Evidently, that bump had made Guang Yu’s dream chase for the wasabi bottle far more challenging.
Once the Head Maid learned the truth, her pupils quaked for a good long while. Only then did she belatedly realize that this was probably the real reason the two young misses had shown up at the company today.
Next week… Madam was coming back?
No, Second Miss—you couldn’t blame her for getting worked up earlier! The whole thing was downright fantastical!
Eight years ago, Madam had gone abroad on business and run into a massive storm. The cruise ship wrecked at sea, and everyone in the Ye Family had long since assumed she was lost. If not for concern over the feelings of the Eldest Miss, the Second Miss, and the Chairman, they would have held a memorial service for her on their own initiative.
After all, Madam had always treated the staff with such kindness, never barking orders like some overlord… much like the current Eldest Miss and her gentle ways.
And now you were telling her that Madam was coming back?
Joy and confusion churned together in the Head Maid’s sea of thoughts until she finally decided to clear her mind entirely.
She let out a long sigh.
“Sigh… whatever the case, if Madam is still alive, that’s a net positive for everyone. So be it…”
“?!’
Ye Zhibai was floored.
How could even you, Head Maid, sum it up like that?!
If mere survival could only be described as “more good than harm,” then just how much of a menace to society had this woman been?!
Earlier, her sister had posed a question: What kind of person was their mama?
Yun’er mulled it over briefly. In her view, there was no straightforward answer.
If she had to put it into words, she would say that Mama was a freak among humans—a mudslide of a flower blooming amid prosperity.
Given that she herself had been so young back when Mama was still around at home, her memories were distant and hazy. Ye Zhiyun decided to pass the buck to the Head Maid.
“Head Maid, if you had to evaluate my mama as a person, what would you say?”
“I’m sorry, Second Miss—I really shouldn’t. That’s the Family Head’s wife; it would be grossly disrespectful for me to comment.”
“It’s fine. I give you permission.”
“Oh… in that case, I’ll speak freely?”
Good lord… the Head Maid’s tone carried a hefty grudge!
The Head Maid tightened her grip on the steering wheel and drew a deep breath.
No one could guess the depth of worry clouding her furrowed brow.
“As for an evaluation… I really don’t have the standing. Tell you what—I’ll share a little story instead. Eldest Miss, have a listen.”
“This happened when you were eight, Second Miss—that is, ten years ago. You got a wild idea in your head, full of big dreams, and suddenly decided you wanted to learn to ride a bicycle. So the Maid Corps fetched one for you to practice on.”
Hang on, Head Maid… learning to ride a bike hardly qualified as a “wild idea” or “grand ambition,” did it?
“Madam declared that as your mother, she would teach you personally. Now, everyone in the Maid Corps knew Madam was unreliable at best… so we were all uneasy. But she swore up and down that there was no problem.”
“She made all those promises, but she had no clue how to teach. You crashed into the ground over and over, bang after bang. Madam paced frantically, spinning in circles. She put in a real effort all afternoon—truly inspirational stuff. But when dinnertime rolled around… she just quit. She even told you, ‘It’s not embarrassing if you never learn to ride a bike’—purely dodging responsibility.”
Hey! Wasn’t her mom being a total flake?!
If she couldn’t teach it, she dismissed it as unimportant? No big deal if you never learned?
Still… up to that point, Ye Zhibai didn’t find anything too outrageous. Everyone had their shortcomings, and it sounded like Mama just lacked patience.
But the Head Maid’s next words utterly shattered Ye Zhibai’s understanding.
“Madam couldn’t teach you, but the Maid Corps couldn’t very well let you give up on learning either. So I volunteered to take over.”
“It only took one morning the next day. You picked it up right away, Second Miss—you’re so gifted. It proved Madam really just couldn’t teach. At that point, the matter should have been settled… but then… er, Second Miss, can I go on with the rest?”
“You have to! Tell it all—I’ve got a vague memory now too. That woman’s handiwork…!”
Huh? Why had Yun’er’s gaze suddenly turned icy?
The Head Maid nodded, united in their outrage, and laid out the full crime.
