"Good morning, everyone~" While they were still near the staircase, Chu Lian deliberately put some distance between herself and Chu Chu, creating the illusion that they had come out one after the other. She wanted to mislead everyone else and keep them from thinking in the right direction.
It would not really matter even if they were discovered, but it was better not to invite trouble when they could avoid it. Maintaining the current situation was enough. If things became any more chaotic, even she would no longer be able to handle it.
As for sneaking a taste on the side, Chu Lian would never admit that was what she had done. Could an elder sister's affection for her younger sister really be called sneaking a taste? That was called caring.
"Huh? Dad, what's wrong?" When Chu Lian reached Chu Xiao, who was sitting dejectedly on the sofa, she heard him sigh and asked curiously.
"Nothing. I just feel a little sorry toward all of you. I'm busy with work every day and have never properly spent time with you and your mother. As a father, I'm almost too ashamed to face you." Chu Xiao's lament left Chu Lian somewhat puzzled. Then, when the corner of her eye caught sight of Li Mingxue bustling around the kitchen preparing breakfast, she immediately understood why he had said that.
Although she sympathized with her father, she would never cooperate with him and persuade her mother to forgive him over this. In her heart, no matter how vast heaven and earth were, her esteemed mother was greater than them all.
Chu Chu took the same approach, only she was even more excessive than Chu Lian. As she passed Chu Xiao, she let out a heavy "hmph" through her nose, as though she were extremely dissatisfied with him.
"I..." Chu Xiao held his forehead. What sin did I commit? So what if I was a little busy with work and the children were raised by their mother, Li Mingxue, from a young age? Do they all really have to care so little about me?
"Come, come, little Anna. Tell Grandpa, isn't Grandpa really annoying?" Left with no other choice, Chu Xiao could only try to win over Anna, who was silently drinking her milk.
Unexpectedly, after hearing his question, Anna did not even look at him before answering, "Yes. You're really annoying!"
"Ahaha, you child. As expected of Lian'er's daughter. Even your personality is so much like hers." Naturally, Chu Xiao showed no outward sign that he had been dealt another blow. He could only laugh awkwardly and brush the matter aside.
Heaven only knew what would happen to his standing in the family if he kept talking. Though, judging by the current situation, he had already lost all standing long ago.
"Morning, Chu Lian." Li Xiu'er was arranging the bowls and chopsticks. When she saw Chu Lian approaching, she greeted her with a smile.
She could now be considered another new member of this household and would be living here from now on. Therefore, she had begun making herself useful. As long as there was something she could do, she would try to help.
"Morning, Xiu'er." Just as Chu Lian was about to sit down, she suddenly remembered that neither she nor Chu Chu had washed up yet.
As though she knew exactly what state the two of them were in, Li Mingxue's voice came from the kitchen. "Little Lian'er, Chu Chu, have the two of you washed up yet?"
"Ah, not yet. We'll go brush our teeth first." The moment she said that, Li Xiu'er seemed to understand something. Her gaze moved back and forth between Chu Chu and Chu Lian twice, but she said nothing.
Realizing they had been seen through, the two girls fled as though they had grown wings, rushing to the bathroom beside their bedrooms to wash up.
The other girls also came downstairs one after another around this time.
Without anyone noticing when it had happened, this house had changed from a place where Chu Lian lived alone most of the time into a home shared by so many people.
Although Liu Yanran and Cai Ya were only staying temporarily and would return home soon, they had still added another measure of warmth to this household, bringing their own colors into Chu Lian's somewhat lonely heart.
Breakfast quickly passed amid the girls' quiet conversation. With more people around, everything naturally became livelier.
Picking up a bottle of milk, Chu Lian carried her small bag to the entryway, sat down, and began changing into her little leather boots.
The other girls, who had also put on their school uniforms, followed her over and sat in a row beside her. The five girls wore identical outfits, yet each possessed her own unique charm, creating a sight pleasing enough to delight anyone's eyes.
"Tina, come help me clean up." Li Mingxue might allow the girls to leave, but she would not let Tina, who had transformed into a loli maid, wander off as she pleased. She grabbed her and ordered her to help clear away the bowls and chopsticks.
Tina had originally planned to take advantage of the warm sunlight to go bask outside while looking after the stray cats, but she could only pull a long face as Li Mingxue put her to work.
She knew perfectly well that once Li Mingxue spoke, there was nothing she could do no matter how unwilling she was. Worse still, once she started, she would be busy for the entire morning.
She not only had to clean the house, but also reorganize several things so the home would look even tidier.
