Thinking of this, Uncle Jin suddenly looked up in Zhao Hanya's direction, then suddenly realized what he was doing and awkwardly looked away.
He pinched his thigh to wake himself up, realizing he must have been drunk and stupid to dare to have designs on his goddess.
Uncle Jin composed himself and focused on eating, occasionally calling out to the children:
"Come on, this is my specialty dish, called 'A Perfect Match'! Everyone, have a taste!"
"This is delicious, Your Highness, would you like to try some?"
"Uncle Jin, you should eat too."
Lin Yuxin watched as Uncle Jin ate and served them, and helplessly said to him.
Everyone at the table, those with a discerning eye, could see that Uncle Jin's behavior was highly illogical. They all turned to look at him, and Uncle Jin seemed to only then realize what was happening, giving an awkward laugh and saying:
"Hehehe! Don't mind me, I just worry about you all because you're all kids. I'll eat too, I'll eat too!"
The family enjoyed the meal together quite well afterward, and after a few rounds of drinks, nothing else went wrong.
Because they were going to release lanterns that night, Zhao Hanyue wouldn't allow them to drink too much! She strictly controlled their alcohol intake.
After dinner, the family got ready to go, each carrying two lanterns, while the maids and guards behind them helped carry the lanterns.
They set off in a grand procession.
Throughout the journey, Uncle Jin stayed close to Zhao Hanyue, and finally managed to see that his mother was some distance away from him.
Lin Yuxin and Li Xiaochen exchanged a glance. Li Xiaochen strode forward on his own, while Lin Yuxin automatically walked to Uncle Jin's side and finally found an opportunity to ask him why he had acted so unusually today.
"Uncle Jin, why are you here today...?"
"Why would you treat your mother like that? Is that it?"
Before Lin Yuxin could finish speaking, Uncle Jin gave a wry smile and said it aloud.
"Yes! Did you know my mother before? But this afternoon, the way she looked didn't seem like she knew you!"
Lin Yuxin nodded in agreement and voiced her doubts.
Uncle Jin looked up at the woman walking at the front, surrounded by maids and nannies, his eyes filled with light. Slowly, he looked away and said to Lin Yuxin:
"You probably don't know my background, do you? My real name is Su Qianjin. I come from a well-known family in Nanzhou. However, my mother died when I was young, and soon after, my father remarried a new mistress of the family, who is my stepmother."
Lin Yuxin watched him talk about the past, but his tone was very ordinary, without any fluctuation, which showed that he had let go of it after so many years.
She knew much of what Uncle Jin said from books. She knew what kind of life Uncle Jin had lived before. It was one thing to feel sorry for him, but it had little to do with my mother. She couldn't possibly let my mother have anything to do with him just because of his suffering.
She was curious about his relationship with my mother to decide whether to get involved in their affairs, so she didn't disturb Uncle Jin's memories.
"Soon after, my stepmother gave birth to a son. In the following years, she gave birth to two more sons for my father. My stepmother began to dislike me, fearing that I would take away her sons' property."
"Finally, when I was sixteen, she couldn't hold back anymore and devised a way to kill me. My body was dumped in the wilderness. Fortunately, a hunter passed by that day and saved me, which is how I survived."
"I went back later, but I saw that his family was very happy. My father, because of my disappearance, not only did not send anyone to search for me, but he also did not feel sad or upset at all."
“At that moment, I knew that there was no place for me in the Su family, so I didn’t want to go back. So I begged and looked for laborers all the way to the capital. I had heard that the capital was the most prosperous place in Xia Kingdom, and I wanted to have a place here. At that time, all my ambitions were beautiful.”
Uncle Jin thought back to his hopes and dreams for the future back then, and his heart was filled with nostalgia. The ambition and vigor of his youth were gone now. He looked at Lin Yuxin and continued:
"Before I came to the capital, I had been making a living by begging. Once, while begging, I didn't pay attention to the direction and went straight to the frontier. I got lost. At that time, the Xia Kingdom was still at war with the Qi Kingdom, and my Wu Kingdom was surrounded by the Qi Kingdom."
"Just when I thought I was going to die, a woman in military uniform, looking very heroic, led her men into the encirclement and saved me. I don't know her name or who she is. After she saved me, she had her men take me to a safe place."
"And she herself brandished her spear and charged toward the enemy army. It was then that her resolute yet spirited figure was etched into my heart."
As Uncle Jin spoke, he looked in the direction of Zhao Hanyue, his eyes shining and a smile playing on his lips.
Upon seeing this, Lin Yuxin's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, had she fallen in love?
“I’ve never mentioned it all these years. Later, I worked and did business in various places, and things gradually got better. I tried to find that girl, but I didn’t hear anything. Gradually, I forgot about her. Then I got married and started a family. All these years have passed like this.”
"What I didn't expect was that I would see that spirited woman again today, and so close to me, right here in the capital. I didn't even know it for so many years."
“Princess, do you know how I felt at that time? It was like a treasure that had been lost for many years suddenly reappearing. My heart was not at peace at all, and I wanted to do something for her to repay the life-saving grace from back then.”
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