Chapter Thirty-Two: Recovering Memories (3)

Update Time: 2013-06-02

After Meng Lan left, the atmosphere in the hall eased slightly. No matter what Meng Lan had done, her intentions had ultimately been for Meng Yanran. Even Qingfeng, who knew little about the situation, understood this, let alone everyone else present.

Yao Yao leaned in close to Meng Chuchen’s ear, asking mysteriously, “Senior brother, may I ask you a question?”

Meng Chuchen nodded.

“When did Master become your mother?”

Meng Chuchen was taken aback, unsure how to answer. He had noticed the mischievous glint in Yao Yao’s eyes, but he himself felt confused. Though he was deeply moved at the thought of calling his master ‘mother,’ the words lingered in his throat, circling countless times but never coming out.

At that moment, perhaps only Lian Yue, who shared a special bond with him, truly understood Meng Chuchen. Lian Yue blinked her still slightly red eyes, pondering how to help him out of this predicament.

Before Lian Yue could come up with a solution, Meng Yanran spoke first, “Yao Yao, don’t be mischievous.” She then looked hopefully at Meng Chuchen and gently comforted him, “Chen’er, don’t mind it. Once your wounds are healed, we’ll discuss it further.”

Meng Chuchen managed a faint smile and nodded again.

Zhou Man, who had already been stopped several times by the piercing gaze of Yu Wenmo, couldn’t hold back any longer. Ignoring Yu Wenmo’s warning glare, he blurted out, “Fourth sister, there’s no outsiders here now. Tell third brother properly, why did you become the leader of the Hidden Sect? And is the Hidden Sect actually your old Palace of Blood Tears?”

Lian Yue stared incredulously, glancing at Lan Shui, who had regained her composure. She silently protested: the relationship between mother and the Palace of Blood Tears seemed not to be a secret, so why did Lan always look so anxious and cautious whenever it was mentioned?

To Lian Yue’s disappointment, Lan Shui’s gaze never wavered from her mother, ignoring her own doubts. Defeated, Lian Yue withdrew her gaze, only then noticing the sudden silence in the hall.

Yu Wenmo and Yue Zhanpeng were looking at Zhou Man with a strange expression—yes, strange, as Lian Yue thought, as if they were not looking at a person, but at a pig.

She turned to her mother, who was staring at Zhou Man in disbelief, exclaiming, “Since when did third brother become so clever!”

“Heh, I’ve always been smart. It’s just you three are so shrewd that you make me look dumb, always mocking me for being wild,” Zhou Man said, utterly oblivious to the black lines on everyone’s faces. Shaking off Zhou Ziwen’s hand, he scolded, “Stop pulling me, you brat, always meddling. I gave you such a good name for nothing. Oh, fourth sister, you haven’t met my son yet. Don’t be fooled by my rough looks; my sons are all refined. This one here is Zhou Ziwen,” he said, pointing to the boy beside him. Then he gestured to the other, Zhou Qian. “And that’s Zhou Qian.”

Zhou Man gave the brothers a hearty slap on the back. “You two, hurry up and greet your fourth aunt—no, wait, it should be ‘Madam’ now, hehe.”

Zhou Ziwen felt tears welling up inside. His father was so embarrassing. Clearly, they were mocking him, but he hadn’t noticed. He regretted having tried to warn him. He didn’t know what had gotten into his father lately; giving them such refined names was only drawing more attention. Still, they had to greet their elders.

With stiff expressions, Zhou Ziwen and Zhou Qian exchanged glances, forced themselves to pay respects to Meng Yanran, and retreated.

Lian Yue sympathized with the Zhou brothers, silently praising her father’s sworn brother as a true eccentric. Compared to Uncle Yu Wen’s silence, she preferred this sort of character, finding him easier to approach.

“Hahahahahahaha!” Before Lian Yue finished her comparisons, two peals of silvery laughter rang out—one unmistakably Yao Yao’s, the other familiar, perhaps her mother’s.

Sure enough, Meng Yanran had abandoned her usual ladylike demeanor, laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.

“Master, why are you laughing?” Yao Yao asked.

“It’s so amusing. He’s still simple-minded and strong as ever. You don’t know—once when he was stung all over by earth bees, I told him that boy’s urine could reduce swelling. Guess what happened?”

“What happened?”

Meng Yanran, gasping for breath, slapped the armrest of her chair. “He actually sneaked off and drank a whole pot of it!”

