Chapter 246 – Feels Like Heartache
Seeing his master’s deeply furrowed brow, Long Yi immediately stepped forward and knocked on the door.
Soon, dragging footsteps sounded behind the tightly closed door.
“Brother Dazhuang, are you tired? Coming back so early?”
Yan Xiaosi opened the door and yawned at the visitor, then froze.
“Your Highness the War King, and Dragon Guards, why are you guys here?”
Seeing her stunned expression, Long Yu’s brows furrowed even more severely.
“What, are you a bit disappointed that the person standing here isn’t Tian Dazhuang?”
These words clearly carried a bit of a fuse.
Yan Xiaosi listened in puzzlement, but at this moment she was really so sleepy, her head muddled like paste, that even sensing the fuse, she was unwilling to ponder it further.
“Not at all, it’s just that Your Highness the War King suddenly appearing at the door of a peasant household is a bit surprising to this commoner.”
Yan Xiaosi kept blocking the doorway, with no intention of inviting them in to sit, making Long Yu’s chest feel a bit stuffy.
Hearing of the Big Sister Peak cave fire, he had been constantly thinking of this brat, but this brat was really heartless, not happy at all to see him.
“This king came to inspect Shaoyao Village and heard your family was temporarily renting at the Tian house, so I conveniently came to have a look.”
“So that’s how it is, many thanks for Your Highness’s concern.”
You little rascal, so you do know this king was concerned for you.
Long Yu’s tightly furrowed brows finally smoothed out a few degrees.
“Yan Xiaosi, this king is a bit thirsty.”
Only then did Yan Xiaosi step aside, leaving half a path.
“There is water in the house, please come in, Your Highness.”
Inviting Long Yu to sit in the Tian family’s living room, Yan Xiaosi went to the kitchen to boil water.
The clanging noise awakened Ms. Zhong and the others.
When Ms. Zhong and her daughters got dressed and entered the main room, seeing Long Yu sitting ramrod straight at the table, with Long Yi and the three others standing like statues outside, this battle formation shocked Ms. Zhong and her daughters and frightened Ms. Wang.
This was Ms. Wang’s first time seeing Long Yu, and she was frightened by his imposing manner and startled by his appearance.
It took her a long time to come back to her senses before turning to Ms. Zhong.
“Shuqin, is this gentleman a friend of Xiaosi’s?!”
Only then did Ms. Zhong remember to salute Long Yu.
“This commoner woman greets Your Highness the War King.”
“Dazhuang’s mom, this is the War King who is stationed at Tongluo Plain.”
“This…this is the War King who arranged the marriage between Dazhuang and Shuqin?”
After learning Long Yu’s identity, Ms. Wang looked at Long Yu with even more shock.
It was said that the one stationed at Tongluo Plain was an important figure with great military exploits, and she had always assumed that such a person would be an old man over fifty, with a black beard and a burly figure, but unexpectedly he was so young, with looks as if he had stepped out of a painting.
“This commoner woman greets Your Highness the War King, and thanks Your Highness for arranging the marriage between Shuqin and Dazhuang.”
Long Yu’s gaze swept over the few people, and he waved his hand, saying, “No need for formalities, this king is just passing through Shaoyao Village on inspection and coming in for a drink of water.”
The air pressure in the living room was a bit off, and Ms. Wang was so nervous that her heartbeat sped up.
“This commoner woman will go to the kitchen to boil water.”
Ms. Wang slipped away, and Ms. Zhong and her daughters followed.
Ms. Zhong said, “That child Xiaosi does things hastily, this commoner woman will go have a look.”
“This commoner girl will also go.”
In an instant, only Long Yu was left alone in the vast living room.
Long Yi and the three others stood guard outside the hall, and seeing Ms. Zhong and the others fleeing toward the kitchen with panicked expressions, they couldn’t help but twitch the corners of their mouths.
