inspire-indiana Chapter 379 A Close Friend Has Gone, But the Future Is Promising
Chapter 379 A Close Friend Has Gone, But the Future Is Promising
"Quiet down, everyone! Quiet down! I have something to say!"
Hao Xiong suddenly stood up, raised his hands and pressed them down to signal everyone to quiet down.
"Isn't today a farewell party for Shishu? Why are you jumping out here and stealing her thunder? What do you all think?"
Huang Shuo joked with Hao Xiong, which actually drew a chorus of agreement from everyone.
Hao Xiong looked at everyone helplessly, rolled up his sleeves, and pretended to be a bully.
"Are you getting itchy if you don't bully me for a day?"
Everyone burst into laughter at Hao Xiong's appearance.
Huang Shuo was already a little drunk. He stood up and rolled up his sleeves.
"Come on, you little brat, let me see what you've got!"
"Master Huang! Master Huang! You're my uncle!" Hao Xiong kept bowing to Huang Shuo. "Please spare me, I really have something important to say!"
"Speak, hurry up and speak, or I'll beat you to a pulp!"
Tian Xueyan blushed and quickly reached out to tug at Huang Shuo's sleeve.
"What are you talking about? Sit down! Let Hao Xiong get down to business!"
The crowd gradually quieted down.
Hao Xiong coughed twice and cleared his throat.
"I've decided that tomorrow morning I'll send Shishu and Chunlan back to Jiaoyangyu, and then I won't go back to the Prince's Mansion. I'll go directly to Chuyang City in Yue Kingdom..."
Before Hao Xiong could finish speaking, a commotion broke out, with people chattering incessantly.
The gist of the question is whether Hao Xiong would be in danger if he went to Vietnam now?
Before everyone could finish their discussion, Hao Xiong continued, "I'm going to Chu Yang to find Qin Tietie. I promised her I would wait for me, and I will definitely go find her!"
Everyone fell silent.
Qin Tietie traveled a long way to Liyang to find Hao Xiong, and later he diligently helped make crossbows in the workshop, and he and Hao Xiong talked about everything.
They had all been optimistic about the relationship between the two, but the Yue Kingdom suddenly launched an attack on the Xia Kingdom. As a Yue citizen, Qin Tietie found it difficult to stay in the Xianwang Mansion, so she quietly left and returned to Chuyang.
I wonder how that honest little girl is doing now?
"Hao Xiong, now that you mention it, I do miss Tie Tie a little!"
The housekeeper was the first to express her feelings.
"Yes, I miss Tie Tie too."
"Me too."
"Me too."
Everyone expressed their longing for Qin Tietie.
Unexpectedly, the housekeeper continued what she had just said and added another sentence.
"Back when Tie Tie was alive, she was quite strong, and she took care of all the hard and heavy work in the manor!"
As he spoke, he excitedly counted on his fingers.
"What about carrying water! Chopping wood! Kneading dough! Starting a fire! Emptying the chamber pot..."
"Stop! Stop, stop, stop!" Hao Xiong couldn't stand it anymore, his cheeks puffed out in anger. "So you only want her because she's strong and can do chores?"
"Oh my! Look at this! They're not even family yet, and they're already standing up for Tie Tie?"
The housekeeper winked at Hao Xiong and teased him.
This drew another burst of laughter from everyone.
Hao Xiong felt embarrassed. He realized that everyone cared about Qin Tietie just as much as he did, only in a different way.
"Hao Xiong, you should go with them. I feel more at ease with you by my side. After you've settled Shi Shu and Chun Lan in, you can go to Chu Yang to take care of your business."
Zhao Xuan stood up and patted Hao Xiong on the shoulder, her voice encouraging.
"But who knows what will happen after this trip, or when I'll be able to return..."
The pain of parting, especially the pain of parting from someone who is as close as siblings, is always filled with reluctance and sorrow.
Just as Zhao Xuan was about to get a little sentimental, Hao Xiong had already raised his wine bowl towards everyone.
"Come on! Dear uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, let's drink this bowl of wine to our hearts' content! May everything go smoothly for you in the future, and may all your wishes come true!"
After Hao Xiong finished speaking, he was the first to drink it all in one gulp!
