Chapter 81 A Belated Familiar Chat
Langzhi led Su Yuyao into the kitchen and said softly, "Yao'er, your Lady Qingyue cares about you so much! How could you say such a thing?! You really made a mistake!"
“They don’t care at all…they scold me every day…” Su Yuyao said, rubbing her face in grievance.
"Why is she scolding you? Isn't it because you always make mistakes! She only says that because she considers you her closest relative!"
"No way! My mother never scolded me like that! Neither did my wolf mother!"
"They spoil you! That's why you've become so pampered! Your Lady Qingyue is disciplining you! Do you want to continue being so willful and have people say that Xuanfeng's fairy wife is a child who never grows up?"
"Hmm? Xuanfeng's... fairy wife?" Su Yuyao suddenly blushed upon hearing this.
Seeing that Su Yuyao had listened to some of the advice, Lang Zhi continued, "When have you ever seen Lady Qingyue truly lose her temper and get angry with someone?"
Su Yuyao pouted and lowered her head. After thinking for a while, it seemed that there really wasn't. Qingyue Niangniang always had a cold and arrogant demeanor towards others, including Xuanfeng, and had never lost her temper like this before.
"Only those closest to you will show their truest attitude. The reason why Your Majesty Qingyue was so angry with you is because she treats you like her own child!"
"Really?" Su Yuyao blinked, seemingly incredulous.
Seeing that Su Yuyao had recovered, Langzhi smiled and said, "However, you, Qingyue Niangniang, are being a bit too much! Our Yao'er is actually very outstanding, she just can't bear to praise her! Yao'er, don't worry, Grandpa will find time to talk to her! He'll tell her to praise her when she deserves it!"
Su Yuyao pursed her lips and nodded, "Grandpa, I don't always cause trouble..."
"Grandpa knows!" Langzhi said with a smile. "The most important thing now is for you to go and appease Lady Qingyue!"
"I..." Su Yuyao hesitated upon hearing that she had to coax Qingyue. "I dare not... I'm afraid Her Majesty is still angry..."
"Listen to your grandpa! Go in and apologize directly, add a little bit of sweet talk, and it'll definitely work!"
"What if it doesn't work?" Su Yuyao covered her swollen face, still shaken.
"How about this! Grandpa will go in first and coax your Lady Qingyue, and then you can go in!" Langzhi suggested to Su Yuyao.
Su Yuyao pursed her lips and nodded.
Qingyue sat on the bed, wiping away tears and sulking. Her kindness had been taken for granted! She'd raised a heartless wretch! She shouldn't have bothered with all this! She shouldn't have snatched her back from the wolf clan in the first place! She'd served her, taken care of her! She hadn't received a single good thing in return! And now she was talking back to her…
"Tuan Yue?" Lang Zhi walked in with a grin, sat down next to Qing Yue, and gently hugged her. "Oh! Still shedding tears?"
Qingyue angrily broke free. "Aren't you angry?! Didn't you see how she talked back to me just now?!"
Langzhi hugged Qingyue tighter, "Of course I saw it! This child really becomes unruly if she's not properly disciplined! I just gave her a good scolding! She already knows she was wrong! See, even the child knows she was wrong, so please don't..."
"Yao'er can admit her mistake so easily?!" Qingyue rolled her eyes and said, "I think the two of you are conspiring to fool me!"
"Tuan Yue, if you're still angry, I'll go and teach her a lesson again! To be honest, I got angry just seeing her like that!" Lang Zhi said, standing up and rubbing her hands together. "Didn't you say you couldn't teach her? I'll teach her!"
"Huh? What? You're going to teach it?"
Langzhi walked out of the room, and a moment later came the sound of a slap and Langzhi's angry question, "Do you still dare to anger Her Majesty?!"
"Ah! I won't do it again!" Su Yuyao cried and begged for mercy.
"Do you still dare to talk back?!"
"I won't do it again! I won't do it again! Please forgive me!"
"Can't you go apologize?!"
"able!"
Langzhi slapped his thigh hard again, grimacing as he shouted, "Then why aren't you going?!"
Su Yuyao covered her mouth to suppress her laughter, and said in a tearful voice, "I'll go right away!"
