The three brothers returned to their old house, where their father had lived when he was alive. Xu Linghe stood in front of the gate of the Xu Manor with Xiao Douya in his arms. Although the house looked dilapidated, the stone lions at the gate still showed the momentum of the king of beasts. With a creak, the old gate was opened. A haggard old man staggered out with a broom, his disheveled white hair fluttering in the wind. The old man had been bent over sweeping the fallen leaves from the cracks in the stone."Uncle Liu."
Xu Linghe put Xiao Douya on the ground and walked toward the gate. Xu Yin looked at the old man for a long time before he recognized their butler.
"Who are you?" The old man asked. His eyes were clouded.
"Uncle Liu... I"m Linghe... I"m back." Liu Fu was a little deaf, but he still remembered the Youngest Master"s voice.
"You"re the Youngest Master!" Since the Old Master"s death, Liu Fu"s eye problems had been aggravated by grief. Now he could not see things farther away. Although the Old Master had died, he insisted on guarding the home for the Young Masters.
"I"ve been looking forward to your return, and it"s come true."
Liu Fu choked with sobs. Xu Linghe hugged him and looked at the Xu Manor full of vicissitudes from afar. The prosperous house had fallen into disrepair. Looking at the three brothers and Liu Fu cuddling together, Wuyou quietly sighed with emotion, "Yeah! As long as Linghe and his brothers are here, this place will always be the Xu Manor, and Linghe"s home."
"First Young Master, Second Young Master, Third Young Master... How good it would be if the Lord lived to see you three without estrangement."
"Uncle Liu, thank you for keeping this home."
Xu Yin put his arm around Liu Fu again. Although their father had pa.s.sed away, as the eldest brother, it was his responsibility to take good care of the younger brothers and strengthened the Xu family. Looking at the three brothers, Liu Fu was in tears.
"You can rest in peace now, my Lord! Your sons are sure to bring honor to the family."
"Dad"s house is so shabby."
"This is your home, too, Xiao Douya."
Wuyou tapped Xiao Douya"s little head. The clever boy judged his father"s house. Xiao Douya held his father"s leg and stared at Liu Fu.
"Xiao Douya... This is grandpa Liu."
"You"ve had a child, Youngest Master?"
Liu Fu wanted to touch Xiao Douya, but as he looked at his rough hand, he put it down. Liu Fu was worried that his hand might accidentally hurt Xiao Douya"s face. After all, kids" skin was delicate. Xiao Douya was very smart. He took the old man"s big hand and gently ran it across his little face. Xu Linghe looked at Xiao Douya, his eyes watering. He was certainly pleased that his wife had taught his body such good manners.
"Grandpa Liu, my name is Xiao Douya."
The little boy"s crisp sound fell into the old man"s heart. "What a kind kid," he thought, wiping his eyes. Xu Linghe followed Liu Fu into the yard. Xu Yin and Xu Xi started to clean up the house. It was rare for the family to get together. Wuyou prepared dinner for them. She washed the air-dried game and boiled it in water. Afterwards, she put the meat on the chopping block only when the smell of meat wafted through the room. When the thin slices of meat were neatly placed on a plate, Xiao Douya"s eyes glistened and his small mouth kept chewing, which was pathetic to watch. Of course Wuyou knew that it was his trick.
"Get Xiao Douya something to eat. He looks so hungry."
Xu Yin couldn"t bear to look at him like that and picked out a big piece of meat. Xiao Douya saw the meat and jumped into his eldest uncle"s arms. Xu Xi thought that his little nephew was very interesting, and picked a bigger piece of meat like his eldest brother. Xiao Douya"s mouth was bulging with meat. Wuyou felt warm in the heart at the sight of the clever boy being served by two uncles.
On this evening, the family was very happy. Xu Linghe chatted with Liu Fu. Uncle Liu had been a heavy smoker for decades. When he craved a cigarette, Xu Linghe lit up a cigarette for him. Liu Fu didn"t want Xiao Douya to breathe in smoke, and wanted to smoke in the yard. Xu Linghe went out with him. The February night was cold.
"You can"t change your old habits."
Liu Fu felt helpless and knew that the Youngest Master said that for his good.
