I really didn’t expect that our little trip would end up taking nearly two months. When we set off, it was still deep winter with heavy snow, and by the time we returned, it was almost the end of winter. According to the calendar, we are about to usher in the season of spring warmth and blooming flowers—of course, there’s still a chill in the air, and it’s said that the cold snap in K City is quite severe this year: this according to Lin Xue.

So, it must be really severe.

Staying at home for too long can be annoying, but being busy outside for a long time, you start to feel that nowhere is as comfortable as home. Although there are grand and luxurious halls and towering castles outside, they simply can’t compare to the cozy atmosphere of home. At least from my perspective, my own twenty-plus square meter bedroom is the most comfortable place to sleep—twenty-plus square meters, that’s not small.

And I think that the people around me must have similar thoughts. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. None of us in the family are the type to worry about the small details of daily life like food and shelter. Even Bingdisi, a certified Goddess who grew up in the Obsidian Palace, enjoys squeezing onto a sofa with Sandora to fight over the TV remote—of course, they want to do completely different things once they get the remote. After returning home, the first thing Mercury Lamp did was solemnly place her big box under the window, then stand on it and seriously say to me, "I’m not going out with you next time. Adult work is really boring!"

It seems she’s already used to being called a "kid" along with the other little girls.

The day after we got home, Miss Lin connected with me spiritually and, feeling very wronged, told me some delightful news: after countless occasions of disappearing without reason, staying out all night and all day, and repeatedly deceiving her parents with other misdeeds, our Miss Lin was finally grounded by the parental committee. Her dad proposed it, her mom was in charge of review and execution, and the Old Master of the Lin family acted as a third-party witness. The expected grounding time is at least a week, meaning she shouldn’t think about sneaking over for a meal within that time. When Miss Lin told me about it, she was full of grievance, muttering complaints for quite a while. At first, I felt quite sorry for her, but soon I figured out what it was all about: Old Master Lin had long since tacitly approved of Xiao Xue running wild all over the world. By not allowing Lin Xue to go out now, he just wanted his granddaughter to stay home quietly for a few days and spend some quality time with the family. After all, it’s only human nature. Maybe our whole family is accustomed to the kind of thrilling life where we have to go out and battle, save the world, or have multilateral talks with God at the drop of a hat—we can be away fighting wars for several months and then return home to munch on sunflower seeds and watch TV—but that’s not a human’s everyday life. Normal people can’t accept that. When it comes down to it, Lin Xue’s family is still normal humans—at least her parents are. If their daughter didn’t show up for two months, if it weren’t for Lin Xue’s previous records and the fact that Old Master Lin knew some insider information, I might already have seen a missing person report of Lin Xue on the legal program. Believe me, Lin Xue’s dad certainly has the ability to post a missing person notice to the United Nations.

Of course, it can’t be said that there was no news at all. During our "business trips" to the Otherworld, Lin Xue would also contact her family through the Imperial network, call home to ensure they were safe, and sometimes video chat with her parents—though they had to process the video, of course. Because if Mr. and Mrs. Lin saw their daughter chatting with them while riding on the nose of a hundred-meter-tall Giant Dragon, I probably wouldn’t just see Lin Xue’s photo on the legal program when she returned—I’d also see it on International News. But no matter how often you communicate, when the daughter is not around, the family will worry.

Moreover, this time our "business trip" was really ill-timed. While we were out for two months, Christmas had passed, the Spring Festival had passed, and even the Lantern Festival had gone by, and she hadn’t been able to come home for any of them. Isn’t that a mess? I still remember clearly that not too long ago, when we were in the Giant Dragon Kingdom, Miss Lin was having a video call with her family. On the other end, it was a full family reunion, with only her missing. Lin’s mom put the dumplings she made herself in front of the camera, and Lin Feng lit two candles next to the dumplings for a touching scene—later, Lin Feng was dragged away by his dad for some fixing. And Miss Lin at that time was unusually quiet, obediently listening to her parents’ nagging and watching the family on the other end eat dumplings, while sharing the Dragon Clan’s roast meat with Xiao Xue—of course, on the side seen by Mr. and Mrs. Lin, Lin Xue was sitting in a room full of foreign ethnic style with two African girls eating pancakes: Miss Lin told her mom that she was conducting a social study at a school in Papua New Guinea.

