Chapter 21

Wu Qingluan had an exciting dream. In the dream, Yu Xuanwei had grown a pair of pointy ears and was swinging a majestic, imposing tail behind him, pouncing on her in various ways…

The dream felt too real. When she opened her eyes, she found herself drenched in sweat, her palms unusually warm, as if she could still feel the sensation of caressing that fluffy tail.

There was no one beside her; Yu Xuanwei was not around.

Wu Qingluan let out a sigh and sat on the edge of the bed, lost in thought for a while. It was only later that she became aware of some activity in the courtyard.

Thinking about the various family members in the house, her heart tightened. She quietly got out of bed and peered outside through a gap in the curtains.

The courtyard was empty of people, but all the chickens had gathered together. Every so often, a chicken would flusteredly flap its wings and jump away, only to return to the group shortly after.

It seemed like they were pecking at something.

Had they stumbled upon a nest of insects? Curiosity piqued, Wu Qingluan ventured into the courtyard to take a look.

Seeing her approach, the chickens scattered, revealing what they had surrounded.

Oh my, lying on the ground was a dirty little scabby dog! The dog’s fur was matted and dirty, and it had bald spots and scabs all over, barely clinging to life.

Upon seeing Wu Qingluan, tears welled up in the dog’s eyes, and it emitted a weak whimper.

Wu Qingluan bent down to pick it up.

“Don’t touch it,” Yu Xuanwei’s cold voice suddenly appeared.

Wu Qingluan froze for a moment and turned to look at Yu Xuanwei, who was standing at the entrance of the living room. “You didn’t leave?”

“No,” he replied.

The little dog, upon seeing Yu Xuanwei approach, became somewhat panicked. It let out a pitiful whimper and convulsed, as if it wanted to escape but was too weak to even lift its head.

Yu Xuanwei, looking down on the situation, stared at the dog for a moment. He reached out, grabbed the dog by the scruff of its neck, and carried it a few steps to the well in the corner of the courtyard. Without any hesitation, he tossed it in.

With a splash, the little dog fell into the water, emitting a dying cry.

“What are you doing?” Wu Qingluan didn’t expect him to be so ruthless. She hurriedly went after the dog to try to rescue it but was stopped by Yu Xuanwei.

“It won’t die. Don’t touch its blood.”

Yu Xuanwei didn’t offer much explanation, but Wu Qingluan inexplicably believed him.

The scabby little dog struggled in the well water for a while but surprisingly began to swim tenaciously. It kept barking with its wet face up, hoping to get out soon.

After circling in the well water for a while, the dog washed away the dirt and scabs from its body, appearing even thinner and more pitiful.

At this point, Yu Xuanwei finally put down the bucket. The little dog, quick on its feet, eagerly climbed into the bucket and was pulled up.

“Whimper…” The dog shivered in the bucket, looking at Wu Qingluan with a pitiful expression.

Wu Qingluan glanced at Yu Xuanwei and then lifted the dog in her arms. “How did you end up in my house?”

The dog naturally couldn’t answer her, so it just nuzzled her with its wet nose, seeking comfort.

Yu Xuanwei stared at the dog with a cold expression.

The little dog, in fear, curled up in Wu Qingluan’s arms.

Wu Qingluan was quite indignant. “I don’t know who heartlessly abused this poor little dog. It’s so pitiful!”

Yu Xuanwei lowered his gaze to look at her, a faint smile playing on his lips. “You can mistake anything for a dog.”

“Huh? Isn’t this a little dog?” Wu Qingluan retorted. “It’s just a few months old, and look at how skinny it is!”

“Do you like it?”

“Well… I can’t just stand by and let it die,” Wu Qingluan said as she gently touched the emaciated body of the dog. “We already have a flock of chickens at home, so keeping one more dog won’t hurt. It probably doesn’t have an owner.”

“Then let’s keep it.”

Yu Xuanwei spoke with such authority, as if this household were under his sole control!

Wu Qingluan patted the dog’s skinny belly and directed Yu Xuanwei, “Go heat up some milk for it. It definitely can’t eat too much at once right now.”

A chill spread across Yu Xuanwei’s face. “Me?”

“That’s right, it’s you. I need to go apply some medicine to it,” Wu Qingluan said, seeing him hesitate. She thrust the scruffy little dog, looking far from appealing, right in front of his face. “Otherwise, shall we swap?”

The little dog let out a startled yelp, and Yu Xuanwei took a step back. “I’ll go.”

The two of them worked together. While Wu Qingluan applied medicine to the dog’s wounds, Yu Xuanwei, without much courtesy, placed a bowl of warm milk on the ground and then stood with his arms crossed to the side.

Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but feel like he had some strong opinions about this little dog?

The little dog pounced and eagerly started drinking the milk.

Wu Qingluan watched the dog wag its tail happily and clapped her hands. “It still needs a place to stay!”

Yu Xuanwei said, “I’ll build one.”

Wu Qingluan was shocked to see him leave the room and stand by the chicken coop for a moment before rolling up his sleeves and getting to work. Wait a minute, she didn’t mean for him to build a doghouse in the middle of the night. She just wanted to find a blanket for the little dog in the living room!

Having always seen Yu Xuanwei in his elegant robes, with an otherworldly demeanor, it felt strange to see him suddenly rolling up his sleeves and doing physical work. She stood by him, occasionally handing him a brick or something.

Wu Qingluan watched his well-defined forearm and suddenly thought of that messy dream she had, where his strong arm had encircled her…

She quickly averted her gaze but then, almost involuntarily, her eyes landed on Yu Xuanwei’s neck. For the sake of convenience while working, he had unbuttoned three buttons on his shirt, and at this moment, a droplet of sweat was sliding down his neck.

