Ling Xiaodong burst through the door and was momentarily stunned by the scene inside the room.
Ye Yiyun appeared to have just finished bathing, standing by the bed and reaching out to grab the clothes laid out there.
Aunt Yun was unharmed, not in any danger as Ling Xiaodong had feared, but the only strange thing was that Aunt Yun was completely naked!
Her graceful figure was like a lotus floating on the water,
slender arms exuding a subtle fragrance, a poised waist rippling like green waves.
Fair bones, skin like fresh snow.
The two of them silently locked eyes, both frozen in place.
Ling Xiaodong’s gaze slowly slid down from Ye Yiyun’s face, and a trickle of bright red blood dripped from his nose.
Only then did Ye Yiyun snap back to reality, screaming sharply as she squatted down, covering her chest with one hand, turned her back to Ling Xiaodong, and grabbed a piece of clothing from the bed to throw at him, her voice filled with embarrassment and anger:
“Get out!”
Ling Xiaodong, still standing frozen outside the tightly shut door, felt as if his brain had stalled, with only two words echoing in his mind.
So white! So big!
Ling Xiaodong stuck out his tongue to lick his upper lip, a rusty taste filling his mouth.
He casually took off the piece of cloth Aunt Yun had thrown at his head and wiped his nosebleed.
But as he wiped, something felt off—what kind of cloth was so smooth and carried the scent of orchids and osmanthus?
He unfolded it and his heart sank. The cloth was made of silk, embroidered with a phoenix and peonies.
Ling Xiaodong, who washed his master’s clothes every day, naturally recognized it—it was a woman’s intimate dudou.
The green dudou was dotted with plum blossoms. Thinking about how he had just used Aunt Yun’s dudou to wipe his nose, Ling Xiaodong’s face drained of color.
“Come in!”
Ye Yiyun’s voice, full of anger, came from inside the room.
Ling Xiaodong nervously pushed the door open and lowered his head as he stepped inside, not daring to meet Aunt Yun’s eyes.
“Hand over the thing!”
Trembling, Ling Xiaodong held up the dudou clenched in his hand, which Ye Yiyun snatched away in one swift motion.
Ye Yiyun sat on the Grand Tutor’s chair with her legs crossed and arms folded, her pretty face covered in a layer of frost as she coldly said,
“Explain yourself. You knew I was bathing, so why did you barge in?”
Ling Xiaodong had no choice but to honestly explain what Luo had told him about entering the city and his earlier worries.
“I called out to Aunt Yun but got no response. I thought something had happened to you, so I rushed in.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Yiyun’s expression softened, and she uncrossed her legs and unfolded her arms.
Ye Yiyun liked quiet, which was why she had built her home deep within the secluded Bamboo Grove near Qingfeng Temple.
She had found the downstairs too noisy while bathing and had placed soundproofing talismans inside the room. She thought locking the door would be enough, but she hadn’t expected this to happen.
Thinking of how she had guarded her purity for more than twenty years, never even letting another woman see her body, yet her junior nephew had seen it all—she felt both ashamed and angry, anxious and upset. But Ling Xiaodong only cared about her safety, and she had been careless herself.
Still, was it really her fault when her body had been seen so blatantly?
This thought made Ye Yiyun feel extremely aggrieved.
Ling Xiaodong saw Ye Yiyun remain silent for a long time and quietly looked up.
He saw Aunt Yun lowering her head, biting her lip, her eyes red-rimmed, and her hands tightly clenched together, looking on the verge of tears.
He quickly ran to her side, half-kneeling, and grabbed Ye Yiyun’s soft, boneless hand, anxiously saying,
“Aunt Yun, it’s all my fault! I was reckless. If you’re unhappy, you can hit me!”
Ye Yiyun sighed deeply and reached out to stroke Ling Xiaodong’s head.
“Do you think Aunt Yun is as unreasonable as your master? You did nothing wrong. Aunt Yun was careless herself. She knew Peng City wasn’t safe but still let you worry for no reason. Get up.”
The two ate dinner in an awkward atmosphere.
Ling Xiaodong hastily wiped himself behind the screen and took the initiative to prepare the straw mat.
Ye Yiyun sat on the bed and patted the quilt.
“Don’t sleep on the floor. You’ve been tired all day. This bed is big enough, come up and sleep.”
Seeing Aunt Yun didn’t mind, Ling Xiaodong didn’t fuss and laid down a quilt beside hers.
Just as Ling Xiaodong was taking off his outer robe to get into bed, a white cloth slipped out from inside his clothes and floated down onto the bed.
Ye Yiyun’s sharp eyes immediately grabbed the cloth. It was a woman’s handkerchief.
She squinted suspiciously at Ling Xiaodong and asked harshly while holding up the handkerchief, “What’s this?”
