Hou Mingzhu's words made sense, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't refute them for a while, so he could only listen to her.
So Ye Tiancheng took Hou Mingzhu out to wander around, claiming it was to watch the stars. In reality, Hou Mingzhu wasn't paying attention to the stars; she kept chattering non-stop. It seemed that since Hou Mingzhu's head had issues, she remembered her childhood very clearly but had forgotten everything that happened afterward.
"Hou Mingzhu, I just realized, you didn't have a problem with your intelligence, you lost your memory. Were you this lively and cute when you were little?"
"I don't know, Brother Ye. The problems you're talking about are too difficult to understand, I can't quite grasp them."
Discussing such profound matters with Hou Mingzhu was clearly Ye Tiancheng's mistake. How could Hou Mingzhu be late? It was already a lot for her to have memories of being ten years old, and she probably didn't even have that.
"Alright, then I won't say any more. Let's focus on our walk. When you get tired, I'll take you back to sleep."
If Hou Mingzhu hadn't been holding him back, Ye Tiancheng might have already been in the Hou family ancestral hall. However, Hou Mingzhu had to be handled carefully. If any mistakes were made, Ye Tiancheng would have broken his promise and not taken good care of her as he had told her father. This would be another huge sin!
Ye Tiancheng was truly afraid and didn't want any more sins. He just wanted everything to be stable and to get the fragment of the Fuxi Qin. That would be a victory.
"Brother Ye, we've been walking for a long time. I'm tired. Let's go home."
Ye Tiancheng had been trying to persuade her for a long time without success. Now that Hou Mingzhu finally said she wanted to go home, he was incredibly excited.
"Okay, I'll take you home now. You need to sleep immediately after getting home, and no more wandering around."
"I definitely won't wander around anymore. I'm so tired. Oh, by the way, Brother Ye, can you carry me? I don't want to walk anymore. I'm so tired."
So she wanted him to carry her. Ye Tiancheng really didn't want to carry anyone because he was also quite tired. After a day of traveling, even though he slept in the afternoon, sleeping in an RV was never as refreshing as sleeping at home. Ye Tiancheng was indeed quite tired.
But he couldn't complain much in front of Hou Mingzhu. As long as Hou Mingzhu was happy, that was enough.
"Alright, I'll carry you. Get on."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng squatted down. Hou Mingzhu wrapped her arms around his neck and climbed onto his back.
"Brother Ye, you're so good. You're the best to me in the whole world."
Ye Tiancheng really didn't want to reveal the truth. All this subservience now was just to get the Fuxi Qin fragment. Being good or not was meaningless; it was just Ye Tiancheng's temporary strategy.
"Alright, Mingzhu, don't thank me too much. I'm not that good. The one who is truly good to you is your father."
Parents in this world are all good to their children, especially Hou Mingzhu's father. He was exceptionally good to Hou Mingzhu, and Ye Tiancheng envied it greatly.
Unfortunately, Ye Tiancheng didn't have the good fortune to enjoy such good family affection. Sometimes, looking at Hou Mingzhu, he was quite envious that she had such a good father.
"I don't care. I just feel that Brother Ye is the best to me. Brother Ye, you are the most important person."
Hou Mingzhu now had no schemes or tricks, not even a bit of cunning. Everything she said at this moment was true, which made her even more touching to Ye Tiancheng.
"Alright, if you say any more, I'll be moved. That's enough."
Ye Tiancheng didn't give Hou Mingzhu a chance to say more. Hou Mingzhu obediently lay on Ye Tiancheng's back and fell asleep on the way home before they even arrived.
Seeing that Hou Mingzhu had fallen asleep, Ye Tiancheng felt a mix of amusement and helplessness. He quickly put Hou Mingzhu on the bed and made sure she was lying down comfortably.
"Sleep soundly."
After arranging her, Ye Tiancheng immediately went to look for the ancestral hall. However, he had forgotten to ask Hou Mingzhu about its location and was now unsure.
"Where is the ancestral hall?"
Ye Tiancheng asked himself and answered, but after fiddling for a long time, he couldn't figure it out.
"Mingzhu, I'm so stupid. I should have asked for the ancestral hall's location before you fell asleep."
However, Hou Mingzhu's only response to Ye Tiancheng was soft snoring. A girl snoring, it seemed she would have trouble getting married. After her father pushed her onto him, he immediately washed his hands of her, finally getting rid of her.
Ye Tiancheng searched around the old house for a long time but couldn't find the ancestral hall. Seeing that this wouldn't work, he decided not to waste any more time and just sleep. He needed to rest well to have the chance to explore the ancestral hall tomorrow.
Ye Tiancheng obediently returned to sleep. Perhaps it was because he had been up too late the night before, but Ye Tiancheng didn't wake up the next morning. When he opened his eyes, Hou Mingzhu was beside him, having apparently been talking for a while.
"Brother Ye, hurry up and get up. I'm starving."
"Okay, I'll prepare breakfast for you. By the way, do you know where the Hou family ancestral hall is?"
This question was like a curse to Ye Tiancheng. He had said it so many times in his dreams. Finally, he could ask Hou Mingzhu himself, and Ye Tiancheng was incredibly excited.
"I know. When I was little, I often went to the ancestral hall to play with my cousins. After eating, we would go to the ancestral hall to see our ancestors."
So it wasn't that easy to get to; there were procedures. Ye Tiancheng began to regret why he had made things difficult for himself yesterday and searched all night. He should have just waited until now for Hou Mingzhu to take him there.
