"Ruo Ke, are you asleep?" Huo Qingfeng lowered his head and looked at his beautiful wife with her eyes closed in his arms.
Actually, he could tell from her breathing that she wasn't asleep yet. But Huo Qingfeng wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it, so he had to ask anyway.
Ling Ruoke opened her eyes and met his gaze. "What's wrong?"
"If you're upset, just yell at me, or even hit me." He grabbed her hand and made her slap it against her own face.
Ling Ruoke gently stopped him. She smiled and reached out to touch his face. "It's a perverted woman's fault. Why would I hit my own husband? If she knew, she'd be ecstatic!"
Having witnessed what happened to Cang Weiwo, she understood better than anyone that this wasn't the colonel's fault. So many years had passed, so many years without any contact—who knew Gu Zheng would still go insane like this? Even the colonel, no matter how powerful, was still human; he couldn't have foreseen all of this. So how could she blame him for it?
"But I still have to say, I'm sorry." He took her hand and kissed it. His heart was filled with remorse. He wanted nothing more than to protect her from all troubles, but he had failed.
Ling Ruoke was feeling particularly upset, but hearing this made her feel a little better. She lowered her hand and smiled as she kissed his lips. "What's the big deal? Is it really worth us getting so worked up about? If Grandpa knew, he'd definitely yell at us."
Huo Qingfeng couldn't help but smile as he thought of his grandfather. In truth, whether it was his grandfather, his father, or himself, they were all men who had survived countless battles; this little thing was nothing to them. But the fact that this little thing had hurt the woman they wanted to protect made it all the more serious. "I won't let her act recklessly again, believe me, my darling."
Ling Ruoke winked playfully and asked, "When have I ever doubted you? I've always believed in you."
Huo Qingfeng hugged her tightly and let out a long sigh. "As long as you're by my side, as long as you believe in me, I'm not afraid of anything." Even if the Gu family truly held absolute power, as long as he could protect the woman in his arms, as long as she was by his side, he was not afraid of anything!
“I’m not afraid.” Ling Ruoke looked at him seriously, suddenly realizing it wasn’t a big deal at all, and there was no need to be so serious. “I understood when I was looking for you in X country. As long as you’re alright, I’m not afraid of anything.”
We are of one mind and share the same deep affection.
"My heart feels the same way." Huo Qingfeng pressed his forehead against hers, finally feeling relieved. "Are you tired? Go to sleep."
Ling Ruoke adjusted her position, snuggled into his arms, and obediently closed her eyes. Perhaps she was tired, or perhaps his scent made her feel safe, she actually fell asleep very quickly.
Huo Qingfeng kept his eyes open, simply holding her quietly, waiting for her to drift off to sleep. Only after confirming she was sound asleep did he carefully move his body, withdraw his arm, and place her head on the pillow.
Ling Ruoke mumbled something and subconsciously reached out to touch it.
Huo Qingfeng quickly grabbed her hand, and only after she calmed down did he manage to pull it away. Looking at her peaceful sleeping face, his heart softened yet remained firm. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, his affection overflowing.
Sleep well, my baby.
Making sure she wouldn't wake up, he picked up his phone, left the room, and gently closed the door. He turned and walked all the way to the rooftop. The night breeze was slightly chilly, keeping him awake.
I pulled out my contacts and dialed my mother's number. At that moment, I didn't know if she was asleep, but I couldn't worry about that now.
The phone was answered by my father, a general. His tone clearly showed he was unhappy that I had disturbed their sleep. If my mother hadn't been there, he probably would have thrown a tantrum.
Before the general could erupt in anger, Huo Qingfeng hurriedly spoke up. "Father, please give the phone to my mother. I have something very important to tell her."
Although the general rarely communicated with his son, he still understood his son's personality. Since his son had said that, he must be really in a hurry. So, even though he was reluctant, he still woke his wife up. "Honey, it's your son on the phone, it's urgent."
Yang Ziyun groggily took the phone and held it to her ear. "Hello?"
The general sat up, leaned against the headboard, and then picked her up and held her in his arms.
"Mom, I'm sorry, I woke you up." Huo Qingfeng thought of Ruo Ke when he heard his mother's groggy voice.
Yang Ziyun rubbed her eyes, slowly coming to her senses. "Qingfeng, your dad said it's urgent, what is it?"
Huo Qingfeng told Yang Ziyun everything about getting their marriage certificate today, Gu Zheng's crazy actions, and her crazy words.
