Chapter 130 – May Old Friends Be Well
“Oh, hurry up, it’s getting dark.”
Ji Yunqi was riding on Ye Mingkong’s neck, holding onto his hair with both hands, commanding him forward as if he were riding his own mount.
“You don’t find it tiring or embarrassing to ride on my neck like this.” Although Ye Mingkong was complaining verbally, he didn’t feel any discontent in his heart.
Now, Ji Yunqi was his little pampered wife. Since his little pampered wife was small and delicate, riding on his neck wouldn’t feel too heavy.
Moreover, the envious glances cast at him by passersby along the way were genuine!
Everyone, men and women alike, was envious.
For men, it was natural to envy Ye Mingkong for having such a beautiful wife and being able to make such intimate gestures in public.
As for the girls…
Of course, they were envious of Ji Yunqi for having a husband who doted on her.
“Oh, you’re my husband~ Isn’t it your job to take care of your wife?”
“You, you really are…”
“Hahaha~”
…
Not far away, Ye Lingyu was sitting in a wheelchair, silently watching everything with Jiang Hua.
“It seems this child’s mindset is truly starting to change.”
A look of relief appeared on Jiang Hua’s face.
Whether it was her, Ye Lingyu, or Ye Mingkong, they all shared a common belief: Ji Yunqi now needed to be protected.
After toiling for so many years, since she could receive this change from heaven, her life should also change.
Instead of being shackled by past thoughts and being confined by them.
This was definitely not a good thing for Ji Yunqi’s development in this life.
“She’s becoming more and more like a young girl, and this is quite good.”
“Hehe, Dad, Mom, we’re back~”
Looking at the “two little ones” in front of him, Ye Lingyu showed a smile.
When one gets old…
There are fewer and fewer worries. What he thought about now was just that the children were all well. As for anything else… it didn’t matter.
In this life, what else could one ask for but family happiness?
As long as the family is well, there is nothing else to ask for.
“You’re back so late, where have you been fooling around?”
Now that they were home, Ji Yunqi had already gotten down from Ye Mingkong’s neck. It wasn’t very appropriate to do that in front of her parents.
“We just went for a stroll, nowhere in particular.”
“Haha, alright, alright, it’s almost New Year anyway, just have fun here.”
Ji Yunqi and Ye Mingkong exchanged glances. For decades, they hadn’t spent a New Year with their parents. This time was a good opportunity.
“Speaking of which, will you be returning to Rongcheng for New Year this year?” Ye Lingyu knew that Rongcheng held greater significance for this young couple, as it was where they had lived for more than half a year.
Kyoto was just where Ye Mingkong grew up, not where he grew up.
“Probably not. Even if we have to go back, it will be after the New Year. After all…”
“After all, it’s been decades, and we haven’t spent a complete New Year with you elders yet.”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Good, good, good.”
Ye Lingyu had been waiting for these words from Ji Yunqi and Ye Mingkong. There were many things he truly wanted, but his status did not allow him to bring them up proactively.
Ye Lingyu was an elder and a father. When children grow up, they have their own ideas, and it wasn’t easy for him to proactively ask his children to stay and accompany them.
Now that the children had taken the initiative to stay and spend the New Year with them, he was naturally very satisfied.
There were only half a month left until New Year. This time, they were no longer alone, but accompanied by their children.
“Then, should we invite our son and daughter-in-law over?” Ji Yunqi inquired.
“Chengyun them…”
“If they are willing, then they can all come. It will be livelier with more people. Oh, right, don’t forget your in-laws too~”
Ji Yunqi nodded. Since they were bringing Chengyun and Xinrou along, Luo Yao couldn’t be left out, otherwise, she would be completely alone.
Her experiences hadn’t been smooth, and if she wasn’t brought along during the New Year, how lonely would she be?
“Okay, then let’s bring everyone along.”
“That’s right, more people means more liveliness, haha.”
…
Late at night…
After showering, Ji Yunqi put on a pure white nightgown and walked barefoot in the room.
Hearing the movement, Ye Mingkong turned his head and was instantly frozen in place, his eyes staring blankly at Ji Yunqi.
Seeing this, Ji Yunqi grabbed the hem of her skirt with both hands and then spun around: “Do I look pretty~”
“You look beautiful…”
“It’s right that you look beautiful~”
Seeing this, Ye Mingkong immediately stepped forward and lifted her onto the bed.
“Little one, you’re being naughty. Are you starting to transform into a succubus?”
Ji Yunqi knew she had a “death-exempt token” now and naturally became more arrogant.
