Chapter 628 - 231: Capital City

Chapter 628: Chapter 231: Capital City

The old lady’s eyes crinkled with a smile. "If everyone in our family were like me and Mrs. Guo, you would have grown wings and flown to the heavens long ago." Hearing this, Xu Su Ying affectionately clung to the old lady’s arm, squirming playfully as she whined, "Mother~" She drew out the final syllable with a melodious lilt, acting truly just like a little girl.

The old lady held her hand and gazed at her, seemingly seeing her youthful daughter once more through these familiar expressions and smiles. Back then, her daughter had been just as willful and charming. She would playfully blink and say, "I know Yan Cheng invited me to go boating on the lake to convince me to marry him to bring him good luck and ward off his illness. I’m just going to see what kind of nonsense he can spin. If he’s sincere about it, I’ll just smile and stay quiet. If he’s not, I’ll kick him to the curb and let his family find someone else willing to be his lucky charm."

In the end, she never got to see her daughter return to share the outcome... Fortunately, although twenty years late, she was finally seeing her daughter again.

The carriage wheels rolled over the bluestone slabs. After traveling for more than half an hour, they finally came to a stop at Shuntian Square. In this entire square, there were only two estates. The first belonged to the Xu family, and the second was Princess Longyu’s Mansion, the residence of the Emperor’s biological aunt and the late Emperor’s own sister.

The main gates of the Xu family residence were thrown wide open. The gatekeepers, maids, and relatives from all branches of the family were all gathered together. They stood at the foot of the steps, craning their necks to look. When they saw the familiar carriage approaching, they cheered and cleared a path.

"They’re back! They’re finally back!"

"Make way, everyone! Don’t bump into the carriage!"

The driver softly called out, "WHOA!" The horses snorted and unhurriedly came to a halt before the gates. Xu Shiniang was the first to step forward. Seeing Xu Shiniang, Xu Shiling called out a loud greeting. He quickly dismounted, tossed his reins to an attendant behind him, and ran to the carriage to help his mother step down.

Xu Shiniang pushed him aside. "I’ll do it," he said. He then shot Xu Shiling a fierce glare. "Look at the stunt you pulled! Just you wait—I’ll deal with you later!"

Regarding Xu Su Ying’s situation, Xu Shiling and Xu Yanlin had only informed the old master; they hadn’t told anyone else. They had feared that everyone would get too excited and accidentally give the secret away. If the old lady were left waiting day after day, the torment of anticipation would be no less painful than the agony of twenty years of separation. Because of this, Xu Shiniang only found out that his youngest sister had been found when a colleague came up to congratulate him. He had immediately requested a leave of absence from his superior and rushed home without stopping.

He was too late when he got back; those who had gone out to receive them had already been gone for a long while. He was about to chase after them when the servants mentioned that his father had returned. Thus, he simply decided to wait at home.

Just as Xu Shiniang was glaring at Xu Shiling, the carriage curtain was lifted. Mrs. Guo emerged first. Smiling, she held onto Xu Shiniang’s arm as she stepped down from the carriage. "Suying is back, and she is perfectly well. Her temper is exactly the same as before. She hasn’t had a bad life all these years. She has always been the trickiest one. She would rather make others suffer than endure the slightest hardship herself. That much I can be sure of."

As she spoke, she cast a glance at Chen Song. He was a man with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and sharp, square features. He exuded a heroic spirit, and his every gesture was relaxed and generous. Undoubtedly, this had to be Suying’s husband, whom she was meeting for the first time. Her first impression was quite good; as for everything else, that remained to be seen.

At this moment, another person stepped out of the carriage. It was a young and beautiful girl. At first glance, she looked exactly like Suying in her younger years. Xu Shiniang smiled reflexively, but his expression stiffened right after.

Seeing this, Mrs. Guo smiled and said, "This is Suying’s eldest daughter, Qing’er. Qing’er, this is Uncle Shiniang. Come pay your respects."

Chen Wanqing stepped down with the support of Xu Shiniang’s arm and curtsied in greeting. Xu Shiniang was both thrilled and emotional. He hurriedly patted his clothes, trying to find a Jade Pendant to gift her, but forgot he was wearing his official uniform. He only had a sachet containing his seal tied to his waist; he hadn’t brought a single valuable item with him.

"I’ll make it up to you later," he promised. "I’ll give you everything, including all the gifts I’ve owed you over the years."

"Is there a share for me? My birthday gifts and New Year gifts from all these years—don’t you have to make up for those too, Shiniang?" Xu Su Ying stood on the carriage shafts, supporting her mother as she looked at Xu Shiniang with a beaming smile.

Xu Shiniang’s throat choked up. His heart surged with a spring of joy, but he forced himself to put on a stern face. "You get nothing! You left and never looked back for so many years! You... you..." He couldn’t finish the rest of his sentence. His eyes were already red, and his throat was so hoarse he couldn’t make a sound.

It had been twenty years! Before Suying left, she was just a young lady who had recently come of age. Now that she had returned, her daughter was even older than she had been back then. Time had rushed by. In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed!