Happy News at Home

Mother was expecting a baby. Wenlong hoped it would be a little brother. If he left the Azure Plains Continent someday, his parents would still have someone to rely on.

Although they already had Wen Tie and Wen Hua, he did not want his parents to have any regrets-the regret of having a son of their own who never stayed by their side, even until their dying day.

When Wen Tie and Wen Hua saw Wenlong return, they hurried to greet him as Third Brother. Wenlong was in a fine mood and asked about their studies.

Seeing Wenlong, his mother complained that he was never home. He hurried over to butter her up. "Mother, haven't I come home now? When will this little brother of mine be born?"

Long'er's mother rolled her eyes at him. "Not for quite a while yet. Why must it be a brother? Wouldn't a sister do?"

"Of course, of course! I'm just too anxious, aren't I? I'll love a little brother or sister just the same." Wenlong hurried to agree with his mother, eager to please her.

Seeing their third brother put in his place, Wen Tie and Wen Hua covered their mouths and snickered. "You're just like your father, never home. You ought to help your fourth brother and fifth sister with their studies, too." His mother began to nag.

"Understood! Rest assured, esteemed Mother. I'll get something to eat first, then help them with their studies," Wenlong said solemnly.

His mother laughed too. Seeing that she was no longer angry, Wenlong hurried off to eat. Better to make himself scarce before she gave him another earful.

After sweeping through his meal like a gale scattering clouds, Wenlong went to the study to help Wen Tie and Wen Hua with their lessons.

Wen Tie was scowling at an arithmetic problem, while Wen Hua was writing and sketching beside him. Wenlong leaned over for a look. Wen Tie was working on arithmetic, but no matter how he tried, he could not remember the mnemonic Wenlong had taught him.

Wenlong smiled and patted Wen Tie's head. "Fourth Brother, I'll write the mnemonic down for you. You need to learn it by heart." He had devised this multiplication mnemonic himself, so no one else knew it either.

Next, Wenlong looked at what Wen Hua had written. It was actually an account of what she had learned about identifying medicinal herbs.

Wenlong nodded approvingly and patiently explained some of the herbs' properties and uses to Wen Hua. Wen Tie and Wen Hua listened with keen interest, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.

Their mother walked in and smiled with relief at the sight of the three studying so earnestly.

"Long'er is teaching carefully, and Tie'er and Hua'er are learning attentively. You're all doing wonderfully. It's getting late, so go to bed early." Wenlong and his younger siblings answered her, then returned to their rooms to rest.

The next day, Wenlong entered the Secret Passage again. Their ancestors had left many medical books behind, and he hoped to find a prescription to support his mother's pregnancy.

His mother was thirty-three, which counted as an advanced maternal age. He wanted to prepare a prescription to safeguard her pregnancy properly. Nothing must go wrong.

Fortunately, there were plenty of prescriptions for this. He selected two that he thought were very good and brought them out.

He immediately sought out Linzi's mother and asked her to prepare the medicine for his mother. He hoped it would keep her safe and allow his little brother or sister to be born smoothly.

As for his mother's nutrition, there was even less need to worry. His aunts would feed her until she was fair and plump. After all, she was the second most powerful person in the clan.

To ease the guilt and regret he would feel when he eventually left, Wenlong indulged his mother's every wish and did everything he could to treat her well.

Long'er's mother found it strange, too. Her son was usually never home. He was either cultivating in the Secret Passage or busy with his workshops.

Now that she was pregnant, he was even more attentive than his father. Still, when she thought of how she would give him a little brother or sister, she understood.

Wenlong stayed with his mother as much as possible. Sometimes he tended the flowers and plants, and sometimes he guided his younger siblings in their studies.

He had not been wrong to help Wen Tie and Wen Hua back then. Young as they were, both were deeply devoted to his mother.

That pleased him immensely. His kindness had not gone to waste.

During his free time at home, he noticed the loom his mother had asked his uncle to buy. Wenlong was very interested. If he modified it using modern methods, could he double its output?

He studied it for several days before drawing up plans. He had his father take them to a clan uncle skilled in carpentry to build it. After several trials, it really did prove several times faster than the original loom.

Long'er's mother had never imagined that her son was such a genius. Even while staying home to keep her company, he could create something so useful.

Her heart swelled with pride in her son. Without him, there was no telling what sort of bitter life the lineage would be living now.

"Mother, have people make more of these new looms, then put the female slaves to work weaving cloth. We won't lack clothes in the future." Wenlong's words roused Long'er's mother from her thoughts.

"Good, that's a good idea. Tie'er, go fetch your father. I have something to discuss with him." Long'er's mother turned to Wen Tie and sent him to bring Wen Tiancheng home.

"Yes, Mother. I'll go right away." Wen Tie answered and hurried off.

Wenlong continued, "Mother, here's what I'm thinking. The female slaves can weave, and we can have the people of the Huaxia Sect and Huaxia Village gather the materials for the Wen to purchase. That way, they can earn more, and it saves us trouble."

"Very good. Once production increases, we can sell the cloth, too." Long'er's mother was delighted. This would give the clanspeople another source of income.

Just then, Wen Tiancheng returned with Wen Tie. Wenlong looked displeased. "Father, you may be the Clan Chief, but the Wen doesn't belong to our household alone. Mother is having difficulty getting around. Can't you spend more time with her?"

Without waiting for his father to answer, Wenlong turned and left. His father and younger siblings stood there bewildered, unsure where his temper had come from today.

Wenlong went to find Shitou and ask about the Kai's movements. They needed to keep the Kai firmly pinned down in Wan Family Town and prevent them from coming out.

It would be bad if the Kai found the Wen. He knew it was not yet time for a decisive battle. The Wen had finally gained some stability; they could not suffer another blow.

If the Kai sent several thousand people to attack, even a powerful Wen would suffer terrible losses. The enemy had numbers on their side, and however good their crossbows were, victory would remain uncertain.

Their current tactic of raiding the enemy was excellent. Fight when they could win, run when they could not. Only a fool would pass up a safe victory.

"We've sent several experts to intercept their scouts in secret. When an opportunity arises, they also go to Wan Family Town and catch them off guard," Shitou said with a smile.

"Good. What I want is for you to let not a single scout coming in our direction slip through. We lack the strength to withstand a major battle." Wenlong thoroughly approved of Shitou's tactics.

Wenlong trusted Shitou to handle things, but also reminded him to take proper safety precautions and keep the security squads on patrol.

They had to maintain a strict defense. Protecting the Wen was the entire clan's foremost duty. They could not confront the Kai too early.

When Wenlong returned home that afternoon, he saw that his father had not gone out. His father glanced at him without speaking.

Heh, sulking, is he? Wenlong found it amusing, but kept his expression composed as he walked up to his father.

"Father, why haven't you gone out? Ah, Huaxia Village, the Huaxia Sect, Wen Family Village... there's so much to handle in all those places. Even if you slept outside, you couldn't manage everything alone, could you?" Wenlong could only speak softly.

Seeing that his father still said nothing, Wenlong continued, "Father, you need to understand that when there's too much work, you have to divide the responsibilities. All you need to do is manage the person in charge of each task."

Before Wenlong had finished, Wen Tiancheng slapped the table. "Oh, that's a good idea! A good idea!" It gave Wenlong quite a fright.

"Father, can't you just talk properly? You nearly scared me to death. Why slap the table?" Wenlong spoke with his heart still trembling. A sudden fright like that could scare a healthy person sick.