Chapter 19 TGBW

FlamingoBees

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

Chapter 19:

The Male Lead ・ People eat their meals out of bowls

Chu Wei Leng, after three years away from home, was returning for the first time.

Three years had passed, and the house seemed different from what he remembered.

Pushing open the door and stepping inside, the courtyard was neatly arranged, and even the chicken coop had been rebuilt, no longer the dirty and old one that had been used for many years.

In the corners, there were many small flowers, and the fence was adorned with blossoms. The vegetable garden in the yard was lush and vibrant, exuding vitality.

There was not a trace of decay in the air, but instead, a faint fragrance lingered.

There was no sign of decline whatsoever.

It was entirely different from what he had imagined.

When he first followed His Highness into the military camp, he had thought he wouldn't stay for long.

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But later, he grew fond of the borderlands and chose to remain there.

He had wanted to send a letter home, but he knew only a few characters, and with the sudden outbreak of war between the two countries, that plan was put on hold.

As time passed, the daily toils and busyness in the army left him with no spare moment.

A year ago, he had accompanied a military commander to a neighboring country, and he hadn't been able to return home for a whole year.

People in the palace thought he was dead, and they probably had sent word to his family.

He feared his parents would worry, so as soon as he returned from the neighboring country, he applied for leave and hurried home without stopping.

For the past ten days, he had barely rested, eager to reach home and reassure his parents.

However, things seemed different from what he had expected.

As far as his eyes could see, everything at home seemed peaceful.

But until he saw his parents, he wouldn't let his guard down.

His father's health was not good, and he had heard that his leg was injured. He wondered how his father's health was now.

His mother was delicate, always worrying about him. It had been a long time since he had returned, and he wondered how heartbroken she must be.

Was the money he left enough for his parents to live on?

Thinking about it, it was all his fault for not fulfilling his duty as a son.

As he pondered, his eyes suddenly reddened.

He hadn't cried when he mistakenly entered the wolf's den, nor when he was tortured severely in the neighboring country. But thinking about his parents at home made his heart ache, and he couldn't help but tear up.

"Squeak!"

Lost in his thoughts, Chu Wei Leng heard a faint sound.

Raising his eyes, he saw that the door to the room he had slept in for over ten years had been opened.

Stepping out was a woman dressed in a smoke-pink linen top and a light blue skirt, with a dark blue sash tied around her waist.

She was slender, with long black hair cascading down to her waist, and her eyebrows were delicately curved. Her expression was calm.

Although a momentary surprise flickered in her eyes when she saw him, it quickly returned to its usual calmness—a demeanor as cold as ice.

Who was this unfamiliar woman?

Why was she in his house?

Had his home been taken over by someone else?

Suddenly, he seemed to find the reason for the significant changes in his family.

If indeed his home had been taken over, then his parents—

Chu Wei Leng's heart tightened suddenly.

Before he could speak, the woman spoke first.

"Actions speak louder than words."

Her voice was still cold and indifferent.

After years of serving in the royal guard and three years in military service, Chu Wei Leng was no longer the same as before.

He didn't answer the woman's question but instead calmly assessed the furnishings in the house once more.

Aside from some minor changes, many things in the house remained the same, especially the items his parents commonly used, including their worn-out clothes.

This indicated that this was still his home.

The weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

So, the only change was the woman standing before him.

This woman had appeared in his room...

Suddenly, some unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind.

The identity of this woman could only be...

Thinking of those unpleasant memories, Chu Wei Leng's brow furrowed tightly, and his eyes revealed a hint of coldness.

However, the woman before him seemed different from the person in his memories who had relentlessly pursued and schemed against him shamelessly.

The two of them faced each other, tense and cautious, observing and testing each other.

Chu Wei Leng took two steps forward, while Lou Jian Jia moved a step towards the cart.

Just as the distance between them was less than three meters, there was a commotion at the door.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao returned together.

Chu Wei Leng and Lou Jian Jia both turned their heads.

