"Ladies and gentlemen, please go out first."
Old Madam Xiao"s expression darkened as she spoke with unquestionable fury.
Everyone orderly left the banquet hall. The huge banquet hall instantly quietened down.
Xiao Jing was originally prepared to leave with the majority of the people, but she heard the voice behind her once again resound.
"Xiao Jing, stay behind."
Old Madam Xiao spoke again.
Xiao Jing stood obediently by the side.
The corners of Old Lady Shen"s lips curled up slightly. "Sister Xiao has remained as aloof and aloof as ever after all these years. It"s as if she"s eager for everyone to listen to you."
"Gu Qingcheng, stop talking to me in such a sinister manner. Don"t you feel tired, I feel disgusted." Madam Xiao sat back on the sofa and knocked on her teacup, pretending to be n.o.ble. "You"re not here today to be a guest, you"re here to pick a fight, right?"
"How could big sister Xiao use a despicable person"s heart to do the honorable thing? Today, I have come a thousand miles to add flowers to your Xiao family"s banquet. I am too lazy to attend our Shen family"s banquet, so I deliberately left the time to chat with you."
"Gu Qingcheng, you first praised Xiao Jing in front of so many people, then pointed out Qi Min Min by name. You dare to say that you didn"t come here on purpose to cause trouble?"
Old Madam Xiao sneered. "Speak, what exactly do you want?"
"Looking at our Xiao family"s big joke, are you still trying to show off how n.o.ble and graceful you, Gu Qingcheng, are in front of others?"
"Big Sister Xiao, you are slandering me. I came here today to congratulate you, not to mention, I don"t need to personally come out to laugh at your Xiao family. She, Qi Min, is standing here as a joke."
"You —"
"Those who don"t know would think that she"s the third wife of our Xiao family"s marshal. With her courteous manner, it"s only a matter of time before she invades the Xiao family."
Old Madam Xiao threw down her cup with a clap.
When Old Lady Shen heard that, she glanced at the tea cup that had been knocked over on the table. "Elder Sister Xiao, don"t be angry. We are already old. If we were to get angry and fail to catch our breath, it will depend on heaven"s will to save us."
"Gu Qingcheng, you intentionally chose this time to cause trouble for our Xiao Clan, right? You"re right, you didn"t think that I would dare to cause trouble for you, right?"
"Well, you"re right."
Old Lady Shen did not deny it.
Old Madam Xiao raised a finger to point at her. "I won"t cause a ruckus at such an occasion as today."
With that, she made as if to leave the reception room.
"You have nothing to say so soon?"
Old Lady Shen sat down and leaned against the arm of the sofa, smiling as she said, "That"s right, look at big sister Xiao"s complexion these past two years, it"s true that she"s aged quite a bit. After all, she"s ambitious and overthinking it."
"Is that enough?"
Old Madam Xiao"s face darkened.
Old Madam Shen shook her head, "We haven"t met in a few years, so how can my longing for big sister Xiao be over with just a few words? If big sister Xiao has the spare time, we two sisters can sit down and chat slowly. I estimate that we won"t be tired even after chatting for a day."
"Our Xiao family welcomes you as a guest, that"s all."
Old Madam Xiao walked out of the banquet hall angrily.
Old Madam Shen"s laughter, however, was clear and unabated.
Shen Chengfeng looked at Xiao Jing, who was doing her best to reduce the amount of presence around him. He then looked at his grandmother, who was sitting on the sofa waiting for him to take the initiative to walk forward.
"Stop, don"t come over."
Old Lady Shen"s laughter came to a halt.
Shen Chengfeng paused for a moment and did not move forward again.
"Xiao Jing, come over here."
Old Lady Shen said again.
Being suddenly called out, Xiao Jing subconsciously looked at the captain who didn"t say anything. From his eyes, she saw four words: Blessings on your own.
Captain, you can"t just give up on your cute little soldier like that. If you push me up to face the madame who"s driving a fighter aircraft, your conscience will hurt.
"Sit down."
The madame said.
Xiao Jing remained silent as she sat opposite the madame. She wasn"t sure what the madame wanted her to do, but from how she blocked off the Grand Matron"s attack, she knew that this person was much more powerful than her Grand Matriarch.
"Scared of me?"
the old lady asked.
Xiao Jing shook her head in astonishment. "You are an elder."
"What do you think of my grandson, who is always exuding the aura of abstinence?"
the old lady asked again.
Xiao Jing secretly glanced at the silent captain and swallowed her saliva. "Captain is a hero, a very amazing person."
"How"s your character?"
Xiao Jing frowned. Why did the madame ask this?
She didn"t dare to think too much about it. She was afraid that her thoughts would go awry just by thinking about it.
She smiled and said, "My grandson has been rebellious since he was young. There is no other way but to become this person who is not like a ghost or a ghost. Not only must he endure criticism, but he must also be treated as an experiment subject. My Shen family can also be considered as a meritorious minister. It is possible that we have been infected by too many ghosts, which is why we are so exhausted."
