423 Preparations

Before Zhao Nian touched the wooden table, Yue Jiaojiao had prepared a similar toy for him. He knew how to play with that one with just a glance. He sat down beside the table and began to build it.

Zhao Zhan saw that he was focused on playing and retracted his gaze from the child. He lowered his head and spoke to Yue Jiaojiao in a gentle voice.

The wheels of the carriage moved forward slowly.

Yue Jiaojiao had stayed in Shangjing for a few months. Now that she was able to come out, she was filled with anticipation. Hence, she did not sleep the entire journey. When the carriage left Shangjing, she opened the window to look at the scenery outside.

“I wonder how Willow Village is doing now? Based on the number of days, we’ve been gone for almost a year.”

“I received a letter from Dashan yesterday saying that everything is fine in the village.” Zhao Zhan’s eyes were fixed on Yue Jiaojiao, his gaze as soft as a feather. “The letter also said that when the weather gets cold, there will often be dead pheasants or hares behind our houses. Fortunately, the weather is not as hot as it used to be. When he was cleaning up, he noticed movement in the back mountain.”

Yue Jiaojiao rolled up the window and turned to look at Zhao Zhan in disbelief. “Did he run into Chengfeng? When we left, we hurried up the mountain to say goodbye to Chengfeng. It’s a pity we didn’t see him.” Yue Jiaojiao still felt regretful when she thought about it.

The tip of Yue Jiaojiao’s nose turned red, and her eyes were filled with longing when she mentioned Chengfeng.

Zhao Zhan reached out and held her fingers tightly. He said gently, “It’s a good thing that Chengfeng knows Dashan, so he didn’t hurt anyone. When Dashan noticed him, Chengfeng was dragging a dead wild boar. He was also injured,” Zhao Zhan said, feeling a little depressed about the contents of the letter. “Dashan told Chengfeng that we had left and treated his injuries immediately after. The letter mentioned that when he went to the back of our house, there was no prey there. I think Chengfeng understood what he said, so he didn’t come back.”

“Even if the mountain road was difficult to walk on, we should have gone a few more times. Maybe we could have met Chengfeng.”

Chengfeng was smart. The more intelligent he was, the more Yue Jiaojiao couldn’t help but think about how dejected he must have been when he saw that no one was keeping his prey.

He went to hunt wild boars, perhaps because he felt that the prey it had sent over before was too small, so he wanted to hunt a big one.

Zhao Zhan pulled Yue Jiaojiao into his arms, “Don’t be too sad. It’s a good thing that Dashan discovered him in time. In the future, when we return to Willow Village, we’ll go to the mountains to visit him. Besides, the mountain is a long and winding mountain range. No one knows where it leads to. Maybe Chengfeng has gone deeper into the forest. Without us, he can better integrate into the forest.”

“Sir, we’ve arrived at the manor.”

The carriage stopped.

Yue Jiaojiao kept all the sadness and regret in her heart and tidied herself up.

Zhao Zhan carried Zhao Nian out of the carriage and helped Yue Jiaojiao to her feet. “Lunch has been prepared in the manor. Let’s eat and rest for a while. We’ll soak in the hot spring later.”

While the two of them were talking, Fang Tianliu brought Li Xiangjun and Luoning from the back and walked to the front. “I thought it was just a small manor. I didn’t expect this manor to be so grand.”

The manor in front of them was much bigger than the house they had bought in Shangjing.

Although the courtyard wasn’t that big, one still couldn’t tell how deep it was from the gate.

“I’ve asked the butler of the manor to take you to the courtyard that has been specially prepared for you,” Zhao Zhan said as he beckoned to the door.

“I was worried that it’ll be too cold today and running around will cause a cold, so there’s a hot spring pool in your courtyard. It’s more convenient to use it this way.

“If you are hungry, the kitchen always has food. Since you are here, you should be at ease and not be constrained by other things.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the relationship between Fang Tianliu and Zhao Zhan was one of life and death.

Now that she had heard the contents of his words, how could she not understand what he meant? They should play on their own and not have to get together.

“By the way, I’ve specially asked people to prepare a room in the house. It’s full of toys. If Luoning is bored, you can take her there to play.”

“Zhao Zhan, my Luoning is such a good girl. I can’t bear to see her leave my side. However, since you’re so sincere, I can let Luoning be Zhao Nian’s companion for long. There are so many toys. It’s boring to play alone, isn’t it…”

Zhao Zhan didn’t comment and brought Yue Jiaojiao into the courtyard after he was done.

Zhao Nian struggled to follow behind on his short legs. He called out, “Father, play! Play with sister!”

“You want to play with Luoning?”

Fang Tianliu, who was not far behind them, heard his question and subconsciously wanted to say something. Then, he heard his daughter, who was in his arms, clap her hands and say, “Play!”

“Alright, go and play with Luoning.” Zhao Zhan gently held Zhao Nian in his arms and handed him to Fang Tianliu. “If you’re tired, come back. We will be waiting for you in the courtyard.”

“Zhao Zhan, you…”

Li Xiangjun smiled and tugged on his sleeve. “Let’s have Zhao Nian play with us for a while. I’ll send him over when he misses you.”

Yue Jiaojiao didn’t think too much about it and softly instructed, “Xiangjun, take care of your body and don’t tire yourself out. Later on, hand the two children over to Zhao Zhan. You and Fang Tianliu can also take a stroll around this manor and enjoy the scenery as well.”

“Alright, I’ll keep you to it.”

Zhao Zhan and Fang Tianliu exchanged a look, then Zhao Zhan brought Yue Jiaojiao to the courtyard to settle down.

In the next few days, Zhao Nian and Luoning played happily in the room prepared by Zhao Zhan. If they were not exhausted, the two children would definitely not be willing to go back to their mothers.

Life in the manor was pleasant, and Yue Jiaojiao’s mind gradually relaxed. Zhao Zhan would occasionally go out for a few hours every day, and these days felt like she had really returned to Willow Village.