“He’s not coming back. He says that there’s an activity that he needs to attend. I don’t know what it is, other than the fact that he’s really busy. Well, I’m not even certain if he really doesn’t have time, or if he’s merely pretending.
Anyway, he’s not coming back,” lamented the lady as she took Lin Ruixi’s shoes off. Instead of being lavishly decorated, the house had a plain style. The family did not hire a maid, with the lady taking care of the house herself. Fortunately, it was not too big.
The lady was Li Jing, Wen Qing’s wife. Due to Wen Qing’s identity, in addition to the strict investigations from the superiors, she maintained a low profile, worried that she would bring more trouble to Wen Qing.
The person sitting on the sofa, having heard some noises, cast the newspapers aside and glanced over.
The lady walked towards him. “They’re here. The child is really likable. You guys can converse first! I have a few dishes that I haven’t finished cooking, so I’ll head into the kitchen first.”
Wen Qing waved his hand dismissively. “Go on with your work, then.”
When Wen Qing placed his newspapers down, Lin Xinyan looked over. Perhaps it was because she had heard about him from Cheng Yuxiu, she was extremely curious.
The heater in the house was turned on, so Wen Qing only wore a sweater. His hair was white, making him look around the same age as Zong Qifeng. However, both men exuded a completely different aura. Seeing as Wen Qing had a military background, he appeared extremely stern when he was expressionless.
On the other hand, Zong Qifeng was much gentler and approachable.
Lin Xinyan thought to herself, Zong Qifeng definitely has feelings for Cheng Yuxiu. If he’s not together with a woman whom he’d loved, how would he have been able to settle down?
Meanwhile, Wen Qing glanced at Lin Xinyan too. She did not deliberately dress up, nor did she decide to put on a shred of makeup. However, as her skin was clear, she still exuded a comfortable aura. Her dark hair was tied into a ponytail, revealing her well-defined facial features—her crystal-clear eyes, tall nose bridge, and rosy lips. Although there was nothing prominent about her facial features, they made her look exceptionally stunning.
Wen Qing’s eyes glinted as he fell into a momentary trance.
He was only jolted back to his senses when Zong Jinghao greeted him. Beckoning to the two children, he uttered, “Come here quickly. Let me take a good look at you.”
Lin Xichen bravely strode over, confident and unafraid of Wen Qing’s stern aura.
As a soldier, even if his actions became gentler, he would likely have been not as approachable as the average man.
On the other hand, Lin Ruixi was slightly more timid, not daring to budge at all. Zong Jinghao stroked her head and coaxed, “Go on.”
His deep voice gave the little girl a sense of security. She mustered up her courage and shuffled over.
Scrutinizing the two children carefully, Wen Qing nodded in satisfaction. “Good, good, good!”
The three consecutive praises made it evident that Wen Qing was in a great mood.
“It must have been really cold outside, right?” His voice became much gentler.
“It’s okay. We were in the car, so it wasn’t so cold,” replied Lin Xichen.
Wen Qing burst out laughing. It was rare for a child not to be afraid of him. After all, he had a really stern look, especially when he was not smiling.
He placed a large hand on Lin Xichen’s shoulder. Touching his shoulder blades, he nodded. “He’s got a good body frame.” Then, he gazed into Lin Xichen’s eyes and asked, “Are you interested in joining me in the army?”
Li Jing had just come out at the moment, holding a mug of hot coffee. Glancing at Wen Qing, she chided him, “Don’t drag everyone whom you meet off to the army. Isn’t that how you had scared our son off?”
Wen Qing scoffed coldly at the mention of his son.
Li Jing placed the coffee mug on the table. “Everyone, please take a seat. You’re not outsiders anyway. Don’t be too courteous!”
Her words were mainly meant for Lin Xinyan, who merely smiled politely.
Grabbing her hand, Zong Jinghao sat down together with her. “She’s younger than me.”
Implicitly, he was telling them not to take it to heart if she were to do something wrong.
Li Jing was taken aback for a moment. Upon understanding what he had meant, she agreed with a smile, “She looks young.”
In fact, Lin Xinyan looked as though she had just graduated from college.
