nycdaug Chapter 111 Years in the Palace 19
Chapter 111 Years in the Palace 19
"Why did you come back so late?"
"I made some money helping people move things today, here, this is for you."
Xu Su handed the things he was carrying to Lu Jiu'er with a sincere expression.
Although Lu Jiu'er had her doubts, she still took it and said, "You can buy so much stuff for the price of moving things? Are you afraid you've been tricked into doing something bad?"
"No, I went to the west side of the city and happened to run into a wealthy gentleman who was doing some business and hiring people to help him, so I went there and that's why I came back late."
Lu Jiu'er stared at him suspiciously, looking him up and down: "You're talking a lot today... You used to get tired of saying just a few words a day."
Xu Su lowered his head, avoiding her gaze, as if he had done something wrong, and stopped talking.
"Alright, alright, you're always like this. I was just saying it's good that you can talk more, instead of always keeping yourself bottled up. Come on in, don't stand at the door."
Lu Jiu'er smelled the roast chicken and pastries wrapped in lotus leaves in her hand, and happily entered the door.
"Ah."
Xu Su obediently followed and went inside.
Just as the sun was about to completely disappear behind the mountain, Liu Xingxing finally returned, only an hour later than Xu Su.
The three of them ate almost all the food that Xu Su brought back, but they left Liu Xingxing's portion for herself.
"Oh, Xiaoxing is back! Come on, the food I left for you inside is still warm. Go and eat first."
When the youngest daughter, who was chopping firewood in the courtyard, saw Liu Xingxing return, she immediately put down the firewood and came over to greet her.
During the first few days after arriving in Huxian County, Yao Niang always wanted to accompany her when she went out, but she stopped after Liu Xingxing persuaded her. The main reason was that if she followed Liu Xingxing, she would have to keep acting.
In Yao Niang's opinion, Liu Xingxing was just embarrassed that she was running around with her like this. Young girls are shy, and they were not related, so she went along with her wishes.
However, Auntie Yao wasn't always idle here. Huxian County was so big, and there were many jobs available. She often went out to do odd jobs and could earn quite a bit of money.
To be honest, they have absolutely no reason to stay here now; they're only staying for Liu Xingxing's sake.
But Liu Xingxing was not related to them at all. Whether it was for this little bit of friendship or for the money she had promised, Liu Xingxing wavered when she saw the concern in her aunt's eyes.
After thousands of years of solitude and more than twenty years of loneliness, one can truly be moved by such an ordinary sentence.
Sometimes, she really envied Lu Xihan. No matter where she was, she had parents who cared for and loved her, and even created a world for her.
Liu Xingxing ate the food they had saved for her little by little inside the house, watching Lu Jiu'er and Xu Su playfully fighting outside, while her aunt was tidying up firewood and smiling as she watched them.
It truly is the epitome of harmony.
……
The eleventh day after arriving in Huxian County
The gentle morning sunlight made one almost forget that it was already the height of summer, but as time went on, the rising heat in the air proved that it was indeed the height of summer.
Only during the brief moment when the sun was just about to rise did we find a little bit of coolness, and only then did some noise begin to emerge from the simple courtyard.
As expected, the first person you see is the diligent youngest sister-in-law, who got up early to cook breakfast for the three little ones. However, she didn't notice that the courtyard was unusually quiet today.
In the past, even from a distance, one could hear sporadic noises from the street outside, but today there was none at all. However, the birds in the trees by the courtyard were still chirping incessantly, so the young lady overlooked this.
The courtyard wasn't big, and the inner room was divided into two rooms. Xu Su slept in one room by herself, while the three of them squeezed into the other. Fortunately, their room was a large communal room that could sleep six or seven people, so it wasn't too crowded.
After the youngest daughter got up, they all got up one after another.
Perhaps because they had just woken up and their minds were still a bit foggy, no one noticed anything unusual outside at first.
Only after they had finished eating breakfast and put down their chopsticks did Xu Su say to them with a serious expression, "You all stay here and don't wander around. I'll go out and take a look first."
Lu Jiu'er looked puzzled: "What's wrong?"
However, Xu Su did not answer her, but instead glanced at Liu Xingxing, who was still eating the last few mouthfuls of porridge in her bowl.
"Why are you looking at me like that? I didn't do anything."
Liu Xingxing looked completely innocent. Then, she slowly picked up another piece of pickled vegetable with her chopsticks, drank the last mouthful of rice porridge, and put down her bowl and chopsticks.
