It's time to give out the rings, Admiral!

"Sigh...you little fool, I really don't know what to say to you."

"W-what's wrong, madam? Did I say something wrong? I don't think I said anything wrong!"

"Admiral, I also think what you said was really too much. Miss Yuelin must be very sad."

The young man was a little confused. He really didn't know what he had said or done wrong. Not only his wife, but even Lasty was scolding him.

"Sigh~ Are you really unaware, or are you just pretending, darling? Can't you really see that Yue Lin actually likes you?"

With a helpless expression, Lexington flicked the boy's forehead in exasperation. Looking at the soft flesh on her husband's waist that she had just pinched red, she felt a pang of heartache and bent down to gently rub it for him. However, when her wife's words reached the boy's ears, the confused girl suddenly froze and then fell into deep thought.

Honestly, did the young man really not know Yue Lin's feelings for him? In fact, even before he went to Jinchuan, he had already guessed whether Yue Lin had feelings for him, but he wasn't sure at the time. Now, after his wife reminded him, how could such a wealthy young lady, who could be said to be influential in Tianshui, stick to him all day long, come to his house for no reason, and even claim to be coming to play with Xiao Rou, not have feelings for him?

She knew perfectly well that, more like enemies than friends, Yue Lin and Xiao Rou were actually at odds. They would never argue when they were together, let alone go out of their way to play with Xiao Rou. And now it seemed that the reason Xiao Rou disliked Yue Lin so much was probably because she was afraid that Yue Lin would steal her away from her.

However, even if I could sense it even a little bit back then, I didn't dare to say it aloud, much less show it. The huge economic gap between my family and Yue Lin's made me fear that it was just wishful thinking, one of life's three great illusions. At that time, Xiao Rou and I were struggling financially, and a large part of our living expenses came from tutoring Yue Lin. If my abruptness made Yue Lin dislike me, then Xiao Rou and I probably wouldn't even be able to afford food. Moreover, after I passed the exam to become an admiral, I would be taking Xiao Rou to Jinchuan, and the chances of seeing Yue Lin again would be very slim.

Back then, I didn't dare to say it, and for various reasons, I could only pretend it didn't exist, that it was just my own illusion. But now, having found my own girls and having so many lovely and charming wedding ships, it's even more impossible for me to reciprocate Yue Lin's feelings for me.

Although he was already a scumbag, he wasn't the kind of greedy scumbag. Since he couldn't respond to her anyway, he might as well have made it clear to Yuelin from the beginning that he wasn't going to marry her but was still flirting with her. That was the kind of thing only the most shameless scumbags would do.

The boy shook his head. He felt very sorry for Yuelin. She had helped him so much, but in the end, he still had to hurt her. However, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. After all, he couldn't possibly abandon his group of girls. It was better to clear things up, at least so that there wouldn't be any more complicated and messy situations in the future.

"But I had no other choice, Madam. Lasty, am I doing something wrong?"

The young man, frowning, asked his two wives beside him, "Even though I don't think I did anything wrong, I still feel very uncomfortable, with an indescribable sense of unease."

Looking at her husband's self-doubting and pitiful appearance, Lexington shook her head helplessly, while Glorious gently stroked the boy's head.

"Although it may be a little cruel to Yuelin, my dear, you did nothing wrong. It's better to make things clear now than to be sad later."

"Yes, Admiral, you did nothing wrong, and I believe Miss Yuelin will understand you."

The young man nodded sullenly. His initial excitement at seeing Xiao Rou had almost completely dissipated, but thanks to the comforting words of his wives, he felt a little better.

"It's too late today. Let's apologize to Yuelin tomorrow and also explain things to Uncle Zhuo and Aunt An."

"Well, darling, now that we've made up our minds, let's not think about these things anymore. Let's go back to town first. Little Rou is probably already eager to see you."

Volume 1, Chapter 497: Fishing Village

It took about half an hour to get from Tianshui to this small coastal fishing village. The bucket cart carrying the boy and his girls was parked on the outskirts of the village, and by then the sun was almost setting.

The sunset on the horizon was exceptionally red, reflecting on the boy's face and making his cheeks flush red. Just as the boy had initially predicted, when the barrel cart he was riding finally swayed and bumped its way to the town, the boy's bottom was almost numb from the jolting.

At that time, the countryside didn't have the wide paved roads like in the city. Most of them were just dirt roads with some stones laid on them. Over time, they would be washed by rain and become full of potholes. In addition, the cheap trucks had to cut corners on the shock absorption mechanism to save costs, which made it hard to say anything good about these trucks when they were driving in the countryside.

But it was indeed cheap. In the boy's original plan, he intended to take Xiao Rou to the port he was assigned to buy a slightly higher-spec barrel car after he passed the exam to become an admiral and graduated smoothly. With his allowance as an admiral, after deducting the necessary funds to maintain the port, although he couldn't afford a very luxurious car, he still had enough spare money to maintain a high-spec barrel car.

The group entered the village carrying luggage of all sizes. The girls around him, young and old, were also very curious, observing the small fishing village where their admiral had lived for more than a year. Perhaps it was their first time coming to such a rural place from the city. They asked about many new things they saw. Even Guanghui, upon seeing a tractor that had been abandoned for a long time due to running out of fuel, asked him very curiously what that machine was used for.

The people in the fishing village always leave early and return late, so even though the boy had swaggered into the village with the girls, he hadn't seen a single person he recognized. After walking a little further in, he saw a small shop on the street corner. The boy pointed to this "small shop" and said to the girls beside him with a smile.

"This is Uncle Wang's retail store. It's the only place in the village that can be called a store. We buy our daily necessities here. They also sell some snacks and pastries, but they're probably all flavors that older generations like. Nowadays, not many kids like these kinds of snacks."

Hearing the slightly relieved tone in their admirals' or husbands' voices, the girls nestled beside them all felt a pang of heartache. What retail store? It was clearly just a small stall selling miscellaneous items. Even the crowded and cramped shop on the passenger ship was far better than this little shop. It was hard to imagine that their husbands had lived in such a place for more than a year.

Lexington tightened her grip on the boy's hand, and looking at her husband's indifferent expression, she felt so heartbroken that she couldn't speak. She just wanted to hold his head and comfort him for a while. On the other side, Unicorn held her brother's hand, glanced at his face, and then, as if noticing something, pointed in the direction of the convenience store.

"Brother, someone over there is waving at us!"

The boy looked over and saw that someone was indeed waving at him from inside the shop. It was Uncle Wang. He walked out of the shop, waved at the boy, and then called out to him.

"Isn't this Yu Chen? Has she returned from Jinchuan?"

The loud voice reached the boy's ears from afar. Uncle Wang walked over in a hurry, came up to the boy, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Yes, I'm back, Uncle Wang."

"Ha, you still remember me? I thought you'd forgotten about us small-town folks after going to such a big place like Tsugawa. How was your trip to Tsugawa? And all these girls behind you... are they all your ship girls?"

With the typical hearty and straightforward manner of the villagers, Uncle Wang patted the boy's shoulder and laughed. He turned his head to look at the group of girls of all ages behind the boy. Upon seeing the stunningly beautiful girls from the boy's family, before he could even utter the word "girls," Uncle Wang, who was almost unable to look away, stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

It wasn't that he was making a fuss over his age; it was just that in this dilapidated fishing village, he had never seen so many beautiful women. Old Man Su's daughter, Xiao Rou, was a well-known beauty in and around the village, a real little beauty. But even Xiao Rou, compared to them, while their looks might be similar, couldn't match the youthful Xiao Rou's气质 (qi zhi - a combination of temperament, bearing, and presence). Especially those two—no, three slightly older girls—anyone who didn't know better might think they were rich young ladies who had gotten lost and ended up in such a run-down place.

"Ah, let me introduce you. This is Uncle Wang. I've told you about Uncle Wang before, right? Don't let his fierce appearance fool you; he's a very nice person."

"You little brat."

The young man introduced the girls to his family, and Lexington, as her husband's secretary ship, greeted Uncle Wang immediately. She gently and virtuously took her husband's arm, and pressed her ample breasts against the young man's arm in an enviable gesture. She then smiled and nodded at the tanned elder in front of her.

"Hello, Uncle Wang, my name is Lexington, and I am the Admiral's wife. Thank you very much for your help to the Admiral this past year."

She greeted him with elegance and grace, her beauty leaving Uncle Wang somewhat stunned. It took him a while to recover before he quickly returned the greeting. He thought to himself that if he were still young, he probably wouldn't even have the courage to greet such a dazzling woman. And Yu Chen had actually managed to marry such a woman? Wait, a wife?