Lin Xue herself certainly knew why she was grounded; she was just bored and came to chat with me. Meanwhile, she let me listen to her brother Lin Feng’s miserable cries on the other end: that boy lit two candles in front of his sister’s dumplings on New Year’s Eve. You could call this creative—or rather, call it annoyingly cheeky. Serves him right to get scolded by his dad and then by his sister, as she is a multi-level black belt...

"By the way, Wood," just before hanging up, Miss Lin seemed to remember something suddenly, "I should warn you, Qianqian also spent these two months running wild with you and didn’t go home for the New Year—handle the situation with Uncle Xu as you see fit..."

Lin Xue severed the spiritual connection, leaving me stunned here.

For the past two months, being immersed in the glorious endeavor of tirelessly working for the welfare of the Empire, I had forgotten about this matter too—alright, though the first half of the sentence is self-proclaimed, the second half is definitely true.

In fact, besides seeing Lin Xue and her family in contact, I really hadn’t paid attention to whether Qianqian had checked in with Uncle Xu in recent times. With that girl’s laissez-faire personality... this was indeed worrisome.

So without saying a word, I rushed downstairs and found Qianqian lying sprawled out on the sofa, letting Dingdang bounce around on her stomach. Seeing me appear in such a hurry, Qianqian immediately nimbly jumped up from the sofa, catching Dingdang in mid-air and setting her on top of her head: "Ah Jun, what’s up?"

I quickly explained the situation with Lin Xue to her, then subtly hinted, "You didn’t go home for the New Year, so didn’t Uncle Xu say anything?"

Qianqian lengthened her "Oh" before rolling her eyes over: "Ah Jun is just realizing now? It’s fine, I was on the phone with my dad during the New Year’s... Come on, Ah Jun, I’m just a bit uninhibited, not brainless, okay?"

Me: "..." Why did that sound so weird coming from Qianqian’s mouth?

"That’s good then, this year’s situation is special, I really feel quite uncomfortable," I scratched my head with a silly smile, "Did Uncle Xu instruct anything?"

Qianqian pouted and started muttering, "Instruct what? Since I was little, he hasn’t been home for the New Year many times. When I called over, he was busy digging up the Pharaoh’s tomb by the Nile River. He’s really carefree, leaving his daughter in your hands and washing his hands of it..."

It’s clear to hear that Qianqian’s heart is full of grievances, and these grievances weren’t formed overnight. As a childhood friend, I’ve known a lot about Qianqian’s family. Uncle Xu is the type who is totally engrossed in his career—put simply, a workaholic. It’s not that he doesn’t care about his family, but once he starts working, he completely loses himself. Year after year, even during festivals, he’s always working abroad. Growing up in such a childhood, if Qianqian wasn’t because of her scatterbrained personality, she probably would have entered the rebellious phase in the fourth grade and finally settled at some juvenile behavior correction center—though she claims she’s not scatterbrained.

Now that she’s grown up, Qianqian also understands her dad. Although she occasionally complains, it’s just her venting a bit of dissatisfaction. I pondered for a bit, considering taking the chance when Uncle Xu is temporarily resting, to go back to her home with Qianqian, at least to prove that since Uncle Xu entrusted Qianqian to me, I have taken good care of this whimsical girl.

I firmly believe, besides myself, there isn’t another person in the entire Void who could manage this magical girl...

Just as I thought of this, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of Xiao Xue trying to sneak past the door. She was dressed in a stylishly sharp white fluffy coat and light yellow skirt, paired with black leggings and a new pair of small leather boots, making herself look like an ordinary high school girl... Alright, supposedly she actually is in high school now, and by the looks of it, she was about to go out. So I couldn’t help shouting: "Xiao Xue, where are you going?"

