After a long time, Jiang Danhe regained his composure. When his tears finally stopped flowing, he slowly let go of Xiaoguo.
Xiaoguoâs legs had become numb, let alone her waist.
She held onto the table and sat down. Jiang Danhe felt a little embarrassed when he saw this.
He wiped the tears off his face. âWife, why didnât you use the money you received to buy food during the disaster?â
Jiang Danhe knew about the difficulties during that period. According to what he knew, although there was no food in some areas, there were still people selling food in certain county towns and cities. However, the prices were usually doubled. It might not be enough to fill their stomachs, but they could at least survive.
âWe didnât have any silver at that time.â
âDid no one continue to send silver after my fake death?â
Jiang Danhe frowned. That shouldnât be the case. At that time, Shao Zhan had assigned someone to send the money every month, he had also personally requested for the military to send two-thirds of his monthly salary to his family. Did something go wrong somewhere?
Jiang Danhe did not doubt Xiaoguoâs words. If the money had not been delivered on time, there must have been a mistake. Most importantly, he could just check with the military department. After all, the money that was distributed to the soldiersâ families was handled by them. There must be someone behind thisâ¦
Jiang Danhe was not going to trouble Xiaoguo with these bothersome matters. It was better for him to settle this himself.
Because of this little episode, Jiang Danhe and Xiaoguo were distracted from the topic about their daughter.
The two of them chatted for a while more. Jiang Danhe spoke most of the time while Xiaoguo listened. However, Xiaoguo also briefly told him about the situation at home.
In the end, she understood why she was here.
âWhy donât you stay here? Why do you have to go home? Are you really willing to part with life here? You have money and status here. Are you really willing to go home and work in the fields as a farmer?â
Xiaoguo asked tentatively. If Jiang Danhe really thought so, then his spiritual realm must be really high. It was truly admirable.
Jiang Danhe nodded and looked outside. There was an indescribable look in his eyes.
Xiaoguo nodded, showing that she really admired him. He must have a lot of conviction in order not to be enticed by the lure of power and riches.
But! If he really went back, wouldnât he be living with her?!
Xiaoguo suddenly thought of this. This was not goodâ¦
âWife.â
Xiaoguo answered automatically, âAha?â
Seeing Jiang Danheâs puzzled expression, Xiaoguo realized what she had said. If there was a crack in the ground, she would definitely crawl into it immediately. It was too embarrassing. Was she singing just now?
âWife, itâs getting late. Rest early.â
Jiang Danhe said with a flushing face. It was obvious that he was a little shy about sleeping with his wife again after so many years.
âHuh? What! You want to sleep with me?!â
Xiaoguo almost choked on her saliva. No, no!
ââ¦â
Jiang Danhe was a little hurt. Why did his wife have such a big reaction? They are a married couple. It was only right for them to sleep together.
But he did feel a little shy.
In the end, Xiaoguo pushed him out of the room. âAre you kidding me? Not even with that soft-hearted face of yours. No, no, no, youâre acting like a hooligan in broad daylightâ¦..oh no I mean, in the middle of the night. Get out!â
Xiaoguo slammed the door shut and quickly locked it.
Ignoring the pitiful Jiang Danhe standing outside the door, she enjoyed his house and bed with a clear conscience.
Xiaoguo lay comfortably on the bed. She had to say that Jiang Danhe was quite a neat man. His blanket and pillow did not smell at all.
At first, she thought that she might have difficulty falling asleep. But as she thought about Zhuang Zhuang and took in the smell of the blanket and pillow, she gradually fell asleepâ¦
Jiang Danhe watched as the candles in the room went out. Eventually, he sighed and accepted reality while tightening his belt, he had loosened it for nothingâ¦
He started walking in the other direction.
âLi Shouji, open the door!â
Inside the palace
âZhuang Zhuang, is General Jiang your father?â
Xiaoyi lay on the bed and kicked his legs as he asked Zhuang Zhuang, who had just showered.
âYeah.â
Zhuang Zhuang nodded silently. He pulled back the blanket that Wen Xiaoyi had kicked away and covered him with it.
âMy mother said we should cover ourselves with blankets at night, or weâll catch a cold.â
Xiaoyi lay down obediently and let Zhuang Zhuang cover him with a blanket. âYour mother is so niceâ¦â
Zhuang Zhuang was lying beside Wen Xiaoyi. When he heard those words, he turned around and looked at him. âMy mother is good. Your mother is also good.â
Zhuang Zhuang spoke warmly, but when Xiaoyi heard his words, his expression changed. The boy stammered as he looked at Zhuang Zhuang, his face was all scrunched up.
âZhuang Zhuang, I have a secret to tell you, but you must not tell anyone!â
Xiaoyi trusted Zhuang Zhuang very much, and he felt that there should be no secrets between friends.
Looking at Wen Xiaoyiâs solemn expression, Zhuang Zhuang became serious. He promised his friend, âDonât worry, I wonât tell anyone!â
âActually, I donât have a motherâ¦â
Zhuang Zhuang couldnât close his mouth once he heard Xiaoyiâs words. That was an amazing secret.
After Xiaoyi finished speaking, he looked at Zhuang Zhuang nervously. He had kept such a big secret from him. He wondered if Zhuang Zhuang would forgive him.
Unexpectedly, as he was just looking up, he received a hug from his friend.
âZhuang Zhuang?â
Xiaoyi looked confused. He was a little happy and excited about Zhuang Zhuangâs hug, but he was also a little confused.
âXiao Yi, Iâm really happy that youâre sharing this big secret with me. Iâll keep my mouth shut. And you donât have to be unhappy. You can treat my mother like she is your own. Weâll both call her Mother, okay?â
Zhuang Zhuang let go of Wen Xiaoyi. He felt that he was a little pitiful. If he were in his shoes, he surely could not survive without his mother. When he thought about one day, if Xiaoguo was no longer around, Zhuang Zhuang felt that he would not be able to carry on living.
When Xiaoyi heard this, he nodded excitedly. âThatâs great! Zhuang Zhuang, youâre the best!â
Ever since he was young, he knew that his parents were not his biological parents. His father could not take care of him because of some personal reason and his mother had also passed away. Therefore, he could only acknowledge his aunt and uncle as his parents. He knew all these since he was young.
Now that Zhuang Zhuang was willing to share such a good mother with him, he simply adores his friend so much!
Zhuang Zhuang was also very happy that he could bring joy to Wen Xiaoyi. However, when he thought about the secret, he quietly leaned over and whispered in Xiaoyiâs ear.
âXiaoyi, if you have any more secrets in the future, donât tell anyone. My mother said that itâs best to keep secrets to yourself.â
Zhuang Zhuang felt that Xiaoyi was a little silly and naive. If anyone were to get close to him in the future and steal his secrets, they would be able to get everything they wanted.
Fortunately, he wasnât a bad person. Otherwise, Xiaoyi would have been sold off long ago.
Zhuang Zhuang thought of the words that his mother often taught him. It was perfect advice for Xiaoyi.
When Zhuang Zhuang said those words, Xiaoyi nodded seriously, to acknowledge that Zhuang Zhuang was right.
âBecause youâre my best friend, Iâll only share secrets with you. I wonât tell anyone else.â
Xiaoyi was also very smart. He knew that Zhuang Zhuang was not a bad person. Besides, he really liked him and was willing to tell him all his secrets.
The two children continued chatting and laughing until midnight. In the end, they succumbed to their tiredness and slowly fell asleep under the same blanket.