Chapter 231 Lifetimes and lifetimes, a hundred deaths and no return...
The palace corridor stretched far and wide, at the end of which stood a solitary figure. Her exquisite and luxurious gown trailed on the ground, its turquoise luster dazzling. On her robe, a peacock displayed its noble wings to the viewer, lifelike and vivid.
His long, slender, white fingers traced the fabric, his eyes filled with deep longing. He looked away, his expression one of utter dejection.
"Dad, what's wrong?" a child asked in a tender voice, a hint of nervousness hidden in his big, dark eyes.
Zong Suyi rubbed her head, forcing a smile that was pale and weak. "Dad's alright, let's go home." He took his daughter's hand and continued walking forward, his other hand involuntarily falling to his lower abdomen. It was all his fault for not having a baby.
Married for over ten years, he had only given birth to one son for his wife, and he was ashamed to face the Zhang family ancestral temple.
His eyes were bloodshot, and tears welled up and fell silently.
Her face was streaked with tears, her expression filled with despair, and she said in a hoarse voice, "Go home, everything will be alright when we're home."
Tun Tun was extremely uneasy, looking at her father with fearful eyes, not daring to say another word.
The car came full of laughter and joy, but returned as silent as a stagnant pool.
The lively and cheerful child suddenly became mute.
The night was dark and chilly. Father and daughter stepped into the inner courtyard together. A faint light appeared deep in the dark woods, and a familiar female voice came from within, "Have your husband and young master not returned yet?"
Zong Suyi was immediately jolted awake. The lover he once longed to see had become a terrifying monster he now feared. He looked around and fled in panic, leaving even the child behind.
"Who's there!"
He stumbled and fell to the ground like a startled bird, then hurriedly got up and disappeared into the darkness.
Tun Tun finally couldn't hold back her tears. Her voice was thin and weak, like that of an abandoned kitten, which made people feel so sorry for her.
Hearing the child cry, Zhang Ting rushed over and scooped the child into her arms, gently comforting her, "Don't cry, don't cry, Mommy's here. Where's your father?" Seeing that Tun Tun was neatly dressed and breathing heavily, not appearing injured, she breathed a sigh of relief. It's just that Zong Suyi is such a grown man, leaving a child here alone is incredibly irresponsible.
Tun Tun's small face was streaked with tears as she sobbed, "Daddy is so scary, I'm so afraid." As if she had found a sanctuary, she tightly hugged her mother's neck.
Zhang Ting took out a handkerchief and let the child wipe away his tears. "What's so scary about Daddy? Why did you frighten our little pig like this?" He carried the little one towards the main room and asked gently, "Was dinner in the palace delicious?"
Tun Tun wiped her nose with a handkerchief, grumbling, "Dad is like a monster, his face is dark and fierce, and he ignores me when I ask him questions. I'm so scared." After thinking for a moment, she added, "Dinner wasn't good, it looked nice but didn't taste good."
Zhang Ting listened thoughtfully to the first part of her words, but couldn't help but chuckle when she heard the latter. The rules of the Forbidden City were strict; one couldn't eat too much at banquets. How could they possibly fill the gluttonous belly of her family?
Tun Tun noticed the messy embroidery on the handkerchief, unfolded it for a closer look, and exclaimed in a strange tone, "Mom, there are two big fat chickens on this!" Saliva welled up in her mouth, and she almost drooled.
Zhang Ting was taken aback when she heard this, then burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking with laughter.
“Yes, yes, yes, they are two big, fat chickens.” She carried them forward, pressing her face against the child’s. “This was embroidered by your father for your mother. The smaller one is you, and the larger one is him. He wanted me to carry it with me and keep you and your father in my heart forever.”
Tun Tun was initially afraid of her father, but seeing such cute and chubby little creatures, she couldn't be afraid at all. She grinned and pointed at the two little animals on top, her face still wet with tears, "This is the baby, and this is the father."
“Yes.” Zhang Ting patted the little fool’s head, his eyes full of affection.
The clueless Tun Tun was a little depressed. His eyebrows furrowed into two caterpillars, and he said with a bitter expression, "Why does Dad think I'm a fat chicken?" He touched his round belly with his chubby hand and said dejectedly, "I'm not fat."
Zhang Ting looked at the child's still chubby face and tried hard to suppress a laugh. "Yes, Tun Tun isn't fat at all." He's just quite robust.
Father is so foolish, the child sighs.
Tun Tun clung to his elderly mother, urging her to hurry up. "Mom, hurry up, Mom, I want to personally instruct Dad!" he said proudly. If he had a tail, it would be wagging in the air.
She definitely wanted to see him, but not now. Zhang Ting handed the child to the servant beside her and coaxed her to go eat and fill her stomach first.
Tun Tun gave me a look that said, "I really can't do anything with you," and waved her little hand. "Sigh! I know, kid." Adults are always so long-winded and nagging, they don't act like kids at all.
Having successfully sent the child away, Zhang Ting turned to find her husband. In this war without gunfire, she adopted a strategy of forming alliances and defeating the enemy one by one.
The younger ones are easy to coax, but the older ones are difficult to deal with.
She leaned against the wooden frame and poked the pupa wrapped in blankets on the bed with one foot. The pupa turned its rear end to one side and didn't make a sound.
Poke again, move again.
They just ignore people.
She raised an eyebrow, suppressing a laugh, "Xiaoyi, what's on your mind? Tell your wife and make her laugh. You're not young anymore, do you still think you're sixteen?"
Upon hearing this, the person under the covers froze for three seconds, then flew into a rage, threw off the covers, and jumped up. "You old bastard, I didn't even say anything to you, and you still complain that I'm old!" He lunged at them, baring his teeth and claws, wanting to tear the foul-mouthed person to pieces.
