Final Chapter: Love in the Golden Age of National Security (Part 1)
Eight years later
In recent years, Ji Jinyan and Ye Mingxi have been traveling between the two continents.
The Quan Kingdom is still prosperous and peaceful. The Xuanren team has caused a major change in the powerful and senior officials in the Gao Kingdom, and the forces have been reshuffled.
The couple helped with governance and construction in Wubu Mainland, where a new policy was just issued some time ago.
It gives the poor more rights and protection they deserve, establishes the concept of equality, and protects everyone from oppression and exploitation.
Everything is back on track, and national security is flourishing in all walks of life.
Ye Mingxi is still as beautiful as ever. Time has left no traces on her face, but instead makes her look more mature and charming.
She and Xia Zaoan sat and enjoyed afternoon tea, and the two of them together were a beautiful sight.
"Linlin, look at my new manicure." Xia Zaoan showed her his nails.
After she came back, she decided to keep her adoptive father's surname and change her name from the one given by her biological mother to Ye Mingxi.
Ye's parents also readily agreed. Although her name was changed, people around her were still used to calling her Lin. She didn't mind, just treating it as a nickname.
"It looks good." She praised with a smile.
"Mother."
"Mom, mom. Ji Nianjing bullied my sister again."
A little boy came over with a crying little girl, "What's wrong?"
Xia Zaoan held the little girl in her arms and took out a tissue to wipe her tears.
"Don't cry, don't cry." She coaxed her cute daughter with red eyes.
Ye Mingxi caught a glimpse of Ji Nianjing hiding aside with a guilty look on his face. He understood everything. It was him who teased others and made them cry again.
"Ji Nianjing!" She slammed her hand on the table, and the cups shook.
When he saw his mother coming, he took off running. Of course, his short legs couldn't outrun Mother Ye who wanted to catch him.
She grabbed his wrist, and Ji Nianjing couldn't break free. Even with both hands he was still dragged away.
He simply hung on his mother's arm with his feet off the ground, and was lifted up by Ye Mingxi.
The two best men who came to pick up their wives arrived. Bai Zeyan saw his daughters crying and felt heartbroken. He hugged the two girls he loved most in his arms.
She lifted Ji Nianjing up to Ji Jinyan like a handbag and threw him to him, "Ji Jinyan, can you please take care of your son and not let me throw him away?"
He said indifferently, "Throw it away."
Ye Mingxi's face turned cold. This was a sign that his wife was about to get angry.
He pushed Ji Nianjing's head and walked away with a tactful look, "Come here, let me talk to you."
Bai Zeyan coaxed his daughter into giggling again, and he picked up the little girl.
"Okay, goodbye to Auntie."
"Goodbye, auntie." The sweet voice made people's hearts melt.
She is simply a replica of Xia Zaoan, and she is as good at acting coquettishly as her. Ye Mingxi often thinks of Xia Zaoan acting coquettishly towards her.
"Goodbye." She looks especially like her, so I like this little niece very much.
Bai Zeyan carried his daughter on his head, hugged his wife, and walked home sweetly with his son.
The two children are well-behaved, obedient and likable, unlike that brat.
He has been naughty since he was little, climbing up roof tiles, going to the river and climbing trees, crawling around and touching things. He is like a naughty monkey, and there is not a single day that makes people worry.
Ye's father and mother felt sorry for their daughter who couldn't take care of him, so they would sometimes take him over to look after him for a few days to help share the burden.
She was also afraid that he would cause too much trouble to Ye's mother and father, so she didn't dare ask him to stay any longer.
Over there, the father and son of the Ji family were having a heart-to-heart talk, and he touched Ji Nianjing's head.
"You can't express your love by bullying. That way will make people feel uncomfortable."
He blinked his big eyes and listened to the instruction, "Be nice to your sister, give her things she likes, and she will play with you."
"I want to play with my sister."
"Come, listen to me..." The father and son whispered in each other's ears.
Ye Mingxi and Ji Jinyan's child is very much loved because his parents, especially his mother, are cherished by many people.
He is very naughty, not mediocre but not very smart either, and seems to have not inherited any of his parents' good traditions.
It was a case of adding two positives to make a negative, except for her looks. The nurse who delivered her was right, Ji Nianjing was so good-looking at such a young age, and when she grew up, this face would probably charm countless people.
Ye Mingxi approached quietly, "Ji Nianjing."
He hid behind Ji Jinyan, "Wife, I've taught him a lesson. Do you know what to do?"
Ji Nianjing nodded. "He's so naughty, always causing trouble. I wonder whose temperament he inherited from?"
"When you were a kid." He blurted out quickly.
she asked dangerously.
"Just follow my lead. It's normal for boys to be a little naughty. I was also quite naughty when I was a kid."
He kissed her and said, "Okay, my dear wife. Don't be angry. I will personally apologize to you when we get home."
