Chapter 1365: Trouble Caused by Sticking Notes
Zhu Yanyi hummed in agreement, made a "got it" gesture with her hand, and went aside to call Xie Zhong.
After receiving the call, Xie Zhong pondered for a moment, said he understood, and then said nothing more.
Another day passed. It was already the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival. They were scheduled to depart for the capital on the sixteenth, so the entire Zhu family was busy with preparations. Yan Aohan went alone to pick up Xie Zhong.
This was ultimately a matter for the Xie family. Although Zhu Yanyi and her family shared some Xie bloodline, they bore the surname Zhu, so it seemed inappropriate for them to go. Thus, the Zhu family did not attend. Instead, Xie Xinlian gave Yan Aohan several Buddhist scrolls she had bought from devout elderly women, asking him to burn them on behalf of the Zhu family.
By the time Yan Aohan returned, they had nearly finished packing.
Seeing Yan Aohan, Zhu Yanyi smiled and said, "Now it’s just your personal luggage. You pack it yourself."
Yan Aohan chuckled softly. Beside him, Xie Xinlian looked at Zhu Yanyi with disdain. "You still claim Xiao Yan is your man? I asked you to pack his luggage, and you refused. How can you face others and say he’s your man?"
"Mom, Grandpa and the others were just talking about modesty a few days ago. Isn’t this me being modest? If I walked into his room so casually, you and Dad would be unhappy again, saying I’m favoring outsiders," Zhu Yanyi said, completely unfazed by Xie Xinlian’s disapproval. She acted as if it wasn’t her fault, but rather theirs for setting such expectations.
Xie Xinlian was speechless. She turned to Yan Aohan and said, "This girl is being lazy. Xiao Yan, if you want to return her, do it now."
"No return," Yan Aohan refused immediately. He grabbed Zhu Yanyi’s hand and pulled her away. "Auntie, I’ll take her to help me organize my luggage."
"This boy, afraid people don’t know how much he cares for Ani? Making us look like the bad guys," Zhu Shunyao complained from the side.
Taishu Yuanxiang helped Zhu Yanli sit down nearby and smiled. "Dad, Mom just joked about returning him, so of course he panicked. He’s waited for Yanyi to grow up for so many years. Why talk about returning him? He’s worried you’ll reject him."
"Xiao Yan is overthinking. she’s so excellent; I think she’s fine," Xie Xinlian said, viewing her with the absolute satisfaction of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.
Zhu Shunyao felt differently. "What’s good about him? They all just know how to steal our heart’s treasure." He was still upset about the person who had taken his daughter away.
Even Taishu Yuanxiang, whose marriage was already a fait accompli, received a cold look from him.
Fortunately, Taishu Yuanxiang knew Zhu Shunyao’s behavior stemmed from love for his daughter. He merely raised an eyebrow at Zhu Yanli. Zhu Yanli smiled slightly. "Dad, I told Teacher that I can participate in the March performance, but not the ones in May or June."
It was already February in the Gregorian calendar, so March was not far away. Zhu Yanli’s belly wouldn’t be too large by then. Plus, playing the erhu involves sitting, which was tolerable.
Xie Xinlian was dissatisfied. "By March, you’ll be over four months pregnant. Your belly will definitely show. Why perform?"
"Mom, Teacher signed me up for this performance last year. I can’t just skip it. And playing the erhu is done sitting down, so it won’t be tiring," Zhu Yanli explained quickly.
Taishu Yuanxiang also didn’t want her wife to tire herself out, but she knew this was Zhu Yanli’s passion. So, she joined in persuading Xie Xinlian. "Mom, it’s fine. I’ll accompany her during training every day. For the concert next month, I’ll be there to watch over her, ensuring she’s safe."
"Sigh, I don’t know where you got the luck to have Yuanxiang accommodate you so much," Xie Xinlian sighed. In her heart, sons-in-law were always good, while daughters needed guidance.
Zhu Shunyao watched Xie Xinlian’s biased behavior from the side. she wanted to object, but feared Xie Xinlian would hold it against her. So, she stayed silent, watching quietly, though she felt indignant for her daughter in her heart, believing she was the best.
Yan Aohan pulled Zhu Yanyi up to the fourth floor. As soon as they entered the room, he closed the door and pinned her against the wall. "You didn’t help me pack my luggage, wife. You’re going to be punished."
"Well, I was just blocking my parents’ complaints, so they wouldn’t think I was being kidnapped," Zhu Yanyi said, not daring to struggle. She had learned well over the past period.
If she struggled, the punishment would only deepen. Of course, if they were in their own house, punishment was punishment; at most, her lips would swell. But if punished now, she might face education from her parents later.
The target of that education would definitely be her. Thinking of this, Zhu Yanyi glared at Yan Aohan. "I don’t know what love potion you fed my mom. She favors you and my brother-in-law. And my dad? He’s afraid of my mom. Even if he wants to support us, he dares not speak up, lest my mom get angry and he can’t handle it."
"That shows Uncle and Auntie are deeply in love," Yan Aohan said, lightly pecking Zhu Yanyi’s lips. He didn’t go further. Although he didn’t mind showing his sovereignty, he didn’t want to put Zhu Yanyi in a difficult position.
A brief punishment to satisfy his craving, and then they began packing together.
Yan Aohan’s luggage was minimal. It took only about ten minutes to pack.
When they went downstairs with the luggage, Zhu Shunyao and the others were organizing local specialties to take, mainly freshly harvested vegetables and fruits.
Of course, these were available in the capital too, but due to different soil and water, the taste seemed slightly different.
Zhu Yanyi and Yan Aohan came over to help. By the time the whole family finished organizing, it was already evening. They ate dinner together, finished all preparations, and then returned to their rooms to sleep.
After a night’s rest, they got up early the next morning, finished packing everything, checked the doors and windows of their rooms one last time, and then left.
Of course, the house wouldn’t be empty. Zhang Haifeng and several specific security personnel would stay in the guest rooms to protect the property.
Once the train started moving, no matter how reluctant Zhu Yanyi and the others felt, they were destined to leave Sicheng Town.
"Taking the train is really too slow. It always takes three days and three nights. In the future, it’s better to fly," Zhu Zhibin muttered from the side.
Hearing this, Zhu Shunyao tapped Zhu Zhibin’s head. "You kid, now that life is good, you’re complaining? Let me tell you, in the past, your old dad didn’t even have many chances to ride this train. Now that you have this opportunity, you should cherish it."