Chapter 205: Speak of Trouble, and Trouble Comes

Thinking about the little gold and jade mines they’d soon own, Bai Yunqi’s worries vanished in an instant. His whole face lit up with glee.

“Mom, how about you and Dad stop working? I’ll take care of you. Let’s go mine those mountains together!”

Bai Yunqi swore it had absolutely nothing to do with him being eager to claim two major mines and soak up that sweet spiritual energy.

Jiang Dai reached out and ruffled the little boss’s hair, a grateful smile on her face. “No need. Your dad and I can support ourselves.”

Though the two of them often joked about lying flat and living off their kids, both had once been kicked out by their families to fend for themselves. They knew well:

Relying on others was never as dependable as relying on yourself. If you had to ask someone for money, you’d have to listen to them. Disobey, and they’d get upset, making it ten times harder to get anything out of them.

Otherwise, Jiang Dai wouldn’t have been cut off by her family and forced to make her own way in the entertainment industry.

And Bai Tian wouldn’t have been kicked out and cut off just because he wanted to lie flat.

So, both of them understood clearly: you had to stand on your own two feet. Of course, if you really couldn’t solve something, you should still ask for help. But being stubborn for the sake of it never helped anyone.

The harsh truth was, if you had no value and no ability, sometimes even finding someone willing to help was impossible. That’s just how the world worked.

Bai Yun’an sat quietly to the side, watching his parents with his own thoughts brewing.

Open a shop, and strange, rare things would start appearing.

No matter what kind of shop his parents opened, it would definitely become one-of-a-kind in Jingcheng.

“Mom, I’ve already looked into those things,” Bai Yunxing said.

He hadn’t come home last night because he was out investigating, and he’d also brought back the money from their old stash.

“There are no clear laws from the authorities regarding storybooks. So, if someone else publishes first, it’ll be hard for us to reclaim anything. But just like Dad said before…”

“Everything has two sides. The Kang Family may have gotten the first part of The Tale of the Stone Monkey out in Jingcheng before us, but that was before you arrived.”

“Now that you’re here, we’re the ones with the upper hand. Let’s just treat what they did as free publicity for us. We’ll ride the wave they created and use that momentum to sell the next part.”

As soon as Bai Yunxing finished speaking, he saw his father looking at him with deep satisfaction and admiration, which made him a little embarrassed.

“Yunxing, you’re so reliable! Thank you for the gold stash. Once we make some money, I’ll pay you back with interest!”

Bai Yunxing shook his head. “No need to be so precise. I wasn’t using the money anyway. You and Mom should take it.”

Bai Yunqi chimed in tentatively, “How about I use it first?”

“Sweetheart, the money your dad and I earn is for you. Your brother’s money is his.”

Bai Tian was in a great mood now. Just the thought of doing business and growing it into something big was already giving him a rush.

“There’s one more thing. I found out a bit about the Jiang Family of Yunjiang.”

As soon as Bai Yunxing said that, everyone in the room turned to look at him.

“The Jiang Family doesn’t hold much status in Yunjiang. They were just moderately wealthy, with a clean family reputation. The family head was the county magistrate of Tongzhou in Yunjiang. But ten years ago, they were wiped out—burned to the ground in a fire.”

“Because it happened far away, and the official rank wasn’t high, only a few lines made it to Jingcheng. If we want more details, we’ll probably have to go there ourselves.”

Jiang Dai nodded. “We’ll definitely need to make a trip. I have a feeling this isn’t simple.”

She turned to Bai Tian. “Don’t you think so?”

“Yeah! Anything that ties into a transmigrator, especially a whole family getting wiped out, definitely isn’t simple!”

Bai Tian hadn’t read many novels, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know the tropes.

Jiang Dai clapped her hands together and summarized the day’s “meeting.”

“So, the main plotline is clear: first, we make money in Jingcheng. Then we go find the gold and jade mines. While we’re at it, we swing by Yunjiang to investigate. It’s just…”

Her expression shifted slightly. She took a deep breath and clicked her tongue. “I’ve got a bad feeling. Whenever a main quest shows up, there are always countless side quests that follow.”

Bai Tian moved instantly, covering Jiang Dai’s mouth with practiced speed.

“Keep it in your head, don’t say it out loud! The moment you say it, something’s bound to go wrong!”

Jiang Dai blinked, but her focus shifted. “Did you wash your hands after using the bathroom?”

Bai Tian froze.

“I… probably did?”

Jiang Dai: …

She swiftly grabbed the heavy paperweight from the table.

Bai Tian turned and bolted. “I did! I did! I swear I did!”

Jiang Dai chased after him, paperweight in hand. “If you did, why the hell are you running? Bai Tian! I’m gonna kill you!”

The rest of the kids sitting at the table: …

Bai Yunqi happily munched on his metaphorical popcorn.

Bai Yunxing rubbed his nose, unsure whether he should be watching this. Technically, he shouldn’t be watching his mom beat up his dad… but it was kind of entertaining.

Bai Yun’an rested his chin in his hands, a faint smile on his face. His whole demeanor relaxed as he watched his parents run around the room.

“The kids are watching! Jiang Dai! Your public image!” Bai Tian tried to save himself.

Jiang Dai rolled up her sleeves. “Public image? Juanjuan isn’t even here. It’s just a bunch of monsters and weirdos in this house. Who doesn’t know who?”

Bai Tian: That… actually made sense.

“Yunqi, save your dad! Help me!”

Seeing his dad charging toward him, Bai Yunqi immediately sidestepped, wearing a helpless smile.

Yeah, right. Offend Mom for Dad’s sake?

He’d be lucky if Mom didn’t beat him up too.

Bai Yun’an reacted even faster. He got up and walked out without a word. “I just remembered I have something to do…”

Under the gaze of his two older brothers, Bai Yun’an smoothly pushed open the door and stepped out, calm as if nothing unusual was happening around him.

Bai Yunqi: ???

Bai Yunxing followed right behind their younger brother. As he closed the door, he even gave his eldest brother a subtle smile.

The twins just… slipped away like that?

Just as Bai Yunqi was about to make his own escape, someone beat him to it—Bai Tian burst through the door and ran out.

Of course! They were in Mu Manor. Once he got outside, Jiang Dai couldn’t chase him down and beat him!

Jiang Dai set the paperweight down and glanced at Bai Yunqi. Suddenly, she felt at peace.

She could just beat him up tonight instead.

Now that was a real eldest son—fearless enough to step in dog poop and still find gold in it.

That was true talent.

Bai Yunqi: ???

Why did it feel like Mom was looking at him weirdly?