Chapter 454: Abducting the Crown Prince
Nothing is better than one’s own.
Although there were no precious treasures in her two-story building, every carving and decoration was carefully thought out and selected by her.
Therefore, although natural colored glass was precious, it was not suitable for her two-story building.
It was rare for Jiang Danhe and Xiaoguo to go on a date with no third party tagging along. Shopping and wandering along the way, Jiang Danhe would pay for anything that Xiaoguo had touched or stopped to look at. No one could stop him from doing that. This allowed Xiaoguo to experience what it’s like to be doted on by a CEO.
Su Changsheng’s carriage passed by the market and the people sitting inside happened to catch a glimpse of the couple.
“Madam and her husband are quite loving.”
Although he knew the other party’s identity—the general and the general’s wife, when he picked Xiaoguo up today, he was still used to the term Madam, and did not include the title General when addressing her.
…..
Jia Bao retracted his gaze enviously. When was he going to have a partner? He had spent all his days running around with his young master. Despite the long and bumpy journeys, his master always looked spirited and lively, unlike him, who was starting to look haggard. He was feeling curious about the food his young master had taken to maintain himself.
Su Changsheng only sighed slightly. They were quite loving, but why was he feeling a little jealous?
“Young Master, what’s wrong?”
Jia Bao didn’t know why his master was suddenly sighing. Could he be thinking about marriage too?
Jia Bao came up with a guess that seemed more plausible the more he thought about it. His young master was in his forties, wealthy and good-looking. Other than his love for money and freedom, he was a highly eligible bachelor.
If the news got out that he was looking for a wife, the young ladies from the capital would definitely rush to their residence. By that time, his master would be spoilt for choice.
Thinking of his young master, who had yet to settle down, Jia Bao’s eyes were filled with tears. He silently sped up the carriage, so that he could go home and tell his old master that the young master was thinking about marriage.
Su Changsheng looked at the couple as they walked further and further away. Feeling slightly regretful, he retracted his gaze. It was difficult to find a woman who met all his requirements and could converse freely with him. But sadly, this person was already married with a son. It was really a pity. If only he had met her earlier.
“Jia Bao, why are you going so fast?”
Jia Bao felt a chill down his spine. He quickly put down the whip and said, “Then I’ll go slower.”
“Hmmm.”
On the morning of New Year’s Eve, the general’s mansion was already bustling with activity.
Before dawn, everyone in the residence had already started getting busy.
For the New Year’s Eve dinner, the two chefs were so busy that they had no time to rest. The fresh ingredients were carried into the kitchen in baskets—among them were chickens, ducks, fish, and pork legs. The supply of ingredients was endless.
On this same day last year, the mansion was very quiet. Everyone simply gathered together to have a meal, which counted as the New Year’s celebration.
This year was different. The male owner, female owner, young owner, and family were all at home. Everyone was working hard to prepare for the new year festivities.
“Hang it here? Or here?”
Xiaoguo raised the lantern and tried placing it at two different spots.
Ruyi rubbed her chin and hesitated. “Let’s hang them on both sides. The more the merrier.”
Xiaoguo sighed and hung up the lanterns resignedly. She should have just said so earlier. She had made so many wasted trips because of Ruyi’s indecisiveness…
It couldn’t be helped. The main planner for this year’s Spring Festival was Ruyi. Everyone else was a helper and could only follow her arrangements.
Ruyi stood in the pavilion in the center and watched everyone get busy. She was feeling quite satisfied. It would be wonderful to set off fireworks in such a big courtyard.
“Brother Anming, your couplets are upside down…”
“Hey! Shu Botong! I told you to stick the word ‘fortune’ upside down, but you insisted on sticking it upright. Are you doing it on purpose?”
“Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling… Why are the plates only half-filled with peanuts and melon seeds…?”
The two girls quickly closed their mouths and said, “We don’t know…”
Ruyi waved her hand helplessly. The two gluttons.
Xiao Zhu and Yu Ling hurriedly covered their mouths and giggled before running off with the tray of snacks.
“Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! Can we put romance on pause for a while?”