"Has this guzheng player really gone mad?" Yang Ziyun sat up abruptly and shouted. "Does she really think our Huo family has no one left? She's utterly lawless!"
Huo Qingfeng liked this about his mother; once she accepted someone, she would bring that person under her protection. "Mom, I don't care what she thinks. I just want the Gu family to take her back, to stop her from running around like a mad dog. Even though she didn't directly harm Ruoke, this indirectly creates a psychological burden for Ruoke, which is bad for her health and even worse for her ability to conceive, isn't it?"
"Son, leave this to me. I'll go to the Gu family tomorrow and ask them. I refuse to believe they're really so lawless!" Her son is 34 years old; other girls his age have children all over the place, but he's still not pregnant. If Gu Zheng keeps making a fuss, who knows when he'll get pregnant? And even if he does, it might be dangerous. She can't let things turn out like that!
"Mom, I'm leaving this to you."
"No problem. Son, go to sleep. Keep an eye on my daughter-in-law; your mother is hoping to have a grandson in the first half of next year."
"Mom, I will try my best."
Yang Ziyun hung up the phone. The general hugged her tightly and asked what was wrong. Yang Ziyun immediately recounted the story in a huff. "Don't you think this Gu Zheng is crazy? All the things I said to her that day were for nothing! The worst thing is Old Gu, his daughter is causing trouble, and he doesn't do anything about it! Time for bed, we'll go to the Gu family tomorrow."
"Want to fight?" The general lay down and hugged his wife again.
Yang Ziyun rolled her eyes. "Barbarian! Let's go reason with him and discuss our children's marriages!"
"Okay, I'll listen to my wife."
"Hmm, so good."
The general was very sad. He wanted to argue that he wasn't a puppy!
Huo Qingfeng hung up the phone and dialed another number. "I need your help with something. Find the guzheng and take her back to B City first thing tomorrow morning. Make sure she's back at the Gu family home."
"no problem."
"Thanks." Huo Qingfeng subconsciously wanted to light a cigarette, but realized he hadn't brought one. He stood silently for a long time, staring at the dark night sky.
If Guzheng continued to cause trouble, he was afraid he would lose control of his impulse. When it came to Ruoke, he even began to doubt his self-control. Like today, he couldn't resist slapping her twice, which was already quite impulsive. In serious cases, it could ruin the entire plan.
After staying on the rooftop for a long time, Huo Qingfeng finally returned to his room.
In the dim light of the wall lamp, his wife lay curled up on her side, clutching a blanket. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as if she wasn't sleeping soundly.
Huo Qingfeng turned off the light, carefully lay down on the outer side of the bed, and then gently moved her into his arms. She immediately adjusted her position, pressing herself tightly against his body, and murmured something. Her brows relaxed, and she looked at him with a sense of relief.
In the darkness, he kept his eyes open for a long time before finally closing them and falling asleep.
...
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yang Ziyun got up. After washing and dressing, she grabbed the general and headed straight for the Gu family.
She arrived at the Gu family's gate in a hurry without calling ahead.
The patriarch of the Gu family, Gu Zheng's grandfather, has passed away. Now, Gu Zheng's father, Gu Chengze, is in charge, assisted by her brother, Gu Tianze, and both of them are ambitious.
Gu Chengze and Huo Zhixun are about the same age, as are Gu Tianze and Huo Qingfeng, but Gu Tianze is already married and has a seven-year-old child.
As soon as Gu Chengze arrived, he heard that Huo Zhixun and his wife had come to visit. Since they were already outside the door, and the Huo family was not easy to deal with, he naturally couldn't just turn them away.
"Brother Zhixun, sister-in-law, it's been a long time. What brings you here today?" Gu Chengze was sixty-three, but as a soldier, he was in good spirits and health and didn't look old.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you, brother. I happen to have some free time today, so I came over to chat with you. Maybe we can even play a few games of chess."
Yang Ziyun replied with a smile, "Brother, you don't know, this old man has been talking about it for a long time. He's been thinking about it ever since he woke up this morning, and that's why he dragged me here without even telling you beforehand. That's just his temper; he's always making things up. Don't blame him, brother."
Huo Zhixun laughed sheepishly at his wife's words. In terms of ambition and cunning, he was far inferior to Gu Chengze.
"Sister-in-law, what are you saying? I was worried I wouldn't be able to invite you at all. Come, come, please sit here. Someone, quickly serve some tea!"
