Yan Tinghao, standing at the doorway, scratched his head. "Dad, Mom, do you know Minister Su and Young Master Lin?"
"Yan Xiugou! How dare you show your face to me again, I, I..."
Minister Su was so agitated he could barely catch his breath. Lin Moyuan, on the side, patted him on the back to calm him down and greeted them, "Uncle, Aunt, long time no see. I didn't expect you two to still be as graceful as ever after all these years."
"Don't flatter us. What are you doing in Changzhou County instead of staying in the capital, you brat?"
The beautiful woman looked around and her gaze fell upon the little child beside Minister Su. She exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, no, I heard you got married, but I didn't expect your child to be this big already? Time truly spares no one. In the blink of an eye, I'm already a grandmother. I didn't prepare any gifts for our first meeting."
As she spoke, the beautiful woman nudged her husband with her elbow. However, just as Yan Xiuping was about to take something out of his embrace, Yan Tinghao interrupted, "Mom, what are you talking about? That's the young master of that family. What does he have to do with Young Master Lin?"
???
A row of large question marks appeared above the beautiful woman's head. She looked at Lin Moyuan as if asking, 'Nephew, have you been cheated on, cheated on, or cheated on?'
Just then, Minister Su finally caught his breath. He pointed at Yan Xiuping's nose and angrily rebuked, "You, Yan Xiugou, abandoned a promising official career to take a shortcut like everyone else, becoming a live-in son-in-law and then fleeing to the capital! Tell me, you unfilial wretch, if you had even a shred of ambition, that scumbag Shangguan Hong wouldn't be able to do anything!"
"Old ba—"
Receiving a sharp glance from his wife, Yan Xiuping reluctantly changed his words. "Uncle Su, you dedicated your life to Da Xia and never married. You are noble. But you cannot bind me with your moral standards! I am simply lacking ambition and only crave a wife, children, and a warm hearth. Of course, children are optional, but a wife is a must."
Yan Tinghao: ...
Ignoring his son's constipated expression, Yan Xiuping continued, "Rather than spending my precious time engaging in scheming with those villains, I'd rather use my limited life on the most important people. For example, accompanying my wife shopping, cooking for her, and..."
"Cough, cough—"
The beautiful woman, fearing he would spout something inappropriate, quickly coughed twice. Yan Xiuping, amused by his wife's anxious look, suppressed the smile at the corner of his lips and continued on his own, "And accompanying my wife on outings. As long as my wife is in a good mood, the whole family will be happy, and I will be exceptionally happy too~"
...
Although these were all very ordinary words, Lin Qingge felt as if a cartwheel was repeatedly crushing her face.
"Teacher, please don't be angry. It's rare to meet with Uncle and Aunt, so you should be happy," Lin Moyuan said, then changed the subject. "I didn't expect Constable Yan to be Uncle and Aunt's son. It truly is a case of family not recognizing family."
"Indeed, Hao'er was born after I left the capital. Although I took him to the capital twice, you were busy, so I didn't bother you. That's why even though you cousins met, you didn't recognize each other."
"Cousins?"
Yan Tinghao, who had inadvertently turned into a large-scale reunion, habitually scratched his head, clearly unable to keep up with the information-heavy conversation.
However, upon hearing this, Minister Su sneered, "Hmph, no wonder you don't recognize him. Your son doesn't resemble either his father or mother. It's almost as if he were adopted!"
Yan Tinghao: ???
The beautiful woman, who was always upset when this topic was brought up, tugged at her foolish son's sleeve. "Hao'er, introduce yourself quickly... who are you?"
Before the beautiful woman could finish her sentence, she noticed the others. She stared intently at the white figure and asked with certainty, "Are you the young master of that Old Bai family?"
"I am Murong Bai, greetings Uncle, Aunt."
"Unlike Hao'er, you look so much like your father." The beautiful woman sighed as she wiped away the tears flowing from the corner of her mouth. Her gaze shifted to the side. Hua Jinrong gracefully rose and bowed, "Student Hua Jinrong, greetings Uncle, Aunt!"
"Good, good, good." The beautiful woman, looking a bit dazzled, nodded repeatedly, but Yan Xiuping's expression was not so pleasant.
Just then, another voice rang out, "I am Lin Jingxing, the magistrate of Changzhou County. Greetings, beautiful older sister."
...
Watching the man who had self-assigned his seniority, everyone's mouths twitched in unison. Following that, Lin Zimo also called out in a soft voice, "Mo'er greets the beautiful, beautiful auntie!" Perhaps due to the immense pressure from his father, the little child hard-swallowed the word 'sister' that had reached his lips and changed it to 'auntie.'
Compared to the stunned crowd, the beautiful woman, praised for her beauty, beamed with joy. "This lovable child is indeed not that brat's offspring. Looking closely, this child's eyebrows and eyes bear some resemblance to this lady."
Lin Qingge took over the conversation, "Beautiful older sister, this is my wife, Madam Leng. The other is the new magistrate of Changzhou County, Lin Yan." Leng Ningyue stood up and nodded slightly as a greeting. The refined Lin Yan introduced himself. He no longer addressed them as 'Uncle, Aunt' but rather 'Master Yan, Madam Yan.'
The second waiter brought two more sets of chopsticks and bowls. After two cups of wine, the beautiful woman began her solo performance. With her hands supporting her chin, she gazed dreamily at Murong Bai and murmured, "Brother Bai, how can you be so handsome? If Sister Yuqing hadn't betrothed you so early, I would never have given up! Brother Bai, why don't you age? Brother Bai, do you remember..."
Minister Su, his memories stirred, stroked his gray beard with emotion. "Yan Xiuping actually did something good by taking this 'female overlord' away. Otherwise, how many more talented young men would have suffered at her hands!"
Lin Qingge, who was particularly curious about the identities of Yan Tinghao's parents, asked from the side, "Grandteacher, who exactly is this beautiful sister?" The beautiful woman, seemingly sensitive to the word 'beautiful,' flickered and in the blink of an eye, appeared before Lin Qingge. "Oh, this young man is also very handsome! Ask me anything you want, and I will tell you everything."
"Mom!" Yan Tinghao, who hadn't expected his mother to flirt with the official, rushed over to pull her back. However, he was no match for his mother and was thrown off balance by her. "Dad, quickly control Mom!" Helpless, Yan Tinghao had to cast a pleading glance at his father. But upon seeing his father's face as black as the bottom of a pot, he instinctively shivered and silently lit a candle for his mother in his heart. He remembered that the last time his mother mentioned the words 'Brother Bai,' she hadn't left her room for a full week. If calling him that once resulted in a week of confinement, his mother would likely be confined for at least a month this time...