Chapter 93: Aren't you going to pursue a career anymore?

When they arrived home, Yu's mother and Yu Cheng had not yet returned.

In the huge house, there were only the two of them. It was extremely quiet, and they could almost hear each other's heartbeats and breathing.

He Jing said, "Are you hungry? I'll go make some late-night snacks."

Yu Wan said, "No need, I'm not hungry."

Firecrackers were popping outside, and fireworks were blooming in the night sky.

Yu Wan sighed, "It seems everyone's been holding back for the past few years and is really going all out to have fun."

He Jing stared into her eyes, pursed his lips, and hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

“Awan, I have some things on my mind that I want to tell you.”

Seeing his serious expression, Yu Wan guessed that it must be something important, so she invited him to sit down and talk slowly.

"What's wrong? You've helped me so much, I'll definitely help you if it's within my power."

She's no longer penniless; even if she has nothing else, she can still get money whenever she wants.

Seeing her open and honest gaze, He Jing felt a pang of disappointment, realizing she was completely unaware of his feelings. He wondered if he might scare her off by speaking rashly, or even upset her and make her never want to speak to him again.

"I...I...what do you think of me?"

Yu Wan poured him a cup of tea, then grabbed a handful of melon seeds, cracking them open as she spoke.

"You're great, good-looking, and capable of everything, but you don't smile much. I'm not saying this to be mean, but you'll scare away a lot of girls. You should be getting married by now, right? I've heard that great generals like you get married by the emperor after achieving great military exploits and returning to the capital. You should start thinking about your own marriage; you can't just stay here as my employee forever."

He Jing was very nervous and didn't know where to put his hands, so he simply grabbed a handful of melon seeds, peeled the kernels, and placed them one by one in the fruit dish.

"If the Emperor really bestows a marriage upon me, what will you do?"

"Did I really hit the nail on the head? It's true what they say, serving a ruler is like walking on thin ice. Those in power are most afraid of their subordinates holding military power and becoming too powerful." Yu Wan had watched a lot of period dramas in her previous life, so she was very afraid of dealing with imperial power and left the capital without any regrets.

"You still haven't said what you'll do?" He Jing stared at her expectantly.

"What can I do? Of course I'm happy for you. You've achieved success in your career and started a family. Your parents will definitely be proud of you. But, is the woman the emperor has arranged your marriage to someone you like?" Yu Wan asked with a smile.

He Jing nodded. "Yes. Aren't you going to ask who it is?"

Yu Wan lowered her eyes and noticed that there were many melon seeds in the fruit dish in front of her.

"It's pointless for me to ask; they definitely wouldn't know her. I don't know many people in the capital. The person the emperor has chosen for your marriage must be the daughter of a powerful or wealthy person; a commoner like me certainly wouldn't know her. Is this someone I'm being stripped of my identity?"

He Jing's face turned pale, and she looked even more disappointed. She didn't react at all when she heard the news.

"It's for you. You know that woman too."

Yu Wan smiled and praised, "Although you don't talk much, you're quite perceptive. You're so considerate to me, the boss's wife; your character is impeccable. I believe you'll treat your wife very well after you get married. However, I can't help but offer some advice: you can't always be cold to others, especially your partner. Those who know you understand that you're warm-hearted beneath your cold exterior, but those who don't can easily misunderstand you. Is the woman I know the Third Princess?"

He Jing: "..."

Yu Wan finished off the sunflower seeds in a few bites, then stood up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Tell me when you get married, and I'll personally cook for you, so the guests can see what a real banquet is like. I promised Jin Yifei that I would cook for his wedding too; I certainly can't show favoritism. I will repay all of you who have been kind to me with all my heart."

He Jing: "..."

Seeing him lower his eyes and remain silent, Yu Wan wondered what she had said wrong.

"What's wrong? Do you like that woman, but she doesn't feel the same way about you and already has someone she likes?"

He Jing looked up, his red eyes staring at her.

Yu Wan thought she had guessed correctly and comforted her, "Perhaps she has some misunderstanding about you. Why don't you spend more time with her and let her know how you feel? Feelings can't be rushed. You're still young, and as long as she's not married, you still have a chance."

He Jing's expression was complicated. He seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he said nothing, sighed, and went upstairs.

Yu Wan watched his retreating figure and finally understood that this man had been preoccupied ever since he returned. It turned out that he was a young man in love and was experiencing emotional troubles.

A short while later, Yu's mother and Yu Cheng returned.

Seeing Yu Wan sitting alone in the living room eating snacks, the two exchanged a glance, unable to guess how things would turn out.

Yu Cheng asked, "Sister, where is Brother Su?"

Yu Wan pointed upstairs, "He wasn't in a good mood, so he went back to his room to rest. How did you guys have fun? Why are you so late?"

She hadn't gone back to her room because she was a little worried, so she was waiting for them.

"Huh?" Yu Cheng muttered in disappointment, "Looks like he failed."

Mother Yu smiled and said, "Wan, didn't Su say anything to you tonight?"

Yu Wan nodded. "He did say that. He said the emperor wants to bestow a marriage upon him, and the woman is one he likes. It should be a good thing, but it seems that the woman has some misunderstanding about him, so he's a bit troubled now. We outsiders can't advise him on this kind of thing. I'm telling you, don't give him any bad advice, whether it's good or bad, let's not get involved in this mess."

