Chapter 136: Burning of the Ancestral Hall (3)
"Madam, we'll be in Dingjing in about an hour." The middle-aged man said with a smile, "After spending all day in the northwest, the air is so sweet when I return to the capital."
"What's wrong with the Northwest?" The woman glared at him, and asked rather harshly, "I grew up in the bitter cold of the Northwest. If you like sweet things, why did you marry me?"
The man quickly pleaded with a bitter face: "Madam is right. The capital is too cozy and not suitable for rough men like us. The northwest is better. In winter, we can go hunting in the mountains. Silver foxes are everywhere. I can even make robes for you after I hunt them."
Upon hearing this, the woman raised the corners of her mouth and scolded with a smile: "Speaking official language when you see an official!"
These two were none other than the mighty General Shen Xin and his wife, Luo Xueyan. They had hurried back today to attend Madam Shen's birthday celebration. Prior to this, they had not informed the capital of Dingjing. Having obtained the enemy's surrender letter in advance, their early triumphant return was likely intended to surprise the people of the capital.
"We've never even been to Mother's birthday celebration," Luo Xueyan said. "In the past, we would return home at the end of the year to give Mother His Majesty's gift as a birthday present. We're in a hurry to return today, so I wonder if the Fire Rat Cat cloak will please the old lady."
"Why can't I please the old lady?" Chen Xin immediately retorted, "That's a valuable item, even on the battlefield. With it, I'm invulnerable to swords and spears. I spent seven days and seven nights on the mountain hunting that fire rat. If you hadn't insisted on giving it to mother, I would have... given it to you." His voice trailed off, clearly a touch of disobedience. But people's hearts aren't perfect, and they tend to be partial. While Madam Shen treated Chen Xin well, she wasn't his biological mother after all. Blood ties couldn't be faked, so Chen Xin naturally loved his wife more. Besides, Luo Xueyan had fought alongside him on the battlefield, so the fire rat fur cloak was far more useful to her than it was to Madam Shen. If Luo Xueyan hadn't insisted on giving it to Madam Shen, Chen Xin would have made the cloak for her first.
"What do you know?" Luo Xueyan glared at him. "You miss the old lady's birthday every year. Even if you gave all the rewards from His Majesty to her after returning home at the end of the year, who would really know? Last time we went back to the capital, I heard that there were people in the capital saying that you deliberately didn't kiss your stepmother. I did this for you, didn't I? If you don't worry about this reputation, Jiaojiao can't have an unfilial father."
After these words were spoken, Chen Xin fell silent for a long moment. While Dingjing City was certainly not as harsh as the bitter cold of the northwest, and lacked the enemy's weapons and traps, it was still far from truly peaceful. While the couple was away from Dingjing, rumors were rampant, which was truly infuriating.
Luo Xueyan continued, "You know I don't understand the twists and turns of family life. We in the Luo family don't have so many rules. I can only use the simplest method. This fire rat fur cloak is precious. If I can win the old lady's favor and make her happy, and everyone sees it, the rumors will naturally be dispelled."
After a while, Shen Xin said, "Madam is still very thoughtful."
"I'm not doing this for you, but for Jiaojiao." Luo Xueyan snorted, her face suddenly looking a little melancholy. "You and I, husband and wife, have been away from Dingjing for years. Although the northwest is too dangerous and Jiaojiao is still young, we can't bring her there. But for all these years, we haven't personally taught her or accompanied her. We are sorry for her."
Hearing this, Shen Xin also sighed, lowered his head, and a hint of pain flashed in his eyes.
There are no cruel parents in the world, nor are there parents who don't love their children. Unfortunately, he and Luo Xueyan were destined to fight on the battlefield, and Shen Miao could not go with them. The two armies engaged in a dazzling battle, with dazzling tactics, and there were many cases of kidnapping and killing each other's relatives and friends. They could only bear the pain of being separated from their daughter. At least in Dingjing City, Shen Miao's safety did not need to be worried.
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