He suspected they might seek an alternative route home. Although Ying City and Nanwu City were necessary stops on the way back to the Southern Border, it was possible to bypass them through the treacherous surrounding mountains.
However, taking a detour would consume more time, and the perilous mountain terrain made it a rarely chosen path.
He had clashed with Rong Sheng on the battlefield and knew him to be unorthodox. It wouldn't be surprising if he sought another way.
Yan Yang: "General, the surrounding mountains are treacherous. It's unlikely anyone would choose such a roundabout route."
Qin Yuchuan: "You are not him. How can you know which path he'll choose? Our job is to consider all possibilities."
Yan Yang: "I understand, sir."
"Good. You may go," Qin Yuchuan waved his hand.
Yan Yang glanced at the cake on the desk. "General, do you have any more of that?"
"...No, it's gone."
"Oh." Yan Yang bowed his head and left.
Qin Yuchuan picked up his fork again and slowly resumed eating the cake.
He suddenly recalled the cake they had shared on his birthday, feeling a twinge of nostalgia.
If he could spend all his future birthdays with her, it would certainly be something to look forward to.
...
In the evening at the villa, Feng Qingyi sat on the sofa watching TV.
Feng Qingci was busy cooking in the kitchen.
"Feng Qingyi, come help me for a moment."
Hearing Feng Qingci's call, Feng Qingyi walked into the kitchen.
"What is it?"
Feng Qingci pointed at the phone on the counter. "Help me answer a call."
Feng Qingyi looked puzzled. "Why can't you answer it yourself?"
"Take it outside to answer. I need to keep cooking," Feng Qingci said.
Picking up Feng Qingyi's phone from the counter, she saw it was their long-out-of-touch uncle, Nan Hao, calling.
Feng Qingyi finally understood why he didn't want to answer – calls from this uncle never brought good news.
Answering the phone, she heard the voice on the other end.
"Qingci, why did it take so long to answer?"
Feng Qingyi: "My brother's playing games with friends and forgot his phone."
Nan Hao: "Oh, Qingyi! It's you. Let me tell you something."
"Your cousin Nan Yue finishes her college entrance exams next month and wants to spend some time in the Capital City."
"Her mother and I don't have time to accompany her, but you and Qingci are both there. Could you show her around and have some fun with her?"
Feng Qingyi: "Uncle, it's not that we don't want to, but we both have a lot of classes. We're quite busy."
"On weekends, my brother and I have part-time jobs. We really don't have much time to entertain our cousin. Maybe we could do it when we're on break?"
Nan Hao asked: "When do you start your break?"
Feng Qingyi: "We'll be on break around mid-July. We could spend a few days with her then."
Nan Hao: "Your cousin is going abroad with her friends in mid-July. She only has time right after her exams."
"You're both in university now. Missing a few classes won't matter. Besides, your parents are so wealthy – why bother with part-time jobs?"
"I'll have her contact you when she arrives. It's settled then. Take good care of her. She's never been to the Capital City and doesn't know her way around. We're not comfortable with her being alone."
"But..."
Feng Qingyi was about to say something, but Nan Hao cut her off.
"We're all family. Don't 'but' me. You're her older cousin, so look after her. Your cousin is very well-behaved. If you really can't spare the time, you can even bring her to your classes."
"..."
Looking at the ended call, Feng Qingyi felt a headache coming on.
Nan Hao hadn't received much education, having gone to work at a young age.
He ended up being swindled out of a large sum of money while away, and upon returning home, he spent his days idly, worrying his elderly parents sick.
Later, he was arranged to work at a factory, earning enough to get by.
Not long after, Nan Yin debuted as a singer, and he thought he could get money from her. He quit his factory job.
At that time, Nan Yin was just a novice fresh out of school, barely making ends meet. How could she have money to give him?
In the end, Nan Hao didn't get any money, so he went around the town saying Nan Yin was unfilial.
Later, he married a woman introduced by the townspeople. His wife was quite acerbic.
Whenever Nan Yin brought her family back, these two would mock and ridicule them, hoping to extract some money.
They even constantly picked on and belittled Feng Qingci and Feng Qingyi, using this to highlight Nan Yue's excellence.
Feng Qingyi guessed that this time they probably wanted Nan Yue to freeload off them.
Her parents wouldn't give them money, and her grandparents couldn't be bothered with them, so they set their sights on her and Feng Qingci.
She wasn't a stingy person. If their relationship was better, she wouldn't mind showing her cousin around and buying some things.
But Nan Yue took after her parents – self-important, arrogant, bossy towards them, and extremely skilled at tattling and distorting facts.
She really didn't want any contact with such a person.
Feng Qingyi returned to the kitchen with the phone.
Feng Qingci quickly asked: "How did it go? What did he say?"
"He said our cousin wants to come play after her college entrance exams, and wants us to take care of her," Feng Qingyi replied.
Feng Qingci: "Take care of what? I need to be with Xixi. I don't have time."
"He's so ridiculous. He told us to skip classes and show her around," she said, still finding it laughable.
Feng Qingci: "They've got some nerve. They probably want to milk us for money. I certainly don't have money to buy her things."
"I'm broke too. The thing is, I didn't even get a chance to refuse before he decided it was settled. What should we do?" It was truly a headache.
Feng Qingci turned off the stove. "What else can we do but stall?"
Feng Qingyi brought the dishes to the table. "The exam is in just over a week. How can we stall?"
"If we can't stall, let's have Mom and Dad pay for a hotel for her. That's already more than generous," Feng Qingci said.
Feng Qingyi sighed, "That's all we can do for now."
Because of Nan Yue's impending visit, neither of them enjoyed their meal very much.
Before bed that night, Qin Yuchuan called Feng Qingyi again.
Seeing it was a video call, Feng Qingyi hesitated for a long time before answering.
Qin Yuchuan spoke first, "Qingqing, why can't I see you?"
"I don't look good today. You can see me in a few days!" She had a big pimple and had applied medicine, but it showed no signs of fading.
"How is that possible? Qingqing is always the most beautiful," Qin Yuchuan said.
Feng Qingyi: "But this pimple really ruins my image. It's right in the middle, too ugly."
Qin Yuchuan: "Let me see."
Feng Qingyi put the phone face down on the bed. "No, wait until it's gone."
"If you won't let me see, I might have to come find you," Qin Yuchuan said.
Hearing this, Feng Qingyi slowly picked up the phone.
