Chapter 36: It’s Taiji

Bai Yunan saw the red numbers, visible only to him, plummet from 20 to stabilize at 5.

Bai Yunan was on the verge of losing it!

【What is wrong with this kid? Can’t even handle a compliment? Doesn’t like hearing nice things?】

【Why are the Favorability Points dropping! Shouldn’t she like me more at this point? I even gave her candy!】

【Aren’t kids supposed to love being spoiled? I’ve given her good food and drink, and yet she still doesn’t like me!】

For a child like Juanjuan, who is intelligent, sensitive, and keeps things to herself, the only way to win her over is with genuine sincerity.

But Bai Yunan couldn’t understand this yet.

Juanjuan nibbled on her candy, listening to Third Brother’s somewhat frantic voice.

Her body involuntarily shrank back, and then she timidly and hesitantly took a step back.

“Third Brother, I’m going to feed the chickens…”

With that, she turned and ran.

Bai Yunan chuckled.

Why is this kid so hard to win over?!

He felt exhausted; he had given her delicious food and said nice things, yet her Favorability Points were dropping instead of rising!

It felt like being deceived by a scoundrel, losing both candy and affection!

Was she playing him?!

Watching the little girl run off, Bai Yunan felt a bit irritable, unable to understand why she was so peculiar.

Intimidation didn’t work, flattery didn’t work, coaxing didn’t work—what more was he supposed to do?

“Third Brother?”

The sudden voice made Bai Yunan instantly hide the displeasure in his eyes.

He looked up to see Eldest Brother watching him thoughtfully from a distance.

Bai Yunan put on an innocent smile.

“Eldest Brother, what’s up?”

Bai Yunqi observed him, feeling suspicious.

Just now, he had sensed a disturbing aura from this so-called Third Brother.

But now, it seemed absent.

Could it be that his perception was off because his Cleansing Meridians and Marrow was only halfway done?

Bai Yunqi waved him over. “Come on, let’s gather some firewood!”

Dinner that night was once again prepared by Juanjuan.

In fact, Jiang Dai and Bai Tian, the parents, tried to help but were chased out by the child.

Jiang Dai would add water if the dough was too thick and add flour if it was too thin, repeating the process over and over.

If not for Juanjuan’s intervention, she might have used up all the flour they had bought.

Bai Tian wasn’t much better.

He claimed cooking was dangerous and offered to help Juanjuan, but he couldn’t handle the tools properly, and without peanut oil, he ended up burning the pot.

Juanjuan: …

The four-year-old firmly pushed her parents out of the dilapidated little kitchen.

Jiang Dai: 【There’s nothing I can do… My mom used to cook at home, and after I moved out, it’s been all pre-made meals and takeout.】

Bai Tian: 【The company cafeteria is a great thing, and so is takeout. It’s a shame there’s none here.】

The two inept adults exchanged a glance, one going to do laundry and the other to clean.

By the time Bai Yunqi and the others returned with firewood, Juanjuan had already finished cooking dinner.

On the small wooden table were white flour sweet potato cakes, brown rice porridge, and stir-fried wild vegetables with meat.

“Wow! Finally, no more wild vegetable cakes!” Bai Yunqi’s voice was slightly exaggerated, but it was clear he was genuinely happy.

Bai Yunxing showed no change; for him, as long as there was food, it was enough. In the past, when he was out with the army, he ate whatever was available, often dry flatbread for days on end.

Bai Yunan took a bite of the stir-fried wild vegetables and meat, and his eyes lit up.

The pork had absorbed the fresh, plant-like aroma of the wild vegetables, making it not greasy at all. The usually bitter wild vegetables were masked by the meat’s fragrance, creating an unexpectedly delightful taste.

“Juanjuan, did you cook this? It’s delicious!” Bai Yunan praised the little one.

In his heart, he thought: 【If only I could take out the ingredients and seasonings from the Dimensional Space, this dish could be even better.】

Juanjuan glanced up at Third Brother and silently nodded.

