Golden Branch

"Fat girl!"

Lou Yu appeared on the courtyard wall of Wangjiazhuang again.

With a somersault, he jumped down from the courtyard wall.

After landing, Lou Yu casually brushed off the dust on his body.

He was wearing an apricot-colored Hufu with a large lapel, a black jewel-studded belt around his waist, and a pair of pointed-toe cowhide boots on his feet.

Although he is young, his body is as straight as a pine tree.

He has the heroic spirit of a general's son, and also has a hint of scholarly air.

It seems that the reading he has been doing for the past six months has given him some literary influence.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and a smile flashed in his deep eye sockets. It was obvious that the little overlord was in a very good mood at the moment.

"Brother!"

Wang Heng's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up and rushed towards Lou Yu like a cannonball, "You're here!"

Seeing the fat girl with bright eyes, tilting her little head and greeting him enthusiastically, Lou Yu's mood became even better.

Just now outside the wall, he heard clearly what the fat girl said: He still has me!

Although, Lou Yu was not as pitiful as Wang Heng imagined, nor was he that fragile inside.

In fact, asking for adoption and turning from passive to active were all Lou Yu's strategies.

Originally, he was also panic-stricken, and worried that if his plan succeeded, he might be sad, lost, and regretful.

After all, children in this world are born to admire and depend on their parents.

It is not easy for an eight-year-old child, let alone an eighteen-year-old adult, to voluntarily give up this family relationship.

However, when the idea of ​​adoption was brought up and Lou Jin and Dugu agreed one after another, Lou Yu only felt the joy and sense of accomplishment of his plan succeeding, without any reluctance or sadness.

"...Old Lady Cui was right. I am indeed a heartless wolf cub!"

Lou Yu laughed at himself secretly.

However, when he ran to find the fat girl and heard the glutinous rice dumpling with a baby voice say "Brother, you have pity", "I want my brother", "Brother, I still have me" through the wall, his heart was deeply touched.

Lou Yu suddenly realized that it was not that he was cold-hearted by nature and did not care about his parents and relatives, but that he had a clear distinction between gratitude and resentment and only cared about people who were worth caring about.

Fat girl?

She seems to be worth it!

"Are you so happy that I came to see you?"

Lou Yu was in a good mood, so he became more patient in teasing the fat girl.

He reached out and wanted to pinch the fat girl's face.

His thumb and index finger had already landed on the incredibly soft skin, but thinking of the promise he had made, Lou Yu paused.

Well, he seemed to have said that he would not pinch the fat girl again.

Lou Yu felt a little embarrassed and wanted to withdraw his hand, but he couldn't bear to give up the delicate and smooth touch.

Wang Heng tilted her head back, seemingly unaware of Lou Yu's "dilemma".

She pursed her lips, and a serious look appeared in her big round eyes: Well, my brother is so pitiful, he must be very sad.

But she didn't know anything and couldn't help him at all.

The only thing I can do now is to find ways to comfort him.

Wang Heng couldn't help but think of a fat orange civet cat.

Well, Li Nu is very considerate. When she is sad, he, who never lets her be touched, will take the initiative to turn over his chubby little body and expose his soft belly for her to touch.

Brother, I really like pinching her face.

Thinking of this, Wang Heng imitated the fat cat slave, tilted her little head, and rubbed Lou Yu's fingertips gently.

Lou Yu: ... Fatty, are you asking for your face to be pinched?

A hint of interest flashed in Lou Yu's eyes, and he pinched it lightly tentatively.

The fat girl didn't cry out in pain, nor did she frown.

Is she not annoying anymore?

Or in other words, did he control the strength and not hurt her?

Realizing this, Lou Yu's hands became even more itchy, and he continued to pinch it twice.

The feel is really great, and there is an inexplicable sense of satisfaction in my heart.

Lou Yu finally let go of her hand. Alas, no matter how much he liked this feeling, he couldn't really treat the fat girl as a puppet.

Lou Yu put down his hand, but found that a red mark appeared again where he had pinched it just now.

Lou Yu's smile froze. "Fat girl, does it hurt?"

“…It doesn’t hurt!”

Actually it hurts, but brother is in a bad mood, and this is the only way she can make him happy.

She could still bear it.

Besides, brother didn’t mean to hurt her.

He controlled the force.

At the beginning, when my brother was still the vicious little bully of the Lou family, pinching his face really hurt.

Wang Heng knew that she was not smart enough, but she knew how to observe carefully and understand with her heart.

