Weary birds return to their nests
As the last rays of sunset disappeared into the horizon, the gate of the Shen family compound was finally pushed open.
Ling Zhan led Xiao Shitou by the hand, with Douya following behind.
The three of them carried a distinct scent of mountain dust, and even had a few withered grass leaves clinging to the corners of their clothes as they walked in.
In the kitchen, Chen Yan, who was being pestered by the little bull to taste the Nth time the modified version of "Golden Jade Abundance", suddenly looked up.
When he saw the mud on Ling Zhan's clothes and the mud- and grass-covered Taoist robe of Douya behind her, a chill instantly shot from the soles of his feet to the top of his head! Seeing the obvious signs of their outdoor activity, and recalling the dangers of Broken Soul Cliff and Qi the镖头's warning… Shen Yan felt a buzzing in his head—
All the suppressed fear, worry, and anger instantly broke through the dam!
"My wife!"
Shen Yan's voice suddenly rose, sharp and shrill, filled with disbelief, anger, and the panic that had been suppressed all day. "Where...where have you been?!" He ignored the oil and sauce stains on his apron and hands, rushed out, staring intently at Ling Zhan, his eyes blazing with fire.
Little Bull, holding the poorly presented "Golden Jade Abundance," looked blankly at his father, then at his mother and brothers: "Mother, Brother Hong, Little Stone, you're back? Father taught me how to cook, you should try it!"
Ling Zhan's gaze swept over Shen Yan's face, which was contorted and flushed with excitement, past his disheveled apron and greasy hands, then looked at the plate in Xiao Man Niu's hand, and finally landed on Dou Ya. He simply said, "Go wash up and get ready to eat."
It was as if they had just gone on a picnic.
"Have a meal?!"
Shen Yan's voice completely changed tone, and a surge of anger instantly burned away all his reason and fear! The worries, fears, anger at being kept in the dark, and intense dissatisfaction with Ling Zhan's "dictatorial" behavior of treating dangerous paths as easy ones and his family's worries as nothing, which had been building up all day, erupted like a volcano!
He suddenly reached out!
Amidst everyone's astonished gazes, he grabbed Ling Zhan's wrist tightly!
The force was so great that a red mark instantly appeared on Ling Zhan's wrist.
"Ling Zhan!"
For the first time, Shen Yan roared at her with her full name and almost hysterically. Her beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with terrifying blood vessels due to extreme anger and fear, and tears were swirling wildly in her eyes.
"Get in here! Now! Right now!"
Completely disregarding the children's presence, he dragged Ling Zhan and rushed toward the unused side room piled with miscellaneous items.
The force that erupted caused Ling Zhan to stagger for a moment.
"Bang!!!"
With a deafening crash, Shen Yan slammed the already dilapidated wooden door of the side room shut with all her might, the loud noise sending dust flying from the doorframe. The door shut out the panicked cries of the little bull outside, "Father?! Mother?!", the sudden, deep, calm gaze of the little stone, and the complex, unreadable expression on the bean sprout's face.
The storm erupted in the cramped, dark, dusty, and cobweb-covered side room.
Only the last sliver of faint sunlight filtering through the high window could barely outline the silhouettes of two figures almost touching.
Shen Yan's chest heaved violently, like a broken bellows making a whooshing sound.
He gripped Ling Zhan's wrist tightly, slamming her against the cold, rough door. Their noses were almost touching, their hot, chaotic breaths mingling together. The heavy smell of cooking oil on him clashed violently with the fresh, earthy scent of the mountains emanating from Ling Zhan.
"You went to the Cliff of Broken Souls! Did you?!"
Chen Yan's voice was hoarse and broken, each word seeming to be torn from the depths of his throat, carrying a heavy stench of blood and an uncontrollable tremor. "What did you promise me this morning?! 'You knew what you were doing'?! Your 'knowing what you were doing' meant taking Little Stone and some bean sprouts to that hellish place to 'investigate'?! You didn't listen to a single word Qi the镖头 (镖头 is a nickname for a镖师, a镖师) said?! That's a place where people die! Three hundred taels! That three hundred taels is a guillotine hanging over our heads! Behind us is the all-powerful, ruthless King Yama! Do you know that?! Do you even know that?!"
He became more and more agitated as he spoke, tears welling up in his eyes and mingling with the oil on his face as they slid down his cheeks. Despite his efforts to hold back, he still left behind a disheveled appearance.
It was anger! But even more so, it was fear to the core! Fear made my whole body tremble!
"Do you even care about this family anymore?! Do you even care about us?!"
"Little Bull is only twelve! Little Stone is only eight! Bean Sprout is only sixteen! They're all so young! They can't live without their mother! And me? What am I in your eyes?! A piece of trash who doesn't even deserve to know you're going to your death?! A decoration who can only be kept in the dark, cutting fish in the kitchen and waiting to die?!"
