Chapter 164: The Little Fool in the Group Favorite Story – Part 7

Xie Hui followed the direction his son was pointing and saw the loaches they had caught together that afternoon.

These loaches were quite plump. If it weren’t for the fact that it was the busy farming season and all the children who could walk were helping at home, such things wouldn’t have fallen to them.

Earlier, Xie Hui had genuinely wanted the village chief’s two sons to take some home, as he and his son couldn’t possibly finish so many.

Moreover, if it hadn’t been for the village chief’s two sons today, Xie Hui wouldn’t have been able to get away so easily.

As a child in this era, one always stood a head shorter in front of their parents.

Suppressing all his thoughts, he nodded gently at his son.

“Alright, let’s eat.”

Xie Hui and his son prepared the loaches together. Ning Ning, who usually liked to sit quietly on a small stool, was like a little tail today, following Xie Hui around, standing on tiptoe to watch closely.

Add a little salt to the loaches, and the resulting soup was deliciously fresh.

Seeing that this little fellow only showed a richer expression when eating, Xie Hui thought carefully and decided that after the busy farming season, he needed to find a way.

Just farming could ensure that neither he nor his son would starve, but if they wanted a better life, they needed to use their brains more.

A bowl of egg custard or a bowl of loach soup could bring such enjoyment to this little guy.

Xie Hui couldn’t help but wonder what kind of expression this little guy would have if he placed something even more delicious in front of him.

There weren’t any precise diagnostic tools in this era, nor any way to know what was wrong with this child. Previously, when Xie Hui took his pulse, he couldn’t find any issues.

Physically, there was nothing wrong, but psychologically, it was uncertain.

Thinking about how this child had been bullied by Xie Kangli ever since he learned to walk, and how his grandmother, though present, completely ignored him, Xie Hui suspected that this child might have autism.

As for Xie Kangli’s strange constitution… rather than saying that those who liked her and treated her well would have good fortune, Xie Hui leaned towards the opposite.

Those she liked and treated her well absorbed less of their Qi Luck.

Compared to those who had more Qi Luck absorbed, they seemed more fortunate.

When Xie Hui thought of this, he suddenly realized that since arriving in this world, he had forgotten to do good deeds for Xie Kangli because it was the busy farming season.

After dinner, he washed Ning Ning briefly and put him to bed. Xie Hui then took out a few Yellow Talismans from his Portable Space.

He was purely using a cheat, but for someone as mysterious as Xie Kangli, nothing in this world could solve the problem.

Although the Yellow Talismans were taken from the Portable Space and carried Spiritual Qi, the Spiritual Qi in this world was so thin it was almost nonexistent.

To ensure the talisman could perform its intended function, Xie Hui cut his finger and chose to draw with his own blood.

“Host, are you trying to draw a backlash talisman?”

“Yes.”

Although Xie Hui was responding to the system, he wasn’t distracted at all, and his hand remained steady.

“Host, are you planning to return all the Qi Luck that Xie Kangli absorbed to those people?”

“Yes, but… excluding the Xie Family.”

With the memories of the Client, Xie Hui harbored deep resentment towards the Xie Family.

The Client was a diligent old ox with no free time, but when others were slacking off, almost everyone could see Xie Kangli bullying Ning Ning.

Everyone chose to turn a blind eye, and some even joined Xie Kangli in bullying him, just because he was a fool who wouldn’t tell on them and had a father who didn’t care about him.

Moreover, in the end, the Client’s tragic fate was not without the Xie Family’s involvement.

The person who brought him to this place was the Client, and Xie Hui was very clear about his identity. Everything he did was closely related to the Client’s likes and dislikes.

“Why should I return it to the Xie Family? The Qi Luck that Xie Kangli absorbed no longer belongs to them. If I were to return it to them, it would take a lot of effort.”

Xie Kangli absorbed not only the Xie Family’s Qi Luck but also that of their neighbors.

Originally, a neighbor who disliked Xie Kangli suddenly changed her attitude towards her after some time, even praising her.

Because of that, the Old Madam would likely leave this world by winter.

Children had their intelligence absorbed, adults had their Qi Luck absorbed, and the elderly had their lifespan absorbed.

The most important things at each stage of life were the sources of Xie Kangli’s good fortune.

Those innocent neighbors lost something without gaining anything in return. Even if it was troublesome, Xie Hui was willing to help them regain their original Qi Luck.