As expected, Third Brother was like this—praising her on the surface but not truly believing her cooking was that good.

Didn’t he just say it could be even better?

Third Brother… always fooling kids with his words.

Bai Yunan watched as the Favorability Points dropped again, now down to 4.

His hand trembled as he picked up more food.

【Seriously! Why did it drop again? Is Juanjuan sick? Why is a child’s mind so hard to figure out!】

Juanjuan quietly ate her wild vegetables, showing no reaction to Third Brother’s comments about her.

But the steadily decreasing Favorability Points were driving Bai Yunan to despair.

Seeing it about to hit negative, Bai Yunan abruptly stood up. “I’m full.”

Bai Tian guiltily picked up the last piece of meat from the plate, almost dropping it in surprise.

“You’re going to scare someone to death with that!”

“Oh.”

Bai Yunan responded briefly and turned to leave.

Bai Tian: …

【Why do I feel like I failed to establish my authority as a father just now?】

Jiang Dai watched thoughtfully as her third son left, then turned to ask her other two sons.

“When you went out to gather firewood today, was the third one like this too?”

Bai Yunqi shook his head. “No, he was quite happy.”

Bai Yunxing shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Jiang Dai was puzzled: 【Could it be just a child’s mood? Raising a child is truly difficult! Raising them well is even harder!】

After finishing the meal, everyone felt uncomfortably full.

Seeing Juanjuan about to wash the dishes, Bai Tian immediately went to help, suggesting the children go play instead.

Bai Tian: 【How can you have children cook and then clean up too!】

“Juanjuan, come here. Mother will teach you a way to exercise.”

Her mother’s voice called from not far away.

Juanjuan looked over and saw her mother bathed in the soft glow of the setting sun, smiling warmly at her.

She could hear her mother’s slightly playful voice in her ear.

【Aww! My little girl is so adorable! Those innocent puppy eyes, so big and round, she’s too cute!!!!】

Looking at her mother beckoning her over and her father washing dishes with a grunt behind her, Juanjuan felt grateful for her parents.

Though young, she wasn’t foolish.

Her parents, both outwardly and inwardly, truly loved her.

But her brothers, especially Third Brother, seemed kind on the surface, yet their thoughts often contradicted their actions.

Juanjuan didn’t like people like that. She preferred simplicity and sincerity, not those who said one thing and meant another.

“Mother~”

Juanjuan ran over to her mother, her little face beaming with joy.

Jiang Dai bent down, scooped up the little one, and asked, “Would you like Mother to teach you some boxing?”

“Boxing…”

“Yes, boxing. Mother learned it back home.”

“Okay!”

Juanjuan agreed readily, ever obedient.

Jiang Dai pinched the little girl’s cheek, thinking: 【She’s too skinny; at least she should have some baby fat.】

Juanjuan: Mother wants to make me chubby.

In the village, if a child was chubby, it meant the family was well-off.

Not far away, Bai Yunan watched the mother and daughter, puzzled.

He couldn’t understand why Juanjuan liked their mother so much.

After all, he treated the little one well too!

But before he could figure it out, he saw their mother start teaching his sister boxing.

Their mother was clearly trained; even though she slowed down for her sister’s sake, her movements were fluid and balanced.

Juanjuan imitated her, looking quite serious about it.

But…

Bai Yunan squinted slightly, thinking this looked like…

Tai Chi?

He wasn’t sure, though, because after the Apocalypse, who had the leisure to practice Tai Chi?

Even before the Apocalypse, not everyone knew Tai Chi, and seeing someone practice it didn’t mean they could recognize it.

The reason he thought of Tai Chi now was because he had seen someone before who had integrated Tai Chi into lethal moves, mastering ancient martial arts. Even without supernatural abilities, they carved their own path.

As Bai Yunan pondered, several others also watched the mother and daughter practicing in the courtyard, deep in thought.