She yawned and stretched, "I'm relieved to see you all back. I'm going to sleep now."

Watching her daughter's retreating figure, Yu's mother smiled indulgently, "Where did your usual cleverness go? Why are you acting like a block of wood when it comes to this?"

Yu Cheng said anxiously, "Mother, Brother Su is such a good person. He's very kind to all of us, and even more so to my sister. I want him to be my brother-in-law, but my sister doesn't seem to have any feelings for him right now. What should we do?"

Mother Yu sighed, "These things can't be rushed. Let them handle it themselves."

February arrived in the blink of an eye, and the weather warmed up. Yu Wan was no longer as busy as last year, and she delegated tasks that could be done by others. With more free time, she felt a little bored.

She didn't like being alone in her room, so she went to the restaurant, which made her feel especially at ease.

Everything is fine.

However, He Jing always followed her, staying close by her side all the time except when she was sleeping.

He wasn't a shop assistant, so Yu Wan couldn't ask him to do anything else, but she was also afraid that it would be impolite to kick him out, since he was her benefactor.

"Actually, you really don't need to follow me around every day. I can take care of myself and have a certain ability to protect myself if I encounter danger. You've worked so hard fighting the war, and now that you're finally free, you should enjoy life. What's the point of you constantly revolving around me?"

He Jing, however, was enjoying it immensely. Various kinds of tea and snacks were laid out in front of her, and Yu Wan was not allowed to do anything that required removing seeds or peeling.

Yu Wan felt that she had been living like an empress dowager for the past month. Being served like this every day made her increasingly lazy.

When are you going back to the capital?

He Jing asked with a smile, "You find me annoying and want to kick me out?"

Yu Wan said, "No, but aren't you going to focus on your career? You're a great general, after all."

He Jing said, "His Majesty understands my hard work over the years and has given me a long vacation."

“Then you should go back and cultivate your relationship with your future wife. I can’t help you with all this work here, but I’ll definitely give you a big gift when you get married.” Yu Wan said she was embarrassed to accept his service, but her body language betrayed her words.

Without thinking, she opened her mouth and took the food that He Jing offered to her mouth.

He Jing used to be anxious, but now he's not. He's made up his mind to stay by her side and refuses to believe she can remain indifferent forever.

"I know what I'm doing, so you don't need to worry about it."

"Alright, alright, I won't worry about it anymore." Seeing that he wouldn't listen to advice, Yu Wan stopped talking.

Honest advice is hard to swallow, and she can't control that.

Suddenly, a commotion arose downstairs.

Yu Wan asked, "Let's see what's wrong. Is someone causing trouble?"

He Jing walked to the window and looked down at the two men dressed in armor.

"It's a good thing that no one is causing trouble."

Upon hearing his words, Yu Wan also walked to the window and looked down. There were two people downstairs, one around twenty years old and the other not yet forty, with decent appearances, and they looked familiar.

"This is……"

He Jing smiled indulgently and asked, "What? Don't you recognize your own father and brother?"

Alarm bells rang in Yu Wan's mind. Why did she feel like this person knew something?

She quickly explained, "Are they my dad and brother? They've been gone for several years now, and they don't look quite the same as when they were at home. It's normal that I didn't recognize them at first."

He Jing smiled and nodded, "Yes, you're right. Shouldn't we go downstairs to greet them?"

"Oh right!" Yu Wan realized that this was indeed the correct approach after being reminded.

After she came into this world, she only had her mother and younger brother as relatives. She felt a little uncomfortable with her father and older brother, whom she had never met.

Seeing that she was a little nervous, He Jing took her hand and comforted her, "When we were in the military camp, I told them some things about you. They all felt sorry for you and admired you a lot."

Yu Wan hugged his arm. "What kind of people are they?"

“Your father is honest and kind, and your brother is brave and resourceful; they are both very good people,” He Jing replied with a smile.

Yu Wan breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good."

In ancient times, women were expected to obey their husbands after marriage and their sons after their husbands' death. The eldest brother was considered the father. Whether it was the father or the brother, they were the rulers and sovereigns of the family. They could decide the marriages, and even the life and death, of the women in the household.

Yu Wan is not afraid of being tormented; she has plenty of ways to fight back. However, she doesn't want her hard-earned harmonious family to be destroyed.

He Jing said, "They are very humble people and won't make things difficult for you when they come back, believe me. If they really do something against your will, I will definitely help you deal with them."

Yu Wan smiled at him, "You're not staying by my side just because you're worried about this, are you? But you can't stay by my side forever."

“Why not? If you’re willing, I can do it,” He Jing retorted.

Yu Wan was taken aback. "Willing to what?"

At this moment, outside the private room, laughter and cheerful voices welcomed the safe return of the Yu family father and son.

Yu's mother cried tears of joy, Yu Cheng excitedly called out "Father, Brother," and everyone cheered.

These sounds didn't give Yu Wan a chance to think carefully; she immediately realized that she should hurry out to greet them.

Upon opening the door to the private room, I saw two faces that bore a striking resemblance to Yu Cheng.

Yu Wan thought she would feel unfamiliar upon seeing these two, since she had never met them before and only had a vague impression of them in her memory. But at this moment, she felt very warm and familiar with them.