Their master had fought on the battlefield for many years, and the intense aura on him was overwhelming even when he wasn’t angry, so it was normal for ordinary people to be afraid and nervous around him, but of course that excluded Young Master Yan.
Young Master Yan was truly an anomaly; even after learning of their master’s identity, he still dared to boldly claim that their master had weak kidneys.
Long San’s mouth twitched as he muttered, “I really admire Young Master Yan.”
Long Er said, “I also really admire Young Master Yan. How does he manage to repeatedly provoke our master into a towering rage yet remain unscathed?”
The two of them looked at Long Yi together.
Long Yi said, “If you want to know, go ask Young Master Yan yourselves.”
In the kitchen, Yan Xiaosi clanged around for a while and finally got the water boiling.
Just as she was about to find a vessel to brew tea, she saw Ms. Zhong and the others walking in with panicked expressions.
“Mom, Auntie Tian, you’re awake. I knew that guy coming would wake you up.”
“That guy…”
Hearing her address the man sitting in the living room that way, Ms. Wang’s eyes widened in shock.
“Xiaosi, that is His Highness the War King who commands tens of thousands of troops. Have you lost your mind?”
Yan Xiaosi shrank her neck and said, “He can’t hear it, Auntie Tian. Keep your voice down.”
“You’re too bold, child.”
Ms. Wang took out a new teapot and new teacups from the cupboard and handed them to Yan Xiaosi. “Don’t use that old pot, use this new one.”
That old pot had been used to hold tea for years and had already turned a bit yellow, so it indeed wasn’t good to use for the esteemed War King.
Yan Xiaosi took the new pot to brew the tea, and said to Ms. Wang and Ms. Zhong, “Mom, Auntie Tian, if you feel nervous being with that person, just stay in the kitchen.”
“Yes, yes.”
Ms. Wang had no intention of returning to the living room.
Seeing Yan Xiaosi about to carry the tea out, she hurriedly asked, “Xiaosi, when will the War King leave?”
This question, Yan Xiaosi truly didn’t know.
Seeing Yan Xiaosi turn her head back with a clueless expression, Ms. Wang felt bitter inside.
“Then should we make a bit more for dinner? Can His Highness get used to our plain fare?”
Yan Xiaosi answered with a throbbing headache, “Auntie Tian, don’t rush. I’ll go ask.”
Long Yu sat alone in the living room, staring intently at the messy bedding spread out on the floor that looked like a dog’s nest, lost in thought. Hearing footsteps, he retracted his gaze and looked toward the door.
Yan Xiaosi came in carrying the tea, poured a cup, and placed it in front of him.
“Please have some tea, Your Highness.”
Long Yu picked up the tea, blew on it, and took a shallow sip.
“You sleep here?”
Yan Xiaosi sat across from him, her head tilted, one hand propping her chin.
“Yes, the cave at Big Sister Peak was burned down, and the new house is still being built, so there’s nowhere else to go. Fortunately, Auntie Tian took in my family.”
Hearing this, Long Yu felt a bit of heartache mixed with anger in his heart.
Nowhere to go, why didn’t he come ask for help?
“At night, do you sleep on these beddings alone or with others?”
Sleepy from staying up late, Yan Xiaosi’s head was a bit foggy and she didn’t ponder Long Yu’s question deeply, casually answering, “My mom and sisters sleep in Brother Dazhuang’s room. I sleep on the beddings alone, and Brother Dazhuang sleeps in the shack in the cornfield.”
At that, Long Yu’s expression improved greatly.
But looking again at Yan Xiaosi’s crude bedding that looked like a dog’s nest, his improved expression turned unpleasant once more.
“Since you have no place to stay, come with this king to the military camp.”
He extended the sincere invitation, but Yan Xiaosi rejected it without a second thought.
“Many thanks for Your Highness’s kind intentions, but this commoner’s new house isn’t finished building yet, so this commoner can’t follow you to the military camp for now.”
