Chapter 259 Encounter
Song Zhihua glanced at Huo Lin subtly, her heart already churning with turmoil.
I had long heard that Huan'er was quite favored in the palace, and now it seems that the rumors were not only true, but also an underestimation.
It was quite extraordinary that the emperor himself accompanied her to the dock to greet her.
He stood beside Huan'er, silent but his posture was full of protection.
This child truly cares for Huan'er, taking such good care of her, and she has grown into such a radiant young woman.
The three cousins also came forward and greeted each other politely.
The eldest son, Xu Xiuyuan, bowed calmly: "Greetings, young master, and little sister."
The second son, Xu Zhiyuan, was more active. He looked at Huo Lin curiously a few more times before grinning at Jiang Huan, revealing a set of white teeth.
"Little sister! I almost didn't recognize you!"
The third son, Xu Muyuan, had a gentle and refined demeanor, and his gaze toward Jiang Huan carried a soft smile.
"Young master, little sister."
Surrounded by her maternal grandparents and feeling their kindness, Jiang Huan's initial unease was quickly replaced by a sense of responsibility.
Having taken over this body and enjoyed the original owner's family affection, she felt it was her responsibility to take good care of these relatives who genuinely loved her.
She tried her best to play the role of a well-behaved granddaughter, responding to each and every request.
Huo Lin stood beside her, not saying much, but his presence was very strong.
He watched Jiang Huan interact with her family with a calm expression, but his heart was far from at peace.
Grand Tutor Xu was indeed sensible; he handled the situation with exceptional tact.
[Tsk, isn't the second son of the Xu family a little too sharp-eyed?]
[However, it seems they genuinely care for Huanhuan; their eyes don't lie. That's good; she now has someone to rely on.]
However, this dock is not a place for reminiscing; it's too crowded and noisy to linger.
He considered the situation carefully before saying, "This is not a place for a long chat. You have had a long journey, so you should settle down and rest as soon as possible. There will be many more opportunities to meet in the future."
Xu Zhengqing immediately understood and bowed, saying, "Young Master's considerations are thorough; we understand."
Jiang Huan also knew that he and Huo Lin had special identities and could not stay outside for too long.
She then said, "Grandfather, Grandmother, Cousin, you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest. I'll find another opportunity to visit you when I have time."
Although Song Zhihua was reluctant, he knew what was important, so he patted her hand and nodded repeatedly.
"Alright, alright, you're all busy with official duties, go back quickly, don't worry about us."
Huo Lin nodded slightly to Jiang Huan, then protected her and turned to walk towards the carriage.
Only when the carriage drove away and disappeared into the crowd at the dock did the Xu family members seem to breathe a sigh of relief.
Xu Zhiyuan was the first to lose his composure, lowering his voice excitedly, "Grandfather, was that person just now...?"
He dared not utter those two words.
Xu Zhengqing stroked his beard, nodded, and continued to gaze in the direction where the carriage had disappeared.
"Well, keep everything that happened today a secret once you leave the dock, especially you, Zhiyuan. Watch your mouth and your curiosity."
Xu Zhiyuan immediately shrank back: "Grandson understands."
Xu Zhengqing looked at his sons and grandsons, and his expression turned serious.
"You've all seen it? Huan'er is doing well now. This is her good fortune, and it's also the good fortune of my Xu family. But the capital is not like Jiangnan. The waters run deep. We need to be more careful in our actions and not cause her any trouble, and we must not embarrass her."
He paused, his voice growing deeper: "On the contrary, we need to be upright and do our work diligently. It's not easy for her in the palace. Although we can't be of great help, we should at least be her support, not a burden. Do you understand?"
Xu Xiuyuan and Xu Muyuan's expressions turned serious, and they solemnly replied, "Grandson understands."
Xu Zhiyuan also stopped joking and nodded seriously.
After explaining everything, Xu Zhengqing was about to call his family to leave the dock first when he glanced at the exit and his brows immediately furrowed.
His daughter and son-in-law were rushing over, looking anxious.
Jiang Wenyuan jogged all the way, and even fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.
He rushed forward and bowed deeply, saying, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law! I am late, it's really...it was some trivial matter that delayed me, please forgive me!"
Seeing his son-in-law's somewhat disheveled appearance, Xu Zhengqing felt a surge of resentment that had been building up for years, and his face immediately darkened.
Hmph, good-for-nothing.
Always so flustered and incapable of taking responsibility!
If he hadn't been so mediocre back then, why would his Huan'er have needed to enter that deep palace?
Xu Zhengqing snorted coldly, his tone icy and barbed: "Trivial matters? What trivial matters could be more important than picking up family? I think you're becoming more and more careless!"
Jiang Wenyuan was scolded by his father-in-law. His lips moved as if he wanted to explain something, but after glancing at the noisy surroundings, he swallowed his words back.
He lowered his head and stammered, "Father-in-law is right, it's my fault..."
Jiang watched from the side, feeling sorry for her husband being scolded by his father, but not daring to contradict him, she could only whisper her support.
“Father, Wen Yuan… he had his own reasons, please don’t be angry.”
"What difficulties could there be!"
Xu Zhengqing was in a fit of anger, and his voice unconsciously rose a few decibels, but when he saw his daughter's troubled and worried look, his heart softened.
He couldn't bear to be too harsh on his daughter, so he just glared at Jiang Wenyuan and vented his anger on him.
"Fine, fine, look how spoiled you are!"
Song Zhihua knew her husband's temper well and was also familiar with her son-in-law's personality.
She stepped forward, tugged at Xu Zhengqing's sleeve, and gently smoothed things over: "Sir, the dock is windy and noisy, not the place to talk. Now that everyone is here, let's leave first."
As she spoke, she turned to her son-in-law, giving him a way out: "Wen Yuan, lead the way."
Xu Zhengqing was stopped by his wife, snorted heavily, and turned away without looking at his troublesome son-in-law.
Jiang Wenyuan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and quickly replied, "Yes, yes, thank you, mother-in-law."
"Father-in-law, Mother-in-law, this way please, the carriage is just ahead." He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward to lead the way, adopting an extremely humble posture.
Xu Xiuyuan stood firmly beside his grandfather, his gaze sweeping thoughtfully over his uncle.
Xu Zhiyuan, being straightforward, leaned close to Jiang Wenyuan and asked in a low voice with curiosity, "Uncle, are you really in trouble? What happened? You seem so anxious."
Jiang Wenyuan just gave a wry smile and said vaguely, "It's nothing serious, it's all been taken care of. Thank you for your concern, Zhiyuan."
Xu Muyuan gently smoothed things over, saying to everyone, "Uncle and Aunt must be tired from the journey, let's get in the car first."
Each member of the family had their own thoughts, and they followed Jiang Wenyuan toward the direction where the carriage was parked.
However, none of them noticed that, under the cover of the bustling crowd at the dock, several seemingly ordinary porters and vendors were silently watching them until they were out of sight.
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