Chapter 115
Chapter 115
Xiao Che did not know whether to laugh or cry. His daughter really never let anyone get the better of her.
When the man saw all his companions return unharmed, his suspended heart finally settled.
But no delight appeared on his face. His companions had returned, yet their lives were not entirely safe.
“Benefactor, please see good deed through. I thank you.”
The man cupped his hands toward Jin Bao in an awkward imitation of a Great Xia salute. His words were also disjointed, but Jin Bao understood him nonetheless.
“No. You don’t have anything left to thank Baby with. All these things are already Baby’s.”
Jin Bao did not like suffering losses. Losses did not taste good.
The man’s expression turned troubled. Once the refugees finished looting the supplies, they would charge his group again.
He immediately removed the veil covering his face.
“Benefactor, can I owe you? My country very rich. We have many gems like these. I give them all to you.”
Jin Bao tilted her head and looked down at the jewels hanging from her body. After thinking for a moment, she finally nodded.
“Fine. Baby will save you, but you can’t lie to a child, okay? We have to make a pinky promise.”
Jin Bao held up her little hand.
The man bent down and carefully studied it. Although he did not understand, he still extended his large hand and grasped Jin Bao’s, assuming she wanted a handshake.
Angrily, Jin Bao yanked her hand free and furrowed her brow.
“Not a handshake. A pinky promise.”
Jin Bao held out her hand again. This time, she pulled his hand toward her, forcibly pried out his little finger, and hooked it with her own.
When the two fingers, one large and one tiny, linked together, Jin Bao finally smiled in satisfaction and recited her classic phrase. “Pinky promise, pinky swear, never change for a hundred years. Whoever changes is a big rotten turtle. Seal!”
With the man still utterly bewildered, Jin Bao completed the one-sided ritual.
“There. Now we’ve made a pact, so Baby has to keep her promise and protect you. But you can’t lie to Baby either. Otherwise, you’ll all turn into big turtles, and Baby will go to your country and beat you up too.”
Jin Bao bared her teeth and brandished one small fist.
She looked adorably fierce but possessed no power to intimidate whatsoever.
Xiao Che picked Jin Bao up from the ground and had the Shadow Guards escort the group into Blackwind Fort.
He personally drove the Snow Mastiffs and pulled the sleigh house back.
Xiao Che very much wanted to see what kind of seeds inside had left his daughter so obsessed.
When they returned to Blackwind Fort, Aunt Ma arrived with food.
“Valley Master, the Young Miss’s meal is ready.”
The moment Jin Bao heard, she hurried over.
Aunt Ma carried over a bowl of porridge and set it on the table. White steam still rose from its surface.
Before Jin Bao even drew near, the aroma reached her, making her mouth water.
“Wow, it smells so good!”
Aunt Ma seated Jin Bao beside the table, scooped up a spoonful, and brought it to her mouth.
“If the Young Miss likes it, I’ll make it for you again. This porridge is nourishing. It will make you fair and plump in no time.”
Jin Bao swallowed the spoonful of porridge with a smack of her lips. After savoring it for a moment, she gulped it down.
“Yummy! Yummy! Baby wants more. Grandma, hurry!”
After a single bite, Jin Bao’s eyes lit up. Sitting on the long bench, she swung both short legs and urged Aunt Ma to feed her faster.
Aunt Ma smiled until her eyes narrowed and carefully fed Jin Bao the entire bowl of meat porridge, one spoonful at a time.
“More! Baby wants more! Baby’s tummy is still flat.”
One bowl was nowhere near enough. Jin Bao felt she could eat ten more.
Aunt Ma did not dare feed her too much for fear that the food would accumulate and upset her stomach.
But Jin Bao kept crying that she was hungry. At a loss, Aunt Ma could only look toward Xiao Che.
Xiao Che considered the changes in Jin Bao. She might usually be greedy for food, but she was also sensible. She firmly remembered her mother’s instructions to eat until only seventy percent full and never stuff herself.
Her fuss today must mean she had not eaten enough. Awakening a new supernatural ability had surely consumed too much energy and left her ravenous.
After understanding the connection, Xiao Che nodded.
“Give the Young Miss whatever else there is to eat. She has a large appetite, so don’t worry about indigestion.”
Only then did Aunt Ma dare fetch more food.
In one sitting, Jin Bao devoured three large bowls of porridge, two white-flour buns, and several strips of roasted meat. Finally satisfied, she patted her round belly.
“Burp! Being full feels so nice. Baby feels even stronger now.”
Jin Bao released a tremendous belch and stretched as far as she could.
Unable to suppress a smile, Xiao Che said, “Now that you’re full, shall we go see your potato seeds?”
Jin Bao hurriedly climbed down from the bench. She had been so focused on eating that she had forgotten all about the potatoes she longed for.
“Let’s go! Baby can’t wait anymore.”
Xiao Che smiled. He wondered who had been eating so single-mindedly moments ago that she would have insisted on finishing her meal even if the sky collapsed.
Father and daughter entered the western side courtyard. The moment they stepped inside, they saw the sleigh house parked in the middle.
At the same time, the people in the courtyard’s rooms heard the movement and opened their doors.
They were the travelers Jin Bao had just rescued.
Every one of them had now removed their veils, revealing their faces. They looked distinctly different from the people of Great Xia.
Their noses were high and straight, their faces sharply carved, and their jawlines clearly defined. Most striking of all were their blue eyes, which resembled the sapphire necklace hanging from Jin Bao’s neck.
It was Xiao Che’s first time seeing anyone with blue eyes. They were obviously not from Great Xia, and he wondered why they had appeared in the Northern Frontier.
Jin Bao did not find them unusual. In her previous life, she had seen eyes of many different colors on television. But this was her first time seeing such people in person, and she thought their eyes were even prettier than they had looked on the screen.
“Greetings, Valley Master. Greetings, Young Miss.”
The leading man performed a salute from his homeland.
The others followed suit.
Only after studying them did Xiao Che speak. “There is no need for ceremony. Where are you from? Why have you come to the Northern Frontier, and where are you heading now?”
The leading man straightened. Painful memories crossed his face, but perhaps because of the language barrier, he kept his answer brief.
“I am Jamshid, from the Western Regions. This first time we come to Northern Frontier of your country. These are companions. We are caravan.”
Jamshid spoke while gesturing, afraid his halting command of their language might cause a misunderstanding.
Xiao Che nodded and looked toward the sleigh house again.
“What’s inside?”
Xiao Che pointed at the vehicle.
Jamshid hurried over and opened the door.
“Seeds. Seeds from Western Regions. I hear Northern Frontier of your country has fertile soil, good for seeds. Wanted go Bei’an City. Lost on road. Refugees chased us here.”
Xiao Che was overjoyed. Before he could say anything more, Jamshid began dragging sacks of seeds from the wagon and placing them on the ground.
He opened them one by one to display their contents.
“This sweet potato. This tomato. This potato. This cucumber. This pumpkin, winter melon, chili pepper…”
Xiao Che counted roughly a dozen different varieties, all things he had never heard of before.
But Jin Bao knew every one of them. Back in kindergarten in her previous life, her teacher had introduced the class to different fruits and vegetables each day.
Her favorites were potatoes and tomatoes.
She could not wait to taste those long-missed flavors again.
Jin Bao picked up two sacks of seeds and ran outside.