Chapter 664: Chapter 436: You and Wei Ziang
Xiaomi was just about to head out when someone returned home—it was Jiang Yu.
"Big brother? You’re back. Where are Dad and Mom? I’ll go check the fields."
But Jiang Yu didn’t answer this question; instead, he pulled her aside.
"No rush, it’s good that no one else is home right now. I’ve got something to discuss with you."
Saying that, he led her to the study.
The books here were all brought over from Xiangmu Village. After all, they might come back here and stay for a few more years after holding the wedding for Second Sister and Liu Ze next year.
Xiaomi was puzzled, feeling a bit lost, with no idea what her big brother meant.
It wasn’t until her big brother poured her a cup of tea that Xiaomi felt both flattered and guilty.
She remembered, a couple of days ago, Little Brother mentioned to her how Big Brother’s talk with him went exactly like this.
"Cough, cough, well, big brother, I just remembered, I seem to..."
Before she could finish speaking, Jiang Yu had already sat down across from her.
"Even if you’re about to soil your pants, you can only leave after I finish talking today."
Her butt had barely lifted off the chair when she found herself forced back down.
Indeed, Big Brother was becoming more and more intimidating. He used to be so innocent and adorable as a kid, but now he’s getting smarter, and his eyes are like microscopes, and he’s got a good head on his shoulders.
Ugh, it’s impossible to fool anyone anymore.
Seeing Xiaomi’s face fall and her shoulders droop, how could Jiang Yu not know what she was thinking?
He sighed lightly and said, "Dad and Mom have simple minds, focused solely on the fields. Xiaoxue is a girl, and she’s about to get married. Xiaowei only cares about the fields, just like Dad."
Xiaomi looked up in confusion—why was he talking about this?
Jiang Yu gave a helpless smile, "You, you, as your big brother, if I were like you all, carefree and irresponsible, what would happen if something went wrong?"
Xiaomi immediately sat up straight, "As the eldest son of an agricultural marquis, you should lead by example, overseeing the big picture, staying vigilant and prepared..."
Before she could finish her nonsense, her head received a light knock.
"Go ahead, find me a non-legitimate son if you can."
Even Wei Ziang, who is Dad and Mom’s adopted son, would be considered half-legitimate, wouldn’t he?
Xiaomi grinned foolishly, rubbing the spot on her head that had been knocked, "Big brother, I understand your point. You’re just worried that we might make mistakes and therefore overthink everything."
Seeing Xiaomi finally speaking properly, Jiang Yu sighed.
"I’m not worried about the others, just you and Ziang. To this day, Ziang’s background is still unclear, and we don’t know how he ended up in Fuan Village."
"As for you, Big Brother knows you have big secrets, but I also know you’ve been concealing them well, not only to protect yourself but also to protect everyone."
As her big brother mentioned this, Xiaomi finally quieted down, listening earnestly.
"I’m not mad at you for keeping secrets. It’s a good thing to hide them. People have their own thoughts, and even if no one would say anything usually, who knows what might slip out in dreams or drunken chatter—it’s still a risk."
"I’m just reminding you, since we’ve arrived at Lishi City, it seems you’ve become quite high-profile. Now, be frank, in less than half a year, how many things have you stirred up?"
Jiang Yu’s biggest fear was that Xiaomi, being young, was impulsive, reckless because of her capabilities, and might end up getting hurt.
Seeing Xiaomi seriously listening, Wei Ziang continued to speak.
"Up until now, nothing has gone wrong, thanks to the wisdom of those above and their anticipation of whether you’ll bring more surprises."
Xiaomi nodded, acknowledging this was true.
"But Xiaomi, have you thought about it? When you can no longer provide surprises and unexpected developments, will they just let everything slide?"
Xiaomi was taken aback. This...
"You haven’t thought about it, have you?"
Xiaomi nodded—indeed, she hadn’t considered it.
Jiang Yu knew as much, but rather than reprimand her, he pondered for a moment and shifted to another topic.
"Then let me ask you, has Ziang mentioned his future plans to you? Don’t try to hide anything from me; I know you too well, and I can tell your intentions just by the way your eyes dart."
"Hehe, big brother, you’ve got me wrong. I wasn’t planning to hide anything."
Xiaomi chuckled awkwardly. She truly meant to say nothing, but before she could speak, she’d been seen through.
She had to gather her words, hesitate a bit, and ultimately told the truth.
"Actually, Little Brother’s idea is to keep a low profile now. After two or three years, we can take a trip to the coast, and if possible, get a few big ships to explore the sea."
"You plan to set sail."
Jiang Yu frowned slightly, showing disapproval for the first time.
Even though he had never seen the sea himself, he had read about it in books—sailing was too dangerous.
"Don’t misunderstand, Big Brother. We wouldn’t just set sail on a whim. Without full assurance, we wouldn’t entertain the idea."
Jiang Yu nodded; this he could trust—Wei Ziang wasn’t someone reckless.
Xiaomi saw her big brother still looked uneasy and reassured him, "Big brother, stop worrying so much. I’m not foolish enough to give anyone a chance to harm us."
"Rest assured, whatever I do, I’ve thought it through, not acting on impulse, and besides, isn’t it also for our family, while helping Xuyu Kingdom improve a bit as well?"
"When Xuyu Kingdom grows stronger, with less turmoil, the people can live in peace and prosperity, allowing for a better life for everyone. As for the rest, consider it as improving living standards."
Jiang Yu shook his head with a smile, "The way you put it, it seems like I’m meddling."
"No, no, I know Big Brother cares about me. Even if you hadn’t come to me today, I would have found an opportunity to explain things to you."
With Xiaomi’s words, Jiang Yu felt comforted.
No matter what, as long as Xiaomi knew what she was doing, that was enough. As for other secrets or mysteries, he wasn’t curious nor did he want to know.
But now it seemed Xiaomi wasn’t acting out of impulsive urges, and that was reassuring.
Just as Xiaomi thought the matter was over, she saw her big brother pour her another cup of tea.
No way, was there more?
She instantly sat upright, knowing this must be even more important than what was previously discussed!
What could it be that warranted such careful consideration from her big brother?
Indeed, her big brother shifted his posture, looking at Xiaomi even more seriously than before.
"Since there’s nothing more to say about this matter, let’s discuss another topic."
"What exactly is the situation between you and Wei Ziang?"