Lan Yan saw the system stop mid-sentence and said helplessly, "System brother, can you finish speaking? We've been through several worlds and known each other for decades."
Although she couldn't recall the memories of those worlds, she knew she had been there for a long time.
The system didn't know what to say for a moment, feeling a pang of guilt for having hidden so much from its host. "In short, host, continue your mission to save the target. You'll know more later."
"Nonsense," Lan Yan said, completely exasperated. "System, how many more worlds do I have left? At least give me some hope."
The system replied, "I don't know either." How could it know about the affairs of the big boss? It was only responsible for collecting fragments.
Lan Yan: "...Alright, unreliable system, you can go. Oh, if you ever need anything, you can tell me. As your host, I'm quite capable."
Just as the system was about to go offline, it heard such a narcissistic remark. However, at that moment, it didn't feel like arguing with its host. It responded softly and then went offline. It was afraid the host wouldn't treat it this way once she knew the truth.
Lan Yan always felt the system had been acting strange lately. Was it going through a rebellious phase or menopause? She shook her head and decided not to dwell on it, focusing on finishing this world.
She looked at the crisp cookies she had just made and smiled, "Let's go give them to Ye Lan to try." She walked towards the backyard and saw Jun Ye Lan chopping wood. She called out, "Ye Lan."
Jun Ye Lan turned his head and saw Lan Yan offering him the crisp cookies. He looked at his dirty hands, then directly approached Lan Yan and said, "Yan'er, I have no hands."
"I'll feed you," Lan Yan said, already accustomed to this. She held up a cookie and fed it to Jun Ye Lan's mouth, accidentally getting his finger in the process. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she quickly ate one herself, refusing to admit she was shy.
Jun Ye Lan curved his lips, a hint of a smile in his eyes. He washed his hands nearby and then sat with Lan Yan at the courtyard table, eating the crisp cookies together.
"Yan'er, it's still early. Do you want to go out and look around?"
"Okay," Lan Yan replied. Jun Ye Lan took her hand, his face beaming as they walked out together.
As they strolled down the street, they came across a place where a crowd had gathered. Someone on the second floor was preparing to throw an embroidered ball.
A woman stood by the second-floor window, holding a red embroidered ball, looking shyly at the crowd below.
Many men stood below, and some shouted, "Throw it to me!"
The surrounding common folk watching the spectacle laughed, "This girl is beautiful and comes from a good family. I wonder what kind of young man she will choose?"
"It certainly won't be one of us." With that, they burst into laughter and cast their eyes towards Jun Ye Lan, thinking he would be a suitable match.
Lan Yan immediately stepped forward, blocking Jun Ye Lan behind her, and conveyed with her eyes that Jun Ye Lan was hers!
Seeing this, the other common folk quickly shifted their gaze, realizing this young man was already taken.
Jun Ye Lan couldn't help but smile. He hooked Lan Yan's little finger and lowered his head, chuckling softly into her ear, "Yan'er, I like it when you declare ownership."
His magnetic and charming voice almost made Lan Yan falter. She lightly hit Jun Ye Lan's shoulder and said, "Let's watch the ball toss."
Jun Ye Lan lifted the hand he was holding with Lan Yan's, imprinted a kiss on her hand, and said with immense doting in his eyes, "Alright, as Yan'er wishes."
Lan Yan's ears turned completely red. She restrained herself from looking at Jun Ye Lan and looked up at the building.
The woman on the second floor had already thrown the embroidered ball. It hit a scholar, who blushed shyly and retreated into the window, leaving behind a gaze full of tenderness.
The scholar held the embroidered ball in his hands, his face flushed, and he was speechless for a long time.
It was the people nearby who egged him on, "This pale-faced young man, why aren't you going up? The bride will run away."
The bashful scholar, teased so much, directly ran off with the embroidered ball.
What followed next was a matter between the woman and the scholar, and the common folk gradually dispersed.
Lan Yan stared at the two-story building in front of her, realizing it was a local specialty where unmarried men and women could come. She and Jun Ye Lan were already married, so they didn't need this, but they could have some fun.
She pointed to the second floor and said with a smile, "Ye Lan, I'm going up."
"Okay," Jun Ye Lan smiled and nodded, watching her walk up to the second floor. She even waved at him from the window. His Yan'er was too adorable, constantly attracting him and enchanting him.
Lan Yan saw that Jun Ye Lan below seemed stunned. Was her new look too unusual? She held the embroidered ball in her hand and called down, "Ye Lan, catch it."
With that, she released the embroidered ball and watched it fall.
Jun Ye Lan, his sleeves fluttering, leaped up and landed inside the window. He held the embroidered ball in one hand and already had Lan Yan's waist in the other. He smiled and said, "Yan'er, I caught it."
"Only I can catch your embroidered ball." He reached out and tapped Lan Yan's forehead, his eyes full of doting.
Lan Yan muttered softly, "Little醋王 (King of Jealousy)." A sweet feeling bloomed in her heart, and the smile on her lips never faded. She wrapped her arms around Jun Ye Lan's neck.
Then, she leaned in slightly, stood on tiptoe, and lightly kissed Jun Ye Lan's lips before quickly pulling away. "This is your reward for catching my embroidered ball."
Jun Ye Lan was taken aback. He cupped Lan Yan's waist with both hands, lowered his head, and kissed her lips. After a long while, he released Lan Yan, took her hand, and walked downstairs.
"Yan'er, I am very satisfied with the reward you gave me. Tonight, your husband will cook for you."
For some reason, Lan Yan's mind conjured an image of burnt roast chicken. She chuckled, "Ye Lan, why don't we buy some food on our way back? The bone broth last time was quite good."
Jun Ye Lan understood the implied meaning in Lan Yan's words – his cooking skills were definitely not as good as Lan Yan's. He nodded and took Lan Yan to an eatery, ordering a table full of dishes.
The restaurant also sent them a dish. The waiter said with a smile, "The young lady who was throwing the ball earlier is our young mistress. She found her destined husband, and our proprietor is happy. We are giving every guest who dines here today one complimentary dish."
"Thank you so much. We wish your young lady and her husband a hundred years of happiness!" Lan Yan exclaimed generously, and they were gifted another dish.
She said helplessly, "With so many dishes, we won't be able to finish them."
Jun Ye Lan picked up a chicken drumstick for Lan Yan and said with a smile, "Yan'er, eat slowly. I'll go get some wine." He walked to the counter and handed a pearl to the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, I'll take all the wine you have here. Send a pot to every table, and say it's to celebrate my wife and my affectionate new marriage." He had suddenly thought of this. After taking one pot of wine, he returned to the table.
Lan Yan saw the waiters busily delivering wine to the surrounding guests and wondered if the restaurant owner was sending out wine again.