I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 59 - 58: Aunt

Chu Yunyi sat quietly watching the two argue, not only unfazed but with a serene expression.

At that moment, the door to the living room was pushed open, and a woman of stunning beauty walked in, followed by a plain-looking girl with gray hair, timidly bowing her head. Compared to the beautiful woman, she was like an ugly duckling.

"Mother, why have you come?"

Upon seeing the visitor, Chu Yunyi quickly stood up and offered his seat to Ye Lan.

Ye Qingting and Cui Tianxiao were surprised to see Ye Lan, as she rarely left her room.

Facing Chu Yunyi’s inquiring gaze, the gray-haired girl showed a frightened expression, lowered her eyes, not daring to look at him, and replied in a trembling voice, "Y-young master, the lady suddenly said she wanted to see you, I couldn’t stop her..."

"Got it, you may leave."

With Chu Yunyi’s permission, the girl retreated fearfully out of the room.

"I heard Yunyi is entertaining guests, so I thought I’d join in," Ye Lan said with a smile and looked at Ye Qingting. "Qingtian, you’ve grown taller over these months."

"Second Aunt, you look great! I missed you! Grandpa and Uncle also miss you and sent me with lots of specialties from home that you like."

Ye Lan’s eyes turned red: "I miss you too."

Cui Tianxiao leaned towards Ye Lan, eagerly asking, "Aunt Lan, do you remember me?"

Ye Lan’s beautiful eyes turned to Cui Tianxiao; she looked at him and immediately said, "Of course, I remember you, you’re the boy from the Cui Family! You used to cling to my room all day, wouldn’t leave until I coaxed you to eat and sleep. I didn’t even care for Qingtian as much!"

"Yes, yes, that’s me! Aunt Lan, you’re still so beautiful!"

Back in the day, Ye Lan was the foremost beauty of Qianyuan, and Cui Tianxiao, not even tall enough for a stool, remembered this beautiful aunt’s face. Unexpectedly, Ye Lan still remembered him, making Cui Tianxiao happy, thinking Aunt Lan seemed to have recovered well from her illness.

Ye Lan’s arrival brought vitality to the gathering; Ye Qingting and Cui Tianxiao entertained her, sharing amusing stories which made her laugh non-stop. Chu Yunyi watched them with a gentle and focused smile.

While everyone was fervently chatting, Ye Lan suddenly seemed to remember something, quickly stood up, and said to Chu Yunyi, "Yunyi, please continue hosting the guests, I must go back."

"Aunt Lan, stay a bit longer!" Cui Tianxiao was reluctant to let Ye Lan leave as it was rare for her to be in the mood for a stroll today.

Ye Lan patted Cui Tianxiao’s shoulder, saying, "I can’t stay, I need to hurry back, or Yun You will cry if she wakes up and doesn’t see me."

At these words, Ye Qingting and Cui Tianxiao froze, showing expressions of shock and sorrow, and suddenly the room became deathly silent.

Chu Yunyi looked calm as he stood up and said softly, "I’ll accompany you."

Nodding to Ye Qingting as a gesture for them to continue, Chu Yunyi followed Ye Lan out, accompanying her towards the back yard.

Watching Ye Lan’s departing figure, Cui Tianxiao felt uneasy. "Qingtian, I thought Aunt Lan’s illness was cured..."

Ye Qingting sighed and said to Cui Tianxiao, "Let’s go."

Back in her room, Ye Lan hurried to the cradle, gently picked up the swaddle to her face, full of affection.

"Yun You, Mama is back, did you miss me?"

Unfortunately, the swaddled fabric doll couldn’t answer.

Standing at the doorway, Chu Yunyi watched his mother interact with the doll, eyes filled with sorrow.

Ye Lan, holding the swaddle, sat in the rocking chair, closed her eyes, and softly hummed a song, quickly lost in her world.

Glancing at the servant standing bowed nearby, Chu Yunyi calmly instructed, "Wei Chen, take good care of the lady."

"Yes, Young Master."

The gray-haired girl bowed diligently until Chu Yunyi walked away; only then did she dare straighten up, her gaze strange as she stared at Chu Yunyi’s back. In her gray eyes, a flash of crimson appeared.

Leaving the Chu Family, Ye Qingting was in a poor mood, leading Cui Tianxiao aimlessly wandering the streets.

"Qingtian, do you think Aunt Lan’s illness will ever be cured?"

"Second Aunt’s illness is of the heart; if we find Yun You, she’ll recover immediately."

When Ye Lan was clear-minded, she was like any other person, but when thoughts about Yun You surfaced, her mind would scrawl into confusion. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Doctors said Ye Lan’s subconscious couldn’t accept her young daughter being abducted, hence her mind endlessly returned to before the tragedy, a defense mechanism of sorts.

"Do you think Yun You can be found?"

Ye Qingting lowered his head: "I don’t know."

For so many years, the Chu and Ye families searched tirelessly for Chu Yunyou’s whereabouts, but she seemed to have vanished completely, leaving no trace at all.

People present that year recalled that Yun You might have been killed by violent Elemental Power, and the masked figure took merely the body.

Though Ye Qingting was reluctant to believe, objectively speaking, it was the most reasonable guess.

In reality, not only he but the Chu and Ye families also accepted this explanation, hence their decreasing efforts in searching for Yun You these years.

"Ah Xiao, from now on, avoid speaking ill of Jiang Yuesheng in front of Cousin, he has enough burdens, don’t burden him further."

Cui Tianxiao disliked hearing this and retorted, "What do you mean burden? I want Chu God to realize Jiang Yuesheng’s true nature, to stick close to gentlemen and avoid petty people!"

Good brothers should be like him and Qingtian, supporting each other selflessly. But Jiang Yuesheng and the Jiang Family, exploiting Chu Yunyi’s good nature, schemed at every turn, taking advantage of the Chu Family, what kind of brotherhood is this!

"Who is the gentleman and who is the scoundrel?"

Seeing Cui Tianxiao becoming riled up, Ye Qingting held him and seriously said:

"Ah Xiao, it’s more complicated than you think. My cousin is a genius of Qianyuan Continent, but even the most extraordinary genius cannot battle the Star Beast Tide alone, he needs teammates’ assistance and protection. Although you may disdain Jiang Yuesheng, undeniably he is strong, among our generation, the only one who can match cousin, the best partner choice for cousin."

"Do you think analyzing Jiang Yuesheng thoroughly will make cousin avoid him? You’re mistaken, whether he is honest or a treacherous villain, cousin won’t choose another partner as long as his strength remains. Moreover, the more accurately you analyze Jiang Yuesheng’s flaws, the harder it becomes for cousin to treat him normally, you’re essentially complicating matters for cousin."

Cui Tianxiao hesitated, unable to speak for a long while.

"I understand now."

He simply blamed himself for not being strong enough, inferior to Jiang Yuesheng, unable to relieve Chu God’s burdens.

"Let’s head back."

Cousin was satisfied with the coffee, perhaps it’s time to text Li Xing and ask her to commence the next batch production.