“Master, where did he even get it?” Yao Yao laughed exaggeratedly, collapsing onto Lian Yue. Lian Yue noticed that Yao Yao’s curiosity was genuine, her laughter loud but devoid of real amusement. Lian Yue was startled, reassessing Yao Yao—how could a young girl be so intensely curious?

“You’ll have to ask him—I heard...” Meng Yanran trailed off.

Before she could continue, Zhou Man, whose face was already as red as pig's liver, quickly interrupted, “Fourth sister!”

“What’s wrong, big bull? You did it, so why can’t I mention it? Eldest brother, second brother, you be the judges!”

Yu Wenmo, delighted by Meng Yanran’s laughter, smiled brightly. His daughter, Yu Wen Lingxi, was dazzled by this unfamiliar, joyful expression. Yu Wenmo teased, “What’s the matter, third brother? Ashamed of what you’ve done? It was only a pot of boy’s urine, and it was your own. What’s there to hide, right, second brother?”

Yue Zhanpeng, his heart warmed by Meng Yanran’s smile, chimed in, “It’s true. A-Yue only meant you should apply it externally, but you went all in.”

The hall filled with low laughter. Even Lian Yue, who had been feeling down, couldn’t help but giggle, then wiped her face vigorously with her sleeve, remembering that Uncle Zhou had kissed her cheek.

Yao Yao laughed even harder, this time genuinely, “Oh, Master, I can’t take it anymore, my stomach hurts!”

Compared to Yao Yao’s hearty laughter, Meng Yanran’s laughter gradually faded. She looked warmly at Yu Wenmo, Yue Zhanpeng, and the furious Zhou Man, her eyes smiling, “Thank you, this is wonderful!”

Zhou Man’s anger paused. He seemed to realize something, forcing a smile more painful than a grimace. The corners of their eyes were moist; once upon a time, they had laughed and bantered so freely.

Meng Yanran grew solemn. “Eldest brother, third brother, I want you to know that no matter what changes, I am still your fourth sister at heart. Regardless of whether the Hidden Sect is the old Palace of Blood Tears, it will not stand against the three great clans. Even if Zhanpeng and I are together, it will not favor any side. I hope we can be as we were before.”

She looked at the serious faces of the three men, her expression sorrowful. “If I could choose, I would dissolve the Hidden Sect as I did with the Palace of Blood Tears. But now, I truly cannot. The Hidden Sect is the labor of my senior sisters. I don’t want this to create resentment among us, and besides, the Hidden Sect is still far from what the Palace of Blood Tears once was.”

“Fourth sister, I was only asking, I didn’t mean anything else. Please don’t misunderstand!” Zhou Man quickly explained when Meng Yanran paused.

Yu Wenmo smiled reassuringly, “Fourth sister, rest assured, what you fear will never happen, at least not in our lifetime.”

Yue Zhanpeng was stirred by his wife’s words, memories of the past surfacing. He looked apologetically at Yanran. “If it hadn’t been for me back then... the Palace of Blood Tears...”

“Enough. Since that’s settled, if you’re not in a hurry to leave, stay here for a few days. I’ll have someone arrange for you to rest. After all this, everyone’s either wounded or exhausted. We’ll talk again over dinner.”

“That’s fine, a few days won’t matter. We’ll stay and trouble you for a while, fourth sister. Lingxi’s injury means we shouldn’t travel. Thank you,” Yu Wenmo agreed without hesitation.

“I’ll stay too. This time, fourth sister, don’t be stingy and lock me in the courtyard,” Zhou Man added. He frowned at his sons, impatiently barking, “You two, stay if you want, otherwise get out.”

Only Yue Zhanpeng looked troubled, glancing at his children around Yanran. “I’ll go home today. Lian Yu and the others will stay. Once I’ve settled things at home, I’ll return.”

Yue Lingjun saw the reluctance in his father’s eyes and spoke up, “Father, you stay with mother. I’ll go home.”

Yue Zhanpeng smiled affectionately at his son. “Lingjun, you should stay. I’ve been gone so long—if you go home alone today, those people will make things difficult for you. Let Qingqiu and Qingling go back with me. That’s settled.”

Hearing their father, Yue Lingjun and the others’ expressions darkened, but they nodded helplessly.

Then, guided by the Hidden Sect disciples, everyone sensibly went to rest, leaving only Yue Zhanpeng and Meng Yanran in the hall.