The voice, filled with hurt accusation and desperate lament, was chilling. "Do you even know how I spent my day?! I was dragged around the kitchen like an idiot by that little bull! As I chopped fish with my knife, all I could think about was Broken Soul Cliff! All I could see were images of you being riddled with arrows, smashed by rolling stones, torn apart by those wolves lurking in the shadows! I...I..."
The bloody scene tore him apart, leaving him unable to speak.
It turned into a suppressed sob, like the howl of a wild beast.
"You've always been like this! Domineering! Stubborn! Self-willed! You always shoulder everything yourself! You never say a word! In your heart, is it only your workshop, your plans, and your 'knowing what you're doing' that matter most?! In your eyes, our worries and fears are all superfluous! All just getting in the way! All just a joke of cowardice and incompetence, right?!"
"Ling Zhan! Answer me! Say something!"
His pent-up emotions completely spiraled out of control. The long-suppressed grievances, the disappointment of being ignored, the helplessness in the face of Ling Zhan's powerful aura, and the heart-wrenching fear of today, all rushed out like a burst dam, washing away his usual "scholarly" reserve and cowardly "wife-fearing" demeanor.
Like a trapped beast cornered on the edge of a cliff, with nowhere to go, he revealed all his vulnerability and anger to the woman he revered, relied on, and feared for the first time, unleashing his most desperate roar and accusation.
He shook her with all his might, as if trying to shatter her seemingly unbreakable calm exterior.
In the dim light, Ling Zhan was pinned against the cold door by his wrist, which was gripped tightly by him. He could clearly feel the violent trembling of his body and the scorching heat emanating from him, which almost burned them both to ashes.
The pain in my wrist was clearly felt.
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Shen Yan's handsome face, which was so close to hers, distorted and tearful with extreme excitement. His usually cunning or cowardly peach blossom eyes were now only a terrifying crimson and broken tear light. Anger, fear, grievance, despair... all kinds of intense emotions surged wildly within him, almost threatening to devour him.
She simply listened quietly, letting him vent, without struggling or trying to interrupt his hysteria.
Her silence, amidst Shen Yan's frantic accusations, seemed exceptionally cold and powerful.
Until the sullen roars gradually weakened due to extreme excitement and lack of oxygen—
Ling Zhan slowly raised his other hand, which was not being held.
Shen Yan subconsciously tensed all the muscles in her body.
However, that calloused, slightly cool hand gently landed on his hand, which was gripping her wrist tightly with white knuckles and bulging veins from excessive force. He didn't pry it open. He didn't even apply any pressure.
She simply covered it, pressing her palm against his burning hot hand and gently patting it.
"Are you done?" she asked softly.
"The book is too long to tell!" he gritted his teeth!
"Then let's talk about it slowly after we finish eating."
Ling Zhan reached out his other hand, his fingertips applying a barely perceptible pressure, and gently brushed away the messy marks of oil and tears on Shen Yan's cheek. The movement was both abrupt and natural, yet it froze Shen Yan as if under a spell; all her screams, accusations, trembling, and the tears about to burst forth instantly solidified!
He stood frozen in place, like a stone sculpture that had suddenly cooled down!
Only those bloodshot eyes remained, wide open, filled with disbelief, astonishment, and a blank, bewildered look.
He couldn't say anything.
The cool touch and a trace of almost completely wiped-away oil remained on his cheek where Ling Zhan's fingertips had brushed against it. He felt a strange, belated sense of shame mingling with the intense emotions from before, rushing straight to the top of his head—
An unnatural blush crept onto the tips of her ears in the dim light.
When Ling Zhan opened the door to the side room from the inside, lanterns had already been lit in the courtyard outside.
A soft, dim light shone down.
Little Bull and Little Stone sat side by side on the threshold like two little door gods. Little Bull was still clutching the plate of "Golden Jade Abundance" that had gone cold and looked even worse, his face full of worry. Bean Sprout leaned against the pillar with his arms crossed, watching the two people who came out with a calm look in his eyes.
Douya's gaze first fell on Ling Zhan's calm and expressionless face, then quickly swept over the red mark on her wrist that was particularly conspicuous under the light, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. Next, his gaze shifted to his father, Chen Yan.
Most of the oil and tear stains on Shen Yan's face had been wiped away, and his expression was blank and dazed, as if his soul had left his body. However, Dou Ya's calm gaze keenly caught his father's two ears, which were quietly reddened in the dim light, as if dyed with the sunset.
This sudden blush formed a strange contrast with his bewildered expression and the hysteria that had just ended.
A look of understanding flashed quickly across Bean Sprout's eyes.
Then she returned to her usual calm, asking nothing and simply watching silently.
"Dinner's ready." Ling Zhan's voice broke the silence.
As if given a command, the Shen family mansion, which housed more than twenty teenagers, instantly came to life. The children from each room, like birds returning to their nests, chirped and chattered as they rushed to the dining hall. The long table on the communal bed was already crowded with people, and the sounds of clinking bowls and chopsticks, laughter, and greetings blended into a noisy yet vibrant sea of life.
The air was filled with the aroma of food.
A large pot of steaming stew, and several plates of freshly stir-fried vegetables.
