Volume 1: Gathering Winds of Splendor Chapter 22: A Ten-Year Promise

  "Miss, may I ask if this is Anjia?" The courtyard gate was wide open, and the visitor on horseback saw Anxin lying there, pretending to sleep.

  "What brings you here?" An Xin said lazily, without even bothering to open his eyes.

  "General, this is where the lady resides." A man's voice spoke respectfully, followed by the sound of dismounting and footsteps.

  Open your eyes with ease, and your body is still soft on the couch like a boneless person. Take a glance at the people walking towards here, and the first one is indeed that handsome man seen in the market that day.

  A surge of astonishment rose from the bottom of her heart, was this really her father? According to her mother's age, An Liancheng should have already passed his thirtieth year, why did he look so young?

  "Miss, may I ask who you are?" The man looked around the yard before entering, and gazing at the simple courtyard, a hint of distress floated in his eyes.

  "Before asking others for their names, do you first introduce yourself?" An Xin stood up straight, his eyes falling on the man's face, and upon closer inspection, this face was even more similar to his own.

  An Liancheng was still wearing the dark-colored brocade robe he had worn to the market that day, with a broad shoulder and narrow waist, and a jade belt around his waist. His face was pale, especially his eyes, which were as black and deep as a piece of high-quality obsidian, emitting a clear and quiet light. The front of his robe was stained with dust, presumably from traveling in the wind and rain, and sleeping under the stars.

  An Liancheng looked around, heard An Xin's question, his gaze fell on her, and stayed on her face for a moment. His eyes sparkled, and his voice was extremely clear and gentle, "I am your father."

  "Sorry, my father passed away many years ago. I really don't have a 'dad' like you who looks about the same age as me." An Xin raised an eyebrow, and the word "dad" was slightly emphasized. Did he think that just by saying those four words lightly, the past would cease to exist?

  "If I weren't your father, why would you look so much like me?" An Liancheng chuckled lightly, his eyes filled with thick teasing.

  "In this vast world, nothing is impossible, and what can your appearance prove?" An Xin's eyes rolled a few times, then she smiled slyly and said, "I think you look a bit like my future husband, maybe it's a hint from heaven, don't you think?" Teasing her own father, her way of doing things was probably unprecedented and unmatched.

  Even if An Liancheng's temperament was calm and composed, he was still stunned by An Xin's bold words, his elegant face showing a hint of astonishment. He couldn't help but say, "I am your father, there is no need to doubt this."

  "You are the forty-eighth person to impersonate my father. Alas, with a mother as beautiful as a national treasure, there's no shortage of people who want to be my father. Here's the deal: if you give me more silver than the previous 47 people, I'll reluctantly acknowledge you as my father. How about it?"

  "Does your mother have many suitors?" An Liancheng's pleasant male voice was tinged with a hint of hoarseness.

  "You think my mother is so helpless? Many people have been drooling over her beauty, from the beginning to the end of the village." An Xin nodded slightly and then pretended to sigh, "Unfortunately, my biological father died early, and my mother has been following the traditional teachings of a good woman not serving two families' tea. She has been devoted to her wifely duties, saying that she wants to be faithful to one husband for life, and every day burns incense and prays for my deceased father, hoping he will soon ascend to heaven."

  An Xin's words made An Liancheng frown silently as he listened intently.

  "Alright, stop talking nonsense! Don't speak ill of your father like that!" Ling Susu, who was paying attention to the commotion outside from within her room, couldn't help but reprimand An Xin for breaking his promise not to leave the house.

  An Liancheng heard this and suddenly turned his head in the direction of the sound.

  She stood alone at the door of the wooden house, with a slender and delicate figure, her eyebrows and eyes were bright and clear, her face was soft and beautiful, without any trace of time passing by. Her body was still slim and light, like a weak willow swaying in the wind, standing tall and straight, with a full sense of resentment in her eyebrows and eyes.

  An Liancheng looked at Ling Susu, who suddenly spoke up. She was standing not far from him with a gentle smile, and her eyes flashed with a dazed expression. In his heart, he unexpectedly felt a sense of being in a trance, as if he had lost track of time.

  "General, nine years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you look as elegant as ever." Ling Susu restrained her excitement that was about to burst out, with a faint smile on her lips, she said softly.

  An Liancheng gazed at Ling Susu, watching her smile charmingly at him. The unreal feeling from earlier finally dissipated a bit, and his eyes gradually cleared up. He said, "After nine years of separation, Madame's appearance has not changed, still beautiful and captivating."

  "Is that so?" Ling SuSu raised her hand and gently stroked her face, with a hint of melancholy in her expression. She said slowly, "The general is joking, beauty fades with the passing of time, I am already an old, yellowed pearl."

  "Susu, must you and I be parted like this?" An Liancheng's mouth seemed to hold a hint of bitterness, the pain in his eyes flashing by in an instant.

  "Nine years have passed since then, and the original agreement naturally means that I lost. Never mind, I am willing to admit defeat and follow you back." Ling Susu did not respond to An Liancheng's question, and a long, gentle sigh escaped from the tip of her nose.

  Watching the two of you coming and going with a calm mind, I suddenly realized that my mother and An Liancheng still have a ten-year appointment. She flipped through the love story in her memory of the previous life book, and suddenly thought of the emotional entanglement between Xiaolongnu and Yang Guo before, and couldn't help but sigh. The two of them met again after sixteen years, and it's not necessary to say that they were overjoyed and cried bitterly. But why did my mother and An Liancheng seem like nothing had happened, without any signs of extreme joy or pleasure? Those stories are indeed deceiving people.

  "So you're really my dad, not an imposter? Did you die and come back to life, rising from the grave and running out?" An Xin said impatiently, breaking the quiet atmosphere of the small courtyard with just a glance.

  "Be at ease, don't spout nonsense. Mother didn't tell you that your father is the great general of Dongling? You're still pretending to be stupid, it's really infuriating." Ling Susu shook her head and scolded Anxin, who often spoke out of line and caused headaches.

  Digression

  Yes, Americans want to see the male lead appear? Duo Duo actually wants to hide Xue for a while, Xiao Xin is so strong, the male lead will definitely not disappoint everyone.