Twenty thousand and twenty

Chapter 20

When Mu Yun asked that question, Qi Jingyan was momentarily at a loss for words. The name sounded awkward, and he genuinely did not know which three characters it consisted of.

After some thought, he said, "I’m not sure. Just someone who called Miss Meng 'older sister' and seemed quite close to her."

Mu Yun pondered a moment, then shook his head. "Your Highness, I have not heard of anyone like that in the Meng household. Meng Huaifu’s original wife bore only the eldest Miss Meng. The second wife did have three children, but their relationship with the eldest Miss Meng has always been strained."

Recalling how Meng Yuning had just clung to his hand and affectionately rubbed her face against his, Qi Jingyan asked again, "Do you know if she has any cousins or siblings on her maternal or paternal side?"

Mu Yun replied, "I do not know. Perhaps we should call Mu Feng over; maybe he knows."

Qi Jingyan nodded, and Mu Yun went out to fetch Mu Feng.

After hearing the situation, Mu Feng scratched his head and tried hard to recall. "From what I know, during the years Miss Meng stayed at her maternal grandparents’ home, she had a rather close cousin brother. Besides him, I haven’t heard of any other siblings or close relatives. If necessary, we can send someone to inquire further."

Qi Jingyan waved his hand, "No need. You all may return to your duties." The group then withdrew.

Upon learning that His Highness had awakened, the guards gradually returned in groups of two or three and busied themselves with building houses and making rabbit cages.

The divine physician Tang also sat up and resumed preparing his herbs.

Seeing everyone working energetically, Meng Yuning wandered around, intending to lend a hand.

However, she found the guards so skillful and efficient that she couldn’t find a way to help. They seemed a bit hesitant, fearing they might accidentally bump into her.

So, Meng Yuning stopped getting in the way. She picked up a thin bamboo stick and headed to the foot of the mountain behind the wooden house, swinging the stick to scare away snakes while slowly climbing upwards, hoping to find some wild vegetables.

Noticing her heading up the mountain, the divine physician called out, "Miss Meng, don’t go too far."

She glanced back and replied, "Alright, I’ll just look around here, not going deeper."

Mu Yun saw this and looked at Mu Feng. "You should go with her."

Compared to chopping bamboo and building houses, Mu Feng preferred foraging. He responded with a cheer, tossing the bamboo he hadn’t finished cutting onto the ground and happily running after Meng Yuning. "Miss Meng, whatever you’re looking for, I’ll help."

Having someone accompany her was even better. Meng Yuning smiled and said, "Before, while traveling, we ate only two meals a day, but now that we’re settled, I think it’s better to have three meals. So I want to find more edible things."

The day was too long; eating only twice without snacks made it easy to get hungry.

Mu Feng’s eyes lit up. "That’s great! These days, the brothers have been going hungry every night."

Meng Yuning loved interacting with food enthusiasts. Hearing this, she waved her stick forward confidently. "Then let’s go! I refuse to believe there’s a mountain this big and we’ll still go hungry."

Thinking about a big feast tonight, Mu Feng’s blood boiled with excitement. "Let’s go!"

Watching the two slowly head into the woods, the divine physician Tang shook his head. "Still just children."

With Mu Feng wielding a knife to clear the way ahead, Meng Yuning relaxed and focused entirely on searching.

After walking for a while, she spotted a large patch of golden-yellow clusters on the ground. She quickened her pace and exclaimed in delight, "Mu Feng, look! There are mushrooms here."

Mu Feng turned back and saw Meng Yuning squatting, carefully picking the mushrooms. His face suddenly changed. "Miss Meng, you can’t eat these! They’re poisonous."

Meng Yuning’s hands didn’t pause. "These are called chanterelles. They’re not poisonous. I picked lots of them when I was a child. They’re delicious."

Mu Feng remained doubtful. "Really? But that time we made mushroom soup, everyone went crazy and saw all kinds of strange things."

Meng Yuning smiled and explained, "Some mushrooms are poisonous—some deadly. Unless you’re absolutely sure, it’s best not to eat any."

Mu Feng agreed but asked curiously, "Miss Meng, how do you know which mushrooms are poisonous and which are safe?"

Meng Yuning casually fabricated, "I spent a few years at my maternal grandparents’ home. Back then, we often played in the village and went up the mountain with the village kids to pick mushrooms. After picking so many, I naturally got to know them."

Mu Feng admired her. "That’s impressive."

Noticing that Meng Yuning always patted the mushrooms twice before picking them, Mu Feng imitated her. However, he didn’t control his strength well and crushed a perfect chanterelle into the dirt.

This kid had no sense of gentleness.

Meng Yuning winced. "You gather things; I’ll pick them."

Mu Feng readily agreed. Looking around but finding nothing, he tore up the hem of his clothes and used it to collect the chanterelles Meng Yuning had piled up.

Feeling like he had stirred up a hornet’s nest, Meng Yuning kept picking enthusiastically. After finishing one cluster, she saw another ahead and kept going without rest.

Thus, one picked while the other collected, and before long, Mu Feng’s torn hem could barely hold the mushrooms. He suggested, "Miss Meng, maybe we should head back now?"

Meng Yuning looked back. Goodness, they had gathered so many that continuing would leave no space. She didn’t want to stay alone here, so reluctantly followed Mu Feng back. "If only we had a bamboo basket or something."