The father and son were laughing and joking, looking confident of victory, but when they turned around, they met Qing Yue's cold gaze...
The rain continued to fall steadily, pattering against the eaves.
Holding a spider silk ball the size of a washbasin, Su Yuyao looked at the grooves and crevices on the wall and muttered a complaint, "Grandpa, you're so reckless! Why didn't you think the Empress would come along?"
"Oh dear, Yao'er! It's been so long since Grandpa has ever coaxed a woman, how could I possibly think of all that!" Lang Zhi said helplessly, standing beside Su Yuyao. "You'd better put in a little more effort and hurry up and unravel the spider silk, Grandpa can't stand up much longer!"
"It's such a big ball! I definitely can't unravel it all today!" Su Yuyao lifted the spider silk ball in her arms with all her might. "Besides, it's all your fault! If it weren't for your Yuqing sister making me angry, would I have been able to talk back to the Empress?"
"Yao'er, why are you blaming me! You talk back and you think you're right?!" Lang Zhi looked down at Su Yuyao beside her, raised her hand and tapped her on the head. "I've taught you so many times! Hurry up and take it apart!"
Su Yuyao frowned, pouted, and glared at Lang Zhi.
Looking at Su Yuyao, Langzhi was reminded of that chubby girl again...
"Tuan Yue! Why did you divide this spider silk into such fine pieces?! Did I tell you to divide it into such fine pieces?!" Lang Zhi slammed a basket of soft spider silk on the ground. "It's all ruined! How many times have I told you, I need it to be firm! Firm!"
"You didn't say that!" Tuan Yue's face flushed red. "Besides, why can't this be used?! You can just... fuse them together..."
"You dare talk back to me?!" Langzhi roared angrily. "You dare to start doing this without even listening to the instructions carefully?!"
“You definitely didn’t say that!” Tuan Yue argued confidently.
Langzhi pointed at Tuanyue's nose, gritting her teeth, and said, "Say it again?! Did I say it or not?"
"No!"
"If I didn't say it, then why did Qingjin hear it?" Langzhi roared.
“That’s right! I heard it!” Qingjin said proudly from the side. “Lord Langzhi said that these spider silks have a rare color that can change color with the sunlight, making them very precious! In addition, these spider silks are softer and more supple than ordinary spider silks, so extra care must be taken when splitting them, and they must not be split too finely!”
Tuan Yue blushed and lowered her head, saying guiltily, "I...I didn't hear..."
"And then?" Langzhi asked, her eyes wide. "You didn't hear it and that's it?!"
"I... I'll just be more careful next time..." Tuan Yue muttered.
Langzhi looked at the stubborn Tuanyue and asked, "Did you make a mistake?!"
"I already said I'd be more careful next time!" Tuan Yue raised her voice.
"I'm asking you, are you wrong?!" Langzhi raised her voice as well.
"I was wrong! Is it not enough that I was wrong?!" Tuan Yue puffed out her red cheeks and glared at Lang Zhi with a frown.
Langzhi stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Tuanyue. Her chest heaved, and she forced out three words through gritted teeth, "Get out."
Tuan Yue stared wide-eyed in surprise, looking at Lang Zhi in disbelief.
"Get out!"
Tuan Yue's face grew redder and redder. She pursed her lips, holding back the tears that were about to fall, and refused to move.
Qingjin coldly watched Tuan Yue being scolded. The others didn't dare to make a sound either, quietly watching how Tuan Yue was driven out of the spinning room.
Langzhi lost her patience, stepped forward, grabbed Tuanyue's wrist, pulled her into the courtyard, pointed at Tuanyue's nose and said, "You stay here and seriously reflect on your mistakes. You can go in when you are willing to admit your mistakes properly." After saying that, she turned and left.
Tuan Yue lowered her head, looking at her swollen little belly, and finally couldn't help but sob.
A moment later, the spider silk ball she had dismantled was also thrown at her feet. Looking at the spider silk ball, which had melted together because it was too soft, she sobbed even harder...
Lang Zhi sighed deeply. He looked up at the old eaves, then down at Su Yuyao who was trying to unravel the cobwebs. He then quietly turned around and met the same stubborn gaze he had seen back then.
Qingyue glared at Langzhi, skillfully whisking eggs in her hands. "I told you to reflect on your actions, what are you staring at? Have you even taught Yao'er how to do it?"
"Of course I taught you!" Lang Zhi chuckled, tugging at Su Yuyao's little bun. "The Empress is asking you a question! Have you learned it yet?"
Su Yuyao pouted and turned to look at Qingyue, "Your Majesty, I... I can't..."
"All you do is slack off! The old folks are a handful, and the kids are a handful!" Qingyue stirred the pots and pans with increasing force, then went into the kitchen and banged on the stove and pots, making a loud clanging noise. "I still have to cook for you all! Might as well, nobody eat! You'll be full so you'll have the energy to deal with me, right?!"
Lang Zhi didn't dare to breathe loudly, then turned around and scolded Su Yuyao, "You! You could have just said you learned it! Why did you have to..."
"Grandpa! How can I say I've learned it after taking it apart like this?! You'll be the one who gets scolded!" Su Yuyao said, holding the spider silk she had dismantled into a mess.
Langzhi glanced down at the spider silk ball in Su Yuyao's arms, and sure enough, it made her dizzy. "You... ugh..."
Seeing Lang Zhi's helpless and embarrassed expression, and then hearing Qing Yue's angry voice, Su Yuyao suddenly thought of a good idea.
"Grandpa, I have an idea!" Su Yuyao said softly, suppressing a laugh. "When I was in the wolf clan, I would sometimes get into trouble, and Mom would get very angry. Then Dad would go... hehe... and Mom wouldn't be angry anymore!"
"Oh!" Langzhi suddenly realized and couldn't help but laugh. "You little rascal! You've got so many clever ideas!"
He smoothed a few tufts of hair off his head. "Pull your ears! Don't eavesdrop!"
After saying that, he walked into the kitchen with his head held high.
Su Yuyao breathed a sigh of relief; this method would definitely work!
Lang Zhi peeked at Qing Yue's round buttocks sticking out by the stove and immediately became interested. He rushed over, lifted Qing Yue's skirt without saying a word, and pulled her inside by her waist!
"Ah! Langzhi! You're so unruly!" Qingyue screamed.
Smack! Smack!
"Get out!"
Langzhi covered her face and slunk away, "You brat! This method doesn't work at all!"
"Su Yuyao! Instead of properly dismantling the spider webs, you came up with some terrible idea!" Qingyue, carrying a rolling pin, rushed towards Su Yuyao.
"Ah! Ah! Help!" Su Yuyao held onto the spider silk ball tightly, not daring to let go, and was hit hard by a rolling pin.
The father and son finally started to think about it seriously...
Where did I go wrong? Langzhi smacked her lips, pondering, "How did I fail?"
Even this Qi is out of control! Su Yuyao used the Langzhi teachings to release Qi, tearing the spider silk into strips, but she couldn't form a new ball of spider silk; instead, it became knotted clumps...
The rain finally stopped, but the sky didn't clear up. Qingyue brought the egg drop soup to the table, along with a plate of freshly cooked pancakes, and looked at the father and son standing at the door, looking at her pitifully.
"What are you looking at! Go wash your hands! Dinner's ready!" Qingyue said with a smirk.
"Hey! Yao'er! Let's go!" Langzhi quickly grabbed Su Yuyao and took her to wash her hands.
The fragrant pancakes made the three of them forget the awkward atmosphere from before.
"Your Majesty! It smells so good!" Su Yuyao stuffed her mouth full of cakes. "I can't get enough!"
"Yao'er! Eat slowly! You have no manners at all!" Qingyue added soup for Su Yuyao and wiped Su Yuyao's mouth clean.
"Hehe!" Su Yuyao looked at Qingyue and felt a warmth in her heart. It turned out that the Empress had always cared about her!
Her nose suddenly stung with tears, "Your Majesty..."
"You child! What's wrong? I didn't say anything to you!" Qingyue said, looking at Su Yuyao who was about to cry.
"Your Majesty... I was wrong... I shouldn't have talked back to you..." Su Yuyao said, tears streaming down her face.
Qingyue smiled and sighed softly, gently wiping Su Yuyao's swollen face, and said softly, "Silly child! Why are you crying! You know you were wrong, just correct it in the future!"
