However, Lu Wanqing merely picked up the child and soothed him, doing nothing more. Everyone's lingering unease subsided.
Regardless, Lu Wanqing would be staying at their home for the foreseeable future. Even though they harbored worries, they had no choice but to accept, as it was a federal regulation.
Still, to be safe, they had instructed the housekeeper to arrange Lu Wanqing's quarters on a different floor, far from the child, just in case.
After all, Lu Wanqing had transformed from an ancient corpse, and they were deeply concerned she might pose a threat to the child.
Even if Lu Wanqing herself posed no direct harm, the very idea of a resurrected ancient corpse was inherently frightening. If adults felt this way, how much more so for a child.
Furthermore, they installed an invisible monitor outside Lu Wanqing's guest room. If she left her room, the monitor would send an alert, allowing them to detect her presence and investigate immediately.
After dinner, everyone retreated to their rooms to rest. However, rest was a misnomer; every member of the family was too frightened to sleep. The sudden presence of a "resurrected ancient corpse" in their home had instilled a deep sense of fear.
Night fell, plunging the surroundings into darkness. Mu Sijie waited for a long time, but there was no unusual activity. Just as he was preparing to shower and go to bed, his comm unit suddenly chimed.
It was the alert from the monitor they had installed outside Lu Wanqing's room. The resurrected ancient corpse, or rather, Lu Wanqing, had left her room.
Mu Sijie's heart leaped into his throat. He rushed out immediately.
As he opened his door, he saw Lu Wanqing already on the third floor. His heart nearly gave out, but thankfully, he managed to maintain a composed expression, hiding his fear.
Mu Sijie quickly recomposed himself and offered Lu Wanqing a gentle smile. "Why have you come up to the third floor? Is there something you need?"
Lu Wanqing, who seemed lost in thought, suddenly snapped back to attention at his words. She replied somewhat nervously, "No, I came to find Mu Lan."
Looking for Lanlan?
Mu Sijie's heart sank. He worried about her intentions so late at night. Would she... harm the child?
As he pondered this, he attempted to politely decline. "Lanlan should be going to sleep soon. If it's important, you can find him tomorrow."
Lu Wanqing seemed anxious, attempting to explain, but her words stumbled. "No, I..."
Lu Wanqing paused for a moment before collecting her thoughts. She explained that she wanted to tell Lanlan a bedtime story, and asked if children in this era listened to bedtime stories before sleeping.
Lu Wanqing quickly added that in the ancient Earth era, parents would tell their children stories to help them fall asleep.
Mu Sijie finally understood Lu Wanqing's intentions. He found the custom from the ancient Earth era a bit peculiar, yet, strangely, it also felt rather nice.
He agreed to Lu Wanqing's request to tell Lanlan a bedtime story and even personally escorted her to Lanlan's room.
He stepped forward and knocked. When Lanlan, wearing pajamas identical to his, opened the door, Mu Sijie looked at his son and explained the situation concisely. "Your mother wants to tell you a bedtime story. It's a custom from the ancient Earth era."
As he said this, Mu Sijie looked directly into Lanlan's eyes, subtly prompting his son not to refuse.
Lu Wanqing had come to their home, and she was bound to do something. He was also very curious to know what Lu Wanqing truly intended to do, and what she was capable of.
Lanlan, only four years old at the time, was clearly bewildered by their request. However, inheriting his father's composure, he paused for a moment before asking, "What is a bedtime story?"
Mu Sijie was equally unsure how to answer, so he remained silent.
Lu Wanqing proactively began to explain, though she herself seemed somewhat flustered by the explanation.
Lu Wanqing's expression became lively, and for a fleeting moment, he forgot that she was a resurrected ancient corpse.
Unconsciously, they entered Lanlan's room, and Lu Wanqing began to tell the bedtime story.
Mu Sijie did not leave; he could not. He needed to stay close by, in case Lu Wanqing did anything untoward and harmed Lanlan.
However, throughout the entire time, Lu Wanqing made no aggressive moves towards the child. On the contrary, she was remarkably gentle.
Lu Wanqing's careful and tender way of caring for the child made Mu Sijie momentarily realize that Lu Wanqing hadn't come to their home to terrify them, but rather to care for the child.
Setting aside her terrifying identity, she was truly gentle and loving when tending to the child.
Listening to Lu Wanqing's story, Lanlan, despite being sleepy, couldn't help but ask about the ending.
In fact, it wasn't just Lanlan; he too was curious about how it would end.
However, when Lu Wanqing finally revealed the story's conclusion, his mind reeled.
The evil dragon was captured by the princess of the Dragon Slaying Kingdom and forced to be her live-in son-in-law for a hundred years, until the princess's lifespan ran out and she passed away peacefully in the castle. Only then did the evil dragon leave?
What kind of story was this?
The evil dragon had it too rough, didn't he?
"Alright, that's all for today's story. You need to sleep early now," Lu Wanqing said with a smile to Lanlan, her voice intentionally softened and very gentle.
Then, Lu Wanqing taught Lanlan how to say goodnight.
Lu Wanqing explained that "goodnight" meant wishing the baby peace for the night, and it was a form of greeting and blessing from her era. Many people would say goodnight to each other before sleeping, wishing each other well.
Mu Sijie couldn't help but think that humans from the ancient Earth era were truly romantic. These peculiar customs and traditions made one feel incredibly happy.
Lanlan seemed to enjoy what Lu Wanqing was telling him as well. His cheerful tone indicated that he only spoke that way when he was very happy.
The story was over, goodnight had been said, and they were finally about to leave.
As they walked out of Lanlan's room, Mu Sijie watched Lu Wanqing prepare to depart, and a sense of inexplicable reluctance filled him. Acting on an impulse, he said to her,
"Goodnight."
He himself was taken aback by his own words.
Lu Wanqing was also momentarily surprised, but she quickly recovered and responded with a smile, "Goodnight."
Mu Sijie didn't know what was happening to him. Merely hearing her say goodnight made his heart feel as if it were floating slightly, a feeling of... happiness.
"Hurry back and get some rest," he said, a smile on his face, offering her a genuine word of concern for the first time.
"Okay," Lu Wanqing nodded.
He watched until Lu Wanqing had completely left and returned to the second floor before turning back to his own room.