Chapter 162 – Warm like the rays of the sun

Leading her, hand in hand, he turned her around and left step by step.

“Your Highness, please take care of yourself!” Luo Yun said in a tone choked with sobs, and kneeled behind them.

Chu Qing-Yan didn’t look back. She feared that if she turned her head, she wouldn’t be able to hold back and rush up to push open those big doors, then to ferociously ask that person inside whether she was a mother or not!

Her wrist slid out of his long slender fingers and she intertwined her fingers with his fingers. She knew that words at these moment were useless to Big Block Of Ice. She chose to silently accompany him to break up the haze that cooled his heart.

“Nine years ago when this king left the palace to gain experience, the Morning Sun Palace’s doors were also tightly closed like this. Seven years ago, this king left the palace for a campaign, five years then three years ago, Mother Empress was always unwilling to see me, in her eyes, obtaining Father Emperor’s favor and achieving meritorious deeds in the court would enable me stand on my feet. But this king was unwilling, the capital is too suffocating.”

While taking each step slowly, dense black clouds filled his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. Don’t know if it was because the palm of the hand was too warm or the person accompanying him set his mind at ease, he suddenly had the urge to say everything on his mind.

Chu Qing-Yan didn’t expect he would suddenly speak, but hearing him slowly talk about matters pertaining to him in a tone that sounded like it was of no importance, her eyes slowly started to feel warm and moist.

“I don’t feel gaining life experience or going on a campaign is wrong. ‘Reading ten thousand books is like traveling ten thousand li.’ If I don’t go out and have a look, then when encountering things that matter, I’ll only be able to use the soldiers on paper. Moreover, isn’t a man who achieves goals always more attractive than those who scrupulously abide by doing one’s duty?” She tried her hardest to use a witty tone to say those words, wanting to cheer him up.

Xiao Xu heard this and smiled faintly, but the darkness that gathered in his eyes still didn’t dissipate after a long time.

Chu Qing-Yan saw this and her heart ached.

Yet she didn’t know from where to start to comfort him, after all, this knot that had existed for twenty years wasn’t something she could unravel overnight. It was just like a grave disease, but she wasn’t afraid of spending time to help him unravel it and dispersing the coldness in his heart, because the thing that she didn’t lack the most right now was time.

“Big Block of Ice, I don’t plan to go shopping anymore. At that time, I’ll just write all the stuff down on paper and let Housekeeper Bai help me purchase them!” She felt the Big Block of Ice right now really wasn’t suitable for the bustling street. The desolation in his heart and the liveliness of the street would be a stark contrast!

Xiao Xu didn’t ask her why she suddenly changed her mind, he only nodded and brought her up into the carriage.

“Big Block of Ice, what places do we pass by to go dig up the mine?” Chu Qing-Yan who sat in the carriage asked, thinking of every possible topic to divert his attention.

Xiao Xu only smiled seeing her expressing an interest in the matter of the mine. Suddenly, he also became interested in explaining this matter to her, he was also treating this as giving her some mental preparation. “Our current position is southeast of Western Xuan empire, and Fu Li mountain is in the northwest direction. Therefore, we have to cross the entire Western Xuan empire to reach our destination. Through district Jiang Zhe, we will pass through the waterways of Jiang Nan, the Ma Li river, Di Wa Basin, Fu Jing mountains and Hu Teng desert. Lastly, we will go through Cheng Ling forest to arrive at Fu Li mountain.”

To traverse the entire Western Xuan empire? And even through water, basin, mountains, desert and forest?, Chu Qing-Yan’s face was filled with black lines, looks like the journey this time was really to the remote mountains and rivers in far-flung distance.

As a result, she started to carefully calculate what she needed to bring.