"Tuan Yue!" Lang Zhi grinned and pressed her face close to his. "I know I was wrong too..."
"You're so irresponsible..." Qingyue squinted and playfully scolded Langzhi for his thick skin.
The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a bright orange-red sky. Langzhi quickly finished piling up the manure while the weather cleared. Qingyue, while tidying up the dishes in the kitchen, grabbed Su Yuyao's ear and scolded her, "To learn how to circulate Qi, you must have composure! To have composure, you must have a steady mind. Your heart is always jumping around wildly; you can't calm down. How can you control your Qi? From today onwards, you must meditate every day to cultivate your Qi properly..."
Su Yuyao stood to the side, holding the spider silk ball, gazing at the sky. It was so beautiful! If only she could ride an eagle up there for a spin…
"Yao'er! Yao'er!" Qingyue called out to the dazed Su Yuyao, "What did I just say?"
"Huh? What...?"
"You're skipping class again?!"
"Ah! Your Majesty! I was wrong..." Su Yuyao ran out of the kitchen with the spider silk ball in her hand, while Qingyue chased after her, holding a rolling pin and lifting her skirt.
"Su Yuyao! I'm pulling your ear and telling you every word, and you still won't listen?!"
"I listened! But I just don't understand!"
"What do you mean you don't understand?! You're just not paying attention!"
"I used it!"
"Stop right there!"
"If you promise not to hit me, I'll stop!"
"Stop right there!"
"Ah! Your Majesty! You've gone back on your word!"
"I never said I wouldn't hit you!"
Langzhi wiped her sweat, watching the mother and daughter chasing each other and causing chaos in the yard, chuckling to herself...
"Bai Er! I'm back!" Su Yuyao skipped and hopped back to the small courtyard.
"Miss! You're back!" Bai Er greeted her, sniffing Su Yuyao carefully. "Go take a bath first!"
"Okay!" Su Yuyao replied with a smile.
"It's raining... there's a flood..." Feihua muttered, sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard and looking up at the sky.
Su Yuyao walked over, bent down, and looked into Feihua's eyes. "Feihua! Were you a good girl today?"
"Huh? Yao'er?" Fei Hua seemed to be startled awake, suddenly grabbing Su Yuyao's arm and saying in a panic, "You're back? You came to save us?!"
"I'm back! But I can't save you! I'm waiting for you to come and save me! I got punished and beaten again today!" Su Yuyao said, pointing to her face.
"You can save us! You have to save us!" Feihua said anxiously.
"Okay, okay! I know! I'll save you!" Su Yuyao coaxed Feihua, "Have you eaten?"
Feihua shook her head blankly.
"I just finished eating! The pancakes that the Empress made today were so delicious!"
"Hmm? I want to eat pancakes too!" Feihua turned to Fangchun and said, "I want to eat pancakes too!"
"Yes, this old servant will do it right away!" Fangchun said with a smile.
"Your Highness! You're back! The bathwater is ready!" Su'e greeted Qingyue from the courtyard gate, curtsying as she spoke.
"Okay! Where's Yao'er?" Qingyue peeked into the courtyard.
"Miss Yao'er is talking to Fairy Feihua!" Su'e said with a smile. "Your Majesty, Miss Yao'er has really improved a lot! These past two days, I've been chatting with them, and the way they describe Miss Yao'er has really grown up!"
"Really?" Qingyue looked at Su Yuyao, who was coaxing Feihua. "No matter how much she improves, she's still playful! She needs to be disciplined more strictly! Yao'er! Go take a bath!"
"Okay!" Upon hearing Qingyue's voice, Su Yuyao hurriedly ran into the house to take a shower, not daring to delay for even a moment.
The plump Su Yuyao plopped down into the tub, splashing water that wet the bell on the table. Xuanfeng looked at his beloved girl through the water droplets, feeling both anxious and helpless.
He looked up at the dark curtain of rain in the distance. If he went around this curtain of rain, it would add another day to his journey...
He looked down and patted the eagle beneath him. "It's raining so hard, can we even get through?!"
A cry of an eagle!
"Alright! Charge in!" Xuan Feng's eyes widened, and a vortex of Qi suddenly appeared, tearing through the sky and shooting into the rain, opening up a black passage.
