OFTLHFRO C164

Chapter 164 – Why Not Sleep Together?

Both buyer and seller were perfectly satisfied with the deal.

By the time all was settled, dusk had already fallen, and since harvesting the vegetables would take time, Lan Fei and his entourage stayed the night in Han Town.

If it had been just Lan Fei alone, Luo Mingchen would’ve gladly taken him home. But he had brought dozens of men along, so they could only stay at an inn.

After all, Huo Yan’s study was inside the residence—if anyone happened to sneak in and take something, it would turn into a messy affair.

It wasn’t that Luo Mingchen didn’t trust Lan Fei, but he preferred not to create unnecessary complications when they could easily be avoided.

Still, he did invite Lan Fei over for dinner.

“Just a few days ago, I heard little Xiang and Yueyue talking about you,” he said with a smile.

At this, Lan Fei’s lips curved slightly upward, his composure never breaking. “Uncle Luo, may I ask where they are now?”

“They’re probably in their room—or maybe outside playing somewhere,” Luo Mingchen replied uncertainly.

Ever since General Hu’s wife and daughter had arrived, the siblings had gone to play there once, and afterward, they were always running off to visit, especially little Huo Xinyue, who adored playing with the young lady over there—Hu Zhongyi’s daughter, Hu Jing.

Lan Fei nodded slightly.

Luo Mingchen cast him a thoughtful glance.

The boy was about the same age as Huo Xiang, perhaps even a year younger, yet he could travel without his parents, lead a group, and conduct business negotiations calmly and methodically—rare qualities indeed.

Still, Luo Mingchen didn’t envy such early maturity. He’d much rather see his own children live simple, happy lives.

Huo Xiang was just fine the way he was—pure-hearted and cheerful, untouched by heavy thoughts.

When they reached the front gate, they happened to encounter Huo Xinyue returning, hand in hand with Hu Jing, who was a few years older.

Upon seeing Lan Fei, Huo Xinyue beamed and ran over with Hu Jing, calling out in her soft, milky voice, “Big brother!”

Luo Mingchen couldn’t help but laugh. “So, Yueyue, now that you’ve got a big brother, you don’t need your daddy anymore, huh?”

Huo Xinyue grinned and threw herself into his arms. “Daddy’s my favorite~”

“Alright, alright,” he chuckled, patting her back. “Go play with your Brother Lan now. He’s joining us for dinner tonight.”

Then he turned to Hu Jing. The little girl curtsied politely. “Uncle Luo.”

“Xiao Jing, why don’t you stay for dinner too? I’m making salt-braised chicken and spicy fish slices.”

Hu Jing had intended to refuse, but the moment she heard spicy fish slices—her absolute favorite—she swallowed hard and, after a brief inner struggle, nodded. “Thank you, Uncle Luo.”

Luo Mingchen sent the three children off to find Huo Yuhui and Huo Xiang to play, then headed to the kitchen to prepare the meal himself.

When Huo Yan returned, Luo Mingchen immediately roped him into tending the fire.

“Lan Fei came this afternoon,” he said while chopping vegetables. “Bought a huge order of produce—and get this, he doubled the price! I was bracing for a haggle.”

Huo Yan split a log and placed it into the stove. “Of course he wouldn’t haggle. First, Wolf King Fort isn’t short on money. Second, they know our produce is excellent. Doubling the price is their way of keeping us loyal—so we don’t start considering other buyers.”

Luo Mingchen laughed. “Oh, and Lan Fei also brought several crates of taro seedlings. He wants me to grow them for him. I wasn’t planning to agree, but the price he offered was just too good…”

Huo Yan’s lips curved faintly. “Little money-grubber.”

Luo Mingchen retorted without a shred of shame, “Call me a money-grubber if you want, but don’t tell me you don’t love money too. Who in this world doesn’t? The God of Wealth will forever be my one true moonlight!”

Huo Yan: “…”

After dinner, Huo Xinyue still clung tightly to Hu Jing’s hand.

