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After Qingli finished washing up, she made her way to the pavilion outside.
The dining table was already laid out with food.
As the weather turned colder, a charcoal fire was lit in the pavilion. The previously well-ventilated areas were now enclosed, eliminating the wind and making it quite warm.
Qingming was sitting by the charcoal fire with Yangyang in his arms, teaching him to recognize characters.
When Yangyang saw Qingli approaching, he smiled and called out, “Mother!”
Qingming glanced up and, after putting away the book, handed it to his grandson, “Yangyang, go put the book away. We’ll read it again after we finish eating.”
Yangyang obediently nodded and scampered off to the study with the book.
“Master, good morning,” Qingli said lazily, greeting Qingming before sitting down on the other side of the charcoal fire.
Seeing her relaxed demeanor, Qingming teased, “A-Li, I feel like you’re getting lazier. It seems I need to find you something to do.”
Qingli sighed, “Master, just tell me what you need. Do you think I won’t listen to your orders?”
Qingming huffed playfully, “Of course! The child has grown and now has plenty of ideas!”
Qingli chuckled helplessly, “Master, I have no ideas at all. Just tell me! I’ll take care of whatever it is.”
Qingming sighed, suddenly adopting a serious expression.
“Recently, a Taoist temple called Jiuli Temple has become quite famous. The temple master is named Li Jiuhua. He is my junior apprentice, but he has long been expelled from the sect. We have been walking our separate paths. However, I discovered that the Seven Mystic Classic we lost seems to be in his hands. That book can only be used by the sect master, and you’ve never seen it!”
Qingli was curious, “Master, you have a junior apprentice? Do you have any other senior brothers or sisters?”
Qingming seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he replied lightly, “No. Let’s talk business. What Li Jiuhua is doing outside has nothing to do with me. However, that Seven Mystic Classic is not something he should possess. A-Li, you need to retrieve that book. It belongs to you.”
Qingli nodded, “Alright, Master. But is what’s written in it very important? What is it about?”
Qingming, not satisfying her curiosity, simply said, “You can see for yourself once you find it. Only the sect masters have access to it.”
Qingli asked, “Have you seen it, Master?”
Qingming nodded, “I have, but I haven’t comprehended it yet. Then it was lost.”
Qingli replied, “Alright, Master, I will definitely retrieve it for you. But, Master, Mengmeng and Yangyang can only stay with you. I can’t take them with me while I’m on this mission.”
Qingli had long wanted to go out and stretch her legs. In the past three years, she had ventured down the mountain only a handful of times. Aside from delivering money to that boy from the Lin family, she had gone to see Xue Nan and the others. Each trip required her to return on the same day because the two little ones were quite a handful and wouldn’t allow her to be away for too long.
Qingming hadn’t considered letting her take the children with her. His junior apprentice was not a good person; it would be too dangerous to bring the children along.
“I don’t want you to take them. You’re not going for leisure. With such dangerous business, it’s best for them to stay in the valley. Just retrieve what you need and come back quickly!”
While he said this, Qingming knew well that retrieving the item wouldn’t be easy, and Qingli’s trip might take a long time.
Qingli instructed, “Master, you need to prepare Mengmeng and Yangyang for my departure. I can’t do it; I have to leave quietly. You will have to explain things to them later.”
Qingming felt helpless, realizing this would indeed be a bit of a headache for him.
“Alright, I understand. I’ll calm them down.”
Little did they know, their conversation had been overheard by Mengmeng, who was hiding outside.
Mengmeng was furious and wanted to rush out to confront her grandfather and mother, but she was suddenly held back by her brother.
Yangyang made a shushing gesture to his sister and then led her to a safe spot before saying, “Sister, if you go to confront Grandpa and Mother, the outcome will be the same. Mother won’t take us with her.”
Yangyang’s face, which bore a six-point resemblance to Qingli’s, was full of composure. Whenever he spoke, he did so with a seriousness that made him seem like a little adult, his demeanor contrasting with his looks.
In contrast, Mengmeng’s appearance didn’t resemble Qingli at all, save for her mouth. Her eyes and nose were inherited from their father.
Understanding that her younger brother usually had good ideas, Mengmeng hurriedly asked, “Brother, do you have a plan? Quick, tell me!”
The two were already three years old, and so far, they had only gone down the mountain once. Since then, they had been yearning to go out, but unfortunately, they hadn’t had the chance again.
A glimmer of light flashed in Yangyang’s bright black eyes as he said calmly, “Sister, if we want to go down the mountain, we can only sneak out. Talking it through won’t work; adults don’t reason with children.”
Mengmeng felt that her brother’s words made a lot of sense. Every time they tried to reason with their great-grandfather and others, they were met with countless excuses to avoid it.
Mengmeng’s bright, clever eyes sparkled as she looked at her brother, “So, are we planning to sneak out?”
Yangyang nodded, “Yes, but we need to plan carefully and not rush. So, Sister, be patient. Once Mother leaves, I will definitely take you out.”
Mengmeng nodded, “Alright, I’ll listen to you. If you break your promise, I’ll hit you.”
The little girl raised her chubby fist in a playful threat.
Yangyang glanced at her fist, his eyes filled with resignation. “Sure, if I break my promise, do whatever you want.”
Only then did Mengmeng feel reassured. The siblings walked back toward the pavilion, just as Qingyu and Jian Yue finished preparing the food and were about to call them over to eat.
“Mengmeng, Yangyang, it’s time to eat!” Jian Yue called out to the children with a cheerful voice.
Today was the twins’ birthday, and the meal was quite lavish, filled with all their favorite dishes.
The two little ones, excited about the prospect of going down the mountain, ate heartily and even finished an extra bowl. Seeing how well they were eating, Qingli felt relieved.
“Mengmeng, you need to be less mischievous. You can’t go play on the back mountain alone anymore; it’s dangerous, you know?”
“And Yangyang, you shouldn’t follow your sister into trouble. You need to keep an eye on her, make sure she studies more and learns to read.”
Yangyang nodded, then, feigning casualness, asked, “Mother, are you going out? Why are you starting to give us these instructions?”
Her son’s question made a flicker of guilt flash in Qingli’s eyes, but it quickly dissipated. She smiled and said, “No! It’s just that today is your birthday, and I was inspired to share my thoughts. Raising you two hasn’t been easy, so you need to take good care of yourselves. That way, Mother can feel at ease.”
Mengmeng smiled and chimed in, “Mother, if you go out, you must take us with you. We’ll be very good, and you can’t leave us behind. If you do, we’ll be sad!”
Seeing her daughter’s affectionate gaze, a fleeting sense of guilt crossed Qingli’s heart. The main concern was that they were too small, and taking them along would be inconvenient. More importantly, she feared facing danger and not being able to protect them.
Qingli thought that once she retrieved the Seven Mystic Classic as her master mentioned, she would take the children on a journey. They shouldn’t be kept in the mountains forever; they needed to see the outside world.
With that in mind, Qingli said, “Once Mother finishes what she needs to do, I’ll take you both to explore the world and have fun for a year or so before we come back.”
The two children obediently nodded, but in their hearts, they were determined that they couldn’t wait for the next opportunity; this time, they must go down the mountain.
After finishing their meal, the two little ones hurried back to their room, claiming they wanted to read books. In reality, they were quietly plotting their escape route.