Ji Yunqi didn’t care about Ye Mingkong’s state. She lay on the bed and reached out to hug Ye Mingkong’s neck, locking her legs around his waist.
“Look at you, like a lecher. Why are you so lustful? You were a woman before, why are you like this?”
This was also something Ji Yunqi was curious about. This guy had been very eager a while ago, was it really necessary to be like this?
“You don’t understand~ Heh, woman, aren’t you the one seducing me?”
“Then… I’ve seduced you, what do you want to do?”
Ye Mingkong’s hand also began to roam all over Ji Yunqi’s smooth thighs: “Of course…”
Before Ye Mingkong could get to the crucial part, Ji Yunqi pushed him away with all her might, then rolled over and dived into the covers.
“You’re…”
Ye Mingkong was stunned by Ji Yunqi’s fluid movements.
Was she playing him?
“Oh, don’t be like this, I’m tired and want to sleep~”
To this, Ye Mingkong could only give up helplessly. The meat that was almost in his mouth flew away, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Watching Ye Mingkong wanting it but having to hold back, Ji Yunqi found it extremely amusing.
Truly super sensitive skin, turns red easily when teased.
However, it shouldn’t go too far. Otherwise, if the head of the household was controlled by the lower half, it would be bad if he got himself into trouble, especially since she was pregnant.
She knew that the first three months and the last three months were a no-go.
So…
My dear husband, you’ll have to bear with it for now. We can’t help it.
…
Time flew by quickly, and it was soon the eve of the New Year…
Under Ye Mingkong’s insistent demand, Ji Yunqi was warmly bundled up. After all, Kyoto in December was still a bit cold, and Ye Mingkong didn’t want his little pampered wife to catch a cold.
“Wife, where are we going so early in the morning?” Ye Mingkong couldn’t quite understand. Shouldn’t they be sleeping in bed today? Why were they up so early?
Ji Yunqi couldn’t be bothered to explain. He wouldn’t understand even if she did.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Alright…”
Being snapped at, Ye Mingkong had no choice but to obediently follow behind Ji Yunqi, lest he get scolded again.
He hadn’t been scolded this much in a while, although it was all because he was actively provoking it.
However, his wife’s temper was clearly worse than before. She never spoke harshly to him before, but now it was different. She would say anything at the drop of a hat!@#$@$#……….
He wondered what medicine she had taken to become so temperamental.
…
Looking at the white building in front of him, Ye Mingkong stared blankly at Ji Yunqi: “Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?”
Ji Yunqi rolled her eyes: “You really are… not very bright!”
Ignoring Ye Mingkong’s bewilderment, Ji Yunqi stepped inside. As she walked into the hospital, she met an acquaintance.
“Hey, Sun Hui, over here~”
Sun Hui, who was called out, turned around just in time and saw a girl wrapped up tightly. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but then he suddenly remembered.
This…
It seemed like she was here for a prenatal check-up. He had almost forgotten.
“You’re here, let’s go.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Wait!” Ye Mingkong was very displeased to see his wife about to walk off with a stranger. How could this be? He didn’t know anything yet.
“What is it?”
“Are you guys…”
“Who is this?” Sun Hui’s eyes began to scrutinize Ye Mingkong. He didn’t recognize this person. Before, Ye Xuan had brought Ji Yunqi for her prenatal check-ups.
“This is my husband.”
Sun Hui understood as soon as he heard this!
The father of the child!
“So, you are…”
Seeing that Ye Mingkong still didn’t know what was going on, Ji Yunqi had to speak up: “Of course, we’re here for a prenatal check-up!”
“Ah?”
“Prenatal check-up?”
Ji Yunqi: ???
“I’m pregnant, don’t I need to have a prenatal check-up?”
Ye Mingkong scratched his head. He didn’t remember his wife telling him she was pregnant.
“When?”
“You!!!”
Ji Yunqi didn’t care if there were many people around anymore and directly grabbed the soft flesh on Ye Mingkong’s waist!
“Ouch~~”
A howl attracted the attention of the people around, and they stopped to watch this scene of domestic violence in broad daylight.
“You never told me, how would I know?”
“When did I not tell you? Didn’t I tell you last time in the ward?”
Ye Mingkong was stunned. Wasn’t she joking last time?
“You… weren’t you joking last time?”
“You… you damn…”
…
On the street…
Ji Yunqi’s expression was gloomy, her hands clasped in front of her chest, and she walked ahead with a displeased look. Behind her, Ye Mingkong kept bowing and coaxing her.