She has known her brother for a year and she can feel the changes in her brother and how good he is to her!

So, she could bear this little pain.

"Brother, you're not sad, are you?"

Wang Heng smiled sweetly and spoke in a soft voice. The chubby little girl seemed to be emitting a soft light.

At least in Lou Yu's eyes, his fat girl was glowing.

Looking at the fat girl's smiling face and the red mark on her fair cheek, Lou Yu suddenly realized -

The fat girl is comforting me!

In order to make me happy, she clearly didn't like having her face pinched, and even though it clearly hurt, she still smiled and said it didn't hurt.

Lou Yu couldn't describe how he felt. His heart seemed to be soaked in a hot spring, warm and moist, with an inexplicable sense of sourness and sweetness.

"Silly girl!"

What is there for him to be sad about?

It's just abandoning a pair of parents who don't love you in the first place.

Lou Yu is not really a child. He is extreme and cruel - my parents don't love me, and I don't love them either.

Even if the whole world abandons me, I don't care.

Because one day I will be able to stand at the highest peak of this world.

Deep down, Lou Yu's heart was already pitch black.

However, a fat girl who was not smart and even a little silly knocked open a crack, and a ray of light came in.

……

"Don't worry, fat girl. Your brother isn't as miserable as you think!"

Lou Yu calmed down, took Wang Heng's chubby hand, and sat down together at the stone table under the crabapple tree.

He smiled and said to Wang Heng, "My father and mother didn't abandon me. I asked to be adopted!"

Yes, they didn’t abandon him, at most they just had another child who took away their love and attention.

And he is no longer the only one.

Lou Yu doesn't want such a divided love, so he simply gives it up!

"I am now the head of the Lou family's eldest branch. I have inherited half of the ancestral property in Longzhou."

"...And this Lou family manor has also been transferred to my name."

Lou Yu casually mentioned a few properties among the many assets he had obtained.

In fact, in addition to these, there are many more.

Lou Jin is fine, but Dugu is truly guilty and sincerely wants to make amends.

Therefore, Dugu persuaded Lou Jin to give all the land, houses, gold, silver and other valuables that should have been divided among the heirs to Lou Yu.

Even from the Lou family army, Lou Yu was allocated a thousand men.

Although compared with the tens of thousands of troops, he was still a small group, but Lou Yu dared to bet that if he was just a concubine's eldest son, he might not be able to get so much when the property was divided after he grew up.

Sure enough, this strategy of retreating to advance is very useful.

He voluntarily withdrew, even giving in to his parents. However, his parents felt even more distressed and doubled their compensation.

So what if he is no longer Lou Jin’s son in name?

He got the biggest benefit.

Lou Yu must be so happy that he has money, people and no one to "suppress" him!

Now, he only had an elder who was his adoptive grandfather, and no one was under his control. He could study when he wanted to, and join the army when he wanted to.

He had a huge fortune and could easily recruit soldiers and expand his team of 1,000 to 10,000 or 100,000 people.

Lou family army?

So what if I don’t give him the inheritance?

He can build a new Lou family army by himself!

"Really?"

After listening to Lou Yu read out a long list of property, which seemed to have not yet been finished, Wang Heng knew that her brother was not a poor man who had been driven out, but a wealthy landowner with a fortune.

"Of course it's true. Would my brother lie to you?"

“…” Wang Heng didn’t say anything, but there was a hint of accusation in her big round eyes.

As if to say, why didn't you lie to me?

Lou Yu received the fat girl's look, thought about it for a moment, and then remembered it.

Bunny!

Well, he actually tricked the fat girl, causing her to not eat barbecue for a long time!

"Well, the Bunny thing was just an exception, and it won't happen again!"

"Fat girl, I promise, I will never lie to you again!"

Lou Yu smiled awkwardly, then made a serious promise to Wang Heng.

Looking fixedly into Lou Yu's eyes, Wang Heng suddenly smiled, "Okay, I believe you, brother!"

"By the way, brother, will you continue to study in the future?"

Wang Heng had already learned from Lou Yu that General Lou had allocated him a thousand soldiers.

A thousand people, fifty times more than her twenty parts, enough to garrison the small county town in Hedong.

Wang Heng knew that Lou Yu had always wanted to be a majestic general like General Lou.

Gallop on the battlefield and achieve great success.

Because General Lou and Madam Dugu did not allow him to do so, Lou Yu had to become a "talented" scholar.