“Big sister, let’s sleep together tonight—with big brother too!”

“Pfft—cough, cough, cough…”

Luo Mingchen, who had just taken a sip of juice, choked so hard he sprayed it everywhere, staring at his daughter in disbelief.

Little Huo Xinyue blinked up at him, utterly puzzled as to why her father was suddenly sputtering.

Hu Jing, far more mature, sighed helplessly. “Yueyue, you’re not a baby anymore. You can’t sleep with boys. And if I don’t go home tonight, my parents will start worrying.”

The two girls had been inseparable lately—each taking turns visiting the other’s home—and without realizing it, Hu Jing had already stayed over for five nights straight.

“But…”

Before Huo Xinyue could finish, a loud, booming voice came from the courtyard. “Xiao Jing! I’m here to pick you up!”

Hu Jing gave Huo Xinyue’s hand a gentle squeeze and ruffled her hair. “Be good, Yueyue. I’ll come play again tomorrow.”

“Aww…”

Huo Xinyue sighed dramatically. “Okay then.”

After seeing her favorite big sister off, she immediately turned around and grabbed her favorite big brother’s hand instead.

Lan Fei quietly tightened his grip in return.

But before long, Huo Xiang squeezed himself between them, grinning. “Hey! Tonight we can work on that puzzle! Baozi, Sister Ziyan made us a super hard one—even my brother couldn’t finish it. We’ll beat him this time for sure!”

Lan Fei: “…”

He really wished they’d stop calling him Baozi.

Huo Xinyue’s eyes sparkled. “Let’s beat big brother!”

Huo Yuhui, watching the three little ones, said calmly, “Then go ahead and try.”

“Don’t stay up too late,” Luo Mingchen reminded them with a fond smile. “Sleep early when you’re done.”

By this point, he’d completely forgotten that Lan Fei was supposed to be staying at the inn. He treated the boy like one of their own, just as he had back when Lan Fei had lost his memory.

The four children chorused, “Okay!”

Later that night, before going to bed, Luo Mingchen stopped by to check on them.

The puzzle game was well underway—there were three identical sets, all equally difficult.

Huo Yuhui had completed more than half of his. Huo Xiang had done about a third.

Huo Xinyue had barely covered a palm-sized section at first, but once Lan Fei joined her, their progress soared—nearly catching up to Huo Yuhui.

And that was without any reference image.

Huo Xinyue merely handed Lan Fei random pieces, and he fitted each one perfectly in place. To the casual eye, it looked like blind luck, but judging from the stunned faces of Ziyan and Bai Xue, it was clearly anything but.

Luo Mingchen pulled up a chair and watched, gradually losing track of time. Before he knew it, an entire hour had passed.

In the end, Huo Yuhui only beat Lan Fei by about fifteen minutes.

Throughout the entire process, Lan Fei never once looked at Huo Yuhui’s board. He simply pieced together whatever Huo Xinyue handed him—effortless, precise, and fast.

“So impressive?” Luo Mingchen remarked in disbelief. “Xiao Lan, have you done this before?”

Lan Fei paused, then said matter-of-factly, “Uncle Luo, all complete puzzles follow a pattern. You just memorize each piece’s image, assemble it in your mind first, then reconstruct it by hand. It’s not difficult.”

Everyone: “…”

At this point, calling him a prodigy felt like an understatement.

What kind of frightening memory and perception did it take to do that?

Even Huo Yuhui was convinced. “I concede defeat.”

Had he not started earlier, he would’ve fallen behind completely.

Lan Fei said modestly, “We all agreed beforehand to compare progress fairly. Besides, I had help—it’s only right that big brother wins.”

Luo Mingchen couldn’t help but laugh. “I hereby declare—you’re all winners. Except little Xiang—you lost.”

Huo Xiang stuck out his tongue. “Losing’s fine if we can play together! But hey, Brother Lan’s memory is amazing—so how did you ever fall into that hole before?”

Honestly, Luo Mingchen had been wondering the same thing.