Ji Nianjing didn't let him hear this, and he said it in an ambiguous and informal way while biting her ear, with obvious meaning.
Twisting his ear with one hand, "I think it's beautiful."
"Go home." Ye Mingxi walked in front, Ji Jinyan followed behind, and there was a little tail at the end.
Ji Nianjing always thought that his parents were an ordinary couple. It was not until he grew up that he realized that his parents seemed to have extraordinary abilities. His home was often visited by important people whom he did not know but were very important, and they were particularly warm and flattering to him.
It was not until he was a teenager that he learned about his parents' youth from the talkative Uncle Xiaobai, which shocked him.
It turns out that my parents are so outstanding that they are like heroes in the eyes of many people.
His admiration for his parents deepened, which was also a change in his thinking during adolescence.
He began to take everything seriously, not wanting to embarrass them, and completely transformed himself.
But that’s another story.
After a while, Ye Mingxi and Xia Zaoan's family returned to Wubu Continent.
She stood alone in front of the two tombstones and said something.
After a while, she waved to Ji Nianjing who was playing nearby.
"Nian Jing, come here." He ran over.
"Nian Jing, say hello."
He said obediently: "Uncle Jingchen, Aunt Ayue, Nianjing is here to see you."
Every time his mother came to Wubu Continent, she would come to these two tombs. Perhaps he could also feel that his mother was different at this time, and he would be more sensible and not make trouble.
"Go ahead." Ye Mingxi didn't let the child-like Ji Nianjing stay any longer. Ji Nianjing felt relieved and disappeared without a trace.
Somehow, Xia Zaoan was attracted by a few old ladies and they started chatting about family matters.
"Your Jiefu seems to be a caring man." Jiefu here means husband.
"Yeah, he takes good care of me." Xia Zaoan nodded.
"Oh, that's great. How many years have you been married? It's quite early, isn't it? You're in your twenties and already have two children."
"I'm thirty."
"Thirty is fine, this age doesn't look old."
"You two are about the same age. How old is he? What's the age difference?"
"He...is less than forty."
"What? You're almost forty, that old."
"Not bad, just a few years older."
"Little girl, you are so brave! Here, you can't get married if the age difference is more than five years. A three-year age difference is considered too big, and some families don't want it."
Xia Zaoan smiled awkwardly twice, feeling a little at a loss.
Bai Zeyan appeared with a cold face, and the two women stopped talking.
He stared at her with a gloomy look in his eyes. The woman felt uncomfortable all over and picked up the stool and walked away.
"They are just joking, don't take it to heart."
"Am I old?"
"You'll never get old." Xia Zaoan coaxed hurriedly.
After returning from the mainland, Bai Zeyan began to worry about his appearance. He would work out early in the morning, dye his hair and shave his beard, and dress up like a peacock all day long. Then he would deliberately hang around in front of her, and would not be happy until he heard compliments.
Ye Mingxi looks like a daughter of aristocrats, yet she looks like everyone's first love. After marriage, her popularity with the opposite sex has increased, and she is often confessed to by people who don't know she is married.
She was so nervous when she saw a young boy flirting with Xia Zaoan as if she were an unmarried girl, fearing that she would be ruthlessly abandoned when she was old and ugly, and that her unfaithful wife would turn to the arms of a young man.
He cried and hugged his wife and acted coquettishly, which made Xia Zaoan almost lose his temper.
"I just want to ask for directions."
"Why do so many people have to ask you for directions? Can't you see the huge wedding ring on my wife's hand? Is it not big enough?"
"It's big enough. If it's any bigger, my fingers will break from exhaustion."
"Then they are just pretending not to see." He cried even louder.
She was in a dilemma. "Do you want me to write the word 'married' on my body?"
His crying stopped abruptly, and he looked at her expectantly with watery eyes.
Yes, that's what he really thought. He raised his head and the tough guy burst into tears.
Tsk, it’s an eyesore.
Xia Zaoan sighed sadly, missing the cold and aloof police officer Bai who had left and never returned and was thousands of miles away from her.
It is said that men are two different before and after marriage, and it is indeed true.
If Bai Zeyan knew what she was thinking now, he would definitely accuse her of not cherishing what she had. He should not have let her get me so easily.
Ji Nianjing ran all the way chasing the butterfly. He approached it quietly but missed it. The butterfly flew high and far away.
He watched it run towards the free sky with some reluctance, and when he came to his senses, he realized that he didn't know where he had run to.
It's getting dark. At night, there will be sandstorms and wild animals may appear.
He tried to go back, but without any landmarks he could not find his way and was lost in the vast barren land.
Ji Nianjing was in a panic, and was terrified.
He ran aimlessly in one direction, but got further and further away from the right direction.
Unable to see the house, the several-year-old child started crying.
As I was crying, some pieces of gravel fell from the rocks in front of me.
Ji Nianjing was frightened, as if there was a shadow under the stone.
