Chapter 276 - Chapter 276: Come Back With Me
Chapter 276: Come Back With Me
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Xiao Jin gasped in pain and let go of her.
Su Ying looked at him with an ambiguous expression. “Does it hurt?”
Xiao Jin licked his lips. “It hurts.”
“It’s right that it hurts. Who told you to take advantage of me just because I let you hug me.”
Su Ying pushed him away as soon as she finished speaking and turned to look at the wooden puppets who were gawking at the couple.
“What are you looking at? Continue to practice.”
Xiao Jin’s eyes were locked on her. He reached out to touch her flushed cheeks and realized that they were very warm. “You’re blushing.”
Su Ying slapped his hand away. “It’s caused by the wind.”
“Father, Father…”
The two little ones jumped out of the wooden puppets and rushed to Xiao Jin with their short legs.
Xiao Jin looked at the children who had grown a lot taller and squatted down to pick them up.
“Father, Father, 1 miss you so much…” Ling said.
The older toddler Ji also leaned against Xiao Jin’s body and hugged his neck tightly.
Logically speaking, when the two children hadn’t seen Xiao Jin for so long, they should have been afraid of him at first. However, judging from their reactions, they didn’t seem to have become unfamiliar at all.
This was also thanks to Su Ying mentioning Xiao Jin in front of them every day.
Su Ying instructed Zhao Neng to watch over the training ground while she led Xiao Jin and the rest back to the palace.
Xiao Jin walked into the palace and realized that the clothes of the black-robed men had changed. They were no longer differentiated by individual solid colors. They were wearing uniform clothing but differentiated by the color of their belts based on the respective areas they were in charge of.
“Those wooden puppets look very impressive.” Although Xiao Jin had focused most of his attention on Su Ying and the children, he still noticed the wooden puppets on the training ground.
He didn’t expect Su Ying to be able to produce so many in less than a year.
“Of course. Although they haven’t had any actual combat experience, these wooden puppets can definitely be used as vanguard troops in battle.”
Aunt Zhao and the others were very happy to see Xiao Jin return safely. Now that there were already many people helping in the kitchen, Aunt Zhao and the others were in charge of the internal chores within the palace.
“Your Highness has finally returned. You don’t know how much the City Lord misses Your Highness.”
Su Ying’s eyebrows twitched. Did she miss him?
Aunt Zhao nodded vigorously. Yes!
Su Ying said that she couldn’t remember.
Aunt Zhao didn’t want to disrupt the family reunion, so she brought the tea and snacks into the inner hall and excused herself.
The two children surrounded Xiao Jin and asked him questions non-stop. The excitement on their tiny faces could not be suppressed at all.
“Father, did you defeat the bad guys? Father, you’re too amazing!”
“Father, Ji already knows archery. I’m practicing the celerity skill now.”
Su Ying sat quietly at the side, watching the scene of the father and two children chatting happily. A trace of a smile subconsciously appeared on her face.
The two little brats couldn’t wait to show all their special skills to Xiao Jin at this moment.
Xiao Jin watched very intently. There was no sign that he was feigning interest on his face.
After watching them display their skills, he even praised them very sincerely.
Xiao Jin was genuinely surprised because he realized that his son could actually recite the Four Books and Five Classics backward fluently. His demeanor while reciting was also very prim and proper. On the other hand, his daughter had actually learned the method of circulating energy for the celerity skill. Although it was only at the beginner’s level, it was already an extremely rare accomplishment for a child who was not even five years old.
Xiao Jin turned around and gave Su Ying a look of approval. “You’ve put in a lot of effort.”
Su Ying raised her eyebrows. How could she not put in a lot of effort for her children?
Even if they were young, she still wanted them to have the ability to protect themselves. What if one day, no one could protect them?
“Father, there’s also my calligraphy. Teacher Chu praised that my calligraphy is getting better.” As Ling spoke, she turned around and scampered out in a flash.
The older toddler Ji did not want to be outdone and followed her out of the inner hall.
As he watched his two children, Xiao Jin’s eyes were filled with smiles.
Su Ying turned around and met Xiao Jin’s eyes. He had become more tanned and lost weight, and his features had become more distinct.
There was also an additional scar at the corner of his eye. It was very faint, but it might be because his skin color had darkened, so it looked more prominent.
“Su Ying, you saved my life again.”
Su Ying was a little baffled. When did she save him again?
Xiao Jin stood up and pulled open the front of his clothes. There was an obvious bruise on his taut chest.
Su Ying frowned slightly. This bruise wasn’t really considered an injury to her, but the strange thing was that she didn’t like it when it occurred on Xiao Jin’s body.
“The wound is at the heart.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“It still hurts a little when I touch it now.” His deep voice sounded a little aggrieved.
Su Ying’s brows furrowed even more tightly. If it was in the past, she would definitely have called out this rascal for being pretentious, but before she could say anything, her hand had already touched his chest.
Mm-hmm. The chest muscles were fine.
Her slightly cool fingers gently caressed the area around his heart. Her actions were extremely suggestive.
However, Su Ying was very serious. She wanted to confirm that there was no problem with Xiao Jin’s sternum, or else it would be very easy for his heart to be injured from that position.
Su Ying applied force intermittently, alternating between light and heavy. It made Xiao Jin let out muffled grunts.
Su Ying quickly lightened her touch. “It hurts?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“During the last battle with General Wei Wu, he was hell-bent on taking my life. That spear pierced me in this position.”
Su Ying’s heart was on tenterhooks after hearing that. Even though Xiao Jin was standing right in front of her alive and well, she still tensed up all over when she thought of the danger he had faced.
“I moved back to evade the strike, but 1 was still stabbed. If you hadn’t made me wear the protective suit, you would probably have to go and take revenge for me now.”
Before he set off, Su Ying had made Xiao Jin wear a bulletproof vest just in case. She was suddenly glad that she had done so.
“It’s good that you’re alive. Your sternum isn’t damaged. This bruise will disappear after applying the medicine.”
As she withdrew her hand, Xiao Jin held onto it and brought it to his lips before kissing it. This act made Su Ying’s breathing halt momentarily. “Su Ying, come back to the Chu State with me.”
Su Ying narrowed her eyes dangerously. “Why should I go back?”
Xiao Jin tightened his grip on her hand. “Don’t you want to take revenge with your own hands?”
Su Ying felt that she had nothing to take revenge for. Her predecessor had died young mostly because she was stupid. Su Ying had no empathy for her. She had come this far with Xiao Jin not only because she pitied his two children, but also because she respected him for being an upright man.
Before she could answer, Xiao Jin continued, “Do you still remember your birth mother?”
Su Ying frowned slightly as she searched through the only memories she had of her birth mother, Madam Jiang. Her birth mother Madam Jiang had bled to death when she was born. Later, her cheapskate father married Su Ying’s distant aunt, who was Madam Jiang’s paternal younger cousin. Everyone addressed her as Little Madam Jiang.
“What about her?”
“Your mother’s maiden family is the richest family south of the river in the Chu State. It is not an exaggeration to say that their wealth is equivalent to half the state’s wealth. And your birth mother is your maternal grandmother’s only legitimate daughter. When your mother got married, she was accompanied by a long retinue carrying all kinds of exquisite dresses, opulent carriages, and precious horses. After your birth mother passed away, these things were supposed to be inherited by you.”
Su Ying’s eyes darkened as she recalled that little stash of dowry items that Little Madam Jiang had given her when she married Xiao Jin.
“Xiao Jin.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll go back with you.”
Xiao Jin’s lips curled up slightly. “Alright..”