Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Chapter 62 Dinner will be ready.

The rich aroma of sizzling Spirit Chicken filled the air as Liu Hong, midway through stirring, finally looked up.

"You two know each other?" she asked, her gaze shifting between Ace and the beaming Xiao Lin.

Ace remained silent, still processing the unexpected reunion, while Xiao Lin—no, Ruby—was practically glowing with excitement.

"Yes, Aunty! He's my brother! I told you my brother came to this village, remember?" she chirped, clearly delighted.

Liu Hong blinked, her expression thoughtful. "Ah... that. Yeah, I remember. But I never expected you two were actually related."

And who could blame her?

When Xiao Zhi—now Ace—first stumbled into this village, he was a drunkard, an utter mess. The man had quite literally pummeled his own students, when they first came to learn from him.

Sure, she had seen him change, had watched as he slowly shed that past self. But some memories... some memories refused to fade.

And now, faced with the cheerful girl before her, Liu Hong couldn't have possibly imagined the two were family.

...Well, most of that was because the girl in front of her had introduced herself as Ruby.

Ruby practically launched herself at Ace, arms wrapping around him in a tight hug.

"Brother! I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, squeezing him like she was afraid he'd disappear again.

Ace stiffened for a moment—public displays of affection weren't exactly his thing—but he eventually patted her back awkwardly.

Liu Hong, meanwhile, didn't seem the least bit offended that she had been deceived by "Ruby's" fake name. She simply let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head before turning to Yifeng.

"Yifeng, help me with the stirring, will you?"

"Yes, Aunty!" the boy chimed, quickly setting to work.

Liu Mei, having just finished preparing the sauce, handed it over to her mother before suddenly skipping toward Ruby.

Then, to everyone's surprise—including Ruby's—she hugged her too.

Ruby, after retracting from Ace, blinked in surprise at the little girl who was grinning ear to ear as she clung to her.

"What do I call Master's sister?" Liu Mei asked, tilting her head up curiously.

Ruby, still processing the hug, turned to Ace in confusion.

"Oh? Ah... Master?" She gave him a questioning look.

Ace simply nodded. "She's my disciple."

Ruby's eyebrows shot up in amusement, but before she could respond, Liu Mei pointed toward Yifeng.

She gave Ruby a pointed look, as if warning her not to be so reckless next time.

Ruby, however, only grinned. "But you were there! So it worked out!"

Liu Hong sighed again. "That's not the point."

Ruby tried to brush off Liu Hong's concern with a giggle, sticking her tongue out and tapping her head with her fist in an exaggeratedly cute manner.

"Teehee~!"

She barely had time to finish her act before Ace flicked her forehead.

"Listen to Aunty Hong," he scolded lightly.

Ruby rubbed her forehead with a small pout, but the moment of playful banter ended as Ace's gaze sharpened.

"Ruby... what happened to your cultivation base?"

The question froze her in place. For a brief moment, emotions flickered across her face—sadness, resignation or even fear.

Then, with forced nonchalance, she smiled.

"It's okay, Brother. I just lost the cultivation I worked for... but I still have my roots."

She said it lightly, as if it wasn't a big deal. As if she hadn't lost something precious.

But the more Ace looked at her smile, the sadder it seemed.

And before he could say anything else, the mask broke.

Tears welled up in Ruby's eyes, and she suddenly collapsed against his chest.

"Brother, what should I do?" Her voice was small, trembling with raw fear.

"I'm scared... I'm scared..."

Ace stiffened, feeling the weight of her words. He wasn't good at this kind of comfort. Never had been.

"Ruby, Ruby, stop—there are kids around!" He tried to pry her off, but she clung to him even tighter.

"I don't care!" she wailed, refusing to let go.

Liu Mei, who had been standing there awkwardly, hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and gently patting Ruby's head.

"There, there, Elder Sister Ruby. Don't cry, don't cry."

Ruby, still sniffling, blinked down at the small girl comforting her.