OFTLHFRO C103

Chapter 103 Playing Around

Perhaps fearing that they might sneak away in the dead of night, Xue Kang had his men keep the residence completely surrounded, watching all comings and goings with particular vigilance.

One must know—it was winter, the snow piled thick upon the ground, and in the middle of the night the cold was unbearable.

Yet Luo Mingchen was not so kindhearted as to pity them. On the contrary, relying on his abilities, he was not much afraid of the cold, and would deliberately stroll outside at night.

In the depths of winter, there was little else amusing to do, so all he could manage was to wander about, leading that group of men on a merry chase through the streets.

Seeing them so tense, Luo Mingchen found it quite funny.

“Deputy General! Luo Mingchen has come out again.”

Hearing his subordinate report, Xue Kang only felt his head ache. “Send men to follow him.”

Every hour or two he would come out, forcing them to brace against the freezing winds and stay sharp. Once he had even gone so far as to make a circuit in the middle of the night, claiming he needed some fresh air, which frightened them half to death—they thought Hou Yan had slipped away.

After a night spent on edge, it was only the next morning, when they saw Luo Mingchen and Hou Yan leading the children out to buy vegetables, that they were able to relax a little.

So it went for three days. By the time Xue Kang finally allowed his men to ease up, their eyes were ringed with dark shadows.

Meanwhile, on Huo Xinyue’s third birthday, Luo Mingchen made her a bowl of longevity noodles.

When he went out again, Luo Mingchen noticed those guards outside the residence no longer stirred, and he laughed. “Oh? Have you come to your senses?”

The men remained silent.

“In that case, no need to buy vegetables.”

And so, the family of five turned back into the house.

Staring at the shut doors, the men: “……”

So they had merely been toyed with all along?

Another four days passed in this way. During that time, no matter where Luo Mingchen went, the men pretended not to see.

Finally, the returning soldiers brought with them the deed to the restaurant, along with the property deeds and ten thousand taels of silver.

The speed was surprisingly quick.

Events unfolded much as Hou Yan had predicted. Huo Yuntao truly had not hesitated, but simply sent over everything his son demanded.

At dawn, seeing the items, Xue Kang hurried straight to their residence.

The couple had already packed their belongings. They agreed without hesitation.

After breakfast, they climbed into the carriage, joining the others on the road to the capital.

Along the way, they did not forget to bid farewell in various places, while entrusting their house to Xiao Lin.

“Something feels… off, somehow.”

Hearing his trusted man’s murmur, Xue Kang too felt as though they had overlooked something, though he could not say what.

Still, the family was traveling with them now, so he thought no more of it.

Inside the carriage, Luo Mingchen saw the three children dispirited, so he brought out candies to cheer them.

“Think of it as traveling. This is the capital we’re talking about—the most prosperous place in the land, full of many delightful things.”

At his words, Huo Xiang gazed at him with shining eyes. “Little Daddy, what delightful things are there?”

This…

Luo Mingchen truly did not know, and could only glance at Hou Yan, nudging his arm. “What’s there to enjoy?”

Hou Yan thought a moment. “The Lantern Festival, lion dances, hot springs, plum gardens, temples… and a few other things.”

When they arrived in the capital, there would be about twelve days left until the New Year.

If all went smoothly, they would even stay through the Lantern Festival.

Huo Xiang thought about it—it did sound rather fun.

Huo Yuhui remained outwardly calm, but within, even he began to harbor a bit of anticipation for the capital.

As for Huo Xinyue, she cared little for entertainments. So long as she was with her two fathers, and there was tasty food to eat, she was content.

Seeing the children in better spirits, Luo Mingchen let out a breath of relief.

When unobserved, he also sent the vegetable seeds to the county office, refusing any payment.

According to his original plan, the county would sell the seeds for him, returning the proceeds.

But if he had taken money in advance, it would have left a sour taste. So in the end, Luo Mingchen simply gave them away—it was better that way.

He had expected the main roads to be nearly impassable, but once they were on the way, he discovered men cleared the snow daily.

The carriage could not move as fast as in fine weather, but it was not especially slow either.

At first Huo Xiang had been delighted by the snowy scenery, but after two days he and Huo Yuhui both turned to reading instead.

Even the dullest book was more interesting than endless snow.

Huo Xinyue, meanwhile, was learning to use the abacus.

Whether it was that she was simply too clever, or something else, the fact was that Luo Mingchen himself had never mastered it properly, yet Huo Xinyue clattered away on the beads as if born to it.

In short, so long as she had an abacus, she could calculate any addition or subtraction within a thousand, no matter how complex.

She could also recite the Three Character Classic and various poems, though her small hands still lacked the strength to hold a brush steady.

In Luo Mingchen’s eyes, of the three children, Huo Xinyue was the most versatile.

Huo Xiang lacked patience, though Hou Yan said his natural endowment was good and he excelled in martial training, besides having a knack for arithmetic.

Huo Yuhui, on the other hand, had a superb memory and much patience, though he lagged somewhat in martial training and needed to work harder.

Huo Xinyue, it seemed, combined all their strengths. Some even said she resembled their mother most closely—that is, Hou Yan’s cousin.

At first, Luo Mingchen had found that hard to believe.

But Hou Yan explained that his cousin had once been accomplished in both letters and arms, surpassing most men, cheerful of spirit—until later, when her martial arts were destroyed, and she became cautious and withdrawn.

At that, Luo Mingchen could only sigh at the pity of it.

This era truly was unkind to women.

“Little Daddy, how much longer until we reach the capital?”

Huo Xiang’s backside was nearly broken in two.

Luo Mingchen had used his powers to ease the jolting, but no stone-paved road could compare to asphalt, and after so long, the discomfort was real.

“Your father said tomorrow afternoon.”

As for the exact distance, Luo Mingchen had never been, and he could not read the milestones.

Huo Xiang: “……”

They had already traveled four days, and still it would not be until tomorrow…

That night, they stopped at a post station to rest.

For all that he was merely a deputy general, Xue Kang was still given rooms without charge, and the place was safer than any inn.

Being near the capital, this post station was larger than the previous three. Inside, there were many lodgers, including foreigners—gold-haired, blue-eyed—speaking English that Luo Mingchen could mostly understand, and others who spoke the language of the island nation.

This place… could it be a parallel world?

Otherwise, how to explain such familiar tongues?

Seeing Luo Mingchen’s unsettled expression, Hou Yan asked, “What is it?”

“Nothing.”

Yet when Hou Yan continued to watch him, Luo Mingchen had to crook a finger.

Hou Yan paused, then leaned down.

Finding the distance still insufficient, Luo Mingchen tugged his ear closer, whispering: “I can understand much of what they’re saying.”

English needed no explanation—one was tested on it in examinations.

As for the island tongue, Luo Mingchen had once heard it would be on university entrance tests, so he had learned some simple daily expressions in advance.

He had not studied much, but enough for casual exchange.

And later, during the apocalypse, with his receiver often picking up signals from neighboring countries, he had studied more in order to understand them.

Given where Luo Mingchen had come from, Hou Yan understood why his expression was so strange.

Different worlds they might be, yet filled with so many familiar things—truly, it was peculiar.