My Sweet And Submissive Bunny Won't Stop Being Clingy - Chapter 16

“You don’t look very well.”

Meng Hemian picked up the chopsticks from the floor and placed them gently on the table.

She turned around. Wen Shuyao was staring at her blankly, her eyes out of focus, looking like a little rabbit that had been overstimulated.

Meng Hemian waved a hand in front of her eyes. Only then did Wen Shuyao startle as if waking from a dream, hurrying into the kitchen to grab a new pair of chopsticks.

She didn’t answer Meng Hemian’s question, she seemed distracted even while shoveling rice into her mouth.

After dinner, it was Meng Hemian’s routine to wash the dishes. Just as she finished clearing the table, Wen Shuyao began putting on her coat outside the kitchen.

“I have something to do, I’m going out. You don’t need to leave the light on for me tonight.”

Meng Hemian fixed her gaze on her: “Where are you going?”

This was the first time she had ever pried into Wen Shuyao’s private affairs.

Wen Shuyao tensed up instantly, saying in a tiny voice, “Sister Xiu invited me out for a midnight snack.”

“Oh,” Meng Hemian seemed to believe her excuse, lowering her head to continue washing the dishes. “Come back early.”

Wen Shuyao nodded like a chick pecking at grain, swapped her shoes, and dashed out the door without even saying a proper goodbye.

The moonlight tonight was thin, and the small town’s streetlights were a dim yellow. Light-seeking insects flew erratically beneath them, devoid of any hazy or illusory beauty.

Wen Shuyao pulled her coat tight and knocked on the back door of the cat cafe.

A moment later, the door creaked open. Tu Shanxiu was draped in a water red shawl, yawning lazily.

Looking as though she hadn’t quite woken up, she narrowed her fox like eyes to welcome Wen Shuyao inside.

“What is it?”

Despite her words, there wasn’t much surprise on her face; she seemed to have long anticipated Wen Shuyao’s arrival.

Wen Shuyao found a small stool and sat down primly, speaking pitifully: “Sister Xiu, yesterday when you helped me check my pulse…”

Before she could finish, Tu Shanxiu took hold of her slender wrist. With a solemn expression, she said, “Smooth and flowing, like pearls rolling on a plate. It is indeed a pregnancy pulse.”

Even though she had expected it, Wen Shuyao’s eyes widened slightly.

It was the sort of thing that felt manageable until it was spoken aloud; now, she felt “off” from head to toe.

Tu Shanxiu then gripped her own wrist and sighed, her face full of tragic grief: “However, your children’s stars often encounter ‘Emptiness.’ This child has a destiny with you but no foundation, it cannot be kept. It’s better to make plans early.”

Wen Shuyao was stunned: “What plans?”

Tu Shanxiu burst out laughing, rubbing Wen Shuyao’s head with great affection, looking at her like a silly rabbit who hadn’t realized she’d already jumped into a wolf’s den.

She smiled and said, “Of course, you go find Meng Hemian to take responsibility.”

Wen Shuyao’s thoughts were already drifting: “Ah…”

This dull response thoroughly incensed Tu Shanxiu. The latter slammed the table so hard she didn’t even care that her shawl slipped to the floor.

“Ah? ‘Ah’ what?! How many times did I tell you? The most important thing is passing the Thunder Tribulation!”

She ground her teeth in anger: “I didn’t work myself to death setting up altars for divination and altering human memories just for you to get the short end of the stick. How can a demon from Jianglou suffer a loss at the hands of a human?!”

She pulled Wen Shuyao up and shoved her toward the door.

“Go back and demand compensation from Meng Hemian. Otherwise, don’t come see me.”

Wen Shuyao frowned, disagreeing with Tu Shanxiu’s logic: “Actually, it was my own greed. You can’t entirely blame her.”

She had been addicted to the pleasure and hadn’t listened to Tu Shanxiu’s warnings to stop in time.

And Meng Hemian had been kept in the dark the whole time, unaware of the potential consequences.

Of course, the most important thing was her bad luck. How could this happen after only a few times?

Tu Shanxiu’s face fell as she scolded, “You have no backbone at all!”

The door slammed shut in front of Wen Shuyao, fast and hard, dripping with the sentiment of “hating that iron cannot become steel.”

Wen Shuyao stood there in a daze. She was always clumsy when dealing with sudden events and didn’t know if she should knock again.

The door behind her slid open again.

“Wait.”

Wen Shuyao scrambled to catch a bundle thrown through the crack in the door.

Tu Shanxiu’s instructions came from afar: “This is the supplement you wanted. I’ve reformulated it. Once a day. Make absolutely sure Meng Hemian takes it on time, otherwise, the effect won’t be good.”

A fox’s temperament is fickle, changing faster than the pages of a book. Wen Shuyao didn’t overthink it and bowed politely in thanks.

She tucked the medicine bundle against her chest. Setting her own issues aside for a moment, all she could think about was how to get Meng Hemian to take the medicine regularly.

Having a human at home who was both weak and careless with their health was truly a lot of work for a rabbit.

Wen Shuyao hurried home. The heavy night dew in the garden soaked her shoes, but she saw it clearly:

A warm yellow garden light was on nearby, and light was spilling from the house not far away.

Meng Hemian had left the light on for her after all.

Wen Shuyao changed her clothes and washed up quietly, tiptoeing past Meng Hemian’s room.

The door was tightly shut, the person inside must have gone to sleep long ago.

She thought wistfully, if Meng Hemian knew she was a “freak,” she would probably become guarded or perhaps quietly distance herself.

“Goodnight.”

Wen Shuyao stood before the door for a moment, feeling lost, her voice barely audible.

Late spring had not yet ended, but summer had already staged a silent invasion. Temperatures began to climb steadily, and the wisteria blooming season was reaching its end.

