My Mother Has a System but Won't Use It

Don't mess it up or I'll ground you inside my Empty Space with Munyu for a month.

Han Fei threw a sideway glance at her father. Contemplating, she nodded.

"Father has told a lot about you, Aunt Liyue," she smiled cutely.

Liyue sat slightly straighter. "What did he say?" she seemed incredibly interested.

Han Fei puffed her chest up—she had a bigger chest than both Ruo and Liyue and she was proud of that—and said, "Good things, mostly."

Liyue smiled and rustled Han Fei's hair. "Who are you trying to hoodwink, indeed, you and Ruo are the same. A piece cut from the same cloth. Well, I'd say you are cheekier. But yeah, don't try to play your aunt."

Subconsciously, Liyue's eyes grew soft and she pinched Han Fei's cheeks.

"You look beautiful, too, now that I look clearly. You also have a bit of his cut to your face."

"...Um, that's the first time someone told me I look like Dad."

"You do, it's your Aunt saying this, trust me."

Liyue adjusted her seating in Han Li's lap, smiling.

"Okay!" Han Fei smiled.

"So what does he do to you? Um, you get what I mean?"

Han Fei blushed. Aren't we meeting for the first time, lady? Why are you so confident?

"Dad, you told me she was somewhat afraid of others or something…"

"She was, she is no longer. Isn't she cute?"

"Damn, mother must have been insecure around her. What a bomb. She seems kind, too. You got a really good deal with her, didn't you?"

Liyue gave a flick on her forehead.

"Ouch," Han Fei cried out. "What was that for?"

"Don't use your voice transmission while I am around."

"How did you find out?" Han Fei rubbed her forehead, a guilty expression on her face.

"Magic," Liyue winked at her.

Han Li just glared at her contemptuously. "Get back in your place, I have other works."

"No, I want to be around my aunt—We just met."

Han Li snapped his fingers and Han Fei vanished into his Empty Space. She screamed: "DAD!!!!"

Han Li tuned her out.

"Ohw, so mean, big brother!" Liyue looked at him with a frown. "I wanted to talk to her longer. Such a cheeky brat. I like her."

"We have other things to do today," Han Li sighed. "She just makes you lazy. It's better if we do what is important now first. For one, how did you enter this Pagoda?"

The necklace world, what kind of place was it?

What was this city like?

What had the Sacred Cult done to it?

Since he had harmed a guard earlier, it should already be stirring up some trouble down there. Han Li knew there were no Power Borns inside this place but he wanted to know the full details.

"It's the others. Come, let me bring you to them then," She took his hand and led him to another room in the pagoda. "There are apparently a lot of people in this Necklace World. The other sisters made a more comprehensive background check on everything."

They opened a door and entered a room. Inside, a battle was ongoing. It was between Wei Yuanfen and another woman—Shin Wenyu; Monk Hen Shin's disciple. They were arm-wrestling each other and Yuanfen was winning.

Hua Yu was seated near the window on a chair and sipping tea with Han Li's mother. Hua Feilan was reading a scroll on the bed. Li Yao was meditating by the side.

Ruo herself was awkwardly sitting beside Yue Li and trying to explain herself.

Yue Li was sipping her tea like a sage and nodding.

Han Li directly walked in and snatched his mother's seat for himself. Then made Yue Li sit on his lap. He also snatched his mother's tea.

Yue Li got comfortable quickly.

"Xiao Li, where is my grandchild?" she asked.

"Don't ask, enjoy the show," he murmured in her ears. Yue Li grew intrigued.

Ruo blushed like a tomato. Liyue came behind her and squinted her eyes.

"Shameless," she muttered in the girl's ears and then walked past her to sit on the bed.

Ruo looked miserably at her Big Sister. "Big Sis Liyue…"

"Shut up. Shouldn't I call you Big Sis now?" Liyue snorted. "Being ahead of me in things and all. Shamelessly so."

Ruo bit her lips and she seemed to be holding back her tears.

"I didn't want to, it just… happened," she said.

"Argh, fucking Aunt. She made my mom cry, I am going to beat her up. Let me out, Dad!"

"I predicted this," Han Li laughed. "Your mom doesn't like handling complicated things. She is a worrywart. She likes things to be simple and straightforward, you see? Her childhood was a traumatic mess, so she pushes anything complicated away from her."

"Really?"

"Of course. She thought love and relationships were chaotic and complicated—she avoided it. She just… wants everything to be simple. Now though? Even though she doesn't want to experience complicated emotions, she is going through them. She feels like she betrayed Liyue, she knows she and me are one in heart, and she loves YOU to bits.

Everything makes her feel like she is in a swamp and she hates that, fears that."

"My poor mom," Han Fei began to sob in his mind. "Go hug her dad!"

"You guys…" Han Li sighed. "It's a happy event, not a sad one. Ruo is realizing its not that scary. She is coping well. She had always been afraid of these complicated things and she is facing it head-on, laugh for her—don't cry."

"Why is Aunt Liyue making it harder for her?"

"She is just frustrated that you are not hers but Ruo's. They'll make up themselves."

"Eh, really? She is…"

For a while, Liyue scolded Ruo and Ruo silently listened.

"—And then again, Ruo, humph. Have you even raised Han Fei well?" Liyue spat. "I think she hasn't—"

"That's a bit too much, isn't it?" Ruo asked. "Han Fei was raised by both me and Han Li. She is my pride."

"Oh, you finally have a tongue?" Liyue sneered. "Unfilial little girl. I raised YOU along with them. I am the one who—I am the one who you called Big Sister all your life and you just snagged her husband when you had the chance."

"This aunt really has a vicious tongue but she doesn't even know what to say…"

"True," Han Li laughed.

"No you didn't raise me," Ruo mumbled and looked away.

Liyue growled. "What did you say?"

"Han Li was the one who saved me. Mom taught me stuff when I grew up. And then there were the monks. You were always walking behind Han Li and you never really bothered with me other than to impress him." She snorted. "Even now, I don't mind you being snide about me but don't bring Fei Fei into this."

"Big Brother Han is my husband, if he helped you, it's the same as me helping you."

Ruo looked to the side. "He is my husband, too. We even have a child together."

Han Li almost choked on the hot tea.

"My mother is better at an argument, Aunt Liyue is just steaming out and not even saying actual valid stuff."

"Yeah, it's like the first time I am seeing her arguing."

"Let me out, I will help peace this up."

"No, just watch."

Liyue and Ruo glared at each other.

"You call her Fei Fei?" Liyue asked.

"Sometimes," Ruo replied.

"She doesn't know how to hide while talking in transmission. Her expression is very easy to read too. You should have taught her better."

"Isn't that what aunts are for?"

They both glared at him, both sulking. Finally, the other silent people in the room all smiled.

"Why are you glaring at me?" Han Li snorted. "I'll pin you both on the bed and spank you till you both cry."

They both looked away.

Yue Li laughed like clinging bells.