Wu Qingluan cursed herself for her weakness. After all, he was just an ordinary handsome man. Did she really have to feel so thirsty?

Wait a minute, why was he wearing a shirt in the middle of the night? Was he about to go out?

“Hey…” Wu Qingluan was about to ask when Yu Xuanwei suddenly lowered his head and lightly kissed her lips.

“You tempt me like this, and I can’t resist,” he complained unexpectedly.

Wu Qingluan covered her face and ran away, feeling utterly embarrassed!

The next day, Wu Qingluan was awakened by a loud cry from Yu Jue.

“What’s going on? What’s going on?” Wu Qingluan rushed out of the door barefoot.

Yu Jue was lying on the ground, throwing a tantrum. “Get rid of it, you can’t raise other kids!”

Yu Xuanwei stood by him with his arms crossed, looking down coldly, allowing him to vent.

When Yu Jue saw Wu Qingluan, he sat up abruptly and cried, “Why do you want to raise other kids? Aren’t the three of us enough for you?”

Wu Qingluan was bewildered and looked to Yu Xuanwei for help.

Yu Xuanwei kicked Yu Jue lightly. “Get up, don’t make a scene.”

Grandma Zhou was also woken up by the commotion and hurriedly came out. “What’s going on? Why is the child crying so early in the morning?”

Wu Qingluan was equally puzzled.

“Wuu…” A pitiful whimper sounded, and when Wu Qingluan looked, she saw that the scabby little dog had somehow managed to sneak in and was gently biting her pants.

Yu Jue, with wide angry eyes, rushed over, pushing the little dog away and firmly clutching Wu Qingluan’s leg. “Get lost, she’s my mom!”

The little dog let out a mournful cry and pitifully lay on the ground, not daring to move.

Yu Jue cried even louder, “Waaah! Do you not want us anymore?”

Wu Qingluan finally understood what was going on; this was jealousy over the little dog? This child… she couldn’t help but laugh and sigh at the same time. She bent down and picked up Yu Jue. “I will never not want you. This is just a pet. Look at how pitiful it is. Can’t we keep it at home to play with you?”

“No!'” The third brother seemed to have lost his mind, seeing the little dog as a thorn in his side. “Throw it out. Our family doesn’t need a fourth child!”

Wu Qingluan didn’t quite understand the child’s thought process. She pointed to Yu Lang, who was calmly observing the situation and had the chubby little bird named “Feng” perched on his head. “Feng is also a pet in our home. Do you want to throw it out too?”

Yu Lang quickly raised his hand to protect his beloved pet, and Feng poked its head out from between his fingers, letting out a dissatisfied “chirp.”

Yu Lang eyes were bloodshot. “That’s different! Feng is a pet!”

Wu Qingluan couldn’t help but laugh and cry. “The little dog is also a pet!”

“He’s not, he’s…”

Yu Xuanwei cleared his throat and gave Yu Jue a warning look.

Yu Jue suddenly fell silent, but tears continued to fall “plop, plop.”

Wu Qingluan really couldn’t understand why he had such a strong reaction to the little dog. When she looked at Yu Jue and Yu Jin beside him, they both had displeased expressions.

Yu Jue broke free from her embrace and ran out of the door in a hurry. “You don’t need to accompany me today. You can go take care of other things!”

Yu Lang and Yu Jin exchanged a glance and left without saying a word to Wu Qingluan.

This… Wu Qingluan suddenly felt quite wronged. She hadn’t done anything wrong.

A slender hand rested on her shoulder. “Children throw tantrums; I’ll talk to them. Don’t worry.”

Actually, Yu Xuanwei didn’t need to say much, but with his comforting words, Wu Qingluan felt a pang in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Since the triplets came into her life, she had always cherished them, treating them as if they were her own children. How could this happen…

But crying over something like this would be too embarrassing! Wu Qingluan turned her face away. “I’m fine. You should go and take them to school.”

Yu Xuanwei left, leaving the house feeling even emptier.

“Wuu…” The little dog came over and started nuzzling Wu Qingluan’s pants.

Wu Qingluan wiped her eyes and picked up the little dog. “Come on, I’ll take you to the pet hospital!”

In the evening, Yu Xuanwei brought the triplets back home. Yu Lang and Yu Jin were relatively normal, though still unhappy, they at least acknowledged her with a greeting. Yu Jue, however, was going too far. When he saw the little dog in her arms, he coldly snorted and went upstairs.

Wu Qingluan was feeling quite frustrated, and before she could even catch her breath, she heard Yu Xuanwei say to someone outside, “Come in and meet someone.”

With the sound of light footsteps, a tall and elegant person appeared before Wu Qingluan. This newcomer had fair skin and a beautiful appearance, with a pair of slightly upturned, enchanting eyes that were truly captivating.

Seeing Wu Qingluan, the newcomer waved at her with a cheerful smile. “Hi there!”

Wu Qingluan was momentarily taken aback. “Hello…”

Yu Xuanwei introduced the newcomer, “Her name is Tu Hua. She will be responsible for taking care of the triplets from now on, so you can have some relief.”

Wu Qingluan suddenly felt a surge of anger. Great, sure, because she had apparently upset his triplets, he had immediately hired someone new to replace her. Wonderful!

Wu Qingluan said through gritted teeth, “This is my home. Shouldn’t you have asked for my opinion before hiring someone?”

Yu Xuanwei seemed a bit surprised. “Is that a problem?”

Wu Qingluan clenched her teeth. “No, it’s not a problem at all. I’m feeling quite relieved now.”

Yu Xuanwei instructed Tu Hua, “You’ll be staying on the second floor.”

“Alrighty!” Tu Hua saluted Yu Xuanwei and then smiled at Wu Qingluan. “I’ll be relying on you from now on, sis-ter!”

Wu Qingluan replied with a stiff smile.