A Stolen Romance - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: Zhaoran Arrives at the Door

Shi MinDa recalled his half-life, which could be described as nothing short of eventful. In his childhood, his father went to the battlefield and was never heard from again. His mother raised him alone. The hardship a woman faced raising a child in those times was difficult for outsiders to understand.

Shi MinDa’s childhood was very difficult. Later, his mother worked day and night to save money for his education. He studied hard year after year, regardless of the seasons, and finally passed the imperial examination to become a xiucai. But that same year, his mother passed away from overwork. Shi MinDa was left alone.

Later, Tu Chunhua fell in love with him at first sight and insisted on marrying him. Although the Tu family wasn’t too keen on him being a lone man without family support, they couldn’t say no to Tu Chunhua and allowed her to marry him. With the Tu family’s help, Shi MinDa opened a small school. Though their life was simple, the family was happy.

Years later, his father came home, having been made the Marquis of Yunxiang by the Emperor himself. Shi MinDa’s status changed overnight to that of a marquis’s heir.

He had experienced both the lowest lows and the highest highs in his life, encountering all sorts of good and bad things. After all these experiences, Shi MinDa believed that, apart from the life and death of his loved ones, he could handle anything and remain calm even if a mountain were to crumble before him.

Now, he realized that although his experiences were vast, they weren’t all-encompassing. The situation before him was enough to completely shatter his composure. He felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he didn’t even know where to put his hands. The expression on his face was twisted with confusion. He even poked his ear, wondering if he had misheard.

Looking at his daughter’s serious face, Shi MinDa still couldn’t believe what he had just heard was true. “You said you want to be with Xie… that, Xie Zhaoran?”

Shi Yuning nodded her head vigorously, confirming her statement. “Yes, I want to be with her, just like you and my mother, together for a lifetime.” After saying this, she softened her tone and shook Shi MinDa’s sleeve affectionately. “Dad, please say yes. I also want you to put in a good word for me with Mom.”

Shi MinDa’s head felt swollen, and he couldn’t think straight. His hands trembled as he pulled his sleeve out of Shi Yuning’s grasp. Looking at Shi Yuning’s soft, smiling face—the same face she always wore when she wanted something—he was reminded of the past. Ever since Shi Yuning was born and learned to ask for things, he had agreed to many of her outrageous requests because of that soft, sweet smile.

For example, she wanted to eat candy before bed, she wanted to go fishing in the dead of winter, or she didn’t want to study and wanted to learn martial arts instead. As long as Shi Yuning came to him with that sincere request, he would always soften and agree. Because of this, Shi MinDa had been kicked out of the bedroom by Tu Chunhua countless times.

But now, it seemed that all her previous outrageous requests were not nearly as absurd as this one. Shi MinDa figured that if he told Tu Chunhua about this, he wouldn’t just be kicked out of the room; he might be kicked out for good.

“Dad?” Shi Yuning said, seeing him staring blankly at her, lost in thought.

Shi MinDa snapped out of it and waved his hands frantically. “No, don’t call me Dad. You, you need to talk to your mother about this.” He had no idea how to handle this.

Shi Yuning pouted pitifully, her eyes wide as she stared at Shi MinDa. “But Mom isn’t here, is she, Dad? You’ll support me, right?”

Hearing Shi Yuning mention Tu Chunhua, Shi MinDa’s eyes lit up. “Right, Chunhua! Go find Chunhua!” His father-in-law had told him a truth on the first day of his marriage: those who listen to their wives live in peace.

Shi MinDa snatched his clothes from Shi Yuning’s grip, got up from his chair, and scurried out of the room to tell a servant to prepare the carriage. No matter how much Shi Yuning called after him, he didn’t turn back.

Shi Yuning: “…Am I some kind of man-eating beast?” And had he agreed or not?

…

At the foot of Hemin Temple, the faces of the Xie father and son were not good upon seeing Qiangdi. The Duke of Xie’s face was even darker, since he was the one who had brought Qin Xiao and Qiangdi back from the border for Xie Zhaoran. Now, one of them was a traitor, and he wasn’t sure what to make of the other.

