Living in the Mountains

The winter days were already short, and it got dark early. Fortunately, the road up the mountain was lit by street lamps.

Luo Muqi had already ordered hotpot from the boss and bought ingredients and drinks. The homestay here consisted of independent two-story cottages. Although located halfway up the mountain in the outskirts of the Capital, each cottage had heating, and both the living room and bedrooms were equipped with air conditioning.

Luo Wei'er and Luo Xue'er were leaning against the window, anxiously waiting for Mo Xuan. As for Luo Shiya… she wasn’t important. It didn’t matter if she didn’t come.

“Stop waiting, he’ll be here soon,” Luo Muqi said sarcastically. “He’s probably catching up on sleep right now!”

He must be tired, so of course, he’d need to rest.

“Auntie, call him~”

Luo Wei'er turned to look at Luo Muqi, her little face pleading. Luo Muqi sighed and was just about to take out her phone when a pair of headlights flashed by. The two little ones excitedly pointed out the window: “Daddy, Daddy~”

Luo Muqi opened the door and saw Mo Xuan and Luo Shiya holding hands. Before Mo Xuan could react, a wave of cold air rushed in from the open door.

Startled, he quickly looked up, only to have Luo Muqi throw herself into his arms. This not only pushed Luo Shiya aside but also prevented the two little ones from hugging their daddy.

If the gazes of the two children and Luo Shiya were knives, Luo Muqi would have been minced into dumpling filling by now.

But she didn’t care. In fact, she even hid in Mo Xuan’s arms and taunted her older sister with a smug look.

How childish… Luo Shiya wasn’t even angry. Instead, she smiled meaningfully and deliberately licked her luscious lips.

Mo Xuan suddenly felt like he wasn’t holding Luo Muqi but some kind of ice block. Why was it so cold?

“Daddy, Daddy~”

Luo Wei'er and Luo Xue'er tugged at Mo Xuan’s clothes pitifully, even lifting their little legs as if they were trying to climb into his arms. In their haste, they accidentally kicked Luo Muqi’s calf.

Luo Muqi: …

My sister steals my man, and now you two are kicking me? It’s her who’s taking your daddy today!

Reluctantly, Luo Muqi let go of Mo Xuan. The two little ones were finally satisfied as Mo Xuan picked them up, even sticking their tongues out at Luo Shiya and Luo Muqi.

The two sisters had never been so tempted to throw these two brats away. In fact, Luo Shiya was even considering making up some excuse to leave the kids with Luo Tian before going abroad.

Meanwhile, Luo Tian, who was finally free from overtime work and was maintaining his fishing rods at his villa, suddenly sneezed several times for no reason.

“What’s wrong?” Liu Yiyi, who was beside him, asked curiously. “Did you catch a cold from the cold weather?”

“No, I just feel inexplicably uneasy.”

Luo Tian scratched his head, thinking hard but couldn’t recall anything he had done recently to upset those two living ancestors. Liu Yiyi glanced at the fishing rod in Luo Tian’s hand and the fishing line beside him, unable to hide her disdain. “You spend all this effort, but I’ve barely seen you actually go fishing.”

Is it that I don’t want to? With such a huge family business, those two ancestors running off whenever they feel like it is one thing, but now they’re planning to completely wash their hands of it.

Still, the thought of not having those two sisters constantly hovering around him secretly delighted Luo Tian.

Mo Xuan, my brother-in-law, having two wives isn’t easy. I doubt they’ll be able to keep up the act for much longer…

“What are you grinning about?” Liu Yiyi, seeing Luo Tian’s idiotic smile, couldn’t help but smack his head and handed him a cup of goji berry tea. “Drink this, and come inside with me!”

“But honey, it’s still early…”

“You’re not satisfied? Luo Tian, I…”

“Okay, okay, let’s go!”

There’s no denying that winter and hotpot are a perfect match. The lamb and beef at this homestay were very fresh, as it specialized in hotpot and mountain lodging.

As they enjoyed the warm hotpot, Mo Xuan was surrounded by his two daughters, who were showering him with affection, and the two mothers, who were chatting and laughing with him.

