Chapter 139: Awkward

Eventually the numbness went away, so he walked over to them at once.

As he walked, he was shouting in his heart, “Xiaoguo, my son, your husband and father is here!

“Ah!”

When Zhuang Zhuang saw him coming, he let out a sudden cry of fear. He crawled into Xiaoguo’s arms and covered his head.

Xiaoguo couldn’t be bothered to lower her head this time. She hugged Zhuang Zhuang and looked up to see what had frightened him so much.

Xiaoguo was already prepared to have styes on her eyes. She was afraid that she would look up and witness a pornographic scene.

However, she was disappointed. All she saw was a light blue robe that looked like a man’s attire.

But the man had gotten too close. Xiaoguo frowned and took a few steps back before looking up at his face.

!!!

Xiaoguo was just as shocked as Zhuang Zhuang. Because of the shock, she almost choked on her breath.

“Are you a human or a ghost…”

The words came out of Xiaoguo’s trembling mouth.

Jiang Danhe did not get to witness the touching scene that he was anticipating. He could not help but feel a little aggrieved. Why was it completely different from what he had imagined?

It had been four years since he last heard her sweet voice. It felt like a lifetime had passed. But what did she mean by that? What did she mean by human or ghost?

Jiang Danhe looked puzzled. He had really forgotten that he was already dead.

Xiaoguo could not help but take a few steps back again. She felt a little uncomfortable as she looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her.

Zhuang Zhuang was always looking at Jiang Danhe’s portrait and she had seen it before too. It was very similar to the face in front of her, but it was not as young as in the painting. The man in front of her looked much tougher and the lines on his face were more angular. When he stared at her, it was a little intimidating.

Xiaoguo hugged Zhuang Zhuang tightly in her arms and looked at the man warily.

Shao Zhan secretly watched from behind. Then, he waved his hand and beckoned to Xiaoyi, who was not far away. After all, it was better to sit and watch the show.

Xiaoyi wanted to ignore him when he saw the signal, but he was indeed a little tired from standing. So he decided to go over and sit down. However, he wasn’t obeying his orders. It was just that he really wanted to sit down. Xiaoyi sat beside him in an aloof manner and turned his head away from Shao Zhan.

“Stay away!”

Xiaoguo stopped Jiang Danhe, who was still trying to get closer.

“Xiaoguo, what’s wrong?”

Jiang Danhe felt aggrieved. He stood there helplessly and looked at the mother and son who were standing far away from him. He did not know what he had done wrong. Shouldn’t they be crying and hugging each other now?

Xiaoguo shuddered. “He knows my name is Xiaoguo. So is he really Jiang Danhe? The dead Jiang Danhe?”

“Who the hell are you?”

Xiaoguo asked. When Zhuang Zhuang heard this, he quietly raised his head and looked at the man, waiting for his answer. A look of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

“I’m Jiang Danhe.”

Jiang Danhe was quick-thinking. After his excitement, he tried to calm himself down and think about what was wrong. Within a short while, he realized that he was still a dead person in their eyes.

In that case, he could not blame them for being scared.

“Xiaoguo, it’s me. I’m not dead.”

Jiang Danhe softened his voice. His eyes were filled with warmth and longing.

“…”

Xiaoguo didn’t know what to say. Her mind was in a mess now. Her thoughts and emotions were in a mess. In any case, everything was in a mess!

At this moment, Zhuang Zhuang was also looking at Jiang Danhe boldly. He scrutinized him closely. Looking at the outfit, he figured that the person he saw at the rockery should be him.

But why didn’t he acknowledge him? Everyone said that he looked like his father, but why didn’t he acknowledge him when they met?

Jiang Danhe felt Zhuang Zhuang’s gaze on him, so he lowered his head to look at him. The more he looked at the face that was a combination of their best features, the more he liked it.

From the looks of it, Zhuang Zhuang really took after the two of them. At first, he only felt that he looked a little like Xiaoguo. Now that he had taken a closer look, he looked very much like himself too.

The more Jiang Danhe looked at his son, the happier he became. His son was so handsome, so his daughter must be even cuter.

Seeing how resistant Xiaoguo looked, Jiang Danhe didn’t know what to say. Besides, this wasn’t a good place to talk.

