Ming Dynasty: Gain one supernatural power every day

"Then what are you laughing at?"

"I remembered something happy."

"What is it?" Zhu Gaoxu pressed.

Zhu Gaoxi glanced at the husky in his arms, then at the Samoyed in Zhu Gaosui's arms and the Alaskan Malamute in Xu Jingchang's arms, and finally couldn't help but think, "Fine, I'll tell them."

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth. These three dogs have a nickname: 'The Silly Sled Dogs'."

"The three sled dogs?" Xu Jingchang was taken aback. "What's a sled?"

"A type of vehicle that runs on snow, pulled by dogs. These three dogs are specifically for this purpose, hence the name sled dogs," Zhu Gaoxi explained.

"He certainly looks imposing, and he will definitely be awe-inspiring when he grows up."

"But the problem is that they have too much energy. You have to walk them regularly, taking them out for at least half an hour every day, otherwise they'll get restless and start tearing the house apart."

Zhu Gaoxu waved his hand dismissively: "I thought it was something important. My Han Prince's Mansion is so big, with so many guards and servants, the dogs are naturally looked after by dedicated people. As for walking the dogs..."

He patted his chest and said, "I take it with me when I practice martial arts during the day. I run dozens of laps around the training ground. I don't believe that a mere dog can have as much energy as me."

Zhu Gaochi, who was holding his short-legged corgi next to him, laughed out loud when he heard this: "Look at the second son, he's getting into a fight with a dog."

Xu Jingchang suppressed a laugh and replied, "My second cousin's indomitable spirit is truly admirable."

Zhu Gaosui stood to the side holding the Samoyed. Hearing Xu Jingchang say this, he nodded to himself. This cousin was quite eloquent, turning his second brother's pride into "unyielding spirit."

Since there were people showing their support, he, as the third brother, decided not to join in, lest he say too much and make the second brother lose face.

Zhu Gaoxu was indeed pleased to hear Xu Jingchang praise him, and began to talk eloquently again: "Boss, what do you know? A person must have a spirit of never giving up! No matter what the opponent is, whether it is a person or something else, you can't easily admit defeat. Only in this way can you make progress."

Zhu Gaochi slowly stroked the corgi's head, then retorted, "Then tell me, why don't you ever admit defeat to the old man? Every time you get scolded by the old man and end up looking disheveled, I see you're quite convinced."

Zhu Gaoxu's face stiffened, then he chuckled dryly twice: "Grandpa... that's different. That's my father, how could I go against him? That's yielding to him, not admitting defeat."

Zhu Gaochi gave an "Oh," his tone lingering with a meaningful undertone: "So, my second brother is so filial. I've misunderstood you."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Zhu Gaoxi stepped forward and put his hand between them, saying, "Alright, alright, eldest brother and second brother, stop bickering. It's rare that everyone is here today. I just played some Go with my cousin Jingchang over there, and I also prepared some other things. Let's go sit over there and chat."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaoxu exchanged a glance and each snorted.

Zhu Gaoxu suddenly remembered something, slapped his forehead, and summoned several fine old gourds from his gourd magic treasure, handing them to Zhu Gaoxi: "Oh right, fourth brother, second brother brought you gourds. Didn't I send you a batch yesterday? I got a few more this morning, and these are even better quality than yesterday's."

Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Gaosui also took out several gourds from their respective gourds, saying that they had all been obtained that morning. Although there weren't many, they were quite old.

Zhu Gaoxi accepted them without hesitation.

In the pavilion, the three princesses were chatting while holding their respective pets, while the children were having a great time playing on the slide and in the sandpit. They were especially happy with their pets, and their screams could be heard from afar.

Zhu Gaoxi asked Qiutang and Yuehe to go and tell the sisters-in-law that there were some novel games on their table, such as Gomoku and Animal Chess, with instructions on how to play.

Then, he led his three elder brothers and Xu Jingchang through the corridor to an open space next to the slide.

There was a mahjong table and an empty square table. Zhu Gaoxi reached out and took out several sets of chess and card games from the gourd: Chinese chess, military chess, and animal chess.

He then pulled out snacks from another gourd: kebabs, bread, pastries, braised dishes, and fried tofu. Plate after plate filled the table, with several jugs of chilled drinks on the side. He also sent some to his sisters-in-law as well.

Zhu Gaoxi patted the mahjong table and gestured for everyone to sit down: "We brothers have never played mahjong together before. It just so happens that everyone is here today, including my cousin. The rules aren't difficult; you'll get the hang of it after a couple of rounds."

Xu Jingchang moved a stool over and sat down next to him, waving his hand and laughing, "You guys go first. I've never seen this before, so I'll see how it works."

"Alright, cousin, you watch a couple of rounds first. Once you've got it, take turns. Whoever loses gets replaced." Zhu Gaoxi said, and the group handed their pets to the servants beside them before taking their seats.

Zhu Gaoxi was the dealer, while Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Gaosui each occupied a side, and they began shuffling the cards with a clattering sound.

