go back
The rain that had been falling for several days finally stopped. After the rain, the air was filled with the smell of soil and grass, which smelled particularly comfortable.
The food was laid out on the square table in the main hall: a plate of fried bacon with garlic sprouts, a dish of braised beef in soy sauce, and a large pot of stewed chicken with mushrooms in the middle.
Zhao Fanghua's eyes lit up when she saw it from a distance, and she blurted out, "Mom, why is the meal so rich today?"
When Zhao Qinglan heard these words, her heart felt as if it were pricked by a fine needle.
He stared at the food on the table, which did not look exquisite and was even very rough. It was not "abundant" in terms of quantity or quality, but in her eyes, it was considered "abundant"?
What kind of life had she led over the past year? How much suffering had she endured?
Thinking of this, his throat tightened a little, and the hands hanging in his sleeves clenched unconsciously.
Zhao Fanghua was completely oblivious, having already happily sat down next to Zhu Shuang, naturally picking up the rice spoon to serve everyone. There were some crushed corn kernels mixed in with the brown rice, and Zhao Qinglan frowned at the sight.
Chai Xingyuan led Zhao Qinglan to the seat directly across from her. The Chai family's dining table wasn't large to begin with, and with five people sitting there, it seemed even more cramped. Chai Kangwen sat at the top, Zhu Shuang and Zhao Fanghua to the left, Zhao Qinglan sat alone on the right, and Chai Xingyuan accompanied her at the bottom.
"What's your name, little brother?" Zhu Shuang lovingly picked up a piece of bacon with her chopsticks and placed it in Zhao Qinglan's bowl. "This is homemade. Try it and see if it tastes good."
Zhao Qinglan looked down at the food in the bowl without picking up his chopsticks. He simply said, "Thank you."
His tone was distant yet polite. Even though he was wearing ill-fitting coarse clothes, his straight back and demeanor were out of place at this farm table.
Zhu Shuang felt a little embarrassed. Zhao Fanghua rolled her eyes at Zhao Qinglan inwardly and used her chopsticks to put the bacon from Zhao Qinglan's bowl into her own mouth. "Mom, don't worry about him. He has a weak stomach and can't eat anything too salty. If he doesn't eat it, I'll eat it."
Zhu Shuang: "So that's how it is..."
Chai Xingyuan smiled and greeted: "From your accent, little brother, do you sound like someone from Beijing?"
"Exactly."
"The capital isn't far from here." Chai Xingyuan said lightly, "How come you only remembered to look for me after a year?"
There was a sting in these words. Zhao Qinglan's feelings for Zhao Fanghua were just that. If they were truly close friends, why would he wait a year to visit her when they were so close?
Zhao Qinglan raised her eyes, glancing over Zhao Fanghua, who was concentrating on her meal, and finally landing on Chai Xingyuan's face. "A year ago, Fanghua and I were separated by bandits on our way back to Beijing. I've been searching for her, but I was searching in the wrong direction. I didn't expect her to end up here. Fortunately, we've finally been reunited."
His tone was steady, but it made Zhao Fanghua choke on a mouthful of food, causing her face to turn red.
"Look at you, child!" Zhu Shuang patted her back quickly to soothe her. "You're so anxious to eat!" Then she turned to Zhao Qinglan and smiled, "I see. Fanghua came here alone with Xingyuan a year ago, saying her family had suffered a tragedy and she was left alone. I saw that she was kind-hearted and hardworking, so I adopted her as my daughter. Now that a friend has come to visit, it's truly a happy occasion."
Zhao Qinglan's gaze softened as she looked at Zhu Shuang, and she nodded slightly. "Thank you for taking care of me this past year, Auntie. I'm deeply grateful."
He spoke sincerely, but quietly put himself closer to Zhao Fanghua.
Chai Xingyuan's lips curled up slightly, his tone gentle but sharp. "Little sister is gentle and efficient. The medicine shop is very much supported by her. My mother often says that she is more considerate than me, her own son. But it's strange that little sister has never mentioned that she has a friend like you." As he spoke, he naturally picked up a piece of mushroom with chopsticks and put it in Zhao Fanghua's bowl. "Little sister, don't just eat, try the vegetables too."
Zhao Fanghua was about to pick up her chopsticks when she felt a cold gaze glare at her from the opposite side. Feeling somewhat baffled, she exaggeratedly put the mushroom into her mouth, chewing it while mumbling, "Thank you, big brother."
Zhao Qinglan's knuckles turned slightly white as he gripped the chopsticks. He could easily understand the implication: first, he was saying that his friend didn't care much about Zhao Fanghua, and now he was saying that she hadn't mentioned him in all year.
Doesn't this clearly show that they are shallow in sentimentality?
He looked at Zhao Fanghua, who was almost buried in the bowl eating, picked up the soup spoon, scooped half a bowl of chicken soup, and gently placed it in front of her: "Drink some soup, it will calm you down. You used to take care of me at home, and now I want to take care of you more."
The movements were smooth and natural, with an intimacy that could not be denied.
The atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became tense. On one side, Chai Xingyuan expressed his concern as a "family member," while on the other, Zhao Qinglan silently but forcefully asserted her sovereignty.
However, Zhao Fanghua, the person involved, was completely oblivious to the atmosphere at the dinner table. She ate big chunks of meat and drank big bowls of soup. She even felt a little secretly happy when she saw Zhao Qinglan serving her soup.
