"This dish tastes really good."
Sister Jingyu sat upright at the entrance of the kitchen, sharing a small table with Chen Qiuyun, both perched on small stools. They each held a cob of corn, while also partaking in two small dishes on the table: one of napa cabbage and a small portion of pickled vegetables, simple and light.
Despite the plainness, the two women ate with great joy. The vegetables were ones they had grown themselves, the pickled vegetables were self-preserved, and the corn was cultivated from the land outside. Food obtained through their own hard work was not only reassuring but also incredibly fulfilling.
"Look at the sky, it's going to snow in a couple of days..."
Sister Jingyu looked up. Her profile, breathtakingly beautiful, gazed at the overcast sky. The temperature had already dropped significantly during this period, and the depths of the Kunlun Mountains had already received snowfall.
"Mm, after we finish eating, we need to harvest the napa cabbage and store it in the cellar. We'll also pickle some of it, along with the dried goods we've preserved. We'll have enough to get through the winter," Chen Qiuyun said with a smile while eating.
Dressed entirely in rough linen, she looked every bit the local village woman. However, her distinguishing feature from the other villagers was her innate allure; a glance or a smile naturally exuded charm. Furthermore, her skin, fair as snow, remained untouched by the sun, no matter how much time she spent working the fields. Such a trait would undoubtedly incite envy and jealousy in countless women.
"Mm..."
Sister Jingyu had fully integrated into this life, especially after becoming a confidante of Chen Qiuyun. The two women labored together from sunrise to sunset, resting when the sun went down. In their leisure time, they enjoyed tea and discussed their insights into nature within the mountains. Their days were delightfully pleasant...
For the local villagers, this simple life was the norm!
Yet, for those in the bustling, materialistic cities, feeling suffocated and overwhelmed, this was a life they yearned for...
"Hmm, is that Xiao Li?"
Just then, a car slowly pulled in, stopping directly in front of the small courtyard. This caused both Sister Jingyu and Chen Qiuyun to look up and say, "I didn't ask Xiao Li to deliver anything..."
Wan Yunting, driving the car, opened the door and got out, waving at them with a smile: "Sister Qiuyun, Sister Jingyu..."
Upon seeing him, Chen Qiuyun and Sister Jingyu exchanged smiles. However, when they then saw Zhou Ruoxi alight from the car, Sister Jingyu couldn't help but ask with a hint of confusion, "Ruoxi, why are you here?"
Zhou Ruoxi emerged from the backseat holding her mother's ashes, following Wan Yunting, who was laden with bags of belongings. Her expression was somber as she approached Sister Jingyu, bowed, and said, "Junior Aunt Jingyu, I apologize..."
Sister Jingyu looked at the urn in her hands, her delicate brows furrowing. "What is there to apologize for? Who is in here?"
Maintaining her bowed posture, Zhou Ruoxi suppressed her inner grief and calmly replied, "My birth mother."
"Your mother?"
Sister Jingyu's exquisitely beautiful face registered surprise. Chen Qiuyun, sitting nearby, also looked puzzled. Having never met Zhou Ruoxi before, her presence with Sister Jingyu clearly indicated she was a disciple of the Emei Sect.
"Sit down and tell us."
Wan Yunting placed the belongings down, took the urn from Zhou Ruoxi, and set it on a chair beside the door. He then guided Zhou Ruoxi to sit at the small dining table. Chen Qiuyun also brought out two sets of bowls and chopsticks for them, saying, "Have something to eat..."
"Tell us, did something happen to the sect that brought you here?"
Sister Jingyu observed Zhou Ruoxi lowering her head, her demeanor suggesting she had made a mistake, and thus assumed something significant must have occurred at the sect.
Seeing the situation, Wan Yunting took it upon himself to be the narrator, recounting the events that had transpired at the Emei Sect over the past few days, detailing everything for Sister Jingyu and Chen Qiuyun...
"Your birth mother is the leader of the Demonic Cult!"
Upon hearing this news, Sister Jingyu's phoenix eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she instantly understood what was happening.
"The various sects forced Ruoxi's birth mother to her death. I brought her out of the Emei Sect, and Ruoxi said she wanted to come find you, so we came," Wan Yunting told Sister Jingyu.
Beside him, Zhou Ruoxi struggled to contain her emotions, her eyes already reddening. She lowered her head and gritted her teeth, saying, "I'm sorry, Junior Aunt Jingyu. It's all my fault, for plunging Emei Sect into despair again..."
"Never mind. It's not your fault. Everyone has emotions. No one can manage to disown their own mother."
Sister Jingyu waved her hand dismissively, sighing, "Perhaps your choice to come to the Emei Sect in the first place was a mistake, leading to this outcome."
"Ruoxi, let everything happen naturally. Since you're here, stay for a while. It's not too late to leave when you've achieved enlightenment."
Zhou Ruoxi immediately stood up and bowed to Sister Jingyu, "Thank you, Junior Aunt Jingyu."
Sister Jingyu waved her off and asked, "Who is presiding over the sect now?"
Wan Yunting replied, "The major sects support Elder Guo becoming the new head of the Emei Sect!"
"Guo Yu!"
Upon hearing his name, Sister Jingyu raised an eyebrow slightly. After a pause, she chuckled softly and shook her head, "It seems the Emei Sect is heading for decline..."
Afterward, the four of them finished their meal. Wan Yunting then asked Zhou Ruoxi how she wanted to arrange her mother's ashes.
Under the watchful eyes of Sister Jingyu and Chen Qiuyun, Zhou Ruoxi, carrying her mother's ashes, followed Wan Yunting into the back mountains. They then selected a spot, dug a hole, and buried the urn in the earth...
