Stockpiling for an Exiled General Through My Store's Back Door

Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Both a Brother and Family

”Next, we need to help the others find water sources.”

”It would be far too suspicious if only we found water. We must make sure the others are included in the discovery,” Ling Qianjun said in a low voice to Ling Qianfan, waiting until they had walked a safe distance away.

”Alright. I’ll listen to you, Qianjun.” Ling Qianfan resolutely obeyed Ling Qianjun’s arrangements. Whatever his brother said went; listening to Qianjun was a foolproof plan.

Ling Qianjun led Ling Qianfan, quietly circling behind one of the small squads. They waited until the team members finished digging a pit, found no water, and walked away sighing with their tools in hand. Then, Ling Qianjun quickly poured a bag of water into the hole before darting out of sight.

At that moment, Ling Qianfan stepped forward, appearing right in front of the small squad. Pointing behind them in surprise, he shouted, ”Ah! You guys dug up a water source too? Why do you all look so dejected? Hurry up and scoop the water out! If you don’t hurry, it’ll be gone!”

Seeing Ling Qianfan’s exaggerated expression and hearing his astonished words, the squad members hurriedly turned around.

With a single glance, they saw water bubbling up in the pit they had just dug—and it was visibly receding back into the earth!

Panicking, they grabbed their prepared bowls and wooden buckets, rushing over to scoop up the water.

”Ah, it’s water! It really is water! There was water in the hole we just dug! But we didn’t wait, and now it’s shrinking back! How much water have we wasted?!”

”Hurry, faster! We absolutely cannot waste any more!”

The two men scooped the water so frantically that their hands moved in an absolute blur. They didn’t give up until they finally managed to scrape up the last scoop. By then, the water was thick with yellow mud, and digging any deeper yielded nothing.

Ling Qianfan then walked up to them, sighing as he spoke. ”Ah, if only you had started scooping earlier. Now you’ve only managed to get a little over half a bucket, when you could have had so much more.

”What a pity. Next time, you should wait a bit longer. The water doesn’t always seep out immediately. You either have to wait a moment or dig a little deeper.”

Wearing an expression of deep regret, Ling Qianfan let out another long sigh before turning and walking away.

Ling Qianjun was waiting for him not too far away. He had heard every single word of Ling Qianfan’s performance.

As soon as Ling Qianfan reached Ling Qianjun, he dropped his sorrowful little act. His face instantly shifted to an obedient, eager expression as he hurried to his brother’s side. ”Qianjun, how was my acting just now? They completely believed everything I said without a sliver of doubt. Aren’t I amazing?”

Ling Qianfan looked at Ling Qianjun with eyes full of anticipation, his expression practically screaming, ”Qianjun, please praise me!”

Ling Qianjun glanced at Ling Qianfan. In his heart, he wanted to act like he always did—to suppress his younger brother’s ego a bit so he wouldn’t become arrogant and complacent.

But at that moment, Hua Buwan’s words suddenly echoed in his mind. ”Family members also need praise and affirmation. I know you want to treat them strictly for their own good, but you have to find a balance between discipline and warmth. You aren’t just their older brother; you’re their family.”

And so, in the next second, a smile touched Ling Qianjun’s lips. He raised his hand, ruffled Ling Qianfan’s hair, and said softly, ”Yes, you did great.”

With that, Ling Qianjun withdrew his hand and strode straight ahead. ”Let’s go. We’ll visit one more squad, and then we’ll head back to the main group.”

However, there was no response from behind.

Frowning, Ling Qianjun looked back with a hint of displeasure.

With a single glance, his expression froze, and his footsteps came to a dead halt.