Chapter 911 Jingkong and Xiaobao (First Update)

He only poked out his round little head.

The person was too short, only slightly taller than the threshold.

He struggled to lift his head; a child's head is heavy, and this movement made his already unsteady little body sway precariously.

Finally, he fell down on his backside.

However, he did not fall to the ground, but was caught in time by a soft, delicate hand.

Gu Jiao bent down and gently picked him up with both hands.

Looking at that face that was almost identical to Gu Yan's, Gu Jiao exclaimed in amazement.

With that tiny nose, tiny mouth, and tiny face, she's practically a miniature version of Gu Yan!

Human babies are just too cute!

I want to pinch it!

The cub was very fragile, and Gu Jiao managed to suppress the urge to pinch his cheeks, only poking his little face with her index finger.

One on each side.

It was so soft it melted her heart.

"Do you remember me?" Gu Jiao asked him with a smile.

Gu Xiaobao stared blankly at Gu Jiao, clearly not remembering her.

Gu Jiao nodded: "That's right. You were only five months old when I left. In the blink of an eye, you're over a year old."

Gu Xiaobao couldn't understand what she was saying, his eyes wide open and sparkling.

Gu Jiao turned to Xuan Yuanqi and Liao Chen and said, "My younger brother, Gu Xiaobao."

"Ouch--"

At the end of the corridor, Grandma Zhou's son was carrying several bags of rice home when one of them fell off.

"I'll go take a look," Xiao Heng said to Gu Jiao.

"Mm." Gu Jiao nodded.

"Xiao Bao, Xiao Bao—"

Yao's voice called out from under the eaves.

Upon hearing his mother's voice, Gu Xiaobao wriggled his little body, trying to get down from Gu Jiao's arms.

Gu Jiao was worried that he might trip and fall while walking in his haste, so she simply picked him up and pushed open the courtyard gate to go inside.

Madam Yao immediately spotted her daughter returning home. She was dressed in a long blue dress, her figure was graceful, her complexion was a bit darker than before, her features had matured, and her brows had a touch of heroic spirit, making her even more radiant and beautiful than before.

In Yao's eyes, her daughter was always the most beautiful.

Looking at her daughter whom she hadn't seen for over a year, she was so moved that her nose suddenly tingled with emotion.

"Mother, mother."

Gu Xiaobao stretched out his little hand to her.

She turned away, wiped her reddened eyes, and walked towards Gu Jiao with a smile, taking Gu Xiaobao from her: "When did you get back..."

She was referring to when she arrived at Bishui Hutong.

She had learned some things about Gu Jiao's time in Yan from Xiao Heng and Gu Yan, and she also knew that Gu Jiao was returning to the capital with the Yan envoys today.

She had only heard that a banquet was being held in the palace, and assumed that Gu Jiao would enter the palace first and return home after the banquet ended.

Gu Jiao said, "As soon as I arrived, I knocked on the door and Xiao Bao came out."

Madam Yao looked at her son with amusement: "You're usually too lazy to go out when I ask you to, what's wrong with you today? Did you know your sister was back? Did you go out of your way to open the door for her? Did you call her 'sister'?"

Gu Xiaobao buried his head in Yao's arms.

Yao couldn't help but laugh and said to Gu Jiao, "He's shy."

Gu Jiao poked his little butt that was sticking out.

Gu Xiaobao's little face was still buried in Yao's arms. He raised his little hand, reached behind his little bottom, and clumsily tried to pry Gu Jiao's fingers off.

Gu Jiao burst into laughter.

"By the way, I brought two guests with me." After poking around enough, Gu Jiao invited Xuan Yuanqi and Liao Chen into the courtyard and said to Yao Shi, "This is the Grand Marshal Xuan Yuan of Yan Kingdom, Jing Kong's great-uncle, and this is his son, Prince Xuan Yuan, Jing Kong's...uncle."

After saying that, she introduced Yao to the two of them, "This is..."

She paused.

Madam Yao glanced at her, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and said gently to the two of them, "I am Jiaojiao's mother."

"Madam Gu." The father and son greeted her with clasped hands.

As they were talking, the Xuanyuan family's carriage arrived, and the servants unloaded several boxes from the carriage as a gift for their visit.

“We’re all family, no need to be so formal,” Yao said.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it, Madam," Liao Chen said.

Gu Jiao held Yao's arm and said softly, "Take it."

Since her daughter had said so, Madam Yao had no choice but to accept it.

She looked at the father and son with a kind smile: "You've come to see Jingkong, right? Jingkong, Yan'er, and Xiaoshun went to the orchard to pick fruit. They've been gone for a while and should be back soon. Come in and have a cup of tea."

The father and son, respectfully accepting the offer, entered the house with Madam Yao.

"Huh? You came from the city gate, did you run into Aheng?" Yao asked Gu Jiao.

Liao Chen thought to himself, "It's not just that we encountered them; they also showered us with dog food. My stomach is still full."

