Chapter 118: The Strange Pit

"What is that look on your face?"

"Of course I'm worried about Yan'er, but I'm just also thinking about the treasures she has on her..." Chen Biqin said, her voice trailing off as she likely felt a prick of conscience herself.

But soon, she regained her self-righteous tone. "I'm her mother. What’s wrong with keeping an eye on her things?"

"Those little thugs who have nothing to do with our family are already so powerful now. Their abilities are at the third or fifth rank, yet you two are so dense—and you're her own flesh and blood! You get a little something and you're so lost in excitement you don't even know who you are. 'Bloodline Awakened'—it sounds nice, but who knows if it’s true or not?"

"Look at you two, still only at the second rank. You can't even compare to Yu Wei or Yu Rui and the others."

"Mom..." Yu Lei blushed and interrupted Chen Biqin. "You know it’s different! You saw how envious Lou Yuhui and the others were of me and my second sister. When we see our eldest sister in a moment, you must watch your tongue. Don't go blabbing about everything."

"You know how our eldest sister’s temper is. If you annoy her and she refuses to give you a piece of spirit beast meat, you won't even reach the second-rank ability."

"Don't come crying to me when that happens, because I won't be able to help you."

"Do you think I need you to tell me that?" Chen Biqin rolled her eyes. "I’m her mother; I know Yan’er’s temper better than anyone. She eats soft, not hard! I’m only saying these things because she’s not here. When you see your eldest sister in a moment, keep your wits about you and don't let anything slip, you hear me?"

Yu Yan, who had heard the entire conversation between her mother and the twins from afar: "..."

"Grandma is going too far!" Yun Duo'er said, feeling indignant. "Let's do what Uncle said—don't give her a single piece of spirit beast meat and let her be angry to death."

Yu Yan smiled. "Alright, we'll listen to our little Duo."

Her mother had always been this way. Truth be told, hearing her mother talk like this again didn't make Yu Yan angry; instead, it stirred a long-lost sense of intimacy. No matter how much her mother coveted her belongings, they were mother and daughter, and there was a hint of genuine concern beneath that tone. For the sake of that small bit of worry, Yu Yan was willing to tolerate her many flaws.

Being too calculative only makes one unhappy. Isn't the world of adults defined by four simple words? "Blessed is the ignorant."

"Eldest Sister!"
"Sister!"

As they drew closer, the twins spotted Yu Yan first. Then came Chen Biqin. Seeing her living, breathing eldest daughter appear before her with her granddaughter, despite having already heard about it from her younger children, a look of profound joy flashed across Chen Biqin's face.

"Yan'er, you really came to find us... and you brought Duo'er. The journey must have been exhausting, right?"

Yu Yan pursed her lips. "It was alright."

It was exhausting, of course. But compared to the profound loneliness she felt being all alone in her previous life, this little bit of hardship was nothing.

"As long as you're here, as long as you're here!" Chen Biqin turned her head to wipe away the tears leaking from her eyes. Having been a strong-willed woman her whole life, she was unaccustomed to showing weakness. To hide her embarrassment, she turned and walked toward the house. "Come, let's go home."

"Mom will make you and Duo'er your favorite wheat cakes and pork wontons!"

Yu Yan was surprised. Wheat cakes and wontons were local snacks from their home region of Jiangzhe. She enjoyed them, but they were quite troublesome to make. The former required preparing the filling and the batter, and the latter involved mixing filling and rolling out the wrappers. Before the world of the instances descended, she and Duo'er never received such treatment when they came home; Chen Biqin was either playing mahjong or on her way to play. On the rare occasions she was in a good mood and cooked, she did so according to her own whims.

Perhaps, after the instance world descended, she thought she would never see her eldest daughter again. Seeing her suddenly reappear, she was just too happy? In any case, Yu Yan was happy to see it. After all, her mother’s wheat cakes were truly delicious.

Don't let Chen Biqin’s current attitude toward her eldest daughter fool you; she was actually quite capable. She kept the clothes for herself and the twins clean and tidy, and she was a good cook. Before the twins were born, all her maternal love had been poured into Yu Yan, and Yu Yan had enjoyed a decade or so of being doted on and cared for. It was only later, as the family grew, that the burden of life began to wear down her maternal heart.

Gradually, Chen Biqin changed. At first, Yu Yan didn't understand. It wasn't until she became a mother herself that she realized how hard it was. She imagined if she had to raise three children alone... with a father who wasn't reliable and couldn't earn money, and who was careless about chores both inside and outside the house—she slowly began to understand Chen Biqin.

Before a woman becomes someone else's mother, she is just a young girl who hasn't experienced the hardships of the world. Chen Biqin had raised her to adulthood and supported her through university. Then, she continued to provide for the twins. Though her temper was a bit bad and she was occasionally unreasonable, she never once thought of abandoning her children. Yu Yan felt that was already quite good and couldn't ask for more from her mother.

However, understanding was one thing! Her mother’s personality was a bit muddled, and if she spoiled her too much, there was no telling what she might do.

So, when discipline was needed, it had to be applied.

While Yu Yan was lost in these thoughts, Yun Duo'er had already become fast friends with her uncle and aunt. She chatted away about the things they had seen on their journey and the experiences she and her mother had shared, leaving the twins with their eyes wide open.

"Duo'er, you really went to so many high-level instances!"

"And you were so bold to go right when the instance world first descended?" Yu Lei clicked his tongue in wonder.

Yu Wan’s eyes sparkled with pure adoration. "My eldest sister is truly amazing, conquering everything in her path! Awesome!"

"Of course," Yun Duo'er said, raising her head proudly. "My mommy is the most amazing person in the whole world!"

The twins nodded like chickens pecking at rice, echoing her, "Yes, yes, your mommy is the best."

Yun Duo'er was delighted by this flattery. "Seeing as you have such good taste, I'll share these fruits with you." With a flick of her small hand, a large bowl of black bilberries appeared in her palm.

She handed the bowl to the twins. They looked at each other; the large bowl of bilberries was filled with a faint, swirling spiritual energy. Although they weren't as good as the pears Yu Yan had given them before, they were undoubtedly spirit fruits. The most critical point was: where could a small child like Yun Duo'er have hidden such a large bowl? Even if she had hidden it, it would have been impossible for her to show no signs of it. Before she produced the fruit, they hadn't noticed any bulges on her body.

Could it be?

Yu Wan hesitated, but curiosity got the better of her. She leaned in and whispered to Yun Duo'er, "Duo'er, don't tell me you have a portable storage space like your mother?" Was portable storage so common these days? Yu Wan felt her worldview being violently shaken.

"I do!" Yun Duo'er said, appearing completely unguarded. "Mommy gave me a strange fruit pit to eat, and then I could store things. Mommy is the same; after she ate a strange fruit pit, she had a place on her to store things too."

A strange fruit pit? The twins exchanged a glance and silently noted this piece of information. It seemed that in the future, if they found any spirit fruit, they must never throw away the pit—it might just be a treasure!