“Don’t mind your uncle. He’s just like that. Back then, Jinghao was also dragged to become a soldier for a few days. However, as he was the only child of the Zongs, he had to inherit the family business. That’s why he didn’t stay in the army.” Li Jing patted Lin Xinyan’s hand, telling her not to take Wen Qing’s words too seriously.
Wen Qing snorted. “What’s so bad about being a soldier? Jinghao was so exceptional back then. If he didn’t leave the army, he would’ve been much more accomplished than me. It’s such a pity.”
Zong Jinghao was the only child in the family, after all. Regardless of how much had Wen Qing insisted on it, Jinghao was still his younger sister’s son. He was from the Zong family, not the Wen family.
Wen Qing always thought that it was a huge pity.
Hence, now that he saw Jinghao’s children, a budding thought surfaced to his mind.
As his wife, Li Jing knew him much too well. She tried to stop him in time as she announced, “Jinghao only has one son. If he becomes a soldier, who’ll take over such a massive family business?”
Li Jing still had an old-fashioned mindset. She did not treat Lin Ruixi as a potential inheritor of the family business, as she assumed that Lin Ruixi would need to marry in the future.
Zong Jinghao placed Lin Ruixi on his lap and rebuked, “My daughter can do that too.”
He did not believe that only his son could inherit the family business. In fact, he was even more doting to his daughter.
If his daughter were interested, he would split the family business in half for them.
If Lin Xichen were really interested in becoming a soldier, he would pass the family business over to his daughter.
“Are you willing to go to the army with me? You can carry guns and shoot targets.” Wen Qing asked Lin Xichen.
“A real gun?” exclaimed Lin Xichen.
Wen Qing patted his chest in affirmation. “Of course!”
“Then I’d like to do as such too. Isn’t it so cool to point a gun at a bad guy?” As Lin Xichen spoke excitedly, he even made gun gestures with his fingers.
He was so serious about it that Wen Qing had started to burst out laughing. Wen Qing lifted his head and glanced at Zong Jinghao. “You guys are still young, so you can have another child. Give this boy to me.”
Li Jing cut him off curtly, “What’s the use of that? He’s still so young.”
“Then, I’ll wait till he grows older.” Wen Qing really wanted Lin Xichen to follow in his footsteps. He had taken a liking to the little boy the moment he had set his eyes upon him.
“That’s enough. Let’s go to the dining room. The food’s ready!” Standing up, Li Jing headed to the kitchen to serve the dishes. Lin Xinyan stood up too. “Let me help you.”
Zong Jinghao nodded.
“Let’s go to the dining room.” Wen Qing held Lin Xichen’s hand.
There were six chairs surrounding the rectangular table; just enough for everyone.
Wen Qing sat at the master’s seat, while Lin Xichen sat beside him.
In the kitchen, Li Jing looked at Lin Xinyan and murmured, “I don’t need you here. Go back and take a seat. I’ll be done serving the dishes soon!”
Lin Xinyan turned the tap on as she began to wash her hands. “Well, I have nothing to do either. It’ll be faster if I’d helped you.”
Since Lin Xinyan had explained it as such, Li Jing did not refuse her help anymore. As she had prepared a lot of food, the dishes soon filled the entire dining table.
Wen Qing was in a great mood. Hence, he asked Li Jing to bring some alcohol over so that he could drink with Zong Jinghao. “Take that Maotai in my collections.”
Li Jing eyed him, not because he had wanted to drink, but because she had wanted to mock him. “Jinghao is a big boss. What kind of alcohol hasn’t he drunk yet?”
Wen Qing protested, “That’s my best alcohol! There’s such a festive spirit today. I’m in a good mood, so I’d asked you to grab a drink for me. Why are you nagging so much? Bring it over quickly!”
As though he had suddenly remembered something, he glanced at Zong Jinghao and asked, “What are the two children called? I still don’t know their names yet.”
Before Zong Jinghao could reply, Lin Ruixi announced, “My name is Lin Ruixi. My brother is called Lin Xichen.”
After some interactions, the little girl was no longer as afraid of Wen Qing as she had been before.
Wen Qing’s expression immediately changed.
Lin?