“Not long after, you had fully mastered riding around the yard, carefree and happy. Then you tumbled headfirst into a big pit. It was shallow, padded with foam at the bottom—no real harm from the fall—but the shock made you burst into tears. Madam rushed over to console you. At first, we all thought it was sweet; she was finally acting like a caring mother. But we looked into it later: why had a pit suddenly appeared in the yard, complete with foam padding? Very suspicious.”
“Our investigation pulled up surveillance footage from the yard. It showed Madam hauling a shovel out in the dead of night and digging that pit herself. Once it was done, she clenched her fist with a wicked grin… Perhaps she just couldn’t stomach failing to teach you herself. At the very least, the video caught her padding the foam with genuine care.”
“……”
Yun’er’s face had gone pitch black.
Ye Zhibai’s entire perception of her own mother lay in ruins.
~~~
This was a mudslide of motherly love!
Digging the pit was her unyielding defiance.
The foam padding was her ultimate grasp of maternal affection.
Rushing to comfort you? Her self-orchestrated ploy—the final bulwark preserving her maternal dignity.
Ye Zhibai now completely understood why Yun’er harbored such massive grudges against their mama.
Any daughter with a fiery temper would have snatched that shovel and dueled her to the death!
Come to think of it, their family didn’t have a single normal person.
And that was normal in itself. After all, even the family cat was abnormal.
Yun’er pinched the bridge of her nose, her headache a private torment known only to her.
But in the next instant, something occurred to her. That speechless expression morphed into a strange kind of awe.
“Speaking of the bike incident, now I remember. Forget whether I’m smart or not—Sister, you’re the real genius! I recall it crystal clear: that day, as I was riding, you came out and watched just once.
No one taught you a thing. You hopped on the bike and whooshed around the yard!”
“R-Really?”
“Absolutely. Right, Head Maid?”
“Yes, your memory’s spot on. The Eldest Miss has always full of surprises for us—not just the bicycle. Piano took the rest of us over a month to learn basics, but she nailed it on the first try and played beautifully. Back then, aside from not speaking yet, the Eldest Miss was a bona fide super genius toddler.”
“……”
Welp.
Mystery solved: why they always thought she was so amazing.
No, that was just mimicry! Did mimicry count as talent?!
Ye Zhibai couldn’t help recalling a certain copycat shinobi from that one series—his replication skills were unrivaled.
And here she was, a pint-sized Little Zhibai channeling a Little Yun’er remix!
After regaling them with those anecdotes, the Head Maid added with a chuckle,
“Hahaha! And to spare the Second Miss any embarrassment, the Eldest Miss rode straight into the pit a second time on purpose!”
“Wahhh… don’t remind me, I’ll cry! Sister’s been sweet and gentle from the cradle—I’ll cherish that memory forever!”
Ye Zhibai turned silently to gaze at the passing scenery, Guang Yu’s wasabi-chasing murmurs echoing faintly in her mind. She said nothing.
Fine, fine… if that’s how you saw it, whatever.
Her childhood mimicry of Yun’er had been top-tier professionalism.
Every single detail executed to perfection!
The drive back was a long one, and Ye Zhibai was starting to nod off in the car.
Then, as they idled at a red light, Yun’er spoke up suddenly, snapping her back to attention.
“Isn’t that… Sister? Look over there—the short girl standing on those steps, doesn’t she seem familiar?”
“Where…?”
“Over there, on the steps. The one lounging on that bench—isn’t that the online friend you met at Comic-Con? She looks just like her… or maybe I’m seeing things?”
“Let me take a peek… Huh?”
At first, Ye Zhibai figured it was a long shot.
The world was vast; stumbling across an acquaintance while driving was rare enough.
Especially since she hardly knew anyone—the odds were minuscule.
But her eyesight was sharp.
Worth a check.
Peering in the direction Yun’er pointed through the window, she spotted it: not far off, on a set of steps lined with benches, sat a girl swinging her short legs. She wore oversized headphones and stared skyward, lost in contemplation.
Pink hair, cherry-blossom eyes, petite frame.
Little Qiu?!
Standing beside her was a middle-aged woman with matching pink hair, pacing idly as if waiting for someone.
Ye Zhibai’s gaze drifted farther.
She tilted her head up slightly, taking in the cluster of buildings looming behind the steps.
Qihai City Central Hospital.
