novelkee Chapter 520 Second Brother's Gift
Chapter 520 Second Brother's Gift
On the open ground between the two border passes, a spacious camp was set up. The five members of the Zhenbei King's family stood in front of the camp, their robes fluttering in the west wind.
Their neatly combed hair was now disheveled by the wind, but their eyes remained resolute, fixed on the pass of Yuncheng, waiting for the person they had been longing for day and night to pass through this city gate and reunite with them.
The family is reunited.
Shen Qingtan felt a lump in her throat, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Reunion is incredibly precious to them.
Previously, an imperial edict from the late Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty had confined the Prince of Zhenbei to Liangzhou, separating his family for fourteen years before they were finally able to reunite.
Now she is a princess of another country, and this identity is preventing them from being reunited.
"Father, Mother, Brother—"
Shen Qingtan had already forgotten about Zhao Yi beside her and ran quickly toward them.
When Princess Zhenbei saw her daughter again, her longing overflowed, and she walked quickly toward her daughter with equally excited emotions.
At that moment, she forgot what it meant to be dignified, and even more so, what etiquette was.
All I knew was that my daughter, whom I had been longing for day and night, had returned, and we were reunited.
She hugged her daughter tightly, and the void in her heart was finally filled.
"Mother, I missed you so much." Shen Qingtan rushed into her mother's arms. Only when her mother held her tightly did she realize how much she had missed them during the days they had been apart: "I counted down the days until we were reunited."
"Mother knows." Hearing her daughter's coquettish words, Princess Zhenbei felt a pang of tenderness in her heart. She loosened her grip on her daughter, looked at her gently, and said with concern, "You've lost weight."
Shen Qingtan has lost some weight; her chin is pointed, and her small face is smaller than the palm of a hand.
These past few days, she's been exhausted from traveling, not only eating poorly but also sleeping poorly. What's more, she's been carrying a heavy burden on her mind, and in just one month, she's lost all the weight she'd painstakingly gained.
"uh-huh."
The Prince of Zhenbei, standing to the side, seemed to have something stuck in his throat and cleared his throat.
Shen Qingtan immediately looked at the Prince of Zhenbei and happily called out, "Father."
When the Prince of Zhenbei saw that his daughter had finally noticed him, his resolute eyes surged with emotion. He longed to disregard social norms and ethics and hug his beloved daughter like a wife would.
After all, the words "observing etiquette" were not in the books that Shen Zhili had studied.
Even if the King of Heaven himself came, he wouldn't be able to be bound by traditional etiquette.
Even the most domineering and rough men have their weaknesses.
He didn't want his daughter to be criticized, nor did he want his sweaty body to bother her.
"They've arrived." The Prince of Zhenbei feigned composure and said with a calm expression, "It's sunny outside, let's go inside the tent to talk."
After leaving these words, he nodded slightly to the official who had come with Zhao Yi, and before the official could come forward to greet him, he turned and walked towards the camp.
The next moment, a hand naturally took his arm.
The Prince of Zhenbei suddenly stopped, looked down, stared at the hand in his arm, and was slightly dazed. He couldn't help but think of how she used to cling to him when she was little: "Daddy, Daddy, Manman wants to swing on Daddy's arm and fly high."
Just like now, the little dumpling grabbed his forearms with both hands, tucked her little legs in, and swung slowly, urging him from time to time: "Daddy, hurry up."
"Father, hurry up."
A voice urging him came from his ear, and the Prince of Zhenbei came back to his senses. He slowly shifted his gaze to Shen Qingtan's face, where he saw her smiling brightly: "Father, Third Brother has lifted the curtain and is waiting for us."
"it is good."
The Prince of Zhenbei was satisfied and took a step forward.
Shen Qingtan looked at the Prince of Zhenbei's lips, which he couldn't suppress from turning upwards, and her own lips couldn't help but turn upwards as well.
When she was holding her mother, she noticed that her father rubbed the fabric of his clothes with his hand, and a look of regret appeared in his eyes.
It was obvious that her father felt regretful because of the strict separation between men and women, and he couldn't hold her like her mother did.
Shen Qingtan took the arm of the Princess of Zhenbei and they entered the tent together.
The three older brothers stared at their parents and sister's retreating figures, exchanged glances, and then went into the tent without prior arrangement.
Inside the tent was a long table with three sets of bowls and chopsticks on one side and four sets on the other.
Shen Lue quickly sat down on the side where three sets of bowls and chopsticks were placed, and wiped the middle stool with his sleeve.
Shen Zhuo straddled Shen Lue's gleaming round stool and sat down: "Thank you."
Shen Lue's smile vanished. Just as he was about to say that this was his sister's seat, Shen Zhuo lifted his eyelids and looked at him with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot: "You want Father and Mother and Sister to sit separately?"
Shen Lue scratched the back of his head, thinking that his second brother's words made sense. Just as he was about to get up and sit down opposite him, he heard Shen Zhuo ask him in a nonchalant tone, "Do you want your brother-in-law and sister to sit separately?"
Shen Lue's two thick, dark eyebrows were furrowed so tightly they were almost knotted. His brother-in-law and sister ate at the same table every day. Was it any different if they ate one more meal?
Although that's what he thought, Shen Lue didn't move his buttocks. He just turned his face to the side, showing the back of his head to Shen Zhuo, too lazy to pay attention to him: "You really are something, thinking so thoroughly."
Shen Zhuo said calmly, "Who told me to have a brainless younger brother? It's inevitable that I have to think a little more."
Shen Lue gritted his teeth in anger, turned his head to meet Shen Du's expressionless face, and immediately deflated. He sat up straight with his head drooping, and saw that his parents, sister and brother-in-law were already sitting opposite him.
When he noticed his younger sister sitting directly opposite him, he couldn't help but wink smugly at Shen Zhuo. Then, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a small purse, and handed it to Shen Qingtan like a treasure: "Little sister, this is a Mid-Autumn Festival gift from your third brother."
Shen Qingtan thought of the two unique gifts Shen Lue had given her before, and was filled with curiosity about this gift. She wondered what strange thing he would give her this time.
She accepted the purse with both hands: "Thank you, Third Brother."
Shen Lue urged, "Open it and take a look."
Shen Qingtan couldn't help but chuckle. Under Shen Lue's watchful gaze, she opened her purse and took out an exquisite plum blossom-shaped ring. A small glass stone was set in the center of the flower, shimmering in the sunlight.
She looked at Shen Lue in surprise.
Shen Lue stood beside Shen Qingtan, instructing her on how to use the ring: "Sister, look at this petal facing outwards; there's a pinhole-sized hole. Press the glass stone, and a spike will pop out. I've smeared a deadly poison on the spike. You can wear it as an ornament, but it can also be used for self-defense in case of danger."
He became unusually serious: "Northern Qi is a den of tigers and wolves. Third Brother was worried, so the weapon I gave you for self-defense before is not suitable to carry with you. This ring is just right."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Lue looked at the surprised expressions on everyone's faces and couldn't help but raise his chin, waiting for their praise.