CHAPTER 139: CHAPTER 134: THE FEMALE SUPPORTING CHARACTER OF SPIRITUAL SPRING SPACE

"Dad, Mom, I’m back." Ye Qiu, dragging a small suitcase, stood in front of her family’s guesthouse, smiling gently at her parents Ye Hai and Shen Lan, who were busy in the courtyard.

Ye Fu and Madam Shen were momentarily stunned by the familiar voice, and it wasn’t until they turned around to see their bright and shining daughter that they snapped back to reality. A smile tugged at Madam Shen’s eyes as she lightly scolded Ye Qiu, "You child, why didn’t you give us a call so that your father could have picked you up."

Ye Fu chuckled heartily, a man with handsome and well-defined features, the epitome of a dashing middle-aged uncle. However, he was simple and honest, and his laugh was somewhat goofy, making him very approachable. He took his daughter’s suitcase, repeating the words "not thin, it’s good you’re back" over and over.

"Mom, I came back safely, didn’t I? The station isn’t far, it’s just a short taxi ride away. It would have been more trouble for dad to come get me!" Ye Qiu hugged Madam Shen’s shoulder, nuzzling against her with a playful pout.

"You always have an answer for everything." Madam Shen tapped her daughter’s forehead, the joy in her eyes almost overflowing, "Are you hungry? I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles. The mountain farmers just delivered some wild mushrooms this morning, they’re really fragrant."

"You’re always the most caring, Mom, knowing exactly what I love to eat." Ye Qiu hooked her arm through Shen Lan’s as they entered the kitchen. Their family ran a guesthouse and usually prepared meals for tourists. City folks loved meals cooked over a wood fire, so they had built a clay stove. Whenever she was home, she would help to start the fire and sometimes, she would also bury sweet potatoes and chestnuts in the stove to roast, which turned out exceptionally delicious.

But Madam Shen, considering that her daughter had been on a train for a whole day, wouldn’t let her help. Ye Qiu thus went to help Ye Fu clean the courtyard. Ye Fu, dotingly protective of her, told her to rest and didn’t allow her to get involved with the chores.

Her home was in Yun Province, a bit of a distance from S city. She took the train back, opting for a sleeper berth. Although the journey took the entire night, she managed to sleep for a few hours and didn’t feel tired. Now, in the early morning just after summer vacation had started, the guesthouse had only a few guests who hadn’t woken up yet. Breathing the fresh air, Ye Qiu felt utterly relaxed.

The guesthouse faced southward from the north and on the north and east sides; there were two connected five-story buildings. The west side housed the kitchen and dining room. The courtyard was paved with bluestone and near the kitchen was a well with sweet and cool water. In hot weather, Ye Fu always drew several buckets of well water to cool the watermelons.

The courtyard was enclosed but not with bricks or stones; rather, it was fenced with neat wooden stakes, under which a few rose bushes were planted. It was the flowering season, and the pink and white blossoms were blooming in competition with each other, looking particularly beautiful.

Back in S city, when Ye Qiu bought flowers, she thought about renovating the flowers in the courtyard. The roses they planted were nice but common, easily found anywhere in town. Their courtyard was spacious, and there was no need to limit it to just one type of rose.

"Dad, after we eat, could you help me pull out these roses? I want to plant different varieties."

"Sure, we’ll do it after breakfast." Ye Fu was a kind and gentle man, never questioning his family’s decisions. He doted on Ye Qiu and her siblings. Ye Qiu felt immensely grateful; without her mother’s strictness, she and Zhouzhou might have turned out utterly spoil from Ye Fu’s pampering.

"You just love bossing your dad around." Madam Shen walked into the dining room with two bowls, side-eyeing her daughter but with a slight smile on her lips. While she teased Ye Fu for doting on the children, the truth was Madam Shen was no different. It was just that Ye Fu was not one to scold, so she had to play the role of the disciplinarian for the sake of the children’s well-being.

"Wash your hands, time for noodles."

"At your command!"

Ye Fu laughed heartily, eyes filled with warmth as he watched his wife and daughter.

"It smells so good!"

"Boss lady, you’ve made something delicious again."

Two young people, a young man and woman wearing couple outfits, came down the wooden stairs from the east side, drawn by the scent to the dining room, clamoring to eat.

"Oh, a new tenant is here." The girl’s eyes sparkled when she saw Ye Qiu, but her gaze quickly focused on the bowl in front of her, and she said to Madam Shen, "Boss lady, could you please give us two bowls of this mushroom noodle too?"

Madam Shen explained with a smile: "Sure, just wait a moment, but she’s not a new tenant, she’s my daughter."

"Your daughter is really beautiful." The girl couldn’t help but compliment, "You’re really lucky."

"Thank you for the compliment, my name is Ye Qiu." Ye Qiu smiled at the young couple, the girl was clearly the open and straightforward type. The guy, although startled at first glance, his attention quickly turned back to his girlfriend, not sparing Ye Qiu another look.

"I’m Liu Wei, and this is my fiancé, Ding Zijun." The girl introduced her fiancé without any hesitation, her eyes filled with tenderness and affection.

"Then let me congratulate you in advance on a happy marriage. So are you guys here for a pre-wedding trip?" Ye Qiu’s smile was charming, and the sincerity was clear in her eyes as she wished them well.

"Kind of half and half. He’s a photographer, and we thought the scenery here is beautiful, so we decided to also take our wedding dress photos here." The young couple, buoyed by the well wishes, exchanged glances and smiled even more joyfully, now more willing to chat with Ye Qiu.

"The scenery is indeed beautiful around here. Have you picked out any spots? Would you like me to recommend a few places?" Ye Qiu was not usually talkative, but she always took the time to suggest travel spots to the guests whenever she was home, also helping to bring some popularity to her parents, Ye Fu and Madam Shen.

"That would be perfect." Just then, Madam Shen came over with two bowls of noodles, the couple inhaling the aroma, eyes fixated.

"Try this, the mushrooms were picked fresh this morning, they’re really fresh."

"Then we won’t be polite!"

After a satisfying meal, Liu Wei sat back in her chair and suddenly chuckled, Ding Zijun, by now used to her antics, asked helplessly: "What’s so funny now?"

Instead of answering him, Liu Wei asked Ye Qiu with a laugh: "I heard that people from Southern Province really love mushrooms, and that thousands are said to have hallucinations after eating them each year. Is it true? I’ve also heard that the poisonous ones taste especially good."

Ye Qiu explained: "There have been poisonings nearby, but whether there are as many as the news says, I’m not sure. I’ve heard that those who get poisoned can see tiny figures or even dragons and phoenixes dancing. However, some poisonous mushrooms are indeed tasty as long as they’re cooked properly, generally there wouldn’t be any problems. But for you folks who aren’t from around here, don’t just go picking mushrooms in the mountains, it’s easy to mix them up if you’re not familiar."

"We know that. We would never haphazardly eat mushrooms from the mountains. I also saw a news story about a guy who had a mushroom grow on his ceiling at home, he made soup out of it and ended up in ICU on the same day, yet he said it was the tastiest mushroom he ever had."

Ye Qiu laughed out loud: "I saw that news too, I remember the interview where he still had this reminiscent look on his face. Later on, the experts found out that it was one of the most poisonous mushrooms in the world, and he was really lucky to be saved."

Liu Wei laughed heartily as well: "Right, that’s the one, and there were so many comments from netizens underneath, all of them curious about just how delicious that mushroom must be."

"Seems like you’ll have to call an ambulance first before trying it."

"Haha..."