Meng Po Gave Her a Bowl of Soup (GL) - Chapter 28

When Huang Lan saw Wanyue like this, she was stunned for a moment, unsure if it was because of jet lag from just getting off the plane. Her temples were throbbing with pain.

The knocking on the door was urgent. When Xu Ruying opened the door and saw Huang Lan, she was momentarily taken aback.

The old lady had been gone for several days, and now she seemed much more vibrant. While most people seemed to age with time, Huang Lan seemed to have blossomed in the time she’d been away, living a more colorful life than before.

“Oh, Miss Xu, you’re at home.”

Huang Lan’s greeting was so suffocatingly “kind” that Xu Ruying couldn’t help but wonder if Wanyue had complained about her.

Seeing her look, Huang Lan irritation flared up, but as someone who had weathered many storms, Huang Lan merely smiled slightly and said, “I wonder if you’d do me the honor of coming over to my place for dinner.”

Such a courteous old lady, turning a request for dinner into something so refined.

Xu Ruying: “………”

Xu Ruying was indeed invited to cook dinner.

After Huang Lan knocked on the neighbor’s door, Wanyue was tiptoeing by the door, watching stealthily. When she saw her savior bringing the “thief” over, she quickly turned and tiptoed to the sofa, lay down, covered herself with a blanket, and raised it to cover her face, looking very sad and distressed.

On the floor, Xiao Yueyue: ???

The door was opened.

When Xu Ruying entered, she immediately sensed Wanyue’s presence, and for some reason, she felt a pang of sadness at that moment.

Often, it felt like everything was a dream; in her dreams, Wanyue would still be in her arms, gently kissing her chin and saying, “You’re finally awake.”

••••

Huang Lan remained calm, glancing at Wanyue on the sofa, and smiled, “I asked Miss Xu to take care of Wanyue before I left. How is it that the moment I return, she seems to have lost half her soul?”

Xu Ruying pursed her lips. She had never noticed her mother could be so sharp-tongued.

Never mind.

Since she was here.

Xu Ruying kept her gaze steady, entered the kitchen, and started cooking. She hadn’t been there for several days, and the kitchen seemed untouched; the lids and utensils were neatly arranged as she had left them.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Wanyue hadn’t cooked at all these days, perhaps eating takeout.

Huang Lan was washing cherry tomatoes and, observing their awkward stance, tried to analyze the situation. “Oh, by the way, Miss Xu—”

Xu Ruying stiffened, “Auntie, please just call me Xiao Xu.”

Being called “Miss Xu” felt so stifling.

Huang Lan nodded and looked at Xu Ruying. “Do you know what’s going on with that dog?”

••••

Xu Ruying was washing rice, looking stern, “I don’t know.”

The old lady clearly wanted to frame her, but Xu Ruying wasn’t about to fall into her trap. At critical moments, deflecting blame was a necessary self-defense.

Huang Lan nodded, “Oh,” and continued, “I thought you picked it up and then casually dumped it here, and that you were having a cold war with Wanyue, being irresponsible like a divorced parent.”

Xu Ruying: “………”

“Haha.” Huang Lan’s smile was extremely insincere, “I knew Xiao Xu wasn’t that kind of person.”

This underhanded tactic made Xu Ruying feel awkward. She silently pursed her lips and continued cooking.

Huang Lan continued to busy herself, understanding her daughter’s stubbornness well. Wanyue was the type who, once determined, wouldn’t be swayed by anyone but Wanyue herself. Huang Lan wondered what could have caused the rift between them. Could someone have told her that Wanyue was hurt because of her? Beyond that, she couldn’t think of any other reason for her daughter’s retreat.

For years, Xiao Mingyu had been devoted to Wanyue.

Huang Lan remembered clearly that one year during the New Year, Mingyu brought Wanyue home. Their home was in the countryside, and during the festive season, there were many visitors. Mingyu was worried that Wanyue might feel left out and watched everyone like a hawk. Whenever anyone spoke to Wanyue, Mingyu’s eyes would be glued to them.

Later, Wanyue couldn’t help but laugh and snuggle into her embrace, saying, “Don’t be like this, everyone is very friendly.”

Mingyu, who used to be so busy with work, now burned the kang every morning to keep Wanyue warm.

At night, if the kang was cold, Mingyu would lie down first to warm it up and then call Wanyue to join her.

