Chapter 21: A Firm Pat
Lin’s mother was weaving in her room, but she went out to see what the commotion was.
Unexpectedly, it was Little Thirteen!
The child hadn’t been around in ages. She had worried so much before.
“Who is this?” The woman approached, her eyes slightly doubtful, because the person beside him seemed extraordinarily refined.
Wasn’t Thirteen’s family bankrupt?
She frowned and looked over.
Seeing this, Baixu Ci stepped forward, immediately “protecting” Fan Yue behind him.
He stammered, “Auntie, this… this is—”
He paused, trying to find a more acceptable identity.
Lin’s mother had never seen Thirteen like this. She immediately grew suspicious, her scrutinizing gaze intensifying.
“I’m his older brother,” he said calmly.
He reached out, grabbed Baixu Ci by the collar, effortlessly pulling him back behind him.
He calmly looked at the woman in front of him.
Baixu Ci’s clothes were ruffled, but he didn’t have time to fix them; he still wanted to salvage the situation.
But after hearing the demon’s words…
“…”
He gasped, painfully covering his face with his hands.
“You’re talking nonsense! Thirteen is an only child. His older brothers all died young. Who are you?!” Her distrust intensified, her tone hardening.
Fan Yue endured it, then looked back.
He just happened to see Baixu Ci covering his face with his hands, catching sight of the eye peeking through the gap between his fingers.
“…”
He silently closed the gap between his fingers.
Baixu Ci felt wronged. He thought, it’s not his fault.
While claiming brotherhood is a common excuse, he hadn’t actually said it.
His own family… only he was left.
Where did this older brother come from? This is absurd!
“Uh, Auntie, it’s not like you think. He’s my sworn brother.” He stepped out from behind Fan Yue, wanting to give a proper explanation.
But before he could finish, Lin’s mother pulled him away.
Having worked outdoors their whole lives, farmers’ forearms were strong. Like scooping up a child, she pulled Baixu Ci behind her.
It looked quite like a hen protecting its chick.
Baixu Ci was instantly moved, betraying his previous allegiance.
He was bewildered.
What’s happening?
He innocently looked up and found Fan Yue looking at him coolly.
“Come here,” the voice was directly transmitted to Baixu Ci, the tone relatively “calm.”
The young man trembled…
He hesitantly explained, “Auntie, it’s really not like you think. He’s my friend; otherwise, I wouldn’t have brought him to see you.”
His words were sincere, his gaze earnest.
Lin’s mother was somewhat swayed, but still said suspiciously, “Come closer.”
He was pulled closer, the gaze from across the way became even more imposing.
“Your family is bankrupt, isn’t it? How could you make friends with…” Her voice softened, and she glanced at him, “a friend dressed so richly? Thirteen, tell Auntie honestly, you haven’t sold yourself, have you?”
Baixu Ci remained unusually silent.
This tone, this look, and these words.
Auntie, what kind of novels have you been reading lately?
“Auntie, he’s really a friend. It’s not like you think,” Baixu Ci sighed, earnestly explaining, feeling that if he continued, he’d be labeled a “fallen youth.”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from afar.
“Thirteen! Uncle has been waiting for you for a long time! Why are you still standing at the door?” Uncle Lin, carrying a wild chicken, walked over, wrapping the chicken’s feet with a cloth strip before tossing it in the corner of the yard to be butchered later.
Baixu Ci: …
Fine, he has to explain again.
A short time later—
“It’s like this, he really is my friend,” he stood beside Fan Yue again and explained earnestly.
Uncle Lin was rather carefree and not that sensitive, so he directly said, “It’s good that it’s cleared up. Thirteen’s friend is our guest!”
He then turned his attention to the person beside him…
“My wife is too meticulous, and Thirteen is still young, and with what happened to his family, she’s just overly worried. I apologize for what happened earlier.”
He was about to bow to show his apology.
Baixu Ci, already feeling apologetic, quickly helped Uncle Lin up, saying embarrassedly:
“It’s not Auntie’s fault, it’s my fault, my fault.”
It was his fault for showing up uninvited, only intending to take a peek from afar.
“Don’t be so polite at home. Come in quickly, Little Bao has gotten plumper!” He gestured toward the door.
He signaled them to come inside.
Baixu Ci smiled gently and stepped forward to enter.
But before he could take a step, his wrist was seized, unable to move.
Ah, he forgot about this great Buddha.
“Sir…” His tone was low, and he smiled ingratiatingly.
Fan Yue just looked at him without speaking.
Baixu Ci looked confused, wanting to see Nannuan, but dared not let go.
He waited for a while.
“Aren’t we going in?” His tone was somewhat downcast, unsure what the other person wanted.
He turned to look at the door, biting his lip slightly in frustration.
Was Nannuan still in that little bed?
“Don’t call me Sir.” He pulled him back and said, lowering his eyes.
Baixu Ci was startled, wanting to ask.
But he was pulled away, his clothes rustling in the wind…
“Then what should I call you?”
