"...Like?"
"Yes. Because we liked each other, we wanted to leave behind descendants. It would naturally be best if those descendants achieved something, but even if they could not accomplish anything, there was nothing wrong with living as ordinary people."
Mother Yao smiled. The way her slightly wrinkled eyes and brows curved when she smiled did bear some resemblance to Yao Wan.
"Though it was not some lofty wish, Wan'er was indeed born beneath our blessings. This insignificant wish was what we left you along with your name—a trivial gift."
"Though from the looks of it, Wan'er's talent far exceeded our expectations."
"I do not think that was because of any blessing. But even so, Wan'er was not born merely because the Yao Clan needed blood to carry on the next generation."
Yao Wan did not reply, remaining silently quiet.
This seemed somewhat different from what she had initially imagined.
"This may still sound strange to Wan'er, though. I tend to drift into these topics without realizing it. People become rather talkative once they reach middle age..."
"It's all right. Opportunities like this are rare, and there is nothing bad about it."
Coming back to herself, Yao Wan shook her head. She did not consider it a boring topic, merely an unexpected one.
Even her own birth had been blessed.
Should she call it unexpected, or fortunate?
She sighed inwardly.
"Born beneath blessings, is it?... I understand."
As she pondered, her long, fair fingers unconsciously intertwined. For a moment, it was impossible to tell what exactly she had recalled.
After chatting with Mother Yao for a while longer, Yao Wan left the Yao Clan with Xiao Yan.
Along the way, Yao Wan naturally told Xiao Yan about her conversation with Mother Yao, curious about what his reaction might be.
"...Born