However, Qiangdi was acting on the Princess Regent’s orders, and since the Princess was now governing the country, the Duke of Xie couldn’t refuse. Following the Princess’s instructions, he moved aside to let Qiangdi enter the temple.

Qiangdi was overjoyed to hear that Xie Zhaoran was alive, but she was ordered to come here to deal with Qin Xiao. It was only today that Qiangdi realized that Xie Zhaoran didn’t fully trust them. Or perhaps it wasn’t a lack of trust, but that Xie Zhaoran had a failsafe in place. She had also placed a person near Qin Xiao—Qin Xiao’s deputy was an operative tasked with monitoring her. If Qin Xiao remained loyal, the deputy would listen to her completely. Only after Qin Xiao’s betrayal was confirmed would Xie Zhaoran give the order to act.

Qiangdi was here to contact those people and work with them to subdue Qin Xiao. Xie Zhaoran had said she would spare Qin Xiao’s life. After so many years of friendship, Qiangdi also didn’t want to see Qin Xiao die.

Seeing that Qiangdi was let into the temple after only a few words, the Xie father and son became a little worried. What if this person wasn’t trustworthy either? That would only make things more complicated. As they waited outside for news, the Shi family arrived.

“Duke, thank you for your hard work. I apologize for being late,” Shi Chao said, greeting the Duke of Xie politely. The Duke of Xie was displeased to see Shi Chao. He had already received news that Miss Shi had been found, but his own Xie Zhaoran was nowhere to be seen.

“Now that Marquis Shi has found his granddaughter, why isn’t he at home having a family reunion?” The Duke of Xie’s words were tinged with sarcasm, as if to say that Shi Chao only cared about his small family and not the greater good.

Shi Chao didn’t get angry. He and Xie Zhen were two different types of people. He had joined the army out of necessity, and his later struggles were only to stay alive and return to his wife and child. Although their goals were different, Shi Chao didn’t feel he had been neglectful in any way. On the battlefield, he was always the first to charge, while Xie Zhen, with his prominent family background, didn’t have to start as a common soldier. After becoming a commander, he only had to secure the rear, which was very safe.

“Thank you for your concern, Duke. Our family reunion is still missing my daughter-in-law, who is being held hostage in Hemin Temple. What is the situation, and is there anything I can do to help?”

Just as he finished speaking, the gate of Hemin Temple opened…

…

By the time Shi MinDa arrived, the crisis at Hemin Temple had been resolved. The Xie family was escorting the Empress Dowager back to the palace, while Shi Chao was left to arrange for the ladies of various households to be returned home. Because there were many people and limited carriages, the ladies had to wait for their families to pick them up. Seeing that the first to arrive was the Marquis’s heir, the ladies looked at Tu Chunhua with some envy.

Tu Chunhua never expected her typically slow-paced husband to be the first to arrive. She was so moved her eyes turned red. Disregarding all etiquette, she lifted her skirt and ran toward Shi MinDa, hugging him tightly in front of everyone. Shi MinDa had just found his daughter, and now his wife was also safe. He was ecstatic. He hugged Tu Chunhua tightly. This is wonderful, my family is all here.

It was only after Shi Chao reminded them that they realized they were being watched by so many eyes. They were embarrassed, but what they didn’t know was that the ladies had always envied the Shi madam for having such a good husband, who had no concubines or mistresses. They could only laugh at the Shi mother and daughter for their lack of etiquette, but deep down, these ladies of the capital knew that the Shi mother and daughter were the ones living the good life.

Inside the Shi manor’s lavish carriage, Tu Chunhua had recovered from her shyness. They had been a couple for so long; she was surprised by her own emotional outburst. She attributed it to missing him so much during their time apart.

“Where’s Ningning? How is Ningning?” Tu Chunhua asked anxiously.

She had been held in the temple for days and didn’t know that Shi Yuning had been in an accident. She only knew they had been in one carriage to the temple, but Shi Yuning’s clothes had gotten dirty midway, and the Xie family’s daughter took her to change. Later, when they were detained in the temple, she didn’t see either Shi Yuning or Xie Zhaoran.

