Chapter 228: Chapter 228: Are You Really Going to Abandon Your Husband and Children?
"Who could possibly wake you, you lazy little tiger," Da Hu said irritably. "I called for you, but you wouldn’t wake up."
Xiao Hu pouted and scampered over to Yu An’s left. "Then, then it’s my turn to play with Big Sister this afternoon."
Da Hu retorted, "Big Sister has no time to play with you. She has to work."
Xiao Hu immediately shot back, "Then I’ll work with Big Sister, and you’re not allowed to steal her from me, Big Brother."
Da Hu didn’t reply, instead placing a peeled shrimp in Yu An’s bowl. Seeing this, Xiao Hu quickly peeled one for her as well.
The two competed to put food on Yu An’s plate, and soon, her bowl was piled high like a small mountain.
The corner of Yu An’s mouth twitched. "You two, eat your own food. Stop piling things in my bowl, or how am I supposed to eat?"
Da Hu diverted a piece of food that was on its way to her and dropped it into his own bowl. "Okay, Big Sister."
After the meal, Yu An went for a walk out of habit. The two little ones stuck close to her side, determined to follow her wherever she went.
They would occasionally hold her hand and walk slowly, and other times, they’d turn into little tiger cubs to pounce on butterflies in the garden. Yu An couldn’t help but let a small smile grace her lips.
’Such adorable Zaizai. I wonder whose children they are.’
"Female Mother... ahem, Big Sister, we’re from your family."
Da Hu held her hand and said softly, "We’re your Zaizai."
It slowly dawned on Yu An that she had spoken her thoughts aloud. She smiled helplessly. "Da Hu, just how much does your mother resemble me? You really can’t tell us apart."
Da Hu opened his mouth, but seeing the helpless look on Yu An’s face, he didn’t say anything in the end.
But he was sure that one day, his Female Mother would remember them.
’Right. I have to tell Female Mother more about the past.’
It was too hard to stay hidden during the day, so Feng Xuan snuck into the Beast God Hall at night. He watched Yu An from the shadows, making sure his two disobedient little Zaizai were safe.
Seeing how well Yu An treated them, and how the three of them looked just like a mother with her sons, he was relieved, yet his heart soured with a twinge of jealousy.
Da Hu and Xiao Hu could sleep by An’an’s side, while he could only lie silently on the roof, watching in secret. He didn’t dare make the slightest sound, terrified of being mistaken for an assassin.
Inside, Da Hu and Xiao Hu were already asleep. Yu An yawned, her gaze softening as she looked at the two Zaizai.
The Steward had come to report that afternoon that they still hadn’t found the two children’s parents. For some reason, she’d found herself breathing a sigh of relief.
The thought that they would leave once their parents were found made Yu An’s heart ache with a dull throb... a painful one.
’I know I shouldn’t be thinking this way. I’m the Hall Master of the Beast God Hall. I have my own duties to attend to; I shouldn’t be wasting time on two children I’ve only just met.’
’But...’
"Who’s there!"
A roof tile had come loose. Feng Xuan accidentally stepped on it, creating a small noise.
He startled, but before he could flee, a vine shot up from the courtyard, wrapped around him, and dragged him inside the house.
Xiao Hu was sleeping so soundly that the sky could fall without waking him, but Da Hu was jolted awake by the commotion.
He groggily opened his eyes and looked first at Yu An. Seeing her cold expression, he then followed her gaze to the person who had been dragged in by the vine.
’Oh, it’s Beast Father. Never mind then, back to sleep.’
Yu An glanced at Da Hu and Xiao Hu. Seeing them sleeping soundly, she threw on a robe and walked into another room.
The vine, still binding Feng Xuan, followed behind her. Feng Xuan didn’t struggle at all.
Once the door was closed, Yu An gestured for the vine to remove the thing gagging Feng Xuan’s mouth. "Who are you?"
As the room lit up and she saw Feng Xuan’s face, Yu An realized her question was pointless.
’It’s obvious this man is related to Da Hu and Xiao Hu.’
The three faces were practically cast from the same mold, the only difference being one was handsome while the other two were adorable.
"I am Da Hu and Xiao Hu’s father," Feng Xuan paused before adding plaintively, "and I am also your husband. An’an, do you really not remember us?"
Yu An looked utterly confused, then said coldly, "Don’t spout such nonsense. I have never had a husband, let alone children."
"I don’t care if you’re doing this deliberately or if you’ve mistaken me for someone else. For Da Hu and Xiao Hu’s sake, I will forgive you this time. Leave at once. Also..."
Yu An suppressed the strange reluctance welling up inside her and steeled herself. "Take Da Hu and Xiao Hu with you."
Feng Xuan stared at her for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "An’an, are you really going to abandon your husband and sons?"
Yu An grew furious. "Are you incapable of understanding what I’m saying? What ’abandon your husband and sons’? I don’t have either, so how could I..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt because Feng Xuan took something out.
It was a heart-shaped locket. The one Feng Xuan held was already open, revealing the space inside for a trimmed photograph.
The locket held a photograph of her and Feng Xuan. They were cheek to cheek, their intimacy obvious to any observer. Their relationship was clearly something special.
"An’an," Feng Xuan held the locket out for her. "I don’t know why you can’t remember us, but I remember everything. Please, just let me tell you our story. Will you listen?"
Following that, Feng Xuan began to tell the story of how they met, got to know each other, and fell in love, omitting, of course, some of the less pleasant details.
Yu An listened in a daze for a long time before it finally registered. "No, that’s wrong. I have been training on the Divine Mountain my entire life. How could I possibly have shared those experiences with you?"
"Don’t think you can fool me with this incredibly realistic picture and a bunch of made-up stories!"
Yu An grew wary, secretly trying to figure out who Feng Xuan really was.
Feng Xuan frowned. A thought occurred to him: the person who brought them here must have tampered with Yu An’s memories. He knew Poisonous Insect Granny’s Gu Worms could have such an effect.
’Since this place is called the Beast God Hall, could it be... that the Beast God did it?’
But Feng Xuan couldn’t understand. If it really was the Beast God, that kind-looking old man, why would He do such a thing?
But the most important thing right now was to gain Yu An’s trust. At that thought, Feng Xuan said seriously, "Everything I said about our past is true. As for why it’s different from your memories... I suspect someone has replaced your memories."
He briefly explained what had happened before, but when he mentioned his suspicion that the Beast God was behind it, Yu An’s expression changed.
"How dare you slander the Beast God," she said, displeased. "The Beast God is the deity of this land. How dare you be so impudent!"
Feng Xuan immediately changed his tune. "I was probably wrong. I don’t think it could be the Beast God either. It was just a guess."
Yu An snorted coldly. "Not even as a guess!"
Feng Xuan nodded hastily, observed Yu An’s expression, and continued, "An’an, I know some secrets that only you and I know. You have a Wood Element Ability and a Companion Spirit Plant named ’Lu Lu.’"
Yu An had wondered what he was going to say. Hearing this, she scoffed, "What kind of secrets are those? Anyone could find that out with a little digging."
"If you don’t leave now, I’ll have you arrested!"
