Xiao Yu Shu was thus held by her mother as they entered the house. The interior was in the familiar style of the inter-stellar era, which disappointed Lu Wan Qing a little. With such a beautiful exterior environment, if it had been a castle, it would have been a perfect fairy tale world, but alas, it was not.
However, inter-stellar era houses were not bad. Although they lacked the grandeur of a castle, they possessed a unique aesthetic of technological charm.
Lu Wan Qing held Xiao Yu Shu and followed Yu Nong into the house. But the moment they stepped inside, she saw a middle-aged woman sitting in the center of the living room with a frown on her face. Her heart inexplicably tightened, and her grip on the child loosened instinctively.
"Mother," Yu Nong bowed his head slightly and greeted the middle-aged woman.
Xiao Yu Shu, held in her mother's arms, felt inexplicably awkward. She looked at the middle-aged woman and nervously said, "Grandma~"
This middle-aged woman... was Yu Nong's mother?
But why did Lu Wan Qing feel that Yu Nong and his mother were not close? And Xiao Yu Shu, although held by her mother, was too nervous facing her grandmother? And in that nervousness, there seemed to be a hint of fear?
Lu Wan Qing had been taking care of children for a long time and had become much more sensitive to their emotions. At this moment, she was certain that Xiao Yu Shu felt little joy or closeness towards her grandmother, but rather mostly nervousness and fear.
She had originally intended to put the child down, but at this moment, Lu Wan Qing inexplicably didn't want to let go. Instead, she held the child tighter in her arms. She looked at Yu Nong's mother and politely said, "Hello, Madam. I am Lu Wan Qing. I am here at the Yu family's residence to take care of Shu Shu, as per federal regulations."
The middle-aged woman looked at Lu Wan Qing, her gaze sharp and her displeasure undisguised.
"I'll take them upstairs," Yu Nong said suddenly.
After speaking, Yu Nong turned to Lu Wan Qing and said, "Wan Qing, let's go upstairs."
Going upstairs now?
Without waiting for his mother's reply?
Lu Wan Qing's heart tightened again. The joy she had felt outside had vanished, replaced by a heavy sense of anger. She had a hunch that little Shu Shu was not very welcome in the Yu family, or at least, Yu Nong's mother did not like her.
Once some things were discovered, one couldn't help but feel heartbroken, along with a sense of unspeakable rage.
Xiao Yu Shu was so quiet, cute, and well-behaved. Why was she not doted upon?
If the Yu family didn't like children, why did they apply for her genes and cultivate this child?
If the Yu family hadn't applied for these genes, perhaps the child could have been born into a family that loved her more and wouldn't have to suffer this.
Thinking this, Lu Wan Qing stopped looking at Yu Nong's mother. Holding the child, she turned and followed Yu Nong upstairs.
"Hold on!" Yu Nong's mother suddenly spoke.
Lu Wan Qing instinctively stopped, holding the child and turning back to look at Madam Yu.
Yu Nong also stopped and turned back, looking at his mother with a blank expression.
The middle-aged woman, or rather, Madam Yu, stood up, her cold eyes fixed on Lu Wan Qing, and said sternly, "You can come to my house to take care of the child, but you must understand our Yu family's rules. What cannot be done, must not be done!"
Yu Nong frowned. He couldn't help but explain, "Mother, Wan Qing is not one of us." The implication was that Yu family rules were not meant to constrain Lu Wan Qing.
"So what if she's not one of us? Since she wants to live in our home, she must abide by our family rules!" Madam Yu suddenly became angry, standing up and scolding in a very unpleasant tone.
Yu Nong: "..."
Madam Yu stared at Lu Wan Qing and said coldly, "Come here!"
Lu Wan Qing looked at Yu Nong.
Yu Nong was silent for a moment, then said, "Mom, I'll show her the family rules later."
Lu Wan Qing paused slightly.
Madam Yu sneered, "Don't play tricks under my nose. I've lived longer than you've eaten salt!"
Yu Nong also seemed a little unhappy. He grumbled a "Mm" as a response.
Yu Nong led Lu Wan Qing to the second floor, directly to the pre-arranged guest room. He opened the door and turned to Lu Wan Qing, saying, "Wan Qing, this is the guest room. You'll be staying here from now on."
Lu Wan Qing lowered her gaze to Xiao Yu Shu and couldn't help but ask, "Where is Shu Shu's room?"
Yu Nong's voice was still muffled and unhurried, "It's right next door. If you want to take care of her, you can go next door to see her."
It was next door? Lu Wan Qing breathed a sigh of relief.
"My mother..." Yu Nong hesitated, then said slowly, "Wan Qing, my mother wasn't like this before. She became like this because she was poisoned by a mutated plant while trying to save my father and me."
"Poisoned?" Lu Wan Qing was surprised. Could a person's personality change due to poisoning?
Yu Nong nodded, "Mm."
The atmosphere in the room fell silent.
After a long silence, Lu Wan Qing couldn't help but ask, "Isn't your era's medical technology very advanced? With such advanced medical standards, can't the poison be cured?"
"It requires ancient Earth plants," Xiao Yu Shu, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.
Lu Wan Qing looked down at the child.
"To remove the poison from Grandma's body, all the medicinal herbs must be ancient Earth plants that have not undergone any genetic mutations. Most of these plants can be cultivated by the Academy of Sciences, but there is one medicinal herb that has become extinct. Father has been working hard to cultivate that herb," Xiao Yu Shu said clearly and earnestly.
"What herb is missing?" Lu Wan Qing instinctively asked.
Would the plants from the ancient Earth era be ones she recognized?
"Honeysuckle," Yu Nong said dully.
Lu Wan Qing: "..." Very good, she recognized it.
But recognizing it didn't seem to help much. An extinct plant, she couldn't just conjure it out of thin air, could she?
Yu Nong lowered his head and sent a document to Lu Wan Qing via his optic device, saying, "Wan Qing, these are the family rules set by Mother. When you are at home, could you please try to abide by them? Otherwise, Mother will be very angry."
Lu Wan Qing: "...Okay." It seemed she couldn't say anything else.
"Oh, by the way, the kitchen downstairs has been prepared. The kind from three thousand years ago. Do you want to see it?" Yu Nong suddenly said next.
Lu Wan Qing froze and looked up at Yu Nong.
Yu Nong's expression was blank as he looked at her.
Lu Wan Qing nodded, "Okay."
Yu Nong took Lu Wan Qing downstairs and they went to look at the kitchen. Upon seeing it, Lu Wan Qing discovered that this kitchen was almost identical to the one prepared for her by the Mu family.
"These kitchen utensils... were they made by Si Jie?" Lu Wan Qing hesitated for a moment and couldn't help but ask.
Yu Nong nodded, "Mm."
"A while ago, I learned about your habits from Mu Si Jie. He said you liked these," Yu Nong said, his voice still in its unhurried tone, as if his emotions were undetectable.