Published at 22nd of January 2024 1:46 pm

Chapter 383: Promise not to Drink

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: CokeZero Editor: Rainystars

Xie Yunjin felt somewhat embarrassed as he lowered his gaze and spoke.

After a good while, he gently said, “Jiaojiao, you may not realize how important you are to me and our four little ones. You are our light, the source of our happiness.

Sometimes I wonder, if you didn’t exist, what would we have become?

Certainly not the sunny and cheerful individuals we are now. We might have turned gloomy, ruthless, unable to tolerate the beauty in the world. In the end, we might have destroyed others and ourselves.”

Lu Jiao looked at Xie Yunjin in astonishment. In the book, they did ultimately become such people.

Seeing Lu Jiao’s stunned expression, Xie Yunjin thought she might be frightened by his words. He leaned down and kissed her cheek.

“I will overcome everything to be with you.”

Lu Jiao took a second to regain her composure. She reacted by glaring at him fiercely.

This man was truly pushing it.

“Sleep.”

Xie Yunjin smiled. He held onto her hand and closed his eyes to sleep.

Lu Jiao fell asleep quickly. After she fell asleep, Xie Yunjin turned to look at her with his gaze filled with adoration. He reached out to gently trace her face, her eyebrows, her nose, her lips.

[What should I do? Jiaojiao, I’m falling more and more in love with you. So, don’t think about leaving. I won’t let you go.]

With her by his side, he felt a sense of calm and happiness.

Officer Zhao’s son, Zhao Hong, passed the scholar examination, and Officer Zhao was very pleased. He specially invited neighbors to a meal.

Although Xie Yunjin’s injuries had not completely healed, he still brought Lu Jiao and their four little ones to the Zhao’s house for the banquet. Zhao’s family was overjoyed, and neighbors came over to greet them. Grandfather Liu and Grandmother Liu especially praised Lu Jiao.

They said that Lu Jiao was kind, skilled in medicine, and had raised their four little ones well. In short, they praised Lu Jiao as the best lady in the world.

Grandfather Liu and Grandmother Liu have been living in this alley for many years. Although they rarely left their home, their neighbors still trusted their words.

As a result, the neighbors who didn’t know much about Xie Yunjin and Lu Jiao were particularly enthusiastic and polite.

The Zhao family’s banquet was lively and filled with warmth among the local residents.

The Han family’s banquet, on the other hand, was much more grand. Firstly, the Han family was prosperous as merchants and had wealth. Secondly, due to recent events, the elders in the Han family wanted to do something big to dispel bad luck. They took advantage of Classmate Han’s success in the imperial examination to host an exceptionally large feast. Additionally, County Magistrate Hu privately approached Han and asked him to invite some businessmen who had connections with their family.

County Magistrate Hu wanted to establish a merchants’ association within Qinghe County to regulate prices. However, he couldn’t issue direct orders, as it might easily provoke opposition from the local merchants. So, he wanted to first have discussions with some businessmen to understand their thoughts.

Due to County Magistrate Hu’s intentions, the Han family’s banquet was exceptionally grand. They not only invited relatives and friends but also businessmen they had dealings with. Furthermore, County Magistrate Hu personally brought some people along.

When people from the four prominent families received such news, they came in droves. The Han residence, which was already quite large, was filled with guests, and the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

Xie Yunjin and Classmate Han were close friends, so he naturally attended the Han family’s banquet.

Lu Jiao specially reminded him, “Don’t drink at the banquet. Although your shoulder injury is almost healed, you still need to be cautious.”

Xie Yunjin smiled at Lu Jiao and said, “I’ve taken your words to heart, Jiaojiao. I promise not to drink.”

Afterwards, Xie Yunjin thought about the previous incident where Lu Jiao had encountered some trouble at a banquet. Concerned, he looked at her and said, “Be careful today. If someone troubles you, have Fengzhi come and call me, and I’ll handle it.”

Lu Jiao smiled and replied, “I can handle it, don’t worry.”

Ever since she promised to give Xie Yunjin a chance, Lu Jiao had decided to attend these banquets. Because if she ended up with Xie Yunjin, such gatherings would undoubtedly be part of their life. So, she needed to gradually get used to it.

Xie Yunjin reached out and held Lu Jiao’s hand. “Relax, the Han family is not like the Lu family.”

His words meant that the Han family wouldn’t give Lu Jiao a hard time.

Just as Xie Yunjin had suspected, the Han family indeed treated Lu Jiao with great warmth.

When she and the four little ones appeared, Grandfather Han and Grandmother Han were extremely grateful and expressed their thanks. Grandmother Han personally escorted Lu Jiao to the location of the women’s banquet. Still worried that Lu Jiao might find it too noisy, she arranged for Lu Jiao to stay in a smaller adjacent hall. She even instructed one of the Han cousin’s wives to keep Lu Jiao company.

This lady was skilled at socializing, and everyone called her Lady Qian. “Lady Lu, your four little ones are really good-looking.”

Lady Qian was particularly envious of the four little ones in Lu Jiao’s family, and the more she looked at them, the more she liked them. She reached out and patted the heads of the four little ones.

The four little ones didn’t resist; they could tell that Lady Qian liked them very much.

Seeing their obedient and cute appearance, Lady Qian became even more fond of them and wished she could take one of them home.

“Oh my, I really want to take one of them home. Lady Lu, please teach me how to raise children who are so well-mannered and sensible.”

Lady Qian had two children at home, a boy and a girl. Her son was a little troublemaker, and she was constantly worried about him. Now, seeing Lu Jiao’s children, she couldn’t help but envy her.

As Lady Qian spoke, Han Dongsheng, who was from her family, joined in.

“Auntie, are you saying that Fatty doesn’t have manners and is unruly?” Following behind Han Dongsheng was Lady Qian’s son, who was nicknamed Fatty.

When Fatty heard his mother’s words, he became angry and was about to throw a tantrum.

Han Dongsheng quickly diverted his attention, “This is the quadruplet I told you about. What do you think? Do they look alike?”

Fatty’s attention was quickly diverted, and he didn’t pay any more attention to his mother.

He turned to look at the four little ones, who also curiously glanced at him. He was indeed chubby.

Following Han Dongsheng, Han Nanfeng rushed over like a little cannonball and hugged the Second Born. “Second Born, you’re here! Let me show you my toys.”

Since the incident where he and the Second Born were abducted together, Han Nanfeng had truly come to regard the Second Born as his real older brother. He couldn’t hide his delight whenever he saw him.

Han Dongsheng no longer disliked the quadruplets as he used to. On the contrary, he quite liked them now. He approached them and invited them to play together.

“First, Third and Fourth Born, let’s go play with toys.”

The quadruplets looked back at Lu Jiao, and she nodded, instructing Fengzhi to accompany the four little ones.

Since the four little ones had come without their usual playmates today, Lu Jiao was concerned for their well-being. Therefore, she asked Fengzhi to keep an eye on them.

Fengzhi nodded and followed the quadruplets towards Han Dongsheng and Han Nanfeng’s courtyard.

Fatty’s mother, Lady Qian, watched her son leave and breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn’t worried about her son but was more concerned that he might cause a scene at the event.

She turned to Lu Jiao with a wry smile, “Lady Lu, did you see that? The chubby boy just now is my little troublemaker..”

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