He was sweating profusely, his mind already picturing a wild beast pouncing on him.
The black shadow grew bigger and bigger. Ji Nianjing didn't dare to move and stared nervously.
Until it was fully revealed that the dark shadow was a person.
A man who looks very old, with a hunched back, sagging face and a thin face, he looks very scary.
He saw the boy and narrowed his eyes.
"Child, why are you here?" A hoarse and unpleasant voice came out of the old man's mouth.
"Are you lost?"
Ji Nianjing didn't say anything, but he was still wary of strangers.
"Don't be afraid, I haven't killed anyone in a long time."
The old man picked mushrooms from the bottom of the reef and threw them into the basket on his back.
Ji Nianjing looked at this scene: He was picking mushrooms just now.
"Child, you are not from this land, are your family here?"
"You don't have to keep silent, if I want to do something to you, you can't stop me.
So, tell me what you want, or you can lie, and I'll be the judge." He said as he picked all the mushrooms off the front of the stone.
"Who are you?" Ji Nianjing asked.
"Who could be here? A wandering ghost."
"It's dark now. It's not safe. Do you want to come back with me?"
"Where are you going back to?"
"Don't worry, there are lots of kids your age there."
"No, I have a family. My parents have a lot of influence on this continent, and they'll be here soon."
"Then you wait here." The old man was about to leave after picking mushrooms.
"Don't go." Ji Nianjing was a little scared.
The old man didn't really want to leave, "Let's go."
"Where are you going?"
"I'll take you back." Ji Nianjing followed.
The two walked, "Do you know where I live?"
"There's no place on this continent I don't know. There's a palace garden every ten miles."
“Have you traveled a lot?”
“I’ve traveled all over the mainland.”
He looked at the basket full of mushrooms and asked, "Can you eat all the mushrooms you picked?"
The old man took one out and said, "Try one."
He took a bite and immediately spit it out.
"Pooh, so bitter." The mushrooms were bitter and astringent, difficult to swallow.
The old man laughed, took the mushroom from his hand and ate it without changing his expression.
"These mushrooms are enough to fill the stomachs of many children."
"Do they all eat this? Do you have a lot of kids in your family?"
"Yes, some are lost just like you."
"Hey, did you take them in? Then you're a good person."
The old man laughed heartily and sarcastically, "Good man? You're wrong. I'm an unforgivable villain."
"I don't believe it. The bad guys won't be so kind as to send me home."
"When we get there, you can go back by yourself."
"Won't you come back with me?"
"The lord's palace is not something a lowly person like me can approach."
"No, my parents will repay you and let you live a good life. Come back with me."
The old man looked ahead, he didn't dare, he was afraid.
"Nian Jing, Nian Jing." A female voice came from a distance.
The old man seemed to have been struck by lightning and could not move his whole body. Hearing the familiar voice again seemed like a lifetime ago.
"It's Mom." He said to the old woman happily.
The old man looked at him in disbelief: He is Mingxi's child!
He squatted down and pressed the little boy's shoulders tremblingly, stroking Ji Nianjing's cheeks with his hands.
The old, cracked hands had many cuts on them, which scratched his face.
Wu Bu Ke tried hard to open his cloudy eyes wide as if he wanted to see clearly and remember his appearance. He hugged Ji Nianjing tightly with tears in his eyes.
He used too much force and Ji Nianjing couldn't break free.
"Grandpa, Grandpa."
Wu Bu Ke looked at him lovingly, and Ji Nian Jing was confused when he saw him crying.
"You scream?" Wu Bu Ke choked.
"My name is Nian Jing, Ji Nian Jing."
Wu Bu Ke burst into tears with excitement, "Okay, okay."
"Nian Jing." Ye Mingxi's voice came closer.
Ji Nianjing turned and ran towards the source of the sound, but Wu Buke's hand missed. He glanced at the boy's running back and stood up.
"Mom." Ji Nianjing ran into Ye Mingxi's arms.
"Where did you go?" she asked worriedly.
"I was lost and an old man brought me back." He pointed behind him.
"What old man?" Ye Mingxi didn't see anyone.
Ji Nianjing turned around and found that the place he was just in was empty.
"Hey, he was here just now. He was a strange old man."
Ye Mingxi took his hand and said, "Let's go back. The wind is going to blow."
Ye Mingxi looked into the distance again.
Wu Bu Ke never thought that he would be able to see Mingxi's child in this life. After leaving the letter, he didn't dare to let himself eat or sleep well, and wanted to torture himself.
He traveled to many places penniless and took in and helped many people.
He keeps doing good deeds and everyone praises him as a good person, but only he knows how bad a person he is.
He doesn't deserve to be rewarded.
He wanted to atone for his sins and live in agony. He didn't dare to let himself die, and wanted to live like this for a very long time.
From now on, he will always be an immortal man who is displaced and has no place to live.
…
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