After so many years, seeing Bai Wanru's goofy side again made Ning Ke laugh through his tears before he knew it.
This woman was always like this.
She looked so gentle and lovely, yet the moment she opened her mouth, her true nature came out.
It was a wonder Lou Yunxiao had managed to keep a straight face with a mother like her ten thousand years ago.
Some memories from ten thousand years ago surfaced in his mind. No longer painful, bloody scenes, they became memories of the Small Courtyard instead.
There had only been a few rooms and a few trees. Bai Wanru worked at her forge outside, while Lou Yunxiao carried out the bedding to air it in the sun like a dutiful homemaker.
He would drape himself around the man's neck as a Fox Scarf without a care in the world.
Or he would plant both forepaws on the man's head and, with a few scratches, mess up the neatly arranged hair beneath his crown.
Then Ning the fox would admire his handiwork in satisfaction, resting his fox chin on Lou Yunxiao's disheveled crown of hair and cackling.
Those had been some of the happiest days of his life.
But before, those bloody memories had buried them all. Now that he remembered them again, his eyes could not help stinging.
"As long as you're not sad anymore." Bai Wanru had deliberately tried to cheer him up. Now that it had worked, she rolled down her sleeves, reached out with both hands, and gently kneaded Ning Ke's thin cheeks.
Her gaze was tender. "Just look at you. Have you not been eating or sleeping properly all these years? When you used to eat with us, these cheeks were so soft and adorable. Now you're this thin. It breaks