An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Okay, now you're back, the general won't have to worry." A young man with a scholarly air ran out, a little out of breath. He wore a thin navy blue shirt haphazardly over a moon-white undershirt, the belt tied askew. His clothes and hair were a bit messy, probably because he had just gotten out of bed.

He spoke with a soft Jiangnan accent, which was out of place with the rough atmosphere of the military camp, but strangely reassuring.

"You guys!" Jing Changjiang sighed, his sigh heavy, as if he had spit out all the worries he had been carrying all night. "It made Admiral Lin stay with me and he couldn't sleep either."

"Uncle Lin, I'm sorry for making you anxious." Jing Chunxi quickly pushed his uncle aside and saluted Lieutenant General Lin. Xu Zize also bowed his hand from behind as a greeting.

Lieutenant General Lin gave an awkward smile and subconsciously reached for his hair, stopping only when he felt the mess. He quickly returned the greeting, the frayed edges of his cuffs particularly noticeable in the moonlight. "Miss, Prince." His manners were so standard they looked like they had been copied from a book of etiquette. Even the angle of his bow was spot on, a true scholar.

"Call me Brother Lin." Seeing his men laughing awkwardly, Jing Changjiang quickly corrected them, "Brother Lin hasn't gotten married yet!" He deliberately raised his voice when he said this, and Brigadier General Lin's ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The person in front of me looked a bit literary, not like a soldier at all, and looked to be quite old.

Jing Chunxi felt a little strange. The two children of the Seventh Brother were already grown up, but they were almost the same age and still hadn't married. This official should have a higher rank than the Seventh Brother, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to find a wife.

Jing Changjiang added, "Brother Lin is a scholar, and he's also a successful candidate." His tone was filled with pride, as if he were showing off his own child. As he spoke, he suddenly reached out and pulled out half a piece of straw from Lieutenant General Lin's collar—presumably from his hasty rise—with the same natural movement as if he were fixing his own armor.

"Then, Zhuangzi will have a teacher from now on." Jing Chunxi blurted out, and the children immediately responded. Cuifang's eyes lit up like two small lanterns, and she rubbed her little hands against her clothes, afraid of being rude in front of the teacher.

But her usual boldness made her rush in front of Brigadier General Lin, looking up at her little face and asking, "Are you really a teacher? Are you really going to teach us?" She was missing a front tooth, so her voice was particularly loud.

The other three were a little timid and didn't dare to move forward, but they also looked at Brigadier General Lin with anticipation. Erniu even stuffed the frayed corner of his clothes into his mouth and bit it, for fear that he would scream out in excitement.

Lieutenant General Lin opened his mouth slightly, a look of surprise on his face. He subconsciously reached for the jade pendant at his waist—a nervous gesture often made by scholars—but instead felt a cold dagger. It reminded him that he had long since abandoned literature for the military.

He looked at the general with a hint of surprise, his eyelashes casting tiny shadows in the moonlight. Jing Changjiang looked at him with a penetrating expression, his eyes narrowed beneath his thick brows, a calculating look in his eyes that made Admiral Lin uneasy. He unconsciously straightened his back, like a student waiting for an examiner to review his essay.

"Haha! Why don't you find a teacher for the children and teach them yourself." Jing Changjiang saw that he had teased them enough and saw that Brigadier General Lin looked a little embarrassed, so he gave him a way out.

He deliberately emphasized the word "personally" and looked at the sweat on the young man's forehead with satisfaction.

Just kidding, he, a general, is reluctant to be a teacher!

She only remembered to talk to her uncle along the way. When she reached the gate of her courtyard, she realized that A Kuan and the others had been following her and had not left. Cui Fang followed her closely and did not leave her side even for a moment.

The moonlight poured down like water, illuminating the entire courtyard with a silver glow. The shadows of the small figures behind me were stretched out by the moonlight.

"Thank you for sending me back, but it's too late now. Go back to bed. You don't have to get up so early tomorrow. Let's have seafood porridge together."

Seeing that they seemed reluctant to leave, Jing Chunxi couldn't help but shout to drive them away, but he softened his voice involuntarily.

Cuifang immediately grabbed her arm, while Ah Kuan pretended not to hear and pushed the door open. Da Niu and Er Niu winked at each other, as if they were plotting something.

Jing Chunxi felt warm and tender in his heart when he saw them like this, but he still kept a straight face: "If you don't go to bed now, you won't get any seafood porridge tomorrow morning."

In the past, if I slept a little late at home, my mother would nag me, saying that children who stayed up late wouldn’t grow tall. She didn’t want to delay the children’s growth because of her.

Ah Kuan's outstretched hand had already pushed the half-closed door open, and the wooden door creaked. He moved as nimbly as a little monkey, leaping to the front in just a few steps, not forgetting to turn around and wink at Da Niu and Er Niu.

Cuifang took Jing Chunxi's hand and walked into the yard, saying excitedly, "Sister, now our family and Daniu's family live with you, we are so happy." The little girl's palms were warm. She jumped around with her hands in her arms as she spoke, and the pink hairpin in her hair shone like pearls in the moonlight.

"That's it!"

Thinking about the fact that the roads, the foot of the mountain, and the woods were full of people, Jing Chunxi understood that A Kuan and Daniu's houses should have been vacated for the soldiers to live in.

At this time, she looked up and saw that the newly set up clothesline in the yard was full of unfamiliar coarse cloth clothes, some of which were still dripping with water.

The moonlight shines through the branches of the sycamore tree, casting mottled shadows on the ground, which sway gently in the night breeze.

"This is a decision made by my uncle. If we can free up two courtyards, we can accommodate nearly a hundred people." Worried that Jing Chunxi might misunderstand, Jing Changjiang explained, "Don't worry, Uncle Ling will live in our courtyard."

He pointed to their yard next to him. There was a room with a warm light on, which was his room.

"That's good too. Let's have some fun together." Jing Chunxi naturally wouldn't mind such an arrangement. Compared to the soldiers sleeping in the wild, what did it matter if they squeezed together?

She looked at the two new lanterns in the yard, which must be unique to their courtyard. A few tireless moths fluttered in the warm yellow light, forming a wonderful harmony with the chirping of crickets nearby.

Chuntao and Hongfen, who were standing in the yard, kept looking over here, with joy in their eyes.

The young lady hadn't returned, and they hadn't slept well either. They rushed out at the noise. Chuntao was still clutching her embroidery frame, which she hadn't put down yet. Hongfen was holding a glass lantern, the light casting a soft glow on her round face. Seeing they were still talking, they kept silent, but waved excitedly, greeting Jing Chunxi.

The hems of their skirts swayed gently in the night wind, like two restless lotus leaves.