Chapter 290: Taking In The Siblings
Two hours later, this girl of fourteen or fifteen years old, leading a boy of about ten with a red face and a runny nose, arrived at the tavern.
They didn’t bring anything with them. I had Third Son arrange rooms for the two of them and then went to buy them some clothes and daily necessities.
In the evening, after dinner, I asked about the names and ages of the siblings.
The girl’s name was Xiao Ling’er, she was fourteen years old this year, and the boy was called Xiao Goudan, he was ten.
I didn’t ask anything more, because I wasn’t curious about their past. Taking them in was a casual decision.
Moreover, the moment they appeared before me, I already knew many things about them. I couldn’t say everything, but at least, every move they made was under my observation.
It’s not about good or bad; those who are controlled by their ego are neither good nor bad, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Of course, I wouldn’t dwell on these things.
Xiao Ling’er saw that I had only casually asked for their names and ages. She wanted to proactively tell me about her and her brother’s experiences, so that I could understand them better.
I gently waved my hand and stopped her, saying, “There’s no need to rush. You don’t have to tell me your experiences to put my mind at ease. It’s not important to me; I’m just taking you in casually. There’s plenty of time. First, get to know me, your shopkeeper. If you genuinely feel like telling me, it won’t be too late then.”
Having said that, I paused and looked at the expressions on the siblings’ faces.
Xiao Ling’er seemed puzzled, while Xiao Goudan looked at his sister and said nothing.
This is understandable. Perhaps these siblings had never encountered someone as peculiar as me. When others recruit people, they want to know everything about their past, their families, all their affairs clearly and thoroughly.
But when they came to me, I asked nothing, just their names and ages. This inevitably made the siblings somewhat confused.
Xiao Ling’er wanted to say something, but didn’t know what to say.
Seeing her like this, I continued, “Similarly, in the coming days, I will also observe your performance. If you perform well. Well, I won’t make any promises. We’ll discuss it when the time comes.”
Interrupted by me, Xiao Ling’er withdrew her hesitant gesture and nodded obediently, “I understand, teacher.”
Beside her, Xiao Goudan sniffled his clear nose mucus, still looking completely clueless.
After saying this, I didn’t say any more. I let the two little ones settle in and get some rest first. I also instructed Third Son to casually treat Xiao Goudan’s cold.
The next morning, before I could wake up from my dream, Xiao Ling’er had already gotten up early and was busy with her brother in the tavern, making a lot of noise throughout the establishment.
I don’t have morning grumpiness. Haha, I used to, but I got rid of that when I was a mortal. Woken up like this, I still happily went out to check the situation.
Unlike me, Third Son’s cultivation level isn’t as high as mine. He’s the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, so his temper is as you can imagine. He pushed open the door and started shouting, “Damn it! Who is the blind fool making trouble in the tavern?”
This guy completely forgot that two new people had arrived at the tavern yesterday. He thought some thief had broken into the tavern and was rummaging through things. The anger in his eyes seemed to twist the very air.
Hearing the angry curse, Xiao Ling’er hurried upstairs and explained to me and Third Son, “Sh-shopkeeper, that, that Third Brother, I didn’t mean to. I saw there was quite a bit of dust in the tavern, so I thought I’d clean it up. I’m truly sorry for disturbing your rest, I didn’t mean to.”
Third Son, in his anger, opened his mouth wanting to curse a few more words.
I looked at him with a smile, then suddenly frowned. The brat immediately broke out in a cold sweat and mumbled in a low voice, “Oh dear, did I sleepwalk? Oh dear, where am I? I need to sleep, I need to sleep. I can’t dream anymore, this dream is too terrifying…”
Seeing Third Son quiet down, I said to Xiao Ling’er, “Girl, we don’t have so many rules here. Sleep when you need to sleep, and work after you’ve rested well. Don’t do it all in one day. Besides, this work should have been done by your Third Brother. This lazy bum has learned my laziness from being around me. When he wakes up, I’ll have him work with you two. You two rest and don’t tire yourselves out.”
Hearing this, Xiao Ling’er’s face was still a little flushed, I don’t know if it was from working or from being scared by Third Son. She said shyly, “It’s alright, shopkeeper. You and Third Brother can sleep a little longer. My brother and I will try to be quiet while cleaning. I am truly sorry for disturbing your rest.”
I originally wanted to tell this girl to take her brother back to rest, and then I’d take another nap.
Seeing that the girl didn’t understand and was speaking to me so considerately, why would I still want to sleep?
I’m not sleeping. Can Third Son still sleep?
I shouted, “Damn it, Third Son! Get out here and work now, damn your ancestors! This is all stuff you should have been doing. You damn lazy dragon, get up and work with them!”
Over there, Third Son, who had just returned to his room and was still a bit shaken by my earlier look, heard this and rushed out with a yelp, not even waiting to put on his shirt. Although he had some complaints about the siblings, he didn’t dare to show them to me.
He grinned at me foolishly, “I’m here, I’m here, boss. Actually, I wanted to get up long ago. Even if you didn’t call me, I would have come out.”
I stomped over and kicked the kid twice, making him rub his backside. “Stop messing around. It hurts more than it helps, get to work. Damn it, if they hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have known the tavern was this dirty because of you. Look.”
Third Son looked downstairs and gasped, letting out a curse, “Holy crap!”
Downstairs, Xiao Goudan was wielding a large broom and chasing after hundreds of rats and ants that were running wild.
…
Three years later; “Boss, hurry up and get up, what time is it and you’re still not up? The sun is already shining on your butt.”
“Slap!”
A small hand, as soft and boneless as it was delicate and jade-like, firmly slapped my backside. The sensation was like an electric current that instantly spread throughout my body, causing my body to tremble involuntarily.
I rolled over, my sleepy eyes looking at her.
It was a beautiful and exquisite face, with delicate features meticulously sculpted as if by a master. Every line was perfect, captivating and alluring.
Her eyebrows were long and curved, like two light willow leaves; her eyes were clear and moving like deep lakes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly like butterfly wings; her nose was straight and elegant, her lips were red and delicate, and a faint smile hung on the corner of her mouth, making one’s heart race.
The sunlight streamed through the window onto her, casting a faint golden halo, making her appear even more dreamlike and ethereal, like an immortal who doesn’t eat the food of mortals descending to the mortal realm.
Before I could speak, she threw a pair of women’s underwear in my face.
“Here, your sports-style G-string got ruined when I washed it. Wear mine for now. Hurry up and get up! What time is it?” she said with a coquettish tone.
I suddenly woke up. This person was none other than Xiao Ling’er, the elder sister from the siblings I had taken in three years ago. Damn it!
