Chapter 21: The Adopted Daughter’s Errand and an Unexpected Overnight Stay

The unfamiliar Young Girl, named Qiu Yuying, was the adopted daughter of Physician Qiu Ruoqu.

Her current visit was to deliver some medicinal herbs to He Junan. Although Tianmen Village and Moxuan Market Town were not far apart, for a child who had not yet reached adulthood, it was quite a formidable errand.

“Ah—!!!”

It wasn’t until she had finished detailing the various contraindications of the medicinal herbs that Qiu Yuying finally noticed the last rays of the setting sun had vanished, replaced by the brilliant moonlight.

“Oh no, the sun has already set…”

Wu Lingfeng furrowed his brow slightly. “Little girl, it was already dusk when you arrived. Isn’t it perfectly normal for night to fall now?”

“If I don’t make it home before dark, I’ll be punished…”

“When did you leave home?”

Qiu Yuying replied timidly, “Early this morning…”

“Huh?” Wu Lingfeng looked disbelieving. “This short distance… it shouldn’t take more than half a day, should it?”

“Hmph—” Qiu Yuying retorted, her voice firm despite her flimsy reasoning, “It’s my first time here, so I got a little lost, naturally!”

Wu Lingfeng, looking impatient, picked up a piece of blanched meat with his bare hands. “Heh, your parents must be quite confident to let such a clumsy little girl venture out alone.”

“Hmph, what do you mean, ‘little girl’? I’ll be an adult in a few years!” As she spoke, she angrily flicked her small tail, attempting to emphasize her protest.

“Alright, alright, I know you’re almost an adult, how impressive…” He Junan said, gently patting her head repeatedly, treating her entirely like a clueless child.

“Stop it!” Qiu Yuying struggled feebly, swatting at He Junan’s hand as if shooing a fly. “I won’t grow tall!” Yet, he mischievously used his height advantage, keeping his hand out of reach even when she jumped.

“Little girl, you don’t understand. Patting your head like this helps you grow taller faster!” Wu Lingfeng seized the opportunity, stealthily reaching out to gently pat her head.

The two grown men acted like seasoned Taiko no Tatsujin players, striking her head from one side, then the other, giving Qiu Yuying no time to defend herself.

“Ugh, you two are so mean…”

At that moment, Wu Xiyu, in an uncharacteristically firm tone, reprimanded them, “Father, Junan, stop it right now! Can’t you see she’s about to cry?”

*Whap*—She swung her hand, making both their hands retract instantly.

Seeing the displeasure on Wu Xiyu’s face, Wu Lingfeng’s attitude did a complete U-turn, immediately betraying his good teammate. “You rascal, how can you be so insensitive? She’s just a young girl, and you, a grown man, have the nerve to bully her?”

“Uncle, your face changes faster than flipping a book! Weren’t we on the same side just now?”

“Then was then, now is now. My understanding has evolved.”

“How can you even relate this to ‘understanding’?”

Ignoring them, Wu Xiyu embraced Qiu Yuying, stroking her head and comforting her in a gentle voice. “There, there, don’t cry. Crying makes you less pretty.”

Upon hearing her words, He Junan couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “How could such childish coaxing possibly work…”

Before he finished speaking, Qiu Yuying wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded obediently at Wu Xiyu. “Mm!”

He Junan’s expression darkened. “It actually worked wonders…”

“Sigh—” Wu Xiyu sighed. “Junan and Father are truly childish.”

Wu Lingfeng and He Junan mumbled in unison, “Childish…”

“It’s already dark outside,” Qiu Yuying turned to look out the window. “Ugh, this is really bad…”

“Little Yuying, the road at night is pitch black and quite dangerous. Why don’t you make do and sleep at my house tonight? You can leave for home early tomorrow morning when it’s light. How does that sound?”

“This…” Qiu Yuying hesitated. “I suppose that’s the only way.”

“Then I’ll go prepare a bed for you!”

“I want to sleep with Sister!”

Wu Xiyu smiled and nodded. “Alright, but my bed is a bit narrow, so we’ll have to squeeze.”

Just then, He Junan, with impeccable ill timing, chimed in, “Uncle’s bed is quite large, though.”

“You brat, are you trying to set me up?” In just a second, Wu Lingfeng reacted, grabbing him like an eagle snatching a chick.

Far from being scared, He Junan grew even more composed, giving a sarcastic thumbs-up right in front of him. “Uncle, as things stand, I believe this arrangement is the most reasonable.”

“Reasonable, my foot!” Wu Lingfeng raised his hand to hit him but was intimidated by a single glance from Wu Xiyu, meekly lowering it. “Fine, I’ll sleep in the courtyard. It’s not the first time, anyway…”

“Since Uncle is sleeping outside, then you two can sleep in his bed, and I’ll just sleep in Sister Xiyu’s bed.”

“What kind of joke is that?” Wu Xiyu tilted her head, asking, “There’s an unfamiliar girl in the house…”

“Uh… Xiyu, what do you mean?”

In the blink of an eye, He Junan and Wu Lingfeng, along with their bedding, were driven out the door. They stood blankly before the tightly shut door, expressionlessly enduring the cold wind blowing from Luohai. “Uncle, how did things… turn out like this?”

