Chapter 6: Clearing Out Belongings, Packing Luggage

After reading the letter, An Xiyan had already come up with her next plan.

She waited until Meng Guangping’s family had finished eating, then briefly told them the contents of the letter before organizing a family meeting.

The main agenda of the meeting was: clearing out belongings and packing luggage.

She couldn’t disobey her dear mother’s orders. Even though she was fully capable of providing a good life for the whole family, that damned filial piety forced her to follow the arrangements.

Meng Guangping looked at his young mistress and saw her little face twisted like she had just eaten a bitter gourd. Trying to hold back a laugh, he asked,
“Miss, when do we plan to depart?”

An Xiyan frowned, looking rather unhappy.
“Mother dearest told us to have everything packed within five days, so we’ll leave on the sixth day.”

She figured: if she could delay even one more day, she would. She just wanted to laze around for a few days.

Meng Guangping nodded in agreement.
“Yes, understood. In the next few days, I’ll sell off whatever things we no longer need at home. I suppose we won’t be coming back to this place.”

An Xiyan looked Meng Guangping up and down. She had a nagging feeling that Uncle Meng was hiding a lot from her. But her mother had said their family could be completely trusted.

She guessed they probably knew a lot about her parents, but just wouldn’t tell her or her younger brother. Most likely, what happened today was all part of an act they had put on.

And to be fair, An Xiyan was right.

Meng Guangping’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his head guiltily. He felt like his young mistress had seen right through him.

An Xiyan’s eyes sparkled as she feigned a sorrowful expression.

She parted her lips slightly and said,
“Uncle Meng, I’ve lived in this place for over ten years. I really can’t bear to leave it. If I have the time in the future, I’ll definitely come back to stay now and then.”

Meng Guangping’s gaze wavered. He cautiously replied,
“Miss, this place was always just a temporary residence for you and the young master. It’s also in a rather remote area.”

“Once you go to the capital, it’ll probably be hard to return. After all, it’s so far. Just traveling from here to the capital by carriage would take over a month.”

An Xiyan sighed.
“I wonder where exactly Father and Mother are hiding… I don’t even know if they’re safe or in danger. I’m so worried!”

Meng Guangping smiled slightly and reassured her,
“Miss, there’s no need to worry about Master and Madam. They both know martial arts—ordinary people wouldn’t be able to hurt them.”

“What?! Father and Mother know martial arts too?” An Xiyan exclaimed in shock.

Her face was filled with shock.

But in her heart, she had already confirmed it—Uncle Meng definitely knew her parents’ whereabouts. For some unknown reason, he chose to hide it from her and her younger brother.

She figured it must have been her parents who instructed him to do so. Hmph, what an irresponsible pair of parents, abandoning their own children.

Meng Guangping nodded with a smile,
“Master and Madam’s martial arts are well-known in the martial world. My own skills can’t compare to theirs at all.”

“Uncle Meng, you know martial arts too?” An Xiyan exclaimed in surprise, her large eyes fixed intently on Meng Guangping.

Feeling a bit awkward under her gaze, Meng Guangping nodded and replied,
“My martial arts skills are just average, but rest assured, Miss and Young Master—I will protect you both.”

An Xiyan waved her hand dismissively.
“I can protect myself, and I’ll protect my little brother too. Uncle Meng, you just need to take care of Aunt Meng and the others.”

Meng Guangping had full faith in An Xiyan’s abilities. He didn’t think for a second that his young mistress was bluffing.

Smiling, he said,
“True. Miss must have learned quite a few extraordinary skills in that place.”

An Xiyan’s eyes widened, and she immediately asked,
“Uncle Meng, do you actually know… about those things related to me?”

Meng Guangping suddenly realized he had let something slip. It was too late to take it back now, so he had no choice but to face An Xiyan head-on.

He Lianrong (Aunt Meng) rolled her eyes at her husband. She had always said her man was unreliable.

At this rate, it wouldn’t take long before their young mistress tricked everything out of his mouth, bit by bit. It made her anxious and angry just thinking about it.

Meng Guangping sighed, his expression stiff as he said,
“Welcome back, Miss. Our entire family already knows the truth. Please don’t treat us like outsiders.”

He was worried she might overthink things. Ah, it was all his own fault for having such a loose tongue—he really felt like giving himself a slap.

After getting her answer, An Xiyan leaned back lazily in her chair and let out a long breath.

She had thought only her parents knew her secret, but it turned out the whole household was aware.

Well, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. This way, when she brought out strange or unusual items, they wouldn’t be shocked and bombard her with questions.

From now on, she wouldn’t have to stay on guard around them.

No wonder her mother had said the Meng family could be completely trusted. Thinking about it, it made sense. If even such a highly confidential matter had been shared with them, it meant her parents trusted them deeply.

An Xiyan tapped her fingers lightly against the table, her mind already…

Her thoughts quickly shifted elsewhere.

She had quite a few secrets herself. In the future, she could openly use her space in front of them without needing to make up all kinds of excuses.

In fact, they might even help her cover up any unusual occurrences—how perfect.

Meng Guangping’s family and little An Xixuan all stared at An Xiyan without blinking, puzzled by what she might be thinking.

Why was she smiling so slyly? That smile was making them nervous.

After sorting things out in her mind, An Xiyan looked toward the others who were watching her.

She smiled and said,
“Go gather everything in the house that’s useful. I have a space where I can store things.”

Tangyuan blinked and curiously asked,
“Miss, what do you mean by ‘space’?”

“Uh…” An Xiyan paused, then thought for a moment and explained,
“It’s a place that only I can see. Others can’t see it. I can store a lot of things in there, and it’s very safe.”

“It’s something only I can use—no one can steal it. That’s what I mean by ‘space’.”

The Meng family members nodded, looking half-understanding.

Then Meng Guangping’s eyes lit up in sudden realization.
“Miss, is your space similar to Madam’s storage pouch?”

An Xiyan nodded calmly, showing no change in expression, but her heart was already in turmoil.

Just what kind of person was her mother, really?

She even had a storage pouch!

Weren’t those the kind of things that only existed in cultivation realms?!

The Meng family had all seen Xiao Lengyu’s storage pouch before, so they didn’t question it too much. They simply thought: As expected of Madam’s daughter. She has access to these miraculous things too.

But little An Xixuan was confused. He tilted his head and looked at An Xiyan, his eyes filled with innocent puzzlement.
“Sis, what are you all talking about? Xuan’er doesn’t understand.”

An Xiyan reached out and pinched his soft, fair little cheeks. Then she pulled out an apple-flavored lollipop from her space and handed it to him.

An Xixuan’s eyes went wide with amazement. His clear gaze sparkled as he took the lollipop, his voice milky and excited:
“Sis, you’re amazing! You can make things appear out of nowhere!”

An Xiyan chuckled and said,
“This came from the space I was just telling you about. Do you understand what ‘space’ is now?”

An Xixuan blinked, thought hard for a moment, and said,
“Sis, Xuan’er gets it now. Space is like a room that only you can go into. Other people can’t see it or touch it.”