Chapter 240: Must You Go?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When Xiao Jin returned to the palace, Su Ying was playing darts with the two children. The target of this dart was different from the usual ones. It was hollow in the center, and every ring of the target was hollow. There were also bells placed at different intervals behind it.
The bell on the outermost ring of the target was the closest. Su Ying said that as long as they hit the bell, they would be rewarded with a copper coin. In the future, they could use the copper coins to buy whatever they wanted.
The two little fellows thought it was fun and stopped running wildly every day. Whenever they were free, they would go to the target and throw a small ball at the bell.
“Mother, Mother, I hit the second ring. Quick! Quickly reward me with two copper coins,” Ling exclaimed.
The younger toddler Ling ran up to Su Ying smugly and extended her open palm, asking for her reward.
Su Ying generously placed the copper coins in her tiny hand. “Well done! Ling can already hit the second ring now.”
When they first started playing this game, Su Ying’s rules were relatively relaxed. As long as they hit a bell, they would be rewarded. However, now, she would ask them to say which bell they were going to hit before they threw the ball. If they missed, even if they hit another bell, it wouldn’t count.
The older toddler Ji held his breath as he threw the ball in his hand while standing behind the line he had drawn.
Ding!
The small ball accurately hit the small bell within the tenth ring. Ji’s eyes widened in joy as he turned around and ran to Su Ying’s side to ask for credit.
“Not bad, Ji. You actually hit the tenth ring. You did very well too.”
Ji raised his little chin smugly. That demeanor of acting tough looked exactly the same as Su Ying’s when she was showing off in front of Xiao Jin.
“It’s not that difficult.”
Ling gave a snort in annoyance. “I’ll definitely try my best to get to the tenth ring!”
“Then you have to work hard.” Ji was proud as a peacock.
Ling puffed up her little face. In the blink of an eye, she saw Xiao Jin standing at the door. Thus, she ran to her father on her short legs to ask for words of comfort.
“Father… I am also very powerful, right?” Ling asked.
Xiao Jin picked her up and pinched her tiny button nose. “Yes. As long as you practice hard, you’ll definitely become even more powerful.”
“As long as Ling works hard, she will be as powerful as Mother and Father.”
“City Lord, Master, are you going to have dinner now?” Aunt Zhao’s voice rang out from outside the hall entrance.
“Mm-hmm. Alright.” Su Ying put the small ball aside and led the older toddler Ji to the dining table.
Aunt Zhao and the others came in with the dishes.
Aunt Zhao and the others had always personally prepared the meals. In their hearts, they still didn’t trust the people in Sky Alpha City. They were worried that those people would tamper with the food.
The fragrant dishes were served on the table, and the family of four couldn’t hold back anymore.
After Bai Shuang brought some water for them to wash their hands, she left.
During this period, the family of four had been eating by themselves, and they had slowly gotten used to it.
“I may have to go out tomorrow.”
Xiao Jin’s hand, which was scooping soup for Su Ying, paused. “Where are you going?”
“The Orange Guardian said that he goes to the tribes behind the city to buy medicine every time. He also said that the border of the Nan State is over there. I want to go all the way there to take a look. After all, ever since we arrived in the northern wilderness, we have limited our movement to only a few places. We haven’t been able to check out the surroundings and get an understanding of the nearby areas.”
Xiao Jin’s sharply-defined brows furrowed. “Doesn’t that mean you will be gone for a long time?”
Su Ying didn’t know what was going on outside, so she couldn’t tell how long this would take. “I’ll try to come back as soon as possible.
“It’s freezing outside now. Do you have to go at this time?”
“Anyway, with you guys in the city, things are slowly getting on the right track. Since I am free now, I can go and take a look. Once I understand the place well, maybe 1 can do more things in spring.”
Xiao Jin still didn’t quite approve. “Who are you going with?”
“The Orange Guardian.”
“What if 1 don’t let you go?” Xiao Jin said slowly.
Su Ying raised her eyebrows. She was about to say, “Can you stop me?” However, when she thought about how this rascal had just lost to her in front of so many people today, she suspected he probably wasn’t in a good mood. Thus, she said, “Don’t tell me that we should just close up our territory and be satisfied with ourselves? If the situation around us changes and affects us, we have to know what to do.”
“The scabs on your body haven’t completely fallen off.”
“I’ve already recovered a long time ago. What’s the big deal with that small injury?”
Xiao Jin didn’t say anything else and only reiterated he disapproved.
The two little ones held the bowls in their hands and kept raising their eyes from time to time to look at one parent before looking at the other. They had the feeling that their parents were quarreling.
The younger toddler Ling secretly tugged at the corner of the older toddler Ji’s clothes. Ji looked at her with a baffled expression.
Ling said in what she thought was a very, very soft voice, “Big Brother, Father seems to be angry. He won’t eat Mother, right? That night, 1 saw Father forcefully take a bite of Mother’s mouth. Oh my goodness! Mother was almost eaten by Father!”
Ji’s round face was also full of worry. “Is Mother that delicious? Father likes to eat Mother that much?”
Su Ying silently glanced at the two little heads that were leaning close together. “Mother doesn’t taste good, but if you two don’t eat properly, you’ll go hungry tonight.”
The two little faces tensed up, and they obediently picked up their bowls and ate in big mouthfuls. Grandpa Hea and Grandpa Murong’s food was still very delicious. They could not let it go to waste!
After eating and drinking their fill, Aunt Zhao brought the two children away to wash up. When they returned to the bedroom, they realized that their little bed was gone!
A bolt from the blue!
At this moment, Su Ying was still bathing in the bathroom, and Xiao Jin was the only one in the inner chamber.
“Father, where’s the little bed for me and Big Brother?” Ling ran to Xiao Jin in panic and asked about the whereabouts of her small bed.
“Your mother said that you two are all grown up and will have to sleep in your own room in the future,” Xiao Jin said with a straight face.
Two tiny faces were filled with shock!
Ji’s face became very serious. “No, Father. We’re still young.”
Xiao Jin carried them to the side chamber next door straightaway. “No. You two are all grown up. You have to sleep on your own. Otherwise, Mother will confiscate all your copper coins tomorrow!”
The two little ones shielded their little money pouches in horror!
When Su Ying walked out of the bathroom, she realized that the two little ones were not in the inner chamber. Usually, they would have already washed up and would be waiting for her on the bed.
“Where are Ji and Ling?”
Xiao Jin’s expression remained unchanged. “They say that they have grown up and want to sleep by themselves.”
Su Ying was surprised. Why was it so sudden? They had been crying and clamoring to sleep with her just a while ago, but they wanted to sleep on their own today?
When he saw Su Ying’s puzzled expression, Xiao Jin explained kindly, “The children will grow up eventually. They can’t always sleep with you.”
That was reasonable, but she felt a little empty in her heart if she did not see the two children when she slept.
Su Ying was about to sleep when she saw Xiao Jin sitting on her bed. “Xiao Jin, I’m going to sleep. The children are sleeping by themselves. You should go to another room too.”
Xiao Jin did not move.. Instead, he looked at her and said, “Must you really go tomorrow?”