However, the problems caused by the misuse of hormones in earlier years have become deeply ingrained over time. Although Lu Ma is physically robust, she is, after all, an ordinary person who can't withstand the reshaping effects of fierce medicine. It's still recommended to take a slow approach of strengthening the foundation and nurturing the original source, adjusting gradually for recovery to normalcy.

Anyway, the medicine has been prescribed, Lu Feng can pick it up periodically, and with Lu Ling supervising, there's no fear of Lu Ma finding it troublesome or a waste of money.

"Alright, alright, everyone eat up, everything's steamed and ready."

Lu Ma urged with a smile, lifting the steamer lid and starting to serve food. Lu Ling bought quite a bit of fish, shrimp, and crab to make seafood porridge. The shrimp meat, steamed in the porridge water, was firm and sweet, and paired with a dipping sauce, it was impossible to stop after the first bite.

With Lu Feng's big mouth and the two growing kids, Third and Little, it was never enough.

After one round of steaming, another was steamed. The seafood juices seeped through the holes in the steaming rack into the porridge water, infusing the originally plain porridge base with a fragrant and sweet flavor.

As it wrapped up, everyone was served a bowl, sprinkled with cilantro and local white pepper, making it irresistibly fragrant.

Ji Jue rejoiced in the rare occasion of eating until his belly was round.

Reclining on the sofa to digest, basking in the sunlight streaming in from the balcony.

After Lu Ling finished helping Lu Ma, she was asked, "The summer break is coming, any plans?"

"Uh..."

Lu Ling froze for a moment, as if she hadn't thought about it. Being asked by Ji Jue like that, she instinctively replied, "Help out at home, the shop has been really busy lately."

"Why not hire a few more people, Lu Ma? With the current profits, it shouldn't hurt to pay for more help, right?" Ji Jue shook his head, seriously reminding her, "With your major, experience is most important. Internships or extra work experience as soon as possible will benefit you in the future."

"Xiao Ji is right."

Lu Ma nodded firmly, "Besides bookkeeping, what else can you do here? Help me unload tires?"

"Then... should I go to Spring City?!"

Lu Ling's eyes lit up instantly, "Anywhere I go, I'll be working, might as well go help you out, what do you think? Rest assured, Big Brother, I can handle hardship!"

Ji Jue paused for a moment, coughed twice, and not far away, Lu Feng, pretending to watch TV, suddenly tensed up.

Since childhood, Lu Ling has been the least worrisome. Surely, there's no need to worry she'll act recklessly using her reputation. However, the issue lies in the fact that... Coastal Industry's current business, though not illegal or criminal, is certainly not suitable for broad daylight.

If she does get involved, it might give the inexperienced young girl's heart a dose of Embers' unique shock.

If she discovered that her most respected Second Brother secretly had an underground plant 'recruiting daily,' producing all kinds of chaos that the Federation prohibits, while her eldest brother, who turned good, conducted security work carrying a gun, setting fires, and debt collecting in the wild every day—how would that life continue?

He instinctively glanced at Lu Feng, who glared back.

Now you remember me? Huh? Too late!

You started it, you fix it!

"Uh, cough cough, Spring City over there, it's too desolate, not suitable, full of rough old men, with water and power outages every day, can't take a bath for days."

After he finished speaking, without waiting for the excited Lu Ling to say anything, he quickly added, "Later I'll ask Han... cough cough, Tong Hua. They have a company over in the Northern Mountain District, that's been idle recently, running significant transactions, and operations are quite complicated. You can just go there and learn a bit.

And it's close to home. You can drive to and from work, and Lu Ma won't have to worry, right?"

"Alright then..."

Lu Ling nodded, seemingly a bit disappointed. After all, for a child her age, it's still too early to venture into the wild to work.

But soon, she regained her enthusiasm and began to showcase her school achievements to Ji Jue.

Multiple championships in track, field, and swimming at the school sports meet!

Brought home a pile of trophies.

To be fair, Lu Ling's university life is much more exciting than Ji Jue's... Back then, did he care about school meets or clubs at all? He was all about hustling, from competing with classmates to senior students, grinding from start to finish, grinding to the point where people couldn't stand him—or dogs either—and he was never this popular.

"Second Brother, you seem to be quite famous! Those senior sisters who used to be so self-important now smile at me in such a strange way.

A few days ago, during the awards ceremony, a seemingly important school leader even asked me when you could come back to give a speech. I said I didn't know your schedule."

"Then when I have time, I guess." Ji Jue nodded, "Let him arrange a time with my assistant, confirm the schedule. You have their number, right?"

"With Miss Yi?"

"Just call her Isis, her surname's not Yi."

Regarding giving speeches, Ji Jue now perceives it as no big deal.

After all, right now, they're actually short of people over at the Coast, exactly why it's timely to bring in the newly released cattle and horses from Tianmen for some training...

In the past, he wasn't keen on interacting with those folks, but a few days ago, Ye Chun messaged him, and he learned that his photo was displayed on the wall of outstanding graduates in the branch corridor.

The position isn't very prominent. As one of the Federation's top five, Tianmen has countless geniuses emerging every year. Over the years, untold numbers of alumni have soared to prominence. For status, Ji Jue does need to step back a bit.

But it's not at the back either.

Just right, placed immediately behind his mother's, adjacent.

It looks quite nice.

Ji Jue smiled, holding the two little ones in his arms, feeling a surge of drowsiness.

The third sister napped leaning on his arm, as if she hadn't fully awoken, sleepy-eyed: "Second Brother, Second Brother, later... later can we go to the beach?"

"Sure, sure." Ji Jue nodded.

"Get ice cream, I want, I want the little shark one."

"But it might make your teeth hurt."

"I'm not afraid of pain." The third sister thought for a moment, hesitating: "I could share with you, more would be okay."

"Can we have even more?"

"No." The third sister shook her head, "Have to share with Mom too."

"Then ice cream it is, little shark one."

Ji Jue gently and carefully patted her hair, watching her fall asleep again.

He also closed his eyes.

In the afternoon sunlight, snores quickly filled the air.

As if someone gently covered him with an air-conditioned blanket, softly leaving.

.

In that short afternoon nap, it seemed like he had a very, very long dream.

Just like all the recent dreams, intermittent, alternating between dream and wakefulness, yet in the dream, he only saw darkness, from which faint and unclear sounds emerged.

As if separated by a great distance, distorted and deformed, like sinking into the deep sea.

Endlessly down, down, and down.

Until reaching the end of the sea and dream.

He woke up.

The afternoon sunlight remained gentle and warm, illuminating his eyes, but the scenes in the dream still lingered vividly.

Before waking, he saw, deep within the darkness, a faint glimmer of light.

A speck of crimson, silently flickering in the seemingly eternal blackness.

Like a flame.

In the deep sea, the dead ash floated, igniting once more.

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