Chapter 397: 400. Chapter 400: Newbie Dad Sets Out

400. Chapter 400: Newbie Dad Sets Out

Chen Dalang was beaten as soon as he entered, and every strike landed on his sore spots.

So right now he's in so much pain he keeps groaning and doesn't even want to move.

As for Chen Yueyao's words, he pretended not to hear them, too lazy to reply even a single word.

Tian Cuihua had also been tossed about enough; she lay there, originally not wanting to speak.

But Chen Yueyao came over and shook her body, repeatedly asking: "Speak up—did you really finish off Sui Sui back then? You didn't go easy on her, did you?"

Chen Yueyao thought of a possibility, namely……

Sui Sui couldn't have not died; she must have been brought back to Jing Cheng, right?

She remembered hearing before that the little junzhu of the Qi Wang Fu was brought back by Prince Qing from Qingzhou.

In her previous life, this never happened!

However, what Chen Yueyao knows now differs greatly from her past life; she can't be bothered to think more and just wants to deal with the present.

But looking back now, she always feels something's off.

Sui Sui, Sui Sui!

Maybe it really is her—her vengeful spirit won't disperse!

Wasn't she supposed to be dead?

How could she possibly come back?

Even though Tian Cuihua hadn't responded yet, Chen Yueyao was already certain—it was Sui Sui.

As for why she's so sure—

It's just a feeling.

Chen Yueyao thought, the two of them were destined never to be good sisters, only enemies across two lifetimes.

Tian Cuihua, shaken until her whole body ached, snapped: "How could that be? I personally tied her up with your father and threw her into the rear mountains—there are wolves and other beasts there; she might have been devoured already."

Chen Yueyao heard that and indeed—

The two of them never really pressed Sui Sui underwater or buried her alive.

Instead, they bound her and dumped her in the rear mountains.

Although wild beasts often roam the rear mountains, villagers seldom go there.

But that's normal under ordinary circumstances.

What if…?

What if Sui Sui was just lucky and got rescued?

Chen Yueyao wiped her face, feeling miserable and wanting to cry, but no tears came.

She didn't know how things had turned out this way.

It shouldn't be like this, should it?

She had been hiding just fine over here—how did Xu Lao Fu Ren over there discover she wasn't the aunt's daughter?

She is about the same age as Sui Sui; though they don't look alike, children are like that—you only see who they resemble when they grow up.

So, why is that?

How could this happen?

Tian Cuihua, annoyed from being shaken all day, saw Chen Yueyao dazedly sitting there and couldn't help but snap: "It's all your fault—if you hadn't caused this mess, our family would still be living well in the village. Did you stir up trouble in Jing Cheng? Otherwise, how could they have arrested our whole family?"

Once she spoke up, the other members of the Chen family chimed in as well.

Especially Chen Yueyao's three brothers, who had never suffered like this, naturally resented this sister now.

"Exactly—did you cause trouble in Jing Cheng, dragging us into it?"

"You could have been a proper farmer's daughter, but you insisted on becoming someone else's ward; now you've gained nothing and only brought trouble upon yourself."

"What are you talking about? You don't have the fate of a miss, yet you're always dabbling in shady stuff—can you even handle it? Go ahead then."

"Now you've brought this upon the whole family—are you satisfied?"

……

The brothers' mockery, unsparing, fell on Chen Yueyao, making her tremble with anger: "You weren't saying that when you got the benefits earlier!"

"And you claim I ruined your days of wealth? When you fled to Jing Cheng to escape famine, why did you do it? I never asked, you never told—are you pretending it never happened?"

"You still talk about living well at home? Do you even have any good days left? You don't know where the family money went, yet you have the nerve to blame me!"

……

After living at the Jin Yang Zi Fu for a while, Chen Yueyao's tongue grew sharper, and she even learned a few characters.

Now her fighting ability far surpasses that of her three brothers, who can only spout cart‑wheel talk.

After being talked down, her three brothers felt annoyed, finally turned over and ignored her altogether.

Chen Yueyao couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

And how did their family get arrested?

She anxiously started gnawing at her nails.

At this moment, Sui Sui had eaten her fill and began to yawn.

Children have limited energy; in the afternoon, after practicing sword with her father all afternoon, Sui Sui was so exhausted that at dinnertime she had hardly any spirit.

But her new sword still looks lovely, and she hasn't shown it to her brothers yet.

So the little girl forced herself to stay awake, discussed things with her brothers a bit more, and then fell asleep under her father's gentle coaxing.

Prince Qing had never coaxed a child before.

During the postpartum period the baby is too soft, his arms are stiff, so he only occasionally holds her; most of the time the wet nurse won't let him touch her, and he dares not, fearing he might hurt the child.

Moreover, it's been a long, long time since the postpartum period, and Prince Qing has long forgotten all about it.

Now, picking it up again, it's completely like a beginner just starting.

Fortunately, Sui Sui doesn't mind his clumsiness; when held, she feels stiff.

He also couldn't hum the little tunes Xiang Gugu usually hummed to soothe children; he could only stiffly hum the border folk songs he knew.

Prince Qing's embrace, although somewhat cold and hard, also exuded a hint of stern, lethal aura.

But, his affection for the child is genuine; Sui Sui felt it.

So, she clung to her father's embrace, listening to him hum an unknown little tune, slowly drifting into dreamland.

After Sui Sui fell asleep, Prince Qing somewhat awkwardly looked toward Xiang Gugu.

Xiang Gugu, looked at helplessly, gave a light laugh and said in a breathy voice: "Leave it to me, Prince."

Prince Qing carefully handed Sui Sui to Xiang Gugu, who then took the child back to the room to settle her properly.

These past few days, due to the matter of her background, Sui Sui's study companions have all been temporarily given time off.

So, now only she remains in Sui Sui's room.

After Xiang Gugu had settled Sui Sui, she sat and watched for a while, then signaled Nuan Dong to put out the lamp, keep watch through the night, and then left.

Sui Sui's background wasn't hidden, so Xiang Gugu and the others who personally attended her all knew.

She actually also felt quite at a loss, not knowing what the masters' later decision would be.

It definitely won't...

They won't let her bring Sui Sui, right?

Thinking of that possibility, Xiang Gugu still felt somewhat uneasy in her heart.

She really likes Sui Sui and doesn't want to be separated from her.

But she is merely a servant; if the master household doesn't like her, it's normal not to use her.

From Qi Wang Fu to Prince Qing Wangfu, there must be some transition, right?

Xiang Gugu thought, if the master household no longer needs her, she would properly hand over to the next aunt who will take care of Sui Sui, so that the other party can properly look after the child.

After Sui Sui fell asleep, Prince Qi then told Prince Qing about the matter of Jin Yang Zi coming today to demand the child.

After Prince Qing heard that, he furrowed his brows.

Prince Qi actually was somewhat curious: "You say, how did he suddenly know? Today I had Sui Si go ask; the Xu family hasn't recently sent anyone to Qingzhou to investigate."

The second watch is at 19:00.