The next morning, it was another sunny day.
Lynn got up early in the morning and felt refreshed.
Last night he researched magic power until midnight. Although he hadn't completely mastered it, he had some ideas.
The first thing to do today was to find a place to have breakfast and then find someone to fix the wall...
"Good morning, cousin! Can I come in?"
Just as Lynn finished washing up and was about to head out, a round head suddenly popped up atop the courtyard wall and the soft voice that came from it spoke.
However, the question seemed a bit redundant because even though she was asking if she could come in, her body had already flipped over the wall.
"Thud!"
The little girl landed firmly on her white cloth shoes. Lynn stared blankly at the more than four-meter-high courtyard wall, admiring the agility and grace of the little one. She must be a martial arts prodigy. I should find a copy of the Tathagata Divine Palm to give her!
"Cousin, are you going out?"
Little Yuna ran over to Lynn curiously, smelling something strange on him, and asked.
"There's still a lot missing at home. I need to go out to shop and have breakfast too."
Lynn skillfully reached out and ruffled Little Yuna's head, messing up her freshly combed hair, but the little girl didn't seem to notice.
"Then I want to go with cousin too! Lily isn't here, and Little Yuna is so bored."
Hearing Lynn was going out, Little Yuna was so happy she started bouncing around. She loved going out to play, but her grandmother always worried about her. Only when Sister Xiya took her out did her grandmother feel at ease.
"You can, but you need to first inform your guardian. They must agree before you can go."
Even though Little Yuna and Little Yuri were equally adorable, they were very different in one significant way—Little Yuna had parents. If he was going to take her out to play, he needed to get permission from her family.
"Mom and Dad only come home once every three months. It's just Little Yuna and Grandma at home. I'll go tell Grandma right now."
With that, Little Yuna bounced over to the wall and quickly climbed it. Judging by her proficiency, it seemed she wasn't new to the task.
"Why don't you use the door…"
Lynn chuckled and shook his head. Even though he could fly, he usually used the main gate. Otherwise, what's the point of it being there?
Later, Lynn opened the door and waited outside for Little Yuna, but eventually, he heard the familiar sound of someone landing from the top of the wall.
Then, Lynn saw a crestfallen Little Yuna, looking like a wilting eggplant.
"Grandma disagrees, sob sob…"
As soon as she came out of the courtyard, Little Yuna tearfully clung to Lynn, looking as if she had been bullied.
But Lynn had already anticipated this. What kind of parent would let their little one go out with an unfamiliar neighbor they've only met once or twice?
"It's okay, Brother Lynn will bring you a gift when I come back, alright? Once we're all familiar, Brother will take you and Little Yuri out to play every day."
When it came to comforting children, Lynn had his ways. There was no need for eloquence; a gentle voice and a touch of sincerity were enough to appease a well-behaved child.
"Then... can Little Yuna have some candied hawthorn?"
Wiping away her nonexistent tears, Little Yuna was still pouting. She didn't dare ask her cousin for anything excessive. Just one skewer of candied hawthorn would be enough.
She loved sweets, but her parents were reluctant to spend money on her, and even though Grandma felt sorry for her, she wouldn't give her candied hawthorn every day, even though they were cheap.
"Alright! When Brother comes back, I'll bring you candied hawthorn, a small cake, and a pretty little dress."
For such an adorable little girl like Little Yuna, Lynn was more than willing to treat her like a little princess. If she didn't have her own family, he would even happily take her in like Little Yuri.
Anyway, Sister Xiya was caring for one child, so caring for two wouldn't be that different. She ran an orphanage and should be skilled at taking care of children.
"Oh no, that's too much! Just one skewer of candied hawthorn is enough. Little Yuna can't make cousin spend so much."
Even though her craving led her to ask for candied hawthorn, Little Yuna wasn't a greedy girl. She thought trading a little cuteness for a cheap skewer of candied hawthorn was already a big win. How could she ask for more and more expensive gifts?
After all, Brother Lynn was just her cousin, not her dad. Her dad wouldn't even buy her candied hawthorn...
"Why not? Soon, Little Yuri will be Brother Lynn's good daughter, and since you're her good friend and sister, doesn't that make you half a daughter to Brother Lynn too? Isn't it only right for a dad to buy food and clothes for his daughter?"
Lynn's words made Little Yuna's head spin, but she still shook her head resolutely.
"No, even a dad wouldn't buy Little Yuna small cakes or pretty dresses..."
Little Yuna frantically gestured that she couldn't just accept gifts, especially since cousin compared himself to a dad. That made it even more impossible because even her real dad wouldn't treat her this well.
"Is Little Yuna's dad really like that?"
As they say, the speaker has no intention, but the listener understands. With such an adorable daughter, any parent should surely pamper her. How could they be reluctant to buy her small cakes and pretty dresses?
Now Lynn noticed that the dress Little Yuna was wearing, while clean, didn't fit very well—obviously bought when she was younger. Now that she had grown, no one had bought her new clothes, and she was making do with her childhood dress.
Even her shoes were the same. Little Yuna was always moving around. Besides being naturally lively, her ill-fitting shoes probably played a role too.
"Because mom and dad like boys. They say Little Yuna only spends money, and if I can't marry well when I grow up, they'll lose out. So, they're not very fond of Little Yuna..."
Talking about this, Little Yuna's pout turned into real sadness. She had heard this kind of talk at home countless times, each incident occurring when Grandma asked for money to support her.
Even though they barely came home a few times a year, Little Yuna heard, saw, and felt their displeasure multiple times throughout the year.
"Then they..."
"Nana! Come back home! Don't hang around outside!"
Lynn was about to ask more, but then Little Yuna's grandmother came out, and it seemed she wasn't happy with the situation. She was unusually stern instead of her usual gentle demeanor with her sweet granddaughter.
"Ah! I'm coming back! Goodbye, cousin~~"
Perhaps shocked by her grandmother's rare anger, Little Yuna was a bit flustered, but she quickly adjusted. She bid Lynn goodbye and scampered back next door.