Chapter 67: An Ominous Visitor

Hearing her son playing around again, Dongmen Meng chuckled softly. "Kunkun is such a child. He usually looks like a little adult, but inside he's still just a kid."

"Mother, my husband is simply steady and composed. He only lets down his guard with family," Ye Li replied sweetly.

"I do like the sound of that," said Dongmen Meng with a smile.

Yan Muer thought to herself, I could have said that too, if only she hadn't beaten me to it.

"Since both of you are determined to become Kunkun's wives, there's something I need to make clear to you, and you must not tell anyone else," Dongmen Meng continued, her expression turning serious.

Seeing the gravity on her face, Yan Muer and Ye Li felt that something important was about to be revealed, but for them, it could only be good news.

"Don't worry, Mother, we will keep your secret," they both promised in unison, a rare moment of tacit understanding between them.

Dongmen Meng nodded, then said slowly, "Actually, Kunkun is not my biological son."

Ye Li and Yan Muer froze, shocked. The little bald head wasn't her own son! Heavens!

If he knew, it would probably crush him... Yan Muer imagined the scene and secretly relished it. That would teach him for always bullying me!

"But Kunkun is still my son, and I don't want to see anyone bully him—not even you two!" Dongmen Meng's aura exploded with force, startling both Yan Muer and Ye Li, who quickly lowered their heads.

In the backyard, Ye Kun and Ye Qin both sensed the pressure radiating from their mother.

"Brother, I think Mother is probably talking to your..." Ye Qin panted, still unable to best his brother.

Ye Kun smiled helplessly. "As long as she doesn't scare the girls too much."

"Brother, you need to change how you address them now."

"Yes, yes, my two ladies."

"Ha ha ha," Ye Qin burst out laughing, though there was a hint of resignation in his tone that Ye Kun easily picked up on as he sipped his tea.

"Time passes so quickly," Ye Kun said quietly, gazing at the small backyard. His childhood with his brother felt like it had just happened yesterday. In the blink of an eye, they had both grown up and were getting married.

Ye Qin took a deep breath. "Yes, far too quickly."

Both brothers were thinking the same thing: growing up meant they would have to part ways, each pursuing their own life. They couldn't always live together.

But neither of them said it aloud.

"Brother, when we go to Ankang Island this time, we need to keep a low profile. That place is full of imperial relatives and nobles, as we saw with Pan Pingping back in the day. And the Ye family of Ankang Island won't be friendly to us either. We'll have no one backing us up this time," Ye Kun said gravely. He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he didn't want his brother to be caught in a bind. What if others couldn't get to him, and targeted his brother instead?

Ye Qin suddenly grinned. "Brother, aren't you my greatest support?"

Ye Kun was taken aback, then gave him a playful punch. "You little rascal."

"Alright, I'll go prepare your wedding chamber now. You have a wife, so we have to sleep separately from now on."

For so many years, the brothers had shared the same room. There was an empty room across the hall, meant for them to move into after getting married.

Watching his brother disappear into the house, Ye Kun's gaze shifted to the main hall. What were those two girls really after?

Whatever their motives, so long as they didn't harm his family, it didn't matter. But if they ever dared lay a finger on his loved ones, he would not show mercy!

As night fell, the conversation between mother-in-law and daughters-in-law finally came to an end.

When Ye Kun entered the main hall, his two new wives immediately stood behind him, visibly nervous.

Ye Kun was quite curious—what had scared them so badly? His mother was really something.

But it was fine. Better for them to be a little intimidated now and let go of any secret schemes early on.

Still, it wasn't as though Ye Li or Yan Muer could be easily frightened. They were just genuinely surprised.

After all, the little bald head wasn't her biological child, yet this mother still treated him so well. She was a good mother, and Ye Li and Yan Muer couldn't help but admire her.

As for their current expressions, they were simply feigning weakness, crafting a gentle persona to lower the little bald head's guard. Then... heh heh...

Mother's scolding would surely be added to their husband's ledger.

At that moment, Xiao Ling brought the food to the table. Since it was the daughters-in-law's first time visiting, the meal was especially sumptuous.

"Why isn't your father back yet?" Dongmen Meng wondered aloud. He'd been out for hours—surely he wasn't out carousing?

Just as she finished speaking, Ye Ming returned, and behind him was another man.

The appearance of this man made Dongmen Meng's brows knit together.

For this was Ye Ming's half-brother—Ye Zhao!

Unlike Ye Ming, Ye Zhao didn't have a square face or a thick beard. He looked clean-cut, with delicate features and a striking handsomeness. Clearly, they didn't share the same mother, as the difference was obvious. Still, there was a familial resemblance in their expressions.

When Zhang Tiantian and Xiao Ling saw Ye Zhao, they tensed up, especially noticing the sword at his waist.

As for Ye Kun and Ye Qin, they were simply puzzled, having never met him before.

Ye Zhao was the head of the Ye family on Ankang Island. In Dongmen Meng's eyes, he was a man of deep schemes, once having framed her own husband in such a cunning way that no one could see it coming. There was no way his visit now boded well.

"Third sister-in-law, it's been a long time," Ye Zhao greeted Dongmen Meng with a polite, seemingly warm smile.

If she didn't know what he was truly like, Dongmen Meng might have welcomed this brother-in-law properly.

Ye Kun and Ye Qin were both stunned. They never expected this man to be their father's brother!

"It's been a long time. We're just about to eat—join us," Dongmen Meng said with a mild smile, though she secretly wished she could stab him in the forehead with a chopstick.

"Thank you, third sister-in-law. These two handsome young men must be my nephews, I presume? Such fine appearances—far better than my own son," Ye Zhao said to Ye Kun and Ye Qin, his tone full of avuncular affection.

"And these two—are they your nieces?" he asked, turning to Ye Li and Yan Muer, curiosity in his eyes.

"They are both my daughters-in-law," Ye Ming replied coolly.

"Congratulations, third brother. With such outstanding daughters-in-law, your younger brother can't help but feel envious," Ye Zhao said, and for once, the sentiment sounded sincere.

Dongmen Meng despised such hypocrisy. Not recognizing Ye Li was one thing, but pretending not to know Yan Muer? Disgusting.

"Enough with the envy. Sit down and eat," Ye Ming said quietly.

Ye Zhao nodded. This bald-headed kid was truly lucky—his father had really treated him well, even giving him Yan Muer from Taijing as a wife. Did he realize how many people he'd offended this way?

Back in the day, Ye Ming had managed to offend nearly all the imperial relatives and nobles of Taijing because of Dongmen Meng. If not for the Ye family's solid foundations, things would have turned out very differently.

Beautiful girls were always the root of trouble.

Ye Kun and Ye Qin took their seats, but...

Ye Qin had always sat next to Ye Kun, but just as he was about to sit, Ye Li slipped into the seat, and Yan Muer sat on Ye Kun's other side.

Poor Ye Qin—life had suddenly become so difficult...