Chapter 869: 871, living here (first update)

Watching the couple walk in hand in hand from outside, Tong Qiaoqiao was instantly stunned. She looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman, then at herself, and couldn’t help but feel a sense of inferiority.

Mo Zhixuan was clearly her cousin, so why was there such a big gap between them?

And Chu Jin, why was she born as the reincarnation of an empress? Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a halo, shining and sparkling wherever she went.

Sigh...

She wasn’t bad-looking either; she just lacked a shining and sparkling identity.

But now it was different from before. Now that Mo Zhixuan was her cousin, she would be a person of high status, and she would shine and sparkle too.

With this thought, Tong Qiaoqiao’s face broke into a smile of confidence, and the sadness in her eyes instantly dissipated.

"Cousin, cousin-in-law, hello, I am Qiaoqiao." Tong Qiaoqiao stood up with an air of grace and poise.

Mo Zhixuan and Chu Jin were both taken aback, wondering where this cousin of such considerable age had suddenly appeared from.

Seeing their reaction, the elder Mrs. Mo immediately stood up and explained, "Zhixuan, Jin, this is your cousin, Tong Qiaoqiao, and she’s the only niece on your maternal side."

The elder Mrs. Mo cleverly used the word "only" to signify Tong Qiaoqiao’s importance.

Upon hearing this, Mo Zhixuan’s expression remained unchanged as he just nodded slightly. He didn’t know Tong Qiaoqiao, but after seeing Li Xiangzhi at the side, he understood what was going on.

Mo Zhixuan knew a little about his uncle’s affairs. After his uncle passed away, only Li Xiangzhi and her daughter Tong Qiaoqiao were left. Tong Qiaoqiao had an unfortunate life; her husband had died, and at a young age, she started living as a widow. It was normal for her to seek refuge with the elder Mrs. Mo, given her tough circumstances.

However, Mo Zhixuan didn’t expect Li Xiangzhi to have the audacity to come along. Considering her past actions, it wouldn’t have been too much to kill her, but somehow the elder Mrs. Mo had forgiven her.

Since the elder Mrs. Mo had dismissed past grievances, Mo Zhixuan also didn’t want to say anything more. He was a man, the commander of all three realms, and surely he couldn’t be overly critical with two women, could he?

However, deep down, Mo Zhixuan truly had no respect for Li Xiangzhi.

After doing such things in the past, she now shamelessly came to seek refuge with the Mo family.

Only because the elder Mrs. Mo was kind-hearted could she forgive them.

If it had been anyone else, they would have kicked this mother and daughter out long ago.

However, Tong Qiaoqiao was indeed the elder Mrs. Mo’s only niece, and it was only human for the elder Mrs. Mo to be compassionate.

Chu Jin, unaware of the past animosities between the two families, smiled at Tong Qiaoqiao and said, "Hello Qiaoqiao."

"Cousin-in-law, you’re really beautiful. Your skin is so nice. What brand of skincare do you usually use?" Tong Qiaoqiao then asked.

Tong Qiaoqiao was clever; she knew to say pleasing things.

But Chu Jin wasn’t someone who enjoyed flattery. She smiled and said, "I just use whatever," In reality, she didn’t use any skincare products. However, no one would believe that if she told them, so she chose not to mention it.

"Oh," Tong Qiaoqiao’s face flashed a hint of embarrassment before she sat back down on the sofa.

Li Xiangzhi immediately stood up and said, "This must be Zhixuan. Look at him, after more than twenty years, Zhixuan has changed so much. Do you still recognize me, Zhixuan? I’m Qiaoqiao’s mother, your aunt."

Mo Zhixuan’s expression remained calm, his lips pressed tightly as he replied indifferently, "After more than twenty years without contact, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I really wouldn’t remember you." Since the elder Mrs. Mo had decided to let bygones be bygones, Mo Zhixuan didn’t want to leave Li Xiangzhi without face. Li Xiangzhi wasn’t much younger than the elder Mrs. Mo, and he couldn’t bear to be harsh with an elderly lady.

He hoped that after so many years, Li Xiangzhi had truly changed for the better.

