Chapter 82 Dad, we got married first, so you were born
Hearing this, Zhou Linjin nodded, looked around, and then asked, "How many days will this last?"
"About a month. If we eat fast, we'll still have some left over," Chen Lianxiu sighed. "I don't know how much longer it will take."
Zhou Linjin didn't speak immediately after hearing this. Instead, he remained silent for a moment before saying, "I'm leaving the capital tomorrow."
Chen Lianxiu was startled, and before she could react, she asked, "What? Where are you going?"
"Prince Hui's army is about to arrive in the capital, and His Majesty has sent me to gather intelligence." Zhou Linjin spoke calmly, as if discussing a perfectly normal matter, like a planned outing tomorrow. "You don't have to tell anyone else. If Mother and the others ask, just tell them I'm in the palace. I'm afraid they'll worry if they find out."
"Will you come back alive if you go?" Chen Lianxiu couldn't explain the feeling in her heart, only that her heart seemed to sink. But for some reason, the words that came out of her mouth weren't very pleasant. "Is the emperor crazy to let you go? Or does he think that since you inherited your father's title, you should also inherit his abilities?"
Zhou Linjin ignored her questioning and simply said, "While I'm away, everything at home depends on you and my sister."
Shen Lianxiu's heart was blocked for a moment, but she was very stubborn and continued to ask: "Why did the emperor send you?"
"Yuzuka, there's no point in talking about this anymore."
"Knowing you're going there to die is already pointless enough."
Zhou Linjin gave a bitter smile and finally said slowly, "Your Majesty didn't mention me at first, but when he asked for someone to leave the city, no one dared to respond. Plus, Your Majesty has his own concerns. Right now, all the troops are tied up at the border, and those generals and commanders must stay in the capital and the palace to protect Him. They really can't move unless it's absolutely necessary."
"So you volunteered?" Shen Lianxiu looked at him in disbelief.
"Yes, if no one else is going, I'll go."
Shen Lianxiu took a breath and said, "I don't think it's His Majesty who's crazy, but you."
Zhou Linjin said: "Someone has to go."
"But you will die in vain if you go!" Shen Lianxiu was furious.
"It doesn't matter." The dim candlelight illuminated a glimmer in Zhou Linjin's eyes as he spoke calmly. "It's better for me to go than for no one in the court to go. The worst that could happen is death, but what if I can find out? Wouldn't that be a win? Besides, since my father asked me to avenge him before his death, I can't back down. I have to give it a try."
After hearing this, Shen Lianxiu was speechless for a long time.
She knew that Zhou Linjin's paranoia had come back and there was no way to persuade him. Besides, the emperor had already made the decision and Zhou Linjin had no right to regret it.
She suddenly felt powerless, as if she was watching Zhou Linjin go to his death, or it should not be said "as if", but definitely.
Chen Lianxiu turned his back slightly and blinked his sore eyes hard twice.
Just when Shen Lianxiu didn't know how to face Zhou Linjin, the door of the warehouse suddenly opened, and someone called her.
"elder sister!"
Neither Shen Lianxiu nor Zhou Linjin expected this, and they looked towards the door at the same time, only to see Shen Wuyu standing there.
She took a deep breath, slammed the door shut, and walked towards them, saying, "Sister, brother-in-law, I have an idea. I'm going to leave the city, and have my brother-in-law pretend to be my servant, and we'll go to King Hui together."
"Stop messing around," Shen Lianxiu's head was burning with heat, "I will never let you go back to King Hui again."
Shen Wuyu bit her lower lip fiercely and said, "At first I kept saying I was going to Shouzhou, but I didn't really want to go back home. I was thinking of leaving the city first and then looking for him. He deliberately deceived me and hurt me like this. Even my parents died because of him. My family is scattered and I don't know if we will see each other again. I hate him so much, I want revenge!"
Shen Lianxiu and Zhou Linjin couldn't help but look at each other. They were about to speak, but Shen Wuyu took the lead: "Since my brother-in-law wants to go, then it's perfect. Let the two of us go. I'll take Xiaoshu with me, and he won't drive me away."
After she finished speaking, there was a dead silence all around.
After a while, Chen Lianxiu looked up at Zhou Linjin, only to see Zhou Linjin nod.
But before Zhou Linjin could say anything, Chen Lianxiu said, "Prince Hui knows you. It's too dangerous for you to stay with my sister directly. And if she only has a male servant like you, it's impossible for him to not notice her. I have an idea. I will go with my sister and pretend to be her servant. Even if Prince Hui sees me, he won't be suspicious. After my sister is settled, you can come quietly and just tell others that you are my husband. If you are careful in your daily life, you may be able to get away with it. It will also be more convenient this way."
Shen Wuyu didn't say anything after hearing this, but Zhou Linjin immediately said, "No!"
"This is the safest way," Chen Lianxiu said, "Do you still want to avenge your father?"
"Anyway, there's no way I'm going to let you take this risk with me."
