Chapter 45: That’s so temperamental!

With this approval, it was basically the same as getting approval for everything that would come after.

In the following days, every night Chu Yin would dash into the little cabin, but he wasn’t too brazen about it. Each time, he would put on a show of politeness, squatting beside his witch aunt and waiting for a while. When he saw that she had no intention of sending him away, he would then take the initiative to snuggle into her arms, indulging in the softness.

No matter how cold his aunt’s temperament, her embrace was always warm!

In reality, Chu Yin never dared get so close to his aunt. He had never even experienced an embrace like this with Aunt Dongnuan. It was truly a regret of his life.

Back when he first arrived at this home as a child, he’d been reserved and ill at ease, and his aunt’s face was always frosty—he could go a whole year without seeing her smile. She gave off an air of seriousness and kept everyone at arm’s length. How could little Chu Yin dare get close to her back then?

By the time he came to understand his aunt’s character and their relationship grew close, Chu Yin had already grown up. He couldn’t just throw himself into her arms like Yan Lingqi did.

Now he could fall asleep in his aunt’s arms in his dreams—this feeling was both exhilarating and guilty, like taking advantage of an elder when she was asleep and unaware, doing something bad…

Time quickly passed, and the last day arrived.

All the luggage for the journey was ready. The most important things packed were still the potions; anything else could be bought along the way if needed.

“Lady Witch, this is for you. I couldn’t think of any good design to carve, so I made a bunch of Gem Pen Holders in all sorts of colors.”

Chu Yin produced a pile of Gem Pen Holders, enough for the Witch of Snow Ash to rotate through without ever getting bored.

Aunt Witch accepted the gift. She didn’t show any excitement or joy, but from the way she carefully appreciated the items, it was clear she was satisfied.

“You made this String Knot too?”

“Yes! You can hang the pen holders on it by the window as decorations.” Chu Yin demonstrated on the spot.

With Spider Sister’s help, he’d woven several loop knots along a long string. Normally, the pen holders could be hung from these knots for storage, and the string could hang across the desk window. Even if not used, they could serve as a Wind Chime decoration.

Spider Sister said with a smile, “Little Unlucky One originally wanted to carve that honeydew-sized Magical Gem into a pen holder for you to store these shiny pen sleeves, but I stopped him, so he came up with the String Knot instead.”

Magical Gems— the bigger, the pricier. In the shops outside, such things could fetch sky-high prices. The witches didn’t really care about their value, but sometimes they’d keep them as collectibles.

If Chu Yin had used it to carve a pen holder, that would have been a real shame. Even Spider Sister would have felt bad.

The Witch of Snow Ash hung several strands of pen holder wind chimes by the window. Light filtered through the Gem Pen Holders, casting colorful spots across the room—gorgeous and dreamlike.

She lightly touched the wind chimes with her jade fingers, the gems striking together with a clear, pleasant, and ethereal sound.

The Witch of Snow Ash nodded in satisfaction and said, “Spider, if Little Unlucky One wants to play with those Magical Gems, just let him be. No need to stop him.”

Master, back when you acquired that big gem, you cherished it and played with it for months…

Spider Sister, who hadn’t worn her Maid Uniform in a long time, nodded obediently:

“Understood. Then Little Unlucky One, take your time and plan out the carving design. Once the Polar Night and Long Winter are over, come back next year and carve it carefully. Don’t waste such a rare material!”

The Witch of Snow Ash said,

“It’s alright, no need to stress. Just enjoy the carving.”

Master, you really are easygoing… Spider Maid couldn’t help but laugh.

But this also showed how much the Witch of Snow Ash favored this little member of her domain.

As dusk deepened, the clouds in the sky were set ablaze by the evening glow, and even the birds flying by seemed to glow orange.

Chu Yin stood in front of the big pot, waving and calling out,

“Lady Witch, Spider Sister, dinner’s ready!”

The Witch of Snow Ash certainly didn’t have the concept of a farewell feast or send-off dinner, but since Chu Yin was here, he had to put on a sumptuous meal.

For those with only average skill in Cooking, a big pot stew or soup was truly a blessing.

The Cooking process was much like mixing potions: toss in all kinds of meat, vegetables, and seasonings, stoke the fire, and let it go.

You didn’t even need to control the heat—there was plenty of broth anyway.

If it stewed too long, the broth would thicken nicely. If it stewed too little, then there would be more soup to drink—no chance of it being too dry.

Chu Yin ladled out a big portion for each of them, and when he saw them each take a bite, he couldn’t help but ask, “How’s it taste? It should be fine, right? Lady Witch, you don’t usually have a need for food, so I don’t know your preferences at all. I asked Spider Sister, but she didn’t know either.”

“Very good.”

The Witch of Snow Ash’s comment was concise, but not perfunctory.

Spider Sister ate with great relish, too. Not having a need for food didn’t mean she disliked good food. In the past, she’d tasted the food in the border town—bread sticks hard enough for self-defense, foul-smelling salted fish…it had made her give up food altogether.

“If I’d eaten this kind of meal before, I’d probably have craved it from time to time~”

“Then the fierce beasts in the forest would be in trouble! Not only would they be caught for experiments, they might even end up as ingredients!” Chu Yin acted as the server, barely taking a few bites for himself—most of the time he was busy ladling out more food.

The Polar Night and Long Winter arrived right on time. After dark, snowflakes began to drift down from the sky, and the chill gradually set in.

This was the climate rhythm brought on by the tide of magic power, with hardly any transition between seasons. As soon as the magical environment changed, the special weather would arrive at once.

Before anyone realized it, the meal was over. The witch aunt and Spider Sister ate gracefully, but that huge pot of stewed meat still disappeared into their bellies in no time.

Spider Sister cast a spell, and the big pot was instantly clean as new.

This was the truest form of eating clean and walking away.

Chu Yin had hoped to chat for a bit while cleaning up, but Spider Sister was just…her efficiency was too much!

“How are we getting there? Crossing the forest to another witch’s territory? Will we run into knights from the Church, or enthusiastic Heroes?” He stood by his pack, waiting helplessly to set out.

“Let Master use Transmission Magic, and we’ll arrive directly. There won’t be any trouble along the way,” said the spider maid.

Magic really was convenient…

Just as Chu Yin was inwardly sighing, Aunt Witch seemed to misinterpret his expression, thinking he was still feeling reluctant to leave.

She could more or less understand the boy’s feelings. He had been “passed around” since birth; finally, he’d found a stable place to stay, but after just a few months, he had to move again.

But she couldn’t keep Chu Yin by her side—he wouldn’t be able to withstand the coming magical turbulence.

After some thought, Aunt Witch said,

“Little Unlucky One, how about I keep you company while you fall asleep? That way, you won’t have trouble sleeping in a new place. Later, Spider can carry you off while you’re still sleeping, but tomorrow you’ll have to manage by yourself, or have Spider accompany you.”

Chu Yin honestly hadn’t thought about this at all. He’d already troubled his aunt by asking her to delay the deadline by seven days. If he tried to bargain any further, he’d just seem out of line and annoying.

He hadn’t expected his aunt to take the initiative and compromise for the last half-night!

How could he refuse?

“Then let’s go back and sleep!” Chu Yin was afraid Aunt Witch would change her mind, so he immediately dove into her soft, warm embrace.