Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Hearing the shout of Yun Yue, Xiao Yao also became excited, and the children who were playing in the yard stopped one by one. Xiao Yao carried her daughter out and asked, "Have we entered the city gate?"
"We've already entered the city gate! Right now, we're heading towards the south of the city! Master, let's get ready to welcome the prince!" Yun Yue said breathlessly, her expression filled with excitement. Upon hearing that they had already entered the city, Xiao Yao immediately smiled and said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
A group of people cheered, and the boys hurriedly ran towards the gate. Yuhui also wanted to run along but found it difficult to keep up with her short legs, let alone run. Xiao Yao signaled the Nursemaid to pick up her daughter, and they all quickly made their way to the gate.
When they arrived at the entrance of the royal residence, they hadn't seen a single person yet, but they could hear cheers coming from a nearby street. Xiao Yao smiled, estimating that it wouldn't be long now.
Sure enough, after waiting for less than a quarter of an hour, a large group of people slowly came into view, with her husband, Xuanping Wang He Yu, leading the way. Xiao Yao felt a surge of excitement in her heart, and the children also became animated.
He Yu was on horseback and spotted the crowd at the entrance of the royal residence from afar; he couldn't help but smile broadly. The bodyguards beside him teased, "The Duke of Dou and the princess are quite affectionate; can you see that?"
The soldiers all laughed heartily, and He Yu wasn't angry; instead, he looked pleased and satisfied. "Of course! I haven't seen my Daughter-in-law for almost two years; this longing is something else."
The bodyguards couldn't help but feel a bit envious and shouted, "Prince, don't joke around! Your correspondence with the princess has never stopped. Compared to us who can't even write home, you're already very lucky!"
He Yu chuckled and reached a crossroads where he immediately said, "Alright! Everyone disperse here; go back to your homes and find your mothers!" The soldiers erupted in laughter as they chanted phrases like "Going home! Going home!"
Meanwhile, He Yu, who hadn't seen his wife and child for two years, urged his horse forward. He Ziyao followed closely behind.
In no time at all, they reached the entrance of the royal residence.
Dismounting slowly at the entrance of the royal residence, He Yu handed over the reins to a servant and smiled at Xiao Yao with open arms. "Daughter-in-law, I'm back!"
His familiar voice carried a hint of hoarseness and weariness. Xiao Yao's heart trembled as she immediately rushed into He Yu's embrace. Holding him tightly, her voice was filled with emotion as she cried out, "You're back..."
"Yes, I'm back," He Yu replied as he held his wife tightly.
The two embraced for quite some time before finally parting. Xiao Yao looked at He Ziyao standing quietly behind He Yu and reached out to hug him as well. She smiled as she examined him. "You've grown taller. You're also stronger now and have gotten quite a bit darker!"
He Ziyao grinned silently and scratched his head, seemingly feeling a bit shy about Xiao Yao's praise.
Xiao Yao chuckled knowingly and patted He Ziyao's shoulder. "Go talk to your brother; he's been most worried about you while you were away."
"Mm." He Ziyao nodded and turned in the direction of He Zi Xi.
Over here, Xiao Yao watched as the two brothers reunited after two years apart. Brothers are brothers; even after such a long time, their bond remained as strong as ever.
Xiao Yao took their daughter from the Nursemaid's hands and brought her to He Yu. "Look, our daughter has grown up."
"Yes, when I left, she was still a little one I could hold in my arms." He Yu smiled what he thought was a warm smile to tease his daughter, but she shrank back slightly, leaving He Yu momentarily frozen, unsure of what to do.
Seeing this, Xiao Yao immediately said to He Yu, "She probably hasn't seen you before and might be a bit scared because of your outfit. Go wash up and change clothes first." He Yu nodded, feeling a bit disappointed and uneasy.
"Alright, alright, stop standing outside. Let's go in quickly," Xiao Yao urged. "We can talk inside. The prince and Zi Yao are tired; they should take a good bath first. I've prepared some food."
"Okay." Everyone responded in unison as they cheerfully made their way into the house.