Mu Feng said, "That’s no problem. Mu Jiu and the others know how to weave these. We’ll have them make some when they have time."

Meng Yuning nodded in agreement.

Besides Mu Yun and the others who were originally from the Mu family, all the trusted guards around Qi Jingyan were orphaned children recruited from various places and trained, all given the Mu surname with names assigned sequentially.

Talking as they walked back to camp, Mu Feng carefully laid the chanterelles on the ground and called Mu Jiu. "When you have time, weave some baskets or containers. That way, when we go up the mountain to forage, we’ll have something to carry things in."

Meng Yuning recognized Mu Jiu as one of the two who had helped her make the bed at the foot of the mountain. Seeing how nimble he was then, she thought he must have apprenticed as a carpenter.

Mu Jiu nodded. "Alright. Today I’ll finish building the houses first, then I’ll make them."

Meng Yuning said, "No rush. Focus on the houses first. They’re more important; otherwise, we’ll have to sleep out in the open tonight."

Mu Jiu agreed. Before leaving, he glanced at the pile of mushrooms, seeming hesitant to say something. Mu Feng quickly explained, "Don’t worry. Miss Meng says these aren’t poisonous and are edible."

Mu Jiu was skeptical. "Really? So eating them won’t make you hug a horse and call it your wife again, like last time?"

"Shut up!" Mu Feng was annoyed and embarrassed. He jumped up and kicked him. Mu Jiu took off running, and Mu Feng chased after him, both jumping and dodging with playful shouts.

Meng Yuning laughed heartily at their antics. When she turned back, she saw Qi Jingyan sitting quietly in his wheelchair at the door of the wooden house, silently watching her.

Yi’er had also awakened and was nestled in Qi Jingyan’s arms, tilting his little head as he looked at her.

The big and the small wore the same expression. Meng Yuning couldn’t tell if they were happy or displeased. She picked up a beautiful mushroom and walked over to the two brothers, holding it out for the little boy to see. "Yi’er, look, this is a chanterelle mushroom. Tonight, this will be our dish."

The little boy, fascinated by the fresh item, reached out with his tiny hands to take it and studied it for a while before holding out both hands to Meng Yuning.

She hesitated, "Yi’er, do you want me to hold you?"

In the original story, since leaving the capital, this little boy wouldn’t let anyone hold him except Qi Jingyan, Mu Yun, and Mu Feng.

Qi Jingyan looked down at Yi’er’s small face with some surprise.

The little boy nodded his head. "A-Ning, hold me."

The beautiful little boy’s baby voice softened her heart. Meng Yuning quickly reached out and lifted him up, her voice unintentionally sweetening. "Alright, A-Ning will hold Yi’er."

Qi Jingyan, seeing her slender frame, worried she might not hold him steadily and reached out to help. Unexpectedly, she held Yi’er firmly and walked away. His hand froze midair, then a faint smile curved his lips.

Of course—she could carry a huge wooden tub for such a long distance; holding a small child like Yi’er was nothing.

Meng Yuning carried Yi’er back to the mushrooms and said, "A-Ning needs to pick all these mushrooms. Yi’er, do you want to help?"

The little boy nodded. "Yi’er helps."

She set him down, found two wooden stools near the firewood pile to sit on, and began picking mushrooms.

All afternoon, Yi’er followed Meng Yuning like a little shadow—helping pick mushrooms, cutting grass to feed the rabbits, weaving seat cushions with half-dried grass. Later, when Meng Yuning cooked, he watched quietly beside her.

After spending so much time together, when evening came and Qi Jingyan instructed Mu Yun to boil water to bathe Yi’er, the little boy refused Mu Yun’s help. Instead, he grabbed Meng Yuning’s hand, looking up at her with big eyes. "I want A-Ning to wash me."

Meng Yuning gladly agreed, helping the boy undress and bathing him in the wooden tub.

Her movements were gentle, and she hummed a little tune as she washed him from head to toe. The boy complied obediently.

After washing, she lifted him out, dried him, changed his clothes, then placed him on her bed and carefully wiped his hair with a handkerchief.

The little boy looked back at Meng Yuning seriously. "A-Ning, can you always wash Yi’er for me?"

Yi’er liked A-Ning to wash him, like a mother.

Meng Yuning didn’t understand his thoughts but enjoyed bathing the little one. She smiled and nodded, "Okay, from now on, A-Ning will always wash our Yi’er."

The boy smiled and leaned affectionately against her.

Mu Yun carried the wooden tub out, cleaned it, and brought in a bucket of hot water. Looking at Qi Jingyan, he asked, "Your Highness, would you like to have a wash as well?"

Qi Jingyan’s legs were injured and couldn’t get wet. Over the past days, Mu Yun had been using damp cloths to wipe him down. Qi Jingyan cleaned what he could himself; Mu Yun took care of his back.

Qi Jingyan nodded. "Yes." Having been busy fleeing these past days, he hadn’t had time for it. Now that things were settled, it was time for a proper wash.

Seeing Mu Yun take a cloth, Qi Jingyan began undoing his buttons. Meng Yuning felt awkward and whispered to Yi’er, "Yi’er, play by yourself for a while. I’ll be back soon."

She stood up to leave.

Unexpectedly, the little boy grabbed her hand, looking up at her with a small face. "A-Ning, will you wash brother too?"

Qi Jingyan’s hand froze as he undid his belt. "..."