Chapter 104: Will I Be Able to See Her Again?

Upon hearing this, Xiang Yanlin finally relented.

Xiang Tianyang looked at his precious daughter with a heart full of tenderness and spoke, “Yao’er, even if you go with us now, we won’t make it to Bianjing for the New Year.

We’ve decided to stay here until after the New Year, and then we’ll head to Bianjing.”

Xiang Xinyao’s face lit up with joy. “That’s wonderful! This way, I’ll have enough time to arrange everything.”

Uncle Ji asked, “Girl, are you still planning to build your house?”

“Of course! Otherwise, if I go back with my parents and relatives, there won’t be a place for us to stay.”

In truth, Xiang Xinyao felt a little reluctant to leave, but she had still decided to return.

Firstly, she needed to spend some time with her so-called family to see if they truly cared for her.

Secondly, she wanted to visit Bianjing, the capital of Lingxiao Kingdom. Perhaps one day, her business would expand there, or even nationwide.

Thirdly, Bianjing was the gathering place for the wealthy and powerful in Lingxiao Kingdom, and she wanted to see if she could find any valuable items.

If she ever had the chance to return, those valuable items could be considered antiques, worth a lot of money.

If her biological parents treated her well, then she would work hard to shuttle between both places.

But if they treated her poorly, she could return to Dawai Village, where no one could trap her.

This was the reason she hadn’t rejected the idea of going with the Xiang family to Bianjing.

The Xiang family, on the other hand, was overjoyed that Xiang Xinyao hadn’t refused to go to Bianjing. They had prepared themselves to patiently persuade her, but they never expected it wouldn’t be necessary at all.

Upon hearing Xiang Xinyao’s response, Uncle Ji was overjoyed.

As long as she was still building her house, it meant she would definitely come back, and they would be able to see her again in the future.

At this moment, Aunt Ji, Ji Chunhua, and Ji Chunlan had finished cooking, and the side dishes were nearly ready.

Xiang Xinyao smiled and said, “Father, Mother, you rest for a bit. I’ll go into the kitchen and cook with Aunt Ji. You should try my cooking too.”

The Xiang Taifu wife looked at her daughter with a heart full of affection and nodded with a smile. “Mmm, go ahead!”

As Xiang Xinyao entered the kitchen, the Xiang Taifu wife turned to the Xiang Taifu and said, “My dear, our daughter is truly outstanding, but it also shows how much suffering she’s endured.”

“Yes, she’s remarkable, no doubt she’s my daughter, Xiang Tianyang’s daughter.”

Xiang Xinyao smiled to herself inwardly: “My sister is amazing, she even knows how to cook. I guess I’ll have to learn from her.”

Mo Jinnan, though expressionless, was overjoyed inside.

Finally, he would be able to taste the dishes made by this little girl again.

Xiang Xinyao entered the kitchen and began to cook skillfully.

With so many guests, and all coming from wealthy families, Aunt Ji and her two daughters had prepared all the dishes they could.

For Xiang Xinyao, who had been a foodie in her past life and had spent a lot of effort researching food, the ingredients Aunt Ji had prepared were a treasure trove. She could make many different dishes.

After a while, Aunt Ji and her two daughters began setting the table.

With so many people, they had to prepare two tables.

Once the tables and chairs were set, Aunt Ji and her daughters began bringing the dishes to the table.

Just as they were in the middle of serving the food, Old Scholar Ji, along with the Ji family’s children, returned from their private school.

Upon seeing the scene outside the Ji family’s house, Old Scholar Ji was startled.

The first thought that crossed his mind was whether the Ji family had offended some powerful figure.

His heart raced with anxiety, and he was about to step inside the house when a soldier stopped him.

“Who are you? What’s your business here?”

The Old Scholar dared not mention his connection to the Ji family, fearing he might also be detained and unable to help them.

So, he carefully said, “I’m just a private tutor. The Ji family was worried about their children’s safety, so they entrusted me to bring them home after school. I’m just delivering the children.”

The soldier’s attitude changed immediately. “Then please, come in!”

The soldier’s sudden shift left the Old Scholar slightly stunned, but it also relaxed him a little.

The soldier had not used harsh words but had instead become more respectful, and the Old Scholar guessed that these people might not be here to cause trouble for the Ji family.

The Old Scholar led the Ji family’s children into the courtyard, where he saw a few elegantly dressed individuals sitting in the courtyard, laughing and chatting with Uncle Ji.

At that moment, Uncle Ji was animatedly describing how Xiang Xinyao had been so capable, leading the Ji family to hunt and gather medicinal herbs to earn silver.

The Xiang family and Mo Jinnan’s group were listening with rapt attention, their eyes gleaming, while occasionally showing expressions of tenderness and concern.

Xiang Xinyao came out of the kitchen, holding two plates of food, and immediately saw the Old Scholar standing outside in the small yard, frozen in place.

“Uncle Ji, why aren’t you coming in? Come on, dinner’s ready!” she called out.

“Ah, coming!” the Old Scholar replied, leading the children into the courtyard.

Uncle Ji stood up with a smile, saying, “Uncle, let me introduce you. These two are the Zhaodi,  biological parents. They came all the way from Bianjing to find her…”

The Old Scholar stared at the Xiang Taifu and his wife for a while, before nodding and saying, “Hmm, they do look alike. At least seven parts of the girl look like her father, and three parts resemble her mother.”

Uncle Ji continued, “The girl’s surname is Xiang, and her name is very beautiful—Xiang Xinyao. From now on, don’t call her Zhaodi anymore. From this day forward, the girl and the Hu family are completely separated.”

“Yes, yes, Xinyao is a nice name! No more calling her Zhaodi. It’s great that she found her real parents. No more hardships for her from now on!” the Old Scholar said with a smile full of relief, though his heart was heavy with reluctance.

Xiang Xinyao was his light—she had pulled him out of the depths of poverty.

Now that he had finally managed to live a comfortable life, she was going to return to her biological parents. Would he be able to see her again in the future?

Would she abandon her private school and the house she was building?

Even if he were to stop being the private tutor, he could always go back to farming. But without seeing her, his heart would feel a deep emptiness.

“Dinner’s ready,” Xiang Xinyao called out.

Uncle Ji patted the Old Scholar on the shoulder. “Come inside and eat. The girl won’t be leaving with her parents to Bianjing until after the New Year.”

The Old Scholar nodded, feeling slightly comforted.

To allow Xiang Xinyao to spend more time with her family, the Ji family made sure everyone sat together, placing the Xiang family and Mo Jinnan at one table.

Xiang Xinyao picked up her chopsticks, serving her parents some food. “Father, Mother, try this. I made it myself. Tell me how it tastes!”

The Xiang Taifu and his wife picked up their chopsticks, their noses slightly tingling as their eyes began to mist over.

They tasted the food Xiang Xinyao had served them, unable to contain their praise. “Delicious! Really delicious!”

There was no exaggeration—this was the most unique flavor the couple had ever tasted. It was incredibly fresh.

The dishes Xiang Xinyao made included matsutake mushrooms, a flavor the Xiang family had never experienced before.

But Mo Jinnan had.

After half a year, he was finally able to taste the flavors he loved again. His chopsticks moved faster, the joy unmistakable.