Chapter 164: Clearing the clouds and revealing the sun

“You have me, and I have a home.”

This statement wasn’t a question but a declaration.

“Having” and “having” are just one word apart, yet the emotions behind them are vastly different.

Even Ye Anping, upon hearing these words, couldn’t help but hold his breath for a moment. When he came, he envisioned Li Longling would likely confess to him after he cured her. However, he didn’t expect this short sentence to stir his emotions.

“…”

Ye Anping looked at Li Longling’s face and suddenly felt hesitant. She resembled the Xi Yue girl in the game—gentle, independent, strong, quiet, reserved, considerate…

Undoubtedly, she would be an incredibly nurturing wife who would always stand behind her husband and support him. Ye Anping closed his eyes for a moment and then, still calm, looked at her and responded with two words, “No.”

After these two words, he remained silent.

Li Longling initially thought that Ye Anping would explain why, but she roughly guessed what Ye Anping was thinking after this silence.

After hesitating, she asked with a wry smile, “Is she… Terrific?”

“Yeah, very good.”

“So that’s how it is…” Li Longling’s face showed a slight disappointment, but she quickly recovered, “I wonder what kind of blessing that girl has cultivated in her previous life?”

“Her name is Xi Yue.”

Ye Anping answered, then stood up from the couch with his knees up and said, “The medical expenses are a total of 150,000 spirit stones. Remember to pay them later and send them to the Jiang Mansion in Du Chun City.”

“One hundred and fifty thousand?”

“Selling your favor.” Ye Anping walked to the side hall door, paused, and turned to look at her, “I may need your help in the future. Is it too expensive?”

“One hundred and fifty thousand spirit stones plus one favor…”

Li Longling lowered her eyes and thought for a while, then stood up from the bed. She was still a little uncomfortable for a while. After taking a few steps, she gradually stabilized her steps.

She walked up to Ye Anping, immediately grabbed his shoulders, stood on tiptoes, closed her eyes, and placed her lips on Ye Anping’s cheek.

Chirp~.

“Thanks.”

Ye Anping glanced at Li Longling’s lips, seeing that she had applied rouge. He quickly raised his hands and rubbed his face to erase the lip marks, saying, “You’re welcome.”

Squeak—

“Open the door to the side hall.”

The afterglow of the blazing midday sun streamed into his eyes, prompting him to raise his hands to shield his forehead and blink before recovering.

Ye Anping looked towards the twenty steps at the side hall’s door, spotting Xiao Yunluo and Pei Lianxue sitting closely, seemingly engrossed in reading a book, oblivious to their presence.

Feeling puzzled, Ye Anping approached them quietly, crouched behind them, and peered between their heads at the book in their hands. He overheard Xiao Yunluo saying, “Lianxue, although I’ve said it many times, I still want to remind you. These things are very dangerous, risking lives and affecting health, especially your senior brother’s.”

“Sigh–”

Carbon dioxide brushed against Xiao Yunluo’s ear, making her momentarily stunned. When she turned to look, she saw Ye Anping’s face standing just behind her shoulder, causing her to toss the book away hastily.

“Ah–!!”

Pei Lianxue, more composed, raised an eyebrow and asked, “Brother, are you finished?”

“…Well, it’s done.”

Ye Anping hesitated, glancing at Xiao Yunluo. Seeing his gaze, Xiao Yunluo’s cheeks flushed instantly, and she felt uneasy. After all, she hadn’t lied in what she just told Lianxue…

“Ye… Ye Ye Ye Anping, are you done?”

“Huh,” Ye Anping exhaled lightly, turned to his junior sister, and smiled, “Junior Sister, do you remember clearly what Senior Sister Xiao said?”

Pei Lianxue paused, blushed suddenly, and nodded.

“Yeah… I remember.”

“Just remember it. Senior brother finds it challenging to teach you these things, so I had to ask Senior Sister Xiao.”

Ye Anping sighed in relief, then saluted Xiao Yunluo beside him.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Xiao. We will leave first.”

“…”

Xiao Yunluo didn’t react for a while, watching Ye Anping holding Pei Lianxue’s hand as they walked out of the Crescent Gate. It wasn’t until Li Longling approached her and said something that she was startled again, finally snapping out of her daze.

“Senior Sister Xiao…”

“Ah?”

Xiao Yunluo turned to look at Li Longling and saw the golden glow in her eyes and the fiery red baby phoenix on her shoulder. She reacted for a while and asked:

“Junior sister Li, can you see it?”

“Well… Thanks to Senior Ye.” Li Longling smiled slightly and asked, “Senior Sister Xiao, are you hiding something from me? It’s a shame that I still trust you so much.”

“Ah… Ah? What?”

“Last time we bathed together in the back mountain spiritual pool…” Li Longling curled her lips in dissatisfaction and said, “You have practiced so much that you are much healthier than ordinary women, but…”

“…”

Listening to this, Xiao Yunluo paused, took a deep breath, and asked, “Did Ye Anping tell you?”

“…Sure enough.” Li Longling raised her eyebrows, shook her head, and sighed, “The shoulder I was leaning on before was indeed Senior Ye, and you even played a double act with him to fool me.”

Realizing she had been lied to, Xiao Yunluo opened her lips and teeth slightly. After being stunned, she lowered her eyes and replied, “I’m sorry. When you entered the pool last time, he was soaking in the pool.”

“So, Senior Ye deliberately didn’t make a sound to remind me and watched me remove my clothes and walk down from the pool’s edge?”

“Yes.”

“Senior Ye turns out to be so bad.” Li Longling shrugged slightly, relaxed her frown, and said, “Forget it, Senior Sister Xiao. Can you take me out for a walk?”

As she spoke, she reached out and scratched the chin of the young phoenix on her shoulder, causing it to raise its head.

“Grumble–”

Looking to the sky with its eyes. White clouds and blue sky were all in sight. The golden crow was dazzling. She sighed in her heart that the sun was so dazzling and bright.

“Miss?! You are out…”

Ling’er’s voice came from behind, and Li Longling turned to face her. She was a little surprised when she saw the wrinkles at the corners of Ling’er’s eyes and the black spots covered with freckles on her face. It was the first time she saw this girl who had been serving her for more than ten years.

“Ling’er, so you have so many spots on your face?”

“Ah?”

Maid Ling’er paused slightly when she heard this sentence, her eyes widened involuntarily, and tears flowed out of the corners of her eyes uncontrollably the next moment.

“Miss!!! Miss!!”

She opened her arms, forgetting the etiquette of master and servant for more than ten years, threw herself on Li Longling, and hugged her.

“Miss, you can see it!! Great!!”

“…Um.”

Xiao Yunluo watched from the side, and suddenly she seemed to be relieved and took two steps away to give the two of them some time where they would not be disturbed.