Yang Ziyun didn't say much, just smiled and pulled the general to sit down beside her. Although the Huo and Gu families had different ways of dealing with people, and one could even say they looked down on each other, the young couple had visited each other's homes before they were separated. At that time, both sides thought the marriage was a done deal, there was no turning back!
Soon, the tea was served. Even before tasting it, you could tell it was made from top-quality tea leaves, with a rich and fragrant aroma.
Just as Yang Ziyun was about to speak, she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. A moment later, a little boy appeared at the top of the stairs. This was Gu Tianze's son, nicknamed Lele.
"Grandpa." The little guy paused at the top of the stairs, noticing the strangers, and boldly stared at them. Then he ran over and sat down next to his grandfather. "Grandpa, who are they?"
Gu Chengze immediately smiled affectionately when he saw his grandson. "Lele, this is Grandpa Huo and Grandma Huo, quickly greet them."
"Hello, Grandpa Huo and Grandma Huo." The child was quite well-behaved.
Yang Ziyun smiled radiantly, looking at the child with affection. "You know, your Tian Ce and Qing Feng are the same age, and Lele is already so big, but we still haven't seen a child from Qing Feng."
“That’s because your Qingfeng is busy with his career. That’s good; young people should make the most of their youth.” Gu Chengze was clearly very happy when he mentioned his grandson.
Yang Ziyun sighed. "If Qingfeng and Xiaozheng hadn't separated back then, I would definitely be living a life surrounded by children and grandchildren now. It's really a cruel twist of fate."
“Who says otherwise?” Gu Chengze didn’t say more.
“I’ve been talking to my husband a lot lately. If Xiaozheng could have returned to China sooner, maybe the two young people would still have a chance. It’s a pity that our in-laws’ fate isn’t deep enough. We’re not young anymore, and we just hope we can stay home and take care of our grandchildren like you, brother. Qingfeng’s grandfather talks about this all the time, wishing his granddaughter-in-law would give him a great-grandson right away. Just yesterday, the two of them got their marriage certificate, and his grandfather was so happy that he didn’t sleep all night. This morning, he was still worried and called again to remind her that the baby-making thing needs to be expedited. He even said that if anyone gets in the way of him holding his great-grandson, he’ll make them suffer. Listen to how eager he is…”
Gu Chengze chuckled and chimed in, "That's how it is when you get old. You don't ask for anything else, you just hope for a house full of children and grandchildren."
"That's right. Qingfeng and his wife don't dare to say a word against it, for fear that the old man will punish them if he gets angry. However, my husband and I also think that the child is not young anymore, and it's time for him to have a stable home. To be honest, I envy your life, brother. I just hope that your daughter-in-law can get pregnant soon so that you can play with your grandson next year."
"Yes, definitely." Gu Chengze's expression remained unchanged, and his smile was very sincere.
Yang Ziyun smiled sincerely. "Then I'll take your kind words, brother. But sometimes I worry. Young people these days are different from us back then. They're fickle and not serious about relationships. I told my Qingfeng that once he's found the right person, he should settle down and live a good life. If he dares to keep a mistress and cause a divorce like some other people, I'll skin him alive. Not just him, I'll skin the woman who broke up his family too to vent my anger."
"You've been watching too many of the Ten Great Tortures," Huo Zhixun said softly, looking at his wife's posture.
Yang Ziyun glared at him. "What do you know? You're just heartless." Then she turned to Gu Chengze. "Brother, we've lived most of our lives, having a grandson is such a big deal. Anyone who gets in the way of this important event, we'll kill them all, whether they're ghosts or Buddhas! Ask your brother, if anyone dares to lay a finger on Lele, do you think he'll be worried?"
"..."
Yang Ziyun and Huo Zhixun didn't stay long before coming out.
They had just left when a man in military uniform came down from upstairs. It was Gu Tianze. "Dad, what are they trying to do?"
"This implies that we need to keep a close eye on Xiaozheng. If she interferes with Huo Qingfeng's marriage, she'll become the enemy of the entire Huo family. Speaking of which, it's time to discipline that girl Xiaozheng; we can't let her ruin things." Gu Chengze looked at the gate and smiled coldly.
Mentioning his younger sister, Gu Tianze frowned. "I think so too. This girl is acting like she's gone mad for Huo Qingfeng. If this continues, something bad will happen sooner or later."
"Okay. You can handle this."
"yes."
They had originally wanted to find a reason to send Xiaozheng and the others away, and now that Xiaozheng had made such a fuss, it made things even more logical.
...
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