Xiao Fenghao frowned, glancing at Xiao Yuxi with some warning. The latter raised her eyebrows, and she shook her head. He seemed a little relieved when he received her affirmation.
At this moment, Zhou Anran cleared her throat. Xiao Fenghao subconsciously straightened his sitting posture.
"Hao'er, do you notice anything strange with Little Ya?" She began, her gaze appeared gentle. There was no usual sternness when she found out he had been secretly making trouble.
Xiao Fenghao was taken aback. He scratched the back of his head, a little confused. "What's wrong with Little Ya…? Is she sick? Should we get Physician Li to come again?"
"Little Ya is fine, Second Brother," Xiao Yuyan answered softly, hoping that he would catch the hint.
Unfortunately, he didn't. He asked in a rather fierce tone at the end. "Then, what's wrong with her? Is someone bullying her? Let me grab my stick and beat the person up. Tell me who it is?"
Xiao Yuxi rolled her eyes. "Mother, Yan'er. With Second Brother's brain size, if you don't directly say it, he won't understand."
He shot a glare at her, yet it lacked the usual fierceness. Inwardly, he was thinking about Xiao Qingya. If there was something wrong with her, then it was the fact that he could hear her inner thoughts.
For the entire afternoon, he had been rather absentminded, trying to figure out everything. After all, hearing someone's inner thoughts was too fantastical to happen.
Perhaps it was because of Zhou Anran's teaching which was rather different from a normal farmer's family in this era. She was rather open-minded and wasn't as superstitious and didn't have the patriarchal mindset that most families had.
Xiao Fenghao also inherited some of her mindset. If not because of his destructive cooking talent, he wouldn't mind helping his mother or sisters in the kitchen. He didn't think that it was wrong or regard it beneath his dignity to do kitchen duties.
This mindset also made him more aware of Xiao Qingya's situation. He became more worried in case others found out about the little one's uniqueness. Hence, thinking that the less people knew about it, the better. This decision made him hide this fact from his family for the time being.
Somehow, they still came to him to ask such an ambiguous question. Are they testing him or…?
His heart skipped a beat when he heard his mother's next words.
Zhou Anran pursed her lips. "Hao'er, do you also hear Little Ya's inner thoughts?"
"You can tell us, Second Brother. There's no need to hide it if you also hear it," Xiao Yuyan added. She paused briefly. "Actually, we also can hear it."
"It would have been best if it is only us, women of the family, who can hear it, but unexpectedly, a stinky man can also hear it too," Xiao Yuxi commented. She didn't look happy. A deep frown marred her forehead and her lips pursed into a thin line.
Of course, she wasn't truly unhappy at the fact that Xiao Fenghao could hear Xiao Qingya's inner thoughts. She knew he wouldn't do anything to hurt her. However… with more people who can hear their youngest's inner thoughts, there was a possibility it wasn't just limited to them.
What if outsiders can hear it too?
Xiao Qingya would be in danger otherwise. After all, it was her inner thoughts—her most private place—unlike spoken words which could be controlled, inner thoughts were harder to control and more spontaneous.
As he listened to their words, Xiao Fenghao's pupils constricted. He raised his hand in disbelief, pointing at none in particular. "You… you all can hear her inner thoughts too?"
Moreover, it seemed that he was the last one to know, wasn't it? The thought of it made him a little heartbroken.
Xiao Yuyan's expression became a little strange. As Xiao Fenghao was still digesting the truth, she studied her brother's expression thoughtfully.
"Second Brother, do you also know the existence of the System?" She asked. Xiao Fenghao was a little too calm. He was merely disappointed and didn't have any other extreme reaction.
As such, she suspected that the System hadn't shown up at all during the time they spent together. Otherwise, he would have mentioned the plot and wouldn't be so calm about it.
It also meant that there was no further plot triggered by Xiao Fenghao.
"System?" Xiao Fenghao looked around suspiciously, taking in everyone's expressions.
He became a little dejected when he saw Xiao Yuxi's smug face and his mother's calm eyes. This time, he was the only one who was unaware!
"Tell me, what is this System about?" He turned to Xiao Yuyan, knowing that she was more reliable compared to Xiao Yuxi.
During the discussion between Zhou Anran and her twin daughters, Zhou Anran had been trying to make sense of the System's existence. While her daughters were confused and found its existence somewhat unacceptable, she surprisingly was more tolerable about it.
At this moment, Xiao Yuyan was explaining the System's existence based on the understanding she had grasped from her mother's explanation. "Aside from Little Ya's inner thoughts, we can also hear her conversation with the System. The System is…"
Their mother's words helped them to be more open-minded about its existence. As long as it didn't hurt Xiao Qingya, they would regard it as their little one's guardian.
Or something like a personal nanny.
After Xiao Yuyan was done explaining about the System, Xiao Fenghao clutched his hair in disbelief. He pinched himself. It hurts! This conversation isn't a dream!
"We actually live in a storybook?" He mumbled. His heart still refused to accept it, but the plot that the System and Xiao Qingya discussed together was an iron proof. "Xi'er saved us from being beaten because she heard Little Ya's and the System's discussion?"
Xiao Yuyan nodded earnestly. "That's correct. Otherwise, we would still be staying on the bed right now."
They knew that Xiao Fenghao would still need a while to accept this weird, deity-like existence.
"Little Ya only awakened her previous life memories and the System recently? What should we do if other people can hear her inner thoughts too?" Xiao Fenghao pondered about it in a grave tone.