Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 679 - 349 Dipped Vegetables_1

Measuring who is taller might seem childish to adults, but for children, it’s a very serious matter that commands their full attention.

When Shen Qian said they should compare heights, even Wu Lang did not object.

"If we’re going to compare, then let’s compare," Lian Manman laughed.

The children discussed and had Wu Lang stand next to the poplar tree first. Shen Qian walked over, took out his small silver knife, stood on his tiptoes, stretched his arm, and drew a horizontal line on the tree above Wu Lang’s head.

Then it was Xiao Qi’s turn. Xiao Qi stood straight as a rod against the tree, afraid of being measured shorter than he was. After Shen Qian marked his height on the tree, he worried it might get mixed up with someone else’s.

"Brother Xiao Jiu, lend me the knife," Xiao Qi said to Shen Qian.

"I’m older than you; you should call me ’Brother Xiao Jiu.’ No, you should call me ’Brother Ninth,’" Shen Qian said earnestly. He had never demanded this before, but now that he realized he was considered just a little kid like Xiao Qi in the eyes of Lian Manman and the others, he became sensitive. Asking Xiao Qi to call him ’brother’ was to affirm the fact that he was older than Xiao Qi.

"Brother Xiao Jiu, please lend me the knife," Xiao Qi did not argue with Shen Qian. Being the youngest in his family, he was used to calling others brother or sister anyway; adding one more Shen Qian to the mix didn’t make much difference.

Fatty Shen, hearing Xiao Qi call him that, happily ignored the diminutive "Xiao" and handed the silver knife to Xiao Qi.

Xiao Qi took the silver knife and next to the line marking his height, he carefully wrote the character for seven.

Next, it was Lian Manman and Shen Qian’s turn.

"Manman, you go first," Shen Qian looked at Lian Manman, then with a twinkle in his eye, he said cheerfully.

Lian Manman could easily see through Shen Qian’s intentions. She found it slightly amusing and a bit funny, but she didn’t argue and stood straight against the tree as well.

"I’ll do it, I’ll do it," Shen Qian snatched the silver knife from Xiao Qi’s hand and seriously drew a line above Lian Manman’s head on the tree. After making the mark, he neatly wrote the name "Manman" beside it.

Then it was Shen Qian’s turn. He handed the silver knife to Wu Lang, who in his eyes was the fairest. To Shen Qian, since Lian Manman and Xiao Qi were shorter (or so he thought), they might intentionally mark his height lower.

"Okay, go ahead and measure," Shen Qian said to Wu Lang as he leaned against the tree and took his time adjusting his posture.

"Fatty, you can’t tip-toe," Lian Manman glanced down at Fatty Shen’s feet, then lifted her head and looked at his face as she spoke.

"I, I didn’t," Shen Qian’s chubby cheeks immediately turned red. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Oh..." Lian Manman and Xiao Qi looked at Shen Qian, deliberately dragging out their words.

Fatty Shen had no choice but to put his secretly raised heels back down on the ground. Wu Lang chuckled and marked the tree above Fatty Shen’s head.

After Wu Lang had drawn the line, Shen Qian immediately turned around and, upon seeing that his mark seemed a tiny bit higher than Lian Manman’s, his slim eyes narrowed into gleeful slits.

"Manman, look, I told you I’m taller than you," Fatty Shen said to Lian Manman as if it were a great and prideful achievement.

"Really? Wow!" Lian Manman feigned surprise, widening her eyes before turning to Wu Lang with a complaint, "Brother, why do you take his side and not mine?"

Wu Lang just laughed.

"Xiao Jiu is indeed a bit taller than you, Manman. I stand for justice, not partiality," he said.

When no outsiders were present, Lian Manman liked to call Shen Qian Fatty, while Wu Lang and Xiao Qi called him Xiao Jiu.

Hearing Wu Lang say this, Shen Qian felt even happier. He took the silver knife back from Wu Lang and carefully engraved the character for nine beside his line on the tree.

"Fatty, when did your Sixth Brother become General in Charge of Conquering Invaders?" Lian Manman asked Shen Qian.

"It was after we returned from our last trip. Sixth Brother went to the Capital City to report to The Emperor about the inspection of the temple being built for my imperial aunt. The Emperor then appointed Sixth Brother as a general and ordered him to return to our Liaodong Prefecture as the General-in-Chief, saying it would facilitate taking care of our grandmother and overseeing the temple construction," Shen Qian explained.

Lian Manman suddenly realized that was the case. Being a military stronghold of the Great Ming Dynasty in the north, Liaodong Prefecture had been calm for years, yet it still maintained a large garrison. Appointing Shen Liu as General in Charge of Conquering Invaders, leading the garrison of Liaodong, was The Emperor’s way of showing favor to his late wife’s family. However, without utmost trust in Shen Liu’s loyalty and capability, The Emperor would not have placed him in such an important position.