Chapter 284: Prime Minister Father, don’t talk nonsense. Was I very bad before?
For Chen An, apart from the physical pain, the past half a month was merely a blink of an eye between opening and closing his eyes.
But for Long Li, her heart was constantly in her throat, unable to rest at all.
Noticing that his chest was soaked with tears, Chen An suddenly smiled. He gently stroked the girl’s head and said, “Xiao Li wasn’t like this before.”
Before…? This question made the girl pause. Nestled in the man’s embrace, she retorted in a low voice, “Prime Minister Father, don’t talk nonsense. Was I very bad before?”
Then, Chen An mimicked her tone from back then, saying words like “You’re not allowed to call me Xiao Li,” “Don’t even think about making me call you Prime Minister Father,” and “Are you teaching this Highness how to do things?”
In fact, when they first met, there were many more such “Li-spoken words.” As expected, with Chen An’s help in recalling, the girl’s face instantly turned crimson. She glared at him, her voice subconsciously growing louder. “Then you’re not allowed to call me that now either!” “Also, Prime Minister Father, you, you really…” The words about to be spoken got stuck in her mouth. She was probably going to say something like “Prime Minister Father is the most annoying,” but then she remembered how they had relied on each other for their lives not long ago, and the words simply wouldn’t come out. Long Li was merely proud by nature, not truly ungrateful. Moreover, she had the right to be proud. The girl glared at him fiercely for a moment, seemingly to express her stance. However, her small hands were still tightly gripping the man’s衣角, unwilling to let go. And Chen An naturally agreed to her little request. “Okay, Xiao Li.” He nodded. At this moment, there was a new stir at the doorway as a young man pushed the door open. Beside him, he was holding a cute-looking young girl. The girl’s dark, glistening eyes stared at Chen An, unblinking, and she wasn’t shy. Or rather, to them, Chen An was no longer a stranger. The young man’s face was a bit dark, and he lowered his head slightly, standing somewhat awkwardly, lost in thought and remaining silent. “Good afternoon.” The man’s calm voice pulled Fang Feng’s drifting thoughts back. He seemed to jolt and quickly replied, “You, hello.” His demeanor was such that one might think Chen An was the owner of the house. After replying, he fell silent again, unsure of what to say. After a moment, the little girl’s milky voice broke the silence. She curiously looked Chen An up and down, then her gaze fell on his handsome face, and she exclaimed, “Big brother, why can you sleep for over ten days? Are you a demon… *oof*.” Her words were cut short because Fang Feng, who knew his sister’s “innocent remarks” well, had already covered her mouth tightly. He scratched his head and looked at the man on the bed, his eyes filled with a hint of apology. Chen An smiled and shook his head, signaling that it was okay. Of course, he wouldn’t be angry about this, let alone, in a sense, she wasn’t entirely wrong. Then, Chen An pulled the young man named Fang Feng and they had a lengthy, fragmented conversation. Most of the time, he was asking, and the young man was listening, occasionally responding. This wasn’t due to Fang Feng’s dullness, but rather he always became exceptionally reserved in front of that figure in light blue. During the conversation, Chen An roughly understood the region they had arrived at after crossing the ocean. The fishing village was located within the territory of the Great Xia, a remote place with few outsiders. However, it wasn’t the only village; there were more than ten scattered along the coast, all living by fishing and hunting. Further inland was the county that nominally governed these villages, An County. As for anything beyond that, the young man knew nothing. After all, he himself had only been to the county at most. “So…” “I understand.” Chen An ended the conversation with a smile. Just as he was about to say thank you, he was interrupted by the creak of the room door. The door opened. The sun had already set, and the sky outside had darkened. A somewhat hunched figure entered from outside the door. Her hair was gray, and her steps were very slow. Seeing this, Fang Feng quickly led his sister to greet her. He softly called out “Grandma.” However, as they got closer and he truly saw the old woman’s lonely and unreadable expression, the young man was taken aback. He wasn’t stupid, and having lived with his grandmother every day, he could immediately tell something was wrong with her. It was a paleness as if she had just received terrible news, and her usually energetic appearance had become as lifeless as withered wood. Wrinkles covered her old face, making her look even more aged. Fang Feng frowned, recalling the incident with the old witch in the village a few days ago, and quickly asked, “Grandma, is it… about the Sea God?” The old woman remained silent for a long time before slowly nodding. Her shriveled lips parted, and she finally spoke. Her voice was hoarse and trembled slightly. “The immortal madam said that the Sea God has chosen Xiao Yuan this time…” Instantly, the young man’s eyes widened, and anger flashed in them. He couldn’t help but exclaim, “But Yuan Yuan is only five years old this year!” “Didn’t they always choose girls of suitable age before?!” “And who is this so-called immortal madam? She’s useless except for causing trouble for us. I think she’s just an old witch!” After speaking, Fang Feng no longer cared about maintaining his image in front of Long Li and was about to turn and leave, muttering quickly, “Grandma, tell that old witch immediately that I will never agree to Yuan Yuan becoming the wife of that so-called Sea God. I’ll go to the county town tonight and ask the lord to make a judgment!” However, the old woman grabbed him, her expression blank. She murmured, “It’s useless. Not to mention how much the lord of the county respects her, even if he were willing to help you, it would take at least three days for you to go back and forth, but the wedding ceremony is scheduled for the day after tomorrow…” As the old woman’s words fell, a deathly silence ensued. Perhaps it was only after she understood the situation that she appeared so desperate. The dead silence spread throughout the room until it was broken by a milky voice. “Grandma, brother…” “It’s okay, it’s just getting married to the Sea God. Xiao Yuan isn’t afraid. Xiao Yuan can do it!” The little girl was clever. She wasn’t mischievous now, only clenching her small fists, trying to encourage herself, and comforting the other two. She was still young and didn’t understand the meaning of marriage, let alone that it was a one-way trip to torment. But she still summoned her courage, patted her small chest, and stepped forward. Seeing her little sister so well-behaved, Fang Feng’s eyes turned red. He clenched his fists, his body trembled, and his fingertips almost dug into his flesh. At this moment, Chen An, who had a general understanding of the situation, exchanged a look with the girl beside him. He then turned to the young man and said softly, “Don’t worry.” He beckoned, “Come here and tell me about it.” (End of this chapter)
