At 8:30 p.m.,
This should be prime time in the usual sense, with all sorts of nightlife activities gradually unfolding.
But in this household, unless there’s something special, spending time with family always takes priority.
After Yan Dongnuan suggested a night chat, the four family members quickly gathered in the master bedroom, moving bedding and pillows to the floor, setting up a floor bed to chat together late into the night.
Yan Lingqi was the first to get busy, carrying quilts and pillows with great enthusiasm, a bit like the excitement of going on a picnic.
“Lingqi, why are you so happy about a night chat? What are you grinning about?” Chu Yin couldn’t help but laugh.
“What’s not to be happy about chatting together? Before, we’d lie down together every couple of weeks, talk about places we might want to visit, make plans to go together. After you moved out for your summer job, neither of our moms dragged me to chat anymore!”
Yan Lingqi grumbled, pointing at the bedding on the floor, urging Chu Yin to help out and not laze around.
This girl was exaggerating a bit; with Aunt Wen’s personality, there was no shortage of chats on a regular basis—at most, it just wasn’t lying together for a late-night chat.
Soon, the floor bedding was ready. Wen Chunhan and Yan Dongnuan entered the bedroom one after another, bringing in a pot of floral tea and some snacks.
Aunt Wen wore a black camisole nightdress, her full, snowy curves barely contained, the graceful line of her bare back endlessly captivating. Her gentle and kind aura now seemed bewitchingly attractive.
Little Aunt’s camisole was white, a similar style, but wrapped more tightly in the front, holding all her softness inside, since she didn’t like how her chest would jiggle when she turned over in her sleep. But her nightdress was much shorter; as soon as she entered, her long, smooth, pale legs crossed the room, drawing every gaze.
After their bath, the twin beauties let their lustrous hair down naturally. Little Aunt Yan Dongnuan, unlike her usually stern daytime self, now showed a few more gentle, languid expressions.
Even though Chu Yin lived with the two elders every day, sometimes he’d get confused and have to look carefully to tell them apart.
“Mom, we’ve been waiting for you, hurry up~” Yan Lingqi urged.
At school, the young lady was always composed and elegant, but at home, she loved to stick close to the elders.
Like now—she immediately flopped into her mother Yan Dongnuan’s arms, cheek pressed against her mother’s full bosom, using the tall, soft pillow as a headrest, with arms and legs wrapped around her like an octopus.
Wen Chunhan looked on enviously and said with a smile, “Dongnuan has Lingqi, but my side is all empty. Chu Yin, why don’t you come cuddle in Aunt Wen’s arms too~”
“……”
Chu Yin considered the pose. Him lying on top of Aunt Wen… was a bit much. Certain delicate places would end up touching. He tactfully said,
“Aunt Wen, I’m not as light as Lingqi. If I press down, you’ll hardly be able to breathe.”
“That’s true, then I’ll just lie on top of you, Chu Yin~ Otherwise, Aunt Wen would be stuck outside and have to crane her neck just to see you all while we chat~”
Without giving him a chance to refuse, the beautiful woman turned over and wrapped her soft, fragrant body around his chest, even giving her daughter’s cheek a squeeze. She was quite satisfied with this arrangement!
Holding her eldest, and able to reach over to pinch her daughter—perfect.
“Little Aunt, what do you want to talk about tonight?” Chu Yin asked.
Little Aunt Yan Dongnuan first asked about his university plans, but the conversation soon shifted to his peculiar interests picked up during summer vacation.
For a boy like Chu Yin at the peak of his vigor, being into sports is normal, and pursuing artistic interests like calligraphy, painting, music, or chess is also common—but how did he end up dabbling in Occult Studies?
In today’s Esper world, the Guild had the advantage of getting an early start, and established its dominance. But in recent years, with the Guild’s less-than-stellar conduct, many other organized Esper groups had sprung up, promoting “decentralization” and rejecting Guild control.
Some Esper organizations even revered Occult Studies, astrology, and other classical Books.
Little Aunt Yan Dongnuan was concerned that Chu Yin might have gotten involved with such groups.
Not wanting her to worry, Chu Yin replied firmly:
“No way, the only Esper organization I’ve had contact with this summer was the Guild. I just slacked off at the library for work, read whatever Book I could get my hands on, and ended up reading a few Books on Occult Studies by accident!”
“You can see, after I came home, I haven’t read any of those Books again, and I haven’t been in touch with strangers, either~”
Yan Lingqi nodded with a show of seriousness, confirming that her brother hadn’t done anything odd. Other than going to bed early, he spent the rest of his time with her.
Wen Chunhan asked curiously,
“Chu Yin, you read Little Annie so accurately. Does that mean a person’s life is all set in stone?”
Chu Yin’s hand rested on Aunt Wen’s calf, and he almost subconsciously followed the smooth curve upward, but caught himself in time and stopped.
He shook his head. “Not really. If fortune-telling were truly that powerful, why would Forebear dynasties keep changing one after another?”
Yan Lingqi suddenly understood. She’d been amazed by her brother’s fortune-telling before, but now it didn’t seem so magical.
No matter how skilled her own brother was, could he compare to the Forebears who created divination itself? Yet their dynasties still fell.
“Then, Brother, why were you so sure about Little Annie’s situation? What if she missed out on needed medical care because of you?”
“Then I’d just shift the blame and say it was all due to her family’s pressure,” Chu Yin replied shamelessly.
The girl was shocked. The grand image of her brother in her mind shattered instantly. She said,
“That’s too much! No wonder people call fortune-tellers con artists!”
Wen Chunhan, hugging Chu Yin, helped him out:
“Don’t worry too much, Lingqi. Dona said Chu Yin was mostly right. Little Annie’s parents really do put a lot of pressure on her academically. Ever since Dona took her in, she’s become much more cheerful.”
Chu Yin was actually quite crafty in handling this. At dinner, he’d even reminded Director Dona to take Little Annie back to the doctor for a check-up after a while.
You could say he really mastered the essence of a Disclaimer!
Their discussion of daytime events came to an end, and Chu Yin smoothly changed the topic to Little Aunt’s hobbies.
But Little Aunt’s answer was too simple—
Reading Books and following news.
Not much to go on—how was he supposed to help his witchy Little Aunt catch up on news?
Fortunately, Chu Yin did get one useful piece of intel.
“Little Aunt, you love reading so much. Don’t you mind if Lingqi is noisy next to you?”
“Not really. Sometimes, after reading for a long time, I get this empty feeling inside, and Lingqi’s company just sweeps it away.”
“That’s called loneliness, wanting a bit of life’s warmth around~ But it depends on the person. When Dongnuan was in college, she used to complain to me all the time about how noisy her classmates were in the library,” Aunt Wen said with a smile.
Yan Dongnuan explained, “You can’t blame me for that! Who studies out loud in the library, anyway?”
Chu Yin took note—be careful with noise, but create a lively atmosphere whenever possible!
Time slipped by, and before they knew it, it was eleven o’clock. Yan Lingqi began to yawn. The family’s late-night chat was coming to an end. The four of them didn’t return to their own rooms, but simply snuggled up together on the same floor bedding and fell asleep.
“Good thing I finished the Luoshui City dream before coming home. If I was still in the dream world, what if I randomly linked up with Aunt Wen and Little Aunt while sleeping like this?”
Chu Yin muttered, letting sleepiness overtake his senses.
When he opened his eyes again, he was lying on a hammock woven by Spider Sis, beneath the canopy of towering, lush trees.
The drowsiness faded away; he felt refreshed and clear-minded.
“So, here’s the question again: how do I create a bit of life’s warmth?”
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