Lu Jiu'er glanced at Da Han, who seemed a little different from usual, and then at Liu Xingxing, who was quietly clearing away the dishes.
These two... there must be something she doesn't know.
Da Han has been acting strangely ever since he came back yesterday, while Liu Xingxing is acting as usual. She even shared what she found out about her relative yesterday, saying that she would definitely find him in a day or two.
"Big Fool..."
"Jiu'er, be good. You stay here with Auntie Yao. I'll be right back."
Xu Su stood up very seriously, glanced outside, and then walked outside step by step.
Lu Jiu'er stared blankly at the tall figure. He was so different today, it was as if... this was his true self.
Could it be that he... has regained his memories?
Lu Xihan felt a sudden, inexplicable pang in her heart. The last time she felt this way was when Liu Xingxing looked at her in town, but this time, it seemed different.
why?
It was as if there was something she could never grasp; the fog covering her mind seemed to be constantly dissipating, but the fog was just too thick, and it could never be completely dispelled.
"Snapped!"
A shattering sound startled everyone.
Lu Xihan, who was in a state of confusion, Yao Niang, who was at a loss, Xu Su, who had just reached the gate of the courtyard, and Liu Xingxing, who had accidentally let go of her hand.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, my hand slipped."
But Liu Xingxing didn't show any apology on her face. Instead, she tilted her head and stared at the broken bowl on the ground with some curiosity.
Xu Su frowned and stared intently at Liu Xingxing, who had just walked from the inner room into the courtyard. As expected, the next second a group of people dressed in armor and carrying weapons rushed into the courtyard.
More than twenty people entered and surrounded the courtyard, but they did not make a move or do anything to Xu Su or the people inside who were standing at the door; they simply surrounded the courtyard.
The young woman in the inner room had never seen such a scene before, and she was so frightened that she quickly pulled Lu Jiu'er into her arms and protected her tightly.
This time it was Liu Xingxing's turn to be a little surprised, but she didn't seem too panicked.
She couldn't possibly have arranged for so many soldiers; it looked like they were there to arrest someone. But yesterday she only sent someone from Wang's Manor to the county government this morning to report that there were "distinguished guests" here, so there shouldn't have been so many people.
Moreover, these soldiers don't seem to be from the county government at all; they look... kind of familiar.
Liu Xingxing had the leisure to study the rows of soldiers standing there, but the next second all the soldiers who were standing straight knelt down. Liu Xingxing turned her head in confusion and fell into a warm embrace.
"Yi'er, I've finally found you, Yi'er, Yi'er..."
A familiar voice reached her ears, conveying the joy of finding what she had lost, and she was embraced tighter and tighter.
Liu Xingxing was stunned for a while before she reacted.
It turned out to be him.
So it was him...
“Jing Yanzhi…”
Liu Xingxing was held tightly by Jing Yanzhi, but her gaze fell on Jing Yizhi, who was standing outside the door as always, dressed in a cloud-white brocade robe.
He stood at the doorway without coming in, a long sword slung over his shoulder, but his gaze met hers.
That one glance contained so many emotions. It was too far away for Liu Xingxing to see clearly, and he remained standing at the door, never crossing the threshold.
“Jing Yanzhi.”
Liu Xingxing looked at the person outside the door and called out softly again. Only then did Jing Yanzhi let go of her and happily grabbed her, looking her over and over.
"Yi'er, how have you been these days? Have you been injured? Have you suffered? Yi'er has lost weight; you've really been suffering."
Jing Yan looked genuinely worried, without a trace of acting.
It's only been a month since I last saw him, what has he gone through to change so much?
Liu Xingxing smiled slightly at him: "Your Majesty, I am fine and have not suffered any hardship."
"Your Majesty, it was the mother and daughter inside the house who saved me. They were kind to me, and they were also the ones who saved General Xu. General Xu took good care of me along the way and escorted me here with all his heart."
"Oh? I was just in a hurry to see if Yi'er was alright, but I didn't know General Xu was here. Where is Minister Xu?"
Xu Su, who had been kneeling by the door for some time, finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, Xu Su is here."
Jing Yanzhi led Liu Baiyi to Xu Su before letting go of her hand and helping Xu Su up.
"I never expected to see Xu Qing here. Xu Qing looks much thinner. I suppose Xu Qing has not been having a good time these days."
He knew exactly what Jing Yan was talking about.
Xu Su had been missing for quite some time, so Jing Yanzhi naturally had many questions for him, but this was not the right place to ask.
The group immediately decided to leave this small place, taking Lu Jiu'er and her daughter with them.