Wan Yunting also carried a wooden board, using a small knife to carve inscriptions. "I'll bring a better stone tablet to replace it next year..."
Kneeling beside him, Zhou Ruoxi nodded blankly. Wan Yunting turned to look at her and comforted her, "Alright, Ruoxi, pull yourself together. Those who are alive must continue to live. If your mother saw you like this, she wouldn't want it."
Zhou Ruoxi tilted her head slightly, her autumn-colored eyes fixed on the man. A faint smile touched her lips, "Yunting, thank you for everything you've done for me..."
"No need to thank me, isn't it all for you?"
Wan Yunting inserted the carved wooden tablet into the ground in front of the grave and chuckled, "How is it, is it alright?"
Zhou Ruoxi looked at the beautifully carved characters and stood up, smiling and nodding, "It's very nice."
Wan Yunting nodded and spoke to Yin Bai Su's grave, "Mother-in-law, please rest assured. I will protect Ruoxi well and not let her suffer any harm or injustice. If you are not satisfied, feel free to find me in your dreams..."
"Hmph, what are you talking about."
Seeing the man's flippant words, Zhou Ruoxi playfully kicked him, rolling her eyes at him with mock exasperation...
"Haha, I'm speaking the truth."
Wan Yunting embraced Zhou Ruoxi, attempting to lighten her mood with a joke to ease her sorrowful and heavy heart.
He then added, "Also, stop dwelling on Emei Sect matters. There's no point. Just follow Sister Jingyu's advice and let things unfold naturally. Whatever happens, happens."
Zhou Ruoxi allowed the man to embrace her from behind, arching an eyebrow, "You say that, but I still feel I've let down Junior Aunt Yun Bai and the others."
Wan Yunting chuckled, "It's alright. I believe Senior Aunt Yun Bai will understand. I'll also contact Junior Sister Jiang to ensure Senior Aunt Yun Bai is not bullied by Guo Yu at Emei Sect."
It was now a foregone conclusion that Guo Yu would become the next head of the Emei Sect.
"Mm-hmm, then I'll stay here with Junior Aunt Jingyu and the others for a while," Zhou Ruoxi said with a smile and a nod.
"Let's head back..."
Wan Yunting then took Zhou Ruoxi's delicate hand and led her back, saying with a smile, "Sister Qiuyun said she'll be pickling napa cabbage later, you should help out too."
"Okay..."
Zhou Ruoxi nodded. Then, as if a thought occurred to her, she tilted her autumn-colored eyes towards the man and asked, "You and Sister Qiuyun, are you..."
The question made Wan Yunting's expression slightly awkward. He chuckled and replied, "If I said there's nothing between us, would you believe me?"
"Hmph, what do you think?"
Zhou Ruoxi gave him a big eye-roll, utterly disbelieving.
When she first arrived, Zhou Ruoxi was captivated by Chen Qiuyun's beauty and natural allure.
She even felt a sense of inferiority and a pang of jealousy, which was why Zhou Ruoxi didn't want the man, whom she considered a playboy, to have any connection with her.
"Alright, strictly speaking, we have a dual cultivation relationship!" Wan Yunting rubbed his nose and answered honestly.
"Just a dual cultivation relationship?" Zhou Ruoxi remained skeptical.
"It's true."
Wan Yunting then briefly recounted Chen Qiuyun's experiences to Zhou Ruoxi, helping her to understand Chen Qiuyun better.
"So that's how it is. No wonder she lives in such an isolated place and became friends with Junior Aunt Jingyu. It shows they are alike!" Zhou Ruoxi exclaimed in realization after hearing the story.
After all, Sister Jingyu was known for her unconventional nature within the Emei Sect, an anomaly.
Now that she had met Chen Qiuyun, another anomaly, they had naturally gravitated towards each other.
"So, there isn't much between her and me," Wan Yunting said with a smile.
Zhou Ruoxi glanced at him with her autumn eyes, smiling, "But I can see that Sister Qiuyun is very good to you."
Wan Yunting wrapped his arm around her slender, supple waist and said narcissistically, "Of course. You have to consider who your man is."
"Hehe, get lost..."
Zhou Ruoxi laughed and pushed him away, but his teasing actually helped to lighten her heavy mood significantly...
"You're back?"
At that moment, in the vegetable garden of the courtyard, Sister Jingyu and Chen Qiuyun, sleeves rolled up, were in the garden picking ripe napa cabbage, preparing to store them in the cellar for winter and to pickle some for the season's food...
"Mm, we're back to help..."
Wan Yunting also took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, and joined them in the vegetable garden with a smile...
Zhou Ruoxi did the same. She was dressed very simply now, in a down jacket, jeans, and flat boots, following Wan Yunting into the vegetable garden. However, she wasn't sure how to proceed...
"Ruoxi, like this..."
Chen Qiuyun came over and personally demonstrated the steps for harvesting a head of napa cabbage.
"Mm-hmm..."
After hearing about Chen Qiuyun's past from the man, Zhou Ruoxi developed a favorable impression of her. Following suit, she picked a head of napa cabbage, trimmed away the inedible outer leaves, and left a few leaves as protection for winter storage...
Meanwhile, Wan Yunting was responsible for transporting these napa cabbages to the underground cellar next to the dwelling.
In this region, almost every household had its own food cellar. Besides napa cabbage, there were also potatoes and corn, all staple foods for the locals during winter.
Of course, there were also the dried goods they had found in the mountains earlier, as well as pickled meats and the like...
However, Chen Qiuyun and Sister Jingyu were vegetarians, so naturally, they did not store any meat.
The three women were responsible for picking vegetables in the garden, while Wan Yunting handled the transportation to the cellar. They chatted casually about events outside and the daily routines of Chen Qiuyun and Sister Jingyu, and time slowly passed by...