Shao Zhan had seen enough. He felt that it was time for him to speak. He put down the dried fruits in his hand and dusted off the crumbs on his hands.

“Don’t just stand there. Come and sit down for dinner.”

Shao Zhan said in a dignified voice. Xiaoguo looked up at Jiang Danhe and walked around him with Zhuang Zhuang in her arms.

Jiang Danhe paused for a moment before following closely behind. The three of them sat in a row.

Xiaoguo placed Zhuang Zhuang beside her. Jiang Danhe rubbed his nose and reluctantly moved to sit beside Zhuang Zhuang. The three of them sat down accordingly in their seats, with Zhuang Zhuang seated between his parents.

Fortunately, with this interlude, Xiaoguo did not have to go through the greetings.

At the dining table, only Wen Xiaoyi was eating seriously. Everyone else was checking out the situation.

Shao Zhan was just a bystander. He had been secretly observing Xiaoguo and Jiang Danhe as if he was watching a show.

Jiang Danhe had been secretly paying attention to Xiaoguo. Seeing that she didn’t eat much, he picked up some food for her.

Xiaoguo, on the other hand, was thinking about other things. For example, how could Jiang Danhe be alive? Why was he here? Why didn’t he send a letter home when he was alive? What should she do in the future? She smiled awkwardly and politely at the food that Jiang Danhe had picked for her. However, she didn’t eat them.

Zhuang Zhuang quietly observed Jiang Danhe from the side, but when he looked over, he quickly lowered his head and looked away.

Under the strange atmosphere on the table, only Xiaoyi was eating seriously. “The fish meat was delicious, the radishes were delicious, the meatballs were so fragrant, and the pastries were delicious. The chicken meat was so tender, and the soup was so fresh… ” Words like these were running through Xiaoyi’s mind, so he wasn’t tuned in to the atmosphere around him and was completely engrossed in his food.

When Shao Zhan finally put down his chopsticks, Xiaoguo also put down her chopsticks in relief.

Jiang Danhe’s eyes darkened. He was a little disappointed when he saw that the dishes on her plate were untouched.

Zhuang Zhuang also put down his chopsticks. Seeing that Zhuang Zhuang was not eating anymore, Xiaoyi clapped his hands happily. “That’s great! Zhuang Zhuang, let’s go back and sleep!”

He had already eaten his fill and was waiting for Zhuang Zhuang at the side. Earlier on, they had agreed to sleep together at night. He was very anxious to bring Zhuang Zhuang to see his animal friends.

“Let’s go, let’s go…”

Xiaoyi urged Zhuang Zhuang to leave. But Zhuang Zhuang looked at Xiaoguo and hesitated. “Mother?”

Xiaoguo nodded and was about to follow him when Shao Zhan spoke.

“Let them sleep together. You two haven’t seen each other for a long time. I’m sure you have a lot of questions and things to ask each other. You can go back with Danhe to his residence.”

Shao Zhan had given his instructions very specifically. Deep down, Xiaoguo did not really wish to communicate with Jiang Danhe. To her, Jiang Danhe was like a stranger. Besides, she was worried about leaving Zhuang Zhuang by himself.

However, Xiaoguo did not know how to refuse tactfully. After all, the person in front of her was the emperor.

Just as Xiaoguo was hesitating, Jiang Danhe agreed to the order.

Xiaoguo turned to look at Jiang Danhe. After struggling for a long time, she told Zhuang Zhuang to behave himself with Xiaoyi, and she would pick him up the next day.

Zhuang Zhuang looked at Xiaoguo reluctantly, then quickly glanced at Jiang Danhe. Eventually, he nodded. His mother must have a lot to say to the man. He decided not to disturb them for now.

Seeing Zhuang Zhuang obediently leave with Xiaoyi, Jiang Danhe hurriedly said goodbye to Shao Zhan and left with Xiaoguo.

Xiaoguo returned to the adjacent hall to get her bag and got into the carriage.

Jiang Danhe abandoned his horse and followed behind Xiaoguo.

In the sedan, the two of them looked at each other, speechless. The air was filled with a suffocating sense of awkwardness.