"You got that right." Yang Yufeng was already against Zhang Yuanmin hunting the Black Bear’s Den. Now that she had someone backing her up, her spirits lifted.

Besides, she’d already raised her hand to him in front of Zhao Jun today, so she didn’t care about holding back anymore. Pointing at Zhang Yuanmin, Yang Yufeng said, "You better listen to what our brother here is saying. Stop wasting your days cooking up all sorts of nonsense, calling yourself the ’Yong’an Little Zhuge.’ Just look at you! You’ve tried to take on a bear’s den three times. How many of those were successful? If our brother hadn’t saved you, you’d have died several times over by now."

"Get out of here." Zhang Yuanmin, growing flustered and angry, pointed back at Yang Yufeng and barked, "Look what time it is! Go make our brother some food."

Zhang Yuanmin’s outburst was just a front, a way to save face. As it happened, Yang Yufeng had said all she wanted to say, so she gave him the out and turned to leave.

"That woman... honestly. You think I can’t handle you?" Seeing Yang Yufeng leave, Zhang Yuanmin instantly puffed up his chest, muttering under his breath just loud enough for Zhao Jun to hear.

Zhao Jun felt helpless. He glanced aside and met Little Lingdang’s equally helpless gaze. They looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Brother, don’t listen to her rambling." Zhang Yuanmin looked away from the door and grinned at Zhao Jun. "I’m done being the Yong’an Little Zhuge."

"Yeah." Zhao Jun tried to reason with him. "Let’s just focus on doing our jobs right."

But Zhang Yuanmin replied, "Nope. From now on, I’m going to be like Wei Yan."

"Wei Yan..." Zhao Jun had no idea who that was, so he didn’t know what to say. He could only play along and ask, "Brother, what did this guy do, exactly?"

Hearing this, Zhang Yuanmin’s eyes lit up. He pulled his legs up, crossing them on the heated brick bed, and said to Zhao Jun, "This Wei Yan was incredible! They were going to fight Cao Cao’s grandson, and Wei Yan told Zhuge Liang that they should send troops through Ziniu Valley. If they succeeded..."

At this point, Zhang Yuanmin froze. He blinked, grabbed the comic book from the table, and started flipping through it rapidly. When he found the right page, he haltingly read the words to Zhao Jun: "Cap... capture... Chang’an... is... is within our grasp."

With that, Zhang Yuanmin held the book up in his right hand and repeatedly tapped the page with his left. "You hear that?" he said to Zhao Jun. "Within our grasp!"

"Ah!" Zhao Jun nodded blankly. "Right. Within our grasp."

Seeing Zhao Jun play along, Zhang Yuanmin gave a self-satisfied smile. He started to fold the corner of the page, making it easier to find the next time he wanted to show off to someone.

But seeing his action, Little Lingdang, who had been doing her homework, was having none of it. The little girl lunged forward, throwing her upper body onto the low table and stretching out her arms to snatch the comic book right out of Zhang Yuanmin’s hands.

After grabbing the comic book, Little Lingdang shouted, "I borrowed this from a classmate! You can’t dog-ear it!" Then, with her small hands, she unfolded the page Zhang Yuanmin had creased and slowly smoothed it flat.

The atmosphere grew a little awkward. Zhao Jun quickly tried to praise Zhang Yuanmin. "Brother, I’m just realizing how impressive you are. You know so many words."

"Heh, brother, you have no idea..."

Zhang Yuanmin was just about to start bragging when Little Lingdang cut him off. "Uncle," the little girl said, "I taught him all of that. There was just one part I didn’t teach him because I thought he’d know it, and he still read it wrong. Wei Yan was supposed to send troops through Zi Wu Valley, but he read it to you as Ziniu Valley."

Now, the atmosphere was even more awkward.

Zhao Jun hadn’t read many books, so he had no idea what valley the father and daughter were talking about. He had no way to mediate.

"You, child... Just hurry up and do your homework!" Zhang Yuanmin pointed at the little girl, feigning anger. "Honestly. You never focus on your homework. Wherever the adults are talking, that’s where you have to be."

"I..." Little Lingdang was so angry she was at a loss for words. But in those days, a child her age wouldn’t dare talk back to an adult. She just grabbed her schoolbag and shoved the comic book inside. Her meaning was clear: ’I’m not letting you look at it anymore.’

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanmin felt a deep sense of loss, as if the most important thing in his life had just been taken away.

But Zhao Jun was still there, so he could only turn to him and say, "Brother, I’ve thought it over. Sometimes, being too careful can still lead to accidents. It’s better to just be decisive and get it done."

"Brother, what are you planning to do now?" Zhao Jun asked tentatively.

Zhang Yuanmin said, "Brother, if you trust me, come with me in a couple of days. Your big brother is going to show you a little trick or two."

"Go with you where?"

"To find a Black Bear’s Den!" Zhang Yuanmin jutted out his chin, stuck out his thumb, and said to Zhao Jun, "Doesn’t matter if it’s a Celestial Granary or an Earth Store, your big brother has a way to deal with it. You just watch."

The moment Zhang Yuanmin said this, before Zhao Jun could even respond, Yang Yufeng, who had been cooking in the outer room, burst in.

Yang Yufeng was holding a poker, its tip glowing red-hot from the stove. She pointed it at Zhang Yuanmin and roared, "I’m telling you, Big Pants, if you dare go messing with a Black Bear again, don’t even think about coming back to this house!"

Faced with the poker, Zhang Yuanmin instantly recoiled, stumbling back against the storage cabinet on the heated bed. He didn’t dare say another word.

Yang Yufeng then whipped her head around and snapped at Little Lingdang, "And you, you little troublemaker! You just had to bring those stupid books home for him to read. Look! Just look what’s come of it!"

When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer.

The little girl felt incredibly wronged. Though her voice wasn’t as loud as Yang Yufeng’s, she still cried out, "I was just trying to help Dad! You’re always saying all he does at home is think up nonsense, so I borrowed books from my classmate. I just wanted to give him something to read to pass the time!"

In her distress, the child even repeated the exact words her mother used to scold her father. Then, the little girl slammed her hand on the table and shot up. She marched two steps to the cabinet, snatched the three stacked comic books right from under Zhang Yuanmin’s nose, and stuffed them into her schoolbag. Then she sat back down, and tears immediately started streaming down her face.