It wasn't until the girls had finished greeting everyone, and were almost all dizzy and dazzled by the beautiful scenery before them, that Uncle Wang finally had a chance to ask the question that had been on his mind since the beginning.

"Yu Chen, you got married? Really? When did it happen?"

Knowing he would be asked this question, the young man smiled helplessly. He looked at his wife's perfect face, then at Lasty's slightly flushed cheeks, which were flushed from introducing herself as the Admiral's wife to his elders, and then answered, "Haha, actually it happened in Tsugawa..."

Volume 1, Chapter 498: Something Big Has Happened!

"Oh, haha, actually it happened in Tsugawa..."

"What? You're getting married in Tsugawa but won't go back home to get married? You're not even inviting us to the wedding banquet?"

Before the boy could even open his mouth to explain, Uncle Wang's loud voice completely drowned him out. The booming voice finally caught the attention of the idle aunts and uncles in the village. They looked to see who the old man was talking to and discovered that it was the child adopted by the Su family who had returned from Jinchuan. Soon, many people came out to watch.

Once surrounded, it might be difficult to escape later. The boy, gripping the hand of his unicorn tightly and scratching his head nervously, tried to explain. People, some familiar and some just vaguely acquainted, gathered around, and the noise around him suddenly became loud.

"Yu Chen, are all these girls your ship girls? Look how pretty they are!"

At that moment, some elderly woman shouted something from the crowd, and the atmosphere suddenly became even more lively.

"What? Aunt Li, if you're so envious, hurry up and find your son a beautiful woman like her too! Go take the exam to become an admiral, and when he comes back, he can find you a beautiful daughter-in-law like her!"

"Oh dear, no way. With his abilities, how could he possibly pass the exam to become an admiral? He can barely read or write. How can he compare to Yu Chen? Yu Chen, you took Xiao Rou with you this time. Are you never going to come back?"

"I heard that everyone in Tsugawa owns a car, and there are also trains and airplanes. Is that true?"

"Do the people in Tsugawa eat Western food every day? I heard they're all very tall, is it because they're overnourished?"

The boy, who was almost turning into a sweating bean with embarrassment from these questions, carefully explained, clearing up the strange perceptions the older women had about Tsugawa. He then quickly took the opportunity to recount his various experiences in Tsugawa, from passing the exam to becoming an admiral, creating Lasty and Unicorn, to later meeting Yixian and his wife, and learning that he had such a large port area with so many girls searching for him. Not only the "sentimental" older women, but even Uncle Wang, who was standing closest to him, was deeply moved by what he heard.

"I never imagined that you were an admiral before, Yu Chen. When Old Man Su found you, he said you were penniless and so young. It was hard to believe you were an admiral."

"That's good. Yu Rou has suffered so much, now she can finally go and enjoy some happiness. Yu Chen, after you take Xiao Rou to Jin Chuan, will you have a chance to come back? You'll have to come back to visit during holidays, right?"

"Of course, this is Xiaorou's home, so she should definitely come back to visit more often, but it's a bit far away, so she probably can't come back very often."

The boy answered again, but the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, which made him somewhat troubled. It was getting dark, and if he didn't go back soon, he probably wouldn't have time to arrange accommodations for his wife and the others. Xiao Rou probably wouldn't know he was back and wouldn't prepare dinner for them. Moreover, with so many people watching, the unicorn seemed a little scared.

He turned to look at his daughters beside him and found that they were just as bewildered as he was, dealing with the questions and chatter of these gossipy aunties. What was even more outrageous was that Aunt Li, who often took care of him and Xiaorou, was even sharing her secrets for a healthy pregnancy with his wife, while his wife listened attentively with a humble and receptive expression.

This Aunt Li has given birth to nearly ten children. Perhaps because she is very experienced, whenever a girl in or around the village is about to give birth, they will ask her to be their midwife. Over time, she has indeed become the most authoritative person in the village in this regard.

Meanwhile, Marani and the other girls were fed by the crowd. Because they were cute and had sweet tongues, they would call out to anyone who might be an elder of the admiral. Before long, they had a lot of snacks and fruits in their hands. Although most of these snacks were handmade and not what young people liked to eat these days, perhaps because it was the first time they had seen them, the girls happily accepted them and prepared to take them back to eat with the admiral.

"By the way, I brought back a lot of local specialties from Jinchuan. Uncle Wang and all the aunties, please have some."