After finishing the meal, Mo Xuan wanted to clean up, but Luo Shiya tugged at his sleeve and said, “Go spend time with the kids. Muqi and I can handle this.”

“It’s fine, I’ll do it,” Mo Xuan smiled and gently stopped her. “You two go play with them.”

After cleaning up, Mo Xuan and the two sisters spent some time playing with the kids until the two little ones started to get sleepy. Mo Xuan then carried them to the bedroom on the first floor.

Seeing Mo Xuan close the door to put the kids to sleep, Luo Muqi turned to her sister and whispered, “Sis, since you’re staying with the kids tonight, can I sleep with him on the second floor?”

Luo Shiya glanced at her and let out a cold laugh. “Guess why I insisted on going to the hotel before coming here?”

Luo Muqi had to admit that she was still no match for her sister. Mo Xuan had already fallen asleep next to the two children, a fairy tale book still in his hand.

Luo Muqi glared at Luo Shiya, gritting her teeth, but Luo Shiya calmly straightened her clothes and smiled. “Little sister, I’ll head upstairs first. I’ll leave the door open for you.”

Furious, Luo Muqi grabbed a vase nearby, ready to smash it, but Luo Shiya peeked her head back in and said, “You wouldn’t want Mo Xuan to see you throwing a tantrum right now, would you?”

Luo Muqi was almost sent into a rage by her sister’s words. After a moment of thought, she sighed and walked to the first-floor bedroom. She gently nudged Mo Xuan and said, “Brother, don’t sleep like this. You’ll feel uncomfortable.”

Mo Xuan groggily opened his eyes and rubbed them. After eating hotpot and being in the warm room, it was easy to feel drowsy. Somehow, while telling the children a story, he had fallen asleep.

“Brother, go take a shower. You still smell like hotpot,” Luo Muqi said with a smile, handing him a towel. “There’s a bathroom on the first floor, and it’s quite spacious. I’ve brought your pajamas and a change of clothes. I’ll get them for you in a moment.”

Still half-asleep and confused, Mo Xuan was pushed into the bathroom by Luo Muqi.

After sniffing himself, he realized he did indeed still smell like hotpot. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he quickly took off his clothes. Fortunately, the bathroom was warm. The hot water cascading over his body made him feel even sleepier.

After finishing his shower in a daze, he turned around to grab the towel, only to have the door open.

Wait, didn’t I lock the door to avoid a repeat of last time?

Outside the door stood Luo Muqi, wearing only a robe and holding a set of men’s pajamas. In her right hand, she twirled a keychain with several keys on it, giving Mo Xuan a teasing smile. Then, she stepped inside and closed the door behind her…

In her sleep, Luo Xue'er suddenly woke up, having faintly heard her daddy calling for help outside the door. But the little one was too young to fight off her drowsiness and quickly fell back asleep…

Snow could fall at any time during winter, and by the next morning, the outside world was blanketed in white.

The snow had stopped by morning, and the family of five, who had originally planned to leave that day, decided to stay another night.

“Suddenly, it feels like staying here isn’t so bad,” Luo Shiya said, holding a cup of hot tea. On the couch, Mo Xuan was still sound asleep, unresponsive to anything.

Luo Muqi, though feeling a bit guilty, didn’t say anything. However, her radiant expression made Luo Shiya want to slap her.

This brat really knows how to apply what she’s learned. Last time I locked her door, and now she’s locked me out of the second-floor bedroom!

“You know, sis, living in the mountains really isn’t so bad,” Luo Muqi quickly changed the subject, unable to withstand Luo Shiya’s intimidating aura.

“Yeah…”

Luo Shiya glanced at the still-sleeping Mo Xuan. The two children weren’t making any noise, just sitting on the carpet and poking their daddy’s face with their tiny fingers.

“Living in the mountains would make it harder to run away than living by the sea, don’t you think?”

Luo Shiya said this very seriously, and Luo Muqi actually began to ponder the feasibility of the idea…