Chapter 8

At nine o’clock the next morning, the doorbell at Wu Qingluan’s house rang.

Grandma Zhou was in the courtyard feeding the chickens and, upon hearing the sound, she moved to answer the door.

Wu Qingluan hurriedly came out, saying, “I’ll get it!”

She opened the front door and was greeted by Yu Xuanwei and his three sons, yes, four of them.

Surprisingly, Yu Xuanwei was not wearing his usual Daoist robe today. Instead, he had on a white shirt, black trousers, and sports shoes. It was the first time he had embraced a more earthly appearance, and it made him look much younger.

Standing in front of him were three chubby and adorable boys, each just tall enough to reach his knees. They were dressed in matching white shirts, black shorts, and little leather shoes. They were so cute that Wu Qingluan instantly took a liking to them.

Yu Xuanwei introduced, “These are my three sons: the eldest, Yu Lang; the second, Yu Jin; and the third, Yu Jue.”

What great names! Wu Qingluan thought to herself. They were all named after precious gemstones. These three boys were impeccably groomed and even more beautiful than precious gems.

Wu Qingluan squatted down, meeting the gaze of the three boys, and flashed them a bright smile. “Hello there, I’m Wu Qingluan. Welcome to my home.”

Although they were triplets, Wu Qingluan quickly recognized each one.

The tallest boy on the right had a serious expression despite his young age. He had a buzz cut and resembled Yu Xuanwei the most. This one was undoubtedly the mature and serious eldest, Yu Lang.

The boy in the middle, relatively slimmer, had eyes full of tenderness and a gentle disposition. His hair was smooth, and his bangs were a bit long. This was the second son, Yu Jin.

The boy on the left, though standing still like the others, had large, observant eyes that kept darting around. He had the longest hair, tied in a small braid at the back of his head, and his lips were as pink as flower petals. If Wu Qingluan hadn’t known his gender beforehand, she would have mistaken him for a girl. This was the third son, Yu Jue, the one Yu Xuanwei had mentioned as needing special attention.

Wu Qingluan greeted the boys, and they exchanged glances before collectively looking up at Yu Xuanwei.

For some reason, Yu Xuanwei seemed somewhat hesitant.

Wu Qingluan wondered if he didn’t know how to introduce her to the children. Perhaps just calling her “Aunt” would suffice.

Before Yu Xuanwei could speak, the youngest boy took a step forward, hugged Wu Qingluan’s arm with a beaming smile, and affectionately nuzzled her. “Mom!”

Wu Qingluan was startled and nearly stumbled. The youngest one took the opportunity to nestle into her embrace. “Mom, my beautiful mom, I’ve finally met you!”

The other two boys watched with longing expressions as they turned to Yu Xuanwei. He cleared his throat and said, “Call her ‘Auntie.'”

The two boys looked somewhat disappointed but obediently addressed her, saying, “Hello, Auntie. Sorry for the trouble.”

Mrs. Zhou squeezed her way in, saying, “The master has arrived. Come on in!”

The eldest and the second son greeted her in unison, “Hello, Grandmother!”

Mrs. Zhou was both surprised and delighted, and her rough, thin hands affectionately patted the boys’ heads. “Hello there, I’ve heard all about you from Qingluan. Our place is big enough for everyone to live comfortably. I’ll make you delicious food.”

The youngest, who had been nestled in Wu Qingluan’s arms, peeked out and sweetly said, “Hello, Grandmother!”

Mrs. Zhou was even happier. “Hello, hello, you’re all so good. Come inside, let’s chat.”

Wu Qingluan stood up with the youngest in her arms, but she didn’t anticipate how heavy the chubby boy was. She struggled to lift him, but a pair of strong hands steadied her.

It was Yu Xuanwei.

“Thank you,” she said.

Yu Xuanwei replied, “Get down and walk yourself.”

“No!” The youngest wrapped his chubby arms around Wu Qingluan’s neck, and his plump little body clung tightly to her. “I want my mom to carry me!”

Wu Qingluan lightly patted the chubby bottom of the youngest. “Say ‘Auntie.'”

However, the boy refused to comply.

Yu Xuanwei glanced at the youngest but didn’t say anything further.

Wu Qingluan, holding the child in her arms, felt a warm and fuzzy feeling inside. These children were all incredibly adorable, making you want to hug and cuddle them at first sight. The youngest had willingly thrown himself into her arms, and she couldn’t have been happier about it!

Wu Qingluan looked at the youngest with a big, affectionate smile. He exuded a strong floral fragrance mixed with a hint of milk. It smelled delightful! She couldn’t resist and leaned down to give the chubby little face of the youngest a kiss, saying, “Mwah~!”

