Chapter 211: Trouble Comes Knocking

“Juanjuan～did you miss your third brother?”

Bai Yun’an looked at the energetic little one in front of him, and his heart, which had long settled into retirement mode, suddenly felt a few years younger.

A soft smile crept onto his face as he reached out and poked the baby-fat cheeks of the little girl.

【Ah! So soft, so adorable!】

【These past few days, Juanjuan’s been in class during the day and goes straight to bed after dinner. We haven’t had much time together. Forget increasing Favorability Points—just not losing any is already a win.】

“Of course I missed you! Missed you so much!”

Hearing her third brother’s inner thoughts, Juanjuan gave a sweet and obedient smile.

At first glance, her smile looked a lot like the one Bai Yun’an always wore, but hers carried a deeper sincerity.

“Little sister’s smile is prettier than yours.”

Bai Yunqi walked out of the house yawning, offering his honest opinion with utmost seriousness.

“Of course she’s prettier than me.”

Bai Yun’an didn’t argue, agreeing outright. He even gave his little sister’s cheek another affectionate squeeze.

Please. Trying to sow discord? He was here to rack up Favorability Points, not to compete with Juanjuan.

Bai Yunxing stepped out as well, looking at his two brothers who rarely woke up early. “It really takes Juanjuan to get you two out of bed.”

“Exactly. Today’s Juanjuan’s only day off. Of course we had to get up early to keep her company.”

Bai Yun’an’s voice was gentle, never missing a chance to earn goodwill. But he truly meant what he said.

And so, the Mu family’s dark guards watched that morning as four children, lined up from tallest to shortest, began their training without missing a beat.

Sometimes, you couldn’t help but marvel at how terrifyingly talented the Bai family’s children were.

Two of them were even ridiculously hardworking. At this rate, they’d be unstoppable once they grew up.

In comparison, the two adults of the Bai family seemed a bit… underwhelming.

That woman named Jiang Dai was apparently writing a storybook. But really, what kind of storybook could a woman write?

As dark guards, life could get pretty dull. They had little time to rest and could be sent on missions at any moment. Their few forms of entertainment were reading storybooks, lying down, and chatting nonsense or placing bets.

Speaking of storybooks, who knew when the next part of The Tale of the Stone Monkey would come out?

In all of Jingcheng, it was rare to find a storybook that was both interesting and high quality. And yet this one wasn’t even finished.

Still, it was understandable. Writing a good storybook wasn’t easy. For something of this quality, a slower pace was to be expected.

Inside the house, Jiang Dai sat up and slipped on her shoes, still feeling groggy.

She and Bai Tian had been so busy these past few days they could barely catch their breath. But at least it had been worth it.

They had finalized a partnership with Precious Ink Bookstore. Sometimes, making money didn’t require opening your own shop.

Investing through partnerships was a stress-free and profitable alternative.

“Do you think I’m writing too slowly? Just two thousand words a day. If this were modern times, I’d probably be getting roasted.”

Jiang Dai groaned at the thought of her fanfiction adaptation.

And who wouldn’t?

Writing a novel—even a fanfic adaptation—was no easy task. Especially when you had to churn out words every single day, no matter what.

Even when she had no idea what to write, she had to grit her teeth and push through.

Bai Tian yawned, clearly still sleep-deprived. “That’s not bad at all. If it were me, I couldn’t even write a single word. You’ve got talent.”

Jiang Dai chuckled. “Talent? Don’t flatter me. If what I have counts as talent, then it’s just enough to make things fun. Nothing more. If this were modern times, your praise would be considered a backhanded compliment. You’d be setting me up for failure.”

“Good thing you transmigrated too. Otherwise, I’d have been bored to death. Without someone on the same wavelength, I’d have been assimilated by this era in no time.”

Bai Tian sighed at that.

“Alright, let’s be real. We’re not going to conquer the world or become some prince or emperor.” Jiang Dai patted his shoulder. “Let’s just focus on making money, raising Juanjuan well, and tagging along with Yunqi for a bit of excitement. Think of it as a real-life immersive roleplay adventure^[1].”

Bai Tian nodded.

But deep down, he knew that making money in a place like Jingcheng was bound to attract trouble.

On the surface, Jingcheng looked prosperous. But behind the scenes, the various powers were already entangled in secret alliances and rivalries. For newcomers like them to make money too quickly would definitely ruffle feathers.

How to deal with the inevitable trouble ahead was still a big question.

Bai Tian had expected problems to come, but he hadn’t thought they’d come this fast.

After breakfast, the family of six packed up and brought the manuscript of The Tale of the Stone Monkey to Precious Ink Bookstore, planning to print it with Qin Erniang.

The Great Yu Dynasty already had printing technology—movable type, no less. However, Precious Ink Bookstore didn’t have a complete setup, so they had to go to a specialized location.

When Bai Tian first learned this, he clicked his tongue in regret. Regret that movable type printing already existed—otherwise, he could’ve made a fortune off it.

Sure, he didn’t know how to make gunpowder, but he understood the principles of movable type printing.

Juanjuan could now read, so she helped by matching the carved type blocks to the characters in her mother’s manuscript.

“Erniang, need a hand?”

A shop assistant, seeing that Bai Tian was the only adult male in the group, kindly offered as he passed by.

Qin Erniang shook her head and thanked him politely.

The assistant frowned slightly, surprised by her refusal. Curious, he glanced over—and then froze in shock.

Wait a second…

Wasn’t that The Tale of the Stone Monkey?

Realizing that Qin Erniang and the others weren’t trying to make a scene, the assistant didn’t ask further.

But when chatting with others outside, he casually mentioned it.

One of the other assistants happened to overhear and made a special trip to sneak a peek.

Then, without a word, he jogged all the way to Wenlan Studio.

A short while later, he walked out grinning, a small pouch of silver in hand.

Silver was king. As for who wrote The Tale of the Stone Monkey or where it was being printed—what did that have to do with a lowly assistant like him?

Once the type blocks were arranged, the printing process went quickly. After that, it just needed to be dried.

Jiang Dai and the others got more efficient as they went, gradually finding their rhythm.

They were nearly finished—just needed to organize the printed pages—when a small group of people suddenly stormed in from outside.

Their aggressive aura made it clear: they were here for trouble.

Even little Juanjuan could sense it.

Jiang Dai and Bai Tian instinctively stepped in front of the children, momentarily forgetting that these “kids” were anything but ordinary.

Bai Yunqi’s usual smile faded as he looked at the approaching group, one brow arching slightly.

【Oh? Time to put on a show?】

Bai Yunxing remained calm, but his eyes grew sharper.

【These people… they’re from Wenlan Studio.】

Bai Yun’an smiled, looking harmless as ever, but in truth, he was enjoying the spectacle like someone watching a grasshopper trying to jump.

【Now this is going to be fun.】

Juanjuan glanced at her brothers, then at her parents.

She chose to stay quiet, not cause trouble, not be a burden. Whatever they needed her to do, she’d do it.