Jiang Xingcan couldn’t stay in Jiang Xingye’s arms. She slid down and stood in front of Huo Yuan, "Brother, why are you missing a tooth?"

Huo Yuan was losing teeth, and he was already quite embarrassed. Hearing this, his face turned red, and he turned away, ignoring her.

Jiang Xingcan was a bit puzzled.

Shen Xiuqin saw the two children and was overjoyed. She took Jiang Chijing from Xu Qinghuan’s arms, "Oh my, I’ve missed you so much!"

Huo Zhenqing grabbed one child, and Jiang Xingcan, in his arms, examined him with eyes just like Xu Qinghuan’s and asked seriously, "Grandpa, are you the highest-ranking officer in the troop?"

Huo Zhenqing was taken aback and asked, "Why?"

"If you’re the highest-ranking officer, let’s compete!"

"Compete in what?"

"Let’s compete to see who can recite the multiplication table faster! If I lose, I’ll give you a milk candy. If I win, you have to buy me lots of Big White Rabbit milk candies. Do you dare?" 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Jiang Xingcan tilted her little head, challenging him.

"Wow, using reverse psychology already!" Huo Zhenqing laughed heartily, "Alright, let’s compete and see who can recite faster!"

Jiang Xingcan slid off him like a monkey, then sat upright on the sofa, patting the seat next to her, "Grandpa, come, I’ll count to three, and then we start."

"Who’s the referee then?" Huo Zhenqing asked curiously.

"I’ll be the referee. I’m the best at reciting the multiplication table, I’ll decide who wins." The little one patted her chest.

Everyone stifled their laughter, and Shen Xiuqin whispered to Xu Qinghuan, "Don’t you two give the kids any candy?"

Jiang Chijing murmured to the side, "Their teeth will rot if they keep eating!"

Xu Qinghuan nodded.

Huo Chi was amused, "There’s no such thing as being both the referee and competitor!"

Jiang Xingcan didn’t understand but knew they were talking about her. She pointed at Huo Chi, "You wait, I’ll defeat you later!"

She even pretended to roll up her sleeves, and Huo Chi laughed until his stomach hurt.

Huo Zui couldn’t help but smile, waiting for the challenge to start.

Jiang Xingcan shouted one, two, three, and then started reciting rapidly. Huo Zhenqing hadn’t recited the multiplication table in years and actually forgot it. Jiang Xingcan glanced at him while breathlessly reciting the entire table without stopping, taking a long breath afterward, "I won!"

She jumped off the sofa, grabbed Huo Zhenqing’s hand, "You lose, you have to buy me Big White Rabbit milk candies, a promise is a promise, one pound!"

Huo Zhenqing laughed, "Did your parents agree?"

Jiang Xingcan’s eyes darted around, not daring to look at Xu Qinghuan, nor did she speak, but she pouted, looking ready to cry at any moment.

Huo Zui took the little one from Huo Zhenqing, "Uncle will buy for you, a pound. However, you have to promise me one thing."

"Then tell me, I’ll think about it!" She lowered her head and fiddled with her fingers.

Huo Zui struggled to hold back a laugh, "You can only eat one piece a day."

Jiang Xingcan pursed her lips, tilted her head, and indeed thought for a moment, "My mom would probably agree to me eating two pieces a day."

Huo Zhenqing asked, "Huanhuan, will you let her eat two pieces a day?"

"Only one piece a day." Xu Qinghuan said.

Jiang Xingcan reluctantly agreed, "One piece is fine. Uncle, let’s go buy candy, come, I’ll take you!"

The two went out, and Shen Xiuqin laughed, "This little one, whose trickiness is she like? I don’t think Huanhuan and Xiao Ye have this kind of temperament."

Jiang Xingye was doting yet helpless, "I don’t know, she’s just like herself."

Shen Xiuqin asked, "Does she bully Chijing?"

Jiang Xingye replied, "She doesn’t dare to bully, although Chijing is more reserved, he’s not the kind to suffer losses."