“It’s all your fault…”

“You’re one thing, but I’m an injured person! Why was I kicked out too?”

Wu Lingfeng showed a disdainful expression. “Hmph, where are you injured? In your heart?” With that, he bent down, picked up his bedding, and silently moved to the side, skillfully spreading it out under the eaves.

He Junan, clutching his bedding, squatted by the door like a lost puppy, trembling helplessly. How he wished Wu Xiyu would immediately change her mind and let him inside to sleep, but as time trickled by, his hope dwindled into despair.

“Sigh—”

He let out a soft sigh, abandoning his last shred of hope, and dutifully spread his bedding beside the chicken coop. “Truly, the ways of heaven have a good cycle; no one escapes fate…” Whether it was a delusion or not, he felt as though the pheasant’s gaze held disdain, as if it were mocking him.

“Hey, little fellow, do you want me to eat you?”

The pheasant offered no reply, instead turning with difficulty in its cramped cage, only to present its haughty backside to him.

“Damn it… even a chicken dares to kick me when I’m down?”

“What’s all that noise? Be quiet!”

“Alright, alright…”

The thought of having to go to Moxuan tomorrow instantly lifted He Junan’s spirits. Before long, the two men and the one chicken had fallen into a deep slumber.

Apart from the scattered chirping of insects and the rustling of leaves, only the distinct, earth-shattering snores filled the courtyard.

He Junan and Wu Lingfeng seemed unaware that, as they were making their beds, someone was peering through the window crack, secretly observing their every move. ‘That pheasant is so rude, turning its butt towards him. I’ll stew it tomorrow…’

“Sister, what are you looking at?”

Wu Xiyu’s body jolted, and she then gently closed the window. “Little Yuying, why aren’t you asleep yet?”

“I was just washing up, and now I’m getting ready for bed… Speaking of which, Sister Xiyu, what were you looking at? Were you worried about Big Brother?”

In an instant, a strange blush crept onto her cheeks, and she replied bashfully, “It’s nothing, I was just… just checking where they were sleeping.”

“Since Sister is so worried about them, why not just let them sleep inside?” Qiu Yuying suggested. “I don’t mind. Sister’s bed can be given to Big Brother, and Uncle can just sleep on the haystack.”

“No! That’s absolutely out of the question…” Wu Xiyu shook her head with strong resistance. “No matter how I think about it, that’s impossible!”

“Hmm,” Qiu Yuying mused, chin in hand, “If Big Brother can’t, then give it to Uncle…”

Wu Xiyu’s blush vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised disdain and unwillingness. “My bed would get a strange smell.”

‘Gulp—what a huge difference in attitude…’

“Think about it,” Wu Xiyu’s scaly tail swayed like a pendulum, “inviting an opposite-s*x peer to sleep in one’s bed… isn’t that a bit too strange?”

“Is Sister being too sensitive?”

“Sensitive?”

“Mother said that when Father first arrived, he slept in her bed on the very first night…”

“Is that so?” Wu Xiyu unconsciously twirled a strand of her hair. “But they later became *that* kind of couple, and He Junan and I are *that* kind of relationship. It’s different…”

Qiu Yuying tilted her head. “How is it different?”

“It’s just different, alright!” Wu Xiyu quickly changed the subject. “Alright, let’s not talk about my affairs anymore. Tell me, why did Grandfather and Grandmother let you come out alone to deliver medicine?”

“Don’t underestimate me! Even though I’m young, I’ve been to many places!” Qiu Yuying puffed out her chest proudly. “Though, most of the time, it was by getting lost…”

“Ah, this…”

“I don’t know why, but I always feel that I’m nothing like Father and Mother. They never get lost, but I’ve always had a terrible sense of direction…”

“Did you forget you’re adopted?”

“Ah!” Qiu Yuying’s eyes widened instantly. “That’s right, I’m adopted…” She didn’t seem particularly bright.

“You actually managed to forget your own origins…”

“Is Sister adopted too?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because Uncle and you look nothing alike. One is like a celestial being descended to earth, the other is like a wild boar emerging from a cave. You can’t tell you’re father and daughter at all.”

“Wild boar…” A particularly awkward smile appeared on Wu Xiyu’s face. “It’s gotten quite late without us realizing. You still have to rush home tomorrow, so let’s get some sleep early, shall we?”

“Okay—” Qiu Yuying hopped to the bedside, bouncing a little like a small rabbit before settling onto the bed. “Sister, you should rest early too.”

“Mm,” Wu Xiyu nodded with a smile. “Oh, right, tomorrow I’ll have Father take you to Moxuan Market Town, alright?”

“No, no need. I’ve walked the route once already, so I know my way around,” Qiu Yuying patted her chest, a confident smile on her face. “No matter what, I won’t get lost!”

“I just feel… a little uneasy.”

“Really, no need!” With that, Qiu Yuying pulled up her blanket and curled up on the bed, her sleeping posture like a little squirrel. “Sister Xiyu, goodnight…”

“Goodnight.”

After saying that, Wu Xiyu, still feeling uneasy, gently pushed open the window, peering through the crack to observe the two sleeping in the courtyard… Just then, an unfamiliar figure, like a mirage, suddenly appeared in her sight.