Calling You Mother

Li Qingchan stood up, her eyes rimmed with red as she looked toward Li Guanqi. Six sworn brothers and sisters. This was undoubtedly Li Guanqi telling her that when the Ye family formally came to propose marriage, he and his sworn brothers would stand behind her as her own kin! This time, they were her maiden family! Deeply moved, Li Qingchan turned a tender gaze upon Ye Feng. Coming home this time, he truly had considered her feelings in every detail. Whether it was the contempt of clan members or the sensitive matters surrounding her circumstances, Ye Feng had prepared thoroughly before bringing her back. After everyone finished exchanging pleasantries, Li Guanqi swept his divine sense across the courtyard and chuckled. "Second Brother Ye, someone's about to raid your base." Ye Feng's expression shifted. Sweeping his divine sense into one of the rooms, he discovered it had been sealed by a barrier woven from powerful heavenly flame! Looking rather unnatural, he stood up. "Uh... Mother, I need to fetch something from the room. I'll be right back." Su Xi frowned slightly. "Guanqi just arrived. What could possibly be so urgent that you have to fetch it this very second?" Ye Feng strode quickly toward the inner courtyard, calling back as he went, "Very urgent! If I don't grab it now, it'll be too late!" Li Qingchan also felt it was improper for Ye Feng to leave now, leaving Li Guanqi and Meng Wanshu behind. "What could possibly be that urgent?" With a dark scowl, Ye Feng snapped as he walked away, "Grabbing a bastard back!!" A moment later, a faint muffled crack rang out, accompanied by an enraged, low roar. "Xiao Chen!! You son of a bitch, I really do have to guard against you like a thief day and night!!" Xiao Chen streaked through the air with a crestfallen wail, his robe askew and one bare shoulder exposed. "Second Brother... I... I was just too hot! I took off my robe to cool down!" Ye Feng drew his sword and gave chase, roaring in fury, "Right, right, too hot, are you? I'll make sure you cool down plenty today!!" Back in the room, Ye Qing'er scrambled out of bed in disarray, her cheeks flushed crimson. They had barely even started... Naturally, the rest of the Ye family was incapable of sensing any of this commotion and cursing. The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved upward; clearly, everyone guessed what was going on. Li Qingchan's ears flushed bright red. *What nerve...* A short while later, Xiao Chen walked out of the inner courtyard sporting a black eye, with Ye Feng following close behind. Seeing this, Su Xi couldn't help asking in confusion, "Little Chen, what happened to you?" Xiao Chen stiffened his neck, about to lodge a complaint, when Ye Feng cut in irritably, "He tripped and bumped into something." With that, he didn't forget to cast a backward glare at Xiao Chen. "Right, Fourth Brother?" Xiao Chen pouted and nodded vigorously. "Mm... yeah." Meng Wanshu stifled a giggle behind her hand. Li Guanqi stood up with a smile and said, "Aunt Su, I'm taking Ye Feng and the others back to my old hometown for a bit. We'll be back later." Hearing this, Su Xi hurriedly rose. "Leaving already? Stay for dinner tonight—I'll cook." Li Guanqi didn't refuse. "Haha, alright! Then we'll all come to your place for dinner when we get back tonight." Ye Feng didn't think it was an imposition for his mother to cook for Li Guanqi. Back in the day, the two of them had devoured Su Xi's meals with relish. The group flew into the air, leaving the Ye estate behind. Li Guanqi asked calmly, "Is everything handled at home?" Ye Feng paused slightly and shot a glare back at Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen muttered softly, "I just figured Big Brother ought to know..." "Yeah, all handled," Ye Feng said. "I'm the family head now..." Seeing Ye Feng's helpless expression, Li Guanqi smiled faintly and patted his shoulder. "It might not be a bad thing. With your presence to deter them, they won't dare step out of line. Besides... someone from the Guanyun Chamber of Commerce will liaise with the Ye family soon." Ye Feng nodded. "Thanks, Big Brother." "What's there to thank between brothers?" *Whoosh! Whoosh, whoosh!