“Places with water, then we should bring enough rainwear because it’s easy to encounter rainy days. For the desert, we must take precautions for situations where there is no water, without doubt we must bring canteens. There are many mosquitos, snakes and ants in the forest, then mosquito nets and herbal medicines are absolutely necessary…”

Xiao Xu leaned against the soft couch, watching the person at his side counting on her fingers and talking about endless things to plan and prepare. He couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head. The little guy went outside of his expectations and wasn’t frightened by the things he said. On the contrary, she started to list out the things she needed to prepare.

All the way back, he could hear the little guy’s prattling. Xiao Xu suddenly thought, before when it was just him, he didn’t feel lonely. But now with the two of them together, he felt that the liveliness wasn’t bad.

At this moment, the little guy raised her head and asked him with some doubt. “What if we get stranded in the middle of nowhere, should we prepare some rations?”

Xiao Xu heard this and nodded. “Generally, you need to prepare some dried bread, things like baked sesame coated pancake and similar ones.”

Chu Qing-Yan couldn’t help but shake her head, how could dried bread and baked sesame coated pancakes fill one’s stomach? they were all non meat containing. She needed to think of what else was there that would be light to carry and able to fill one’s stomach?

Chu Qing-Yan thought and thought, and they had already arrived back at Prince Ying’s manor.

Once she stepped through the doors, she saw her own dad squatting down to count the number of ants on the ground.

“Daddy, why did you come?” She originally thought she had to make a run to Chu manor, but didn’t expect her daddy would already appear in Prince Ying’s manor. A burst of joy bubbled up in Chu Qing-Yan’s heart.

Daddy Chu heard her and jumped up, waving his hands at the two people before speedily rushing over.

Chu Qing-Yan originally thought her daddy came to look for her, but didn’t expect daddy would quickly pass her by and stop in front of Big Block of Ice. Stroking his beard, he said. “Son-in-law, I heard that you are going on a long journey far from home, you have to pay attention to safety.”

Chu Qing-Yan immediately felt a cold wind pass by her side. Can you not be like this? Daddy, can you please look clearly, just who is your daughter?

Daddy Chu simply didn’t realize the wounded expression on his daughter’s face. He was still in high spirits with his head held high as he talked to inverted in backwards scallion about all kinds of things.

Such as, remember to bring a blanket ah, the nights will get cold ah. Remember to bring good food ah, you’ll get hungry on the road ah. Remember to bring silver ah, so you could buy stuff ah… in any case, it was just a bunch of trivial matters.

But for some reason, the more she listened, the more aggrieved she felt.

And the originally impatient Xiao Xu, didn’t know when it began, but he started to listen carefully to each word that Daddy Chu had long windedly talked about endlessly. He didn’t even feel impatient.

Perhaps it was because he had never experienced familial love that was now slowly flowing from his side.

“Daddy, not only do you have inserted in backwards scallion, you also have a daughter, okay? Don’t forget your daughter after having a son-in-law, okay?” Chu Qing-Yan feigned jealousy as she pulled on her daddy’s hand, mumbling this in discontent.

Daddy Chu heard this and glared at her as if he had no leisure time to pay her any attention. “Cai Cai, you’re really stupid. You are going together with inverted in backwards scallion, if he takes good care of himself, isn’t it equivalent to taking good care of you? Alright, alright, you’re a big girl already, what do you need to be jealous of!”

Chu Qing-Yan felt that her daddy’s preposterous argument was somewhat reasonable. Only it couldn’t hide the fact that his heart was very biased ah!

But she was clearly able to feel that the cold loneliness that came from the Inner Palace had already slowly dissipated around Big Block of Ice’s body.

This was also good!

“Your Highness, Cai Cai, Official Yuan, you guys have returned.” Mother Chu welcomed them from the courtyard, and seeing the three people, she smiled to greet them.

The post-autumn wind was a bit cool, but lingering inside the four people, it was like the warmth of a spring wind.

Don’t know if there would be opportunities after today, so it was better to engrave this in his mind!

Xiao Xu wrinkled his brows as unlimited frustration and disappointment filled his heart.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep