"I shall be there." Lin Xuan Qi thought for a moment and nodded his head.

He was intrigued with meeting a high-level cultivator like Lee Zhen Ren to see if Lee Zhen Ren was as powerful as he had heard from everyone else.

Besides that, it might not be nice to reject the invitation from his close business partner.

Sima Long would also most probably be invited, and Lin Xuan Qi would be able to meet up with him at the birthday celebrations.

"Great, I'll see you there." Hun Xiong Kun replied with a smile.

Glad that Lin Xuan Qi had accepted the invitation.

Lin Xuan Qi bid him farewell and left the Chang Fu Rice Store in a good mood.

Who wouldn't after earning one hundred and fifty-six taels of silver.

Walking along the bustling streets, Lin Xuan Qi had the time and mind now to browse the wares and food the merchants were selling.

After getting everything more or less settled, he wasn't one to constantly be stressed about stuff.

"I wonder how long it takes to carve that statue." He pointed at a small wooden sculpture that was an ox with a little kid sitting on its back, glanced back and asked Yue Jie and Yue Xin.

However, they weren't in the mood to reply.

They were still feeling down from witnessing how frail and weak their father was.

He shook his head and figured that he had to do something to cheer them up.

Lin Xuan Qi glanced around and saw someone selling candied hawthorn sticks.

Having something sweet should cheer them up a little, he thought silently to himself.

Without warning, he held onto the hands of Yue Jie and Yue Xin, leading them to the vendor.

"Master Lin...." They didn't expect it, and they didn't know how to react.

There was some part of them which wanted to break free from his grasp, but the part of them that treasured his comforting touch was much more.

"Pick which ones you like." Lin Xuan Qi pointed at the candied hawthorn sticks that were on display.

"We shall have one each." Yue Jie said and Yue Xin nodded her head.

Lin Xuan Qi picked up two of the candied hawthorn sticks and passed one each to Yue Jie and Yue Xin.

"How much for these two?" he asked, and the vendor raised two fingers at him.

Reaching into his sleeve pocket, he rummaged through it for a moment and handed two copper coins to the vendor.

When he saw Yue Jie and Yue Xin holding the candied hawthorn stick in their hands, he tilted his head and said, "What are you waiting for? Try it."

Yue Xin was the first to take a bite of the candied hawthorn.

The sugar covering the hawthorn was sweet and it put a smile on her face.

But when the slight sour taste of the hawthorn hit her, Yue Xin couldn't help it but closed her eyes and furrowed her eyebrows from the sourness.

Lin Xuan Qi and Yue Jie burst out in laughter at her reaction.

"Hmph. You will be like me when you try it yourself." Yue Xin retorted in her usual flair.

He glanced over at Yue Jie and waited for her to try it.

With eyes on her, Yue Jie had no choice but to take a small bite from the candied hawthorn.

After the sweetness from the sugar coating wore off, she also got hit by the slight sourness of the hawthorn.

However, having taken a small bite, her reaction wasn't as exaggerated as Yue Xin's.

"That's not fair. I had a larger bite." Yue Xin protested.

Yue Jie sighed and took a bigger bite at her sister's request.

And her face squirmed from the sourness like Yue Xin's.

It was then Yue Xin's turn to burst out laughing.

Lin Xuan Qi was glad that they were back to their usual selves.

"Come, let's get back to the mansion for dinner." He wanted to turn around and continue on their way, but he stopped halfway.

He slapped the back of his head and said, "How can I forget?"

"Give me three more sticks." Lin Xuan Qi said.

The vendor picked up three more sticks of candied hawthorn and passed them to him.

After he paid for it, he turned around and said, "Let's go."

Yue Jie and Yue Xin figured that they would be for Xue Cong and the others.

When they saw him doing so, they felt a tinge of disappointment that the candied hawthorn wasn't exclusive to them.

But they also knew that they weren't in the position to expect it from Lin Xuan Qi.

Who were they to think otherwise?

They were only his servant girls after all.

Along the way, they savored the candied hawthorn slowly.

The candied hawthorn had done the trick, and the sugar had made them feel better.

"Master Lin, welcome back." The guards at the wooden gates greeted him when they saw him.

They were now used to the routine in the mansion.

It wasn't as exciting as their adventures around the lands, but it allowed them to have an income and stable lodging.

Lin Xuan Qi nodded at them and entered the mansion with Yue Jie, Yue Xin and Lee He Song behind him.

"Welcome back, Master Lin." Xue Cong's face brightened up when she saw him.

She was in the main hall, supervising the new servants to clean up the furniture and ornaments.

"Great, you are here. Where is Ah Di? I've got something for both of you." Lin Xuan Qi said and pointed at the sticks of candied hawthorn in his hand.

Xue Cong was happy that he had bought her something. It had been a long while since he bought her meat buns from Luo Bao.

Her happiness went down drastically when she saw Yue Jie and Yue Xin holding the same candied hawthorn sticks.

She knew she shouldn't feel this way but couldn't help it.

Xue Cong had promised herself that Lin Xuan Qi's happiness was of the highest priority.

After clearing her mind of jealous thoughts, she called out to her brother, "Ah Di, Master Lin has something for you."

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