Chapter 261: Long Time No See (4th Update)

Madam Yu arrived without haste. As soon as she appeared, she began to check on Qiao Ni. “What happened?”

“Mother, it was scary!” Qiao Ni whined cooperatively. Upon hearing this, Madam Yu glared at Ye Wenxin, assuming she had finally revealed her true, ugly self.

Ye Wenxin wore an innocent look.

Qiao Ni added, “There was such a big mouse just now. If it weren’t for Sister Wenxin, Ni Ni would be scared to tears now.” She continued to put her all into the performance.

Madam Yu seemed unwilling to believe her. She examined Ye Wenxin again, trying to determine whether Qiao Ni was lying to help Ye Wenxin cover up her crime.

Ye Wenxin nodded along, her face serious. “It’s true, Madam. That mouse is just at your—”

Startled at the mention of a mouse, Madam Yu’s face went pale. She instinctively retreated a few steps somewhat unsteadily.

Qiao Ni rushed up to pull her mother back, but with her small body, she didn’t have the strength to support the taller Madam Yu.

Ye Wenxin, seeing the two were about to fall again, hurriedly reached out to help them.

Unlike her impeccable save last time, Ye Wenxin was so entirely focused on catching them this time, that she wasn’t aware of where she was grabbing. When she realized it, Madam Yu’s face was already flushed with embarrassment.

“Is your mother actually a ‘married woman’? Why is she so easily embarrassed?” Ye Wenxin was baffled.

Weren’t married people supposed to be more open? But she found that with just a touch from her, Madam Yu would fly into a rage, as if she was some kind of pest.

“Does ‘married woman’ mean wife?” Qiao Ni tilted her head. She understood the meaning behind Ye Wenxin’s Earthly term from the literal meaning of the characters.

Ye Wenxin nodded, feeling a rare sense of resonance with Qiao Ni.

Qiao Ni thought for a moment before saying, “Maybe it’s because my mother hasn’t shared a bed with my father for a long time.”

Ye Wenxin’s mouth twitched, feeling that Qiao Ni was indeed quite precocious, but still curious enough to continue gossiping. “You even know about this.”

“Yesterday, my mother said it herself. But don’t think you can take advantage of this.”

While Madam Yu was still cowering nearby, Ye Wenxin and Qiao Ni, one big and one small, began steering their conversation in various directions.

Although they were clearly talking about different things, their frequency somehow matched up perfectly.

Madam Yu eventually returned to normal, but she was still a little afraid of the mouse, so she stood watching at the doorway. Looking at the room, she became lost in thought, as if she were reminiscing about something.

Ye Wenxin, noticing the change in Madam Yu’s mood, assumed this room used to be where she would meet with her past lover. She grinned. “Thank you, Madam. I slept very well here.”

Of course, this was more flattery on her part. The furnishings in this damn room made her have a nightmare, after all. For some reason, however, Ye Wenxin found herself feeling some familiarity with this place.

“That’s good.” Madam Yu had already regained her composure. She was still dressed in purple, and seemed to have a preference for it. Compared to yesterday, her clothes today were more convenient to move in.

Qiao Ni glanced at Ye Wenxin, then Madam Yu. Sensing the atmosphere was off between the two, she quickly tugged at Ye Wenxin. “By the way, Sister Wenxin, we’re going hiking today.”

Ye Wenxin, hearing this, immediately retracted her hand. She prepared to leave the room, then thought it would be too improper to just walk out like this, so she explained, “You two can go by yourselves. I’m not very interested in seeing mountains and rivers.”

To be honest, Ye Wenxin really didn’t want to go on a sightseeing trip with this troublesome duo. Moreover, the recent nightmare had left her feeling even more exhausted.

If possible, Ye Wenxin hoped to quickly discuss the details of cooperation and then return to the other Azure Wings Sect disciples. Alternatively, she should catch up with Huang Hanyan and Sha Nian-nian to see how Huang Hanyan was handling things.

Regardless of which option, she suddenly felt a sense of unease here, like the calm before the storm. Madam Yu and Qiao Ni looked at each other, seemingly surprised that Ye Wenxin would refuse their invitation.

Seeing this mother-daughter pair wasn’t going to relent, Ye Wenxin added, “Actually, I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I rarely get to sleep so soundly in bed, so naturally I’d prefer lying down.”

Ye Wenxin looked at Madam Yu, implying the two days she had spent locked up in the pit.

Madam Yu’s face darkened slightly, but she seemed to understand the reason Ye Wenxin wanted to sleep more. Yet, looking at Qiao Ni’s face full of expectation, Madam Yu couldn’t bear to disappoint her.

Madam stepped forward, saying, “It will take some time to reach the mountain. You may sleep in the carriage in the meantime, Miss Wenxin.”

“I’d rather not go. Just let me have a proper sleep today. Ah, if Madam Yu doesn’t mind, we can sleep together.” Ye Wenxin refused decisively and deliberately provoked Madam Yu again.

The thin-skinned Madam Yu glared in irritation. Looking again, Qiao Ni really did want to run over and sleep with Ye Wenxin, so Madam Yu hastily pulled her back.

“Alright, since Miss Wenxin isn’t feeling up to it, we’ll take her hiking another day.” With this said, Madam Yu tried her best to drag Qiao Ni out of the room, but Qiao Ni stubbornly wanted to stay by Ye Wenxin’s side.

“Sister Wenxin, let’s sleep together!”

Ye Wenxin ignored her and closed the door again. She originally just wanted to meditate and regulate her breathing, but strangely, drowsiness actually came over her, and she fell back to sleep shortly after.

That nightmare didn’t resume. Ye Wenxin slept soundly, surprisingly feeling a long-lost sense of security in such an unknown place.

This scent, this environment, the sound of flowing water outside the door, it all felt strangely familiar.

Ye Wenxin once again began to blur the lines between whether she was inside a dream or outside of it, when she heard a soft laughter.

“Don’t disturb Sister Wenxin’s sleep,” Qiao Ni’s voice carried over, making Ye Wenxin realize that the laughter came from reality. But she remembered locking all the doors and windows.

Needless to say, the owner of that laughter helped Qiao Ni get in.

The unceasing laughter sounded really pleasant. Then, a languid voice said, “This brat sure sleeps so deeply.”

Ye Wenxin shivered and almost jumped up in fright. If she were to say whose voice she was most familiar with in this world, this person would definitely be number one.

But why had it turned out like this now? She had just learned the answer moments ago. She felt that her beloved adopted daughter Liu Churan absolutely should not appear at this time, yet reality was ruthlessly slapping Ye Wenxin’s face.

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TL: Several years’ worth of almost blank memory, and all this familiarity with Green Isle Manor? Demon Lord x Madam Yu flashback when?