Jiang Chijing leaned in Xu Qinghuan’s arms, muttering, "She does bully me when no one is around."

"Oh, is that so, do you cry?" Shen Xiuqin asked.

Jiang Chijing shook his head, "I didn’t let her bully me, I’m not someone who can’t beat her."

The people in the room burst into laughter, Jiang Chijing was a bit embarrassed, burying his head in his mom’s arms.

Xu Qinghuan patted her son’s head, "We’re not laughing at you, we just think you’re very cute."

Jiang Chijing was unhappy, pouting, hugging his mom’s neck, whining, Jiang Xingye saw his son getting Xu Qinghuan’s leg dirty and came over to pick him up, "A man, such a little temper?"

Jiang Chijing mumbled, "I am not! Uncle is getting candy for sister, I want some too."

"When your sister comes back, let her share it with you," Jiang Xingye said.

Huo Chi clapped his hands, "Come on, second uncle will get candy for you."

Xu Qinghuan asked, "Do you have candy coupons?"

Huo Chi glanced at her, "What a joke, would I not prepare candy coupons? My two big nephews eat what? Dessert coupons, candy coupons, stationery coupons, whatever you want."

Jiang Chijing looked at Jiang Xingye, seeing his dad nod, he then let Huo Yuan pick him up.

Huo Chi said, "This little one is quite vigilant!"

Jiang Xingye responded, "Quite shrewd!"

Both are not easy to deal with.

Shen Xiuqin was endlessly fascinated and whispered to Xu Qinghuan, "Your big brother is not young anymore, I’ve urged him many times to bring a girl home, he always says he has no time."

Parents of any era love to push for marriage.

"This sort of thing cannot be forced, if he doesn’t want to, no amount of arrangement from you will work, it’s still up to fate."

Old Mr. Jiang and Old Mr. Huo went to the study to talk, and the two elderly ladies got excited, chatting endlessly.

Huo Yuan had no one to play with, so he sat with Jiang Xingye to play chess.

Over the past two years, Huo Yuan had grown quite a bit, in a manner resembling an adult.

After a while, Huo Zui returned with the little one, she immediately got off him and, like a missile, rushed over to the chessboard, looking at Huo Yuan, "Brother, let me play, I’m dumber than my dad."

Huo Yuan was stunned.

She looked at Jiang Xingye, apparently not angry, picked up one of Huo Yuan’s pawns, crossed the river, and placed it in Jiang Xingye’s camp.

"You moved it wrong." Huo Yuan took that pawn and put it back in its original place.

"No, it’s correct, I didn’t do it wrong." She stubbornly held onto the "pawn," getting slightly angrier, her face turning red.

Xu Qinghuan came over, taking the pawn from her, "Dad and Little Uncle are playing chess, you can watch beside them, whether you understand or not, but you can’t speak, nor can you touch the pieces on the board."

The little one glanced at her mom, swallowing her grievance, snuggling into Huo Yuan’s arms, looking eagerly at the chessboard.

Huo Zui’s heart itched, "Xingxing, does Big Uncle teach you chess, okay?"

She quickly left Huo Yuan’s arms and grabbed Huo Zui’s hand, "Come, we play better than them."

He fetched another chess set, teaching Jiang Xingcan the rules as he set it up.

When he was about to help her set the pieces, Jiang Xingcan slapped his hand, "I set my own pieces, I can do it."

She set up each piece according to Huo Zui’s side’s arrangement, quickly correcting a misplaced "horse."

The two began to play.

Huo Zui was guiding the child, playing leisurely, occasionally correcting Jiang Xingcan’s mistakes, and she didn’t cry or fuss. Anyway, she didn’t know about winning or losing, but she had an excellent memory and soon memorized the rules.

"Huanhuan, is this child a bit precocious?" Huo Zui was also surprised by Jiang Xingcan’s cleverness.

This is far beyond precociousness.