Chapter 50

To be fair, when Mu Yunchuan smiled, he exuded warmth and gentleness, appearing exceedingly amiable, displaying the demeanor of a modest gentleman. Even though Shen Cui knew that this gentle and harmless appearance wasn’t his true self, it was hard to feel repulsed by it.

However, when the smile faded from his face, there was a hint of coldness that made people hesitant to approach him.

In that moment, Shen Cui seemed to see from his rough robe the image of him in the future, becoming a powerful official, looking down on the world.

When Shen Cui approached, she didn’t sneak or hide, so Mu Yunchuan had already noticed her from the corner of his eye.

But he continued to wash his hands leisurely, then glanced down at the candy beside his feet, a faint smile playing on his lips, as he asked, “Mother, why do you look like this? Did I do something wrong again? Do you want to scold me?”

The original owner, who didn’t know any better, might have thought Mu Yunchuan was weak and easy to bully, but the current Shen Cui wouldn’t dare.

And she wouldn’t blame Mu Yunchuan for a piece of candy.

The candy was already dirty, and he had accepted it in front of others without hurting the old lady’s feelings. Naturally, he would dispose of it later. How to handle it was his own business.

But for some reason, she felt like the candy was intentionally thrown to her. After all, with Mu Yunchuan’s tact and meticulousness, he could have discreetly disposed of it without causing a scene like this.

Shen Cui forced a smile, “Mrs. Zhou’s child is being careless, forgetting to bring your utensils. I’ll go get them. And you, why did you throw the candy in the yard? It might attract rodents.”

As she spoke, Shen Cui picked up the candy and threw it into the kitchen waste bin, then quickly washed her hands and fetched another set of utensils.

Mu Yunchuan followed her silently.

The distance they usually covered in the blink of an eye now felt difficult for Shen Cui, under the weight of Mu Yunchuan’s scrutinizing gaze from behind.

Finally arriving at the academy, Mu Er Pang happened to come out from inside.

Seeing him, Shen Cui breathed a sigh of relief and asked with a smile, “It’s almost time for dinner. Where are you going?”

Mu Er Pang also smiled. He had heard from his sister-in-law about his elder brother’s return, and his smile was brighter than usual. “Nowhere, just thought you might be late, so I was ready to lend a hand.”

After answering her, Mu Er Pang looked at Mu Yunchuan and respectfully greeted him with the etiquette of a scholar.

Mu Yunchuan smiled gently and returned the greeting, “Han Shan has truly made progress.”

Top of Form

Before, like his family, they all called Mu Er Pang by his nickname. Now, by changing the way he addressed him, it meant he was starting to see him as half an adult.

Without needing to say much, Mu Er Pang sensed the meaning behind his words, feeling both happy and a bit embarrassed, scratching his head.

“Let’s go, let’s go. It’s time for dinner,” Shen Cui didn’t want to linger with Mu Yunchuan, so she pulled Mu Er Pang into the house.

Mrs. Zhou had already set the food on the table: refreshing stir-fried vegetables, richly sauced stewed meat, and a pot of fragrant tofu and bone soup. The staple food was steamed buns and pancakes made by Shen Cui.

Although Shen Cui’s culinary skills had improved to level 1, the dishes she made couldn’t be described as gourmet, but they were still appetizing.

The pancakes were each larger than an adult man’s palm, with varying thicknesses and uneven distribution of vegetables inside.

Before Shen Cui came, she had already sliced them into six pieces.

After cutting them, the vegetables inside were soft and mixed together unevenly, some even spilling out from the edges, making it look even more unappetizing.

Compared to the dishes Mrs. Zhou had specially prepared today, they seemed particularly unappealing.

Fortunately, it was just for the few people in the academy, and they were used to it.

Lao Buyu and Wei Xi were meeting Mu Yunchuan for the first time, but they were familiar with his name.

The three of them exchanged greetings and then took their seats.

Time was limited for their daily tasks, so Shen Cui divided the pancakes first— one for Lao Buyu, one for Mu Er Pang, one for Wei Xi, and the remaining three were still in the plate.

After they had finished eating one by one, a system prompt popped up: “[No. 1 cultivation target intelligence +1].” Then Shen Cui started eating.

During meals, they didn’t chat too much just simple greetings before they knew it, they had finished eating.

Today, with Mu Yunchuan’s return, Shen Cui certainly wouldn’t bring up any topics, and Wei Xi wasn’t particularly fond of Mu Yunchuan, so he was quieter than usual.

Lao Buyu and Mu Er Pang were both astute, so seeing that they weren’t talking, they didn’t say much either.

Mrs. Zhou wasn’t one to talk too much, only occasionally using the public chopsticks to pick up food for Mu Yunchuan and gently encouraging him to take more.

