in the brothel.”

Hearing this, Luo Mingchen’s initially dull mood lightened considerably, but he still said, “What does this have to do with me?”

He really didn’t believe Huo Yan, a young man full of vigor, would be indifferent to so many beauties.

After all, the brothel wasn’t just for women; there were also male servants.

Still, Luo Mingchen thought about it and felt he had no right to blame Huo Yan. Their relationship was more like roommates, so he let it go.

Hearing Huo Yan explain so much, Luo Mingchen found it a bit funny.

Huo Yan looked at Luo Mingchen and said, “I just accompany him inside; I don’t do anything in there.”

“Oh.”

The three of them left the county town and went to Taohua Town.

Baiye Academy had not yet finished classes, so they found a teahouse and sat down to have some dim sum.

After school, Huo Yuhui was holding Huo Xiang waiting on the street.

“Xiaohui!”

Luo Mingchen called out to Huo Yuhui, and many people turned to look.

As he approached, Luo Mingchen heard some people laughing, “My dog’s name is Xiao Hui, hahaha…”

“He’s Xiao Hui? Then is his little brother Xiao Xiang? My sister’s maid is Xiao Xiang.”

Their voices were loud, but Huo Yuhui didn’t mind and greeted with a bright smile, “Little daddy, daddy.”

If it were before, Luo Mingchen would have scolded those two kids, but since they were children, he pretended not to hear, smiled at Huo Yuhui, and said, “Come on, let’s go home.”

“Okay.”

Sitting in the ox cart, Luo Mingchen noticed Huo Xiang in low spirits. Remembering the unfriendly attitudes of some students outside the academy, he asked, “How did you get along with your classmates at the academy today?”

Before Huo Xiang could answer, Huo Yuhui said, “It’s okay; the classmates are friendly.”

Luo Mingchen’s heart sank, but he didn’t expose the lie and said, “If you get bullied, be sure to tell us. We’re no worse than other families.”

Huo Yuhui smiled at Luo Mingchen, “Okay.”

Farm children are easily excluded in academies, as others form cliques. Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang were new students, slightly behind in studies but obedient. The master praised them a few times, which annoyed many students further.

But so what?

Telling their two daddies about it wouldn’t help much since they couldn’t be at the academy all day. Saying too much would also worry their daddies. So unless it got really bad, Huo Yuhui could endure it.

Back home, Huo Yuhui told Luo Mingchen how the master praised their obedience, and explained the lessons.

It must be said, Huo Yuhui was quite bright; for a lesson they had never learned before, after only one day, he recited it from memory—an incredible feat.

Huo Xiang was less talented and uninterested in lessons but enjoyed arithmetic, especially mental math for money matters, showing full talent there.

Seeing their studies were mostly fine but their social skills needed time, Luo Mingchen asked, “Do you have enough pocket money at the academy?”

“Yes.”

“If not, tell us. Eat well at noon; you’re still growing. If you don’t eat well, you won’t grow tall.”

Previously Luo Mingchen thought the two kids were tall enough. Observing their peers, he realized they were actually short.

Hearing about not growing tall, Huo Xiang turned pale and worried, “Little daddy, what should I do?”

He wanted to grow as tall as daddy to beat up those who bullied them. If he couldn’t grow tall, would he only get beaten forever?

Luo Mingchen said, “So now you have to eat more meat and vegetables, exercise more, run every day. That’s how you grow taller.”

Honestly, Luo Mingchen believed if he hadn’t missed meals during puberty, he would have grown over 1.8 meters.

Men are usually said to grow until their twenties, but his height stopped changing after 17. Now at 19, he had given up hope of growing taller.

Huo Xiang nodded seriously.

Hearing their conversation, Huo Yan said, “I’ll teach you some martial arts when I have time, so practice more.”

Hearing this, Huo Xiang was very excited, “Thank you, daddy!”

If only they were half as strong as their own daddy, those bullies wouldn’t dare mess with them anymore, right?

Huo Xinyue quickly said, “Me too!”

Luo Mingchen raised an eyebrow, “You want to learn too, Yueyue?”

“Mm!”

Luo Mingchen laughed. This was definitely rushing to run before even learning to walk.

Huo Xinyue didn’t understand what little daddy was laughing at but smiled along, her silly looks making the brothers laugh too.

Talking and laughing all the way home, Luo Mingchen cooked the wild boar meat Yu Bei brought at noon.

Because wild boar meat has a strong gamey smell, he soaked it in water inside the space first.

His space had two areas: one storage area for inanimate objects and one planting area for living things.

The storage area runs on fixed time, only allowing dead items. The planting area can hold living things with adjustable time.

The wooden basin used to soak the meat was placed in the planting area.