Jiang Danhe blushed and quietly moved one step away from Xiaoguo. He nodded in embarrassment and pretended that he was working conscientiously.
Ruyi sighed. She really had to watch over this pair constantly.
She took a few steps back and sat in the pavilion. The weather was so cold but she was perspiring from anxiety. These people were really quite hard to manage.
“Something’s not right. It looks like someone’s missing?”
Ruyi counted several times and realized that there was one less headcount.
“Where is Li Shouji?!”
“Stop looking. I’m here.”
Li Shouji was sitting not too far behind her and was rubbing his hands together. Luckily, he had been assigned a simple task, which he had already completed early on in this cold weather.
Ruyi was so startled by him that she almost cried out. She turned around abruptly and looked at him. “Why did you run behind me without a word? You really gave me a fright.”
“I’ve been here for a long time,” Li Shouji said as he sniffled. “You were so engrossed that you didn’t notice me. It’s nobody’s fault”
Ruyi couldn’t be bothered with him. “Have you completed your task?”
“It was completed a long time ago. Tonight, I’ll show you the invincible fireworks I’ve created!”
Li Shouji was filled with confidence about the fireworks that he had meticulously developed over the past six months. Everyone was in for a good show tonight.
“You created it?! Where’s the pile of fireworks I gave you?”
“Over there.”
Li Shouji smiled and pointed to a pile in the courtyard.
“… I think there should be more in the pile.”
“Well, you know, creation requires raw materials, so I used some of it. But don’t worry, I promise! I promise that it will be an eye-opener for everyone. If the fireworks are not impressive, I’ll stuff myself into a firecracker bucket and you can light the fire. How about that?”
Li Shouji quickly added when he saw that she was about to get angry.
When Ruyi heard this, she relaxed her brows and sized him up before nodding in satisfaction. “Sure!”
“He must weigh at least 120-130 catties. If we launch him up into the sky, he should brighten up the sky for a while.”
Li Shouji raised an eyebrow at her, while she threw a disdainful look at him.
At this moment, a man with a lantern quietly moved towards a particular woman.
Ruyi narrowed her eyes and stood up. She shouted, “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law! Why are you always hanging around Sister Xiaoguo? The two of you have different jobs…”
Ruyi sighed and threw herself back into the “battleground” with a smile.
As soon as Ruyi said that, Jiang Dange had a startle response. He trembled all over, and before he could react, he had physically stepped away from Xiaoguo.
Xiaoguo buried her head in her arms shyly. “This JiangDanhe…”
The others laughed out loud at his actions and started teasing him. They only stopped when his face became as red as the couplets.
After laughing it off, Ruyi arranged for the two of them to work together.
Zhuang Zhuang had not returned ever since he left for the palace. Xiaoguo heard from Jiang Danhe that the boy had mastered horse-riding and archery. He could also do a proper horse-stance now. While Xiaoguo was overjoyed, she was also missing him very badly.
Fortunately, Zhuang Zhuang would be sent back soon. This would temporarily resolve her longing for him.
When the carriage from the palace stopped at the entrance, Zhuang Zhuang ran in with his small backpack.
He threw himself into Xiaoguo’s arms and called out to his mother. It was obvious that he had been missing her as well.
“Aiyo, my dear… I missed you so much. Hurry up and let me kiss you.”
Xiaoguo kissed him hard on his cheeks that had lost their baby fat. Why had he lost so much weight?
It seemed that he had grown up, and his baby fat was disappearing, and he was going to become a handsome young man.
Zhuang Zhuang would turn five after the new year. At the thought of this, Xiaoguo felt terrible.
After the age of five, he would be seated at a separate table from her. The little guy was going to leave her so soon. She felt so sad that she wanted to cry.
“Mother… Xiaoyi came back with me.”
Zhuang Zhuang whispered in her ear.
Her tears immediately flowed back into her eyes. Had her son abducted Xiaoyi?!
On this day of family reunion, Zhuang Zhuang had secretly brought the emperor’s son here. Was that considered a crime…?
Mother and son secretly looked around. Everyone else was busy in the hall. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else around.
…..
After confirming that the environment was safe, the mother and son began to
move..