Chapter 461 - 319: The Descendants of the Lu Family! Upheaval!
Deep in the backyard is a quiet little world.
The pavilions and towers are exquisitely elegant, half-hidden among the lush ancient trees.
The winding path of blue bricks leads to a stone table that has been gently preserved by time.
A few towering trees stretch their branches, and fragments of golden light filter through the dense canopies, sprinkling on the lush green grass.
A gentle breeze sweeps by, causing shadows of the trees to dance.
Suddenly, a string of crisp, bell-like laughter breaks the tranquility.
By the stone table, six innocent and lovely children are playfully gathered around a spirited middle-aged man.
Two sturdy little boys, one is pulling at the middle-aged man’s sleeve while the other tiptoes into his embrace.
Four charming, lively little girls, some with pigtails, others tied with red ribbons.
Just like chirping little sparrows, they all vie to get close to the middle-aged man.
"Great-grandfather—"
A little girl with pigtails looks up, her big shiny eyes full of anticipation, gently shaking his hem with her small hands.
"Yingying wants to be lifted high!"
"Me too!"
"I want it too!"
Another girl with a red ribbon sees this and immediately starts bouncing up and down.
Her rosy cheeks are flush with excitement, and her chubby little hands are raised high, like trying to grasp the clouds.
The remaining two little girls are like playful little bear cubs, tightly hugging their great-grandfather’s leg.
Both of them look up with adorable faces, asking in a babyish voice.
"Great-grandfather, why is your hair black?"
"While Mr. An’s hair is white?"
The middle-aged man surrounded by children is Lu Jiahe.
Lu Jiahe, being questioned by his great-granddaughter, instantly smiles, with even the subtle crow’s feet filled with a gentle glow.
"Hahaha...."
Lu Jiahe bursts into laughter, sweeps his long arm, and lifts a great-granddaughter steadily over his shoulder.
The great-granddaughter kicks her lotus-root-like legs in Lu Jiahe’s palm, her bell-like laughter startling the sparrows on the branches.
"Hahaha, our little Xue is really observant!"
As he speaks, Lu Jiahe gently brushes his sparse stubble against Lu Ruoxue’s flushed cheeks, his voice wrapped in honey-like affection.
"This full head of black hair is all thanks to the miracle-working hands of your Mr. Xuan."
Upon hearing these three words from Lu Jiahe, six childish voices simultaneously arise, culminating in sounds of awe, their sparkling eyes seemingly filled with a galaxy of stars.
"Mr. Xuan—!"
"It’s Mr. Xuan!"
Lu Ruoxue shakes her pigtails, the red ribbon at the tip fleeting past Lu Jiahe’s neck.
She lifts her rosy little face, her bright eyes full of expectation: "Great-grandfather!"
Lu Ruoxue’s babyish call is filled with uncontainable excitement.
"Mr. An said Mr. Xuan can step on clouds to pick the moon and even use branches to make candied fruit!"
As she speaks, she unconsciously licks her lips, as if she already tasted the sweet flavor.
Her crystal-clear saliva is faintly visible at the corner of her mouth, her small hands tightly clutching Lu Jiahe’s lapel, afraid of missing any magical stories about Mr. Xuan.
The other children, upon hearing this, also speak up, clamoring to chat with Lu Jiahe:
"Does Mr. Xuan really use branches to make candied fruit?"
"Can he make osmanthus cakes too?"
"I don’t want candied fruit or osmanthus cakes, I want to see him pick the moon, pick stars!"
........
For a moment, the courtyard is filled with the children’s innocent questioning, even the sparrows on the treetops stop chirping, seemingly waiting for Lu Jiahe’s reply.
However, before Lu Jiahe could respond to the great-grandchildren’s questions, light footsteps could be heard on the cobblestone path ahead.
Lu Jiahe’s fingers suddenly tighten, the tea cup colliding with the stone table with a crisp sound, the amber tea forming dense ripples in the cup.
Looking up, the slender figure outside the moon gate walks in with gentle steps amidst the broken shadows of trees.
The hem of the dark silk robe gently sways with his pace, flowing among the mottled light and shadows, akin to an immortal descending upon the world.
In that moment!
Lu Jiahe’s pupils subtly tremble, the approaching slender figure.
Perfectly overlaps with the memory of the young man who always wielded a knife in his courtyard.
The same towering like pine, the same picturesque features, even the fluttering of his robe remains unchanged.
"Father."
This call remains clear and cold, yet it carries the frost and dew of over a hundred years of spring and autumn.
Lu Jiahe’s throat rolls momentarily, feeling somewhat bitter.
He looks at the face near yet seemingly of another world, thousands of words ultimately boil down to a light sigh.
"Xuan, you’re back."
These simple six words carry the weightiest concerns in the world, expressing the deepest bond between father and son.
The six little children surrounding Lu Jiahe remain completely unaware of the elders’ emotional fluctuation.
Instead, they all focus their gaze on Lu Yun’an, who stands quietly nearby.
"Oh!"
"Grandfather is here!"
"Hello, Mr. An～"
Amidst the rising and falling babyish greetings, the most mischievous, Lu Ruoxue, blinks her big eyes.
She stares straight at Lu Xuan’s handsome face, crisply asking.
"Mr. An, Mr. An, who is this handsome big brother?"
Lu Ruoxue tilts her little head, the red ribbon lightly swaying with the motion: "This big brother is much more handsome than Brother Huaichen and Brother Huaiming!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Yun’an’s expression freezes instantly, his face full of dark lines, feeling quite helpless.
This little girl, Ruoxue, actually calls her elder brother "big brother"?