To be honest, the layout of this living room is truly appalling. The very center, where the stone is located, is less than 20 square meters, and both sides are partitioned off with screens. As for the rest of the central area, please refer to those terrible period dramas, the most representative of which is the legendary "The Legend of the White Snake".
Directly opposite the door was a wall with a portrait of a woman sitting in a chair, flanked by couplets and a horizontal inscription. Below the wall sat Grandpa Huo and a sleazy old man. Further on were two rows of chairs facing each other; on one side sat Old Man Huo, Huo Xiaoxiao, and Shitou, and on the other side sat Caijun and his parents.
"Not bad?!" Huo Xiaoxiao almost blurted out, "If you're so good, then you go! It's yours!"
Taking advantage of the moment when Shi Tou reached for the teacup on the coffee table next to her, he quietly said to Huo Xiaoxiao, "Two good things have been confirmed. Do you want to hear them?"
Huo Xiaoxiao's face was still contorted, but she kept her head down and no one noticed her expression: "That good-for-nothing can't possibly have anything good to do?"
“First, he’s a man. Second, he’s alive.” After saying that, Stone quickly lowered his head to drink his tea.
"You! You're ruthless!" Huo Xiaoxiao was about to explode, but unfortunately, her seat was in a very unfavorable position. To her left was Huo's father, to her right was Shi Tou, and directly in front of her sat Cai Jun's father, his mother, and himself.
Damn it, she couldn't even escape if she wanted to.
Stone smiled innocently. To be honest, that talented young man wasn't that hateful. He was just a boy in his early teens, looking no older than 15, with delicate features and a somewhat submissive air about him.
Of course, this was something that absolutely could not be said to Huo Xiaoxiao.
"Xiao Yi, since your requirements are so low, I'll find you someone according to your requirements next time, okay?" Huo Xiaoxiao felt particularly annoyed looking at Shi Tou's carefree grin. Based on the principle that if she was unhappy, she wouldn't let others be happy either, Huo Xiaoxiao threatened in a low voice.
"Okay!" To Huo Xiaoxiao's surprise, Shi Tou agreed without hesitation. What a joke! She wouldn't be afraid of this tactic. Back in the day, she'd eaten at every hotel, restaurant, tea house, coffee shop, and even every KFC in the city—a true matchmaking event. This little shrimp's lineup was nothing compared to hers.
Huo Xiaoxiao was immediately speechless and didn't come to her senses for a long time.
Stone happily drank his tea and ate his snacks, looking completely carefree.
"Xiao Yi, quickly give me an idea, and I'll give you 10,000 purple gold coins!" Huo Xiaoxiao endured a while longer, but even with her head down, she could feel the blatant gaze upon her. What are you looking at? Look again and I'll gouge your eyes out!
Huo Xiaoxiao had absolutely no interest in such talented men who stared at her so intently on their first meeting. In her opinion, the real talents were the kind of men who would ignore her no matter how hard she tried to get close to them.
Honey, are you really not the type to get slapped?
Shi Tou ate another pastry, swallowed it with tea, and then Huo Xiaoxiao quickly said while he was putting down his teacup, "Forget about the purple gold coins. It's bad luck to ruin someone's marriage. But for the sake of our sisterhood, I'll call Ju Hua over for you. You can tell her to make a big commotion."
What are chrysanthemums used for?!
Huo Xiaoxiao was about to retort when her father suddenly spoke up: "Xiaoxiao, An'an is also a student at your Imperial Capital Academy. You may have met before!"
"Huh?" Huo Xiaoxiao was clearly taken aback. She subconsciously looked up at the so-called An'an, then quickly lowered her head again: "Never seen her before." There were many students at the Imperial Capital Academy. Apart from Brother Xiaotian, she didn't know any of the upperclassmen.
"Hehe, if I really saw her, it must have been at the opening ceremony. My An'an is from the Qi Academy, and she rarely interacts with students from the Magic Academy." Cai Jun's father chimed in, "Your Xiao Xiao is really amazing. She's become a one-star mage in such a short time. Hmm, truly remarkable."
What?!
Stone had just called Chrysanthemum over when he heard Caijun's father's words and was immediately stunned. Huo Xiaoxiao had already advanced? So fast?!
Chrysanthemum walked blankly behind her second young lady, unsure of what to do.
Huo Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, had been paying close attention to Shi Tou's movements. She noticed Ju Hua's arrival even earlier than Shi Tou, and quickly gestured for Ju Hua to come closer so she could whisper a few words to her.
"Xiaoxiao, you advanced?" Shi Tou asked in surprise. Although Shi Tou didn't care too much about these things, Huo Xiaoxiao had always been good to her, and she hoped that Huo Xiaoxiao would do well.
"I'd rather not have advanced at all!" Huo Xiaoxiao was truly gritting her teeth: "If it weren't for my sudden advancement, I wouldn't have been targeted, would I?"
It seems like Huo Xiaoxiao is the cracked egg, while the Caijun family are the flies...
o(╯□╰)o
"Xiaoxiao, why haven't you said anything all day? Are you shy?" Grandpa Huo had been chatting with the lewd old man sitting at the head of the table, and seeing that Huo Xiaoxiao was unusually quiet today, he asked out of curiosity.