Now that Lou Yu has been adopted, Lou Jin and his wife are no longer Lou Yu's parents, and they have no right to interfere in anything concerning Lou Yu.

"……read!"

Lou Yu hesitated for a moment, but still uttered the word.

It wasn't that he wanted to study too much and didn't want to stick to his dream, but after the changes that happened over the past year, Lou Yu had become more sophisticated.

He is still young and not strong enough to compete with Lou Jin.

He was just adopted and had not yet completely escaped Lou Jin's control.

He was too weak, and Lou Jin was too strong.

If I get too carried away, I will most likely be beaten back to my original form by Lou Jin!

Who said that once a child is adopted out, he or she can never be taken back?

Who says that the property distributed cannot be taken back?

Lou Yu didn't want to find himself in the desperate situation of "no control" and "no choice" again.

When he is not strong enough, he should be obedient, follow the arrangements of the strong, bide his time, endure humiliation... One day, he will grow into a towering tree that surpasses Lou Jin.

At that time... he won't need to care about anyone and can do whatever he wants!

"That's great! I'll read it with you, brother!"

Wang Heng didn't know that as she looked at Lou Yu's calm face, her heart was already full of twists and turns.

She clapped her hands happily, feeling a little excited.

However, she still asked in advance: "Brother, you just said that you became the owner of the Lou family manor?"

Lou Yu raised his eyebrows. Oh no, what kind of "game" is this fat girl playing?

So happy?

Is it that girl Wang Mian who is instigating the fat girl again?

After the incident of being forced to kneel on the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lou Yu's opinion of Wang Mian changed a little.

Especially Wang Mian's words that "even treacherous people have skills" made Lou Yu change his behavior.

Lou Rang's success in preventing the horse from falling made Lou Yu feel full of a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.

He was the one who did it, and everyone guessed that he was the one who did it, but there was no evidence. Even though Old Lady Cui, Lou Rang and others hated him with gnashing teeth and bleeding eyes, they could do nothing to him.

This feeling is so refreshing and satisfying.

This made Lou Yu feel more relaxed and happy than the fact that Lou Rang broke his leg and became disabled!

...And this came from Wang Mian's reminder.

"This girl, although of humble origin, is quite quick-witted!"

Lou Yu’s attitude towards Wang Mian changed, and “that little girl” became “that girl”!

"Well! Everything in the Lou family manor belongs to me!"

In fact, Lou Jin came back this time not only for Dugu’s childbirth, but mainly for moving!

Yes, moving!

The Lou family was in Hedong before, only because Lou Jin stationed troops in Hedong.

The Lou family is only staying temporarily.

Therefore, Lou Jin did not look for a courtyard in Hedong County, but only built a large manor outside the city.

Now, a new dynasty has been established and a new king has ascended the throne. Although there are still some local unrests in the north, most areas have remained stable.

Generals such as Lou Jin and Dugu Xiong should also send their families back to the capital.

They were originally powerful people in the north, and before the Grand Chancellor rebelled, they all lived in the capital.

Only when something happened did they temporarily leave the capital with their families and live temporarily in their respective territories.

"My father, oh no, from now on I have to call you uncle. My uncle is going to take his family to the capital."

Lou Yu briefly talked to Wang Heng about the current situation and lightly told her the Lou family's plan.

"What about you? Brother, are you going back to the capital too?"

Wang Heng couldn't help but feel a little anxious. The little joy and excitement she had just felt were gone.

"What? You can't bear to leave me?"

"...Yeah! I don't want to be separated from my brother!"

"Okay! Then we won't separate!"

"Ah? You, you're not leaving?"

"Why should I leave? I've been adopted. I'm the head of the eldest house. How can I follow someone else?"

"..." Wang Heng keenly noticed that when Lou Yu mentioned "others", his eyes were a little cold.

Are the others he was referring to General Lou and Madam Dugu?

They, they are my brother’s parents.

...However, Wang Heng, who considered herself and Lou Yu to be "fellow wanderers in the world", could understand it.

In her heart, the Wang Lin who "sent" her to Zhuangzi was no longer her close and dependent father, but also a "strange person"!

Well, she is right! My brother is even more right!

"Fat girl, I will stay at the Lou family manor and study!" Practice martial arts! Recruit soldiers! Train the troops! Achieve great achievements and become a great general!

By the way, he also has to accompany the fat girl.

Wang Lin should also send his family back to the capital.

Lou Yu didn't want the fat girl to go back and be tortured by a vicious stepmother like Cui.

So they all stayed in Hedong, played together, and grew up together...