Zhang Ting instinctively dodged to the side, afraid that he would accidentally trip and fall, then ran over and took him into her arms, letting him vent his anger.
Zong Suyi was in tears, sobbing and hitting her, but she couldn't bring herself to use any force. She only hit her twice before stopping, holding her tightly and whimpering like a small animal: "You actually think I'm old..." Her shoulders trembled slightly, her thin figure extremely frail.
Zhang Ting pulled him closer to her. He had lost weight and his mood was tinged with sadness. However, her hand, which was around her husband's waist, accidentally touched soft flesh. Huh? She subconsciously pinched it, and then pinched it again.
Zong Suyi's waist twitched with an itch. He slapped away the restless hand and laughed and cried, "You bastard, you're teasing me!" He felt extremely guilty for not being able to give her more children to prosper the ancestral temple. And this old woman was just playing with him.
His touch was like a tickle, and Zhang Ting chuckled, holding her husband's cold hand and stroking it. "But there's this sixteen-year-old boy who's infatuated with this bastard." Her eyes were clear as she looked at him, her expression gentle as a flowing spring.
Zong Suyi's heart skipped a beat, a long-lost flutter of excitement swirling within him, and he stared intently at her.
She lifted her husband's hand and kissed it gently and attentively, as if she were focusing all her attention on him. Like an invisible, sturdy net, it gently supported all of Zong Suyi's fluctuating anxieties. He tried to pull his hand away, but halfway through, he returned and held her hand tightly.
Zong Suyi leaned on her shoulder, sobbing softly, "My lady..." He held Zhang Ting's hand tightly, as if afraid she might run away at any moment.
Zhang Ting couldn't even pat his back to comfort him. She sighed inwardly and said, "Don't worry, I'm here." After the little one finished crying, the big one started crying, and the big one was still a crybaby.
Once Zong Suyi had calmed down, she pulled him down to sit and carefully learned the truth.
After hearing this, Zhang Ting was speechless. That's all?
Zong Suyi was most afraid of her silence at this moment. She looked up at her pitifully, on the verge of tears, and asked, "Do you perhaps want to take a concubine to continue your Zhang family's bloodline?"
Zhang Ting held his tear-streaked, pitiful face, staring intently at it, her expression suddenly turning serious. "What if I say yes?"
Zong Suyi's face instantly drained of color, turning deathly pale, as if he had been plunged into the deepest hell. He choked back sobs and lunged forward, shaking his head and crying, "No, no, you can't do this to me!"
Zhang Ting pursed her lips and said calmly, "That's settled then." Men, oh men, they're just spoiled. She gently rubbed his smooth cheek, guessing he hadn't slept enough today, so she blamed herself.
Zong Suyi's despair abruptly ceased. She blinked her wet eyelashes and stared blankly at her. "The Zhang family has no descendants. Don't you blame me?"
Exhausted from a night of tossing and turning, she lay back on the bed with her hands behind her head. "Fame and fortune are like dust, scattered like the wind. I don't care about worldly norms, even if I have no descendants, it doesn't matter. Getting Tun Tun was an accident, but also a surprise. Having her is enough."
She confided in her husband, “A person’s heart can hold very little. As parents, it’s inevitable that our attention will be somewhat diverted when we have a second child. For Tun Tun, the new siblings will reduce our affection and future resources. She may initially rebel and resent it, but as time goes by, she will gradually accept it. But will she still be as happy as she is now?” Staring blankly at the canopy above her head, she realized that only after becoming a mother did she truly understand the profound meaning of “a mother’s love for her child is far-reaching.”
She turned her head and smiled at Zong Suyi, "Don't hurt the child's feelings, she is our precious child."
Zong Suyi nodded vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes as he leaned against her, "My wife, I was wrong. I was narrow-minded."
Outside the door, Little Radish Head kept wiping his eyes, but his eyes were wet and wouldn't listen to him at all.
She ran back to her room with her short legs. She was so happy today. Her dad would sometimes turn into a scary ugly monster, but he would coax her to eat and sleep. He was the best dad in the world. Her mom would sometimes turn into a heartless beating machine, but she was always the most steadfast in her side and encouraged her in everything she did. She was the best mom in the world.
They also said they only want one child, TunTun!
With love from both parents, Tun Tun is the happiest child in the world!
Inside, Zong Suyi held back for a while, but couldn't help it. She carefully climbed up to peek at her expression and said, "So you'll never take any concubines in this life, right? You'll only have me, right?"
Zhang Ting was speechless, but still cooperated: "Yes, I don't want servants, I only want you."
In an instant, it felt like spring had arrived and flowers were blooming. Zong Suyi was overjoyed, but the next moment she questioned the truthfulness of her words, after all, the person had no credibility whatsoever.
He pouted, pointed at her nose, and started acting unreasonably, "You swear an oath."
Zhang Ting glanced at the big fool. If I really wanted to break my promise, would a poisonous oath be useful to me? She stammered, "If I break my promise today, may I be struck by lightning..." The rest of the words were cut off by a pair of hands. She looked at the owner of the hands.
He put his arms around her neck, pressed his face against hers, and could hear her clear breathing in his ear.
"Fine, even if I can't do it, I won't blame you. But I will definitely kill that bitch."
The candles crackled and popped, but no one paid any attention in the quiet room.
"Zhang Ting, I love you." He affectionately nuzzled her face, his eyes filled with dependence, but his words were tinged with a cold ruthlessness, "Even if you get tired of me or hate me in the future, don't even think about getting rid of me. We will be together for all eternity, even if it means a hundred deaths."
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