Shi MinDa gave a simple account of what happened to Shi Yuning after they were separated. Despite the brief words, Tu Chunhua’s heart was squeezed tightly when she heard about Shi Yuning’s fall from the cliff. Even after hearing that Shi Yuning had returned safely, Tu Chunhua was still very nervous.

“Is she hurt?” Tu Chunhua asked anxiously.

Shi MinDa shook his head solemnly. “No, no, Ningning is fine. Don’t worry, just—” He swallowed his words quickly. He really didn’t know how to bring it up. He just hoped Tu Chunhua wouldn’t faint from shock when she found out. She had been planning to arrange a marriage with the Lu family.

His hesitation made Tu Chunhua even more worried. She lifted the carriage curtain and told the driver to hurry.

When she got home and saw Shi Yuning, who was completely unharmed, Tu Chunhua’s frantic and anxious heart finally returned to normal. Seeing that her daughter had lost weight in just a few days, her heart ached. She quickly ordered the kitchen to prepare dinner with plenty of Shi Yuning’s favorite dishes.

Shi Yuning was also very emotional to see Tu Chunhua. She hugged her and wouldn’t let go. She had missed her mother so much. Her state made Tu Chunhua, who had been holding it together, also turn red-eyed. She asked Shi Yuning in detail about what had happened after they were separated that day.

Shi Yuning’s account was more detailed than her father’s. She focused on how Xie Zhaoran had risked her life to protect her and saved her at all costs. Tu Chunhua listened, her heart pounding with fear, and she hugged Shi Yuning tightly. “It’s good that you’re back, it’s good. Don’t be afraid.”

“I’m not afraid, Mom. Zhaoran was always protecting me. I’m fine, but she got injured all over.”

Tu Chunhua was very grateful. The girl who had untied her at Hemin Temple also claimed to be Xie Zhaoran’s subordinate. “We must thank her properly later.”

Shi Yuning nodded vigorously, but just as she was about to say something, Shi MinDa interrupted her with a few coughs. Tu Chunhua saw his hesitant look again and couldn’t help but frown. Why couldn’t her family just say what was on their minds? She had only been gone for a few days, and Shi MinDa had developed this habit. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, a servant came in to announce a visitor and handed him a calling card.

Tu Chunhua and Shi Yuning both looked at Shi MinDa. As the literate person in the family, Shi MinDa was the one who always read and translated these formal, flowery calling cards from the capital for them. Shi MinDa enjoyed this attention from his wife and daughter. But today, he had something on his mind, and his face was not good. He took the calling card from the servant, and his expression grew even darker, as black as the coal ash under the stove.

Seeing his wife and daughter waiting for him to translate, he glared at Shi Yuning. “It’s Xie Zhaoran. She said it’s not convenient for her to be seen and wants her sedan chair to come directly through the second gate.”

Shi Yuning’s eyes lit up. She hadn’t expected Xie Zhaoran to come so quickly. Tu Chunhua was also very happy to hear that Xie Zhaoran had arrived. She was a great benefactor to their family. “Hurry, invite her in,” Tu Chunhua ordered the servants to be respectful and welcoming, and she told the kitchen to add more dishes.

Shi Yuning had already jumped up from her chair when she heard it was Xie Zhaoran. She skipped and hopped toward the door. “I’ll go greet her.”

“Be careful, watch your step,” Tu Chunhua said, laughing slightly at her daughter’s hurried manner. She had almost tripped over the threshold. “Oh, that child.”

Shi MinDa looked at the smiling Tu Chunhua with a complex expression. He said quietly, “You’re the one who invited her in.” He added in his heart, Don’t regret it later.

Tu Chunhua didn’t catch the odd tone in his voice. “She’s our family’s great benefactor. If it weren’t for the difference in our ages, we should have both gone to greet her ourselves.”

Shi MinDa looked at her smile, his expression growing even more complicated. “I hope you’ll still be smiling later.”

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