The inner garden was peaceful, filled with the scent of medicinal herbs and warmed by the sun.
Mu Yuelan sat beneath a blossom tree, a delicate zither resting beside her as she sipped a cup of fragrant tea.
Her robe was light blue, trimmed with silver vine embroidery, and her long black hair shimmered under the light. She looked peaceful, yet refined—like a moonlit lake.
As footsteps approached, her head tilted slightly. Then her eyes widened.
"…Zihan'er?"
Her voice was a mix of surprise and disbelief.
The next second, she was already up.
"Zihan'er!"
She rushed across the garden like a gentle breeze—then, like a bolt of wind, swept her son into a tight embrace before he could even brace for it.
"ARGH!"
Bai Zihan almost suffocated under his mother's embrace.
"You've gotten taller again! But you—why are you so thin? Are you not eating well?"
She leaned back slightly, gripping his shoulders as she scanned his face with intense scrutiny, then pinched his cheek.
