I loaded the Mysticism panel.

Chapter 175 Aunt's Visit

That afternoon, Richard was dragged out of the study by his mother.

He was sitting at the table, analyzing the strokes of the Romanized turning point in the third group of inscriptions on the boundary stone.

"Go downstairs."

"I am..."

"Go downstairs."

The mother's tone was no different from usual, but the hand on her shoulder showed no sign of letting go.

Richard glanced out the window.

Sunlight streamed into the yard, turning the sun-dried bed sheets into a fluttering flag.

He closed the notebook and placed the pen on the ink bottle.

"What time is it?"

"Two o'clock, afternoon tea time."

"I thought it would take another half hour."

"Today it's earlier than usual." The mother released her hand, but didn't leave. "Your sister is waiting for you downstairs."

As Richard went downstairs, he heard rustling sounds coming from the kitchen.

He went into the kitchen.

The blue ribbon on my sister's head wasn't tied tightly; it was hanging diagonally above her right ear, looking like it might fall off at any moment.

"Brother, today I'll teach you how to make Pakin cakes."

"……I?"

"you."

Richard glanced at his mother.

His mother had already pulled out a clean checkered apron and tied it for him in a few quick movements.

"You've been overusing your brain lately," she finally explained. "Do something else to give your brain a break."

"I haven't overused my brain."

Evelyn said your eyebrows were so furrowed last night they could have trapped a fly.

"..."

"No books this afternoon." His mother smoothed out the hem of her apron for him. "All activities are based on your sister's wishes."

Richard resignedly walked to the control panel.

After a series of operations, he was only responsible for assisting.

As the baking tray went into the oven, Evelyn moved a chair to sit in front of it.

"You're planning to stare at it for thirty-five minutes?"

"Um."

"Will looking at it make it ripe?"

"I feel more at ease when I see it."

Richard dragged over a second chair and sat down next to his sister.

The mother came in from the doorway and moved the low stool in front of the oven.

The kitchen became a small theater where the three of them sat around.

The molasses in the oven gradually darkened in color, changing from brownish-red to caramel red.

"Brother, where did you go the farthest this time?"

"Northern Heights, Gaelic Plateau."

"The highlands..." Evelyn murmured the word, "Do the people over there speak a strange language?"

"Gaelic".

"Can you understand me?"

"I can't understand a single word."

"Then how do you communicate with them?"

"Most of them can also speak Albion Mandarin, but with a heavy accent."

Richard thought for a moment and picked out the parts of his experience that he could recount.

"There was an old man in the village who herded sheep up the hill every morning."

He had a gleaming shepherd's staff, the tip of which was carved with a curled-up ram's horn.

"How old is that old man?"

"You wouldn't believe it, the old man from Gale Heights has a face that's all wrinkled from the wind, and he looks ten years older than he actually is."

"Did you talk to him?"

He said something in Gaelic to me, but I didn't understand it.

Then he drew a diagonal line on his own chest, and then drew another one on mine.

Was he insulting you?

"……no."

"Is that a compliment?"

"No, not exactly." Richard offered a suitable explanation.

"It's an old custom for greeting people in that area. The Gaels originally inherited it from a Celtic tribe's etiquette."

Both of them had this line drawn on their chests, meaning 'We stand on the same land.'

"That sounds like something our cathedral priest would say."

"Their etiquette does have a religious flavor."

Did the Gaels have their own religion?

"They're long gone," the mother chimed in from the side.

"More than a thousand years ago, it was wiped out by the Roman legions, and then by the later state religion. Now only some scattered old rules remain."

"...That sounds like a real shame." Evelyn rested her chin on her hand.

"It's not a pity." Richard searched his mind for relevant information.

"Their old rules are still in use, just under a different name."

For example, the evergreen trees at Christmas are a remnant of the Celtic winter solstice festival.

"real?"

"real."

"So, if we plant fir trees every year, could that be considered druidry?"

"...You can't say that, but culture can follow that direction."

By the time they were having their second round of tea, Evelyn had already cut off the piece of parsley cake.

The mother took a bite, she took a bite herself, and Richard took a bite; no one benefited.

