Chapter 38: A Different Kind of Thought

After finishing a full set of Tai Chi, Jiang Dai felt like her status in the household had subtly shifted.

Never mind Bai Tian, even the kids were looking at her with a newfound respect in their eyes.

Jiang Dai: 【I don’t know why, but if I’d known this would happen, I would’ve started practicing Tai Chi ages ago! Why didn’t anyone say so?!】

【No worries. Besides my mom’s Tai Chi, I also know my dad’s “Over-the-shoulder Spear Thrust”!】

【I’ll show off another move when I get the chance! Mom was right—being pretty and knowing how to fight is unbeatable! The more beautiful a girl is, the more dangerous she should be!】

Juanjuan: ?

Girls who can fight… is that really okay?

As dusk fell, the whole family returned indoors.

“Mom, I want to learn martial arts.”

With that one sentence from Bai Yunxing, every gaze in the room turned toward him.

Jiang Dai tilted her head, looking at her young second son. “Martial arts training is tough, you know.”

Bai Yunxing nodded, trying his best to act like the child he was supposed to be. His voice held a mix of longing and the fearless boldness of youth.

“I know. But I want to become a Great General.”

Only Juanjuan could hear what Second Brother was truly thinking.

Second Brother was thinking: 【One day, I will return to the Capital, to the General’s Manor, and once again to the northern battlefield.】

【Even if I’ve ended up in a new body, I need to lay the groundwork now—build up my physical condition and prepare for what’s to come.】

Juanjuan looked at Second Brother, then lowered her gaze. Her long lashes cast shadows over the confusion in her eyes.

That’s why… she still preferred their parents. Being with them didn’t require overthinking.

They didn’t act all mysterious and unreadable, making you uneasy just because you couldn’t figure them out.

Jiang Dai, on the other hand, was intrigued. “Great! Then everything I know, I’ll teach to Yunxing. But you have to stick with it!”

Bai Yunqi, who was used to wanting everything, immediately chimed in, “I want to learn too!”

Bai Yunan echoed, “Me too!”

Jiang Dai made the call. “Alright! Everyone learns!”

…

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Juanjuan had already climbed out of bed, mechanically pulling on her clothes with her eyes still shut, stumbling outside in a daze to start breakfast.

But as soon as she stepped out the door, she saw someone standing in the courtyard.

It was a small figure—she couldn’t tell if it was Second Brother or Third Brother.

Bathed in the soft light of dawn, he was mimicking the Tai Chi their mother had demonstrated yesterday. He seemed to have a natural gift for it—he’d only seen it once last night, yet already remembered the whole routine.

Though his movements weren’t as graceful as their mother’s yet, they were already fluid.

Juanjuan instantly woke up.

After all, she was always the first one up in the morning.

Their parents and brothers only got out of bed after she’d finished making breakfast.

Now, suddenly seeing one of her brothers up before her—it caught her off guard and left her feeling a little disoriented.

“Juanjuan.”

Bai Yunxing noticed his little sister standing at the doorway and greeted her politely.

But his Tai Chi movements didn’t pause for even a second.

“Second Brother, you already learned it that fast?”

Juanjuan asked curiously, but cautiously.

“Mm. Maybe I’m just a martial arts prodigy!”

Juanjuan nodded to herself, thinking: No wonder he’s a Great General.

As she turned to head to the kitchen, Bai Yunxing—who had already run ten laps around the courtyard and finished a full set of Tai Chi—immediately followed.

Juanjuan glanced at Second Brother trailing behind her, a puzzled look on her face.

“I’m feeling better now. Let me help you.”

To be honest, letting a little kid handle all the cooking had been weighing on Bai Yunxing’s conscience.

He’d been out of it with a fever for days, but now that he was feeling much better, he couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

Bai Yunxing thought that helping out like this would make his little sister happy.

But to his surprise, the young girl, still full of childlike innocence, looked at him warily and said, “I can do it myself.”

Bai Yunxing: ?

【What’s going on?】

“Second Brother, do you actually know how to cook? Or even help out?”

Having witnessed firsthand their parents’ “home demolition” cooking style, Juanjuan couldn’t help but ask the question that came straight from her soul.

Bai Yunxing blinked, then chuckled, but still answered seriously, “I do!”

Juanjuan gave him a once-over, clearly assessing the truth of his claim.

But Bai Yunxing simply scooped her up and started walking toward the kitchen. “Come on! Try trusting Second Brother for once.”

This was the first time Juanjuan had ever been this close to her Second Brother, and her first instinct was to run.

Bai Yunxing noticed the subtle way she pulled away, but didn’t try to force her to stay. Scenes from the Original Host’s memories flashed through his mind—how he used to bully the little one.

【This little sister is just too obedient. Even when the original family treated her so badly, she still quietly did all the housework without complaint, never once resisting.】

【If it had been any of the older sisters in my family, they would’ve rebelled in secret long ago, finding their own ways to get back at them. Housework? Please—they’d be more likely to blow the place up.】

Juanjuan was puzzled.

Were Second Brother’s older sisters really that fierce?

But… weren’t girls supposed to be born to be obedient, to respect their parents and take care of the household?

The questions swirled in Juanjuan’s mind, but she didn’t dare ask them out loud.