That's right. She used to run around to serve this ancestor, so it's time for her to enjoy a peaceful life.
Zhu Shuang sensed something was wrong and offered Zhao Qinglan another piece of chicken. He sighed, "Little brother, you don't know. When I first saw Fanghua, she was covered in wounds. A young girl wandering around out there, I don't know how much hardship she'd endured."
Zhao Qinglan's expression straightened, and she spoke in a serious tone, "Don't worry, Auntie. Now that I've found her, I will never let her suffer any more injustice."
These words sounded like a promise, and also like they were spoken to everyone at the table: he would take him back.
Zhao Fanghua looked up suddenly. This time she understood that Zhao Qinglan wanted to take her back.
No, do you really want to take her back? Can you ask her opinion first?
She subconsciously looked up at Chai Xingyuan, her eyes looking for help.
Chai Xingyuan caught her gaze, thought for a moment, and then said slowly, "My little sister has lived here for a year and has long since become a member of our family. I treat her as my own sister, and my parents treat her as their own daughter. We've gotten along very happily this year. Besides, if she really wanted to go back, she would have left long ago. I think the past incident must have broken her heart."
Zhao Fanghua, who was standing by, couldn't help nodding as he listened.
Zhao Qinglan looked at the exchange of glances between the two, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, Zhu Shuang quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Fanghua, it seems your friend is a sensible person. If you're homesick, you can go back with your friend. If you still want to stay here, you're always welcome. Ultimately, everything depends on your own opinion." She patted the back of Zhao Fanghua's hand lovingly and said to Zhao Qinglan, "Little brother, what do you think?"
Zhao Qinglan didn't answer directly. Instead, he stared at Zhao Fanghua and asked leisurely, "Fanghua, do you want to come back with me?"
"Of course..." Zhao Fanghua blurted out the idea, but before she could say the word "no", she met Zhao Qinglan's half-smile.
Zhao Qinglan smiled slightly and said calmly, "Sister, you need to think it through."
Zhao Fanghua looked at Zhao Qinglan's unfathomable eyes and swallowed her saliva. She had been too comfortable in the Chai family this year. She seemed to have forgotten that the Zhao Qinglan sitting opposite her was not just some good friend of hers, but the current emperor, the supreme ruler.
He wanted to take her back, and asking for her opinion was just a superficial effort. Could it be that if she didn't want to go back, she really could just not go back?
Besides...
Her heart sank. If her elder brother and mother offended him because of her, it would bring disaster to the Chai family.
Everyone's eyes were focused on Zhao Fanghua. She felt extremely pressured, especially from the unfathomable gaze of Zhao Qinglan opposite her, which seemed to see through her from the inside out.
She opened her mouth, and even though she had cursed Zhao Qinglan a hundred times in her heart, what came out of her mouth was still: "I... go back..."
Zhao Qinglan was very satisfied. She picked up a chicken wing with her chopsticks and placed it in Zhao Fanghua's bowl: "You're so good."
Chai Xingyuan, who was standing by, was anxious and said quickly, "Little sister, you clearly!"
"Brother!" Zhao Fanghua interrupted Chai Xingyuan loudly, then quickly lowered his voice and said, "I've been out for so long, it's time to go back and take a look..."
Chai Xingyuan was speechless for a moment.
Zhu Shuang quickly said, "I heard that the road out of town has been blocked due to the continuous rain. It won't be too late to talk about it when the weather improves and the road is open."
Having said that, Zhao Fanghua knew that he had to go back, it was just a matter of time.
Zhao Fanghua looked at the bowl of her favorite chicken wings and lost her appetite.
Ultimately, all of this was Zhao Qinglan's fault. Why would he come to her for no reason? Why would he disturb her peaceful life?
The eldest princess Zhao Fanghua has died, and now she is just an adopted daughter of the Chai family.
Is it necessary to go to so much trouble to get an adopted daughter back?
After all, it's because of that secret...
But, wouldn't it be a complete resolution if I just killed her?
Zhao Fanghua couldn't figure it out, so he simply stopped thinking about it.
The meal ended up being tasteless.
After dinner, Zhao Fanghua helped Zhu Shuang as usual. Zhao Qinglan, who was watching from the side, felt a wave of sadness in his heart.
Just now at the dinner table, Zhu Shuang said that she was hardworking, and he thought it was just a casual compliment. He didn't expect that she was really working all the time.
From finishing the meal to clearing the table and washing the dishes, she never stopped for a moment.
Zhao Qinglan stared at her intently.
Why?
Why would you rather stay in this simple house, eat coarse meals and do the work yourself, rather than go back to live a life of fine clothes and delicious food, surrounded by servants?
After everything was packed up, Zhao Fanghua saw Zhao Qinglan still standing in the yard and blurted out, "Why are you still here?"
Zhao Qinglan asked calmly, "If I'm not here, where should I be?"
Zhao Fanghua choked: "Then where do you sleep at night?"
This small abode cannot accommodate a big Buddha like you.
Zhu Shuang, who was standing by, spoke at the right moment: "Little brother, how about this? I'll sleep with Fanghua tonight, and Xingyuan will sleep with his father. I'll have to ask you to sleep in Xingyuan's room."
"No need." Zhao Qinglan refused. He looked at Zhao Fanghua and smiled slightly. "I can sleep with Fanghua. After all..."
"Isn't that what we do at home?"
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