Yu Xuanwei, the eldest, and the second brother all froze and looked at her simultaneously.

Wu Qingluan: ???

The youngest, on the other hand, suddenly blushed and covered his face with his hands.

What surprised Wu Qingluan was how quickly the three children settled into her home.

Mrs. Zhou had lost her husband and children at an early age, so she had always cherished the presence of children. Now that she had three in her home, she was ecstatic.

As the three children quickly shed their initial shyness and started exploring the house, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but feel that Yu Xuanwei was a responsible father. He had raised his children with excellent manners. Despite their young age, they all seemed very well-behaved—well, except for the youngest, perhaps. That little rascal was indeed mischievous; once he got outside, he went straight to the courtyard to chase after the chickens.

Listening to the sounds of the children playing around the house, Wu Qingluan was filled with a sense of happiness and contentment.

It was a bit strange because she wasn’t typically an overly nurturing person, nor did she have much expectation for marriage and having children. So why did she suddenly have this “maternal instinct”?

Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhou was excited and ready to show off her culinary skills, preparing to cook a grand meal. Wu Qingluan hurried into the kitchen to help with washing and chopping the vegetables.

Mrs. Zhou didn’t mind at all that Yu Xuanwei, a practitioner of Daoism, had children. Wu Qingluan admired her for being so open-minded and understanding of the complexities of human relationships.

Wu Qingluan had kept the fact that she was in debt a secret from Mrs. Zhou. She told her that the children were born to Yu Xuanwei and his deceased wife before he embarked on his spiritual journey, and she was helping take care of them for a while.

This was also what Yu Xuanwei had told her. Learning about his life, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him. It seemed that he had become a Daoist monk after his wife’s death, likely due to the overwhelming grief and sorrow.

It’s true that children aren’t suitable for living in a Daoist temple. Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but think that Yu Xuanwei had made a wise choice in hiring her as a nanny.

Mrs. Zhou had prepared her best dishes and called out to Wu Qingluan, “Why don’t you go and ask Master Yu what he likes to eat? I’ll prepare a special meal for him.”

Reluctantly, Wu Qingluan wiped her hands and went outside. Yu Xuanwei was standing at the door, watching the three children playing in the courtyard.

“Master Yu, Yu Xuanwei?” Wu Qingluan called out. Now that she knew his last name, she felt it was less awkward to use both his first and last names.

“Yes?”

“My grandmother wants to know what you like to eat. She wants to make something special for you.”

“I like chicken,” Yu Xuanwei replied without hesitation.

Wu Qingluan looked at him with a sense of disillusionment. He liked such a common ingredient? She had thought he might prefer something like boiled vegetables or only drinking tea without eating.

Just as a chicken was about to sneak inside, it suddenly flapped its wings and escaped.

“What about the children?” Wu Qingluan asked again. “Do they have any dietary restrictions or favorite dishes?”

“They love chicken the most, but they won’t eat any other poultry,” Yu Xuanwei explained.

“Not eat other poultry?” Wu Qingluan was puzzled. “But chickens are poultry too.”

Yu Xuanwei lowered his head to look at her. “It’s different.”

The autumn sun wasn’t as intense as in the summer, casting a cool light over the person in front of her.

Wu Qingluan’s heart began to beat faster. Here he was again, looking at her like that, using his distinctive phoenix eyes. He was quite skilled at captivating people.

No, no, no, what was she thinking?

Yu Xuanwei reached out and tucked a strand of Wu Qingluan’s hair behind her ear.

Wu Qingluan took two steps back. “I’ll go tell my grandmother to make another chicken dish.”

She hurried away, stumbling at the kitchen door.

A faint smile curled at the corner of Yu Xuanwei’s lips. “She’s still the same.”

In the evening, as Wu Qingluan noticed that Yu Xuanwei showed no signs of leaving, she began to grow concerned. Surely, he wasn’t planning to stay here, was he?

At 8 o’clock in the evening, Yu Xuanwei showed no intention of leaving and even took the three children upstairs to get ready for bed, urging them to sleep.

Wu Qingluan felt despair creeping in. It seemed that Yu Xuanwei wasn’t going to leave anytime soon. Well, it was only natural. Tomorrow was the first day of school for these three children, and he, as their father, would have to personally take them there. Leaving the next day was perfectly reasonable.

Wu Qingluan bid her grandmother goodnight, massaging her shoulders she entered the bathroom. Even though she hadn’t been working today and had been wandering around the house, she was feeling quite tired.

