“Madam, we’ll be able to reach the capital in about two hours.” The middle-aged man smiled and said, “After staying in the Northwest every day for so long, I find the air particularly sweet in the capital.”
“What’s wrong with the Northwest?” The woman glared at him and asked fiercely, “I grew up in the bitter cold land of the Northwest. If you like sweet things, why did you marry me?”
The man quickly said with a bitter face, “Madam, you’re right. The air in the capital is too sweet for rough men like me. The northwest is better. In winter, we can still go to the deep mountains to hunt.”
When the woman heard this, the corners of her mouth curled up as she said with a smile, “You fence-sitter!”
These two people were none other than the mighty general Shen Xin and his wife, Luo Xueyan. They had rushed back today to attend Old Madam Shen’s birthday. Before this, they had not informed the capital of their return. Because they had obtained the letter of surrender from the enemy in advance, they wanted to return early to give everyone in the capital a surprise.
“We’ve never attended Old Madam’s birthday before.” Luo Xueyan said, “In the past, when I came back at the end of the year, I would give His Majesty’s reward to Old Madam as a birthday gift. We came back in a hurry today. I wonder if that wolf cloak will be enough to make Old Madam happy.”
“Why can’t that be not enough?” When Shen Xin heard that, he immediately asked, “That’s a good thing. Even on the battlefield, it’s a treasure. Whoever wears it will be invincible. Back then, in order to hunt that wolf I guarded the mountain for seven days and seven nights. You said you wanted to give it to Old Madam, so I… gave it to you.” At the end of the sentence, Shen Xin’s voice gradually lowered. Clearly, he was a little unwilling. Although Old Madam Shen treated Shen Xin very well, she was not his biological mother after all. Shen Xin naturally doted on his wife more. Moreover, Luo Xueyan was usually on the battlefield with him. This wolf cloak was much more useful to her than to Old Madam.
“What do you know?” Luo Xueyan glared at him. “You miss Old Madam’s birthday every year. Even if you give all the rewards to Old Madam when you go back at the end of the year, no one will really know. The last time we returned to the capital, I heard that there were even people in the capital who said that you deliberately neglected your stepmother. I did this for you.”
As soon as she said that, Shen Xin was silent for a while. Indeed, although the conditions in the capital were not as difficult as the harsh conditions in the northwest, and there were no enemies’ weapons and traps, it was not really peaceful. Since the couple was not in the capital, rumors were spreading like wildfire.
Luo Xueyan continued, “You know that I am a straightforward person. In my family, we don’t play power games. This wolf cloak is precious. If Old Madam likes it, she will be happy. When everyone sees this, the rumors will naturally be debunked.”
After a while, Shen Xin said, “You are indeed more thoughtful.”
……
“I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for Jiaojiao.” Luo Xueyan snorted and suddenly looked a little sad. “You and I are not in the capital all year round. Although the Northwest is too dangerous and Jiaojiao is still young and can’t be brought there, we’ve never taught her anything and accompanied her all these years. We’ve let her down.”
When Shen Xin heard this, he sighed and lowered his head.
There were no heartless parents in the world, nor were there parents who did not love their children. However, he and Luo Xueyan were destined to fight on the battlefield, and Shen Miao could not go with them. When the two armies fought, dirty methods would be used. They could only bear the pain and separate from their daughter. At least in the capital, they did not have to worry about Shen Miao’s safety.