"Are you homesick, Uncle Liu?" Xu Linghe asked.
Liu Fu felt a little frustrated and his eyes grew distant. Thinking of his distant hometown, he felt that he could never go back.
The family drank hot soup and talked about the past. Liu Fu fell asleep during the conversation. Xu Linghe carried the old man on his back and took him back to his room. When he covered the old man with a quilt, he found that the old man"s body was cold. Liu Fu died suddenly. Xu Linghe thought he was afraid of his father being lonely and went to accompany him. The three brothers buried Liu Fu next to his father"s grave. Xiao Douya didn"t understand life and death, thinking that grandpa Liu was asleep. When Liu Fu"s funeral was over, they locked the gate of the Xu Manor, making it completely isolated.
The Western Palace was anxious to find Xu Yin back. Hence, Xu Yin and Xu Xi had to say goodbye to Xu Linghe"s family. Before leaving, Xiao Douya didn"t want his eldest uncle to leave and held Xu Yin in his arms. When the boy stopped, Xu Yin reluctantly left.
Wuyou came to the human world to see her mother and younger sister. Having been separated from them for three years, she missed them very much. In the East Bridge at five kilometers outside the suburbs was situated the mansion of Princess Li of Qi Kingdom. As they drew near the Princess"s Mansion, the imposing scarlet gates came into sight. Wuyou lowered the cloud she rode and headed for the gate, while Xiao Douya followed his mother. Seeing Wuyou was about to knock, he slapped the door with his small hands hard. Then there was a rush of footsteps inside the door. Wuyou held her breath and listened. With a creak, she froze all of a sudden.
"Xiaoyou." Wuyou choked up.
"Elder Sister... Elder Sister," cried Han Chiyou incredulously, beginning to pinch her hand, afraid she was dreaming. When the blood oozed from her hand, she knew it wasn"t a dream.
"Mother."
In the yard, Madam Hou Qing held Xiao Mi"er, Lin Xiaosa"s daughter in her arms, complained that Han Chiyou was a big girl but still not stable, and thought that Wuyou had learned to practice soul from Jiefei at her age. However, no matter how Madam Hou Qing complained, she still loved her little girl.
"It"s morning, what"s all the fuss about..." Madam Hou Qing scolded Han Chiyou as she slowly approached. When she reached the door, Wuyou was in tears. Xiao Douya saw his mother crying, stretched out his tiny hand and kept wiping the tears off Wuyou"s face. Madam Hou Qing"s lips trembled. When she saw Wuyou clearly, she couldn"t help it.
"Where have you been all these years? Why didn"t you come back till now?" Madam Hou Qing held her daughter tightly. Wuyou once thought that her mother did not love her. Until then, she knew that the family affection in the world could not be parted with. No matter how far she went and how lonely she was, her family"s arms were always open for her. Wuyou had looked for hundreds of years of affection, and at this time, she felt how warm it was to have her loved ones around her.
"Xiao Douya, this is grandma."
"Grandma, my name is Xiao Douya," stated Xiao Douya sweetly.
He looked up and thought that this beautiful woman was his grandmother.
"Elder Sister, is this tiny boy my nephew?"
"I"m not a tiny boy... My name is Xiao Douya."
"Tiny boy, I"m your aunt... your aunt Chiyou."
Han Chiyou stared at the little boy. Xiao Douya pouted, then flapped into his father"s arms and refused to come down. Xu Linghe touched his son"s head, knowing that his son was probably angry with his aunt. However, Han Chiyou found that it was funny to tease him and wanted to pinch his little face, but Xiao Douya"s glare stopped her.
"Brother-in-law, the tiny boy has a bad temper, but he is delightful."
"How is my mother-in-law?"
"Mom is fine, but she always talks about my elder sister."
"You"re talkative. I"m so happy now. Don"t spoil it."
Madam Hou Qing cut the conversation short. She had thought that Xiaoyou disappeared, and did not expect one day his daughter showed up in front of her. She was just grateful that her family was alive.
"Brother-in-law, this is Brother Xiaosa"s daughter."