She settled into the large bathtub, luxuriating in the warm water, and sighed contentedly. “This is the life, a leisurely and carefree life!”

The bathroom, renovated to her liking, was Wu Qingluan’s favorite spot in the house. If it weren’t for the layout being almost identical to the one in Yu Xuanwei’s Qinglong Temple, she would have been even more pleased.

As she lay in the hot water, starting to feel drowsy, the water’s surface suddenly churned. “Hehe!”

A young and innocent laughter suddenly echoed through the bathroom, startling Wu Qingluan and causing her to break out in a cold sweat. She quickly sat up, asking, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Mom,” a head appeared on the water’s surface, wearing a cheerful smile.

It was Yu Xuanwei’s third son!

Wu Qingluan was surprised and worried. She reached out to scoop him up from the water, saying, “How did you get in here? It’s too dangerous.”

The third child floated over to Wu Qingluan, letting her pick him up. He looked at her with longing eyes and said, “Mom, I missed you. I wanted to sleep with you tonight.”

Relieved to see that he was safe and hadn’t swallowed any water, Wu Qingluan asked, “How did you manage to get in here?”

“I was here before you came. I was hiding underwater.”

Wu Qingluan, now concerned about the child’s safety, admonished him sternly, “You can’t do that again. It’s too dangerous. You could have drowned.”

In her heart, she couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed with Yu Xuanwei. She had thought he was reliable, but he hadn’t even noticed when his child sneaked away like this!

“Don’t worry, Mom, I’m really good at swimming, I won’t drown,” the third child assured Wu Qingluan, his eyes shining brightly as he looked at her.

Realizing that she couldn’t continue with her bath, Wu Qingluan quickly put on a dry robe and wrapped the child in a clean bath towel. She carried him to her bedroom.

Once on her bed, the third child wiggled out of the towel and slipped under the covers, completely naked.

Wu Qingluan looked at the small bundle on her bed, feeling both amused and exasperated. “Why do you keep calling me Mom? You should call me Auntie.”

The third child poked his head out from under the covers. His hair was disheveled from being in the water, and he looked like a little lion. “Aren’t you my mom? Dad said you went to a faraway place, and now you’re finally back!”

Seeing the innocent look in the third child’s eyes, Wu Qingluan’s eyes welled up with tears. She realized that she was arguing with a child. From what she had gathered from Yu Xuanwei’s words, his wife had passed away due to illness, and he had gone on a long journey… Perhaps he didn’t want to sadden the children with the truth.

It seemed that the eldest and second child understood the situation, but the third child, being the most innocent and trusting, had taken Yu Xuanwei’s words to heart.

As she looked at the third child, who relied on her so much, Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but think of her own past. She had been found by Old Lady Zhou when she was just a baby and had never met her biological parents.

Feeling sad and wronged, Wu Qingluan had always hoped that her parents would suddenly appear to help and love her whenever she was in trouble. Over the years, she had stopped having such hopes, but she would never forget the feeling of helplessness and loss.

Now, looking at this happy child, Wu Qingluan couldn’t bear to disappoint him.

“You can sleep here if you want, but I need to ask your dad first.”

“No!” The third child immediately protested. “Don’t tell him!”

Wu Qingluan was torn, but she decided she had to inform Yu Xuanwei. If one of the children was missing upstairs, wouldn’t he be startled when he found out?

The third child realized her intention and started to throw a tantrum on the bed, rolling around with his blanket. “No, no, no! He’ll definitely take me back. I want to sleep with Mom!”

Someone knocked on the bedroom door, and Wu Qingluan quickly opened it to find Yu Xuanwei. She was about to explain when he said, “I’m here to take him.”

Yu Xuanwei walked in, and without a word, the third child obediently got up and climbed out of the bed.

Wu Qingluan could see it clearly now; Yu Xuanwei was undoubtedly a strict father, and the third child was afraid of him.

Yu Xuanwei looked down at his son. “Are you planning to climb the stairs like this with nothing on?”

The third child looked embarrassed, and Wu Qingluan said, “My fault.”

She fetched another towel, which Yu Xuanwei took and wrapped around the third child before carrying him away.

The third child lay on Yu Xuanwei’s shoulder, looking back at Wu Qingluan with longing eyes.

Wu Qingluan suggested, “Actually, it’s okay if I stay with him.”

Yu Xuanwei immediately refused, “No.”

Well, they were a real father and son, and his word was final.

Yu Xuanwei’s cold and clear voice came from outside the room, “You can stay with me.”

Wu Qingluan: T^T