Seeing that there was really no way to get away, the young man had no choice but to resort to his last trick. He had Hiei take out some local specialties that he had brought back from Tsugawa and put them on the ground for the older women to divide among themselves. This way, he would have a chance to take his wife and the others back to find Xiaorou.

………………

In the courtyard bathed in the glow of the setting sun, a young girl was diligently preparing ingredients for the upcoming dinner. A sweet smile graced her bright and lovely face as she softly hummed an unknown lullaby. The girl was skillfully cleaning the scales off the fish beneath her.

The girl was in an exceptionally good mood today. Perhaps it was because Aunt Zhang had sold a lot of fish at the market and made a lot of money, so she could have a slightly more substantial dinner. Or perhaps it was because that vixen Zhuo Yuelin had finally learned her lesson these past few days and hadn't bothered her or complained about how she would "share" her brother when he came back. But most importantly, the girl could feel that the day her brother would return was getting closer and closer. Before long, she would be able to see her brother, whom she had been thinking about day and night, and her brother would be able to see Xiao Rou, who had been missing him all the time.

As she deftly deboned and scaled the fish, the girl's smile became even brighter. Imagining herself dressed in beautiful clothes, she couldn't help but rush into the arms of her brother who had just returned. The girl couldn't suppress the shy and happy smile on her face.

Last night, she had a rare good dream. In the dream, her brother accepted her feelings, and in a beautiful church, she wore a pure white wedding dress and married her brother, becoming his beloved little wife.

Her married life was also very happy and fulfilling. Not long after the wedding, she gave birth to several healthy and adorable babies for her brother.

Unfortunately, the dream ended there because my underwear was a mess again, sticking to my body and making me feel uncomfortable, so I had to wake up and change into a new pair.

Recalling the feeling of doing intimate things with her brother in her dream, the girl touched her soft lips and then her flat and smooth belly under her dress. Blushing, she imitated the expression and movements of her dream self when asking her brother for a kiss. But before she could hug her brother's arm and pout as she did in her dream, a figure rushed in from outside the courtyard.

"Xiaorou, Xiaorou! Stop making dinner! Something terrible has happened! Brother Yuchen, Brother Yuchen is back! He's surrounded by the village aunties and grandmas at the village entrance, being questioned by them!!!"

Volume 1, Chapter 499: What to do?

"Xiaorou, Xiaorou! Stop making dinner! Something terrible has happened! Brother Yuchen, Brother Yuchen is back! He's surrounded by the village aunties and grandmas at the village entrance, being questioned by them!!!"

"babble!!!"

Wang Jing, carrying important news, rushed into the courtyard. However, a girl in the courtyard was making a kissing gesture, and her little mind was still fantasizing about some embarrassing scenes. Suddenly, she heard Wang Jing's excited voice and immediately trembled. Her petite and cute shoulders shrank into a ball.

A vibrant blush instantly spread across her neck, and Su Yuru, startled, couldn't help but let out a cute and melodious cry.

Wang Jing ran all the way from home. While she was helping her family process the day's fish catch, she overheard Aunt Wang next door telling someone that Yu Chen had returned and was being questioned at the village entrance. Upon hearing this news, she became so excited that she abandoned her work and ran straight to Xiao Rou's house, wanting to share this happy news with her.

Although they lived in the same village, the distance between her house and Xiaorou's was several hundred meters. She was panting and wiping her sweat. She had finally brought this good news, but she had only just entered the door and hadn't even had a chance to catch her breath when Xiaorou's slightly embarrassed groan startled her. She looked up at the beautiful girl in front of her and found that the other girl was staring at her with a flushed face.

Not knowing what he had done wrong to upset the girl, Wang Jing scratched his head and asked cautiously with a wronged expression, "Wh-what's wrong, Xiao Rou? Why are you angry again? Didn't you hear what I just said?"

I went through all that trouble to come and tell you, Xiao Rou, as soon as I heard that Yu Chen was back. But after finally getting here, I still have to be bullied by you, Xiao Rou. If it weren't for you, Xiao Rou, I would have turned around and left long ago. If you don't give me some snacks to make up for it this time, don't even think about making me, Wang Jing, go through fire and water for you like this again!

The girl's face was flushed, and bathed in the glow of the setting sun, she seemed to be enveloped in a beautiful pink hue. Hearing Wang Jing's somewhat hesitant voice, the girl, who had almost been caught in her embarrassing fantasies, immediately huffed at her best friend. She didn't know why this guy always came at such inopportune moments, always interrupting her at the most crucial time. Now, and before, it was the same. If she had come even a little later, her brother would have kissed her right away.

