Chapter 46: Homeless

Ye Heng arrived in a hurry, a high-quality cloud-goose jade pendant hanging from his waist, its red tassel swaying with his movement.

Compared to his eager and reserved demeanor three years ago, he truly seemed like a different person—high-spirited and walking with an air of confidence.

Ye Chutang waited until he drew near before slowly rising and bowing politely. "Second Uncle."

This single greeting caused Ye Heng's heart to tremble.

—The young girl before him was indeed Ye Chutang!

He paused in his tracks, a multitude of thoughts flashing through his mind in an instant, his expression shifting from shock to disbelief, and finally to excitement.

"It really is you!"

His gaze swept around the room rapidly, his eyes rimmed with a faint redness.

"This... this is Jingyan, right? And Yunfeng! I haven't seen you in three years, and you've all grown so much! And this one, this is—"

Ye Chutang held Xiao Wu's hand and tilted her chin slightly. "Xiao Wu, this is Second Uncle."

Xiao Wu blinked her large, grape-like eyes, leaned closer to Ye Chutang, and gripped her finger tightly, appearing somewhat shy.

Ye Chutang stroked the girl's small face and smiled at Ye Heng. "Please don't mind her, Second Uncle. Xiao Wu is introverted and a bit wary of strangers."

The phrase "wary of strangers" sounded somewhat piercing, but at this moment, Ye Heng could not care less.

He seemed so excited that he was becoming incoherent.

"You... you all... are actually still alive! This is wonderful! Wonderful!"

He turned back and shouted, "Shixian! Come quickly!"

Outside the door, Ye Shixian had actually already seen the scene inside the room.

From the very first second she arrived, she couldn't help but look at the woman sitting in the seat of honor, almost unable to believe her eyes.

Was that really Ye Chutang?

As she was traveling with several young siblings, shouldn't she be travel-worn and haggard?

Yet, the woman sitting there held her back straight and possessed a transcendent elegance. Aside from the red coral hairpin in her cloud-like hair, she wore no other accessories, yet she could not hide her splendor, which captivated the soul.

She seemed exactly as she was before, yet also as if she had undergone a complete transformation, exuding an irrepressible gentleness and grace.

How could this be... the Ye Chutang who had been lost for three years and should have been in a wretched state?

At that moment, Ye Chutang also raised her eyes to look quietly.

Meeting those dark, calm eyes, Ye Shixian finally snapped out of it. She quickly adjusted her expression to one of both shock and joy, covering her lips with a handkerchief. "Cousin!"

She hurried forward with small steps. Within a few paces, her eyes were brimming with crystalline tears, as if she were weeping from sheer joy.

"Cousin, where on earth have you been these past three years? Why wasn't a single word sent back? We thought you might have also perished in that accident—"

Mentioning the past, she seemed unable to suppress her grief, tears streaming down her face.

Ye Heng also wanted nothing more than to demand an explanation immediately, so he followed up right away. "Indeed! Back then, when Eldest Brother was demoted to Wuzhou, we thought that once the Emperor's anger subsided, he would surely recall him to the capital. Who knew you would encounter bandits on the road..."

His brow furrowed deeply as he sighed heavily. "By the time we received news, it was already too late. Later, I personally led men there, only to find the bodies of your father, your mother, and Xiting..."

He looked at Ye Chutang, half-testing and half-inquiring. "At the time, we couldn't find any trace of you all; we only found a few bloodstained pieces of your clothing, so we assumed you had met with misfortune as well. I never expected you to return safely! How exactly—"

Ye Chutang nodded slightly. "We did indeed encounter trouble back then. Father, Mother, and Eldest Brother gave everything they had to protect us, using the chaos to allow us to escape. It was a matter of luck; otherwise, we wouldn't be able to see you today, Second Uncle."

Her tone was calm and indifferent, brushing past the past as if she were unwilling to dwell on the memories.

Ye Heng heard her vaguely and still couldn't figure out how Ye Chutang and the others had managed to escape under such dangerous circumstances.

One had to realize that at the time, Ye Chutang was only a fourteen-year-old girl, and Ye Jingyan and Ye Yunfeng were only just reaching adulthood, not even waist-high, plus an infant still in swaddling clothes. Logically speaking, they should have been doomed to die in such a situation!

His hand tightened within his sleeve. "Then, for the past three years—"

"It was freezing then, and I had nowhere to go with A-Yan, A-Feng, and Xiao Wu. As it happened, we encountered a group of refugees fleeing south. Having no other choice, we simply followed them to the south. After three years of wandering, we finally managed to settle down and scraped together enough travel funds to head north back to the capital."

Ye Chutang paused, the corners of her lips curling into a faint, shallow smile.

"After all, home is here, is it not?"

As her voice fell, the entire front hall fell silent for a moment.

Home.

The home they were returning to had now become someone else's residence!

Ye Heng's gaze darkened slightly, and he reacted almost immediately.

"Of course!"

He let out a long, emotional sigh.

"After your accident, a great deal was left in the capital for me to handle. Even this residence was eyed by several people who privately told me they wanted to buy it, but how could I bear to part with it? This was Eldest Brother's residence in the capital, the only memory he left behind. How could I just give it to someone else?"

He lowered his eyes, appearing quite sorrowful.

"So later, I brought Shixian, Mingze, and the others here. Every table, every chair, every plant and tree—it feels as if Eldest Brother hasn't left... Now that you are back, it is even better! Chutang, rest assured, from now on, with your Second Uncle here, I will never let you suffer even a moment of hardship!"

As he spoke, he barked at Yu Hong, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry and have the rooms in the western side wing of the backyard cleaned up! And tell the kitchen to prepare a welcome banquet for Chutang and the others tonight!"

Yu Hong hurriedly replied, "Yes!"

However, just as he turned around, he heard Ye Chutang say with a smile, "There is no need for such politeness, Second Uncle. We are returning to our own home; why bother with a welcome banquet? As for the rooms—there is no need to trouble anyone. Xiao Wu can stay with me. As for A-Yan and A-Feng, they used to live in the eastern side wing with Eldest Brother; now that they are back, they shall stay there as well."

Upon hearing this, Ye Heng's expression froze.

Beside him, Ye Mingze could no longer restrain himself and loudly objected, "No way!"

Ye Chutang turned her head. "Why not?"

"Because there are no rooms left for you in the eastern side wing!" Ye Mingze said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Currently, only the western side wing has a few vacant rooms. You'll stay there!"

Ye Yunfeng frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Ye Mingze shrugged. "I live there now. The adjacent rooms have been converted into a study and a training room. There's no space to make for you!"

Ye Yunfeng could hardly believe it. "You—"

Before he could explode, a cold, clear female voice drifted over indifferently.

"In other words, you have taken over my brother's room?"

Ye Mingze instinctively looked at Ye Chutang. Her voice was clearly calm and light, but for some reason, the moment those words left her mouth, a chill ran up his spine, and he began to stammer.

"...Y-yes!"

Ye Chutang's smile vanished. Her dark eyes were clear and piercing, flickering with threads of coldness that felt like a sharp blade cutting through to the bone.

"It seems there is no longer a place for us siblings in the Ye Manor. Since we have no home to return to—"

Her tone was terrifyingly calm, each word deliberate.

"A-Yan, go book an inn."