But although the Xie Family had their Qi Luck absorbed, they also truly enjoyed the convenience brought by Xie Kangli, and there was an old grudge with the Client.

“Rather than give it to those ungrateful people, why not… give it directly to the emperor of this world?”

Although Xie Hui could have taken all that Qi Luck for himself, he didn’t plan to do so. Those ownerless Qi Luck had a better place to go.

After finishing everything, Xie Hui washed his hands, lifted the quilt, and lay down beside his son, holding Ning Ning in his arms.

The child was still very thin, and holding him felt like holding a bundle of bones.

The things that originally belonged to the Xie Family had already been taken by Xie Kangli, and now he was taking what belonged to Xie Kangli.

As the emperor of a country, his Qi Luck was closely tied to the nation’s fate.

In such a backward feudal dynasty, the fact that the common people wouldn’t starve as long as they weren’t utterly lazy was enough to prove how excellent this emperor was.

From many of his actions, Xie Hui could determine that he wasn’t someone who had transmigrated from the future.

He truly belonged to this era and was a genuine genius.

Rather than seeing those disgusting people in the Xie Family prosper, Xie Hui would rather see the country thrive.

Using others’ resources, Xie Hui didn’t feel guilty at all.

In addition, Xie Hui specifically set a backlash restriction for Xie Kangli.

As long as she intentionally tried to absorb others’ Qi Luck, her own Qi Luck would be transferred to the emperor in double measure.

After finishing all this, Xie Hui was somewhat looking forward to the reaction of the usually selfish Old Madam once she woke up from Xie Kangli’s manipulation.

The next day, Ning Ning unusually lingered in bed. Since moving to this place, he would usually get up obediently whenever Xie Hui called him.

Today, even after Xie Hui had prepared breakfast, Ning Ning was still curled up under the covers, not even showing his head.

Initially, Xie Hui wanted to indulge his son’s rare act of willfulness, but when he called him for breakfast and saw the small mound still on the bed, he couldn’t help but feel suspicious.

He walked over and lifted the quilt, seeing the damp spot on the bed and the little one clutching the blanket tightly, looking at him with anxious eyes.

For a moment, Xie Hui felt both amused and exasperated.

He had been wondering why the child, who never lingered in bed, suddenly wanted to stay in bed.

Ning Ning was holding onto the corner of the blanket, clearly frightened.

Xie Hui sighed, suppressing the flash of anger in his heart, and forced a smile, beckoning to him.

Thinking it over, it wasn’t entirely Ning Ning’s fault.

Last night was probably the first time Ning Ning had loach soup. It was fresh and quite tasty, and he drank three whole bowls.

Later, because Xie Hui was busy with his own matters, he didn’t take him to the bathroom before bed as he usually did.

“It’s okay. Kids Ning Ning’s age all do this. Come here, and let Daddy help you change.”

Xie Hui’s voice had returned to its usual gentle tone. He admitted he was a bit angry at first, given how busy he was and considering Ning Ning was already five.

But after thinking it over, he suppressed his anger entirely.

Yelling at a normal child could be frightening enough, let alone a child like Ning Ning, so he tried to keep his voice gentle and calm.

Seeing his father like this, Ning Ning tentatively let go of the blanket, stood up, and ran over to his father.

When he reached his father, he wrapped his arms around his neck and let out a muffled whimper.

Because they were so close, Xie Hui could clearly hear his voice.

Watching him pout, feeling a bit wronged but also slightly frustrated, Xie Hui felt a surge of emotion, even a bit of nasal sting.

Perhaps because of the lingering emotions of the Client, who had always believed this child to be a fool.

But the way this child expressed himself now seemed to shatter the Client’s preconceived notions one by one.

Xie Hui found another set of clothes and used the water he had prepared for Ning Ning’s morning wash to give him a quick bath, then dressed him in clean clothes.

“Breakfast is ready on the table. Go eat.”

After speaking, regardless of whether the child understood, Xie Hui went back to take the blanket outside to dry.

He wasn’t deliberately ignoring the child, just wanted to see his reaction.

Fortunately, the weather was nice, and a day of sun should do the trick.

Ning Ning stood there for a while, watching his father. When Xie Hui went inside, a hint of confusion crossed his eyes.

He stood there until his stomach started growling, then placed both hands over his belly.

After a while, when it continued to grumble, he frowned slightly and, following his memory, walked towards the place he remembered.

Sure enough, he saw a bowl of egg custard on the table.

The aroma of food lingered in the air, making Ning Ning instinctively swallow.