The meal was unusually quiet, with only the occasional sound of chopsticks and dishes clinking together. It wasn’t until Shen Cui finished her first pancake and reached for the second that Mu Yunchuan pursed his lips and softly said, “I’ve never seen Mother cook before. I wonder if I can taste your cooking?”

Since it was something no one would eat, Shen Cui generously pushed the plate towards him.

After pushing it over, Mu Yunchuan picked up a piece of pancake with his chopsticks and slowly began to eat.

Just like its appearance, the taste of the baked pancake was disappointing, mushy and messy, far from delicious.

Mu Yunchuan didn’t offer any false praise, just calmly finished the whole piece, as if this pancake was no different from the other delicious dishes on the table.

After the meal, Mrs. Zhou quickly cleaned up the dishes and wiped the table, as usual.

Usually, Shen Cui would accompany her to take the dishes home to wash, but today she didn’t—Mu Yunchuan didn’t trust her, and she didn’t trust Mu Yunchuan either. She dared not leave him alone with the others in the academy, fearing that Lao Buyu might extract some information from him. Lao Buyu was definitely more cunning than Mu Yunchuan at this period of time since he was still younger.

When spring had just begun, people tended to feel drowsy after eating, and Lao Buyu and the two children would take a nap for a while after eating.

But now, with the Dragon Boat Festival approaching and summer soon to follow, taking a nap was likely to make them sweat and feel uncomfortable, making them lack energy for the whole afternoon. So, they changed their schedule to practicing calligraphy for a while after meals to get through the sleepy period.

After the dishes were cleared away, Mu Yunchuan helped Lao Buyu move the table from the hall, then he asked, “Would it be inconvenient for me to sit in and listen here for a while?”

Actually, there was nothing inconvenient about it. From visiting Wei Xi once a month to now coming every fortnight, even making Wei Xi’s family send over a set of tables and chairs and writing materials.

Mu Yunchuan wanted to listen in, using Wei Xi’s furniture directly, and Wei Xi definitely wouldn’t mind those things.

Lao Buyu had always been quite curious about his senior brother’s ideal disciple, but instead of agreeing right away, he looked at Shen Cui for her opinion.

Shen Cui nodded without saying anything, then moved a reclining chair to the porch and lay down.

Soon, the room quieted down, and Mu Er Pang and Wei Xi began practicing calligraphy, the only sound being the scratching of pens on paper. Occasionally, they encountered some problems, and Lao Buyu would quietly offer some guidance.

After practicing calligraphy, it was time for questions and answers. The questions were mainly for Mu Er Pang to see if he had missed anything from the previous night’s reading.

The answering part was for both Mu Er Pang and Wei Xi, allowing them to ask any academic questions they encountered.

The soft exchange of words lingered in the air, the weather outside was pleasant, with a gentle breeze and occasional cicada chirps. Shen Cui, half-lying on the reclining chair on the porch, soon drifted off to sleep.

She didn’t know how long she had slept when she heard a light cough from the system.

The system always spoke directly when there was something to discuss, and when there was nothing, it waited for Shen Cui to contact it and didn’t disturb her rest.

Shen Cui was about to complain in her mind when she opened her eyes and met a pair of chilly and indifferent eyes.

It was a feeling Shen Cui couldn’t quite describe, as if resting in the depths of a wild forest and suddenly being stalked by a lurking beast, causing her hair to stand on end and cold sweat to trickle down involuntarily.

Mu Yunchuan stood a few steps away, holding a coarse porcelain tea cup in his hand, as if he had come out from the house to fetch some water, but she didn’t know how long he had been standing there.

There was silence between them, neither of them spoke.

[System, how long has he been standing there?]

[Not long, but he’s been staring at the host. Probably for about 1 minute. So I woke you up.]

[Why is he staring at me? Did I say something revealing in my sleep?]

[No, if the host said anything in her sleep, I would have woken her up a long time ago.]

After a few moments of stalemate, Mu Yunchuan smiled apologetically and broke the silence first, “I felt a bit thirsty, so I came out to get some water. I didn’t mean to disturb your rest.”

He still had the gentle and pure appearance of his usual self, as if the coldness and aloofness in his eyes just now weren’t directed at her.

Shen Cui was fully awake now and smiled, saying she wasn’t disturbed.

Then, Mu Yunchuan turned and went to the kitchen.

After adding warm water to the tea cup, Mu Yunchuan closed the lid and lightly tapped it with his slender fingers.

Her stepmother had completely changed her ways and demeanor, no longer being irritable, easily angered, and manipulative. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she was a completely different person.

Moreover, she was very capable, earning the trust and respect of everyone in the academy, even Mrs. Zhou, who regarded her as a role model.

People couldn’t hide their true selves when half-asleep, and she had just opened her eyes and seen him. There was none of the usual hatred or disdain in his gaze, only vigilance and… a hint of fear.

The person who had mistreated and insulted him in his childhood now seemed to be afraid of him?

Mu Yunchuan seemed to find something amusing, and he chuckled softly.