“Oh, wife, look, my ears are deaf, it was unintentional, hehe~”
“Wife~”
“Get away! Stay away from me~”
“Hmph!”
Seeing Ji Yunqi’s unhappy expression, and even stomping her foot to show her displeasure, Ye Mingkong couldn’t help himself.
He directly reached out and pinched Ji Yunqi’s cheek: “Oh, wife, why are you so cute?”
“Seriously, I can’t associate you with that greasy uncle from six months ago at all. You’re too cute now, you know?”
Ji Yunqi struggled to push away the hands pinching her cheeks and glared at him fiercely.
“Stop pinching…”
Upon receiving instructions, Ye Mingkong stopped his playful gestures. After all, they had some tasks to do today.
For example,
Grocery shopping!
Now that he was home, household chores naturally had to be done by family members. Ye Mingkong knew very well that he hadn’t been home for decades.
Since he was finally home, he naturally had to do some things to make up for the past few years.
“Alright, let’s get to business. It was my mistake this time, I’ll definitely pay more attention in the future~”
Ji Yunqi wanted to make things difficult for him a bit longer, as she had finally learned these skills and hadn’t used them much yet.
However, considering that it was almost New Year, it wasn’t appropriate to throw a tantrum, so she put the thought aside. Anyway, there were still a long time, no need to rush.
“Alright then~”
Just like in the past decades, Ji Yunqi linked her arm through Ye Mingkong’s, acting like a little pendant by his side.
Just like in the past, Ye Mingkong was as dependent on Ji Yunqi.
“Young man, would you like to buy a bunch of flowers?” At this moment, a young girl, no older than 15, stood nearby with a basket full of fresh flowers in her hand.
They looked particularly vibrant, which was very rare in the harsh winter of Kyoto.
In Kyoto in December, the temperature was very low, and there were rarely shops selling fresh flowers.
But now, there was such a little girl braving the wind and snow to sell flowers.
“Yes, can you wrap a bunch for me?”
“Yes, no problem.”
The little girl’s hands were fast, and in less than two minutes, she had wrapped a delicate bouquet.
After paying, Ye Mingkong took the bouquet and then looked at Ji Yunqi: “Here, this is for you.”
“You’re quite romantic.”
Although Ji Yunqi, having met him later in life, wasn’t particularly fond of flowers, it was still a gesture of affection.
For a couple, giving a bouquet of flowers was always a way to express romance.
For decades, Ji Yunqi had given Ye Mingkong flowers many times, and she had received many flowers herself, but… this was the first time she had received flowers as a wife.
“That goes without saying~”
“Little girl, what’s your name?” Ye Mingkong became curious about such a thrifty and virtuous girl and wanted to get to know her.
“My name is Yao Yun Chu, I’m 15 years old.”
“Yun Chu…” Ji Yunqi glanced at the person beside her with a strange look.
This name…
It was not unfamiliar to them. Didn’t he used to be called Ye Yun Chu? It was just that after rebirth, they had taken their current names as their identities, but that didn’t mean they had forgotten.
“Surname Yao…”
This made Ye Mingkong recall an old friend.
Back then, before he had a falling out with his father, there was a youth who always liked to follow him around and help him with some things.
Everyone said he was his little follower, but Ye Mingkong knew that it was because he had held onto his last breath.
Thinking back now, his sudden departure seemed… quite unfair to him. Clearly, he had no other acquaintances here, but he had abandoned him out of a moment of petulance.
He hadn’t even returned for decades.
“Husband, are you okay?” Ji Yunqi stepped forward to inquire when she saw Ye Mingkong’s unusual state.
“Ah, it’s nothing.”
“Thank you, little girl, your flowers are beautiful.”
Seeing that Ji Yunqi seemed to really like the bouquet, Yao Yun Chu was also very happy: “Thank you, sister, I wish you both a happy union for a hundred years.”
“What a sweet mouth~”
“Yun Chu, where are you?” At this moment, a shout reached the ears of the three. Looking in the direction of the voice, the person who arrived was clearly an old man who looked around forty.
Ye Mingkong’s eyes also fixed on him. Although decades had passed, his impression in Ye Mingkong’s mind had faded considerably, but it still couldn’t be erased.
The slightly weathered face of the middle-aged man before him gradually overlapped with the youth in his memory.
“Yao Qing…”
The middle-aged man was slightly taken aback, then looked at Ye Mingkong: “Does this young brother recognize me?”
Seeing this scene, Ye Mingkong quietly shook his head: “No, you must have misheard. I don’t know you, sir.”