Wanyue would feel a bit embarrassed, her cheeks flushed, shyly looking at Huang Lan, who sighed, “Go ahead, it’s definitely not for me.”

Wanyue: “…”

Mingyu truly put her all into loving Wanyue.

While Huang Lan was lost in thought, Xu Ruying suddenly spoke, “Auntie.”

Her voice was serious, and Huang Lan was startled. She turned to look at her, “Hmm?”

Could it be… was something else bad happening?

Her age made her unable to handle such shocks well.

Xu Ruying looked at Huang Lan, at her wrinkled face—the one she had depended on since childhood—and felt a pang of sorrow, “If… I mean, if a person has done something wrong from the start and knows the outcome will be bad, what should they do?”

She was alone here, her true identity could not be revealed, and the cold war with Wanyue had nearly driven her mad.

She was distressed, conflicted, and torn, but had no one to confide in.

Huang Lan started to understand. She looked at Xu Ruying with a gentle and compassionate gaze, “How does one know if something is wrong?”

This question struck a chord. Xu Ruying bit her lip and said, “If it harms someone else, isn’t that wrong?”

Oh.

Huang Lan now knew for sure that her guess was correct, and her heart felt somewhat relieved. “Harm to someone else? What kind of harm? Can she see it herself? Is it making her unhappy, or is it physically hurting her?”

Xu Ruying was momentarily stunned.

Huang Lan’s eyes, seasoned by life’s hardships, looked at her with understanding. “The heart is most afraid of being lost and swayed by others. What’s right and what’s wrong? Who can say for sure? In my life, I’ve faced the loss of my husband in middle age and my child in old age, and countless storms have passed. To me, nothing is more important than the present moment.”

Xu Ruying’s heart pounded with her words. At this moment… at this moment…

“When my husband passed away, I felt as though the sky had fallen and everything had turned gray. But I still had a daughter. She was young, and I couldn’t collapse or become a burden to her. I grit my teeth and endured step by step. Later, when life finally improved, my daughter was gone…”

Her eyes filled with tears, and Xu Ruying saw it, feeling a sharp pain in her heart.

Yet Huang Lan continued to smile through her tears, “When Wanyue brought me here, I was so conflicted. Without Mingyu, what was I to her? She’s so young, with a bright future ahead. What if I delayed or burdened her? I’m already half in the grave—can I be responsible for her future?”

Xu Ruying watched Huang Lan, her worries mirroring her own.

In a year, she would be gone. What would happen to her Wanyue? What if she was truly harmed by the yin aura?

Huang Lan looked at Xu Ruying and said gently, “Don’t listen to others. Trust your own heart and your own eyes. Just like I see Wanyue—she is so happy with me. She really treats me like family. If I were to leave suddenly, her heart would be even more hurt and sad. Though the old lady doesn’t know how long she has left, living a second and feeling joy is worth it.”

Living a second…

Feeling joy a second…

Throughout the meal, Xu Ruying’s ears were filled with Huang Lan’s words.

Her heart was deeply shaken.

Was Wanyue happy?

Recently, she didn’t seem to be happy.

—Don’t listen to others. Trust your own heart and your own eyes.

Her heart…

Her eyes…

They both longed for Wanyue, to see her smile, to hear her soft voice, to see her happy eyes…

“Hey, hey, hey, the pot is about to boil over. Don’t burn my meat.”

Huang Lan reminded her. Knowing her daughter well, she understood that some things, once pointed out, would be understood.

As for Wanyue…

When Huang Lan had gone out, Wanyue, in the interval of cooking, had sneaked a glance and still seemed weakly curled up on the sofa, looking pitiful.

“I’m going to buy some garlic.”

Huang Lan found an excuse to leave, sensing she needed to give them some time.

Xu Ruying’s heart tightened. “Let me go, Auntie.”

Huang Lan picked up the shopping bag. “No need. I’ll go.”

How could this child not see that she was giving her an out? So useless?

Xu Ruying shook her head and insisted, “I’ll go. You’ve just returned and must be tired. Stay home and wait. I’ll be back soon.”

She might really be feeling cowardly or perhaps it was just her nature.

She was somewhat “timid” facing Wanyue, feeling guilty about the cold war and the standoff that made her unsure how to face her.

