Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The simultaneous sound startled the middle-aged man. He looked at Mu An and Mu Ling'er, and hesitated for a long time, unable to discern the relationship between the two.

A girl in her early teens and a young man in his early twenties—what else could they be but siblings?

Mu Ling'er kept a straight face, and the handkerchief she wanted to give to the middle-aged man hung in mid-air.

Mu An, on the other hand, was much calmer. He smiled reassuringly at the middle-aged man.

"The shopkeeper made a mistake. I am already thirty-one years old, and this is my child."

The middle-aged man was clearly taken aback. He rubbed his eyes, looked at Mu An and then at Mu Ling'er, still seemingly somewhat disbelieving.

But his years of experience selling things made him speak up immediately.

"Look at my loose tongue! Sir, you look so young, and so does your daughter. She's so cute and clearly a well-behaved and sensible child."

Mu Ling'er snorted and put the handkerchief away again.

She's petty and won't give the rude shopkeeper a handkerchief to wipe her sweat!

Mu An shrugged helplessly, signaling Mu Ling'er to stop fooling around, and then turned to the middle-aged man to ask.

"Does the store have ice?"

"Sir, you jest. I only have a cart, how could I possibly have such high-quality goods as ice?" The middle-aged man rubbed his hands together, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Then let's have two glasses of plum juice."

"Okay! Just a moment, it'll be ready soon."

Perhaps because of the heatstroke she had suffered earlier, Mu Ling'er's complexion was still not very good. She leaned on Mu An's shoulder and watched as the middle-aged man skillfully ladled out two bowls of plum juice.

"This young lady seems to be suffering from heatstroke; she doesn't look well."

"Yes, she is somewhat frail and stayed outside for a while today."

The middle-aged man picked up a rag and wiped the sweat from his face, offering a kind reminder.

"Sir, although I am not very knowledgeable, I have heard the doctors at Lin'an Hall say that heatstroke is not as simple as we think; it can be fatal if it gets serious! Why don't you take your daughter to the clinic to have her checked out..."

As he spoke, the middle-aged man's face was flushed with an abnormal redness, and his breathing was much faster than normal.

Looking at the shopkeeper and hearing his caring words, Mu Ling'er opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she leaned forward, took out the handkerchief she had put away, and handed it to the middle-aged man who was now covered in sweat again.

"Here, wipe your sweat."

The middle-aged man hurriedly declined, "No, no, no! I'm just a lowly person, I can't afford such expensive things!"

Seeing the middle-aged man decline, Mu Ling'er frowned and her tone became more stern.

"Just accept it! That's an order! Send all the plum juice here to the Mu residence; we'll buy it all!"

"Absolutely not! Absolutely not... Mu Mu Mu... the Mu residence?"

The middle-aged man initially wanted to decline, as the handkerchief was so exquisite that it was clearly not something an ordinary person like him could afford.

But the words "Mu Mansion" that followed made his face change drastically, and he started trembling uncontrollably.

"You...you...who are you?"

Mu An raised her hand to stop the middle-aged man who wanted to kneel on the ground, and spoke in the most peaceful tone possible.

"Shopkeeper, just listen to her. It's so hot, the servants in the manor need some plum juice to cool off."

Within Qing'an County, everyone knows what the Mu family represents.

Many years ago, there were several Mu residences in Qing'an County, but now there is only one Mu residence in the entire county.

Even people from the Mu family's ancestral home dare not use the name "Mu Mansion" when they are outside.

Realizing the identities of the two men, the middle-aged man was shocked and clearly fearful. He nodded shakily, unsure of what to do for a long time.

After a long while, he finally managed to utter a sentence.

"My lord... my skills are truly no match for the chef in your household..."

Hearing this, Mu Ling'er frowned slightly. She jumped off Mu An's shoulder, picked up the plum juice on the table, and drank it all in one gulp.

"It's sweet and sour, isn't it delicious?"

"If the young lady likes it, I am honored..." The middle-aged man became increasingly frightened, and his already bent back bent even lower.

Mu Ling'er glanced at him and placed the handkerchief on the table.

She took Mu An's hand and stared at the middle-aged man as she spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I'm telling you, what that person just said is wrong."

The middle-aged man looked somewhat bewildered, while Mu An looked down at Mu Ling'er, who had a serious expression. He could feel the little girl's hand trembling as she held onto him, probably to gain more confidence.

The little guy is usually very carefree and rarely acts this serious. I wonder what he wants to say.

It shouldn't be anything serious.

Mu Ling'er did not notice Mu An's gaze. After taking Mu An's hand, she straightened up and spoke excitedly, as if she were talking to the middle-aged man, or as if she were talking to herself.

"The purpose of studying is not to pass the imperial examinations or become a superior person. At least in my opinion, it is absolutely not like that! This statement is not wrong, but it is definitely not correct either!"

"I study hard every day, trying to learn all kinds of knowledge, so that the millions of ordinary people like you in Qishan Road can live a life where they have enough to eat and wear, and don't have to endure the scorching heat and bitter cold..."

"I hope that one day, you can stay at home with your family in the summer to cool off, instead of enduring the sweltering heat like you do now. I also hope that in the winter you can sit around the fireplace, eat hot pot, and chat about whatever you want to talk about..."

"Only in this way will all my current efforts have meaning, and all my sacrifices have been rewarded accordingly. This is something that a few scattered individuals who have achieved some academic success can not compare to!"

"Qishan Road has never needed so many superior people. What we need is to ensure that no one freezes to death on the streets in winter, no one dies from the heat in summer, and that families can sit together and enjoy a good meal happily during festivals..."

"In my opinion, the millions of ordinary people like you, shop owner, are the most valuable asset of Qishan Road! They are the people we need to protect the most!"

The middle-aged man was stunned. He stared at the excited Mu Ling'er for a long time, unable to speak, as if he couldn't believe what Mu Ling'er was saying.

Mu An was stunned for a long time. He had thought that Mu Ling'er would say some childish things, but he never thought that Mu Ling'er would say such a thing.

When he came to his senses, his gaze towards Mu Ling'er was filled with a touch of amazement.

The little guy he raised seems to have changed a bit without him even realizing it.

Finally, Mu Ling'er took out her purse and slammed it on the table.

"Now, I order you to take this money and go to Lin'an Hall to have your health checked out, understand?"

……

On their way home, Mu An glanced at Mu Ling'er every now and then, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Did you read those words in a book?"

The girl, who had been resting her head on Mu An's shoulder, shook her head, her voice tinged with an unconscious shyness.

"No, I do think about things sometimes. Just now, when I saw that mother and child, I suddenly got angry, and then I thought, 'Won't this be embarrassing?'"

"No, it's not shameful at all! Little Ling'er, I think there might come a day in the future when you become a leader even better than me."

"No way, that's impossible! Da'an is the best person in the world! The greatest! No arguments allowed!"

As she spoke sweet words, Mu Ling'er's tone shifted slightly, becoming somewhat ingratiating.

"I've already praised you so much, so please don't say anything about what happened today. I promise I'll behave from now on, and please don't tell Grandma He, okay?"

Looking at the girl acting coquettishly, Mu An smiled, gently ruffled Mu Ling'er's hair, and said softly.

"Okay, but you can't keep sneaking around reading at night anymore. As compensation, I'll spend more time reading with you during the week."

"Awesome!!! Da'an is the best!!!"