Xuanfeng crouched low, riding his eagle, and charged into the darkness through the passage. Dense raindrops formed a wall of water, blocking Xuanfeng's impact.
Xuanfeng stretched out his palm and gave it a slight tremor towards the endless darkness ahead. The black curtain of water began to churn and expand, and with a bang, the raindrops turned into mist and drifted away...
After taking a bath, Su Yuyao, wearing a loose, milky-white nightgown and with her waist-length hair flowing freely, sat in the courtyard with Feihua, admiring the sunset.
"Feihua! Are you bored at home? How about I take you to Grandpa Langzhi's place? You can go to Jingxue for me, okay?" Su Yuyao asked, resting her chubby cheeks on her hands.
Feihua shook her head blankly, "Oh no!"
"How could it not be fun? Jingxue is so much fun! You get to go to so many places!"
"It stinks!" Fei Hua looked at Su Yuyao and said seriously, "You're back, it stinks!"
"Just take a shower! The smell won't be there after a shower!"
Feihua shook her head, "I don't want to take a bath!"
Su Yuyao looked at Feihua, who was just as chubby as her and also hated taking baths, and sighed, "Feihua, Feihua, why don't you learn from my good qualities!"
"Your good side? What is it?" Fei Hua asked, tilting her head.
“Uh…” Su Yuyao thought for a moment, then sighed, “I don’t know either…”
"Su Yuyao!" Guan Yue called softly from outside the courtyard.
"Huh? Brother Yue'er!" Su Yuyao ran over in surprise, her fair face beaming as she asked with a smile, "Why are you here?"
Guan Yue looked at Su Yuyao, who was as elfin as an elf beneath her flowing robes, and said with a slight smile, "I have something to discuss with Lord Qimen and my father, so I thought I'd drop by to see you... How have you been learning from Lord Langzhi these past two days?"
"I'm doing really well!" Su Yuyao said proudly, sticking out her belly. "I can unravel spider silk now, although I'm not very good at it, but I can control my Qi a little!"
Guan Yue smiled and asked softly, "Were you punished?"
"Um... occasionally..." Su Yuyao said somewhat shyly.
"Lord Langzhi will teach you how to control your Qi; you need to practice a lot!"
“I understand…” Su Yuyao replied.
Is there anything I can help you with?
"No... even if you did, you couldn't help!" Su Yuyao pouted. "The Empress is watching me the whole time! I don't even have time to play for a little while... Oh? By the way! Do you know Yu Qing?"
"Yu Qing?" Guan Yue pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know her. Why?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I spilled her chamber pot today..." Su Yuyao changed the subject. "So what did you come here to discuss?"
"Oh, it's just something ordinary, don't worry..."
"Yao'er!" Qingyue's voice came coldly.
Su Yuyao quickly turned around, looked at Qingyue who had just finished dressing up, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty! Brother Yue'er has come to see me!"
Qingyue, however, reprimanded with a cold face, "Yao'er, why aren't you even wearing an outer robe? How can you speak to outsiders like this?!"
"Your Highness, Brother Yue'er isn't an outsider..."
"Go back!" Qingyue said sternly.
"Oh..." Su Yuyao could only lower her head and walk back to the courtyard.
Qingyue watched Su Yuyao walk away before saying to Guan Yue, "Young Master Guan Yue, I know you only have brotherly feelings for our Yao'er, but there are many people here and gossips might spread, which could affect Yao'er and Xuanfeng's relationship, so..."
“Your Highness Qingyue,” Guan Yue bowed slightly and said, “This humble servant understands, but… a relationship that can be affected by rumors is not worth protecting! If their relationship is unbreakable, why do you need to worry?!”
"Guan Yue!" Qing Yue said, glaring at him and enunciating each word clearly, "Mind your own business and mind your own business!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Guan Yue bowed and replied.
"Su'e! Close the courtyard gate!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The courtyard gate slowly closed, and Guan Yue slowly raised his head. The nimble figure seen through the crack in the door gradually disappeared from Guan Yue's sight, but was deeply etched into his mind...
"Guan Yue! Come quick!" Guan Xiao cried out anxiously, "Something's happened!"
"Something happened?" Guan Yue hurriedly followed.
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