After Master Ma and Constable Song finished their drink, they went to the yamen to perform their duties.

Shen Xu and Song Lin distributed the leftovers from the banquet to the neighbors around them. Aunt Zhang helped them make sweet cakes and distributed them to the children in the town.

Seeing the children eating happily, Shen Xu also showed a kind smile on her face. She suddenly wanted to live in this place with Song Lin forever.

After lunch, she and Song Lin personally planted an osmanthus tree in the corner of the yard.

It means the fragrance of osmanthus and orchid, a perfect match.

Facing a small tree that was only half a person's height, the two hung a red rope on the branches and stood there silently making a wish.

"Xiu Xiu, are you making a wish? What wish did you make?" Song Lin quietly looked at Shen Xu, who also had a pious face, and asked her with his head tilted.

Shen Xu smiled sweetly, her eyes curved as she said, "Well, I made two wishes. What did your husband wish for?"

"I made two wishes." Song Lin blushed and declined, "But the wishes won't come true if I say them out loud."

"Sincerity is the key to success." Shen Xu held his hand, "Then let's talk about one of them, and say it together."

The two said in unison: "May our country be at peace, and the seas and rivers be clear."

Then they looked at each other and laughed together.

May your family and country be peaceful and prosperous forever; may your beloved be healthy and happy forever.

"So does this count as telepathy?" Song Lin put his arm around her waist, smiling warmly.

"Ha, I was just moved by the county magistrate's wedding speech, the brave and upright constable."

"My wise and righteous lady, please hold my hand for the rest of your life. Together, we will maintain harmony in our family, punish evildoers, and serve our country."

"Haha, it's like we're sworn brothers." Shen Xu covered his mouth and chuckled.

"Girl, you and I have such similar ambitions that we should become sworn brothers even if we don't get married. From now on, I will be the eldest brother and you will be the second brother." Song Lin picked her up and lifted her high.

Feeling her toes leave the ground, Shen Xu nervously wrapped her arms around his neck, looking down at those tender amber eyes. She said angrily, "Hey, Constable Song, put me down quickly. Who wants to be your second brother? You are the second brother."

"What do you mean by 'husband'?" Song Lin held her up high like a soft cat.

"Calling Constable Song again, are your feet itchy again?"

"Are you childish? Are your hands sore? I'm very heavy." Shen Xu shook her feet, trying to break free from his restraints, but she was shorter than him to begin with, and he held her up high, so she couldn't get down at all.

"With your tiny body, you can't even break open the door of the charity cemetery. You need to eat more meat. From today on, you will eat three bowls of rice for each meal."

"Ah, that's going to make me die."

"As your husband, I just want to feed you." Song Lin put his arms around her waist, raised his head and kissed her soft lips, gently and lightly, like the spring breeze and drizzle, carefully.

Shen Xu placed his hands on his shoulders, cupped his cheeks and responded to his kiss.

As the kiss grew more passionate, the deep love was melted between their lips and teeth, and their breathing suddenly became rapid. They plundered the increasingly thin air around each other's mouths until they felt a little suffocated, and then they let go of each other.

"Don't look, little kid." Aunt Zhang covered the boy's eyes and stood in the yard with an aunt-like smile, while the boy held the puppy and covered the dog's eyes with his tender little hands.

"Ah Huang is not allowed to watch either."

Shen Xu's face suddenly turned red like a monkey's butt. She almost forgot that there were other people in the yard. She kissed Song Lin so passionately in broad daylight. She whispered to Song Lin, "Put me down quickly. There are people watching us."

Song Lin was thicker-skinned than her and gently put the person down. "What are you afraid of? It's not illegal for a husband to marry his wife."

"It will teach children bad lessons."

After more than half a month of getting along, the boy living in Song Lin's house has become much more cheerful. He told Song Lin and Shen Xu that his name is Cheng'er, that all his family members died in the attack, and that he is now homeless.

Song Lin originally wanted to send him to a nearby charity for adoption, but he couldn't stand the pitiful look of him dragging his legs and refusing to walk.

"Brother Song and Sister Shen, please take me in. Cheng'er wants to practice martial arts with Brother Song and learn how to make a crossbow with Sister Shen."

"This..." Song Lin glanced at Shen Xu who was also in a dilemma. With this brat at home, it was always a little inconvenient for the two of them to be intimate.

"Cheng'er can do everything. He can also copy books. Cheng'er has no family and will die if he goes to the charity hall alone. Brother Song and Sister Shen are both good people. Don't leave Cheng'er alone!" The young man hugged Song Lin's legs and cried miserably.

"Then Cheng'er, please tell us the truth, okay?" Shen Xu squatted down and touched the boy's head.

After so many days of observation, they have actually discovered some clues.

This young man was a picky eater, terrified of armed constables passing through his doorway. He could read and understand the scripts of both the North Sea Kingdom and the Yanyang Kingdom. He and Shen Xu got along well, chatting about profound topics like crossbow mechanisms, torque and distance, arithmetic, rituals, and music.

Song Lin also found clues on those corpses. All the dead were martial artists, and two of them were eunuchs who had been castrated.

So he guessed that even if the boy was not a royal relative, he was at least a high-ranking official.

Recently, the court has been in turmoil. Master Hua and the Queen Mother have forced the young son to take power, and have killed many loyal officials. Most of the prestigious families in the court have been wiped out, and the voices of the people against Master Hua are gradually becoming louder.

Marquis Mu of Zhou in the east and the Xue family in the north have already risen up, and the world is about to be in chaos. Keeping a young man like this around is unpredictable, whether it will be good or bad.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!