Chapter 2922

To a large extent, everyone turned a blind eye.

Strictly speaking, black markets were forbidden. But for survival, they were inevitable. People needed to eat and wear clothes. In those days, everything was rationed. Without tickets, you couldn’t buy anything. So, the black market appeared.

Goods there were expensive, but you didn’t need tickets. To survive, people had to eat. To eat, they had to find ways to buy. Thus, the black market thrived.

Some officials understood the hardship of ordinary lives. So, in some places, they pretended not to see the transactions. The black market in the capital was like this. There were raids, but everyone looked the other way.

Ouyang Tianyun led Yan Xiwan to a unique restaurant.

It had no name. It looked like an ordinary home. Inside, there were only three tables.

“You must book in advance to eat here. We prepare only for three tables a day. No more. We fear attracting attention,” Ouyang Tianyun said.

Yan Xiwan nodded slightly. Even with people turning a blind eye, opening a restaurant openly was impossible. Having three tables was already good. It ensured the family’s basic needs.

“Things will get better slowly,” Yan Xiwan said seriously.

Ouyang Tianyun smiled and nodded. “We can only hope so.”

The owner saw Ouyang Tianyun and smiled. “Tianyun, you’re here. Your meal is ready.”

“Brother Tianyun, did you predict meeting me today? So you booked this meal in advance?” Yan Xiwan asked curiously.

Ouyang Tianyun nodded. “One of my cultivation skills is precognition. I knew I would meet my future half today. So, I booked the meal.”

Future half? Yan Xiwan suddenly remembered she had indeed sold herself.

She tapped her forehead. “Dizzy. I sold myself so easily.”

Ouyang Tianyun laughed. “Why hit your head? Tell me, am I not good?”

“No, that’s not it,” Yan Xiwan shook her head. How could she not be good? she was a rare genius, a top special talent. If such a person wasn’t good, who was?

“Then you dislike my looks?” Ouyang Tianyun teased.

“With your face that causes trouble, how could you think you’re ugly?” Yan Xiwan rolled her eyes.

Did he have no self-awareness? If he was ugly, few people in the world would be handsome.

“Then you hate me?” Ouyang Tianyun asked directly.

Yan Xiwan glanced at him. “Brother Tianyun, I am only ten. Ten, do you understand? I am a child. But even I know, someone like you is hard to hate.”

“So you are worried about age,” Ouyang Tianyun sighed in relief.

As long as she didn’t hate her, it was fine.

“Listen, I am twenty, you are ten. You are younger. But this is small only in this world’s terms.”

Ouyang Tianyun paused as the food was served.

After placing the dishes, Ouyang Tianyun picked up a piece of tomato and egg stir-fry for Yan Xiwan and continued. “But, if we look from a cultivator’s perspective?”

Yan Xiwan ate the tomato and egg, thinking slightly.

“From a cultivator’s view, whether I am twenty or you are ten, we are both children. When I am one hundred, you will be ninety. When I am one thousand, you will be nine hundred and ninety. The age gap ratio will shrink.”

Ouyang Tianyun took a bite of twice-cooked pork and continued. “No one knows how long we will live. We might live as long as heaven and earth. If so, do you think there is still an age gap?”

Yan Xiwan shook her head slightly. “No.” Indeed, she seemed convinced.

If spoken that way, there really seemed to be no gap between them.

“This child, how can she be so stupid? She was tricked by that brat Ouyang Tianyun,” Yan Aohan frowned, watching this.

She didn’t think herself stupid. Zhu Yanyi’s intelligence was also high. So, she couldn’t be stupid. Why was their daughter so foolish?

“What stupid? My daughter is not stupid,” Zhu Yanyi said calmly. “My daughter is so good. Now she has found a child husband. Since she is willing to wait, let her wait.”

Yan Aohan raised an eyebrow, looking at Zhu Yanyi. “What is your plan?”

“Find a chance to go there. Give our daughter something. Unless that boy reaches the Nascent Soul stage, she won’t be allowed to touch our daughter,” Zhu Yanyi smiled with raised eyebrows.