“Brother.”
Baixu Ci bent down, supporting his knees, attentively watching Nannuan.
“Mmm… wah wah…” Her small hands and feet, like lotus root segments, swung in the air, her grape-like black eyes intently focusing on the person in front of her.
“Nannuan?”
Her black eyes rolled, staring straight at Baixu Ci.
“Nannuan?”
Her chubby little hand reached out, accurately grasping Baixu Ci’s little finger.
“How cute are you?” Baixu Ci squatted down, letting the baby hold his finger, his heart full of amusement.
Uncle Lin was plucking the chicken’s feathers. Seeing this scene, he smiled, wiping the sweat from his face with his sleeve:
“Little Bao likes you the most. Other people come, she always cries and fusses, but when you come, those little eyes don’t even blink!”
Baixu Ci was even happier, stroking Nannuan’s little hand.
So small, and so cute.
“Alright, it’s done. Ayao, go stew the chicken,” Uncle Lin carried the chicken out, chattering about chopping it into pieces.
There was a warm atmosphere.
“What’s so cute?” A cold voice suddenly came from behind Baixu Ci.
“…”
Alright, he forgot about this Buddha again.
He looked up from his squatting position, somewhat dissatisfiedly asking:
“Why isn’t it cute?”
Fan Yue looked down at Baixu Ci, not giving the child on the bed even half a glance, calmly continuing his assessment:
“Human infants are not all like this, without a single hair, ugly—”
Baixu Ci’s pupils widened instantly, quickly covering Fan Yue’s mouth.
He nervously looked inside the room…
“Whew.” He breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, Uncle and Aunt Lin were gone.
“How can you say that?” He was momentarily angry, forgetting how rebellious his current posture was.
Fan Yue looked down at him, not pushing him away.
“Why can’t I say it?”
Baixu Ci, stimulated by the breath, quickly let go, feeling embarrassed.
He was really bold…
“Um, all children are cute, how can they be ugly? It’s your aesthetic problem,” he mumbled.
He continued to turn his head to look at the baby on the bed. The baby couldn’t understand, just staring wide-eyed.
A curious look.
“Besides, Nannuan growing hair, it’s too…” He trailed off.
Wouldn’t that be like a little monkey? It’s not cute at all!
Fan Yue looked down at the bundle on the bed, then shifted his gaze to Baixu Ci.
He said indifferently:
“Human infants are inherently unattractive.”
Baixu Ci really wanted to roll his eyes. Why was he so stubborn? Did he have to insult people?
Just as he was about to retort…
“But you are not.” His tone surprisingly held a hint of objectivity.
“…”
Baixu Ci was speechless, thinking that one day he would be compared to a baby in beauty.
The shame was boundless.
“You don’t believe it?”
Baixu Ci really didn’t understand the demon’s train of thought. What was there to say?
Strange and eccentric, he must like hairy things?
He frowned, wanting to continue squatting to play with Nannuan.
But at that moment—
“Bang!”
Baixu Ci watched in horror as his hand transformed into a rabbit paw.
The baby on the bed was instantly delighted, blinking her eyes, wanting to touch the paw.
“Why not believe it?”
Fan Yue waved his hand, setting up a barrier, somewhat concerned about this question.
Baixu Ci turned his rabbit head, looking incredulously at this demon.
Was there no justice in the world?
“Sir, I—”
“Woo wah… eh… bunny…” Some baby talk, and her little hand kept reaching out, even turning over.
Wanting to touch the paw.
Baixu Ci was flustered, afraid Nannuan would fall, so he jumped onto a nearby wooden stool, carefully avoiding his claws.
He carefully used his rabbit paw to push the baby back.
“Lie down, lie down.”
Nannuan’s attention was originally on the paw, but now her gaze shifted upward.
She saw two ears…
Her little hand involuntarily reached out, humming and fussing, a little anxiously.
Baixu Ci didn’t know what was happening, but after seeing Nannuan’s gaze, he understood.
Ears, she liked ears.
He stretched out his rabbit head, wanting to coax the child.
Let you touch, let you touch.
But at that moment, Baixu Ci was suddenly lifted into the air, scooped away.
Nannuan, who hadn’t touched the ears, immediately frowned.
“Sir, the baby is going to cry, put me down,” he turned his rabbit head quickly.
Fan Yue’s face wasn’t very happy; he pursed his lips and raised his hand, casting a spell.
Black mist appeared in the air, briefly stunned.
Then it started its “performance” again.
Streams of black mist lined up in circles, then transformed into flowers.
Then into butterflies and insects.
Baixu Ci looked down at the baby, her grape-like eyes staring intently upward.
Very focused, neither crying nor fussing.
She even happily sucked her fingers.
“Phew, thankfully she didn’t cry,” he breathed a sigh of relief, his two ears bending appropriately.
Fan Yue held the rabbit with one hand, looked down at the little head resting on his arm.
Then he reached out and firmly patted it.