"If you go and can't come back, wouldn't it be the same outcome if you wait for the city to fall?" Chen Lianxiu looked at him steadily. "Zhou Linjin, this is what you just said. It's better to go than for no one to go. Besides, we have three people right now, so our chances of success are much greater than if you go alone, or even just two people go."
At this time, Shen Wuyu also said: “Sister is right, I believe we can succeed.”
Zhou Linjin was silent for a long time.
Shen Lianxiu ignored him and said to Shen Wuyu, "You need to teach Xiaoshu well. Children are most likely to reveal their flaws."
“I will,” Shen Wuyu said, “Don’t worry, sister, I will definitely teach him well.”
Chen Lianxiu nodded. Xiaoshu was a very quiet child and he didn't call out to people much. He would only follow his mother's instructions after Chen Wuyu told him to. So as long as he paid attention, Xiaoshu's problem was actually not a big deal.
Chen Lianxiu looked at Zhou Linjin again. Zhou Linjin frowned and finally said, "I will arrange for us to leave the city tomorrow. You go back and pack up the things you need."
Shen Wuyu was waiting for Zhou Linjin to say this. A smile appeared on her slightly haggard face. In addition, she had to go and tell Xiaoshu quickly, so she left first.
Leaving behind Chen Lianxiu and Zhou Linjin, Chen Lianxiu thought for a moment and said to Zhou Linjin, "While An An is still asleep, we must go and talk to her about this matter right away. You... come with me."
Zhou Linjin was happy at first, but then he was replaced by confusion and fear.
After this trip, will I really be able to come back and see An An again?
He silently followed Chen Lianxiu back to Zhuoxinzhai.
An An was rolling on the couch playing with a painted clay duck, which Zhou Linjin had bought for her when they were in Chenzhou and brought to the capital.
Chen Lianxiu sat over, didn't say anything at first, and touched her forehead again and again.
An An noticed that Zhou Linjin was there too. She snorted, obviously not having forgotten what happened last time. She pouted and wanted to turn around, but then she remembered that the little duck in her hand was a gift from Zhou Linjin, so she stopped moving for a while.
Zhou Linjin felt bitter in his heart and stepped forward and said, "An An, haven't you forgiven me yet?"
An An shook his head decisively.
Shen Lianxiu picked her up from the bed and placed her on her lap: "Okay, mother has something to tell you, and about what happened last time, just forgive... him, okay?"
An An glanced at Zhou Linjin and finally nodded.
Zhou Linjin breathed a sigh of relief and wanted to step forward to say something, but was stopped by Shen Lianxiu's eyes.
"An An, mother wants to tell you two things today. Please listen carefully, okay?" Chen Lianxiu said softly.
An An blinked and looked at her seriously.
Chen Lianxiu calmed herself down. Besides telling An An that they were leaving, there was one more thing she had not intended to say, but had to say it now.
In case they can't come back, then the fact that Zhou Linjin is An An's father must be told right now. Chen Lianxiu doesn't want An An to know about this from other people in the future, so that she won't regret not knowing each other when they first met.
An An needs to recognize Zhou Linjin in person.
She couldn't help but look at Zhou Linjin, and they both understood each other tacitly.
Chen Lianxiu pointed at Zhou Linjin and said to An An, "An An, Uncle Zhou is not your uncle. He is An An's father."
An An blinked twice again, looked at Zhou Linjin and tilted her head, but her reaction was not very big.
Zhou Linjin couldn't help but step forward and squat in front of her. For a moment, he didn't dare to reach out and touch her, as if he was afraid of scaring her: "An An, I am Daddy."
An An asked, "Because you are going to marry A Niang, do you become A Daddy?"
Zhou Linjin almost vomited blood after hearing this. It seemed that An An still hadn't gotten over the dilemma caused by what he said that day.
"No," Zhou Linjin said quickly, "I have always been like that. It didn't change now. That's called stepfather. I am your biological father."
An An said "Oh", not knowing whether she understood or not.
Zhou Linjin had no choice but to continue: "Your mother is not going to marry me, but she was already married to me. We got married first and then you were born."
"Okay," Shen Lianxiu interrupted him with a frown, and then said to An An, "An An, do you understand?"
An An nodded.
"Then call him."
Originally, Chen Lianxiu was afraid that she would not be able to accept it for the time being, but she could not care less at the moment. She did not want An An to regret it later.
An An said obediently: "Dad."
Zhou Linjin didn't expect her to scream so quickly and was stunned.
Shen Lianxiu kicked him lightly with her toes.
He came back to his senses, but his eyes became hot.
"An'an, it's all because of Daddy's past mistakes," he said, grabbing An'an's fat and short calf. He felt a mixture of emotions, a myriad of flavors, but in the end, he could only distinguish sweetness, as if he had stored a jar of melted sugar. "That's why you've never seen Daddy."
An An naturally didn't quite understand what he said, so she had to look up at Shen Lianxiu.
Shen Lianxiu didn't say anything.
She couldn't explain these to An An now. Perhaps when she grew up and remembered what Zhou Linjin said today, she would slowly understand.
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