DSMC Chapter 180.2

Ah-Juan brought Yan Jiyun to the southern wing. This place was different from where the main family lived and was probably a room specifically prepared for guests.

Ah-Juan did not say much, but she did not leave out anything she was supposed to tell him. “If you need anything, you can also ask the steward.”

Yan Jiyun looked at the wooden bed and table, both full of an unmistakable sense of history. Even the stand for the washbasin looked no different from the ones he had seen in museums. It was as though he had traveled through time.

He shook his head. “There’s nothing I need. Thank you.” He was quite satisfied that he had found himself a place to stay on the very first day.

Ah-Juan continued, “The master of the house will be hosting Young Lady Ouyang for dinner today. I’ll send someone to invite you before dinner. If I don’t make it in time, dinner is at six-thirty. Just go directly to the front hall.”

Yan Jiyun perked up when he heard the key words. “Young Lady Ouyang? Is she—”

Ah-Juan lowered her eyes, then raised her head slightly. “Yes. The Second Young Master’s fiancée, Young Lady Ouyang. She’ll be staying here for a while.”

Yan Jiyun nodded. “Oh, oh, so she’s Second Cousin’s fiancée.”

Ah-Juan seemed unwilling to say anything more. Seeing that Yan Jiyun did not need anything else, she left.

All Yan Jiyun could smell in this guest room was the scent of an old house. Electricity had already been installed here, and there were mountains and water all around. As long as there was electricity, that was a good thing.

However, if this town could sustain itself, that meant there had to be some way to leave, right? Otherwise, where had all these modern technological products come from?

But didn’t that contradict what Liu Jingxi and the other young people who wanted to leave the town had said?

There were modern technological products here, yet they could not leave the town. He would have to find out exactly why.

There was still an hour and a half before dinner, so Yan Jiyun decided to explore the Liu residence properly.

As a cat, in an old house with hiding places everywhere, he could completely move around like a fish in water.

He moved a chair to the window and sat there. As soon as the time card expired, he turned back into a cat and jumped out through the window.

Surely no cat liked using doors.

He was currently in the southern courtyard. Based on the layout of this kind of residence, the elders with status in the family would usually live in the main house, the eldest son would live in the eastern wing, the second son in the western wing, the girls in the rear courtyard, and the servants and guests in the southern courtyard.

The Liu family had no daughters, so the person living in the rear courtyard was Third Liu Son, Liu Jinghao, who had just gotten married today.

Yan Jiyun was worried that if he went to eavesdrop on the newlywed couple, he might witness something unsuitable for children. After hesitating for a moment, he decided to put exploring the rear courtyard on hold for now. The places he could explore next were the eastern wing where the eldest, Liu Jingyi, lived, as well as Liu Jingyi’s father and the newly arrived Ouyang Jing, Liu Jingxi’s fiancée. His father had gotten drunk and was resting, so going there might be a waste of effort. At most, he would hear him snoring, right? That left the eldest son’s family and the newly arrived Ouyang Jing.

Who should he choose?

Then he would go take a look at Liu Jingyi. Ouyang Jing was probably an important character too, but his intuition told him that he would rather first understand the personalities and relationships of the Liu family members, as well as whether they might be hiding any secrets.

Most importantly, everything was still unknown at this point. He had not received any side quests or main quests.

Yan Jiyun did not want to keep going farther and farther down the wrong path either, but there was no harm in understanding the details first.

Going from south to east, he passed through a garden filled with flowers in full bloom before arriving at the eastern wing.

He had only just approached when he became certain that this was Liu Jingyi’s residence. The continuous coughing was simply too distinctive.

Yan Jiyun could hear the footsteps of two people inside. The door to the outer room was half closed, and he slipped inside without difficulty.

The eastern wing was decorated with an exceptionally elegant and tranquil atmosphere. There were still no modern devices. Aside from the electric lights that looked completely out of place and a music player from the previous era, there were no other modern appliances.

Footsteps came from the bedroom toward the outside. They were light, so it should have been a woman.

Yan Jiyun slipped underneath a chest of drawers. When the woman came out of the room, he quickly pulled both of his hind legs inside.

Then he heard the woman’s quiet sobbing. The coughing inside was so loud that it completely drowned out her sobs.

Were they arguing? Surely not.

Then was the eldest daughter-in-law of the Liu family crying because she was distressed that her husband would not live much longer?

He had not expected this couple to be so deeply devoted to each other.

Yan Jiyun was even more puzzled. With Liu Jingyi this weak, how had he managed to hit someone with a car? Had he been coughing nonstop and failed to keep a steady grip on the steering wheel?

The woman poured a glass of water and then walked back into the bedroom. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and calmly brought the water to Liu Jingyi.

