Ling Mohan turned his head to glance at Feng Jin, and said indifferently, "Practicing martial arts requires gradual progress. You have no foundation, and you are already at this age, so it's difficult to learn."
At this age... Feng Jin felt as if a knife had been plunged into her heart. She wasn't old at all right now. Although her actual age was a bit advanced, her heart was unwilling to admit defeat.
"How do you know I can't learn? You haven't even taught me, and you're already jumping to conclusions. Aren't you looking down on me too much?"
Feng Jin pouted in dissatisfaction, trotted in front of Ling Mohan, and said stubbornly, "If you teach me, I'm sure I'll learn better than you. If you don't believe me, let's try it."
Ling Mohan smiled helplessly, naturally knowing Feng Jin's little tricks. He reached out and pinched the woman's small nose, "Don't try your provocations on me, they won't work."
After saying that, he walked straight ahead, leaving Feng Jin alone to sulk behind him.
"Who's trying to provoke you? If you don't teach me, you don't teach me. I don't care to learn anyway."
It was just a broken sword technique, she didn't care about it at all. If she really wanted to learn, she could just find someone else to teach her.
"You have no foundation. Practicing martial arts rashly will only hurt yourself. I'm thinking of you. Don't act recklessly out of momentary pique, understand?"
Ling Mohan knew Feng Jin's personality well; she was truly capable of finding someone else to teach her martial arts.
"I understand," Feng Jin said sheepishly, but she was mentally planning how to get back at Ling Mohan.
She would find an opportunity in the future to master peerless martial arts and then stomp on Ling Mohan, making him beg for mercy.
Just thinking about Ling Mohan begging her for mercy sent a wave of satisfaction through Feng Jin.
"What are you thinking about again, smiling so foolishly?"
"You're the foolish one! Your whole family is foolish!" Feng Jin retorted stubbornly.
"Don't forget, you are my wife now, and we are all family. Why must you think so perversely and curse yourself as well?"
Ling Mohan's lips curved upwards, his verbal skills being quite sharp, leaving Feng Jin momentarily speechless.
"You..." Feng Jin's face turned red with anger. She pointed at the man's nose, but could not come up with any retort. Ling Mohan's verbal skills were truly formidable now; even she was no match for him.
Feng Jin took a deep breath. She disdained to argue with Ling Mohan and decided it was more important to attend to the main matter.
"Change your clothes, and let's eat first."
Feng Jin walked to the man's side, dropped this sentence, and turned to leave directly.
Ling Mohan looked at Feng Jin's retreating back and couldn't help but chuckle. His wife was truly adorable, even her angry expressions were so cute. But this always made him want to tease her a little. What should he do?
In the front hall, Feng Jin bustled about arranging things, her hands in a flurry. "Lu Shi, remember, when your young general reaches this spot, you are to scatter these petals, okay?"
"I understand, Madam."
Feng Jin, still worried, reiterated her instructions, afraid of any slip-ups.
"Madam, the young general has arrived."
Cai Qing, who was on watch at the door, called out urgently as soon as she saw Ling Mohan.
"Quick, everyone to your positions!"
Feng Jin shouted in a hurry and then sat casually on a chair.
Ling Mohan walked in as usual, not noticing anything different.
Suddenly, Lu Shi, who was hiding behind the curtain, jumped out and scattered the petals from the basket.
Ling Mohan was taken aback by the sudden turn of events, his face a picture of bewilderment. He glanced at everyone questioningly, and finally his gaze settled on Feng Jin. Without a doubt, this had to be Feng Jin's idea.
"Happy birthday, Ling Mohan!"
Feng Jin took out a bouquet of wrapped roses from behind and handed them to Ling Mohan.
"It's your birthday today, did you forget?"
With Feng Jin's reminder, Ling Mohan finally remembered what was happening. He hadn't even remembered his own birthday. It was truly thoughtful of Feng Jin to remember.
"Thank you, my wife, for remembering my birthday."
Ling Mohan was deeply moved. It felt truly good to be remembered.
"Make a wish first, then blow out the candles," Feng Jin said, holding Ling Mohan's hand and leading him to the cake.
"Put your hands together like this, silently make your wish in your heart, and then blow out all the candles in one go."
Ling Mohan followed Feng Jin's instructions, putting his hands together to make a wish.
"What did you wish for?"
"I wished..."
Before Ling Mohan could finish speaking, Feng Jin covered his mouth. "I almost forgot, wishes don't come true if you say them out loud. Don't say it."
"Alright, I'll listen to you."
"You're the birthday boy, you cut the cake."
Ling Mohan took the knife and cut the cake. He handed the first slice to Feng Jin and then said coldly to everyone else, "Anyone who wants some can cut it themselves."
Lu Shi had been eyeing the cake for a long time. Ignoring everything else, he grabbed the knife and cut the cake, distributing it to everyone.
"Young General, you have no idea how hard Madam worked to make this cake for you. She started preparing yesterday. All these dishes on the table were personally made by Madam according to your preferences."
Cai Qing, standing by, was an absolute divine助攻, ensuring Ling Mohan was aware of Feng Jin's thoughtfulness.
"Don't tire yourself out like this anymore," Ling Mohan said, seeing the redness in Feng Jin's eyes. He knew she hadn't slept well, and his voice was filled with concern.
"I'm fine. Besides, it's your birthday. If I entrusted others to prepare it, I wouldn't be at ease. I had to oversee it myself."
The two of them were engrossed in each other, completely ignoring everyone else.
The others at the table felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles. The sheer amount of affection they witnessed was enough to satiate them.
"Young Master, this is the longevity noodles I made for you. Eat them for a long life and peace."
Aunt Bai placed a bowl of noodles in front of Ling Mohan. Ever since Ling Mohan was born, she had consistently made a bowl of longevity noodles for him on his birthday.
"Thank you, Aunt Bai."
Ling Mohan hadn't eaten Aunt Bai's noodles in a long time. He picked them up with his chopsticks and took a bite. It tasted exactly like the noodles he ate when he was a child, unchanged.
"Young Master, you must finish the longevity noodles in one go. Don't leave any behind," Aunt Bai repeated her usual advice, fearing Ling Mohan would only eat half of it.
"Aunt Bai's noodles still taste the same as before. They haven't changed over the years."
Ling Mohan placed the empty bowl on the table. After finishing the bowl of noodles, his stomach felt warm, and he was instantly comfortable.
"Eat the cake," Feng Jin took the cake and smeared it on Ling Mohan's face before he could react.
"You're the birthday boy today, you can't get angry, understand?" Feng Jin, emboldened, smeared cream on the man's face. "You look so handsome."