"It's all because you always come at such inopportune times! I don't know if you're doing it on purpose or not! Humph! What's wrong? What did you just say? Do you have some important news that you have to come all the way here to tell me now?"

The girl stood with her hands on her hips. In her nervousness, she hadn't even heard what her best friend had said clearly. In her hazy state, she thought she had overheard something about her brother, but then she realized it was already so late and it was about to get dark. Her brother couldn't possibly be coming back so late, could he?

"You really didn't hear me, Xiaorou! I meant, Brother Yuchen is back, and he's talking to someone at the village entrance right now!"

Seeing the girl's indifferent expression, the short-haired girl slapped her thigh hard and immediately repeated what she had just said loudly: "It's so late now, Xiao Rou, why are you wasting your time here? If Zhuo Yuelin finds out and gets there first, Xiao Rou, you'll definitely be sulking here for half a day!"

"???...You, you, what did you say? Brother, my brother is back? He's at the village entrance right now?!"

When Wang Jing's voice reached the girl's ears again, she was stunned for several seconds before she understood the meaning of his words. Suddenly, the lovely girl widened her beautiful light-colored eyes, and her heart started racing.

Her heart was pounding so hard it seemed like it was about to jump out of her chest. Her previously composed demeanor instantly turned into panic and confusion. She even stuttered a little when she spoke, and she grabbed her best friend's arm in a trembling manner.

The force that burst forth in that instant squeezed Wang Jing so hard it hurt, but seeing the girl's excited expression, as if she were about to jump up, the short-haired girl still nodded honestly: "Really, Xiao Rou, if you don't go now, Zhuo Yuelin might beat you to it. And, Xiao Rou, I advise you to be mentally prepared before you go, because..."

"Wang, Wang Jing, wait here for me a moment. I need to change my clothes first. What should I wear to see my brother? I just washed the fish and I still smell fishy. What should I do? Should I take a shower first? But what if my brother gets impatient?"

The short-haired girl wanted to remind the young woman again, because what she learned from Aunt Wang seemed to be different from what the young woman had always imagined about Yu Chen's return. She organized her thoughts, wanting to tell the young woman in front of her tactfully, but seeing her best friend so anxious and helpless, like a headless fly or an ant on a hot pan, she sighed deeply, knowing that her friend wouldn't listen to her at all. So the girl went into the house and helped the young woman get dressed.

"Don't rush, Xiaorou. Didn't you prepare the clothes you were going to wear when Yuchen comes back a long time ago?"

"Yes, yes! I did prepare an outfit, where? Where? Where did I put it?! How did it disappear?"

"Sigh... It's in the third drawer of your bedside table."

"Ah, found it! It's really here. Wong Jing, how did you know?"

"You put the clothes right here in front of me, Xiaorou..."

Although I know that Xiaorou cares a lot about Yuchen, and people say that women are stupid when they are in love, Xiaorou, you don't have to become like this, do you?

Looking at the girl who was so excited that her IQ seemed to have regressed, Wang Jing, covering her forehead in utter helplessness, felt like she was taking care of her best friend who had turned into a child. In the past, when something happened, she was always the one who was intellectually suppressed by Xiao Rou. This time, she was finally able to experience the superiority of her in terms of IQ, but she felt no joy at all. She pointed to the clock on the wall, then pointed to the direction of the village entrance outside, and then said.

"Hurry up and change your clothes, Xiaorou. If you don't hurry, it might be too late."

"But, but, what about the taste?"

"You only washed the fish with your hands, so why don't you just wash your hands? Zhuo Yuelin gave you a bottle of perfume before, so take it out and spray some on!"

"That's right, Wong Jing, how come I didn't think of that! You're so smart!"

No, it's just that Xiaorou has become silly.

Looking at the girl's excited expression, Wang Jing sighed again.

What time is it, Book 1, Chapter 500?

"I didn't expect that the Admiral would have so many elders in Tianshui. Everyone is very nice, but they are a little too enthusiastic."

The boy led a group of girls along the dirt road in the village. The sun had already set, leaving only half of its fiery red head hanging on the western horizon where the sea and sky met, like a little girl about to leave, still gazing longingly at this beautiful and prosperous world before departing.