Chapter 214: Brother-in-law, do you want to warm the bed?
In the afternoon, Huang Quan and Ye Anping strolled around the Yun Mansion. Afterwards, Ye Anping returned to the main hall to continue assisting Yun Yiyi with some of the internal affairs of Yishui Peak. Meanwhile, Yun Yiyi was busy examining the Yun family tree from the Zhongfeng Hall, matching the twenty-seven deceased individuals individually.
Unfortunately, the genealogy proved too intricate, and Yun Yiyi could only finish it after spending the entire afternoon on it. It wasn’t until nightfall that Huang Quan arrived, urging her to bathe and rest.
After concluding his help with today’s affairs at Yishui Peak, Ye Anping bid farewell to Yun Yiyi. Taking advantage of the dusk, he returned to the suspicious spots he had seen with Huang Quan earlier, leaving behind some backup plans. Then, he retired to his bedroom.
Of course, if those intending to kidnap Yun Yiyi came to attack, his bedroom would undoubtedly be the primary battleground. However, he needed to be more specific about the abilities of Zhuang Yan’s operatives. Therefore, he cautiously set up talismans around his bedroom. Yet, if these measures failed to deter the enemy, they might only heighten their alertness.
Considering the pros and cons, Ye Anping hung a few bells around his room. This way, if someone approached stealthily, he could anticipate their movements through sound and avoid being caught off guard.
After arranging his bedroom, Ye Anping dishevelled his bedding and stuffed some spare pillows into it as decoys. He then decided to conceal himself in the closet, focusing on gathering his energy. However, just as he was about to enter the closet after extinguishing the candles in the room…
Jingle—
A ringing sound came from the direction of the front door. Ye Anping furrowed his brow and stealthily entered the closet, pulling the door shut slowly, leaving a small gap to observe the situation outside.
He was puzzled as to why Zhuang Yan’s men had arrived so soon after nightfall, but Huang Quan knocked on the door the next moment.
“Brother-in-law~~ I noticed your lights were just turned off. Are you planning to sleep?”
“…”
Hearing Huang Quan’s voice, Ye Anping hesitated for a moment. The girl had shown no signs of abnormality in the afternoon, behaving like a maid, addressing him as “brother-in-law”.
He contemplated for a while, then finally readied his spiritual sword, quietly slipped out of the closet, walked to the house door, and pulled it open.
“What’s the matter?” Huang Quan outside the house was fidgety as if she had just bathed, with a bit of moisture still on her bun and face.
Seeing the door open, she pursed her lips and quickly asked, “Sir… It snowed heavily today, and I was worried you might catch a cold, so I thought I’d come over and help you warm the bed or something.”
“No need,” He replied.
“Oh… It’s okay, sir, you don’t have to feel embarrassed,” Huang Quan said hastily. “I just finished warming the bed for the young miss, and she fell asleep as soon as she got in. Do you think I’m dirty, sir? I… just took a bath, so I’m very clean.”
“I’m not concerned about that,” Ye Anping held back for a moment before saying, “I’m just not used to having someone else warm my bed.”
Huang Quan paused and asked, “Oh? Didn’t you have maids warming your bed when you were at the Hundred Lotus Sect?”
“…No.”
“Well, you should give it a try. A warmed bed is so cosy and comfortable. You’ll know after trying it once.”
“No, thank you.”
Huang Quan pursed her lips, adjusted her hair, and said shyly, “Sir, you’ve been at Yun Mansion for so long without making any requests to the maids. I don’t know what you like, and I don’t dare to talk to you… Let me take care of you more, okay? I’m doing this voluntarily.”
Seeing her determination, Ye Anping felt that if he disagreed, she might stay in front of his door for a long time.
Glancing at the snowstorm outside the courtyard, he conceded and stepped aside, saying, “Then go ahead and warm it up.”
“Hmm~!” Huang Quan’s eyes lit up instantly. She bowed politely, lifted her maid’s skirt, walked into the house, glanced around under the faint moonlight, and went straight to the bed without further ado.
She was about to remove her shoes and get in when she noticed the quilt bulging. Upon uncovering it, she found several feather pillows, which puzzled her.
“Sir, why do you have so many pillows under the quilt?”
“I like it,” Ye Anping replied curtly, urging, “Just warm it up quickly, then go back to your room and get some sleep. It’s getting late.”
“Oh… Okay.”
“Ah… um.”
Huang Quan nodded in response and took off her shoes, preparing to slip into the bed.
She knew she needed to talk to him more if she wanted to become her brother-in-law’s maid. From now on, she would warm the bed and chat with him daily. This way, after the eldest lady and her brother-in-law married, her chances of becoming his maid would significantly increase.
With these thoughts in mind, Huang Quan wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, then looked at Ye Anping standing by the bed and asked, “I’m curious… What was the Hundred Lotus Sect like? Could you tell me about it?”
“Hundred Lotus Sect…” Ye Anping began, but he abruptly stopped as his excellent hearing caught a sound coming from the southwest of the house. The sound suddenly ceased.
The southwest direction of his bedroom led to a small garden. Given the windy and snowy weather outside, it didn’t seem like the footsteps of patrolling guards or maids.
Seeing Ye Anping halt mid-sentence, Huang Quan felt puzzled and asked, “Brother-in-law! What’s… uh—”
Ye Anping immediately stepped forward, covering her mouth, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. There was a hint of fear initially, but soon, a glimmer of anticipation flickered in her eyes…
However, Ye Anping raised a finger to his lips the next moment, silently indicating for her to remain quiet.
“…” Huang Quan reacted swiftly. Although puzzled, she quickly nodded in understanding.
Swift and muffled footsteps drew nearer from a distance. The wind masked the sound for Huang Quan, but Ye Anping distinguished the footsteps from the noise. At least three people were approaching, judging by the robust stature and soft-soled shoes that made the footsteps sound muted against the snow.
Ye Anping concluded that they were likely coming to attack him, judging by the soft soles of their shoes, which were different from ordinary ones.
Ye Anping looked at Huang Quan, feeling conflicted. How did she manage to time this so perfectly? Nevertheless, he couldn’t let the attackers wait outside.
After a brief hesitation, he pulled Huang Quan out of the bed, his right arm encircling her waist, while his left hand swiftly rearranged the pillows and quilt to their original state. Holding Huang Quan, he tiptoed to the wardrobe in the bedroom.
Thankfully, Huang Quan was petite enough for them to squeeze into the closet together. Leaving only a crack open, they peeked towards the bed.
Whispering, he cautioned, “Don’t make a sound…”
