After the mind-reading cripple junior sister, the entire sect rose to prominence.

Chapter 61 Thoughts
Chen Lan hugged Mo Jiuwei and pressed his face against hers, coaxing, "Jiuwei, don't be angry. You're not fat at all. You're the cutest. I was just joking with you."

"I'm not kidding, her face is that big!" Xuan'er retorted after taking a sip of tea, craning her neck and gesturing with her hand to show a face the size of a basin, before bursting into laughter.

His mother, Zhang Runing, gave him a reproachful look and laughed, "You silly child, you're so talkative."

There was no blame in his tone, only the smile one gives when looking at a naughty child.

Chen Lan's face darkened.

Is Mo Jiuwei fat?
Of course I'm not fat!

She was still a baby, with chubby cheeks that looked round, plump, and very cute.

All babies look like this, which is why there is the term "baby fat." Mo Jiuwei only looks chubby on the face; her body is actually very well-proportioned, fair-skinned, and has nothing to do with being fat.

It's one thing for Xuan'er to say such things because he's young and doesn't understand, but his mother, who clearly knows the situation, doesn't stop him at all and even watches him fool around with a doting look on her face. This made Chen Lan's attitude towards her turn cold immediately.

Zhang Runing is Chen Lan's aunt's daughter, so she's considered her cousin. They were quite close when they were young, but as they grew up, their families drifted apart.

But they were still relatives, and the only remaining relatives of that branch of the family. Chen Lan was quite happy that they were visiting her so warmly, but she never expected to hear Xuan'er say such a thing.

[Hmph, what a rude family. I'm not going to bother with them.]

[I wonder how Senior Sister Chen Lan could have such a friend, and what her intentions are.]

Mo Jiuwei wasn't really angry; she didn't want to argue with a little kid, but she did dislike the family.

"No way! Our Jiuwei is the most beautiful and adorable girl in the world, she's not fat at all." Ji Qingqing rolled her eyes silently, leaving some room for maneuver in her words because of her relationship with Chen Lan.

“Yes, Jiuwei is our sect’s treasure, and everyone likes her very much,” Yi Xingyun said.

“Hehe, Xuan’er didn’t mean any harm. He was just joking with the little girl.” Zhang Runing said with a smile, not taking it seriously. “Anyway, the girl is still young and won’t understand.”

“Who says Jiuwei doesn’t understand? She…” Ji Qingqing paused halfway through her sentence, “She’s precocious and knows everything. She’s been smart since she was little!”

"Yes, yes, she does seem quite intelligent." Zhang Runing glanced at Mo Jiuwei, met her gaze with her large, grape-like eyes, and inexplicably felt a little timid.

"Ru Ning, it's rare to see you all here. Is there something you need this time?" Chen Lan asked, getting straight to the point.

“We’ve been busy with family matters and haven’t had a chance to visit you. We heard that your Xianlai Sect is in trouble and that you’re not having an easy time either. That’s why we came to check on you,” Zhang Runing said.

Her Daoist partner, Jiang Fang, nodded, "Yes, we are all family. We rarely came to visit before, but now that we have some free time, we naturally want to see you."

As Zhang Runing spoke, she took out a small box. "Oh, right, we also brought you some things. These are all homemade food. There are also two bottles of Rejuvenation Pills here. You might find them useful."

The box contained some pastries, meat pies, dried meat, and two bottles of pills.

The Spirit Recovery Pill is a common pill used by cultivators to restore their spiritual energy. It's not worth much money, but it can still be exchanged for crystals.

If these things had been given six months earlier, they could have indeed provided some relief to the Immortal Sect's urgent needs. But sending them now is not providing timely help, but rather adding to their already good fortune.

But it's still a token of our relatives' goodwill. They contributed money and effort, and even made the trip. It's a rare and heartfelt gesture.

Looking at these things, Chen Lan couldn't help but think of her deceased parents and her aunt who had been quite close to her when she was young.

This touched her and made her feel nostalgic. Her expression softened considerably, and she smiled again. "Thank you so much for thinking of me."

“Of course, after all, we’re family, not strangers.” Zhang Runing smiled brightly.

Chen Lan decided to forgive Xuan'er's previous rudeness because of the box of things, but she didn't intend to take the things for nothing. "Why don't you have dinner here later?" she invited.

The people from the Immortal Sect will also be eating later, and every meal will include monster meat. If she adds two more dishes for them, it will be quite a feast.

That meal was enough to repay the value of these things.

Zhang Runing and the others exchanged a glance, and then agreed.

"Alright, but it will be a bit of a hassle for you."

Chen Lan smiled and shook her head, saying sincerely, "How could that be? Don't be so polite, we're all family."

Ji Qingqing and Yi Xingyun both nodded.

Like Senior Sister Chen, their initial anger vanished completely upon seeing the box of things.

It's not that they're snobbish, but rather that the Immortal Sect has been in trouble for so long, and there are very few people who are truly willing to come and show them kindness. Each and every one of them is extremely precious.

Out of consideration for this kindness, the child's verbal outburst can be forgiven.

However, Mo Jiuwei had a different idea from them—

【Humph. 】

[A shifty-eyed person like that is definitely up to no good.]

Huh? Shifty-eyed?

Chen Lan looked at her cousin and cousin-in-law with suspicion. Although the two of them had a shrewd look on their faces, they were not at all like thieves or rats.

This made Chen Lan chuckle, wondering if Mo Jiuwei was still angry about Xuan'er's previous inappropriate words and actions.

I'll have to find some time later to coax her properly.

If they were to invite someone to lunch, they would definitely need to add more dishes. Chen Lan asked Ji Qingqing to go to the market to buy some things, and also asked Yi Xingyun to inform Uncle Liu and the others that they had guests.

Then, he took Mo Jiuwei and Zhang Runing to the kitchen, with Xuan'er following behind.

Mo Jiuwei really enjoys coming to the kitchen, so she can feast her eyes on the food while it's being prepared, and even get a bite to eat along the way.

So when people come to the kitchen, they usually bring her along, and if they find out what she likes, they'll feed her some.

"I've gone to ask Qingqing to buy some fish. I'll make one for lunch," Chen Lan said to Zhang Runing. "What kind of dessert does Xuan'er like? Auntie will make it for you."

"No need to trouble yourself, just do as the host does," Zhang Runing said with a smile.

But Xuan'er poked her head out and said, "I want to eat Green Cloud Pastry. I saw that you have Green Cloud Leaves here."

Green hibiscus pastry is made from green hibiscus leaves. You have to pick the tenderest leaf buds, wash them, rinse them, squeeze out the juice, and then make them into pastries. It has a very refreshing aroma and you won't get tired of eating it.

It just takes a little time.

Zhang Runing had done it for Xuan'er a few times at home, but because it was time-consuming, she didn't do it that frequently.

(End of this chapter)