She covered the remaining plate with kitchen paper again, placed it on the innermost shelf of the counter, and put a small note on top of it:

"Cooking in progress, please do not open the lid. —E."

"Who are you afraid of driving it?"

"dad."

Richard glanced in the direction of the living room.

"Dad hasn't come back yet."

"His nose is at its sharpest when he gets off work," Evelyn remarked with experience. "That's how we lost a whole piece of Christmas pudding last year."

"...The whole piece?"

"Dad said he only cut off a small piece. I measured the size of the wound, and the missing piece was at least four fingers wide."

The mother, who was clearing half of the table, couldn't help but laugh when she heard Evelyn bringing up this old grievance again.

"You silly girl, you keep such detailed records."

"I plan to open a shop in the future, so I can't be careless with the bookkeeping."

Just then, the phone rang.

The phone rang a second time, and Evelyn, who was closest, rushed over to grab the receiver.

"Hey! This is the Williams house."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then a somewhat familiar female voice came through.

"Is that Evelyn?"

"...Who are you?"

"I am your aunt."

Evelyn's face flushed red to her ears.

She immediately pressed the receiver to her chest and turned towards the kitchen: "Mom! Auntie!"

The mother tossed the rag in her hand to the edge of the sink and hurried over.

Isabella.

"sister."

"How's it going on your end?"

"Everything's fine. My two students are currently working on the first draft of their papers, but they're managing."

"When are you arriving?"

"The train departs at 3:40 PM the day after tomorrow, going directly from Beijing to Briston Central Station."

Richard walked out of the kitchen doorway, still holding the cup of black tea in his hand.

"Are you coming alone?" the mother asked.

"...I'm not coming alone."

"How many people?"

"There are two more students, Sophia and Clara."

"Didn't you say you'd just stop by on your way?"

"That was my original plan," Isabella said with a hint of helplessness.

"But Sofia packed her luggage first, and I didn't stop her."

"What about the other one?"

Clara couldn't come to the Christmas lights last time because of something, and I felt bad about it.

Sofia pulled her along, and she half-heartedly followed.

The mother laughed out loud.

"These two students of yours, they usually follow you so closely?"

"They are indeed a bit clingy," Isabella could only admit. "But they are both good children, and I can't just send them away."

"I've already booked my accommodation and the restaurant."

I ate there once two years ago when I passed through Briston; their venison pie was quite good.

"Venom pie?" Mother recalled for a moment, "The one on New Street?"

"Yes, it's three blocks from the hotel."

"The arrangements you made for this trip are so good that I don't have to do anything at all."

"All you need to do is show up with Richard and Evelyn."

The mother smiled and agreed.

"Where's my brother-in-law?" Isabella asked.

"He'll most likely have to work overtime the day after tomorrow."

"...Until what time do you finish working overtime?"

"The team is working on a batch of boiler drawings recently, and he probably won't be back until after 8:30. We can eat by ourselves and don't need to worry about him."

"Phone calls are expensive. See you the day after tomorrow, meet me on the platform."

The receiver was hung back on the copper hook.

Rogers got home after eight o'clock.

"dad!"

Evelyn rushed out of the kitchen, holding a half-cut parfait in her hand; she was saving the other half for herself to eat tomorrow.

"Want some?"

"Did you let your mother try it?" Rogers had fully learned his lesson from last time.

"I've tried it."

"Where's your brother?"

"I've tried it too."

He was relieved and took the pajamas from his daughter.

………………

Briston train station.

There were more people on the platform than usual in the afternoon.

At this time, the station usually only has a few local passengers, with only a small surge of passengers coming in when the direct train from Beijing to Briston departs at 3:40 pm.

The announcement of the train schedules hadn't started yet.

Evelyn stood next to her mother, her left foot stepping on the yellow line along the edge of the platform, then pulling her foot back, then stepping out again, then pulling it back again.

"Why are you fidgeting like that?" the mother frowned.

"I'm nervous."

"What are you nervous about? Your aunt isn't here to test you."

"I know."

"If you know this, don't do anything rash."

Evelyn behaved herself for a while, then started bobbing her feet slightly in place again.

Richard took the handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to his sister.

Wipe your palms.

Evelyn looked down at her palms and saw that they were indeed damp with a thin layer of sweat.

"...How did you know?"

"You've been fiddling with the hem of your skirt the whole time."

The loudspeaker came on soon after.

"The 3:40 train is a direct route from Beijing to Briston and will arrive on time."

A beam of white light appeared in the distance along the railway tracks, followed by the train engine emerging from the tunnel.

After the train came to a complete stop, the carriage doors opened one by one.

Isabella walked to the door of the second carriage, her gaze sweeping across the platform, and soon spotted her sister's family of three.

The mother quickened her pace and slightly opened her arms.

Isabella put the suitcase on the ground and went over to hug her sister.

The mother rested her chin on her younger sister's shoulder, and Isabella gently patted her older sister's back a few times with her left hand.

Richard stood by without disturbing them.

The enhancement of [Perception] allowed him to clearly see the current state of the two people on the etheric level.

The mother's remaining energy pathways were slightly rekindled through her younger sister's touch.

The hug didn't last long, only a few seconds.

To outsiders, it was just an ordinary hug between sisters who had been separated for a long time.

Evelyn suddenly blurted out from the side.

"Auntie..."

She originally wanted to say "Hello, Auntie".

But that "okay" turned into a little groan like someone biting their own tongue.

"Uh..." She covered her mouth with one hand.

No one on the platform noticed, but Isabella heard it.

Isabella released her sister and turned to look at Evelyn.

"What's wrong?"

"I bit my tongue." Her words were muffled in her palm.

"Pfft..." Isabella couldn't hold back.

She reached out and gently patted her niece's head twice.

"Your brother says you're a baking genius."

"..." Evelyn was a little embarrassed and stammered, unable to speak.

I'll have to verify that later.

"Um……"

"You look great in that red dress today."

"Yes, Mom bought it for me."

"Your mother has always had good taste."

Evelyn nodded, blushing, but she never lowered the hand that was covering her mouth.

Only then did Isabella turn around to look at Richard.

Richard stepped forward and took the leather handbag from him.

"Auntie, was the journey alright?"

"It's alright." Isabella reached out and handed him the suitcase.

Nothing much happened along the way, but Sofia was very noisy, so I hid in the second section to avoid seeing her.

Richard lifted the suitcase with one hand; with the combined effect of his multiple skills, he no longer felt the weight.

"Where are the two senior students?"

"Over there." Isabella gestured towards the front of the car.

Outside the carriage facing the front of the train, two young women were getting off, each carrying a suitcase.

The person walking in front was quite tall, with light blonde hair draped over his shoulders, and he jogged over.

"tutor!"

She ran and shouted.

The one behind was much slower.

She was shorter than Sofia, and her long, dark brown hair was tied back with a ribbon.

The girl carried her suitcase and walked slowly, making way for other passengers getting off the bus.

Isabella waved to Sofia from a distance: "Don't bump into anyone."

Sofia didn't stop until she reached Richard and his family of three, and first gave her mentor's sister a proper bow.

Then he turned to Richard.

"Hello, Richard!" She extended her hand enthusiastically. "I've heard your voice on the phone, but I didn't expect you to be so handsome in person."

"Thank you." Richard shook her hand.

"Evelyn!" Sophia turned around, and Evelyn received a big hug perfectly.

"Hello!" Evelyn was caught off guard.

The graduate student who was walking slowly behind finally arrived.

"Hello." She bowed to her mother first. "I am Clara Fafield, a student of Professor Isabella."

"Hello." She nodded to Richard as well.

"Hello." She nodded to Evelyn one last time.

"Clara...you don't need to be so polite," Isabella said softly from the side. "This isn't a research office."

"Yes," Clara replied.

"Are you tired from the journey?" the mother asked Sophia.

"Our advisor won't let us sleep on the bus," Sofia said, looking aggrieved. "She said if we fall asleep on the bus, we'll easily miss our stop."

As they chatted, the group walked out of the train station, where a horse-drawn carriage was already waiting.