Yan Jiyun quietly crawled out from under the chest of drawers again and looked around at the room’s furnishings.

There was not much difference from what he had seen when he first entered, but now that he looked more carefully, he could see quite a few details of everyday life. A white porcelain vase filled with lilies sat on the small table by the window.

His nose was overly sensitive, and the smell of the lilies was unbearably strong, making him want to hold his breath. (fun fact: lilies are poisonous to cats!)

Was such a strong floral scent really good for a patient? Or had Liu Jingyi’s illness become so severe that he could no longer even smell the flowers?

Was he about to die? Otherwise, why would his wife secretly cry?

Still, this was a very classic romance plot, with a distinctly old-fashioned melodramatic feel.

Yan Jiyun guessed that Liu Jingyi was not the protagonist of the story. Someone who was about to kick the bucket could not possibly be the protagonist, and he was already married.

Of course, if this was a melodramatic soap opera, then it did not seem impossible…

He hoped it was not what he was imagining.

Next came the time for the husband and wife to have a private heart-to-heart. Yan Jiyun listened reluctantly for a few moments, only to discover that there did not seem to be anything particularly awkward about it.

The couple spoke to each other very politely.

Liu Jingyi: “Thank you, Xinzhi. If I’m gone, then you should remarry. I’ve already talked to my parents. They won’t make things difficult for you.”

Cen Xinzhi: “Why are you saying this? You can still live for a long time. Don’t be so pessimistic. You’ll get better. We’ll find medicine that can cure your illness eventually.”

Liu Jingyi: “I was born with this illness. It can’t be changed.”

Cen Xinzhi paused. She murmured softly, “There will always be a way. I can find a way.”

There seemed to be nothing wrong with this conversation between husband and wife, but Yan Jiyun always felt that something was off. The woman’s last sentence was strange. She sounded as though she knew how to treat Liu Jingyi’s illness.

Could he have heard her wrong?

Liu Jingyi was exhausted and soon lay down.

Yan Jiyun did not notice any important information. Even if there had been any, he did not know which pieces of information he needed and which he did not, and he would only end up wasting his effort.

He quickly left Liu Jingyi and his wife’s room and ran toward where Ouyang Jing was staying.

Wait a second. Where was Ouyang Jing staying?

If she was a guest like him, she should be staying in the guest rooms, right? But he had just come from the guest rooms and had not smelled anyone else there, nor had he heard any other sounds.

Just as he was about to leave, he heard hurried footsteps approaching the eastern wing from outside.

Yan Jiyun quickly hid among a pile of flowerpots. The person who arrived was someone Yan Jiyun was relatively familiar with in this instance: Liu Jingxi.

Judging from his footsteps, he seemed to be carrying a hint of anger, but his voice was kept extremely low. “Sister-in-law, where’s my brother?”

Cen Xinzhi asked him, “Your brother just fell asleep. Why did you come here?”

Yan Jiyun also heard another set of footsteps.

Oh, jackpot. He had found her without even having to look.

With those clothes, that fashionable hairstyle, and that exquisite makeup, there was no need to guess who she was.

“Cousin Xinzhi.” She called, her voice was also very sweet.

This person must be Ouyang Jing, right? She was a delicate little beauty, looking even younger than her actual age. She was also rather petite, the kind of girl who would make any man instinctively want to protect her.

Liu Jingxi said, clearly displeased, “Sister-in-law, arrange for her to stay in another courtyard. Any courtyard will do. Just not mine. What kind of arrangement is this?”

Ouyang Jing said softly and aggrievedly, “It was Auntie who arranged it.”

Yan Jiyun looked toward his sister-in-law, Cen Xinzhi. She appeared troubled. “Since everything has already been arranged—”

Liu Jingxi: “Sister-in-law, my mother may be confused, but are you confused too? An unmarried man and an unmarried woman living together… what kind of arrangement is that?”

Yan Jiyun’s gaze remained fixed on Cen Xinzhi. She was so strange. She had been secretly crying for her husband just moments ago, but now she kept sneaking glances at Liu Jingxi from the corner of her eye. Could she be in love with her younger brother-in-law?

No wonder this was an instance focused on romance. This was getting exciting!

When Ouyang Jing once again tried to explain that it was Liu Jingxi’s mother’s arrangement, Cen Xinzhi said, “Jingjing, stay with me for now. That’ll be better for your reputation.”

Ouyang Jing pouted unhappily. “Cousin Xinzhi, I’ll listen to you.”

After resolving one matter, Liu Jingxi did not even feel like speaking to anyone. He turned around and left.

And just then, someone shouted loudly, “Oh no! Oh no! Third Young Master has fallen into the water!”

Yan Jiyun was instantly excited.

Finally, something was happening!