"Captain isn"t a monster, he"s just different from others."
Xiao Jing replied.
Old Madam Shen nodded, "That"s right. No matter how useless my grandson is, he"s still stronger than those sanctimonious fellows outside. So what do you think?"
What do I think?
What can I say?
What do you think?
Lie down and look?
Or stand and look, or strip?
Xiao Jing"s face reddened. She thought of the captain"s eight abs of abdominal muscles. It was truly very nice to look at.
"You, too."
Old Lady Shen pointed at the motionless fellow.
Shen Chengfeng stepped forward.
Old Madam Shen picked up the teacup and took a sip. "What do you think of this tea?"
"Grandma, if you have anything to say, just say it."
Shen Chengfeng said.
Old Madam Shen glanced at him coldly. "Make a pot of good tea. Other than the basic quality of the tea leaves, the water needed to make this tea cannot be ordinary either. Now that you have the superior quality tea leaves in front of you, you just need to cook this cup of water."
"I know what to do."
"You do know how to do it, and I also think you"re doing a good job. When the water boils down to it, you have to put down some tea leaves, and you can"t wait for the water to cool before thinking about making tea." You really know how to do it, and I also think you"ve done a pretty good job, and when the water boils you have to wait for the water to cool down before thinking about making tea.
"Grandmother taught me that."
Shen Chengfeng nodded in agreement.
"I"ve sat for a long time today. Can this little soldier accompany me for a walk?"
Old Madam Shen stood up and stared at Shen Chengfeng, who was following closely behind.
Shen Chengfeng stopped and did not follow.
Xiao Jing trembled with fear as she followed behind the madame. She carefully glanced at the captain who no longer stepped forward, and her eyebrows couldn"t help but knit together.
Was the captain planning to abandon his lovely and beautiful little soldier once again?
Old Madam Shen pushed open the door and smiled, "Are you afraid that I"ll eat you?"
"No."
"You are a soldier. Remember, no matter what happens, you must always stick out your chest."
Old Madam Shen patted Xiao Jing"s shoulder. "Lift your head high and follow me."
Along the way, many people were whispering amongst themselves. It wasn"t because of how valiant Xiao Jing"s military uniform was, but rather because of the innate might of the old man beside her.
Old Man Shen was a great hero who had sacrificed his life for the country. Although he was already dead, his military spirit was still present, and as of now, the generals of the various military regions had to treat the old gramps with utmost respect in order to address the old gramps.
Moreover, the Shen family controlled a quarter of the Empire"s army and also had a mysterious army. Rumor has it that that army was three times stronger than any special forces, but it was just too mysterious.
"My family"s old patriarch died early. At that time, the power of the government changed, and our Shen family was the first to be thrown out of the first round."
Old Madam Shen walked into the courtyard. The lights were dim, and her voice had an indescribable weariness to it.
Xiao Jing hesitated for a moment before replying, "My mother also told me about that era."
"Those shameless old men, one by one they talk about taking care of us orphans and widows. What about in the end?"
"Each and every one of them is doing something perfidious, so I believe that no matter how much glory a clan has, it is all wrong. As long as they lose their backbone, there will be many people who will release arrows behind their backs."
Xiao Jing wanted to say something, but she hesitated. Her mother had only said a few things. It was said that the Shen family had been abandoned, and all the other families had been cut off.
"Xiao Jing, the safety that a clan can give you is only temporary. You have to rely on your own hard work to obtain stability for a long period of time. Turn around and take a look. Is this how glorious and wealthy the Xiao family is?"
Old Madam Shen pointed to the big house behind her. It was indeed rich and intimidating. "It"s too easy to lose something flashy and unreal."
"I will remember the madame"s words."
"Follow my Third Bro properly. Although he"s cold, he still has the ability. Don"t rely on a single person to learn how to grow by himself. Only when he"s strong will others not be able to bully you."
"Yes, madame."
"Although my grandson is very strong, and his soldiers cannot be bullied by outsiders, but …" The old man hesitated.
Xiao Jing held her breath, waiting for her to continue speaking.
Old Lady Shen smiled. "No, but."
"Little Jing, what are you doing here?"
Qin Ran happened to walk past the courtyard. When he pa.s.sed by, he saw a figure standing in the courtyard and hurriedly walked over.
Xiao Jing turned around and respectfully replied, "Mother, this is the old lady of the Shen family."
Qin Ran"s face was full of shock. His hands were so nervous that he had nowhere to place them. She lightly called out, "Good morning, old madam."
"This must be Xiao Yao"s third wife."
"Yes."
"Only you are still loyal to him. If it was me, Gu Qingcheng, this irresponsible man, I"m afraid he would have already left with his child."
"Old madam, I"ve made you laugh."
Qin Ran said with a bitter smile.