Lou Jian Jia was about to speak to Madam Zhao when she saw the strange man in front of them heading towards the elderly couple.

Instantly, alarm bells rang in her mind.

Could this man be planning to harm Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao?

~ Part 2 ~

Lou Jian Jia's gaze turned cold in an instant as she swiftly grabbed the top door bar from the cart and approached Chu Wei Leng.

As she got closer to him, she saw him kneel down with a "plop".

"Father, Mother, your unfilial son has returned," Chu Wei Leng said in a slightly hoarse voice.

He then kowtowed three times on the ground.

Old Master Chu went to collect firewood on the mountain, and on his way back, he passed by Madam Zhao still at Madam Wang's. He went in for a brief conversation. After agreeing on buying vegetables with the neighbor, they returned home together.

Unexpectedly, upon their return, they saw a familiar yet unfamiliar figure.

If there was any doubt when they saw his back just moments ago, seeing his face and hearing his voice confirmed it immediately.

This was their son who had been away from home for three long years.

Madam Zhao looked at her son's thin and weathered appearance, trembling as she reached out to touch his face, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Old Master Chu set aside the firewood from his back, watching his kneeling son with excitement.

Over these past few years, they had no other wish but for their son to stay alive. As long as he was alive, they could endure any hardship, no matter how difficult or poor they were.

"It's good that you're back," Old Master Chu said, his words filled with emotion.

The three consecutive "good"s reflected the deep excitement in Old Master Chu's heart.

"Mother, it's the son's unfilial behavior, please don't cry. The son is back," Chu Wei Leng comforted Madam Zhao.

As expected, Madam Zhao's emotions intensified, and she hugged Chu Wei Leng's head, crying bitterly.

While crying, she patted his back.

"Why did you only come back now? You didn't even think to send a message back, leaving us worried," she lamented.

Lou Jian Jia watched coldly from the side, observing the figure kneeling on the ground. Emotions surged in her eyes.

So, this was the male lead in the book.

This was the male lead who would eventually kill the original owner.

His image was completely different from what she imagined while reading the book, different from what the original owner remembered, and also different from what Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu described.

After crying for about a quarter of an hour, the emotions of the family of three finally stabilized.

Madam Zhao wiped her tears and suddenly noticed Lou Jian Jia standing by, lost in thought. She hurriedly introduced her to her son.

"Leng'er, quickly meet your wife. She has endured a lot these past few years."

Indeed, it was her.

Upon hearing this, Chu Wei Leng turned his head to look at Lou Jian Jia.

If he remembered correctly, his newlywed wife had a difficult temperament and resorted to all means to marry him. After their marriage was settled, she was very demanding and emptied his family's coffers. If it weren't for his parents mistakenly believing that he had wronged her, he would never have agreed to this marriage.

He had heard that his parents had not been doing well these past few years.

He hadn't expected this woman to endure it all and still remain in his home.

Chu Leng'er lowered his gaze slightly, suppressed his emotions, and caught sight of the stick in Lou Jian Jia's hand from the corner of his eye.

After glancing at the stick, Chu Wei Leng looked back at Lou Jian Jia, who had a calm expression, and slowly stood up.

However, could a person change so much in just three short years?

Especially their gaze.

He couldn't quite recall what she looked like. Her personality was not to his liking, and his impression of her had long been filled with disgust, so he had long ignored her appearance.

However, his intuition told him that the girl in front of him was somewhat different from the one he had known before.

"My Lady," Chu Wei Leng called out.

The tone of his voice was noticeably different from when he had spoken with Madam Zhao and Old Master Chu earlier, carrying an undeniable sense of distance and coldness.

Lou Jian Jia noticed this.

She not only didn't mind but actually felt that the male lead's demeanor now was much more normal than before, fitting the image in the original owner's memory.

He called her "My Lady," so it would be more appropriate for her to call him "My Lord."

However, she found it difficult to utter such a title.

After a moment of consideration, Lou Jian Jia replied, "Long time no see."