* Cao Yan, Gu Li, and Tang Ru turned into three streaks of light, arriving beside the group. Li Guanqi turned to Li Qingchan and said gently, "Miss Li, you may return to the Great Xia Sword Sect to rest first. For this trip... I'll..." Before he could finish, Li Qingchan smiled and interjected, "No need to explain. It's fine—it just so happens I could use some rest. I'll wait for you all to return tonight." After Li Qingchan departed, Li Guanqi looked at the companions beside him and chuckled softly. "Wait a moment longer." Soon, a woman flew toward them through the air—it was Li Guilan. Her flight was still somewhat unsteady, but at least she wouldn't fall. "Were you waiting for me? Let's go, let's go." Seeing Li Guilan dressed in a new suit of black clothes, Li Guanqi felt a wave of warmth in his chest. He turned with a smile. "Let's go. I'll show you all my home." With those words, they set off across the sky. Along the way, everyone's mood inevitably grew somber. In just the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they had flown all the way to Beiliang City. They followed Li Guanqi to the dilapidated wooden shack on the outskirts. Yet Li Guanqi did not take them inside. That room held far, far too many memories he was unwilling to revisit. Standing before a massive barrier, traces left by many people who had attempted to investigate it were visible outside. But Li Guanqi paid them no mind. Who in this world could breach a barrier he had laid down? With a casual wave of his hand, he parted the domain barrier. Wildflowers and green grass swayed gently across the hillside. Beneath a scholar tree stood two earthen mounds. Seeing the two graves standing side by side, everyone felt their hearts quiver. Li Guanqi took a deep breath, then took Meng Wanshu by the hand and strode toward the graves. Meng Wanshu held a bouquet of wildflowers she had picked herself. Li Guanqi looked at her with slight surprise as they arrived before the graves. The ground around the tombstones was clean and tidy, and the offerings he had left during his last visit were still there. "Tomb of Beloved Mother, Song Wanrong." "Tomb of Cherished Sister, Li Cuiwei." Looking at the crooked characters carved into the stone, Meng Wanshu felt a prickle behind her nose, and tears welled in her eyes. The grass between the two graves was noticeably shorter than the rest. She wondered what had gone through Li Guanqi's mind when he once lay there. Yet he must have felt so deeply at peace... Li Guanqi knelt down with Meng Wanshu, took out sandalwood incense, and lit it. As he held the burning incense, dense plumes of green smoke curled vigorously into the air. Li Guanqi grinned and spoke softly: "Mother, your son has come home to see you." "Remember Wanshu, the girl I babbled to you about last time? She's right here beside me. Isn't she beautiful?" "The fellows behind me are the brothers I mentioned last time." "I wasn't lying, was I? I'm doing very well now. My brothers treat me wonderfully, and Wanshu treats me wonderfully too." "Mm... my future parents-in-law treat me very well too, just like their own son." "Mother... when I eat with them, it feels like having a real family..." Li Guanqi took a deep breath. "So, I've decided to become family with them. I'm going to marry Wanshu!" "I came today to show you your future daughter-in-law and share the good news with you." "As for Sister... I will resolve it!" Not far away, Li Guilan listened to Li Guanqi's words, her eyes reddening as she lifted her sleeve to dab at the corners. Listening to Li Guanqi's soft ramblings, Meng Wanshu realized for the first time just how soft and tender his heart truly was... Setting the flowers down, Meng Wanshu held the burning incense and called out in a gentle, soft voice: "Mother." With just that single word, a choke caught in Meng Wanshu's throat. In a faint, trembling whisper, she murmured, "Though we have never met... Wanshu... will begin calling you Mother here and now." "I will... take good care... of Guanqi. Please rest easy." Meng Wanshu did not say much more, but all the surging emotions within her were poured into that one word—"Mother." The sandalwood incense burned even more fiercely, dense plumes of green smoke rising straight into the clouds. It was as if Song Wanrong's spirit in heaven was acknowledging the young woman. A gentle breeze brushed across her face, carrying away a stray tear that drifted far, far into the distance. It felt as though a woman's tender hand had gently wiped her cheek.