Li Xiangzhi continued, "The person beside you must be your wife, right? She is quite the beauty, even prettier than the ones we see on TV."

Chu Jin smiled and said, "Hello aunt, I’m Chu Jin, you can just call me Jin."

"That’s a nice name, and you’re beautiful. Sister, you’re going to be lucky. Your daughter-in-law is young and capable; she and Zhixuan are a match made in heaven." Li Xiangzhi smiled as she looked towards the elder Mrs. Mo.

The elder Mrs. Mo also commented, "The old saying is never wrong—those who survive great disasters are destined for fortuity afterward." This great disaster was referring to the incident that occurred during the New Year celebration.

Chu Jin glanced at Li Xiangzhi and then at the elder Mrs. Mo, sensing there was definitely a story behind this.

The elder Mrs. Mo was always a kind old lady, never intentionally causing trouble for anyone. However, today’s remarks were clearly pointed, as if she was targeting Li Xiangzhi.

This was odd because, given the importance the elder Mrs. Mo seemed to place on Tong Qiaoqiao, why would she be targeting Li Xiangzhi?

Weren’t these two mother and daughter?

Chu Jin subtly furrowed her brows.

Hearing this, the smile on Li Xiangzhi’s face remained, as she smoothly changed the subject, "These two adorable children must be Zhixuan’s son and daughter, right? Oh my, they’re so cute, and they look just like Zhixuan when he was little."

Chu Jin squatted down, resting her hands on Bao Bao and Bei Bei’s shoulders, and said, "Bao Bao, Bei Bei, this is your great-aunt, and this is your older cousin, and this child..." Chu Jin didn’t know the little boy, so for a moment she wasn’t sure how to introduce him.

Seeing this, Li Xiangzhi immediately said, "This child is your cousin’s son, named Little Golden, and he’s five years old. By the way, how old are you two?"

"Hello, great-aunt, my sister and I are fraternal twins. I’m Bao Bao, and she’s Bei Bei. We are four years old this year." Bao Bao introduced himself with the air of an adult.

Bao Bao already had quite the resemblance of an elder brother.

"You’re four, so you should call Little Golden your older brother," said Li Xiangzhi with a smile.

Bao Bao, who had always been treating others as younger siblings, suddenly had to call someone else his older brother, and he was a bit taken aback.

There had been a little aunt and little uncle in the family a while back, and now there was a new older brother...

Heaven, what was this leading to? Would he now forever be the youngest?

My heart hurts!

"Hello, little brother and sister, from now on we are a family. We must take care of each other." Little Golden Child walked over, looking very sensible as he spoke.

The Mo family’s old lady watched the three children with a tender look in her eyes.

Since Little Golden Child had taken the initiative to greet them, Bao Bao and Bei Bei couldn’t be shy, "Hello, Brother Golden Child, I’m Bei Bei, and this is my brother Bao Bao. You can just call us by our names from now on, and we’ll be good friends."

Little Golden Child shook his head, "No, we are not just good friends, we are family, I am your older brother."

Children have their own way of interacting with each other. The old lady smiled and said, "Bao Bao and Bei Bei, go take your brother to your playground to have fun, and play nicely. Don’t bully your brother, understand?"

Bao Bao nodded, "Grandma, I understand." Then he took Little Golden Child’s hand, "Brother, let’s go."

The three little friends went to the playground to play together.

Watching Little Golden Child walk away, a worried look flashed through Tong Qiaoqiao’s eyes.

Smiling, the Mo family’s old lady said, "Qiaoqiao, don’t worry, Little Golden Child is safe with Bao Bao and Bei Bei. There are servants following them closely, so there’s no need to worry."

Tong Qiaoqiao gave a slight smile, "Aunt, Little Golden Child can be quite naughty. I’m afraid he might bully Bao Bao and Bei Bei."

"No worries, no worries. Where are there children who don’t roughhouse with each other?" The Mo family’s old lady said nonchalantly, waving her hand, and then she turned to the servants beside her, "Qinghe, take Qiaoqiao and her mother to rest first. Go to the east wing, I’ve already had someone clean it up."

"Alright." Qinghe nodded slightly, then said to Tong Qiaoqiao and Li Xiangzhi, "Please follow me this way."