Chu Xiao, who had been ignored the entire time, sat on the sofa with a helpless smile. However, he could not conceal the warmth in his eyes. Only like this did a home truly feel like a home.
"We're leaving for school." After changing her shoes, Chu Lian called out to Li Mingxue and the others. She then walked to the front door, opened it, and left the house.
The other girls followed her out, causing the lively house to become spacious and quiet again in an instant.
"When are you planning to go back this time?" Li Mingxue, who had ignored Chu Xiao from last night until after Chu Lian and the others left, suddenly spoke.
"I'll head back this afternoon. The research has already reached a breakthrough stage. Barring any accidents, we should be able to develop technology suitable for mass production within three months at most." Chu Xiao knew what she was asking about and answered naturally.
"You've been researching it for so long, yet you still need another three months to finish. I wonder who proposed this concept in the first place. Had all of you focused your efforts on technology instead, perhaps your achievements would have been even more brilliant."
"That depends on the circumstances. Conventional technology has far too many limitations. Many enemies are completely immune to damage from low-grade weapons. Even the strongest missiles can hardly harm them. Compared with the damage caused by energy weapons, using them would simply be a waste of materials."
"Of course conventional technology is useless against fantasy creatures. Aren't there cultivators for that? Let them handle it. Why insist on equipping every soldier with such things?"
"No, no. The vast majority of enemies we encounter in the future will be the kind conventional technology cannot affect. Only energy of the same system can injure them. Anything else is useless."
"If their bodies are weak, then no matter how powerful their weapons are, it still won't do them much good."
"I never expected them to deal with extremely powerful enemies. But at the very least, I can ensure that when disaster arrives, they won't be incapable of defeating even the enemy's weakest forces. That would not only be a tragedy for our country, but for all humanity."
"Skeleton soldiers? Specters? Blood thralls? Zombies? Ghosts? Or things like goblins and slimes?"
"Exactly. And that also includes the insects of the Abyss, the lesser demons of hell, the mummies of the underworld, and so on. Aren't these countless enemies precisely the ones ordinary humans should deal with? If every enemy is left to cultivators, what happens when the number of cultivators dwindles or the enemies become increasingly numerous? We must prepare for danger before it arrives. Humanity can only rely on itself."
Chu Xiao had said quite a lot, and the sheer amount of information contained in his words was enormous. Although Tina and Anna did not fully understand it, they still committed everything to memory so they could tell Chu Lian when she returned.
"Five years?" Li Mingxue murmured softly, as though asking Chu Xiao and talking to herself at the same time.
"Yes. Five years, then another five years. That is all the time we have." Chu Xiao sighed with emotion. Time truly passed far too quickly. Back then, his daughter had clung to him so dearly. Now she would not even pay attention to him.
"Be careful yourselves. I've heard that certain people are already beginning to stir. I won't be able to act freely for the time being, so you'll have to resolve everything yourself," Li Mingxue warned as she placed the washed bowls and chopsticks into the cupboard.
Chu Xiao appreciated her reminder, though he was already aware of the matter. "I know. Those people refuse to give up, but it's nothing serious. If they dare target me, they can wait to be uprooted entirely."
"What if they target Lian'er? Don't forget that she has a group of defenseless girls beside her."
"Don't worry. I've already assigned people to protect them. Too many things have happened lately, so let them spend some peaceful time at school. There isn't much we can do for them, but when it comes to their safety, once I intervene, no one should even dream of causing trouble."
"You should have done that long ago." Li Mingxue turned and gave him an indifferent glance. Then she picked up a broom and began cleaning alongside Tina.
"Well, I didn't exactly have a choice, did I?" Chu Xiao looked somewhat embarrassed. This was indeed something he should have done long ago, yet he had delayed it until now.
Part of the reason was that he had underestimated the enemy's strength, but more than anything, had he not simply been far too confident?
"If another enemy attack occurs within the next month, don't come back until you've eliminated every last person backing them."
"As you command, my dear wife." Chu Xiao knew this was Li Mingxue's bottom line, so he immediately agreed.
Besides, one month truly was not very long. Under the protection of those people, it would be difficult for anything to happen to Chu Lian and the others even if they tried.
"By the way, what do you think about the President of the United States visiting tomorrow?" Moving the topic away from Chu Lian and the others, Li Mingxue wanted to hear Chu Xiao's opinion on the matter.
"The President is coming to probe us. Who knows when our little Lian'er might fire another cannon at them?" Chu Xiao had learned about the visit on his way home last night and understood what had prompted it, but he did not care very much.