Looking at the proud and beaming parents, and the lovely and graceful Ice Chunk, Little Ke couldn’t help but have a question mark pop up over his head.
“Ice Chunk, weren’t you the type to hide whenever there were outsiders around when you were little?”
Ke Dalong chuckled and said, “That was when she was small. Now that Little Ice Girl is all grown up, she can really be called gentle and graceful!”
“When Auntie sees Little Ice Girl, she’s like a little maid offering tea and gifts.”
Madam Gu’s lips were almost lifting up to the sky as she spoke.
Ying Bing looked at him with her bright eyes and calm tone said, “They aren’t outsiders.”
“??”
Ke Mo leaned back slightly, the earlier scene flashing in his mind.
He knew Auntie well; ever since she married into the Imperial Capital, she’s had no contact with her family. In Da Yu, there’s no notion of ‘three obediences and four virtues’—once a woman is married off, she’s like water thrown away.
The moment Ice Chunk walked in….. it became all too clear who the ‘poor relatives’ were.
At that moment, Ice Chunk received a cup of tea from Auntie, looking radiant as she said softly, “We’re all family.”
Her little red lips spoke those words with the authority of a hostess—what a killer punch!
Little Ke couldn’t help but feel his scalp tingle just thinking about that scene. No wonder his dad’s mouth turned more crooked with every look.
Gu Xueqin wrapped her arm around Ying Bing’s, tenderly fixing her hair: “Grandpa and Grandma will be here in a few days. When they see you, they’ll definitely think better of Dalong too. Little Ice Girl, if you’re willing…”
“I’m willing.”
“Good, good, good… what a good child you are.”
Hearing Madam Gu say that, Ice Chunk glanced at Little Ke with a twinkle in her eye.
Ke Mo: “!”
Wait a minute, Ice Chunk hasn’t officially entered the family yet!
Isn’t she supposed to be the reclusive Cold Fairy? How come it seems like not just her parents but the whole Ke family is under her thumb?
This is bad; is he going to become the outsider?
“The Overbearing Empress and her Childish Ghost Son-in-Law…” Shang Qin Qing panted, as if entranced, mumbling to herself.
“I really envy Ouyang; he doesn’t even have to come up with storylines for the comic anymore.”
Qin Yuzhi shook her head: “No, he still needs to figure out how to tone it down a bit; otherwise, the publishing house won’t approve…”
Ke Mo sighed and stood up, preparing to clean up.
But Ice Chunk had already cleaned up the leftover food on the table with utmost efficiency, then headed to wash the dishes.
“You kid, sitting there doing nothing.”
“….. I did move, Mom.”
So maternal love can also disappear?
Back when he was injured, Mom worried so much she lost a few pounds and would frequently touch his face, terrified he might vanish in the second.
And now just a few days later.
He’s at Qiushui Pavilion, and Dad says all he does is stay home. Just when he steps out, Mom says he’s running around outside.
When he reads a novel, Dad says he’s being derelict. When he practices martial arts, Mom says he has nothing but martial thoughts.
Ice Chunk is home at Qiushui Pavilion, and Mom says Little Ice Girl is so homely; when she goes out for a bit, Dad says this kid can still hold her own in the hall.
When Ice Chunk gets a moment to herself, Dad says she’s so skilled and creative. She’s even drafting martial arts insights for the library; Mom says she’s truly beautiful and intelligent.
“So maternal love and affection didn’t disappear; they just shifted, huh?”
Little Ke seemed to have grasped something.
Actually, he could understand it.
Due to Ice Chunk’s background, his parents likely felt they needed to overcompensate, not wanting her to feel like she was just a guest in the Ke mansion; it was the same logic in reverse.
Two days later, when Grandpa and Grandma arrived, the marvelous treasures from the Eastern Sea were just about to open for business.
Early in the morning, his parents drove the carriage to the mountain gate to pick up Grandpa and Grandma.
When they returned, Little Ke was already prepared to wait at the door; this time he would definitely not give his parents a chance to speak first!
“Grandpa, Grandma!”
Little Ke shouted loudly, just in case Dad later said he had called out so softly that no one could hear.
“Hey… oh? My good grandson?”
The kind old lady’s eyes twinkled with a hint of the elegance of a highborn lady, but as soon as she got out of the carriage, she jumped at Little Ke’s loud call.
“You little rascal, your grandma is already this old; why are you shouting so loudly?”
Ke Dalong helped a spirited scholarly elder out of the carriage, shooting a look at his son.
“??”
“It’s nothing; Little Mo might just be too excited not to have seen us in a while. He’s quite famous now, so it’s only natural for him to have a big voice.”
Grandma approached and looked at him gently.
She was nice and all, but the gentle gazes lasted only a moment before she bypassed him to look at the people behind him.
“Gr… Grandma.”
Ying Bing lowered her lashes, her lovely features complementing her clear voice; it was simply unordinary.
She stepped to Little Ke’s side and called softly.
“Goodness gracious… Little Ice Girl has grown so beautiful, just like a fairy; I’m truly blessed.”
Grandma signaled to Uncle behind her to take out a box.
Then she personally handed it to Ying Bing.
Upon opening it, there lay a fox hairbrush. Grandma said solemnly, “Little Ice Girl, I can’t give you anything valuable. This brush was left by my grandfather when he passed the imperial examination. I later used it to write the family tree, so it’s seen a bit of scholarly activity. It’s good enough for writing; don’t disdain it.”
Ke Mo: “？？？”
He remembered when he was little, sneaking into grandma’s house and playing with this brush; he almost got his tail whipped for it.
“This…”
Ying Bing dried her hands, pursed her lips unsure whether to accept it.
“Take it, Little Ice Girl, it’s just a token from Grandma.”
“Yeah, there’s no hidden agenda; it’s just a heartfelt gift. Later, when you have kids, the girl will have a family heirloom, and the boy should too.”
“Um…”
Ultimately, Ying Bing accepted it, casting a glance at Ke Mo that was full of feeling.
“…..”
Little Ke fell into contemplation.
So now even Grandma and Grandpa knew of the existence and effects of the Dragon and Phoenix Primordial Spirit?
After not seeing each other for a while, the family felt warm and cheerful, and the entire Qiushui Pavilion was imbued with a cozy, homelike warmth.
Grandpa and Grandma, along with Little Uncle and Aunt, fussed over Ice Chunk, and Grandpa’s gaze toward the old Ke improved significantly.
How harmonious was it, you ask?
Both Little Ke and Little Uncle felt like they were outsiders.
“Look, I brought a gift as well; it’s a gem from Beifeng. You can give it to your wife later.”
Little Uncle, having failed to find an opportunity, had to hand the gift to Ke Mo.
“Little Uncle, we haven’t seen each other in ages, right?”
“Yeah, and so?”
As Ke Mo reached out to take it, his hand froze. He retracted it and scratched his head, “I feel like I should cut my hair before the wedding; what do you think, Little Uncle?”
“You should cut your hair before… huh? When’s your wedding?”
“During the New Year, in the first month.”
“What are you trying to do? What do you want? We’re all family; can’t we talk things through?”
Little Uncle, looking terrified and angry, quickly produced two Beifeng gems to shove into Ke Mo’s hand, fearing he wouldn’t accept.
Little Ke sighed deeply.
On the upside, he and Little Uncle were still family.
On the downside, Little Aunt was also favored by Grandpa and Grandma, which made Little Uncle suspicious of being an outsider too.
“No way; I have to share the wealth with Ice Chunk.”
Ke Mo thought seriously.
At this point, it wasn’t about everyone siding with Ice Chunk; it was about the names on the family tree being firmly in her hands.
How could this be?!
…..