There was also a large pot of freshly cooked noodles, hand-stretched by Little Bull himself, each strand chewy and neatly arranged.
Shen Yan was "supported" to the main seat by Xiao Man Niu and Xiao Shi Tou, one on each side. He was still a little dazed, and his red ear tips seemed more obvious under the brighter lights of the dining hall, but he was completely unaware of it.
Ling Zhan sat down next to him, picked up his chopsticks, as if the thrilling conflict had never happened.
"Wow! Bro Bull! The noodles smell so good today!"
A tall girl with pigtails and a loud voice picked up a large mouthful of noodles, slurped it up, and her eyes immediately lit up. "So smooth and chewy! Even better than last time!"
"That's right!"
A slightly quieter girl next to her, but also full of admiration, chimed in, chewing slowly, "The broth is so delicious! Brother Bull, your cooking skills are getting better and better! It tastes even better than Old Zhang's wonton noodles!"
As she spoke, she picked up another piece of food with her chopsticks and ate with great satisfaction.
The other children chimed in, and the dining hall was filled with:
"tasty!"
"Brother Bull is amazing!"
The exclamation, "I want another bowl!"
Hearing everyone's praise, Little Bull's worries vanished. He puffed out his chest, his face flushed with excitement, and put down his chopsticks to flit between the stove and the table, busy serving everyone noodles.
Watching the children eat with relish, watching the little bull beam with joy at being praised, Chen You's heart, which had been torn apart by anger, fear, and... strangely calmed down little by little in this warm and noisy atmosphere.
All that remained was a deep weariness and an indescribable soreness.
The blush on the tips of her ears gradually faded as her emotions calmed down.
Just then, Little Bull ran up to Chen Yan and Ling Zhan with a bowl of noodles in his hand, his eyes sparkling with excitement and nervousness: "Dad, Mom! Try it! Brother Hong, Sister Daniu, and Sister Daya all say it's delicious!"
Ling Zhan took the bowl, politely tasted a mouthful of noodles, and nodded: "Hmm, you've improved."
Shen Yan mechanically picked up her chopsticks, and the noodles entered her mouth. They were indeed chewy and smooth, even better than before.
He was about to nod when he heard Little Bull stand by the table, take a deep breath as if he had mustered up a great deal of courage, and speak in a voice that, though not loud, clearly drowned out the surrounding noise: "Dad, Mom! I...I want to open a small noodle shop next to the county school!"
The noise in the canteen immediately subsided, and the children looked at Little Bull with curiosity.
The little bull's face turned even redder, but his eyes remained determined: "Dad gets tired of eating wontons at the county school every day at noon, and they don't keep him full! I want to open a noodle shop, specifically to make noodles for Dad and the students at the county school! That way, Dad can eat hot and delicious noodles every day! And..."
His eyes lit up even more. "I can keep practicing my skills! I'll learn from Dad and from the chef we hired! Sister Da Niu and Sister Da Ya can come over for lunch, and Gou Dan and the others can help me wash the dishes and greet the guests! We'll definitely do a good job!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the canteen erupted in chaos.
“Great! Little Bull will take care of my lunch!” Big Girl was the first to respond.
"I'm strong, I can knead dough!" a boy said, patting his chest.
“I…I can help Little Bull manage the accounts!” Daya also agreed.
"After class, I can help Brother Man Niu deliver food to Dad!" Little Stone's clear voice rang out.
Even Douya smiled slightly, a rare occurrence for her: "I'll draw some amulets and put them in the shop."
The children chattered excitedly, as if opening a noodle shop was an extremely interesting and glorious thing.
Looking at the excited little ones in front of him, and then at the expectant and filial eyes of the little bull, Shen Yan felt his lingering resentment lessen considerably.
He was about to say "Nonsense" or "Studying is more important" when his gaze unconsciously drifted to Ling Zhan beside him.
Ling Zhan was eating his noodles slowly and deliberately, seemingly oblivious to this earth-shattering suggestion.
Only when she felt Shen Yan's disapproving gaze did she put down her chopsticks and wipe her mouth with a cloth. Under the tense yet expectant gazes of Shen Yan and all the children, she didn't even lift her eyelids, only uttering a single word:
"Um."
Shen Yan was completely stunned.
He simply couldn't believe his ears!
My wife... actually agreed again? She just agreed so casually?!
Letting these teenagers run a noodle shop and cause trouble?!
The little bull was instantly overjoyed, almost jumping up and down: "Thank you, Mother! Thank you, Father!"
He automatically took the somber silence as tacit agreement, cheered, and was immediately surrounded by excited children who chattered about the noodle shop's name, what kind of noodles they would sell, and who would be in charge of what...
Looking at the bustling scene before her, and then at Ling Zhan who was still calmly eating beside her, Shen Yan felt a sense of disorientation.
The storm that nearly tore him apart in the side room.
It felt like two completely different worlds compared to the warm and inviting atmosphere of everyday life before me.
He had only one thought in his mind: life is becoming more and more... incomprehensible.
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