Li Xiangzhi said with a smile, "It’s really troubling my sister, but we’ll head there first."

"Goodbye, Aunt," Tong Qiaoqiao also said very politely as she took her leave from the Mo family’s old lady.

The two followed Qinghe away.

In the blink of an eye, only Mo Zhixuan, Chu Jin, and the Mo family’s old lady were left in the living room.

The Mo family’s old lady sat on the couch, looked at Mo Zhixuan, and then began to speak, "Zhixuan, now that your uncle is gone, and he only left behind Qiaoqiao, she’s the only blood of the Tong family. Please do understand why I did what I did; I couldn’t let your uncle rest in peace."

No matter what, the Mo family’s old lady still sought Mo Zhixuan’s understanding.

Mo Zhixuan nodded slightly, "Mom, I know that what happened back then was not greatly related to my uncle. Now that he’s passed away, it’s only right for you to care for his widow. However, if they were to stay in the imperial palace indefinitely, that might be somewhat inappropriate, wouldn’t it?"

What had happened years ago was orchestrated by Li Xiangzhi herself.

Mo Zhixuan wasn’t the type to hold petty grudges, but having Li Xiangzhi living here would always be a bit uncomfortable.

Chu Jin wasn’t very clear about the situation, so she had been silent the entire time.

However, from the conversation between Mo Zhixuan and the Mo family’s old lady, it was clear that there must have been some unpleasantness between Mo Zhixuan and them in the past.

Hearing this, the Mo family’s old lady exhaled and said, "Zhixuan, I’m glad you feel this way. Don’t worry, I’ve already sent someone to prepare a place for them to live. They won’t stay here for too long."

The Mo family’s old lady had thought that Mo Zhixuan would firmly oppose this arrangement.

Mo Zhixuan nodded slightly, "Alright, if there’s nothing else, Jin and I will go upstairs."

"Go ahead," the Mo family’s old lady said with a smile, waving her hand, "I’ll call your Aunt Tong. We finally have everyone gathered today, I’ll ask her to come over for some fun too."

It’s better to resolve conflicts than to let them fester.

A harmonious family prospers in all things.

The Mo family’s old lady had come to a realization; all past grudges should end tonight, and from now on, the family should live together in harmony and joy.

The Mo family’s old lady made a call to Tong Zhi, and soon the call was answered.

Meanwhile, Mo Zhixuan went upstairs with Chu Jin.

In the study, Mo Zhixuan took the initiative to tell Chu Jin about an incident that had occurred more than twenty years ago.

Mo Zhixuan’s expression remained unchanged, his demeanor so calm that it seemed as though he was telling someone else’s story.

But Chu Jin’s eyes reddened.

"Mo Zhixuan..." Chu Jin reached out and hugged his waist, unable to imagine how Mo Zhixuan had endured those times. Just hearing about it was horrifying, let alone having lived through it...

"It’s alright now, it’s all in the past." Mo Zhixuan patted Chu Jin on the shoulder.

Now he was content, blessed with both a son and a daughter.

With an annoyed expression, Chu Jin said, "I should go and kick them out! These people are shameless! After what they did to you back then, they have the nerve to come around! Opportunists! I bet they’re here to ride on your coattails now that you hold a high position in the Three Realms."

"Let it go, it’s all in the past. Li Xiangzhi’s getting on in years, and since my uncle has passed away, we should consider his feelings. My mom only had that one brother, and besides, Qiaoqiao was just a child back then and had nothing to do with it. My mom’s old now; as long as she’s happy, that’s what matters."

If it had been up to Mo Zhixuan, he certainly wouldn’t have allowed Li Xiangzhi through the door, though Tong Qiaoqiao might have been a different story.

She was still a child at the time, after all.

But since things had turned out this way, he would just have to go with the flow. He couldn’t snub his own mother over it.

Now that Li Xiangzhi was Tong Yuan’s widow, it wouldn’t look good to be too harsh.

"Mo Zhixuan, I’m sorry you have to put up with this," Chu Jin held him tightly, her face pressed against his chest, sincerely saying, "Don’t worry, now that you’re with me, I’ll take good care of you from now on."

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read