Right after shouting, I suddenly felt it strange, this kind of tone... why does it feel like an overly concerned dad, already well into middle age, catching his rebellious daughter trying to sneak out of her room at 10:30 at night?

Xiao Xue, realizing she was caught, stopped her steps reluctantly and turned around to stick her tongue at me: "Hehe, Dad, I’m going to see my mom."

"Oh, you should go, but be back early... wait, what did you say?!" I had just managed to get that much out when I realized something was up, and I jumped up from my chair, "She’s supposed to be grounded at home now! Are you just going over there like that?"

"Dad, you have to have confidence in me," Xiao Xue smiled confidently, "I’ve been lurking in the Fallen Apostle’s base for so long and even managed to pry back a fleet. I’ve got plenty of tricks up my sleeve—hehe, I might also drop by to see Grandpa and Grandma, oh right, and Great Grandpa. Do you think I might give them a little scare?"

The corner of my mouth twitched. This girl’s unpredictable behavior and strong execution are like a supercharged version of Lin Xue and Qianqian combined. Whatever she thinks of doing is always so unexpected. But there’s one thing I absolutely have to make clear: "Don’t make trouble, okay? Your Great Grandpa knows about me and your mom, but he doesn’t know that he has a granddaughter as big as you. Also, the family still doesn’t know that every now and then, your mom leads a group of people out to bash another group’s brains out."

Xiao Xue stuck out her tongue: "I know, I know, I’m just dropping by for a look. I’m really curious about what my mom’s family looks like at this time."

Watching Xiao Xue adjust her clothes, I suddenly remembered something: "By the way, can you give me a little hint about what your grandpa and grandma were doing at that time?" I’ve been curious about this for a long time because, according to the information Xiao Xue shared, Lin Xue, Qianqian, and I will eventually have to come clean with all relevant parents. Once that happens, Lin Xue and Qianqian’s entire family will definitely be bundled up and hauled into the Empire, and judging by Xiao Xue’s current reckless personality, I imagine the family dynamics will be quite harmonious in the future. I’m curious about what everyone is up to in the future—because by any measures, they surely won’t be able to manage their daughters...

"I knew you couldn’t hold back asking," Xiao Xue chuckled knowingly, "but I really can’t say much about that... Hmm, let me think, maybe I can say a little, ok? My grandpa and grandma were retired at home, enjoying their leisure time, and Grandpa Xu was quite energetic, by then he was already running around digging up alien graves. They say he even dug up an Ultraman urn..."

Me: "..." Everyone: "..." Qianqian: "...My dad’s pretty awesome, right?"

What an astonishing future—should I say that Uncle Xu is truly commendable for raising a daughter like Qianqian, who seems almost made of special materials?

"Dad, can I go now? I still want to mooch some food from my mom!" Xiao Xue eagerly shouted while clinging to the doorframe. I was utterly helpless against this oversized mischievous daughter and could only glance at her sideways: "Remember to come back tonight, don’t blow up the U.S. embassy, don’t cause trouble for your mom, and bring back a couple of bottles of soy sauce for the house..."

Xiao Xue impatiently waved her hand, tying her shoelace with one hand while balancing on one foot, and with a startled yelp, she tumbled out the door, rolling and crawling. We parents watched her go in mutual disbelief. My sister worriedly nudged my shoulder: "Ah Jun, are you really okay with letting that kid run around unsupervised?"

"Do you believe that even if we tied a fist-thick chain around that girl’s neck, she’d still show up on time in front of Lin Xue?" I glanced at my sister, "From the day we met, I didn’t plan on being able to control her. Besides, I’m also quite curious to see Lin Xue’s reaction when her daughter suddenly appears... wouldn’t that be amusing?"

Big Sister gave me a disapproving look: "You better be careful, Lin Xue’s grounded for a week. She’ll definitely find out it was you who let Xiao Xue go and then she’ll challenge you to a duel."