Old Madam Shen sighed, "But you are right. After all, the child has the blood and blood of the Xiao family. It would be unfair if he left the Xiao family."
Qin Ran lowered his head and did not say anything. She seemed to be an existence that could be omitted from the entire Xiao family. After all, the madame did not like mother and son. It didn"t matter much if there were more or less of them.
Why did he persist in staying in the Xiao family under such circ.u.mstances?
Was it the marshal?
The man who had made her look up like a mountain for more than twenty years, the husband whom she wanted to be close but could not get close to, had disappeared in the cold day after day, no matter how much she adored him.
Then why was he so persistent?
Was it because of Xiao Jing?
The poor child who kept asking when he could see his father, the fourth young master who had the bloodline of the Xiao family but was forced to stay in his house, if he had not come to the Xiao family and secretly given birth to her, would he not be in such dire straits right now?
No, it was not the same. The child would eventually recognize his or her ancestors. Even if he or she was useless, he could not let her become an illegitimate child to be raised outside the clan.
Even if Xiao Yao didn"t like her, if the madame wasn"t happy with her, Xiao Jing would still be their child.
"Are you feeling wronged?"
Old Lady Shen asked again.
Qin Ran came back to his senses and reflexively shook his head. She smiled. "No."
"That"s good. You should know that sometimes, even if your mother doesn"t say it, as long as you have hatred in your heart, your child will be able to detect your hatred telepathically. As long as you relax, your life will only get better."
Old Lady Shen walked across the courtyard. "I"ve said too much today and am preparing to head back. I presume that we will meet again soon."
Xiao Jing raised her gaze. As expected, Madam Shen"s eyes were unbiased as she looked at her body.
The madame smiled. "Raise your head and straighten your back. You have to remember that you look down on yourself at all times. How could anyone possibly think highly of you?"
"Yes, madame."
Xiao Jing raised her head and saluted.
"Go in, it"s cold."
The group of people followed behind the old man in a majestic manner.
As Xiao Jing watched the large group disappear, her tensed mood gradually eased up.
Qin Ran, who was standing beside her, frowned, "How did you know this madame?"
"He"s the captain"s grandmother."
Xiao Jing explained.
"The old lady of the Shen family has been living in seclusion for the past few years. This is the second time I have seen her. Although she is close to seventy years of age, she is still as strong and mature as ever."
Qin Ran rubbed Xiao Jing"s hand, "Aren"t you cold?"
"Let"s go in."
"Yes."
Xiao Jing replied as she walked up the steps.
Shen Chengfeng stood at the entrance and saw two figures walking down slowly from afar, "Madam, may I have a chat with Xiao Jing alone?"
"Of course you can, but it"s cold outside. Let"s talk inside."
Qin Ran was about to push open the gla.s.s door.
"Mom, there"s no need to go in. We"re not cold."
Xiao Jing followed closely behind the leader.
Before Qin Ran could react, the two of them had already disappeared. She frowned, "Even if you want to chat outside, you still need to wear a set of clothes."
As the night wind blew, there weren"t any other guests in the courtyard.
Shen Chengfeng blocked her way to the corner of the wall. The light from the street could not reach her. In the dark environment, his breath was boiling hot.
Xiao Jing pressed herself against the wall, staring intently at the man in close proximity. It seemed that he was trying to suppress something.
Shen Chengfeng smacked her lips and she went completely crazy at that moment. No one could stop him from stealing his prey.
Xiao Jing felt that her mouth was aching, and a wave of rust spread out from her mouth. She was stupefied, and she hurriedly pushed his head away.
A kiss was so intense that the two of them seemed to be fighting. The corners of their mouths were broken.
"Hahaha."
Xiao Jing couldn"t help but laugh as she said, "Captain, others will think that we went to fight."
"Yes, a fight. You won."
Shen Chengfeng lightly wiped off the blood at the corner of her mouth.
Xiao Jing grabbed his hand and whispered, "I only half understand what Madam Shen said. I don"t even dare to think deeper. Captain, does your grandma know something?"
"What do you think she knew?"
Xiao Jing was at a loss for words. She did dare to think in that direction, but she really didn"t dare to speak in that direction.
Shen Chengfeng unb.u.t.toned his coat and hid her in his arms to ward off the fierce wind. He said, "Don"t forget what happened tonight."
"How can I forget?"
Xiao Jing wrapped her hands around his waist. She raised her head, and the tip of her nose touched his chin. She laughed, "Captain, you just drank something. It smells good in your mouth."
"A good drink."
he said.
Xiao Jing smiled. "Seems like it"s a pretty good wine."
"Good wine that can intoxicate people."
Shen Chengfeng gently touched her nose, "Do you want to try it out?"
Xiao Jing blushed and nodded, "I really want to have a taste."
Shen Chengfeng lowered his head and gently kissed her lips. He did not continue kissing her carefully this time around as if he was savoring the vintage wine, slowly taking advantage of her beauty.