Zhu Xinning promised that he could do whatever he wanted tonight.
Jing Zhe had been traveling for a while and had been resting and recuperating for many days. He was determined to show his skills tonight. When he came, he was still thinking about how to get rid of Hanhan. Who knew he would encounter such a good opportunity? Although Hanhan seemed a little unwilling—who cares?
"Jing Zhe is here?"
At this moment, Zhu Tong came out of the house.
Looking at the things he was carrying, he smiled and said, "We're all family, so why did you bring anything?"
“Uncle, I brought back some local specialties from Liangzhou, nothing expensive. Besides, since we're family, shouldn't I, as the younger generation, bring something when I come?”
Jing Zhe smiled.
"Jing Zhe is back?"
At this moment, Madam Zhu, arm in arm with Zhu Xinning, came out of the house. Upon seeing Jing Zhe, she looked at him with a fawning expression.
One shouldn't hit a smiling face, and besides, it was to avoid embarrassing Zhu Xinning, so Jing Zhe smiled and replied, "Yes, Auntie, I just got back today and came over for a meal."
Ouch!
Hearing Jing Zhe address her as "Auntie," Madam Zhu was overjoyed and immediately waved her hand, saying, "Didn't your uncle just say that we're all family? What's this about freeloading? You can come and eat here every day in Jingzhou!"
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Auntie!"
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all!"
Madam Zhu felt a mix of emotions. When she first met Jing Zhe, she was extremely sarcastic and even tried to matchmake Zhu Xinning and Chen Jiannan, because at that time, Chen Jiannan was much better than Jing Zhe, who had lost both parents and came to the capital to seek refuge.
Moreover, once Zhu Xinning gets married, after she passes away, won't this huge family business just belong to her son alone?
Later, as Jing Zhe's career took off, Madam Zhu's mindset changed. Zhu Tong was getting old, and she feared that by the time Zhu Tangwen came of age, he would have already retired from his official post. At that time, Jing Zhe would be at the peak of his career, and wouldn't it be better to have him as a support?
Therefore, her attitude towards both Jing Zhe and Zhu Xinning changed fundamentally. Although she knew that Jing Zhe's answer to her was very perfunctory, so what?
As a woman, she could see Zhu Xinning's special feelings for Jing Zhe. Moreover, more than a month ago, she discovered that Zhu Xinning was no longer a young girl, and it was self-evident who her man was.
So, during the days when Jing Zhe was away, in order to get closer to Zhu Xinning, she repeatedly persuaded and enlightened Zhu Xinning in the tone of a mother, saying that the two of them were not related by blood. Although they were said to be siblings, she was actually like Jing Zhe's child bride, and now she was a daughter of the Zhu family. When he returned, she could go to the Zhu family to propose marriage.
When the time comes, the Zhu family will marry her off in a grand and glorious manner.
These words struck a chord with Zhu Xinning. However, this was a matter that needed careful consideration, as she feared that if things were handled poorly, Jing Zhe would only be left with a bad reputation.
However, because of this incident, Zhu Xinning's attitude towards Madam Zhu gradually improved, which is why there was a scene of her walking out hand in hand with Madam Zhu, and Madam Zhu was very satisfied with this.
He then called to the servants, "How can you be so clueless? Hurry up and help President Jing bring his things inside!"
Next, the group of people walked into the hall.
...
Upon entering the hall, the servants placed the gifts on the table. Before anyone else could speak, Hanhan asked curiously, "Young Master, we didn't bring back many local specialties from Liangzhou, did we? Where did this come from?"
"..."
Jing Zhe glared at him fiercely: "You're as stupid as an ox. How could you know when I'm buying things?"
Upon hearing "cow," Hanhan suddenly remembered: "That's right, we brought yak jerky as a local specialty! These things are all jerky, aren't they?"
"..."
Before Jing Zhe could even think of a reply, Zhu Tangwen, quick as a flash, opened a package and said with some disappointment, "This doesn't look like beef jerky at all; it looks more like the candied fruit from that street-side snack shop..."
"Oh, maybe this is it!"
Hanhan pointed to another package, which Zhu Tangwen then opened, revealing an inkstone and a writing brush. Looking at the character "墨" (ink) on the corner of the inkstone, Zhu Tangwen said decisively, "I recognize this inkstone. It was made by the Mo Family Academy in our city. It wasn't cheap!"
"..."
After Zhu Tangwen finished speaking, the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Jing Zhe was slapped in the face for saying it was a local specialty brought from Liangzhou, but it turned out to be something he bought from Jingzhou.
"Well... Uncle, you know I was very busy in Liangzhou, and I didn't have time to buy local specialties when I came back, so I just bought some in our city..."
"Pfft~"
Seeing this, Zhu Xinning finally couldn't help but laugh, while Zhu Tong didn't take it seriously at all, waving his hand and saying with a smile, "I already said, it's good that people can come!"
This helped to ease the awkwardness, while Jing Zhe secretly glared at Han Han a few times.
...
In the evening, we naturally ate at the Prime Minister's residence.
During the meal, Jing Zhe accompanied Zhu Tong and drank several glasses of strong liquor. Surprisingly, Zhu Xinning also took the initiative to drink a glass. Her already rosy cheeks became even redder after drinking the liquor.
This scene, witnessed by Jing Zhe, made him even more eager to see it.
"Nephew Jing Zhe, why don't you have a few more drinks?"
"Uncle, I have important business to attend to when I get back, so I dare not drink too much."
Jing Zhe replied with a smile.
"It's your first day back, what urgent business could you possibly have? Besides, if you've had too much to drink, you can just stay at the manor. There are plenty of empty rooms; we can easily tidy them up!"
"Uncle, it really is something important to do. You can ask my second sister if you don't believe me!"
As he spoke, he winked at Zhu Xinning, whose cheeks instantly flushed red. She glared at him fiercely, then lowered her head and said, "Dad, Zhe'er does have something to do tonight..."
Is it important?
"Hmm...important..."
When she said this, Zhu Xinning's voice was barely audible.
Because Zhu Tong had drunk quite a bit, he didn't notice Zhu Xinning's changes, while Madam Zhu beside him had a burning gaze.
After finishing the meal, Zhu Tong, unusually drunk, started to speak in a somewhat slurred manner: "Nephew Jing...Jing Zhe...please stay tonight!"
"Uncle, I think I should go back!"
"Go back and do it..."
"Master, Jing Zhe has finally returned to Jingzhou, so naturally he should go home. Don't delay his important business!"
"..."
Zhu Xinning's face turned even redder, and she almost buried her face in her chest...
...
Afterwards, Jing Zhe took Zhu Xinning's hand and rode in the Prime Minister's carriage to their home.
The moment the door opened, a glimmer of light flashed before Jing Zhe's eyes.
"Second sister... was there a light on in the room just now?"
Jing Zhe rubbed his eyes.
"Really? No! You've had too much to drink and your eyes are playing tricks on you!"
"oh."
As soon as the door closed, Jing Zhe reached out to hug her, but Zhu Xinning pushed him away and laughed, "Go wash your face, clear your head, and then come find me!"
With that, he returned to his room alone…
Gazing at Zhu Xinning's graceful figure, Jing Zhe rubbed his hands together and chuckled to himself...
————
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