Talulah, I'm still a child.

"Well, these wedding dresses of ours are quite expensive. Young lady, you can't possibly wear them all the time, can you?"

Because of her fondness for Mei Xue's face, the saleswoman wasn't angry, thinking it was just a child being ignorant. But Mei Xue thought about it for a while and then shook her head.

"These aren't my clothes. Hmm, besides the ones for my sister, there are also the Doctor's, Kal'tsit's, Lily of the Valley and Rosemary's, and Blaze's..."

After rattling off dozens of names in one breath, ignoring Talulah's puffed-up face, Mei Xue looked at the saleswoman who was completely stunned and suddenly realized another problem.

"Sister, do you still have wedding dresses left?"

"...Um, there are still some."

"Then give me three hundred more!"

These three hundred wedding dresses were of course for the Siren lolis. The little fox had given them amulets before, but this was the first time they had received dresses. Previously, Amaya and Gatanothor had received several sets separately, which made the remaining sirens complain all day long that Meixue was biased.

(My God, who is this person...)

The saleswoman's worldview was completely shattered.

Chapter 397 Father and Daughter in Harmony

Beaches, sunshine, and a vast ocean—well, calling it an ocean is a bit of an exaggeration, but Siesta is definitely a great city for tourism.

At least when Mei Xue led Talulah to the beach, she could feel everyone's enthusiasm.

"elder brother!"

The moment Cecilia saw Mei Xue appear, she rushed over at almost the fastest speed she had ever been. Her straw hat fell off her head, and with a powerful push of her feet, she pounced towards the little fox.

"!!!"

Mei Xue was so startled by Cecilia that she dropped her ice cream and quickly directed her tail to catch Cecilia. She then hugged Cecilia and rubbed her head.

"I told you not to pounce on me like that, it's dangerous."

Despite saying that, Mei Xue's tone was full of doting affection. Cecilia kept rubbing against his chest, clearly missing Mei Xue a lot since they hadn't seen each other for a while.

"Hmm, it seems Mei Xue is a good older brother too."

Talulah covered her mouth and chuckled. She wasn't jealous of Cecilia, but rather she wished her future daughter could be as cute and well-behaved as Cecilia. She figured that inheriting Mei Xue's genes would be fine.

Upon seeing Mei Xue appear, all the girls from Rhodes Island gathered around to greet her. Specter and Amaya, among others, also planned to inquire about Mei Xue's situation. Then... the ring on the little fox's middle finger shimmered in the sunlight, causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

Mei Xue had already mentioned Talulah's proposal to her in the group chat, so the girls on Rhodes Island were all mentally prepared. However, when they saw the ring, their hearts still stopped. Damn it, they shouldn't have let Talulah come to Rhodes Island alive!

"It seems... we need to find some time to clean up the dangerous elements."

Specter and Amaya both had exceptionally kind smiles, while Liz's face darkened so much she wanted to throw her staff at Talulah's face. Apart from the Doctor and Cecilia, almost every woman present harbored resentment towards Talulah, not even her own sister Chen Huijie, who was just figuring out how to proceed with her marriage proposal to Meixue.

However, you can't be rough with Mei Xue. The little fox is quite scary when he's angry. The main problem is that losing favorability is a real headache. If he protects Talulah, no one can do anything about it.

So everyone has to pretend to be nice and put aside the unpleasant things for now. The key is to figure out how fast you can win over Mei Xue. Talulah is just one step away from getting married and having children.

"Meixue, did you enjoy your trip?"

Chen Huijie looked at the two people in front of her with a bad feeling, but she tried to adjust her mindset and facial expression and greeted the little fox. The rest of the crowd also gathered around, subtly pushing Talulah aside, and then chattered with the little fox.

"How's the place in Shelag?"

"Did we encounter any bad people? Why are we only arriving now?"

"Meixue, take me to Dayan this year! I want to see the beautiful scenery of Dayan too."

"Pah! Have you no shame? You don't want to see the scenery of the Great Yan, do you? You just want Mei Xue's body!"

The noise was just as loud as before, but Mei Xue showed no impatience. The little fox listened to his sisters' various questions with a smile, wagging his tail contentedly. He could feel everyone's anxiety and concern for him, which was wonderful.