Han Chiyou held Xiao Mi"er. This girl named Xiao Mi"er attracted Xiao Douya"s attention. He moved his stumpy legs to Xiao Mi"er. When he got in front of Xiao Mi"er, he immediately kissed her in the face. Xiao Mi"er bawled, but Xiao Douya did it on purpose. In children"s world, he was the only one who existed, and even the aunt he just met could not be nice to others.
"What"s wrong with Xiao Mi"er?"
Lin Xiaosa felt uneasy in the room. He was making out with his wife when his daughter wailed. He hurried off to the sound and even forgot one of his shoes. When he reached the door of his bedroom, he heard Di Li"s scolding. Lin Xiaosa thought that Xiaoli was a stepmother because she still wanted to make out when her daughter cried so sadly. On the other hand, Di Li felt so frustrated that her daughter became her husband"s treasure instead of her. When he reached the yard, Lin Xiaosa stopped dead in his tracks. Xu Linghe looked at him and couldn"t help laughing. Lin Xiaosa didn"t look at all dashing.
"Brother Lin... Commander Lin," Xu Linghe teased.
"Linghe, now that you"re here why don"t you come to me..."
"Brother Lin." The woman rushed out of the bedroom and was so excited to see the dead man alive that she hugged Xu Linghe tightly. Although she no longer loved him, he was her dream when she was a girl. She wanted him to be good. Wuyou looked calm, but she was uncomfortable and didn"t want her husband to be held by other women. Xiao Douya slipped into his father"s arms, separated Di Li from his father, and glared at her warily, protecting his father like a fighting c.o.c.kerel.
"Dad"s my mom"s."
Xiao Douya"s eyes were burning, and only then did Di Li realize how inappropriate her behavior was. She groaned inwardly, worried about Lin Xiaosa"s jealousy.
"He bit me, mom..."
Xiao Mi"er cried with an aggrieved look, threw herself into her mother"s arms and sobbed. Lin Xiaosa was a devoted father to his daughter. The anger on his face grew thicker and thicker. "The father and son of the Xu family are too bullying. They"ve taken advantage of both of my precious girls." Xiao Douya was protecting his father, with the momentum that he would never show mercy to the one who got cross with his father.
When relatives got together and old friends met again, people always had endless expressions of affection and countless topics to talk about. After dinner, Xiao Douya and Xiao Mi"er got along. Before dinner they had been like water and fire that were incompatible with each other, and now they were playing games together in the yard. Xiao Douya even called his spirit beast, and asked him to take Xiao Mi"er rushing to the clouds.
In the room, Lin Xiaosa was not calm. Xu Linghe made fun of his friend. Lin Xiaosa looked unhappy. He filled his gla.s.s and drank with his old friend. Women drink peach blossom wine. After drinking a few cups, Di Li felt dizzy. Wuyou stole Jiefei"s wine when she was only three years old. Seeing Princess Li lying on the table fell asleep, she felt a little disenchanted. Then she began to dance with the gla.s.s in her hand. This was her first time to perform the Enchanting Dance of the Teal Hill. Only Xu Linghe was awake at the table. Wuyou held the gla.s.s and went towards the night against the wind. Xu Linghe followed her out of the yard. The woman"s face was flushed with wine in the night, and her stretched sleeves fluttered freely. Every time she flew into the air, her soft waist looked even more delicate. Wuyou seduced Xu Linghe like a night elf. Although it was February, her forehead was dripping sweat, her purple clothes in the moonlight appearing mysterious. Xu Linghe took advantage of the alcohol to dance in the wind. Their dance moves matched perfectly, with their hair winding and sleeves ethereal. They looked indescribably beautiful and striking.
That night everyone forgot about the children. When the adults woke up the next morning, there was no sign of the children. Xiao Douya and Xiao Mi"er were missing. Due to the family"s negligence, Lin Xiaosa asked for an imperial decree, demanding martial law throughout the city. In the meanwhile, Xiao Mi"er was lying on the beach in the East Sea.
"Wake up."
Xiao Mi"er rubbed her eyes and cried out in horror when she got up from the beach and looked around. Then she remembered Xiao Douya. She only remembered being blown away by a hurricane as she played on the little spirit beast. When she woke up, she was already on the beach.