amaotonovel Chapter 272 So you agree to get engaged first?
Chapter 272 So you agree to get engaged first?
Wu Qingfeng turned his head and met Lin Chang'er's face.
She had just finished eating a piece of pastry, with some crumbs still stuck to the corner of her lips.
Her eating manners weren't exactly elegant, but they weren't unpleasant either; they were very natural and made people's mouths water.
She said that every grain of rice is hard-earned, so whenever I see her eating, it always tastes delicious.
Wu Qingfeng took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her lips with it.
Lin Chang'er was a little embarrassed. "Did you get any on it? Watch where you're going, I can do it myself."
She took the handkerchief from him, wiped her hands on both sides, and asked, "How is it? Is there any more?"
Seeing that it was already clean, Wu Qingfeng shook his head.
Lin Chang'er tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve, intending to wash it and return it to him when she got back, but then she remembered his strange behavior earlier. "What were you thinking about just now?"
Wu Qingfeng lowered his eyes and paused, then looked up at her seriously, "Chang'er, what have you thought about that matter?"
Lin Chang'er paused, her hand stilling as she was about to put a pear in her mouth. Her mouth opened slightly, and her face flushed again.
She looked at Wu Qingfeng, then glanced at the road ahead and behind her. Apart from the lone carriage traveling alone, there was only the pitch-black night.
Wu Qingfeng seemed to see through her little scheme, "Chang'er, whether you agree or not, you should at least give me an answer, right?"
Lin Chang'er nodded.
Wu Qingfeng smiled and said, "There's no need to feel burdened. If you agree, I'll be happy. If you don't agree, it just means I still have shortcomings. I'll reflect on myself and correct them until you agree."
Lin Chang'er was surprised. Was the attitude really this nice?
She almost couldn't bear it.
However, marriage is nothing compared to building a career.
She paused for a moment and said, "You are very good, but I have thought about it carefully, and now is not a good time to get married."
"Leaving aside the distant issues, just the aftermath of the floods and the incursions by pirates along the border are enough to cause us a lot of trouble."
"As you know, right now, not all of the village, but almost all of them, depend on our family for their livelihood. I also have some influence with the coastal defense team."
"We had previously agreed that if the imperial court did not send troops, it would secretly prevent the coastal people from saving themselves."
"Although none of this is done openly, there is always someone in charge and someone operating behind the scenes."
“You are an official appointed by the imperial court, and when I was just an ordinary citizen, I could do things that were inconvenient for you. But if we…”
After a brief pause, he continued, "In particular, the imperial court is most wary of private soldiers. If we do these things under the guise of Madam Wu, we are essentially handing over our political enemies a handle to attack you."
"If the superiors are clear-headed, that's fine. Otherwise, once the coastal defense force is labeled as a private army, not only you, but your family and even your relatives and friends will not escape disaster."
"You should know better than I do about the tragedy of the White-Clad Marquis's mansion. The emperor's heart is like this: he hopes that his ministers will be capable and win him a good reputation, but he is also wary of his ministers being too capable and surpassing him."
Wu Qingfeng didn't interrupt, but just listened quietly to what she was saying.
Disappointment was inevitable, but I felt even more respect for her.
He could only lament that she was too clear-headed and thought things through too thoroughly. But every word she uttered was for the people's livelihood, for herself, and even for her family. What could he say?
Seeing that he didn't speak, Lin Chang'er tried to comfort him again: "Can you understand what I'm saying? It's not your problem, but rather, our current identities are more advantageous for us to act, and we're still young anyway."
"Besides, do you really not need to inform your family before you get married?"
"Although this is my second marriage, I will not marry if any of the traditional betrothal and marriage procedures are missing..."
God's second marriage—she's lived two lives and has never been married before!
There is absolutely no room for grievance in this matter.
Wu Qingfeng laughed out loud, "I understand. Don't worry, when you feel the time is right, I will definitely bring you home with a grand procession of red bridal party and eight-bearer sedan chair."
