Meng Grandpa stared at their eyes, then placed the wine bottle in his hand on the kang table for them to see to their heart's content.
Oh my, Old Jin’s gaze seemed to pierce through the glass bottle and merge with the wine inside.
Qi He secretly glanced at his father’s eyes, which were much like Uncle Jin’s, dazzlingly bright.
Fu Xinci stopped looking, afraid she would blurt something out. She hurried to the kitchen and sent over half a ladle of peanuts.
Tian Shi reacted quickly. Under Fu Xinci’s guidance, she soon prepared two side dishes from the half ladle of peanuts. One was braised in saltwater, and the other was fried in hot oil.
When Fu Xinci brought over the two plates of side dishes, Old Jin couldn’t help but exclaim, "The food at Second Brother Meng's house is still excellent. They can whip up a few dishes so casually."
"Heh, it should be said that peanuts are a good thing, perfect with wine."
"Mm."
Fu Xinci thought: Next time, I'll cook them five-spiced peanuts, and that will be another dish.
Among the three men sitting at the table, Qi Yuanshan was the youngest by age, so he automatically took on the task of pouring wine.
As the clear, transparent liquid was poured into the wine cups, a rich aroma wafted out.
Old Jin sniffed it and then said, "It's better than the wine someone gave the Qianhu last time, much better."
Mentioning the Qianhu, Qi Yuanshan’s expression soured. He hadn't yet emerged from the shadow of that great saber.
Old Jin also felt he had spoken too much, that it was inappropriate to mention a certain person and spoil the mood. He quickly tried to salvage the situation, saying, "It was my mistake, brother. I deserve to be punished. At worst, you can punish me by making me drink a couple more cups as an apology."
Qi Yuanshan was amused. "Old Jin, you can't use that excuse if you want to drink more."
"Hahaha, isn't this a good excuse?"
"Let's change it. This one doesn't feel sincere."
"Mm, I'll change it right away. Meng Second Brother can punish me too."
"Hahaha."
Watching his grandfather and Uncle Qi start to enjoy their drinks, Fu Xinci went back to the kitchen to help and sent food to her cousins who were making quilts.
When the first cotton quilt was finished, not only the three cousins but also Xiao Li Shi and Tao Shi thought it was very good.
Especially Meng Yuyan. Her rough little hands caressed the bright little strawberry patterns on the cotton quilt, lost in thought.
Fu Xinci could guess what her cousins were thinking, but she said nothing, just waiting to give them a small surprise once all the quilts were done.
As night fell, she finally waited until the two little ones were fast asleep before tiptoeing to the washroom.
She dared not enter the space directly from her warm bed anymore. She was afraid the two little ones would wake up, find her missing from the bed, and search the entire room for her.
At that point, would she come out or not?
Thinking about that scenario, it was simply a social death experience.
To avoid startling herself, and to avoid startling the two little ones, she reluctantly changed her location.
In the trading hall of Dragon City, the red light on the vending machine finally lit up amidst everyone's entreaties.
Another round of cheers. The partners of Longteng were a little confused. Xin Ci would not break her promise without warning.
It was only when they understood why Xin Ci had broken her promise last night that they all sighed in unison, "If only we could see little brother Fu."
Fu Xinci understood. They were all only children, without brothers or sisters. It was rare to have a companion whose family had a younger brother, and they wanted to experience being an older sibling to their heart's content.
Alas, it was a pity that it seemed only goods could be transmitted here. Otherwise, she really wanted to teleport herself over.
As Fu Xinci was grumbling to herself, she saw a small note passed to her by her companions. When she clearly read the content of the note, she immediately jumped up and cheered, "Oh oh, Uncle Sun, Uncle Xu, you guys are amazing! Oh oh!"
"Squeak squeak squeak." Is the human crazy? Should it hide so it doesn't get hurt when the human goes crazy?
Xiao Bai moved as soon as it thought about it, darting several meters away with a "whoosh." Then it realized that the spot where it had been squatting was now firmly stepped on by human feet.
"Squeak ~ Squeak squeak." It's really stepping on my head. This Bai wants to fight you to the death.
Just as Xiao Bai mustered all its strength to confront the black-hearted human, it heard the human "waaaahing" and searching for it all over the ground.
"Xiao Bai, Xiao Bai, look! Uncle Xu and Uncle Sun made me a new crossbow. It can fire ten bolts in rapid succession."
After speaking, Fu Xinci realized that she could only manage three rapid shots at most. Her little face instantly drooped.
"Alas, my skills are lacking."
"Squeak squeak squeak." You know your skills are lacking, why aren't you practicing more? Xiao Bai said disdainfully, hands on its little belly.
After speaking, Xiao Bai felt something was wrong. Wasn't it about to have a showdown with the black-hearted human? Why was it worrying about her now?
Xiao Bai was also confused. It needed to sort out what had happened before.
Fu Xinci, however, was enamored with her new crossbow and had put all other matters behind her.
Oh dear, if it weren't for the two little ones being a nuisance, she would be sleeping with her new crossbow tonight.
Xiao Bai: My mind is a bit jumbled.
The next day, as soon as the sky lightened, Fu Xinci eagerly went to find Qi He.
Fortunately, Qi He was more diligent than her, already practicing his staff with great vigor in the courtyard.
"Brother Qi."
Seeing his younger sister Fu looking for him, Qi He immediately stopped his movements and asked, "Sister Fu is looking for me?"
"Mm, Brother Qi, here." Fu Xinci handed over her old crossbow.
Seeing Qi He's hands repeatedly wipe his collar several times before daring to take the crossbow, Fu Xinci said a little sheepishly, "Brother Qi, my master made me a new crossbow. If you don't mind this old one, I'd like to give it to you."
"I don't mind, I don't mind." Qi He hadn't expected to be so lucky early in the morning. Holding the crossbow, he jumped up and down several times, shouting "waaaah" just like Fu Xinci did last night.
Xiao Bai: Are all humans like this? They jump around like rabbits when they're happy, and some even leap about like monkeys.
Overjoyed, Qi He paid no mind to what Xiao Bai thought. After Sister Fu taught him how to use the crossbow, he ran towards the garrison without even eating breakfast. He wanted to share this immense joy with his father.
Qi Yuanshan also hadn't expected his son to receive such a good item. Even Old Jin, standing nearby, looked on with envy.
"This is a good thing. Yuanshan, when you weren't here, that girl Xin Ci used this crossbow to kill several Tatars."
Although Qi Yuanshan hadn't witnessed the scene, the crossbow in his hand reminded him of the eagle that had been shot. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upwards. "This child is truly underestimated."
"Indeed. If our garrison hadn't been in trouble, Xin Ci wouldn't have made a move."