“Oh, I apologize…”
“Yun Chu, why did you run out by yourself? It’s so cold outside, hurry home with Dad.”
“Mhm, okay.”
As the conversation ended, Yao Yun Chu also looked back at Ji Yunqi and Ye Mingkong: “Goodbye you two.”
Watching the backs of the father and daughter leave, Ye Mingkong, for the first time in a long time, showed a look of relief.
“Are they your acquaintances?”
Ye Mingkong nodded: “Yes, his name is Yao Qing. He was a little fellow I saved by the roadside when I was a child. Later, I arranged a place for him to live and took care of him for a while.”
“He was like my younger brother, always following me, protecting me, and helping me with many things.”
Hearing this, Ji Yunqi became a little unhappy.
This was all old history from that year. Back then, Ye Mingkong was still a girl, and yet she had such a brat following her… calling him a younger brother, but they could also be called childhood sweethearts, right!
However, Ji Yunqi did not show this unhappiness. After all, he was just a little kid, and it seemed he already had his own family. She had no reason to say anything.
It seemed that her old acquaintances were all living well now. Even without her Kyoto, the people who were once by her side were not living that badly.
However, he then thought of the opposite side.
Ye Mingkong hugged Ji Yunqi and whispered in her ear: “Wife, what do you think… we are so young now, but the people from my generation are gradually getting old. Even our son and daughter-in-law are older than us.”
“Then… later, when we reach our previous age, will the old friends around us start to leave us one by one?”
Ji Yunqi’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly: “Don’t think too much about it. If you keep thinking like this, will we have to support our son?”
“This…”
“Hahahaha, okay, I won’t say anything more, alright?”
This topic was indeed quite bizarre.
The family members were indeed related by blood.
But the parents were several years younger than their son. This was truly unbelievable.
Perhaps because it was close to New Year, even the markets were decorated with lanterns, making them look festive and lively.
After buying some things casually, Ye Mingkong planned to take Ji Yunqi home.
After all, it was only their family, so there was no need to be too formal; a simple meal would be enough.
This “family” here referred specifically to their own family, not including people like Ye Xuan.
However… they would be joined by Luo Yao and the others in a few days.
Last night, their son said they were already packing and would come to Kyoto in a couple of days, and they would need to pick them up to avoid getting lost.
…
As soon as they returned home, Ji Yunqi and Ye Mingkong saw old Deng standing on a ladder hanging lanterns. This scene startled both Ye Mingkong and Ji Yunqi.
Why was old Deng hanging them? Why didn’t they let them do it?
However, since old Deng was already hanging them, they couldn’t speak up. It would be bad if they startled old Deng.
In helplessness, the two could only stand by and wait for old Deng to finish hanging the lantern.
“Oh, these lanterns are so beautiful, hehe~”
“Old Deng, hurry down. If there’s something to hang, it should be us. What are you busy with?”
Upon hearing this, Ye Lingyu turned his head and looked at the couple in front of him with displeasure: “Hmph! You two ungrateful brats, you haven’t been back for decades, so I had to do it myself. And now you’re blaming me!”
“This…”
Ji Yunqi and Ye Mingkong immediately fell silent.
This matter was indeed their fault. If they continued to argue, old Deng would probably start scolding them again.
For some reason, old Deng’s output ability had been exceptionally strong recently. He would scold anyone he saw before talking about anything else.
“Girl, put the ingredients in the kitchen first. Let this kid stay here.”
Since Ye Lingyu had spoken, Ji Yunqi naturally complied, leaving Ye Mingkong alone to face old Deng.
This was a good opportunity for them, father and daughter… no, father and son, to bond.
“Dad…”
“Come on, come on, you go, I’ll watch for you.”
Ye Lingyu couldn’t pretend any longer. It didn’t matter anymore since he was a son. Since he was a son, he might as well make good use of him.
It had been decades since he had used him. When he was still a girl at home, it was not good to let him do heavy work. But now… he could use him as a workhorse with peace of mind.
He didn’t feel sorry for him anyway. The child was still young, and even if he got injured, he would recover quickly, wouldn’t he?
Sons were meant for heavy work, and daughters were meant to be doted on.
In their own home…
The daughter who became a son should do the work, and the son-in-law who became a daughter-in-law should be doted on.
Wasn’t this a simple choice?
Seeing Ye Mingkong take the lantern from his hand without hesitation, Ye Lingyu felt a sense of unreality.
“This child… has truly grown up, knows how to care for his old man…”
This wouldn’t have happened before. As the old saying goes, when children grow up, they become sensible.
…
