Chapter 6: Chapter 6

After seeing Xiao Xiaodong’s reaction, Xiao Jingting says to himself, “It’s a long road ahead.”

Although feeling a slight depletion in his inner force after applying the magic lines on the vegetable garden, the man still finds he’s full of energy. Memory tells him that the magical lines cannot be used repeatedly on a farmland because unnaturally fast growth of the seedlings risks reducing soil fertility and depleting its nutrients.

The lines always work the best when it’s applied on the intended seedlings for the first time.

Xiao Xiaodong gets back inside the room and sits on the side of the bed, his heart pounding fast.

Xiao Xiaofan rubs his eyes and sees his brother, asking in a daze, “Big brother, is it daylight?”

Xiao Xiaodong takes a look at his little brother whose hair got disheveled from sleep and says, “No, it’s not. Go back to sleep.”

“But I’m hungry.”

Xiao Xiaodong has anticipated this because the little boy asks for food every day he wakes up.

The elder brother fetches a piece of bread and hands it to Xiao Xiaofan, saying, “Eat this.”

The younger boy, however, is reluctant to take it, “The bread tastes so hard. I don’t like it.”

Xiao Xiaodong feels depressed seeing his brother’s pitiful face.

“I smell breakfast,” Xiao Xiaofan gets excited all of a sudden.

The look on the older boy’s look immediately changes from depression to resentfulness as he curses Xiao Jingting under his breath for making delicious food every morning but never once had he shared any food with them.

“Just go back to sleep,” Xiao Xiaodong tells his brother.

But the younger one keeps sniffing and eyeing one of the chairs in the room. Since the boy isn’t tall enough to reach to lock of the door, he needs to step on something to open it.

“You’re forbidden to go,” Xiao Xiaodong warns in a harsh voice, knowing what the boy is thinking about.

Xiao Xiaofan bites his fingers, looking at his brother with pleading eyes.

After a while, Xiao Xiaodong finally relents. He opens the door and sneaks a peak at Xiao Jingting.

Noticing the boy secretively watching him behind the door, the man puts on a nice smile and says, “Want some steamed stuffed buns? Do me a favor and I’ll trade with you.”

Xiao Xiaodong didn’t expect the man would speak to him, so he pulls inside instantly with caution.

Xiao Xiaofan pulls his brother’s arm, begging him, “Big brother, he said if we did him a favor, he’d give us steamed stuffed buns!”

Xiao Xaodong is a bit exasperated by the tempted look on the boy’s face, “It’s just stuffed buns. You’re so easy!”

Xiao Xiaofan blinks, confused, “Big brother, don’t you want to eat stuffed buns? They taste so soft and nice.”

Xiao Xiaodong doesn’t say anything.

Xiao Xiaofan scratches his head before pulling at his brother’s arm and pleading him again, “Big brother, why don’t you ask what kind of favor he needs from us?”

Xiao Xiaodong looks into the boy’s clear eyes and keeps hesitating. Finally, tempted by the delicious buns, he agrees, “Fine.”

Xiao Xiaofan, thrilled, follows his brother out.

Xiao Xiaodong keeps his excited brother behind his back and walks up to Xiao Jingting cautiously, “What favor?”

Xiao Jingting is a bit surprised by the boy’s refusal to even call him father, realizing that bad feelings must have run deep between the young boy and the previous Xiao.

“I plan to check on the farmlands, but I don’t know where they are. Do you?” the man asks.

“No,” Xiao Xiaofan answers first in an upset voice.

Xiao Xiaoding, meanwhile, casts a bitter glance at Xiao Jingting, asking sarcastically, “Haven’t you sold all your farmlands?”

The man feels a bit embarrassed, replying, “No. There’re still five mu of low-rate lands left.”

Xiao Xiaodong responds with a cold and accusatory look from which Xiao Jingting can tell he’s despised by his own son.

“If you wanna sell them, just do it. You don’t need to know where they are to do that,” Xiao Xiaodong says with disdain.

Xiao Jingting smiles awkwardly, explaining, “In fact, there’s not much left with almost all the valuables sold after we left the Xiao family. We still got this estate, but if I sell it, we’ll have to sleep on the street. That’s why I want to make some money by planting spiritual plants.”

Xiao Xiaodong is clearly astonished to hear the man’s words. The boy lowers his head and tries to figure out if Xiao Jingting is being sincere.

Although he detests Xiao Jingting, Xiao Xiaodong still holds out the hope that the man can get back from the wrong path in his life. After all, the last thing he wants is that the destitute man someday sells him and his little brother for money.

Xiao Xiaofan, however, isn’t nearly as anxious as his big brother. Instead, he grabs a corner of the table with his little hands and keeps staring greedily at the steamed stuffed buns.

A moment later, Xiao Xiaodong raises his head and looks at Xiao Jingting, saying, “I know where they are.”

Xiao Jingting nods, thinking that his elder son is indeed smart and that he must have already checked out the lands.

Xiao Xiaodong belongs to the wood group. One time when Xiao Jingting got drunk and beat him and his little brother, the boy secretly hoped that the man would drop dead like his grandparents so that he could inherit the man’s farmlands. But he thought about it later and came to the conclusion that if Xiao Jingting died, the Xiao family would most likely take away the lands instead of giving them to him.

“It’s a bit far away,” says Xiao Xiaodong.

“If you’re willing to take me there, I’ll give you three buns,” Xiao Jingting offers.

The boy hesitates for a moment before giving a nod, “Deal.”