The words "mother - in - law" always sounded awkward no matter how one heard them.
Feng Yunshu calculated further and reached another conclusion. "Since the little white dragon is here, it means that the prince must still be alive! And he must be in the surrounding area!"
"Well, makes sense. Then what do you plan to do, Yunshu?"
Qingzhu nodded in agreement. "Shall we go looking for him now? Or ask your mother - in - law?"
"Come on, Qingzhu. Can you stop saying'mother - in - law'? It gives me the creeps. Just call her Madam Xi..."
Qingzhu was amused by Feng Yunshu's resistant look. "You'll have to call her that sooner or later. Hearing it more often will help you get used to it, won't it?"
"Who says so... No one can predict the future. If he dared to lie to me about such a big thing, when I see him, I might just divorce him with a single letter!"
Feng Yunshu narrowed her eyes slightly and said slowly, "Anyway, he's in the nearby area, and he doesn't know that I've left the Dan Kingdom yet. There's no rush for this."
"Just now when Madam Xi mentioned the prince, she said that the mother - son pair rarely saw each other for a long time. I guess the prince was forced to come to the Dan Kingdom as a hostage when he was a teenager and never went back since. It must have been really tough for him..."
As she said this, Feng Yunshu suddenly remembered another thing.
When she went to the Underworld to look for someone before, she learned from the Book of Life and Death in the hands of the young Yama that Helan Yanting's lifespan had ended when he was twelve. At that time, she couldn't figure out who the current Helan Yanting was and what exactly had happened back then. Maybe Madam Xi would know something.
Thinking of this, Feng Yunshu decided that she would try to fish for some information from Madam Xi later when she saw her.
As they were thinking, they arrived at the front hall. Madam Xi saw them coming and immediately got up with a smile to greet them.
"Yunxi, Qingzhu, you're here. Come and sit down quickly. I don't know if these dishes suit your taste. If there's any dish you like in particular, just ask the cook to make it."
Feng Yunshu glanced at the mahogany dining table. There was a full table of delicious - looking dishes, including cold and hot dishes, steamed perch, stewed chicken with mushrooms, sliced cold chicken, steamed bear paw, braised soft - shelled turtle. Besides the land - dwelling animals, there were even crabs and boiled shrimp...
To be able to prepare so many dishes in this season, including those that fly in the sky and swim in the water, Feng Yunshu couldn't help but exclaim that this must be the life of the rich. She was truly envious.
"Madam Xi, you've prepared so many delicious dishes. You're being too kind! We can actually just eat some home - style dishes. There's really no need to go to so much trouble and spend so much money!"
"What's the big deal about spending money? Money is just something external. Moreover, these don't cost much. If it weren't for your rescue, I would have lost my life! This is just a small token of my gratitude. You must eat to your heart's content. Don't be polite!"
Just as they sat down to have dinner, a clear voice of a boy rang out. "Mother, Yun'er is back!"
"Little master, slow down. Be careful not to fall..."
A maid beside him was nervously admonishing and reaching out her hand to protect the boy at any time.
Hearing the voice, Feng Yunshu immediately turned to look. A little boy in noble clothes with extremely delicate features was running towards them excitedly.
When she saw the little boy's eyebrows clearly, Feng Yunshu's heart skipped a beat. For a moment, it seemed as if she was looking at a mini - version of Helan Yanting. The little boy's eyebrows were very similar to Helan Yanting's.
Just now the little boy called Madam Xi "mother", so was this little boy... the prince's younger brother?
As she was thinking, Helan Yanyun ran into the front hall. Seeing some strange faces at the table, Yanyun was a bit stunned for a moment and then immediately ran to Madam Xi's side.
"Mother, who are they? Yun'er has never seen them before."
"Yun'er, come and greet these elder brothers. They are all my saviors."
"Saviors?" The little one suddenly frowned and asked nervously, "Mother, what happened to you? Did something happen when Yun'er was not around?"
Madam Xi had no intention of hiding it from the little one. "Mother originally went to the mountain forest to pay respects to an old acquaintance, but unexpectedly met some villains in the forest and almost got into trouble. Thanks to these chivalrous men who arrived in time."
After hearing this, the little one quickly asked, "Mother, are you hurt?"
Madam Xi shook her head, smiled gently and stroked Yanyun's head. "Yun'er, don't worry. Mother is fine. I'm not hurt."
The little one let out a sigh of relief. Then he turned to look at Feng Yunshu and the others. Pretending to be a little adult, he bowed to them. "You saved my mother. You are our saviors. Please accept Yun'er's bow!"
Feng Yunshu watched the little boy bow seriously. She thought the little one was very sensible and a bit funny. She quickly reached out her hand to stop his action. "Your mother has prepared so many delicious dishes for us. There's no need for this bow. Besides, it's just a piece of cake for us."
The little one looked at Feng Yunshu, blinked his eyes and suddenly said, "Elder brother, are you very good at martial arts? Can you teach Yun'er? Yun'er also wants to be a knight - errant roaming the world like you elder brothers!"
This...
How should Feng Yunshu explain it? "Yun'er, we are not knight - errants. We just passed by here on business. But it's a good thing that you have your own ambition at such a young age. I support you!"
The more Feng Yunshu looked at the little one, the cuter she found him. She always felt that he was a mini - version of Helan Yanting, with an indescribable sense of closeness.
This meal was a happy one for both the guests and the hosts. The atmosphere was great.
After the meal, Yanyun expressed his hope that Feng Yunshu could teach him some martial arts. Madam Xi quickly called Yanyun to stop. "Yanyun, don't be naughty. Let these young chivalrous men have a good rest."
Yanyun was very sensible and didn't say anything more. Seeing the little one looking so disappointed, Feng Yunshu quickly said, "It's okay. Since you're so eager to learn, I'll teach you a few sword - fighting moves."
"Really? Is it really okay?!"
Yanyun looked at Feng Yunshu excitedly. Looking at the little one's big eyes shining with stars, Feng Yunshu started to picture Helan Yanting's face. She found the little one extremely cute.
"Of course."
Just as everyone was laughing and chatting merrily, Mama Hu stepped forward to report. "Madam, Miss Bai is here."
"Okay, let her come in."
A little while later, a graceful, gentle and demure woman with a delicate face appeared in front of Feng Yunshu and the others, carrying a food box.
"Auntie Xi, Zhixi made some chrysanthemum red - bean cakes. I thought I'd bring them for you and Yanyun to taste."
As she spoke, Bai Zhixi walked forward and also noticed the appearance of Feng Yunshu and the others.
"Auntie Xi, who are these people... They look unfamiliar."
"They are my saviors. They will stay in the mansion for a few days. Zhixi, if you're free, you can accompany these young chivalrous men to have a good stroll around Tongcheng."
While Bai Zhixi was sizing up Feng Yunshu and the others, Feng Yunshu was also sizing up this woman discreetly.
Maybe it was a woman's so - called sixth sense, but Feng Yunshu had a bad first impression of Bai Zhixi. It seemed that this woman had a very good relationship with Madam Xi and was a frequent visitor here. So... was this woman very familiar with Helan Yanting? Were they childhood sweethearts?