Ling Xiaodong didn’t dare offend Aunt Yun again and pretended it was nothing.
“This? It’s a handkerchief Xiaoyan gave me.”
“Oh?”
Ye Yiyun unfolded the handkerchief and inspected it carefully, her tone growing even more displeased.
“As your master, how come I didn’t know Xiaoyan had this kind of handkerchief? It even has a Mu character embroidered on it. Tell me—whose daughter is this?”
Seeing he’d been caught, Ling Xiaodong forced a bitter smile.
“Aunt Yun, it’s a misunderstanding! I don’t even know her! I found this handkerchief!”
“Found it?” Ye Yiyun looked unconvinced and stuffed it into her bosom.
“No matter where it came from, it’s confiscated! As Xiaoyan’s master, I have a duty to watch over you outside and not let you fool around!”
Ling Xiaodong protested.
“How could I possibly fool around! Aunt Yun, you’ve seen me grow up. Don’t you know what kind of person I am?”
Ye Yiyun silently stared at Ling Xiaodong for a while before slowly saying,
“I’m not afraid you’ll fool around; I’m afraid the flowers will cling to you.”
The more Ye Yiyun looked at Ling Xiaodong’s face, the more troubled she became.
Not only had he seen her body, but in the short time she went downstairs to buy food, he had already gotten involved with a strange woman.
Irritated, she snapped,
“Lights out! Go to sleep!”
They only took off their outer robes, sleeping in their clothes and each covered with a quilt.
Late at night, moonlight streamed through the window, casting a silver glow over the tables and chairs in the room.
Ling Xiaodong lay on his back on the bed, exhausted but unable to sleep.
His mind was filled with Aunt Yun’s pale, naked body—this was the first time he had ever seen a woman’s body, and it turned out to be Aunt Yun’s.
In the silent room, Ye Yiyun suddenly called out,
“Xiaodong.”
“Hmm, I’m here. What is it?”
Her voice sounded hesitant.
“Do you think… do you think Aunt Yun is useless? I’m supposed to take care of you, but you have to protect me all the way. I’m a burden to you and have to watch over you. Do you find Aunt Yun annoying?”
Ling Xiaodong thought for a moment, then reached his hand out from under the quilt to hold Ye Yiyun’s gentle hand and said seriously,
“How could that be? Didn’t I say when we came down the mountain, I followed you to protect you?”
“When I came up the mountain, I lost my memory and didn’t know who my parents were. My master had no discipline. Aunt Yun taking care of me is caring for me. I’m happy about it, how could I find Aunt Yun annoying?”
“Mm.”
Ye Yiyun squeezed Ling Xiaodong’s hand in return and softly said,
“I feel at ease knowing you think that way.”
The two fell silent again.
Soon, Ye Yiyun’s steady breathing could be heard.
Ling Xiaodong felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him and soon drifted into sleep.
Their tightly clasped hands never let go.
That night, Ling Xiaodong had a nightmare.
He dreamed that Cat Ear Mountain fell from the sky and pinned him down, unable to move.
He also dreamed someone tied him up with ropes, making it hard to breathe.
The sun rose and the moon set, the east brightening.
Outside, the city gradually came alive with the sounds of bustling people.
Sunlight shone on Ling Xiaodong’s face.
He rubbed his eyes and stretched, feeling sore all over, more tired than if he hadn’t slept.
With bleary eyes, Ling Xiaodong scanned his surroundings.
The bed beside him was empty.
Looking toward the table, he saw Aunt Yun was combing her hair in front of the mirror, seemingly just up, though her cheeks were a little flushed.
Ling Xiaodong called out,
“Good morning, Aunt Yun.”
Ye Yiyun’s hand holding the comb suddenly trembled.
“Go… good morning, Xiaodong. How did you rest?”
Ling Xiaodong stretched his tired limbs on the bed.
“Not well. I had a nightmare last night—Cat Ear Mountain falling from the sky and trapping me underneath. Then someone tied me up so I couldn’t move.”
Ye Yiyun’s ears turned even redder.
“Is… is that so? Probably just the change in climate.”
Ling Xiaodong noticed something was off with Aunt Yun.
“Aunt Yun, you seem strange.”
“Am I? Ah, enough talk. Get up quickly! Look at the time! Still sleeping! We have important things to do today. I’ll wait downstairs. Hurry!”
With a bang, Ye Yiyun slammed the door and ran downstairs.
Ling Xiaodong was utterly baffled by the scolding and scratched his head.
“Still mad? I only took a glance, is it really that big a deal?”
Ling Xiaodong quickly finished washing up, went downstairs, ate breakfast with Aunt Yun, and then they headed toward the City Lord’s Mansion together.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.