RYEY -Chapter 403 The Calm Before the Storm

“Mom, I want to go too.”

“Me too.”

“Mom, can I… can I come along as well?”

Cheng Li and Xu Hui stepped forward, and even Xiao Nuan squeezed her way over.

Cheng Qiao smiled gently. Her voice was soft, yet firm. “All of you stay here with Grandpa. You’re not allowed to go out on your own—an adult must be with you at all times. And Xu Hui, take good care of yourself.”

Xu Hui nodded helplessly. Cheng Li felt miserable, but still pulled his younger siblings along, promising to listen to their mother. He repeatedly urged Li Huan and Cheng Qiao to be extremely careful.

Everyone watched the three of them leave. He Fei’s eyes blurred with tears, Xiao Gui clenched her fists, Cheng Li’s face was full of worry, and Li Ming was even more restless, pacing around the room in agitation.

Cheng Liguo and Ye Jun exchanged a glance. A storm is gathering; the wind already fills the towers. It seemed they, too, needed to prepare. Thinking this, the two of them followed Ye Chengying toward the study without a word.

“Come on, Grandma will take you to eat dumplings. Xu Hui, later help carry two bowls of dumplings into the study.”

Though Mother Li felt deeply uneasy, she did her best to suppress the fear in her heart. She took Li Le by the hand and headed for the kitchen. Zhao Hui glanced at his wife and daughter; the two of them nodded slightly, then followed him inside.

When Xu Hui entered the study carrying the freshly cooked dumplings, a heavy smell of smoke rushed at him, making his nose itch and his throat feel uncomfortable.

He pressed his tongue against the roots of his upper teeth. Only after saliva gathered in his mouth and he swallowed did the dryness in his throat ease a little.

“Grandpas, it’s time to eat dumplings. Grandma says the first bowl of dumplings for the New Year has a coin inside—whoever gets it will have great luck this year.”

The three men finally perked up, carefully eating their dumplings. Cheng Liguo was the first to bite into a coin, Ye Jun was second, and Ye Chengying grew anxious. At last, he found the coin in his very last dumpling.

“Ah, my luck has really been terrible. Even this—I get it last. Looks like my fortunes are running out.”

Ye Chengying’s face was full of bitterness. Too many things had happened recently, leaving him feeling drained and overwhelmed, his spirits sinking lower by the day.

Ye Jun couldn’t bear to see his only cousin beaten down like this. With a flick of his hand, a Bamboo Blade Pill went straight into Ye Chengying’s mouth.

“Mmm… what is this? I don’t eat candy.”

Before the words had even fallen, a cool, refreshing sensation surged straight into Ye Chengying’s mind, instantly clearing his previously muddled head.

“Cheng Qiao made it.”

When Ye Jun heard Ye Chengying speak Cheng Qiao’s name so naturally—without even considering whether the pill might have been made by Ye Jun himself—his worry only deepened.

My disciple… I can’t hide it for you anymore. With abilities as great as yours, everything you create is of the highest grade. It looks like real trouble is coming your way.

“This is a Bamboo Blade Pill. It calms the mind and nourishes the vital energy—a truly good thing that clears the head.”

“A good thing—truly a good thing. Huaxia is blessed to have been gifted a genuine divine doctor. Our secrecy was excellent at first, but with the appearance of foreign agents, the news has already leaked.”

“Then… is Cheng Qiao in danger?”