Having left Changyi County, they were almost home, and Wu Xingwang and his son could not hide their joy.
Su Yunzhi was prepared for the turbulent journey.
After waiting for a while, he could clearly feel that the carriage was moving very smoothly. He curiously opened the window and looked out, and saw the carriage speeding on the flat and wide official road.
"Uncle Wu, have you repaired this road?"
"That's right. During the off-season, the city lord gathered the able-bodied men from the villages below and not only repaired the official road, but also widened and leveled it."
Wu Xingwang couldn't hide his pride. The official road from Cangwu County to Changyi County was full of potholes and dilapidated, but the road in Longtan was flat and wide.
This made Su Yunzhi even more curious, "How exactly did you do that?"
Wu Xingwang shook his head but smiled without saying a word. Wu Yuan didn't want to stab him in the heart, so he said, "Brother Su, you'll know when we get to Longtan."
Undeterred by the cold wind blowing outside the window, Su Yunzhi watched the towering city wall gradually appear before her, her heart surging with emotion, unable to calm down for a long time.
What kind of courage and determination enabled them to build an impregnable city in just six months?
The carriage stopped at the city gate.
Wu Xingwang walked up to Yun Mo, grinning slyly as he gestured towards the carriage, "Second Master Yun, look who I brought?"
With her gaze drawn away from the city wall, Su Yunzhi stepped down from the carriage.
Yun Mo stared wide-eyed at Su Yunzhi, whose figure was even thinner than when she fled the famine.
Was this a surprise from Wu Xingwang? What is Su Yunzhi doing in Longtan?
Despite having many questions in his mind, Yun Mo remained expressionless.
The fatigue from days of travel was vividly reflected in Su Yunzhi's coarse black cotton coat, which was full of wrinkles. Even in his ordinary attire, his gentle and refined temperament was still evident.
Su Yunzhi nodded slightly to Yun Mo, still unable to let go of the hatred he felt for having his wife stolen.
When he saw the baby in Yun Mo's arms, his eyes immediately lit up with tenderness. This was A Nan's child!
Su Yun subconsciously walked up to Yun Mo, "It's been a long time, Brother Yun, how have you been!"
Yun Mo smiled smugly, like a victor, and said, "As you can see, I'm doing well."
Yun Shijiu thought Su Yunzhi was reaching out to her, so she squirmed restlessly in Yun Mo's arms, opening her little hands to want Su Yunzhi to hug her.
Su Yunzhi was stunned for a moment, then looked expectantly at Yun Mo.
"May I hold her?"
Although a six-month-old baby isn't heavy, Yun Mo's arms were already sore from carrying him all morning. When he heard Su Yunzhi want to carry him, he quickly replied, "Of course."
He then stuffed Yun Shijiu into Su Yunzhi's arms.
Su Yunzhi stiffly took the child with both hands, holding her tightly without daring to move, afraid of dropping her.
As he smelled the baby's unique milky scent, a warm feeling washed over him. This was the child that Anan had given birth to after ten months of pregnancy.
Yun Shijiu giggled and reached out to pat Su Yunzhi's face, muttering something unintelligible, with drool occasionally dripping from the corner of her mouth onto Su's clothes.
Su Yunzhi hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her clothes, but out of the corner of her eye she noticed Yun Mo's clothes were wet on his chest and looked away in disgust.
"What's the child's name?" Su Yunzhi broke the silence first.
Yun Mo took in his expression and said with a doting look, "Yun Nineteen."
Nineteen, this name sounds very much like the Yun family, just like those secret guards. Isn't it a bit too hasty for a soft and sweet girl to have this name?
"What's your full name?" Su Yunzhi asked.
"My formal name is Yun Fangting, given to me by Anan. My nickname is Nineteen, which I gave me," Yun Mo said proudly.
Seeing that all the carriages had entered the city, Yun Mo reached out to take Yun Shijiu's hand.
"Nineteen, let's go back, it's time to eat."
Yun Shijiu withdrew her hand, turned her small body away and ignored him. Su Yunzhi chuckled and said, "She likes me, so let me hug her a little longer."
"It's windy outside, let's go inside first," Yun Mo said.
Lin Yinan forbade him from carrying Yun Shijiu outside for too long, and now that the allotted time had already passed, Yun Mo dared not anger Lin Yinan.
Upon entering the city, they saw Lin Yinan gracefully walking towards the city gate.
Caught red-handed, Yun Mo thought to himself, "This is bad."
Su Yunzhi held Yun Shijiu in his arms, his gaze towards Lin Yinan tender and affectionate, staring intently at her, his eyes brimming with deep emotions like the surging sea.
After not seeing her for a long time, Anan, who had given birth, looked much fuller and had a good complexion. It seemed that she was doing well, which made Su Yunzhi feel a little sad.
"Su Yunzhi, long time no see! Welcome to Longtan." Lin Yinan stepped forward and greeted her in a graceful manner.
Su Yunzhi snapped out of her reverie, smiled slightly at her, and said gently, "Anan, it's been a long time!"
When Yun Shijiu saw her mother arrive, she desperately stretched out her little hands, wanting her to hug her.
Lin Yinan took her and smelled the familiar scent. Yun Shijiu, regardless of the occasion, kept nuzzling her head into her arms.
Upon seeing this, Su Yunzhi stepped back a few paces and silently turned her face away.
Yun Mo stood in front of Lin Yinan and said, "Nineteen is hungry. Go back and feed her. I'll take Brother Su to settle her in."
With other men present, Lin Yinan felt a little embarrassed by Yun Shijiu's advances.
“Su Yunzhi, I’ll go ahead first. I’ll have Yunmo take you to the place where Master Dao and the others are staying. I’ll give you a welcome dinner later.”
“Okay,” Su Yunzhi said.
Seeing him staring blankly at the departing figures of Anan and her daughter, a hint of displeasure flashed in Yun Mo's eyes.
"Brother Su, please follow me."
Yun Mo led him to the classroom where Dao Fuzi and Zhou Linhou were having their classes; it was still before get out of class ended.
"Please wait here for a moment. Master Dao and the others will be finishing get out of class soon. I have something to take care of. Excuse me."
Su Yunzhi maintained a smile throughout, cupped his hands in a respectful greeting, and said, "Brother Yun, please go ahead with your business. I can wait for you."
Yun Mo nodded, turned around and strode away.
He didn't want to spend a single moment with this man who was thinking about his wife; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to resist hitting him.
Su looked at the small school and sat down on a chair in the corridor. The school was shaped like the Chinese character "回" (hui), with an open space in the middle for the children to play.
Opposite him were two classrooms with excellent natural light, and behind him were several rooms that were probably where the teachers lived.
The school currently only has two classes: a small class for younger children who have no one to look after them, and a large class for older students like Lin Yi'an and Lu Changqing.
The sound of reading aloud came from inside, and Su Yunzhi fell into deep thought, feeling as if she were in another world.
When get out of class ended, an elderly person responsible for cleaning came over and rang the bell.
Upon hearing the bell, the reading in the classroom stopped.
Then came the noisy chatter of the students. The door to one of the classrooms opened, and the children ran frantically towards the free world outside, like prisoners released from prison.
"Watch your step, don't fall!" the young teacher patiently instructed.
At this moment, the door to another classroom opened, and Lin Yi'an, Lin Yibo, and Lu Changqing were the first to rush out of the classroom.
"Brother Yunzhi, what brings you here?"
When Lin Yi'an came out, he saw Su Yunzhi sitting on the opposite corridor, his eyes filled with joy.
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