The next day, Meng Hemian had nothing to do, so she lay under the wisteria tree flipping through her notebook all day.

Her grandmother had a habit of recording things, the thick volume contained not only pastry recipes but also home-cooked meals and health tonics.

But it didn’t contain that specific, special wisteria cake recipe that only Granny Wan had eaten.

Meng Hemian was baffled. How did Grandma manage to make the filling taste like oranges when there were no oranges in it? Where did that fragrance come from?

Since she didn’t have a rabbit nearby to pet, her mood grew increasingly gloomy, and her expression became visibly cold.

Just then, Wen Shuyao waddled over from the small courtyard with her hands behind her back, stopping in front of her.

She tilted her head: “Meng Hemian, I made Poria and Osmanthus cake. Do you want to try some?”

Then, like a magic trick, she produced a porcelain plate from behind her back.

The diamond-cut pastries were stacked neatly, looking exquisite and cute, one bite each, likely very convenient to eat.

Meng Hemian didn’t refuse, picking up a piece to taste slowly.

Wen Shuyao’s skills were better than hers, the Osmanthus cake was delicate and sweet. Before her taste buds could even react, the elegant scent of osmanthus hijacked her sense of smell.

It felt just like a cool, refreshing, yet fragrant autumn.

“It’s good.”

Meng Hemian’s critique was brief, but her hand was honest as she took another piece.

Seeing this, Wen Shuyao curled her lips into a smile: “These are all for you.”

Meng Hemian didn’t speak but patted the rocking chair beside her, signaling for Wen Shuyao to sit and chat.

She looked up at the veil of wisteria flowers, letting the Osmanthus cake melt bit by bit in her mouth.

Then she asked casually, “There’s a medicinal taste I can’t quite place. What did you put in here?”

She hadn’t expected her secret addition to be discovered!

Wen Shuyao sat up straight guiltily, trying her best to look innocent.

“Angelica, Astragalus…” she recited a long list of herbs, finally adding three words: “…soup base.”

She turned her head, not missing any slight change in Meng Hemian’s expression.

Then she began to praise her sincerely: “You’re amazing, being able to taste such a small hint of bitterness.”

Meng Hemian remained silent. She felt like the person beside her was treating her like a child, fearing she wouldn’t take her medicine and thus finding ways to coax her into eating it.

She wasn’t angry, she even took another piece of cake and asked calmly, “Why do this?”

Wen Shuyao said honestly, “You don’t seem to like bitter things.”

In the past, she wouldn’t touch those medicinal soups even after they had gone cold.

The shade under the wisteria was cool and pleasant, with occasional breezes, a perfect place for a heart to heart.

With nothing else to do, Meng Hemian simply slumped into the rocking chair to relax.

Since coming to Jianglou, she had almost grown accustomed to this slow pace of life.

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just… I forget. Sometimes when my brain is too full, I forget unimportant things.”

After going to Yaocheng, she had filled her life so completely that she forgot many things. Or rather, she had lost many childhood memories.

Wen Shuyao pouted and critiqued: “How can that be unimportant? You should exercise more, get some sun, so you won’t have ‘a willing heart but a weak body’ later.”

“Next time, for sure.”

Meng Hemian brushed it off with a straight face, then smoothly changed the subject.

She explained, “I can taste it because I’m familiar with it.”

“When I was little, I often helped Grandma brew medicine. Sometimes it was tonics for my mother, sometimes common remedies for coughing, asthma, or clearing heat.”

“Grandma was very kind. In the summer, she’d put out ice water in the shop in the winter, she’d switch it to hot ginger and red date tea for people to drink for free.”

“She once told me.”

Lying in the rocking chair, the sight of the wisteria was like a dream of her childhood, a breeze would send them fluttering to the ground.

She brushed the flowers from her hands and looked up at her grandmother kneading dough at the stove.

Her grandmother’s face was blurred by the sunlight, but her eyes were exceptionally gentle and clear in her memory.

As she kneaded the dough, she rambled: “To make good food, you have to make it suit people’s tastes. Some don’t like spice, some live for sugar. Fortunately, our family’s recipes are liked by all the neighbors.”

Then her eyes lowered, her tone holding a hint of playful teasing: “Only your Granny Wan is the most delicate. She won’t eat this or that. Even the wisteria cakes for her have to be made fresh and delivered while they’re still hot.”

She leaned down and handed little Meng Hemian an Osmanthus candy, asking with a smile: “Little He’er, is the medicine in the clay stove ready?”

Little Meng Hemian trotted over to check. The air was thick with a sour, bitter smell, and the medicinal juice was bubbling in the pot.

She wrinkled her small face and sniffed: “Grandma, it smells like it’s been cooking too long!”

This realization caused Meng Hemian to snap out of her sweet dream.

“Medicine.”

She sat up abruptly and blurted out the word, startling Wen Shuyao beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

Meng Hemian lowered her head in thought, muttering to herself, “Didn’t Granny Wan always have a chronic cough?”

Having said that, she grabbed her notebook and walked quickly toward the kitchen.

Before leaving, she didn’t forget to rub Wen Shuyao’s head, ruffling her hair into a mess.

“Thanks, Little Yao. I’ll treat you to a big meal when I have time.”

Meng Hemian left with a carefree air, leaving Wen Shuyao sitting on the rocking chair with a stunned expression.

First, she covered her head in disbelief, then she touched her increasingly hot face.

Reaching toward her lower back, she realized her furry tail had popped out.

She pressed her hand to her chest, but the thing inside was thumping wildly, echoing a certain voice in her head.

That voice said to her: Quick, go make Meng Hemian rub your head again!

Wen Shuyao was too scared to move. Was this… also a symptom of a “phantom pregnancy”?