Marrying the Crown Prince

Inside Ping Shuo Hall, Zhou Zhou sat quietly to the left of Madam Zhou Chen, the old lady of the house. Unlike Madam Zhou Chen, who was looking on with longing eyes, Zhou Zhou's expression was calm, showing neither joy nor sorrow.

Ten-year-old Zhou Cheng'an sat next to Zhou Zhou. He quietly took Zhou Zhou's hand. The boy was full of vigor, and his hand was warmer than Zhou Zhou's.

Zhou Zhou grasped his hand and looked at him, as if asking what was wrong.

Zhou Chengan whispered to comfort her, "Don't be afraid, don't be nervous, it's our father who's back."

Seeing the brotherly and sisterly affection between them, the old lady nodded in satisfaction, and then she heard Zhou Zhou's unchanging tone.

"Oh, I'm not nervous."

Zhou Chengan swallowed hard. Of course he knew his sister wasn't nervous; it was him who was.

My mother fell ill while giving birth to my younger sister and passed away after six months of recuperation. My father was sent away from the capital five years ago, and my brother and I were too young to travel long distances, so we stayed in the capital.

Growing up as a dependent made Zhou Cheng'an very sensitive and sensible. He knew that five years was a long time, long enough to change many things.

For example, will the father who once doted on me still love me? Will my father bring home one or two younger siblings?

All of this made Zhou Cheng'an extremely nervous. On one hand, he looked forward to his father returning home, and on the other hand, he was afraid of his return.

Zhou Zhou noticed her brother's emotional fluctuations, so she patted Zhou Cheng'an's hand to comfort him.

“Brother, I’m here.” Zhou Zhou’s eyes were bright, like a calm lake, clearly reflecting Zhou Cheng’an’s image.

Looking into his sister's eyes, Zhou Cheng'an's panicked heart gradually calmed down.

Yes, no matter what happens, he has a sister, and they will always be the closest people in the world.

When Madam Hou, who is also Zhou Zhou's aunt Zhang Mingqing, saw this scene, she joked, "Look, the two siblings are so close, like one big brother or sister. Unlike my two monkeys, who are always fighting."

Zhang had three children. Her second and third children were twins, a boy and a girl, and were only one year older than Zhou Zhou. Therefore, they were often compared to Zhou Zhou by the elders.

"Where did they fight? Mother, don't talk nonsense." Zhou Heng was unhappy and tugged at Zhang Shi's hand, acting coquettishly.

Zhang tapped her head, coaxing her affectionately, "Alright, alright, I was just talking nonsense. I don't know who got into a fight over a piece of chestnut cake yesterday."

"Oh dear," Zhou Heng said shyly, snuggling into Zhang's arms.

This commotion dispelled the oppressive atmosphere, and the old lady started laughing too.

Then Zhang added, "It's all thanks to Mother's good teaching. Zhouzhou is well-behaved and sensible, and Fourth Brother's studies are often praised by his teacher."

The old lady naturally liked to hear such flattery, and her gaze towards Zhang became more affectionate.

In the peaceful atmosphere, time passed quickly. It felt like only a short while before a servant came running over, "Grand Madam, First Madam, the Marquis and Fifth Master have returned."

Upon hearing this, the old lady quickly stood up. "We've arrived? Where have we arrived?"

"We've arrived at the gate. I was afraid the Madam was getting impatient, so I sent this servant to let you know first."

"Good, good, that's good, that's good." The old lady calmed down and beckoned Zhou Zhou and his sister over.

She affectionately patted Zhou Zhou's head, always feeling more pity for this quiet granddaughter. "When your father comes back, remember to greet him."

Although Zhou Chenshi is not old, she can still protect both Zhou Zhou and Zhou Chenshi; however, the role of a father is indispensable in the growth of a child.

"Okay." Zhou Zhou nodded obediently, finally showing a hint of curiosity about this father she had no recollection of.

I wonder if he's as tall as my uncle, and if he'd swing on me like I did when I was little.

Soon, Zhou Laowu, Zhou Mu, whom they had been eagerly awaiting, returned. "Your unfilial son greets his mother."

When the old lady saw her youngest son, whom she hadn't seen for five years, she rushed over excitedly, "My son, I've been waiting for you to come back!"

The old lady was both angry and happy, and couldn't help but shed tears.

Over the past five years, Zhou Laowu has endured a lot of hardship, traveling long distances and suffering. Now, seeing his elderly mother still the same as before, he is filled with emotion and sheds tears.

The mother and child cried loudly, and everyone in Ping Shuo Hall looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhang gave her husband Zhou Yu a meaningful look, and Zhou Yu's lips twitched, indicating that he was powerless to do anything about it.

Zhang glared at him—as expected, if men could be relied on, pigs could fly.

With no other option, Zhang rolled up her sleeves and personally separated the two troublemakers. One of them wiped away the old lady's tears, while the other comforted his younger brother, and the scene finally returned to normal.

Only then did Zhou Laowu notice that there were still many children inside the house, and his dark face flushed.

Zhang introduced them to him, saying, "This is Third Brother and Zhouzhou."

When Zhou Laowu looked over, the boy was also looking at him, his eyes filled with timidity, like a little rabbit.

In just one moment, Zhou Laowu's heart softened, and he patted Zhou Cheng'an's head with his large hand, "Good boy, you've worked hard all these years taking care of your sister."

Zhou Chengan sniffed, suppressing the sour feeling—it's so good, his father is still the same father he always was.

Then Zhou Laowu looked at the girl next to him, and his expression froze after just one glance.

This...this looks just like my father's eyes.

Zhou Zhou calmly examined the father and thought he was alright. Although he was a bit shorter than his uncle, he was still quite tall and strong.

The old lady noticed her son's stiffness and quickly interrupted Zhou Zhou's "spellcasting," saying, "Zhouzhou, this is your father. Didn't you say every day that you missed your father the most?"

Zhou Zhou bowed respectfully, "Father."

This time, Zhou Mu couldn't help but take a step back: the image of his father was overwhelming, it was really terrifying.

Zhou Laowu was the old lady's youngest son, and was therefore extremely favored. He was very mischievous from a young age, so the strict and old-fashioned Marquis often whipped him.

Even after all these years, Zhou Laowu still feels apprehensive when he sees his elderly father.

Seeing the atmosphere freeze, Zhang quickly greeted her and asked, "Fifth Brother, who is this young lady?"

Yes, Zhou Laowu didn't come back alone. He brought back two other women, one older, around twenty years old, and the other younger, probably five or six years old.

"Oh!" Zhou Laowu slapped his forehead, realizing he had completely forgotten about that.

“Mother, this is Xu Chongqiu, who used to serve you, Qianzhu,” he said, pointing to the older one. Then he introduced the little girl, “This is Zhou Yue, the third daughter I mentioned in my letter to you. She is five years old now.”

Before they arrived, someone had taught Zhou Yue how to do it. As soon as Zhou Mu finished speaking, she and Xu Chongqiu knelt down and kowtowed to the old lady. However, the child was still young and knelt crookedly.

The old lady gave a faint "hmm" and didn't say anything more.

However, she was just a concubine's daughter, and a maid who had never appeared before, so the old lady didn't pay her any attention.

However, this Xu family...