Huo Xiaoxiao raised her head and forced a smile: "Xiaoyi just told me that she has finished another explosive rocket launcher. I can't wait to see it."
puff!
Miss Huo, you are so mighty and valiant!
Shi Tou said that she was simply caught in the crossfire.
"Really? That's great!" Ever since Stone's sudden outburst, Grandpa Huo's view of him had changed. But so much time had passed, and Stone hadn't produced anything like that again, which had left him somewhat disappointed. So, when Huo Xiaoxiao shared the good news, he immediately became excited: "Great! Well then, Xiaoxiao, you take An'an with you to Xiaoyi's place! Remember, treat our guests well!"
\(^o^)/~
Serves you right for using us as a scapegoat!
But before Stone could finish his excitement, a piercing scream suddenly came from not far away: "Aaaaaahh ...
The screams were so agonizing that they reminded Stone of a classic segment from a variety show in his past life: "āáǎà"...
Damn, she only realized today that screams really can be distorted.
-----
The pan-fried buns were bleeding profusely...
Tragic, truly tragic, extremely tragic!
/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~
...
☆, Chapter 147 Tragedy: Playing with Fire
"How could the clock be gone? It was just here a moment ago, how did it disappear?" In the Red Maple Garden, Huo Xiaoxiao was holding Shi Tou's hand and muttering to herself as if she had seen a ghost. Beside them was the talented young man from the reception room.
The stone gazes silently at the sky.
After that scream, a servant came in a panic to report that the large clock, which was placed on the west side of the drawing room, was missing.
Grandpa Huo was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly masked his surprise. He instructed the butler to handle the matter while telling Huo Xiaoxiao to take the guest away as agreed. So, Shi Tou calmly followed Huo Xiaoxiao away.
However, while Shi Tou remained calm, Huo Xiaoxiao was anything but.
"Xiao Yi, what do you think is going on?" Huo Xiaoxiao held onto Shi Tou's hand tightly and refused to let go, repeating the same few sentences over and over again. Shi Tou almost couldn't resist hitting Huo Xiaoxiao with a brick.
Shi Tou listened intently as Huo Xiaoxiao recounted this matter for the eighteenth time, her eyes wide with disbelief. She felt an overwhelming regret for ever having asked Baozi to take away the clock when Huo Xiaoxiao was around. How come she hadn't noticed Huo Xiaoxiao's potential to become a nagging old woman like Xianglin's wife before?
The Huo family is so rich they're practically burning money, what's the big bell? Is it really worth being so heartbroken?
"Xiaoyi, why aren't you saying anything? That big clock has been in our Huo family's reception room for hundreds of years, and it's always been in good condition, without the slightest bump or scratch. Tell me, what happened?" Huo Xiaoxiao kept nagging, as if she would never get tired of talking.
Shi Tou stiffly turned his neck to look at Huo Xiaoxiao. To be honest, if it weren't for that talented young man, Shi Tou would have wanted to turn himself in! Damn it, being a nagging old woman like Xianglin's wife... that's not something an ordinary person can handle!
"Sister, Grandpa said we should treat our distinguished guests well. Don't worry about that clock, we can just ask Grandpa to buy another one." After listening for a while, Shi Tou finally couldn't hold back and interrupted Huo Xiaoxiao while she was catching her breath.
Huo Xiaoxiao glared at Shi Tou fiercely, her eyes seemingly accusing him of being disloyal!
Shi Tou suddenly realized that Huo Xiaoxiao wasn't actually worried about the clock! She was clearly just making excuses to ignore Cai Jun! The clock was just a small prop. Although the clock was quite valuable, it certainly wasn't valuable enough to make the usually extravagant Miss Huo feel sorry for it.
"Hehe..." Stone, having figured out the reason, laughed awkwardly: "Sister, what's this brother's name? I don't even know it!"
It wasn't that Shi Tou was deliberately disrespecting Huo Xiaoxiao; it's just that the talented young man's face was practically turning blue after hearing her nagging countless times. To prevent this adorable little boy from developing any lifelong psychological trauma, Shi Tou decided to go all out.
Huo Xiaoxiao was truly resentful. She grabbed Shi Tou's hand and pinched it hard: "Xiao Yi, that's the fifth young master of the Lin family. His name is Lin An. Right? Young Master Lin An."
The little boy named Lin An nodded hurriedly, "Yes, I am Lin An." Finally, the topic of the clock was over, Lin An thought. How incredibly blue the sky was!
"Oh, Brother Lin An, right?" Shi Tou endured the pain in his hand, turned his head and looked at Lin An with a smile: "Brother Lin An is the fifth young master of the Lin family? Then, may I ask, what is Lin Yao to you?"
Lin An was taken aback and replied with some confusion, "Lin Yao is my cousin. Um, I don't know how the Huo family's sister knows my cousin?" Although Lin Yao is a member of the Lin family, in fact, Lin Yao and he are not very close. They are cousins in name, but strictly speaking, their grandfathers were the biological brothers.