"Hey, hey, hey, that's not right. You're talking about engaged young men and women, but ours is still far from settled!"
"So you agree to get engaged first?"
Lin Chang'er was startled, looking at Wu Qingfeng's rather serious expression.
I exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't I just dig my own grave?"
He shook his head hastily, "Although there's a difference of two words between 'fiancée' and 'wife,' to outsiders they seem to be tied together. Let's just forget about it, no rush, no rush."
He had only meant to tease her, but seeing her getting so agitated that she was about to explode, Wu Qingfeng shook his head and chuckled to himself, feeling that this marriage was like a monstrous flood to her.
The two chatted and laughed as they walked a little further when another fiery dragon procession suddenly appeared ahead.
Lin Chang'er was startled. "What's going on?" Is the road so unsafe tonight?
Wu Qingfeng frowned, but relying on his martial arts skills and the fact that this place was close to Linshui Village, he wasn't too afraid. "Let's see how things go first."
Lin Chang'er nodded, and the carriage drove forward for a while longer.
Then, someone in the procession carrying torches ahead shouted, "Is Chang'er back?"
Is that... Uncle Hai's voice?
Lin Chang'er felt a huge weight lifted from her heart and called out to him from afar, "Uncle Hai, it's me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the flames ahead rapidly converged on the carriage.
Before long, the two sides met up.
Under the torchlight, all the faces were familiar to Lin Chang'er.
Six sons, Zhou Hai, Zhou Mu, Huo Shiyi, He Dashan, Li Er, Gu Dalang, Gu Erlang, and a group of brothers from the coastal defense team.
Among them, Zhou Mu, Li Er, and Gu Erlang each carried a basket on their backs, from which three small heads peeked out: Zhou Yi, Gu Xiaolu, and Gu Xiaoman.
Gu Xiaoman was as excited as a groundhog when she saw her aunt, "Auntie, Auntie, Auntie, Xiaoman is here."
Gu Xiaolu was just like a little rabbit, eager to get out of the basket and snuggle up to her mother.
Zhou Yi, being the youngest, was always the last to join the party. Holding onto the basket's frame, he called out energetically, "Third Aunt, Third Aunt, and Xiao Bao, and Xiao Bao too."
The three little babies were placed on the carriage.
Although the carriage was so full that they could only sit on the shaft, the three little ones were still very happy.
After making the arrangements, without delay, Zhou Hai and his group walked along the sides of the car and talked to Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng.
Lin Chang'er asked curiously, "Did my eldest and second eldest brothers go to ask Uncle Hai to bring the brothers to pick me up?"
Gu Dalang smiled slightly, "Mother and the children waited at the village entrance for almost half the afternoon. It was almost time to turn off the lights and go to bed, but there was still no news from you. Mother was worried and asked Erlang and me to come and greet you."
Because Lin Chang'er didn't say she wouldn't come when she left in the morning, Aunt Gu was convinced that Lin Chang'er would definitely return.
Zhou Hai laughed and replied, "My brother Liu and I just came back from town! We ran into Da Lang and Er Lang, so we decided to go together."
Then he glanced around and said, "Upon hearing the news, the brothers spontaneously offered to come together, saying that more people meant more support."
Lin Chang'er said, "I see. Thank you all. I'll invite you all over for drinks when the new house is finished."
The crowd erupted in cheers, everyone smiling and agreeing!
Gu Xiaolu snuggled into Lin Chang'er's arms and smiled sweetly at her mother, "Xiaolu hasn't seen her mother for almost a day, Xiaolu misses her mother so much!"
Gu Xiaoman and Zhou Yi, sitting on either side of Wu Qingfeng, were not to be outdone.
Gu Xiaoman said, "Auntie, Xiaoman misses you. I only ate two chicken legs for lunch."
"I, I, I also miss Third Aunt. I only ate half of it." Zhou Yi hurriedly followed, then patted his flat little belly. "I haven't had dinner yet, I'm so hungry, my tummy is all flat and it's rumbling!"