Not far away, onlookers who saw the scene at Xuanping Prince's Mansion couldn't help but express their envy. "Prince Xuanping and Princess Xuanping have always been so affectionate; it's truly enviable."
While bathing, He Yu thought carefully and began to come to terms with things.
When he went off to war, his daughter was less than a month old, and he hadn't returned at all during those two years. It's only natural that she would see him as a stranger. Reflecting on it, he felt he should be the one feeling guilty; after all, his daughter was just a little child who couldn't even speak properly—what could she possibly understand?
After enjoying a comfortable hot bath, He Yu felt refreshed and changed into his home clothes before stepping out. Inside the room were only Xiao Yao and their daughter.
"Where are the Cubs?"
"They went to the backyard. Zi Xi and Zi Yao have worked very hard these past two years; I wanted them to rest well and asked if the kitchen could send food to the backyard," Xiao Yao casually replied to He Yu while their daughter curiously stared at He Yu with wide eyes.
Having come to terms with things, He Yu smiled as well but didn't reach out to tease his daughter; he simply asked, "Did you agree?"
"Of course I did," Xiao Yao replied with a smile as she looked up at him. "You all have been busy traveling; I want you to rest well too. You need to go to the palace tomorrow, right?"
"Naturally," He Yu nodded. "I need to report to the palace tomorrow; I'll rest today."
"Mm, okay." Xiao Yao didn't ask anything further; she felt there was nothing more to inquire about. She gently said to her daughter in her arms, "Can Father hold you?"
Hearing Xiao Yao's words, the daughter did not nod immediately, but it was clear that her resistance towards He Yu had diminished significantly. Perhaps it was indeed due to the absence of his armor and the fact that he had taken a bath, allowing He Yu to transform from a rough man back into the well-dressed young master he usually was, making him seem much more approachable.
The father and daughter exchanged glances, and Xiao Yao did not rush her; she simply said to He Yu, "You can sit here; we will be having a meal soon."
He Yu complied and sat at the other end of the couch, but his eyes never left his daughter. Yuhui curiously looked at this man she was supposed to call “Father.” Xiao Yao said, "Didn’t you always want to meet Father? Now Father is right here; he has missed you. Why don’t you go let Father give you a hug?"
The daughter looked at Xiao Yao, whose eyes were filled with encouragement. However, she did not force her.
Turning back to see He Yu's expectant gaze, the three of them fell silent. After a while, the daughter slowly moved out of Xiao Yao's embrace and crawled toward He Yu. He felt immense joy in his heart but dared not move a muscle, fearing that any action on his part might scare his daughter.
Yuhui crawled bit by bit toward He Yu, covering a short distance that made both adults hold their breath.
Finally, Yuhui reached He Yu's side, looked up, and stretched out her soft white arms. She softly called out, “Father.”
In that instant, He Yu felt as if his heart had melted into a puddle. The tender voice ringing in his ears made him feel completely softened. “Oh, my precious!” He Yu reached out and picked up his daughter, holding her in his arms.
A father's chest was naturally different from a mother's embrace in its softness, yet miraculously it made Yuhui feel safe. She nestled against He Yu, lifted her head again, and called out “Father.”
He Yu responded with a smile and casually pulled out a lively ceramic fox from his pocket. “Do you like it?”
Girls are naturally interested in dolls and toys regardless of their material or shape. Seeing the adorable fox with its tilted head, Yuhui's eyes lit up as she reached out to grab it.
“Where did you get this?” Xiao Yao asked curiously; she hadn’t seen it before.
While playing with his daughter, He Yu explained, “I saw it on the way back and thought it was cute, so I bought it to cheer up our daughter. Now I see I didn’t make the wrong choice.”
On the side, Xiao Yao was very pleased; seeing that He Yu had given the fox to Yuhui, she didn’t mind at all.
Since weaning Yuhui, Xiao Yao had started teaching her that aside from three meals and afternoon snacks, she was not allowed to eat anything else or put anything in her mouth indiscriminately. At first, she tried reasoning with her; when reasoning didn’t work, she resorted to direct discipline.
When it came to principled issues, Xiao Yao was never lenient because these were matters of principle.
Sure enough, they saw Yuhui hugging the fox and playing in He Yu's arms. Xiao Yao remarked, “Our daughter still doesn’t have a name! She has only been called by the emperor’s title; we’ve been waiting for you to come back and name her.”
Hearing this, He Yu felt a surge of emotion. He moved forward a couple of steps, hugged Xiao Yao, and stroked her chin. "Hmm, let me think about it a bit more."
"Sure, anyway, I haven't had a name for the past two years, so what's another couple of years?" Xiao Yao said nonchalantly.
He Yu held Xiao Yao close, inhaling her fresh scent, and said, "I really missed you. It’s been a long time since we were apart."
"You know it's been a long time apart," Xiao Yao's eyes began to redden at this moment. "These past two years have been nerve-wracking. I was always afraid of hearing bad news from the front lines. Do you know how worried I was?"
"I know, I know." He Yu quickly reassured her. "I know you were worried about us, so I pushed back the enemy and rushed back immediately. I hardly rested on the way."
Upon hearing that He Yu hadn't rested much on the journey, Xiao Yao stopped complaining. Just then, the kitchen brought out the dishes. While serving food into He Yu's bowl, she said, "Eat something and then go rest well. Now that you're home, you should finally relax."
Yes, now that he was home, he could finally relax.
This ordinary statement made He Yu feel a lot. While Xiao Yao served He Yu, she asked Yun Zhu and the others, "The meals for Zi Yao have been sent over too, right?"
"Yes, my lord. Yun Bi has already taken the kitchen staff over there. I went to take a look; right now, several young masters are gathered around Young Master Zi Yao listening to stories!" Yun Zhu covered her mouth and laughed.
Returning from the battlefield, there were countless interesting stories waiting for the children who usually stayed at home. Xiao Yao smiled and said, "Tell Yun Bi to keep an eye on things and let Zi Yao rest early; he shouldn't be dragged around by those kids and end up not resting."
"Yes, Yun Bi knows. You can rest assured!"
After lunch, Xiao Yao instructed the Nursemaid to take Yuhui down for a nap while she stayed here to accompany He Yu in resting.
Seeing that their daughter was quietly taken away by the Nursemaid, He Yu joked, "I thought these past two years you had her sleeping with you; turns out you didn't?"
"Of course not." While changing clothes, Xiao Yao explained, "Habits need to be cultivated. You have to come back too. If I let her sleep with me all the time, it would be hard to teach her when she grows up. It's better to let her get used to sleeping alone; that way it won't be troublesome later."
"Yeah, that's true." He Yu always maintained a supportive attitude towards Xiao Yao's educational methods.
When it was time to pamper the children, they did so; but when it came to strict education, they were equally firm. The method of combining discipline with kindness was far superior to either spoiling or being overly strict.
Finally lying on his own bed, He Yu sighed in comfort. "I can finally sleep soundly now; this time I'm going to sleep like a log."
"Of course, but don't forget that you still have to enter the palace," Xiao Yao said with a slight smile, her tone leisurely.
"My princess, can you please not bring up these things that ruin my mood when I'm finally able to relax?" He Yu replied with a pained expression, lifting his head and lying sideways, looking at Xiao Yao, who was still in the room, unsure of how to tidy up.
Seeing He Yu's bitter face, Xiao Yao couldn't help but smile back at him. "Of course, as long as you remember it yourself, I won't mention it again."
"I certainly remember."
"That's good."
After saying this, Xiao Yao climbed onto the bed. He Yu reached out and pulled her into his embrace, sighing, "It's been two years since I've held you to sleep; let me hold you properly now."
Xiao Yao did not resist. After two years without the warmth of an embrace, how many nights had she truly slept well?
Every midnight when she woke from dreams, feeling the cold half of the bed beside her and looking at the canopy above, an unending wave of longing and worry surged within her heart.
Now that she had finally returned to this embrace, not only He Yu but she could finally have a good night's sleep again. (To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count