Sister Ling Ling, You're Still Quite Cute

"I'm exhausted! Lin Xiao, you were clearly the one who messed up the courtyard, so why did Mom make all three of us clean it up together!"

Ye Lingling slapped the broom down on the ground and glared at Lin Xiao in irritation.

"How would I know? Maybe Aunt Ye thought you were too idle and found something for you to do?"

Lin Xiao did not feel guilty in the slightest, and immediately comforted her:

"It's fine. Don't you still have me and Sister Yanyan keeping you company?"

Dugu Yan rolled her eyes.

"You dragged Lingling and me into this, didn't you!"

The courtyard had been burned and eaten away by the evil fire until it was riddled with holes.

The few of them cleaning it could only sweep away the dust on the ground and the scattered clods of earth, while also shoveling off the charred topsoil.

As for the rest of the repair work, they could only leave it to professionals.

After they finished cleaning, the few of them went to the Pavilion to sit down and rest.

"Phew, I'm dead tired."

Ye Lingling sat on the stool, swinging her feet.

White socks wrapped around her slender Lotus Feet, somewhat translucent beneath the sunlight, faintly revealing a hint of flesh tone.

Her personality had become increasingly cheerful. Because there was hope of resolving the flaw in her Nine Hearted Begonia Martial Soul, her mental state had grown more and more spirited. Although she was still aloof toward outsiders, she could open her heart to people she knew well.

Dugu Yan, meanwhile, leaned sideways against the wall, her cool eyes slightly closed as she rested. Her head of green hair inexplicably made one think of Xiao Qing from "Legend of the White Snake," except her temperament was too cold and beautiful, so she probably did not really resemble her.

"Sister Lingling, when I was doing Evil Fire Body Tempering just now, did someone cry?"

"In a daze, I seemed to hear someone sobbing, and then Aunt Ye said something too. Unfortunately, it hurt too much at the time, and I can't even really remember what Aunt Ye said."

Lin Xiao was somewhat curious.

There had only been three people in the courtyard just now. Aunt Ye Qingxian was the first to be ruled out. That woman, like an eagle, would absolutely never cry. She had already experienced too many joys and sorrows, separations in life and death alike.

Unless Lin Xiao died...

Uh, maybe even if he died, she still might not cry.

She would probably calmly arrange his funeral affairs.

So it could only have been Dugu Yan or Ye Lingling?

The moment Lin Xiao finished speaking, Ye Lingling sprang up like a puppy whose tail had been stepped on, and shouted in embarrassment and anger:

"Lin Xiao, what nonsense are you talking about?!"

"Yanyan and I were watching from the side the whole time. How come we didn't hear anyone crying?"

"You must have been burned silly by the evil fire!"

"Yanyan, isn't that right? Did you hear anyone crying?"

Dugu Yan: "..."

For the first time in her life, she felt speechless toward her best friend. Honestly, how was this any different from covering one's ears while stealing a bell?

She was only fooling herself.

However, under the pressure of Ye Lingling's gaze, Dugu Yan still said helplessly:

"I didn't hear anything."

Lin Xiao laughed heartily.

Hearing his light laughter, Ye Lingling's complexion also shifted from fair to rosy at an astonishing speed, and her tender white toes were about to dig through the soles of her shoes.

She was filled with regret!

Lingling, you're such an idiot!

You clearly only needed to pretend you didn't know. Reacting this strongly, wasn't that just like saying there's no silver buried here?

"Sister Lingling, has anyone ever told you something?"

Ye Lingling could practically foresee Lin Xiao's coming ridicule, but she still forced herself to remain calm and said as if she did not care:

"What?"

Lin Xiao winked at her.

"You're actually pretty cute."

In an instant, a surge of heat rushed from the soles of Ye Lingling's feet straight to the crown of her head. Ye Lingling seemed to transform into a "steam girl," as if steam were puffing out from her forehead, her entire body red as a tomato.

Lin Xiao stepped onto the stool and patted Ye Lingling's head.

"Sister Lingling, your heart is too soft, so when you saw me in pain, you cried."

"That isn't weakness. It's kindness."

Ye Lingling seemed to have crashed.

Faced with Lin Xiao stepping onto a stool and comforting her "from above," she only nodded meekly, having lost even the most basic ability to speak.

"Tsk, tsk."

"Sister Ling Ling, you're actually pretty cute."

The atmosphere had originally been perfectly fine, but the moment Dugu Yan folded her arms and, in a tone tinged with a little sourness, imitated Lin Xiao's way of speaking, it instantly changed.

Ye Lingling gave a violent start.

With a smack, she knocked away Lin Xiao's hand from atop her head, put her hands on her hips, and said angrily:

"What are you doing? Have you no sense of seniority!"

"And also, you don't describe Sister as cute. You have to say beautiful, say strong, understand?"

This was outright rebellion!

She had actually been comforted by a brat?

Although Lin Xiao did seem stronger than her, more impressive than her, and his words and actions were more mature, his way of handling people and matters more steady... still, that would not do!

The age gap was right there!

I'm older than you, so I'm Sister!

Seeing Lin Xiao standing on the stool and actually ending up taller than her even when she stood, Ye Lingling stepped up without another word as well, stretched out her fair hands, and gave Lin Xiao's head a furious rubbing!

"Little Lin Xiao, at such a young age, you love pretending to be an adult."

"How laughable, how laughable!"

Lin Xiao's face darkened.

He was truly speechless. He had only offered some normal comfort, so what on earth had gotten into Ye Lingling?

She even insisted on stepping onto the stool to call him Little Lin Xiao?

Sure enough, young girls of this age were the most boring!

A mature, intellectual woman like Aunt Ye was much easier to get along with!

Just as he was thinking this, another hand suddenly landed on his forehead and started rubbing wildly.

"Sister Yanyan, why are you doing this too!"

Lin Xiao spoke up, somewhat grief-stricken and indignant.

Dugu Yan winked at him, and that cold and beautiful face instantly became lively and bright.

She also imitated Ye Lingling's tone.

"Tiny little Lin Xiao, loves pretending to be an adult. How laughable, how laughable!"

Lin Xiao's vision went dark. Had he already gone from "Little Lin Xiao" to "Tiny little Lin Xiao" now?

"Smack, smack!"

Lin Xiao knocked away both of their mischievous hands.

"I'll say the same thing!"

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—don't bully a youth for being small!"

One day, Lin Xiao would grow into "Great big Lin Xiao."

And amaze everyone! Including these two girls!

Ye Qingxian leaned outside the courtyard gate, listening to the sounds of laughter and tussling coming from inside the courtyard, and let out a very disdainful scoff. "Tch, a bunch of brats."

Yet a trace of envy showed in her eyes.

Years like flowers, time like flowing water.

Who hadn't had their own youthful days?

Ye Qingxian truly had not.

"But Lingling should be different from me. She'll be much happier than I was and have real friends."

For some reason.

Ye Qingxian suddenly felt a little annoyed.

Why do you all get to enjoy yourselves so happily, while Old Mother stands here feeling gloomy and wounded?

Thinking this, Ye Qingxian called coldly into the courtyard:

"With all that racket, have you finished cleaning your courtyard?"

In an instant, the noisy backyard fell deathly silent.

A satisfied smile appeared on Ye Qingxian's face.

She clapped her hands and left with flair.

—Not taking a single cloud with her.