Stone answered readily: "Brother Lin Yao is amazing! This time, he was the one leading the team in the Crimson Forest!"
"Really?" Lin An looked even more confused. He knew, of course, that the two young ladies from the Huo family had gone to the Crimson Forest together this year. But Lin Yao was always a proud and arrogant person; how could he possibly be willing to lead a children's group?
Huo Xiaoxiao pinched the stone again: "Xiaoyi, don't talk nonsense. The one leading our team is Lin Qi, not Lin Yao. How could Lin Yao possibly be willing to take over the children's group!"
Children's Corps...
Stone was conflicted. She had never known that the children who went to search for the Blood Pearl Fruit were called the Children's Corps.
"Hehe, it's alright. Maybe the little sister from the Huo family doesn't understand this?" After Huo Xiaoxiao said that, Lin An understood. It was probably Lin Yao who was leading the team this year. "You might not know, but Lin Yao and his cousins gained quite a lot from this trip to the Crimson Forest. I heard they hunted down a five-star magical beast and even captured a cub!"
Huo Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up immediately. They had set off for the capital in early spring, so they knew nothing about what had happened afterward. Hearing this news, Huo Xiaoxiao was genuinely overjoyed: "Really? There are cubs? What star level are they?"
Judging by the time, Lin Yao and his group should have left the Crimson Forest not long ago. Unlike the Huo family's caravan, these were genuine expedition teams who couldn't have leisurely traveled back to the capital by carriage; they must have just returned.
"I only got the news yesterday." Lin An's words further confirmed Huo Xiaoxiao's guess: "All I know is that the mother beast is five-star, and it is said that she just gave birth, so her strength is greatly reduced. As for what star the cubs are, I don't know."
Stone frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Isn't it said that pregnant female beasts are all in the inner circle?"
Huo Xiaoxiao glared at Shi Tou: "Of course it's in the inner perimeter. Just because the mother beast won't leave the inner perimeter doesn't mean others can't enter it!"
"Huh? Lin Yao and his group are really bold!" Shi Tou was a little surprised. From what she knew before, the inner area should be extremely dangerous. But then again, without danger, where would the profits come from?
"Of course! My cousin Lin Yao and the others have always been very brave. I'm just too young, otherwise I would have gone too!" Lin An said with longing. He had been learning martial arts since he was a child, but because he wasn't very talented and was indeed too young, his parents always prevented him from taking risks.
"By the way, how old are you this year, Brother Lin An?" Shi Tou really didn't know anything about the affairs of the six major families in the East. Fortunately, the real Huo Yi had been hidden at home before, so her actions did not arouse Lin An's suspicion.
Lin An smiled at Shi Tou: "I'm 13 years old this year. How about you, little sister of the Huo family?"
“Eight years old!” Shi Tou felt Huo Xiaoxiao pinch her again, frowned, and looked at Huo Xiaoxiao with a helpless expression: “Sister, what’s wrong?”
Huo Xiaoxiao let go of Shi Tou's hand, feeling embarrassed. "Xiao Yi, really, didn't you just tell me you had something to show me? Where is it?"
Stone curled her lip. She had plenty of things like the Explosive Rocket Launcher in her ring space. However, she didn't plan to take them out right now. After realizing that even counterfeit versions had such powerful capabilities, she didn't want to show off anymore.
"Here you go!" Stone took out a dark object from his ring space and stuffed it into Huo Xiaoxiao's hand.
Huo Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the pitch-black object in her hand, unable to come to her senses for a long time.
Shi Tou raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything to explain. He just watched as Huo Xiaoxiao fiddled with it.
"What is this?" Huo Xiaoxiao finally asked after a long while, "A Explosive Flame Rocket Launcher?"
Stone grinned mischievously: "No, this is called 'Bang Bang Pa Pa'!"
Huo Xiaoxiao stared at the object in her hand for a long time as if she had seen a ghost, still looking incredulous: "What?"
Shi Tou snatched the thing from Huo Xiaoxiao's hand and threw it directly onto the ravaged thousand-year-old red iron tree in the Red Maple Garden!
Okay, actually, the stone didn't use much force, but it still made a crisp sound when it hit the tree, followed by a loud explosion...
"My tree!" Huo Xiaoxiao stared at the red iron tree that had burned twice in just over ten days, her heart trembling.
"Relax, it's not like a rocket launcher. It'll burn for a while and then it'll be fine." The thing Stone just threw out was actually just a gunpowder pack. Or to put it more bluntly, it was just one of those firecrackers that cost three or five yuan each in my previous life. It's just that Stone modified it from a rocket launcher, so the sound was a little louder and the flames shot up a little higher.
"Little sister of the Huo family, did you make this?" The little boy Lin An stared in horror at the raging flames, and it took him a long time to come back to his senses.
Shi Tou nodded proudly while winking at Huo Xiaoxiao. The reason she brought out this otherworldly version of firecrackers today was to scare the little boy. Although the little boy was quite handsome, since Huo Xiaoxiao didn't like it, she didn't want to side with an outsider.