Chapter 164: Clearing the Clouds to See the Sun
“You have me, and I have a home now.”
This was not a question, but a statement. The difference between “having me” and “having a home” was just one word, yet the emotions conveyed were worlds apart. Even Ye Anping couldn’t help but hold his breath at that moment. He had expected Li Longling to confess to him after he healed her, but he hadn’t anticipated that such a short sentence could move him so deeply.
“…” Ye Anping gazed at Li Longling’s face and suddenly felt a pang of hesitation. She was so much like the lady Xiyue from the game: gentle, independent, strong, quiet, reserved, and considerate. Without question, she would be an extremely virtuous wife, a woman who would always stand behind her husband and support him.
Ye Anping closed his eyes and pondered for a moment. Then, with a placid expression, he replied with two words: “No.”
He said nothing more after that. Li Longling had expected Ye Anping to explain himself, but after the silence, she had a good idea of what he was thinking. Hesitating for a moment, she asked with a wry smile, “Is… she very good?”
“Yes, very good.”
“I see…” A hint of disappointment flickered across Li Longling’s face, but she quickly recovered. “I wonder what kind of blessings that lady accumulated in her past life?”
“Her name is Xiyue,” Ye Anping replied. He then pushed himself up from the couch, resting his hands on his knees, and said, “The medical fee is one hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones. Remember to settle it later and have it sent to the Jiang Mansion in Du Chun City.”
“One hundred and fifty thousand?”
“Consider it a favor,” Ye Anping said as he walked towards the side hall door. He paused, then turned to look at her. “I may need your help with some things in the future. Do you find that too expensive?”
“One hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones plus a favor…” Li Longling lowered her gaze and pondered for a moment. She rose from the couch, still a little unsteady. After a few steps, she found her balance. She walked up to Ye Anping, placed her hands on his shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, closed her eyes, and gently pressed her lips against his cheek.
*Peck*
“Thank you.”
Ye Anping glanced at Li Longling’s lips. Seeing that she had applied lipstick, he quickly raised his hand and rubbed his cheek to wipe away the imprint. “You’re welcome.”
*Creak*
He pushed open the side hall door.
The scorching afterglow of the midday sun shone into his eyes, causing him to raise his hand to shield his forehead. He squeezed his eyes shut and only then did he adjust. Ye Anping looked at the twenty steps leading down from the side hall entrance and saw Xiao Yunluo and Pei Lianxue sitting arm in arm on the steps. They seemed to be reading a book, completely unaware that they had come out.
Curious, he quietly crept up behind them, squatted down, and peered at the book they were holding from between their heads. He heard Xiao Yunluo say, “Lianxue, I’ve told you many times already, but I must remind you again. These things are very dangerous. Not only can they be fatal, but they can also affect your well-being, especially your senior brother’s.”
Pei Lianxue nodded seriously, “Oh…”
“Don’t let your curiosity lead you to try the poses in this book with your senior brother. And if your senior brother brings it up himself, you must refuse.”
Ye Anping’s brow twitched slightly. He glanced at the back of Xiao Yunluo’s head, feeling a touch of frustration. He let out a sigh: “Hoo—”
The carbon dioxide blew against Xiao Yunluo’s ear, startling her. She immediately froze and turned to look behind her. Seeing Ye Anping’s face so close to her shoulder, she screamed and threw the book away.
“Ah—!!”
Pei Lianxue, however, was much calmer. She raised an eyebrow and asked, “Senior Brother, are you done?”
“…Yes, I’m done.”
Ye Anping hesitated, then looked at Xiao Yunluo again. Seeing his gaze, Xiao Yunluo’s cheeks immediately flushed red. She felt a surge of fear, knowing that everything she had told Lianxue was the truth.
“Ye… Ye Ye Ye Anping, you guys are done?”
“Hoo—” Ye Anping exhaled softly and turned to look at his junior sister with a smile. “Junior Sister, did you remember what Senior Sister Xiao told you?”
Pei Lianxue paused, her cheeks suddenly flushing. She nodded. “Yes… I remember.”
“That’s good. It’s not convenient for me to teach you these things, so I had to trouble Senior Sister Xiao.” Ye Anping breathed a sigh of relief and then cupped his hands in a salute to Xiao Yunluo. “Thank you, Senior Sister Xiao. We won’t stay any longer. We’ll be going now.”
“…”
?
Xiao Yunluo didn’t react for a long time. She watched as Ye Anping led Pei Lianxue out of the moon gate, holding her small hand. It wasn’t until Li Longling walked up to her and said something that startled her again, bringing her back to her senses.
“Senior Sister Xiao…”
“Ah?”
Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Li Longling. She noticed a golden gleam in her eyes and a fiery young phoenix on her shoulder. After a moment, she asked, “Junior Sister Li, can you see now?”
“Yes… Thanks to Senior Ye,” Li Longling smiled. Then, with a gentle smile, she asked, “Senior Sister Xiao, is there something you’ve been hiding from me? I trusted you so much.”
“Ah… Ah? What?”
“Last time we were bathing in the spiritual pool in the back mountains…” Li Longling pouted dissatisfyingly. “You’ve trained your body, so you’re much healthier than ordinary women, but…”
“…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yunluo paused and took a sharp breath. “Did Ye Anping tell you?”
“…So it was true,” Li Longling raised an eyebrow and sighed. “So the shoulder I was leaning on earlier was indeed Senior Ye’s. You were even acting with him to fool me.”
Realizing she had been tricked, Xiao Yunluo’s lips parted, and after a moment of stunned silence, she lowered her gaze and replied, “I’m sorry. When you entered the pool last time, he was already soaking in there.”
“So, Senior Ye deliberately didn’t make a sound to remind me, and watched me undress and walk into the pool?”
“Yes.”
“Senior Ye is quite wicked,” Li Longling shrugged slightly, her furrowed brows easing. “Never mind, Senior Sister Xiao, could you take me out for a walk?”
As she spoke, she reached out and gently scratched the chin of the young phoenix on her shoulder, causing it to lift its head.
“Chirp—”
Through its eyes, she looked at the sky. White clouds and blue sky filled her vision. The Golden Crow was dazzling. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, realizing how dazzling and bright the sun truly was.
“—Miss?! You’re out…” Ling’er’s voice came from behind. Li Longling turned to face her and noticed the wrinkles around Ling’er’s eyes and the dark spots of freckles on her face, which surprised her. This was the first time she had seen the maidservant who had served her for over ten years.
“Ling’er, you have so many freckles on your face?”
“Ah?”
Ling’er paused slightly at this remark. Her eyes widened, and the next moment, tears began to stream uncontrollably from the corners of her eyes.
“Miss!!! Miss!!” She opened her arms, momentarily forgetting the master-servant etiquette she had observed for over a decade, and rushed into Li Longling’s embrace. “Miss, you can see!! That’s wonderful!!”
“…Yes.”
Xiao Yunluo watched from the side, seemingly relieved. She took two steps back, giving them some undisturbed time.
