Liu Ji had no choice but to cover up his disappointment, forcing a smile as he took out the land deed with his name on it and handed it to Old Liu with a bit of annoyance. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Here, keep the deed yourself. Are you relieved now?"

Did they really think he would covet these pieces of land?

Was Liu Scholar Ji such a short-sighted person!

Old Liu glanced at him, using his actions to prove his distrust.

He spat out a mouthful of saliva to wet his fingers and counted the deeds one by one to ensure they were all there. Only then did he tuck them into his bosom, nodding cheerfully, "Good, good, they’re all here."

That said, he didn’t give Liu Ji another look. He hurried home with the deeds, eager to share the good news with the family, proving that he wasn’t wrong about the third son—the deeds were indeed returned, and the taxes were indeed forgiven.

Liu Ji furrowed his brows, watching his father’s joyful steps, and hissed, "Hiss~."

Suddenly, he kind of regretted returning the deeds...

Da Lang’s children came back from the fields with fish, each one filthy, but the smiles on their faces were bright enough to dazzle Liu Ji.

"Dad!"

Seeing the children covered in mud rushing towards him, Liu Ji quickly took a big step back.

"Did you guys go rolling in the mud?" Liu Ji asked incredulously.

The kids grinned, trying to bluff their way through it. Si Niang held up a basket to show off, "Dad, look, I caught the biggest one!"

Sanlang snorted, "Clearly, big brother and second brother blocked them in the bamboo trap for you to catch."

Saying this, he showed off the little fish he caught, "Dad, look at mine, it’s the liveliest. Tonight, let Aunt Li stew it for soup, it’ll surely be delicious."

Faced with the dragon and phoenix twins’ expectant eyes, Liu Ji didn’t soften at all, lifting the two mud-covered kids by their arms and bringing them to the water tank, wishing he could just dunk them in.

"Clean yourselves up, really, as soon as I’m not home, you all act out of line!"

Liu Ji put down a wooden basin, scooped a large basin of water for the siblings, and stood there with arms crossed, supervising them to clean themselves up decently.

Qin Yao sat in the hall watching the chaos in the yard, occasionally dodging flying specks of mud with precision, not getting a single drop on her.

Liu Ji wasn’t so lucky, getting mud all over him.

The four kids plus Little Lai Fu used up every drop of water in the tank, managing to clean themselves up somewhat.

Ah Wang secured the horses and fed the livestock and poultry. He naturally picked up the basket of field fish and gutted them.

Once done, Mrs. Li took over, stewing it in a pot, filling the air with a tempting aroma that even made Qin Yao crave.

The now-cleaned children were assigned a new task by Liu Ji: fetching water, and nobody was eating until the water tank was full.

The siblings happily barefoot, rushed to the village well with whatever they could carry—a bucket if they had one, or a basin if they didn’t.

Soon they returned, with hardly any water left, focusing on the experience rather than the result.

Finally, Ah Wang couldn’t stand it anymore. He took Qin Yao’s usual extra-large water bucket and filled the home water tank in one trip.

As for the dirty clothes, since school was on break, they had to wash their own clothes.

Liu Ji also changed into clean clothes, and once all the dishes were served, Mrs. Li led Little Lai Fu away, leaving Qin Yao and the family to finally start their meal.

"Got all the paperwork done?" Qin Yao asked casually, eating the deboned fish Liu Ji had prepared for her.

Liu Ji nodded, his hands busy nonstop. Seeing Qin Yao take a couple more bites, he specially set aside two fish, deboned them, and placed the meat in her bowl.

Whenever he planned to stir up some mischief, he was always this attentive. Qin Yao had long gotten used to it and enjoyed the service without guilt.

"Dad, when are you going to the Prefecture?" Da Lang asked with concern.

Liu Ji continued deboning fish, replying without looking up, "Leaving the day after tomorrow morning."

"What?" Sanlang reacted, unable to accept it, "But dad, you’ve just returned after only a few days."

Even if dad’s presence didn’t make much difference, even Qin Yao had to admit the household was always livelier when Liu Ji was home.

He was gone for two months this last time and had only been back for a few days before heading out again, and with the exam results only coming out in September.

Si Niang counted the days on her fingers, suddenly finding the fish in her bowl tasteless.

Second Lang seemed carefree, only concerned if dad would continue to have good luck.

"Dad, do you think you can still come last in the exams this time?" Second Lang asked earnestly.

If it weren’t for his serious tone, Liu Ji would have thought his good son was mocking him.

Just then, the fish was deboned, and he placed the dish of fish in front of Qin Yao. Liu Ji set down his chopsticks, intending to explain to his children what the imperial exams were all about.

"Let me tell you guys, making the list, it’s really a mysterious matter. If it’s meant to be, it will be; if not, forcing it won’t help."

Ah Wang asked, "So, master, is it in your destiny?"

Liu Ji was momentarily tongue-tied, raising his eyebrows, lacking confidence, "I suppose it should be..."

"Ha~" Qin Yao laughed, but not at Liu Ji. It was amusing to see Ah Wang and the Da Lang siblings listening seriously to Liu Ji’s nonsense.

However, in Liu Ji’s eyes, she was laughing because she didn’t believe in his abilities.

He immediately stood up, loudly proclaiming, "To ensure nothing goes wrong, I’ll go to the temple tomorrow morning and ask the master to change my fate!"

Qin Yao: "..."

Ah Wang: "Can I come too?" He seemed to have never been to a Daoist Temple or temple before.

The Da Lang siblings’ eyes lit up, "We want to go too!"

Liu Ji laughed loudly, waving his hand, "Then we’ll go together!"

Qin Yao declined, "I’m not going; if you want to go, go yourselves." She had no interest in temples and just wanted to stay home eating cake and drinking cold drinks.

So the father and four children nodded, "All right!"

Qin Yao watched them immediately excitedly discussing, shaking her head with a helpless smile.

The next morning.

Liu Ji had Ah Wang ready the carriage, leading the Da Lang siblings to the most popular Daoist Temple in Kaiyang County.

Although Qin Yao didn’t join, the father and children felt a bit sorry. But as soon as they arrived at the temple, they were captivated by the novel sights and the breathtaking mountain scenery, forgetting all about her.

The father and children left in the morning and returned by evening, each with a talisman. Ah Wang even folded the talisman paper and hung it around his neck with a red string.

Because the Daoist said he was cursed, prone to attracting evil spirits, and carrying this talisman could grant him peace.

Someone who previously had no belief was successfully led astray by their master, believing in gods and spirits.

Looking at the four little ones, they appeared equally convinced, tucking the talisman papers under their pillows before sleeping soundly.

Qin Yao looked down at the yellow talisman in her hand—yes, they also brought her a Heart Clearing Talisman, saying it would keep her from losing her mind!

Were they hinting at something?