Huang Lan looked at Xu Ruying, who took the bag and ran out without even putting on a coat, as if a dog was chasing her. Huang Lan thought for a moment and went to the living room, preparing to talk to Wanyue.

But as soon as the door closed, Wanyue, who had been curled up on the sofa, suddenly got up and sat up, looking at the surprised Huang Lan. “Auntie, why did you let her go?”

Huang Lan stammered, “She… she hasn’t left. She went to buy garlic.”

Wanyue pouted, “She’s still running away. Auntie, you’re not doing well.”

Huang Lan: “…”

How could she not be doing well???

How was she not doing well???

Wanyue got up silently, went to the mirror, tidied her disheveled hair, and grabbed a shawl. “I’m going out to check, Auntie.”

Huang Lan hesitated. “She’s just going to buy garlic. What’s there to check?”

Wanyue gave Huang Lan a sympathetic smile, “I’ll go check. I’m worried.”

She feared that Mingyu might be hiding somewhere and crying secretly.

These days, not only had she endured so much, but Mingyu had also been suffering.

She had friends and Huang Lan to rely on and talk to, but Mingyu had no one.

Before leaving, Wanyue suddenly remembered something. She walked to the sofa, picked up the coat Xu Ruying had left, and lightly touched it, finding her house key from the pocket.

Huang Lan, watching quietly: ???

Wanyue looked at the key and then bent down, handing it to Xiao Yueyue on the floor. “Go.”

Xiao Yueyue, well-trained, immediately took it in its mouth and trotted off to hide it in its doghouse, as if hiding a bone.

Huang Lan: “…”

Wanyue glanced back at Huang Lan and gave her a playful wink.

Huang Lan: “………”

It was a bit cloudy today, with thick clouds covering the sun, creating a gray and oppressive atmosphere.

Song Wanyue first went to the grocery store to look around but couldn’t find Xu Ruying. She then wandered around the neighborhood and eventually arrived at the small park they often visited.

After searching for a while, she found Xu Ruying sitting in a corner of the park’s long corridor, secretly wiping her tears.

Xu Ruying was sitting on a bench, looking up at the gray sky. Despite the lack of sunlight, her tears fell as if they were pierced by something sharp. She gently wiped her tears with the back of her hand, feeling a deep sense of desolation.

If only… if only time could rewind to the day she went on that business trip.

She was reluctant, Wanyue, she was reluctant to leave her Wanyue…

She didn’t want to just accompany her for these six months. She was overwhelmed by the fear of leaving and wanted to be with her for a lifetime.

Tears flowed more and more.

It was really unwilling.

Xu Ruying’s heart was a tangled mess of sorrow. She bit her lip to suppress her cries, unable to stop trembling from the effort.

After an unknown amount of time, a familiar scent reached her nose. Xu Ruying opened her eyes, and through her tear-filled vision, she saw Wanyue standing across from her, looking at her with a pained expression.

Wanyue raised her hand and gently wiped away the tears from her face. “Why are you crying?”

Her voice was still as gentle.

Her gaze was filled with affection and pity.

In front of the one she loved most, Xu Ruying suddenly broke down, hugging her tightly as her tears flowed even more fiercely.

Song Wanyue gently patted her back, again and again, saying, “There, there.”

On that cloudy afternoon, in the deserted park, Xu Ruying vented her emotions fully in her lover’s embrace.

To hell with the rules.

To hell with six months.

To hell with impossibility.

If it really wasn’t possible, why wait so long?

It was the power of Meng Po that allowed her to return. No matter how powerful Fan Wujiao was, he couldn’t be more powerful than Meng Po.

If something happened to Wanyue, she would be the first to find Meng Po in the underworld and seek out the real Xu Ruying.

She had her own backing, so what was there to fear?

Time was already running out. She really, really couldn’t waste any more of it.

After this outburst, Xu Ruying’s mood felt as if it had been cleansed by her tears. She felt brighter, but soon began to tremble again as she thought about how to explain her crying to Wanyue.

How would she apologize and break the ice with Wanyue?

Forget it…

For now, she decided to play innocent and cry a bit longer, after all, didn’t people say that a woman’s tears can melt everything?

Just as she was planning this, a cool fingertip touched the back of her neck. Song Wanyue looked down at her and said lightly, “If you’re done crying, stop pretending. Your acting is poor. Look up, I have something to ask you.”

Xu Ruying: “…………”