Long... time... no see.

Indeed, it had been a long time.

Old Master Chu and Madam Zhao were immersed in their joy and didn't notice anything unusual between the two.

Madam Zhao smiled at her son and said, "Are you tired? Hungry? Rest for a while."

Then, she turned to her daughter-in-law and asked, "Jian Jia, are you preparing dinner?"

Lou Jian Jia silently placed the top door pole back on the cart, brushed the dust off her hands, and replied, "Mother, it's ready. I was waiting for you to come back and eat."

"Well, that's good," Madam Zhao said.

With that, Lou Jian Jia didn't spare another glance at Chu Wei Leng and went to the kitchen to prepare the cold noodles.

Madam Zhao exchanged a few words with Chu Wei Leng before heading to the kitchen as well.

Chu Wei Leng glanced at Lou Jian Jia's figure as she walked away.

At that moment, Old Master Chu approached, patting his son on the shoulder, saying, "Go wash your hands quickly. Your wife's cooking is delicious. Your mother said she prepared something fresh today. You should taste it later."

Chu Wei Leng's gaze shifted to his father.

His father actually praised Lou Jian Jia?

It was quite astonishing.

He couldn't shake off the feeling that many things were different from what he had expected after coming back.

Seeing no one around, he couldn't help but ask the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"Dad, is she the wife from the Luo family that I married before?"

Old Master Chu was slightly taken aback by his son's question. He couldn't help but give him a light tap and said, "You silly child, what nonsense are you talking about? You don't even recognize your own wife. Don't let your wife hear you say that, or she'll feel hurt."

Chu Wei Leng pursed his lips and said, "Got it, Dad."

Before long, Lou Jian Jia came out carrying a basin of cold noodles and several bowls.

As the weather had turned hot, everyone preferred to eat dinner in the yard.

At that moment, Old Master Chu and Chu Wei Leng were seated, engaged in conversation.

Lou Jian Jia placed the basin in the center of the table and used chopsticks to distribute some noodles into each bowl.

Once she had evenly divided the cold noodles, she carried the basin back to the kitchen.

Chu Wei Leng followed suit and went back inside.

As he glanced at the bone broth his mother had served, he felt a slight surprise.

It seemed that their standard of living had improved quite a bit compared to before.

When he wasn't at home, his parents used to have only two meals a day, and they were frugal. Unexpectedly, now they not only had three meals but also had bone broth to drink.

Chu Wei Leng silently carried the bowls out.

Once the food was all on the table, Lou Jian Jia glanced at the two empty seats—one next to Old Master Chu and the other beside Chu Wei Leng.

She didn't want to sit too close to the male lead, nor did she want to sit opposite him.

Just as she hesitated, Madam Zhao pulled her and gestured for her to sit next to Chu Wei Leng.

"Jian Jia, sit here," Madam Zhao said.

Since Madam Zhao had spoken, Lou Jian Jia naturally wouldn't refuse again and obediently took her seat.

Chu Wei Leng noticed Lou Jian Jia's reluctance but remained silent.

After they were seated, Madam Zhao brought out another basin of cold noodles that Lou Jian Jia had prepared.

Seeing what Madam Zhao was holding, Lou Jian Jia suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to bring out the cold noodles she had promised to the neighbors, the Wang family, because of the male lead's appearance.

She was about to stand up to explain, but Madam Zhao said, "Please, sit down."

Madam Zhao smiled and pushed the basin of cold noodles she held towards her son.

"Your wife knows you have a big appetite, so she prepared this specially for you," Madam Zhao said cheerfully.

Lou Jian Jia remained silent.

Chu Wei Leng took the basin from Madam Zhao's hands and glanced deeply at Lou Jian Jia before saying, "Thank you, Madam."

Lou Jian Jia glanced at him, then at the basin in front of him. After a moment of silence, she replied expressionlessly, "No need to thank me."

•••

Ha! He forgot he got married! LOL

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Chapter 19 TGBW

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