Everyone raised their bowls and drank the wine in one gulp.
Well, I thought I was Hao Xiong's only sister, but it turns out everyone in the manor is Hao Xiong's relative!
Zhao Xuan secretly complained, but also felt that there was a kind of warmth enveloping everyone, closely connecting them into a family, which was quite nice!
As night deepened, the feast continued, the candlelight blazing, and laughter echoed endlessly…
As the last vestiges of darkness disappeared into the night sky, the horizon began to lighten with the first light of dawn.
The back gate of the Prince Xian's Mansion.
Hao Xiong was already waiting at the door in his carriage, showing no signs of drunkenness whatsoever.
Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua stood at the door, while Shi Shu and Chunlan stood opposite them.
The four seemed to have a thousand words to say, but couldn't find the words, and remained silent for a long time.
Zhao Xuan broke the silence by handing a small bundle to Chunlan.
"We've already prepared everything for you. Here are some jewelry and a thousand taels of silver notes. Consider it a wedding gift from the Prince and me to you two."
Chunlan tried to refuse, but Zhao Xuan stuffed the small bundle into Chunlan's arms without saying a word.
Gu Zhanghua also took out a dagger from his pocket and handed it to Shishu.
"Keep this dagger for self-defense. You once tried to use it to kill me, but in the end, you almost killed yourself. Shishu, take it. Remember, you owe no one anything in this life. You deserve a better life!"
Shi Shu took the dagger with both hands and knelt down in front of Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan with a thud. Chunlan seemed to be on the same wavelength as Shi Shu and also knelt down in front of the two of them.
Before Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan could stop them, Chunlan and Shishu had already kowtowed three times to the two men, sobbing as they did so.
"Chunlan/Shishu wishes Your Highness and Your Highness good health, peace, and happiness!"
"Quick, quick, get up!"
Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan helped Shishu and Chunlan up, holding hands and looking at each other with tears in their eyes.
"Don't cry!"
Zhao Xuan cried, but ordered Shi Shu and Chun Lan not to cry.
"Just think about the good days ahead for you, shouldn't you be laughing out loud? When you have children, you must recognize me and the Prince as your godparents!"
Chunlan couldn't help but laugh through her tears at Zhao Xuan's words.
The wedding hasn't even taken place yet, and the princess is already eyeing her and Shishu's child!
"Chunlan, do you remember what I told you was the happiest thing in life?"
Zhao Xuan asked seriously.
Chunlan sniffed, swallowed back her tears, and answered very seriously.
"Being able to eat my favorite food three times a day, being able to sleep soundly at night with a clear conscience, and being able to be with the people I love most in this life are the three great blessings in life!"
"Truly worthy of being my family's fine Chunlan!"
Zhao Xuan smiled and pinched Chunlan's cheek.
"That's right. Passing the imperial examination, the wedding night, and meeting an old friend in a foreign land are all rare and fortunate events in life. But we only ask for a long-lasting and peaceful happiness. A simple and ordinary life is the true happiness."
“Your Highness, I understand what you’re saying! Jiaoyang Valley is located in a remote area, and the people in the valley are all honest and law-abiding old folks. For us, living a simple life of farming and weaving is already very good.”
Beside him, Gu Zhanghua also released Shishu's hand.
"Let's go! Before dawn, take my warrant and get out of the city quickly. Gouwa... I wish you all the best!"
"Yes! Your Highness!"
Shi Shu knew that when His Highness called him "Gouwa" instead of "Shi Shu," he had completely shed his identity as Shi Shu. From now on, he was just Gouwa, Chunlan's husband, and the father of their future child.
But deep in his heart, he will always be His Highness's scribe!
Shishu took Chunlan's hand and walked resolutely towards the carriage. The two of them got into the carriage one after the other.
Hao Xiong cast a deep glance at Zhao Xuan and Gu Zhanghua, nodded, and then raised his whip.
"Drive! Drive!"
In the deserted alley, only the crisp sound of horses' hooves could be heard.
With their longtime friend gone, Gu Zhanghua and Zhao Xuan could only offer their blessings. They believed that one day in the future, they would reunite, perhaps at the Prince Xian's Mansion, or perhaps in Jiaoyang Valley...
Perhaps in some unknown, distant place...
The future is expected!