Looking at Mei Xue like this, everyone felt that something was wrong. In the past, Mei Xue would have been at a loss at this time, but now... suddenly there was a feeling that Mei Xue seemed to have grown up.

"Thank you for your concern, sisters. I had a very enjoyable trip."

Mei Xue's smile was healing to both body and mind. Nian, on the other hand, touched her chin with some doubt. After all, Mei Xue had raised her, so she was the one who could best realize that Mei Xue was different from before.

"That's strange, why does Mei Xue seem to have matured a lot all of a sudden?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Nian's head was lightly tapped by Mei Xue's tail. The little fox looked at her with sharp eyes and a serious expression.

"You have no respect for elders; you won't even call me 'Dad' once."

The familiar tone and manner sent a chill down Nian and Xi's spines, and an unbelievable explanation flashed through their minds.

"Father... your memories have returned?"

"Oh, right~"

Mei Xue smiled and wagged her tail, nodding her head. This made Nian He Xi's heart sink, and even the girls around her were stunned by this answer.

"Of course, I don't remember everything. I just happened to remember that I have a bunch of troublesome kids, and then... well, there are some other little things."

When facing Nian and Xi, Mei Xue seemed to mature a lot in an instant, but the little fox showed a well-behaved smile the next moment. He had indeed recovered that part of his memory, but it wouldn't have much of an impact on him now.

"Alright, alright, it's fine if you don't want to call me that, anyway, Ling doesn't want to call me that either."

The little fox glanced at Ling, who was lying on a beach chair not far away. She seemed completely unhurried, drinking her wine with ease. However, after sensing Mei Xue's gaze, she helplessly put away her wine gourd. There was nothing she could do; she was henpecked.

If we're talking about who Mei Xue felt most awkward facing after regaining her memories, it would definitely be Ling. During the time she raised Nian and Xi, her relationship with Ling developed very quickly, mainly because Ling was too proactive. Now that her memories have returned, Mei Xue's affection for her has increased even more.

(My ex-wife, with whom I'm still married, and my current fiancée bumped into each other. What should I do?)

The thought suddenly popped into Mei Xue's head, but she quickly shook her head and dismissed it. It wasn't a big deal for the little fox, since both Talulah and Ling were people he liked. It was just that Talulah held a much higher place in his heart now, but the little fox would still find some time to talk to Ling alone.

"So it's because your memory has partially returned? That explains why there was such a big commotion a while ago."

Amaya looked enlightened, and now she felt much more at ease. As long as Mei Xue was safe, at least her sisters at home could finally settle down.

"Sigh, was there any big commotion recently?"

Huang was a little confused. Although she had some connection with Mei Xue, it wasn't very deep. She was completely unaware of what had happened a few days ago. Nian and Xi didn't react much either, let alone ordinary people.

"It's probably the kind of thing that ordinary people can't perceive. Ah, although you have some connection with Mei Xue, your level of life is still too low."

Amaya pondered for a moment and concluded that the sirens could sense that change not only because they had a deep connection with Mei Xue, but also probably because they were at a higher level. Compared to the people of Terra, the sirens had Mei Xue as a reference template, and their evolutionary path was confirmed, so they were closer to Mei Xue.

"As long as you're safe and sound."

The Doctor didn't have any objections. She wasn't surprised that Talulah put a ring on Mei Xue's finger, and it wasn't hard to see Talulah's feelings from the ring.

"Only the PhD student remains as carefree as ever."

Amiya couldn't help but sigh. The Doctor was never jealous. She was the same way back in Babel. No matter how Theresa and Kal'tsit fought each other, she was content as long as she had something to eat.

But now that Mei Xue has arrived, our vacation can officially begin!

————————————————————————————————————

"This winter is so strange, there have been two snowfalls with such heavy snow."

In the newly established city-state of Vorsini in Syracuse, two members of the Saluzzo family, who were responsible for guarding the gates, couldn't help but exhale a breath of hot air and rub their hands together, complaining about the cold weather. Guarding the gates in this kind of weather was simply a torturous job.

