Family Stealing System: your wife, mother, sister, all mine now!
Chapter 15: Good company, Rich Mind

Chapter 15: Good company, Rich Mind

She suddenly stopped talking.

Kian nodded and hugged Mia’s neck, kissing her head. "I know it’s a loan, but—"

"Your food is here, young master!"

The waiter returned with a procession of dishes that transformed the alcove into a landscape of steam and aroma. A whole river fish glazed in amber sauce, its skin crackling with residual heat, sat beside a clay pot of braised bamboo shoots swimming in fragrant oil.

Steamed buns filled with wild mushroom and minced spirit-beast meat arrived in a bamboo basket, their tops glistening. A bowl of clear soup floated with slivers of lotus root and goji berries, so translucent the pattern of the bowl showed through.

"I’ll take my leave, I’ll take my leave! Young master, enjoy our service!"

Kian nodded and hugged Mia’s neck, kissing her head.

Hua Jia stared at the spread, her chopsticks hovering. "This is too much. We can’t possibly eat all this."

Hua Mia nudged her foot under the table. "We have to. He already paid."

Kian picked up a steamed bun and bit into it, steam curling past his lips. The filling was rich and earthy, the mushroom soaking up the meat’s juices in a way that made his eyes close for a second.

"Eat. Before it gets cold."

Hua Jia watched him chew, then gingerly plucked a bun from the basket. She took a small bite, her teeth breaking through the soft dough, and her expression changed.

She stopped holding the bun like it might bite her and took a proper, full bite. Her cheeks bulged as she chewed, then she swallowed and reached for the fish without a word.

Kian laughed, the sound loose and genuine. "See? I told you you’d like it."

"I knew it," Mia said.

"You didn’t know anything," Jia mumbled around a mouthful of fish. "Don’t pretend you knew."

"I don’t know the food here, but I know you. You’ve been eating plain congee for two years. Of course you’d like good food."

Jia shot her a glare but couldn’t hold it because another bite of fish was already making its way to her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, then let out a sigh that seemed to carry two years of suffering. Her shoulders dropped, her posture softening.

"Okay. This is really good."

Kian ladled soup into a small bowl and slid it toward her. "Told you. Money well spent."

Hua Jia took the bowl, blowing across the surface before sipping. The broth was clear and clean, the lotus root still slightly crisp.

She looked up at him, and for a moment the wariness in her eyes mellowed out, replaced by something simpler. Even her worries seemed to ease.

"Maybe it was."

Hua Mia reached for the braised bamboo shoots, her sleeve brushing Kian’s arm. She twirled a piece around her chopsticks and held it up. "You should try this. It’s sweet and savory."

Kian leaned in and opened his mouth. She blinked, then took a soft breath and fed him the bite.

The bamboo shot melted on his tongue, the sauce coating his palate with layers of soy and ginger. He nodded, and Mia smiled, taking a piece for herself.

Jia watched them with narrowed eyes, but the corner of her mouth was fighting a smile. "You two are disgusting."

"You’re just jealous no one fed you," Kian said.

"Why would I be jelous? I can feed myself."

"Oh, what about this meatbun? There is a strawberry inside it."

Jia’s eyes lit up.

Kian picked up the meatbun and brought it to his mouth, making the girl look at it intently. He smiled and offered it to her with a raised eyebrow, she hesitated for exactly two heartbeats before leaning forward and taking a bite straight from his hand.

"Amazing!"

She chewed quickly, refusing to meet his eyes, and the red creeping up her ears said everything her mouth wouldn’t.

Mia smiled at the scene, her eyes growing slightly moist as she pulled Kian’s hand closer and took a bite of the bun herself.

"Ouch, leave some for me!" Kian said.

"Too late!"

It went wholely into Mia’s mouth.

"Not too late!" he said with a grin.

By the time the dishes were reduced to scattered bones and empty bowls, the stiffness between the three had bled out of the air.

Jia was leaning back against the cushions, one hand patting her stomach, a smile she couldn’t quite suppress lingering on her face.

Mia had her head resting on Kian’s shoulder, her fingers tracing idle patterns on his hand.

They drank some herbal tea and just sat there in silence.

The river below caught the midday sun, scattering light across the ceiling in shifting patterns.

"Okay," Jia said, her voice lazy and warm. "I’ll admit it. This was the best thing I’ve ever had."

Kian grinned, his arm sliding around Mia’s waist. "That was money well spent, right?"

Mia hummed in agreement, her eyes half-closed.

Jia rolled her eyes but didn’t argue, and when she reached for the last piece of fruit on the plate, she didn’t hesitate to share it with the other two.

Right at that moment, the shop owner returned, wiping his hands on his apron, a broad smile still etched across his round face.

"Was everything to the young master’s satisfaction? Perhaps some dessert to round off the meal? We have a rose-snow cake that melts on the tongue. Should I bring more?"

"How much to buy this shop?" Kian asked, cutting him off mid-sentence. "Or invest in it?"

The owner’s smile froze, then cracked into laughter, his belly jiggling as he slapped his thigh.

"Buy the Jade Garden? Young master has ambition, I’ll give him that." He wiped a fake tear from his eye. "Ten thousand low-grade spirit stones and she’s yours. Not a spirit coin less."

As he said that, the powerful energy of a second stage Qi Builder erupted.

Hua Jia nearly choked on her tea. Hua Mia’s hand tightened on Kian’s arm.

But Kian only tilted his head, studying the man with a flat, unblinking gaze. "And in return, what do I get?"

The owner’s laughter died in his throat. He stared at Kian for a long moment, then his expression shifted—the jovial mask sliding away to reveal something harder, more calculating. He pulled out a chair and sat across from them, his voice dropping to a serious register.

"You’re serious, then?"

Kian didn’t blink.

The owner drummed his fingers on the table, once, twice.

"One thousand stones per month, if you give me 10,000 stones, I’ll definitely give you that much per month."

"Oh, 10% returns? That’s quite a lot."

"I won’t give it to normal investors," the fat man said. "But heh, my aura didn’t even make you raise an eyebrow. And my gut tells me you are far stronger than me. You are also so young. So, for a connection with you, 10% is fine by me!"

"That’s good. I’ll get the money soon. For now, can we get some more herbal tea?"

"Young master has a deal," the owner said, rising with a grin that showed too many teeth. He gestured to a nearby waiter. "More of the Silver Lotus blend for my new partner’s table. On the house." He bowed once, shallow but genuine, then retreated down the stairs, his footsteps heavy on the wooden planks.

Hua Jia stared at Kian like he’d grown a second head. "You’re going to invest in a restaurant? With money you haven’t earned yet?"

"Well money will come."

He smiled, squinting.

If he has an income of 1,000 stones per month, he would be able to earn 10,000 stones per ten months. That means he could do another investment in ten months.

Then, his income would go from 1,000 to 2,000. And next time, he would be able to reach 10,000 stones in just five months.

This was a loop.

As long as he could reliably find good investments like this, and secure himself with contracts, it wouldn’t be hard to make money.