Yan Aohan’s eyes lit up. “Correct.” Then he looked at Zhu Yanyi. “Ouyang Tianyun was once your senior brother. You are tricking him like this?”

“Of course I am tricking her. She is to be my son-in-law. Besides,” Zhu Yanyi said naturally, “Love without trials is not reliable. I am not stopping them. I am just urging them to cultivate hard. They cannot truly unite until breaking through to Nascent Soul. I haven’t used any dark hands otherwise.”

That was already a dark hand.

But Yan Aohan knew Zhu Yanyi did this for their good. The spiritual energy below was scarce. If they united truly, spiritual energy infusion would happen easily. Then the whole world might collapse. That would be bad.

Yan Xiwan didn’t know her Emperor father and Empress mother were planning to trick Ouyang Tianyun.

At least now, Yan Xiwan listened to Ouyang Tianyun, thought seriously again, and then said. “You are right. And in this world, except for you, I can’t find anyone suitable.”

Ouyang Tianyun smiled gently, peeling a shrimp for Yan Xiwan. “So, we are a perfect match made in heaven.”

Yan Xiwan looked at Ouyang Tianyun. “But let’s agree first. I am only ten now. Don’t think about other things.”

“Listen, what can I think? You are only ten. I am not a beast who ignores everything,” Ouyang Tianyun said, laughing and crying at Yan Xiwan.

“Then fine. For now, I will be your shield. Whether you can officially take the post depends on your performance,” Yan Xiwan answered seriously.

“Agreed.” Ouyang Tianyun knew Yan Xiwan’s answer was already good. So, he agreed without hesitation.

“Come, taste the West Lake Vinegar Fish. It is a famous Jiangnan dish,” Ouyang Tianyun picked a piece of fish for Yan Xiwan.

Yan Xiwan thought that since she had sold herself, although it was like a free gift, it was only a trial period for now. So, she would observe first, to see if Ouyang Tianyun was a qualified boyfriend.

Both finished the meal tacitly.

After eating, they didn’t leave immediately. Ouyang Tianyun somehow found a pot of jasmine tea to cleanse Yan Xiwan’s palate, and prepared some fruit. Then he said, “Next, I will tell you about my situation.”

Yan Xiwan knew Ouyang Tianyun’s situation was related to her being a shield. So, she nodded. “Speak. I am listening.”

Ouyang Tianyun smiled slightly. “I am from the Ouyang family. The Ouyang family is not very famous in the capital, but no one dares to offend us. Because people in the Ouyang family have brains others can’t imagine. My grandfather became the Emperor’s chief advisor thanks to this brain. Even after retiring, his prestige remains.”

“You mean, this smart brain brought you trouble,” Yan Xiwan understood the connection instantly.

“Yes. Because our family is too smart, many people want to know why. To avoid attention, we tried marrying ordinary women.”

Ouyang Tianyun continued. “But maybe our genes are too good. It didn’t work. Each generation became smarter.”

Ouyang Tianyun said. “Because of this, rumors spread that our Ouyang family genes are very powerful. So, many people wanted to marry into our family. Various schemes appeared.”

Ouyang Tianyun sighed. “This caused a stir for a while. Later, my grandfather got angry and furious, and it calmed down. But even so, our unmarried children became Tang Monk meat in others’ eyes, desirable as fragrant buns.”

Yan Xiwan understood, but smiled more. “So, your Tang Monk brains brought disaster.”

“Sigh,” Ouyang Tianyun sighed. Yan Xiwan was really right. It was their brains that brought disaster.

If not for the old master’s prestige, if the Ouyang family were ordinary people, they might have been dissected. How could they develop in their fields now?

In these turbulent times, others were affected. Only the Ouyang family was unaffected. This was because their judgment of the current situation was very accurate and timely, avoiding the storm.

“So, your brain is also coveted. That’s why you want a shield,” Yan Xiwan knew what came next.

Ouyang Tianyun sneered. “Yes. And not just one person wants to scheme against me. I was wondering how to avoid it. Then I met you a few days ago. I saw you had reached Foundation Establishment. I knew you were a cultivator.”