Chapter 310: Chapter 309: Family Visit

The school has a guesthouse, but when Qi Yanli learned that Ling Chengyan’s family was visiting with the kids, she immediately contacted her colleague to help borrow a dorm room.

Qi Yanli drove a big van over, brought a set of roast duck, and some Beijing-style snacks for the kids. She nudged Ling Chengyan, winking, “They’ve come all this way, you should host them well. Both sides of that dorm room are empty, so you don’t have to worry about making noise being overheard.”

Ling Chengyan, although trained in martial arts with her father and brothers from a young age and not restricted to the back courtyard like other young ladies, had seen many men, especially in the border military camps where soldiers were rugged fellows using coarse language she had heard plenty of, had never had such talk directed at her before.

So, when she first heard Qi Yanli’s words, she was momentarily stunned.

Considering Qi Yanli’s lewd expression, Ling Chengyan immediately understood her implied meaning and couldn’t help but be speechless: “Hey, you’re an unmarried girl, watch yourself!”

Qi Yanli was unfazed but did notice the slight blush creeping up Ling Chengyan’s ear tips beneath her calm demeanor, chuckled, and said goodbye.

“I’ll leave the car for you; it’s convenient for you to take the kids around. Oh, I filled the gas tank; a trip around the city and a climb to the Great Wall is enough, ha.” Qi Yanli walked away quickly as she said it, barely finishing her sentence before she was outside.

Ling Chengyan saw her off, “You’ve left the car, how are you getting back?”

Qi Yanli got the news after eight o’clock in the evening, chatted and played with the kids, and it was already past nine when they were done, well after the last bus from the school.

Qi Yanli waved her hand dismissively, “Don’t worry about me; I’m a native Beijinger, not going to get lost. You should go back inside and spend more time with the adults and kids.”

In the dorm, all the beds were single ones. Fortunately, they weren’t bunk beds, so Ling Chengyan and Wang Liansheng pushed their two single beds together, and Ling Chengyan slept with the two girls, while Wang Liansheng took little Shi Tou to another dorm room.

Little Shi Tou hadn’t seen his mom in a long time. He was so sleepy he could barely keep his eyes open but didn’t want to leave. Ling Chengyan had Xiao Yu and Xiao Xing sleep first and then picked Shi Tou up, “Come on, let me take you over, and I’ll tell you a story, okay?”

Shi Tou, exhausted, having his mom by his side and her telling him a story, was asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Wang Liansheng peered over Ling Chengyan’s shoulder at their son in bed and chuckled softly, “This little rascal calls himself a man, and yet…”

Ling Chengyan turned her head, the first sight being the dark stubble on the man’s chin. His face was handsome, but he grew a thick beard, and it grew fast. If he didn’t shave for a day, there was a layer of black stubble.

She raised her hand, slowly rubbed it with her finger pads; it was prickly, with a slight itch.

Wang Liansheng’s smile slightly faded, but his eyes grew deeper as he steadily gazed at the woman before him. After joining the school and stopping outdoor training, without the wind and sun, Ling Chengyan’s skin had lightened at least two shades. Her once healthy skin tone had regained much of its lighter hue, turning into a subtle tan that, along with her elegant features, softened her lines, adding a touch of feminine charm.

He also extended his hand, gently, almost instinctively with some care, brushing her brows and eyes…

The intimacy came naturally, with Ling Chengyan responding somewhat shyly and bashfully…

“Mom!” Shi Tou suddenly called out, startling the intimate couple.

The two people embracing each other suddenly separated and turned around together, only to see the little one kicking off the blanket and turning over to continue sleeping soundly.

“Pfft…” The two of them burst into laughter together.

Ling Chengyan had already backed away a step, waved at the still eager-looking man, and quickly stepped out the door.

Wang Liansheng stood silently for a moment, walked over, closed the door, turned back, stood by his son’s bed, ground his teeth, and finally resigned himself to pull up the blanket for the little rascal and go to bed.

Ling Chengyan still had classes and didn’t take leave just because her family was visiting.

Wang Liansheng took the kids walking around the campus, where they could see decommissioned fighter jets and training tanks. The kids even climbed up for a firsthand experience and took photos as a memento.

The vast campus took two days to see through.

On the third day, Ling Chengyan happened to have a half-day free. After her morning class, she drove the whole family straight to the square.

Having toured before, Ling Chengyan now acted as a guide for the family, explaining along the way, especially at the Imperial Palace, from the front gate at the south end of the square to the Meridian Gate, front hall, rear palace, Wuying Hall, Wenyuan Pavilion… Ling Chengyan also bought a map, explaining and pointing things out to the kids in conjunction with the nation’s past, historical times… The kids listened intently, following her step by step, more attentively than during lessons.

Originally proud, Wang Liansheng gradually turned to incredulity. He was a humanities student, loved historical readings, and considered himself fairly knowledgeable in history, but listening to his wife’s explanations, he realized there were always more skilled people, as his wife’s extensive historical knowledge seemed no less than the professors in school.

At some point, more people gathered around the family, first one or two, then four, five, six, seven, eight… The group grew in size, resembling a tourist group.

In the mid-1980s, domestic tourism hadn’t developed much, but renowned sites like the Imperial Palace were famous worldwide, attracting returning compatriots and overseas Chinese who formed small tour groups for guided visits.

The group led by Ling Chengyan grew to about 20 people, bigger than typical tourist groups, puzzling the staff: they hadn’t heard of any tourist groups today, so where did these people come from?

Judging by their clothes, they determined they weren’t outsiders, just ordinary domestic citizens.

“This palace hall next to us, Yangsheng Hall, was the Emperor’s office and residence.”

Little Xing immediately raised her hand, “Mom, you just said Qianqing Palace was the Emperor’s office and residence.”

Ling Chengyan smiled and nodded, “Little Xing is listening carefully and remembering well. That’s right, the Qianqing Palace was indeed the office and residence of the Emperor, but that was before Emperor Kangxi. After Emperor Kangxi passed away, his fourth son, Prince Yong, ascended the throne as Emperor Yongzheng. Emperor Yongzheng upheld filial piety, saying that upon entering Qianqing Palace, he would involuntarily think of his father… Who was that? Yes, the aforementioned Emperor Kangxi. Emperor Yongzheng said that entering Qianqing Palace reminded him of his father, causing unwarranted sadness and grief. To demonstrate his filial piety, he abandoned Qianqing Palace and chose Yangxin Hall next to it for living and working. From Emperor Yongzheng onward, seven successive emperors conducted affairs at Yangxin Hall and never returned to Qianqing Palace.”

“This young lady, I’ve heard that Emperor Yongzheng seized the throne with a forged edict, and due to the illegitimacy of his claim, he dared not occupy the principal position at Qianqing Palace,” a cheerful elderly gentleman in his sixties remarked.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep