Wei Xunzhou didn't respond, silently listening to Di Yao's chatter.
Cui Jue made a big show of it, deliberately calling Di Yao aside, claiming it was better not to speak loudly—actually just to keep Wei Xunzhou out of earshot.
Wei Xunzhou's gaze shifted from the two of them to the row of lanterns hanging on the fence.
Cui Jue was overthinking; Wei Xunzhou wasn't interested in their conversation at all, even if it was Cui Jue's intentional provocation and scheming.
On the contrary, he tended to dwell on matters that others considered utterly trivial.
After hearing Cui Jue's proposal, Di Yao was silent for a moment. In the end, she neither accepted nor refused, only telling Cui Jue she would think it over.
Cui Jue wasn't in a hurry. He gracefully spun his Soul-Hooking Brush, then strode toward the front yard.
"That's it for today. If you've made up your mind or run into any trouble, you can come find me at the Yinlv Division."
Faced with Cui Jue's sudden help and a proposal that seemed all benefit and no harm, Di Yao felt somewhat overwhelmed. She didn't understand why Cui Jue had become so easy to deal with, considering the last time they met, he had kicked her out of the Yinlv Division.
No matter how simple-minded Di Yao was, she sensed something was off, so she became more cautious than when she had boldly confronted Cui Jue earlier.
"You wouldn't be..." Di Yao inadvertently voiced her thoughts but fortunately shut her mouth just in time.
Cui Jue asked, and Di Yao ran to the side room, brought out a bag of grain, and placed it at Cui Jue's feet.
"This..." Cui Jue nearly tripped over the grain and stepped back two paces.
Di Yao gave him a knowing smile, implying that he understood the gesture.
She knew a little about worldly affairs.
But in the end, Cui Jue took nothing and repeatedly said, "This is utterly improper."
With Cui Jue's men waiting outside, Di Yao stopped being polite, wanting only to see these officials off quickly.
As they passed the steps in front of the main house, Xibian on the steps barked twice loudly.
Cui Jue finally noticed the dog in Di Yao's home. Just as he felt the dog looked familiar, something else caught his attention.
That dog was sniffing a palm-sized chick. The chick was fluffy, entirely goose-yellow, with a pointed little beak. The tiny yellow thing was struggling to spread its wings, which were still too weak, and was fiercely confronting the "behemoth" Xibian. Though it had no chance of winning, it showed no lack of spirit.
When Xibian barked, the sound echoed through the yard, and the chick only flinched for a moment before stepping forward again, trying to scare off Xibian with its sharp, adorable chirps.
Everyone in the yard was extremely surprised, their expressions a mix of shock and amusement.
Cui Jue couldn't believe his eyes. He rubbed them. "What is this?"
Di Yao's heart tightened again. Before she could come up with an explanation, Cui Jue reached out for the chick, and in the next instant, it was in his hand.
The tiny, delicate creature couldn't bear the pressure of Cui Jue's grip, letting out urgent, heart-wrenching cries that made Di Yao anxious.
It had been nearly a month since she brought the egg home. On the first day, she had made it a comfortable, warm nest, keeping it indoors where wind and rain couldn't reach. Even the grain in the backyard had grown two rounds, but the egg had shown no signs of life.
Di Yao had long given up hope, but unexpectedly, the egg had hatched today of all days!
Cui Jue might not care about the grain she grew, but the chicken, strictly speaking, belonged to Golden Rooster Mountain—it was public property. Di Yao worried Cui Jue would arrest her for this.
"This is... an egg I happened to find and hatched."
"Found? Where?" Cui Jue tapped the chick's beak and whistled with interest.
Di Yao lowered her head. "At... at Golden Rooster Mountain."
Cui Jue casually lifted his eyelids and looked at Wei Xunzhou beside Di Yao.
His tone rose. "Oh? It seems I've underestimated your abilities. From what I know, Golden Rooster Mountain is extremely dangerous. And you managed to find an egg there?"
Di Yao didn't respond, waiting for Cui Jue to speak.
But after saying that, Cui Jue set the chick back on the ground and headed for the door, showing no intention of probing further.
"Interesting. See you next time."
With a casual wave, the gate opened and closed, and the house returned to silence, as if no one had ever been there.
Hearing the ghost messengers outside shooing away the nosy neighbors, Di Yao placed her hand on her chest to calm her breathing.
She stepped back two paces, unexpectedly bumping into Wei Xunzhou. Wei Xunzhou seemed lost in thought, his mind elsewhere.
Looking at Wei Xunzhou's hand that instinctively grabbed her arm, Di Yao felt a bit awkward and pulled away from his embrace.
"Husband, what's wrong? Are you angry with me?" Di Yao guessed it had something to do with Cui Jue; she could sense the tension between them.
Wei Xunzhou looked at Di Yao, his gaze still as indifferent as ever.
Just then, a few crisp chirps came from their feet. Di Yao suddenly remembered the little one at her feet, and her attention was immediately drawn away.
Because it had just hatched, the chick's feathers were short and stuck together, looking a bit bald. Di Yao placed her palm face-up on the ground. The chick blinked its round, bright eyes, spread its wings, kicked its legs, and hopped onto her hand.
It truly was a chicken from Golden Rooster Mountain—gifted by nature.
Di Yao stroked the chick's head, then cupped it and lifted it in front of Wei Xunzhou to cheer him up.
"Husband, look! Isn't this little thing adorable?"
Before Di Yao finished speaking, Xibian couldn't hold back, barking loudly in protest. After all, before this, "little thing" had been its name.
Chick chirps, dog barks, human laughter—a good time. The atmosphere in the house grew lively again.
Taking advantage of the relaxed mood in the yard, Wei Xunzhou asked Di Yao the question that had been bothering him.