Thinking it over, I immediately had a plan: "No problem, when the time comes, I’ll shift the blame to that naughty kid king, and then in a mixed doubles match, we’ll give Xiao Xue a beating, and Miss will cool off."

Bingdisi looked at me with admiration: "One parent always finds a way to pit their own kin against themselves, and the other unhesitatingly pits their daughter—it’s truly a perfect match."

I’ll just take that as a compliment, then leaned back on the sofa leisurely, watching Mercury Lamp and Lilina fight over a game console controller, while waiting to see when Lin Xue would contact me—knowing Xiao Xue, despite her reckless ways, she does keep her word. When she says she won’t wander off, she’s definitely headed straight for Miss’s house. So, it probably won’t be long before I get an angry call from Lin Xue, with Miss definitely announcing a duel with me. My only curiosity is how Xiao Xue plans to sneak into the Lin Family mansion—she clearly said she wanted to meet her "Grandpa, Grandma, and Great Grandpa", and knowing her personality, this "meeting" is definitely not just following them around invisibly—if she doesn’t land in front of Mr. Lin in a landing pod, it’d be considered low-key.

While Mercury Lamp and Lilina were fighting for the game console, Lilina threw away the controller, nudged Mercury Lamp’s arm, and pointed in my direction: "Hey, your dad’s got such a sleazy grin—hah, bet you’re left speechless! Hands wide open and still can’t reach the square button!"

Mercury Lamp, wrestling with a game controller almost half the size of her head, pressed buttons furiously, then flew up and plopped onto my belly: "Idiot, idiot! Where’s my special controller? Did you hide it?"

I dug out a smaller controller, specifically prepared for Mercury Lamp and her little sisters, from the couch seams: "Lilina hid it—you sure didn’t learn from last time. Two hours max playing, then time for dinner."

Mercury Lamp gleefully plugged in the controller and resumed her endless street fighting game with Lilina. The two are always tussling, from the real world into the game world, seemingly never getting bored. Soon, a cacophony of shouts and exclamations erupted from the fighting between the two shorties in front of the TV, loud enough to send Big Sister upstairs from her cross-stitching. Watching Lilina and Mercury Lamp jostling to execute combos with their lousy gaming skills was fascinating, as all actions appeared to be random. The more they scrambled, the more engrossed they became, edging closer to the screen, as if proximity could somehow amplify their characters’ response speed. But, with only so much space in front of the TV, it wasn’t long before they began pushing and shoving each other, ultimately causing another of their usual results whenever they played games together—they promptly fell into a scuffle on the floor, as the two in-game Chun Lis stared each other down waiting for the TIME OVER...

Big Sister came down from the second floor and, grabbing Lilina and Mercury Lamp by their collars, carried them back upstairs.

And at that moment, my spiritual connection finally resonated with Miss’s roar: "Wood!! You bastard! Did you let Xiao Xue through?!"

"She’s at your place, huh? Pretty quick," I chuckled, seeming like Xiao Xue had indeed succeeded in ruffling her mom’s feathers. "No worries, I briefed her properly, she definitely won’t say anything off to your parents, she just wanted to see you."

"Yeah, you briefed her—now it’d be better if that rascal of a girl just spills the beans to my parents! No, she’s already spilling them now!" Miss’s voice sounded genuinely frantic, almost to the point of rampage.

"Uh, what exactly did that kid do?" My curiosity piqued, I wanted to know just how the genius Xiao Xue managed to infiltrate the Chen’s Mansion—well, as long as she claimed to know Lin Xue, getting in shouldn’t be too hard. The challenge lies in how that peculiar big girl introduced herself to her future grandparents?

"She said she was a fellow student I met while studying in Bavaria! And announced that she had secretly had a crush on me for half a year in Bavaria," Lin Xue gritted her teeth saying, "Now she’s calling every female entity in my family ’sister’—except my mom, but including me!"

Me: "..." (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, you’re welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)