Zhu Gaoxu rubbed the mahjong tiles in his hands while talking non-stop: "This stuff is really addictive. Your second sister-in-law got hooked on it after she came home last time. Whenever she had nothing to do, she would invite those ladies of the dukes she was close to over to play mahjong. Those ladies got addicted too, and your second sister-in-law even had the carpenter in the manor make a few sets of mahjong tiles to give to them."

Zhu Gaochi nodded and continued, "I've heard about it too. Lately, the women in the capital often get together to play mahjong; it's almost become a regular activity in their backyards."

As Zhu Gaosui drew a card, he added, "I heard from Madam Weng that it has already become popular among wealthy families in the capital. In just a few days, the trend has already started."

Xu Jingchang, listening nearby, grew increasingly curious: "I haven't been in the capital for a while, so I don't know about this. Is mahjong really that fun? I'll have to take a closer look."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the mahjong set on the table. He picked up a tile and examined it closely, then looked up at Zhu Gaoxi: "Hiss. Cousin, is this made of sandalwood and ivory?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Gaoxu slammed the cards he had just drawn onto the table and waved his hand dismissively: "What's the big deal? Didn't your fourth brother also give you the Somersault Cloud and the Gourd Magic Treasure? What's so shocking about these materials? They're just sandalwood and ivory; even your second cousin can afford them."

Zhu Gaochi took a sip of his drink and said sourly, "The second prince is really rich. I can't afford it. The Crown Prince's residence is dirt poor. This deck of cards is enough for me to repair several irrigation canals."

Just as Zhu Gaoxu was about to retort, Zhu Gaoxi had already shuffled the cards and arranged the dice, urging the others to draw cards and start the game.

In the first round, Zhu Gaoxu set off a cannon, which was then countered by Zhu Gaochi.

Zhu Gaoxu pushed the cards aside, muttering unconvinced, "Big brother, what kind of luck did you have today? You've already collected all the cards in just the third round."

Zhu Gaochi gathered the chips he had won in front of him and said with a smile, "It's not that I was lucky, it's that you played too impulsively, second brother. Look at that five of bamboo you just played. You knew I was going to take it, but you still had to play it."

Zhu Gaoxu snorted, not arguing, and stood up to give his seat to Xu Jingchang: "Jingchang, you give it a try, I'll give you some advice from the side."

After saying that, he didn't rush to sit down and watch the game. Instead, he walked over to the snack table next to him, grabbed a plate like he was eating at a buffet, picked up a few of each of the grilled skewers, braised dishes, and fried tofu, and also picked up a pot of plum juice.

Only then did he carry a full plate back to the card table, stand behind Xu Jingchang, and eat while watching.

Xu Jingchang had just sat down at the table, still a bit clumsy at drawing and playing cards. His fingers hesitated between the cards, and just as he was about to play one, Zhu Gaoxu, chewing on dried bean curd, mumbled, "Don't play this one!"

Xu Jingchang's hand trembled and he withdrew it, then picked up another one.

Zhu Gaoxu grew anxious again, swallowed what was in his mouth, and leaned closer, shouting, "Bang! Bang! Don't you have a pair?"

Xu Jingchang was flustered by his urging and hastily played a card. Zhu Gaoxi, who was opposite him, immediately pushed over his card and said, "Cousin, I won."

Xu Jingchang turned to look at him, a helpless expression on his face: "Second cousin, didn't you just say you wanted to touch it?"

"I told you to touch the previous one, you can't touch this one!" Zhu Gaoxu slapped his thigh, almost shaking the braised food off the plate.

"You didn't explain it clearly either," Xu Jingchang said innocently, looking at him.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it." Zhu Gaoxu put the plate aside, wiped his hands, and sat back down at the card table.

After only two rounds, he lost again, this time to Zhu Gaosui. Zhu Gaosui expressionlessly took away the chips and said calmly, "Second brother, your luck isn't good today."

Zhu Gaoxu coughed lightly, stood up, and patted Xu Jingchang on the shoulder without changing his expression: "Jingchang, you go ahead. Your second brother is a little hungry, let's go get something to eat first."

After saying that, he picked up his plate of snacks again, retreated to his spectator position, and munched on a chicken leg, as steady as a mountain.

Xu Jingchang sat down at the table, knowing perfectly well that his second cousin wasn't hungry at all; he had clearly lost several rounds in a row and was feeling a bit embarrassed, so he was looking for an excuse to rest for a couple of rounds.

Hearing his second brother's words, Zhu Gaoxi, who was standing next to him, instantly felt a sense of familiarity. In his previous life, when he was drinking with his friends, they played a game. His friend lost and refused to admit that he was mentally challenged, so he said that he was thirsty and was willing to drink a couple of sips.

The two took turns going up and down. Zhu Gaoxu went up and lost; Xu Jingchang went up and lost; Zhu Gaoxu went up again and lost again.

After several rounds, both of them had lost all their chips.

Xu Jingchang drew another bad hand, hesitated for a long time before playing a card, and Zhu Gaochi opposite him slowly pushed over his cards: "Thanks, cousin, your older cousin has won again."

Xu Jingchang put down his cards, turned to look at Zhu Gaoxu who was still gnawing on a chicken leg, and said calmly, "Second cousin, don't bother giving me any pointers. Neither of us can teach the other at our current level; we're just two terrible chess players."