Gu Jiao said, "We came back together. He went to help out at Grandma Zhou's house."

Ms. Yao was relieved: "That's good, that's good."

Granny Fang is not here today; Yuya went to buy spices.

Since Yao couldn't take care of the children all by herself, she hired a maid and a cook. The cook was cooking in the kitchen at the moment, and the maid was named Yuanyang.

“Yuanyang has been here for a year now, and she’s quite efficient,” Madam Yao said to Yuanyang. “Serve tea to the young lady and the guests.”

Upon hearing this address, Yuanyang immediately understood Gu Jiao's identity and quickly brewed some tea for her.

Gu Xiaobao remained nestled in Yao's arms, but he would occasionally steal a glance at Gu Jiao. If he found Gu Jiao looking at him, he would quickly turn away and bury himself back in Yao's arms.

It was dark outside, and Yao couldn't see the two people's faces clearly. There was an oil lamp inside the house.

Yao's gaze fell on Chen's face, and she suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "I've seen you before."

Liao Chen looked at her in surprise: "Oh?"

Yao had no intention of offending anyone, but to verify whether she was seeing things, she took a few more glances and then said with certainty, "That's right, I have indeed seen it before. It was at the temple near Qingquan Village. You were a monk there... I remember... the abbot... even called you his junior brother..."

Liao Chen switched to monk mode in an instant, made a Buddhist gesture with one hand, and said calmly, "Amitabha, so Benefactor Yao has seen this humble monk before."

Madam Yao was astonished, not understanding what was going on. Was it the crown prince of Yan, or a monk from a temple?

After Xiao Heng and Gu Yan returned home, they told Yao about their experiences in Yan, but mainly about Gu Jiao.

Gu Jiao explained, "This is a long story. Prince Xuanyuan is both Jingkong's uncle and his master. They were both monks at that temple back then."

Yao suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."

The fact that the crown prince of a superior country would go to a lower country to become a monk must have been something that happened. Yao knew this in her heart, but she did not press the matter in this setting.

The four of them hadn't been sitting for long when the three little men returned carrying baskets.

"Jiaojiao!"

Xiao Jingkong was the first to cross the threshold, and he immediately saw Gu Jiao in the main room.

He ran over, carrying his little basket, and threw himself into Gu Jiao's arms: "Jiaojiao! You're finally back! I missed you so much!"

Xuanyuan Qi sat diagonally opposite Gu Jiao. He looked at her the moment Xiao Jingkong called out "Jiao Jiao" for the first time.

Is this what a sixth-grade child is like?

The sound is crisp and clear, it's so pleasant to hear.

Xuanyuan Qi, like a withered tree suddenly revitalized, stared at Xiao Jingkong with shining eyes.

Xiao Jingkong only had eyes for Gu Jiao and didn't notice him or Liao Chen standing to the side.

Liao Chen's lips twitched.

You little stinky monk, I've been your master for so long, how come you can't even see me?

"Jiaojiao, have you missed me?" Xiao Jingkong asked coquettishly.

"I miss you," Gu Jiao said.

Xiao Jingkong then raised his head with slight satisfaction and greeted Yao Shi and Gu Xiaobao beside him: "Benefactor Yao, Xiaobao."

At this moment, Gu Xiaoshun and Gu Yan also entered the house.

"elder sister!"

"sister!"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, clearly not expecting to see Gu Jiao at home.

The two pinched each other, and it hurt terribly. It wasn't a dream; Jiaojiao really was back!

Unlike the young monks, they noticed the guests in the house.

With a smile, Yao introduced them: "Jingkong's great-uncle, Grand Marshal Xuanyuan, and another... young master from the Grand Marshal's family, you can call him Prince Xuanyuan."

The two had never met Chen in the Yan Kingdom, let alone Xuanyuan Qi at the border.

But the Xuanyuan family knew about it, and even the Xuanyuan family's Grand Marshal had come to their house.

The two looked at Xuan Yuanqi, who sat there like a small mountain, and seemed to feel the unparalleled aura of war and conquest emanating from him!

Gu Yan: "Wow!"

Gu Xiaoshun: "Wow!"

Gu Xiaobao mimicked: "Wow!"

"Jingkong, your master is here," Gu Jiao reminded the little Jingkong, who was nestled in his arms and didn't want to get up.

"My master didn't come," Little Jingkong pouted, not turning his head as he said, "He's so lazy, how could he possibly come?"

Before he could finish speaking, a slender hand reached out, lifted him up, and said dangerously, "Who are you calling lazy?"

Gu Xiaobao: "Lazy."

Xiao Jingkong looked at Chen, his eyes darting around: "Xiao Bao is lazy."

Gu Xiaobao: "Xiaobao is lazy..."

After repeating what he had just said, he belatedly waved his hand and earnestly emphasized, "Xiao Bao isn't lazy."

(End of this chapter)