"Okay, then I'll quickly make breakfast for you. After we both finish eating, we'll leave immediately. Don't delay."
Ye Tiancheng's outward calmness was all an act. Inwardly, he was extremely anxious, wishing he could fly to the Hou family ancestral hall immediately and retrieve the Fuxi Qin fragment. At that time, Ye Tiancheng didn't know that the fragment wouldn't be so easy to obtain.
"Yes, yes. Brother Ye, I'm so hungry. It all depends on you this time."
"Just wait. I'll definitely make sure you eat your fill today."
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng quickly took out some ingredients from the RV. He had intended to cook in the old house's kitchen, but he found that many things in the kitchen were dirty, and the pots were covered in dust, making it unsuitable for cooking. After careful consideration, Ye Tiancheng decided to take all the ingredients to the RV to cook.
Soon, two dishes and one soup were ready, which was a relatively rich meal for Hou Mingzhu.
"Brother Ye, you're so amazing! Not only are you fast at cooking, but your food is also so delicious. I really like eating it."
Hou Mingzhu was truly appreciative. It wasn't just lip service; she ate all the food Ye Tiancheng made, and Ye Tiancheng himself didn't eat much.
"Brother Ye, it's delicious."
Ye Tiancheng also had no appetite. Thinking that he would soon be able to go to the Hou family ancestral hall, he was already incredibly excited and couldn't care about eating.
"It's good that you're full. Should we go to the Hou family ancestral hall now?"
"Yes, I want to go to the ancestral hall too. I can't wait to introduce this husband to every ancestor."
Hearing this, Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of sadness. If all of this were real, it would be nice. Unfortunately, it was all fake, just Ye Tiancheng's temporary strategy. Once he got the Fuxi Qin fragment, Ye Tiancheng probably wouldn't want to acknowledge this husband identity anymore.
"Alright, stop talking. Let's go quickly."
Ye Tiancheng was so impatient that he didn't even clean the bowls and chopsticks, just piled them there, and then quickly had Hou Mingzhu lead him to the Hou family ancestral hall.
"The location of your ancestral hall is too hidden. Ordinary people wouldn't imagine it."
The ancestral hall was located in a semi-basement. No wonder Ye Tiancheng couldn't find it after searching for so long. It turned out that a mechanism was needed. First, find the mechanism in the study, open another hidden room, then in that hidden room, there was another mechanism on the floor. After opening that mechanism and going down, one could truly reach the Hou family ancestral hall.
"I used to come here to play often when I was little. Because I'm a member of the Hou family, I was told the location of the ancestral hall. It's very difficult for others to find."
Ye Tiancheng couldn't tell Hou Mingzhu directly that the Fuxi Qin fragment was hidden in the ancestral hall, which was why it was so concealed. How could a place hiding treasure be known to everyone?
"It's a bit dark. Brother Ye, walk slowly. Just follow me. I know the way."
Ye Tiancheng tightly held Hou Mingzhu's hand. It was pitch black, and he couldn't see anything, which indeed made him feel insecure.
No wonder Hou Mingzhu turned on the light in the basement, and then there was a burst of brightness.
The ancestral hall was filled with stone statues, all with wide-open eyes and mouths agape. They were quite frightening.
"Mingzhu, you really liked playing in this kind of place when you were little. You were too mischievous. Don't you feel a little scared?"
"Not scared. This is our family's ancestral hall. What is there to be afraid of? They are all ancestors of the family. Ancestors will bless their descendants."
As they walked and talked, they arrived in front of a pile of memorial tablets. This should be the main part of the ancestral hall.
"Brother Ye, let's kneel and kowtow to the ancestors."
"Oh."
As the saying goes, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." It wouldn't be right not to kowtow in the ancestral hall. Moreover, Ye Tiancheng's current identity was Hou Mingzhu's fiancé, so he should kowtow.
"Esteemed ancestors, I, Hou Mingzhu, have returned today, and I have not come alone. I have brought my fiancé, my future husband, Ye Tiancheng. I hope all the esteemed ancestors can bless him with smooth sailing and also bless us with eternal happiness and a beautiful future together."
Hou Mingzhu spoke so fluently that it didn't seem like someone her age. Ye Tiancheng didn't say much, but secretly observed the environment of the ancestral hall, trying to find any other mechanisms.
Because Ye Tiancheng hadn't sensed the Fuxi Qin fragment, if there were a Fuxi Qin fragment here, Ye Tiancheng should have sensed it. But now, sensing nothing was very strange.
"Are there no other rooms here?"
"No more, Brother Ye. You should say a few more words to the ancestors. They will be very happy to see you."
It would be strange not to say anything. So Ye Tiancheng quickly followed Hou Mingzhu's request and spoke for a while to appease her.
"Esteemed ancestors, I will take good care of Mingzhu and ensure her happiness. Please rest assured."
Ye Tiancheng actually didn't put his heart into these words, as his eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, looking for any hidden mechanisms. Perhaps for Ye Tiancheng, finding the Fuxi Qin fragment was the most important thing; nothing else mattered.
"Brother Ye, you are too good to me. I'm so touched I don't know what to say."
Hou Mingzhu tightly held Ye Tiancheng's arm, leaning half of her body against him, as if entrusting her future to the man beside her. She had no doubt about Ye Tiancheng's sincerity and was deeply moved.