« Fourth Brother seems to have been back for a while, but he has a schedule for the Spring Festival Gala. »
« Why bother with him? In which year has he ever come home for the New Year? »
Everyone is busy making money, to the point where the family is so poor that they only have money left; I don't even know what they earn so much for.
« Little Ancestor Aunt, let's go, we're going home! » Shen Muye picked up the little milk dumpling directly and walked with a ruthless gait.
It would have been even more iconic if he were wearing sunglasses and had a cigarette in his mouth.
The Shen family's car had arrived to pick them up.
With the New Year approaching, the streets of A City were covered in New Year-related decorations, making everything very lively.
Shen Zhiyin sat in the car, looking around curiously. As soon as she looked up, she saw a handsome and refined young man on the building's display screen, giving his New Year's greetings.
« Holy crap, why is he appearing again this year? »
Shen Muye glanced at it and curled his lip: « I'll have to see him again on the Spring Festival Gala this year. I don't know what kind of medicine those fans took; they are all living and dying for him. »
Shen Zhiyin pointed at the young man on the screen: « Little Four? »
That's right, the handsome young man was none other than the Shen family's fourth son.
« Yes, yes, yes, that's him, that show-off. Let me tell you, Little Ancestor Aunt, he is incredibly narcissistic and vain. Every single day he's like a peacock spreading its tail... »
Before they had even met, Shen Muye had already rambled on about the personality flaws of the Shen family's fourth child, Shen Mujin.
They were true brothers, complaining about each other's shortcomings.
After arriving home, they saw Shen Xiuran at first glance.
« Eldest Brother, why are you out in this weather? »
Shen Muye jumped out of the car and turned around to help the Little Ancestor Aunt down.
« Waiting for you. »
On the way back to the villa, Shen Muye couldn't stop his chatter. He blabbered on about the adventure this time, including the part about the Yin Soldiers. He still used his own rhetorical style, focusing heavily on himself and Shen Zhiyin, while mentioning everyone else in just a single sentence.
« With an experience like mine, if we made a movie out of it, it would definitely be exciting. »
Shen Zhiyin: ...
With that, do you have the nerve to call your Fourth Brother narcissistic?
« Eldest Brother, look at the gift I brought you. »
After arriving home, Shen Muye took off his coat and pulled some pretty little stones from his pocket, which were actually just pebbles.
« I brought these back from that Secret Realm. Other things are hard to preserve, but these can be kept for as long as you want, hehe... »
I have to say, he really is a clever little devil.
Shen Yuzhu: « I brought back a bag of soil. »
This counts as a local specialty, right?
Shen Muye said with disdain: « Why bring soil of all things? »
Shen Zhiyin: « The soil inside the Secret Realm has Spiritual Energy; anything planted in it will grow very well. »
She had brought back quite a bit herself, and this time she had not only found the herbs to treat her Eldest grand-nephew but also the medicinal ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
Once she finished refining it, her Foundation Establishment would go even more smoothly.
She had already made an agreement with the Spirit Turtle that when it was time for her to reach Foundation Establishment, she would go to the Small Secret Realm again. The Spirit Turtle would come to pick her up, and it would be safe to undergo Foundation Establishment in the Small Secret Realm without worrying about a lack of Spiritual Energy.
Furthermore, Shen Zhiyin felt that there should be a Spirit Vein mine in that Small Secret Realm. However, she was only at the Qi Refining Stage now and didn't need Spirit Stones for cultivation. After reaching Foundation Establishment, she would need more Spiritual Energy, and she could find some Spirit Stones then.
Shen Muye's expression cracked a little; this meant that the soil was even better than the stones he brought.
Shen Muye: « I also have those fish scales; those must be useful, right? »
As he spoke, he took out the scales and wings of the Luo Fish.
They were indeed beautiful, but they had no practical use and could only be used as decorative ornaments.
The hardness of the Luo Fish's scales was comparable to gemstones, but they were thinner than gemstones and shimmered with beautiful, iridescent colors.
Most importantly, things are valued for their rarity. Since there were so few of these and they were taken from a Spirit Beast, their value was certainly much more precious than gemstones.
Shen Xiuran listened to their chattering and couldn't help but smile.
It's good to have some liveliness during the New Year.
The medicinal ingredients for Shen Xiuran's pills still needed to be processed for a while.
Shen Zhiyin decided to continue feeding him chicken soup with half a Recovery Pill to nourish his body first.
During the New Year, the number of social engagements and banquets the Shen family had to attend increased.
Today, there was a banquet that they had to attend: an eightieth birthday celebration for an Old Master who was a relative of the Shen family.
This relative wasn't very close, but not very distant either; he was a cousin of Grandpa Shen Kuan's generation.
She also had to call him Great-Uncle.
Since they were related and his family held shares in the Shen's Group, and it was his eightieth birthday, Shen Kuan had to go.
Not only was Shen Kuan going, but everyone else, except for the two boys who hadn't returned yet, had to go as well.
Shen Zhiyin went along too.
The eightieth birthday was held at the largest restaurant in A City, and when Shen Zhiyin and the others arrived, many people were already there.
That family was quite enthusiastic toward them, and Shen Kuan introduced Shen Zhiyin to them.
« Oh my, this is the youngest member of our Shen family, but her seniority is very high; she's of the same generation as our Old Yang. »
The person speaking was a woman one generation older than Shen Kuan, about sixty years old; she was Shen Kuan's cousin-in-law.
« But she's still a child after all. Why don't I have my little grandson and granddaughter take her to the children's area to look around? There are many toys and snacks that children like over there. »
Shen Kuan, of course, asked for Shen Zhiyin's opinion.
Shen Zhiyin nodded. It didn't matter where she went, and she didn't want to greet so many adults; it was exhausting.
The woman's eyes flickered when she saw Shen Kuan's attitude.
Although they were all Shen family members, Shen Zhiyin's relationship wasn't as close as theirs.
She didn't know what methods this little girl's relatives had used to climb up to Shen Kuan's family.
« Little Daoist Priest, let's go around and see if we can bring back any new gossip to share with you. »
At this kind of banquet, there is the most gossip.
The Star Ghost was a bit excited. She hadn't been able to gossip anywhere after following the Little Daoist Priest to the Qinling Mountains for so long, and she was dying of boredom.
« Go ahead~ »
Shen Zhiyin quickly blended in with a group of children, and she was the happiest one eating all kinds of snacks.
However, there are times when children get annoyed with each other. For example, right now, a six-year-old girl wearing a princess dress walked up to her.
« Whose child are you? Why haven't I seen you before? »
The little girl held her chin high. She was quite pretty, but she had probably been spoiled too much by her family.
« And who are you? »
Shen Zhiyin put her hands on her hips. Although the other girl had many little followers, she, Shen Zhiyin, was not afraid of fighting!
« I am Shen Jiaojiao, the Young Lady of the Shen family! »
This Shen family, of course, referred to the one hosting the banquet.
Shen Zhiyin said « Oh »: « Then do you call Shen Muye cousin? »
A distant cousin.
Shen Jiaojiao huffed: « Of course, the cousins of the Shen family like me the most. »
Shen Zhiyin: ... Then why haven't I heard them mention you?
« That bracelet on your wrist is pretty, give it to me. »
Yo ho, she really said that justifiably.
Shen Zhiyin rolled her eyes. If I give it to you, I'm afraid you won't be able to afford it.
« No. »
She turned around, ready to continue eating her food.
Who knew that the kid wouldn't play by the rules and would actually order the older boys around her to snatch it.