Xu Lanyin no longer thought about what was on Zhao Wu's mind. She returned to her room, asked the maid to pour her some tea, and took a plate of melon seeds and a plate of candied fruit. She leaned back on the beauty couch and leisurely read a book.
"The Story of a Girl" is relatively short; Xu Lanyin finished it in just over an hour. Its content is somewhat similar to "The Story of Li Wa," a previous work: easy-to-understand, with a complex plot and a happy ending. While there aren't particularly explicit scenes, there are hints, and there's plenty of cuddling.
Xu Lan instinctively felt that the child hadn't read the book yet, otherwise she wouldn't have shown it to her. However, in this era of scarce entertainment, this kind of book was still very attractive.
She was so engrossed in the game that she didn't even want to eat. Only after the chess master repeatedly urged her did she hurriedly eat half a bowl of rice and start watching again.
After reading "The Story of the Little Girl", she picked up "Wu Er Niang", which is much thicker.
She watched until very late, and only went to bed at the urging of the chess master.
After breakfast the next day, Xu Lanyin studied hard with her books again.
At the end of the Si hour, Aunt Fang came in to report, "Miss, Master Zhao is back, and he wants you to go to the main courtyard."
Xu Lanyin was watching with great interest and didn't want to move. She said, "Let him come here and talk."
Aunt Fang added, "Mr. Zhao brought back a male guest."
"Male guest?"
Xu Lanyin quickly put down the book, stood up and walked out quickly. She thought that Zhao Wu must have brought Hong Zhen to his home as a guest.
Entering the main courtyard, he saw Zhao Wu and a man in his thirties sitting in the living room. But it wasn't Hong Zhen. When he saw Xu Lanyin enter the room, he stood up, his eyes shining, and murmured, "Yin'er, you've grown so tall. You've become a big girl."
He wore a blue robe and had a short beard. He was tall, with a dark red complexion, and looked very similar to Xu Lanzhou. There seemed to be tears in his eyes. The key point was that Xu Lanyin, or rather the original owner, had seen him before, and that image had been deeply etched in her mind. Although the man before her had become a bit more weathered and hardened, and his complexion was much darker than before, he was exactly the man she remembered.
"Daddy?" Xu Lan couldn't help but blurt out the word, using the original owner's tone. After she finished shouting, she covered her mouth again.
"Hey, my dear daughter, you still remember your father." Xu Qingyan said happily.
He walked forward and wanted to touch Xu Lanyin's head, but then he felt that his daughter had grown up, so he just patted her shoulder.
Xu Lanyin's soul returned to its place. She looked him up and down, then looked at Zhao Wu and asked, "He is really my father? What's going on?"
Before Zhao Wu could say anything, Xu Qingyan spoke first, "Yin'er, of course I am your father. I haven't been home for so many years because I was ordered to go to the Western Xia Kingdom many years ago. That matter was top secret and could not be disclosed to anyone, so I didn't tell my family..."
Xu Lanyin's eyes widened and she asked in surprise, "Could it be that you are the old demon?"
Xu Qingyan laughed and said, "Yes, I am an old demon. It was Wu'er who rescued me from the enemy country and carried me into the mountains to recuperate. Otherwise, Dad would not have come back."
Xu Lanyin was a little confused. Xu Qingyan being alive was a good thing. Why didn't Zhao Wu tell her the truth? Even if the matter was still confidential, it would be okay for him to tell her quietly.
Regardless, this was a happy occasion. Xu Qingyan had returned home, a hero who had rendered great service, and the family was finally reunited.
Xu Lanyin was extremely happy and said with a smile, "It's good that Dad is back. Because of Dad's accident, my mother has been ill for many years, and she has only been feeling better in the past two years."
Xu Qingyan said, "Your mother has a gentle and weak personality. It's been hard for her these years."
Zhao Wu hurriedly said with a smile, "Uncle Xu, sister, please sit down and talk slowly." He added, "I'll have someone prepare some delicious dishes so that we can have a few drinks with Uncle Xu at noon."
He poured them tea himself and went out, letting the father and daughter talk about their personal matters.
Xu Qingyan pulled Xu Lanyin to sit on the Arhat bed and looked her up and down. He squinted his eyes, grinned, and couldn't stop looking at her, looking a little silly.
Even the original owner had very little contact with Xu Qingyan. Xu Lanyin, whose heart was only a few years younger than Xu Qingyan, felt awkward being looked at by him. Her impression of this adopted father improved even more. Most fathers in ancient times would put on airs in front of their children, but this tough old man was willing to express his love for his daughter. The phrase "iron-blooded but tender-hearted" perfectly suited him.
Seeing his daughter looking a little embarrassed by his gaze, Xu Qingyan looked away for a moment, then turned back to stare at her. He smiled and said, "My daughter is so pretty, she looks more like your mother. I heard from Wu'er that you have great abilities and are a disciple of the old genius doctor. I'm very happy to have a good daughter like you." Then his face darkened and he said, "It's my fault that I was so blind and raised an ungrateful person. You've ruined us and our family. I'll go find Gu Wangchen to settle the score soon."
While recuperating in the mountains, he listened to Zhao Wu talk about some of the situations at home, especially hearing that Xu Lanyin was badly deceived by Gu Wangchen, and for a period of time his wife and children could not even afford to eat. It was only later that Xu Lanyin saw through Gu Wangchen's true face and broke off the engagement, and life at home became better. Xu Qingyan was so angry that he gritted his teeth.
Xu Lanyin smiled and said, "Those things are in the past. Fortunately, his fox tail was exposed early. It's a good thing to leave him early."
Seeing that his daughter had truly come to terms with her feelings, Xu Qingyan became happy again and said, "My daughter is such a good girl, why hasn't she found a husband at the age of seventeen? Daddy thinks..."
Xu Lanyin didn't want to talk about her marriage, so she quickly said, "Dad, I'll send someone to tell my family the good news."
Xu Qingyan pursed his lips and said, "Don't send the letter for now. I will return home in a few days."
His wife was almost frantically anticipating him every day, only to see something she didn't want to see, fearing she wouldn't be able to bear it. Besides, he was happy now and didn't want to talk about Zhou Xin and her daughter. He would kiss his eldest daughter first and talk about it later.
He asked about family matters, asking in great detail. He had heard some of them from Zhao Wu before, but Zhao Wu didn't know much. He heard that Qin Shi had been seriously ill and on the verge of death several times because of his "death", and he felt heartbroken and guilty. With his wife seriously ill and his son dropping out of school, his eldest brother was reluctant to spend a penny except for the one ounce of silver given by Dashi, which still made him feel a little uncomfortable.
After finishing the story about his family, Xu Lanyin continued, "Dad, tell me about your infiltration into the enemy country. I heard that you were able to enter the Zhou Palace. How did you get in? Now, the streets and alleys of the capital are saying that the old demon is a hero who is both civil and military. They are almost saying that you have three heads and six arms."
In her previous life, Xu Lanyin had always loved spy dramas. She especially watched "The Hidden Gem" and "The Counterfeiter," which she'd watched several times. Xu Qingyan wasn't behind enemy lines, but in an "enemy country." Without radios or transmitters, Xu Qingyan's situation was even more difficult and isolated, and she felt he was more formidable than Yu Zecheng and An Zaitian.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