"Who says otherwise? I also heard that the last snowfall was quite heavy. It snowed not only here, but even in Sargon."

"Oh, isn't that place very hot? You're kidding me."

"Why would I tease you? This is what my third uncle's fourth aunt's son's cousin said. He's doing business over there."

The two chatted, which helped to alleviate some of the loneliness brought on by the cold. Due to the current Sicilian lady's order, no family was allowed to reside in the city. Although it was impossible to reduce the number of assassinations in the shadows, at least the open struggles were much less than before. The mayor of the city was also destined not to be a member of any of the major families, so during this period, every family was selecting a suitable puppet.

The wealth contained in a new city is unimaginable, and even with the rules of Madame Sicily, the various families still can't resist trying to do something underhanded.

"Oh, by the way, have you heard? A judge came to our court, her name is something like...La something, and it seems she offended the Rossetti family."

"Holy crap, they actually dared to do that?"

"Why wouldn't you dare? Have you forgotten? The court represents the authority of the two Sicilian ladies."

The law is something the major families of Syracuse despise but cannot ignore at all times. They despise the law, believing that their family rules are the rules of Syracuse. However, they cannot disregard the authority of the two generations of Madame Sicily. The first Madame Sicily created Syracuse nearly sixty years ago, while the second Madame Sicily, or Lady Sicily, rose to prominence more than a decade ago, surpassing the momentum of the twelve families at an unexpected speed and taking over the title of the former Madame Sicily. Yet, no one ever knew her name.

Therefore, the court, to some extent, represented Madame Sicily, and the various families of Syracuse tacitly agreed not to have any conflicts in court. Of course, this did not mean that they would obediently follow the rules.

"Even so, the Rossetti family still has many ways to..."

"Yes, but this judge is still perfectly fine. I really don't know what she's capable of. Most of the people in the court are from families."

As the two were chatting, they suddenly saw a black car slowly drive up and stop in front of the gate.

If this behavior wasn't provocative, then the next moment a few armed men would probably crawl out of the car and try to give a Syracuse-style greeting, because this is the Saluzzo family's front gate, and no one dares to park their car here, let alone people from other families. Visits between families require prior invitations, and it's impossible for them to come alone in one car.

"Go and see?"

"Walk."

Just as the two mafia guards were about to step forward, the car door opened by itself. A black boot gently stepped onto the solid ground, followed by a knife—a strangely shaped knife—which made the two guards tremble involuntarily.

As long-time members of the Saluzzo family, they naturally recognized the weapon, and it was precisely because they recognized it that they felt fear.

"Hmm, so many years have passed, but the style hasn't changed..."

With a wild smile on her face, Lappland looked at her home, which she hadn't returned to in so long, but felt little nostalgia. She hadn't come to see her father, who was still alive; she'd probably just say hello.

"Miss...Miss, what brings you back?"

Even though Lappland Saluzzo has been expelled from the family, her blood ties with the current family leader, Alberto, cannot be severed. How could a mere gatekeeper dare to turn her away?

"Yeah, I came back to see if that old man is dead yet, and to take care of some other things while I'm at it."

When her father was mentioned, Lappland showed no respect whatsoever, as she always had, only appearing calmer and more serene when she was with Mei Xue.

"But Miss, you have already been expelled from the family, this..."

“I know, that’s why I didn’t plan to let you in.”

Lappland was still very considerate. Just as the two of them were thinking this, she picked up her other weapon.

"So, I'll make my own way."

Just as Lappland was about to burst through the door, in the courthouse of Vorsini, the newly arrived judge Lavinia sat alone in her office processing documents, casually placing the invitation from the Bellone family aside. It was an attempt by the Bellone family to win her over after they learned of some unpleasantness between her and the Rossetti family, but she didn't care.

Until a shadow emerged from the corner of the wall.

"Madam, the white wolf of the Saluzzo family has returned and has arrived at the Saluzzo family's residence."

"...Okay, I understand. Tell me your thoughts."

Lavinia nodded, then continued studying the files on the table. Shadow thought for a moment and then shared his opinion.

"From what I understand, Lapland Saluzzo is a lone wolf and doesn't seem like someone who would willingly return to his family."