Chapter 678: Chapter 678: Deduction

At that moment, only one thought ran through his mind—’It’s over!’

Ye Yunfeng struggled to speak. "Wouldn’t that be too much work for you, Sis? Why don’t we go eat at Lan Yue Building instead? I haven’t been in a long time, and I kind of miss it..."

As he spoke, he hugged Xiao Wu and turned to run.

Ye Chutang’s voice followed him.

"A Feng, you don’t want to eat at home?"

Ye Yunfeng froze mid-step. "...No."

Ye Chutang beckoned to him. "Then come on in and rest. Your third brother and Xiao Wu even got you gifts. Oh—wait a second, I think something’s burning. I’ll go check."

With that, she raised her spatula and was about to head back to the kitchen.

Ye Yunfeng shoved Xiao Wu into Ye Jingyan’s arms and shot past her.

"Sis! Let me do it!"

Ye Chutang refused. "How could I let you? You haven’t been home in so long, and you must be exhausted after traveling a thousand miles from Long City back to the Capital City. You should—"

"I’m not tired! I want to do it!" Ye Yunfeng’s eyes were filled with determination. "Sis and Xiao Wu haven’t tasted my cooking in a while, either. Why don’t you see if I’ve improved?"

Seeing how insistent he was, Ye Chutang finally relented. "Alright, then."

Ye Yunfeng let out a long sigh of relief.

Ye Jingyan and Xiao Wu both shot him grateful looks and gave him a thumbs-up.

’A true lifesaver!’

...

At the dinner table, the long-separated siblings talked with great cheer.

Ye Chutang took a bite and sighed in disappointment. "I really am no good at cooking."

’I knew there were some things I shouldn’t force.’

Ye Yunfeng pulled the burnt dish in front of him and ate every last bite.

"I love anything you make, Sis!"

"Hey—" Ye Chutang tried to stop him, but he was too fast, wolfing it all down in a flash.

After finishing, he gave Ye Chutang an unfazed, reassuring smile. "It’s a little burnt, but it still tastes great!"

Ye Jingyan watched this, paused for a moment, and finally couldn’t help but ask, "A Feng, are conditions in Xia City really that harsh?"

Ye Chutang: "..."

Xiao Wu: "..."

Ye Chutang felt like she had just been insulted, and badly, but she had no proof.

But she had a sneaking suspicion that if A Feng hadn’t snatched the spatula from her, any authority she had in this house would have evaporated by the end of the night.

Ye Yunfeng got another bowl of rice and said nonchalantly, "Hah, a small border town can’t possibly compare to the Capital City! Sometimes we go out on patrol and stand guard for days and nights on end with nothing but two pieces of flatbread in our pockets. Even those taste delicious!"

In truth, that was on a good day.

More often than not, they didn’t even have time to eat a proper meal. When they were starving, they could eat anything they could get their hands on.

Ye Jingyan’s expression immediately grew complicated.

The food in Xiao Wu’s mouth suddenly lost its flavor. Her eyes filled with pity as she looked at Ye Yunfeng, and she placed all the meat from her bowl into his.

’Fourth Brother really must have suffered so much over there!’

Ye Yunfeng, however, didn’t seem to mind. "It’s really nothing. Xia City is sparsely populated, so sometimes we can catch a few wild rabbits or mountain goats. We butcher them and stew the meat, and it’s much tastier than what you get in the Capital City!"

As he spoke, his bowl of rice was empty again.

A growing young man, especially one training at the border, had a much bigger appetite than before.

Ye Chutang nodded. "You do look a lot sturdier."

Ye Yunfeng grinned. "It’s alright, Sis! I’m enough for our family! I’ll probably be staying in the Capital for a while this time. I’ll definitely come back whenever I have free time!"

Hearing this, Ye Jingyan realized something. "You’re not staying at home while you’re in the Capital City?"

"I’m staying tonight!" Ye Yunfeng said with a smile. "King Yan Nan specially gave me a day off to come home and visit. I have to go back first thing tomorrow morning!"

Although he was Feng Zhang’s soldier, King Yan Nan was Feng Zhang’s superior, so for now, he was under King Yan Nan’s command.

Ye Jingyan understood. "Back to the barracks?"

"Right." Ye Yunfeng nodded.

Now that he had joined the army, his every move had to follow orders.

Ye Jingyan’s lips moved, but in the end, he simply looked at Ye Chutang.

It was only at this moment that he finally, clearly perceived it—A Feng had truly changed.

He had become a real soldier.

Ye Chutang, however, didn’t seem surprised by this. A small smile touched her lips. "Alright. After we finish eating, go try on the new clothes I had made for you. If any of them don’t fit right, I’ll take them back to be altered."

Ye Yunfeng smiled. "Thanks, Sis! I knew you dote on me the most!"

Ye Chutang glanced at his bowl. "Want some more?"

...

After dinner, Ye Yunfeng looked at the gifts Ye Jingyan and Xiao Wu had prepared for him, then went to try on his clothes, keeping himself busy for quite some time.

Finally, he told Xiao Wu many interesting stories about the border, continuing until the Little Bun’s eyes slowly closed and she drifted off to sleep.

"Xiao Wu is asleep?"

Ye Chutang stood at the door, peering into the room as she asked softly.

Ye Yunfeng tucked the blanket around Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu smacked her lips, dreaming of who-knows-what.

"Probably dreaming about delicious food."

Ye Yunfeng tiptoed out, a teasing smile still on his face.

"I just promised her that when I get the chance, I’ll definitely let her taste the border’s goat meat and see if it’s more fragrant."

Ye Chutang: "..."

’As expected, food was this little one’s greatest motivation.’

’She’d probably already forgotten about feeling sorry for her fourth brother; her dreams were likely filled with her chasing after goats.’

Ye Chutang drew back her gaze and, by the light of the moon and the lanterns in the corridor, quietly studied the young man before her.

In just a few short months, he had grown taller, his skin had darkened, and he had become more solid.

More importantly, the flamboyant air he once had was now greatly restrained, replaced by a steady calm.

It was a transformation that went down to his very bones.

It would be a lie to say her heart didn’t ache—after all, she had raised him herself—but what she felt more was relief and pride.

Ye Yunfeng found it a little strange and touched his face.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Sis? Do you think the wind and sand of Xia City have made me rough? Not as handsome as before?"

"Always the smart-mouth."

Ye Chutang chided him without holding back.

Ye Yunfeng chuckled.

Ye Chutang lifted her chin. "Follow me."

...

「In the study.」

Staring at the sand table before him, Ye Yunfeng was taken aback. "Sis?"

Ye Chutang said, "The Battle of Long City. Reenact it for me."

Ye Yunfeng had actually already guessed her intentions, so he agreed readily. "Alright!"

He pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then began to recount the events in detail.

"That day, after receiving the request for reinforcements, I went to find Lord Feng Zhang..."

Ye Yunfeng recounted all the plans and experiences from beginning to end. When he got to the battle at Long City, he began to demonstrate directly on the sand table.

Ye Chutang listened quietly, not interrupting once from start to finish.

Until the very end—

"Logically, escaping through the west gate would have been the easiest and most convenient path. Tuoba Yu, seeing things were going south, deliberately chose the east gate—and ran right into me."

Ye Yunfeng lightly tapped the position of the city gate on the sand table, a smile playing on his lips.

"When an opportunity lands right in your lap, how could you possibly let it go?"

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