ATNCF: Chapter 134 Parenting (Part Six)

 In the blink of an eye, it was already the first month of the lunar calendar, and this great battle was nearing its end.

The last remnants of resistance from the Turkic royal court were about to be defeated by the soldiers of Dayan. As the emperor, Pei Ji personally went to the front lines on the first day of the new year to reward the soldiers of Hedong. He then stayed in the army to oversee the battle. By the end of the first month, with the great victory of the Hedong Army and Zhang Jian personally beheading Ashina Duobi, he rewarded the soldiers on the spot. The celebrations lasted for three days and three nights before he hurried back to Taiyuan.

With a month's back and forth, he had originally wanted to bring Li Zhi with him, but considering her pregnancy, the conditions in the army were not comparable to those at home. After several considerations and discussions, they had to give up.

Fortunately, with his return this time, this matter could finally be considered resolved. After they paid their respects to Pei Yan, they could set off back to Luoyang.

Thankfully, in this month's time, under Li Zhi's repeated guidance, little Yuan Lang had already begun to mimic some simple sounds following the adults' voices and could stutter out a few single words.

When Pei Ji returned, he happened to see Li Zhi holding the child with a happy expression on her face.

"What's making you so happy?" He took off his dusty coat, wiped his hands and face with water, then strode over to her side.

Li Zhi didn't say anything but directly turned the child in her arms to face him.

Father and son locked eyes, and little Yuan Lang subconsciously pursed his lips, making "hoo, hoo" sounds.

"He's talking?" Pei Ji was stunned, then took the child with a look of surprise, bent down to kiss him vigorously, and wrapped his other arm around Li Zhi. "What's he saying? Is it what you taught him?"

Li Zhi nodded, shaking her son's small hand, her face full of affection. "He's calling you. Just now he said 'father,' though he hasn't grown all his teeth yet, so it's not clear. But the word 'mother' he says quite well."

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, little Yuan Lang caught on to the familiar words and immediately cheerfully shouted, "mo, mo, mo, ther."

Seeing his fair-skinned son speaking, Pei Ji's heart melted completely. Unable to resist, he hugged him and took a few more laps around the room, then played with him with several small toys until the child grew tired and was handed back to the nurse.

With only the two of them left in the room, he finally relaxed completely, habitually leaned close to his wife, and reached out to gently stroke her cheek. "I've been away for a month. Have you missed me?"

Li Zhi didn't feel shy at all. She directly circled her arms around his neck and kissed him on the face. "Of course, it's natural. With one less person by my side, I felt a bit uncomfortable."

Pei Ji loved her direct way of speaking like this. He immediately embraced her affectionately. "I feel the same. During the day, it's fine, but at night, I always wonder if you've slept well."

One of his hands moved down to rest on her belly. "And this one? Has it caused you any discomfort?"

Li Zhi also lowered her gaze, shaking her head. "No, probably because it's the second child. This one has been very well-behaved, no vomiting or fever. The imperial physician also said that the fetus is stable for now, everything is fine."

"Then I can rest assured." Pei Ji withdrew his lowered gaze but couldn't help scanning her soft figure in front of him, immediately feeling a dry mouth.

Separated for a whole month, he was like dry tinder, igniting at the slightest touch.

Li Zhi understood him thoroughly long ago. When she looked up and met his dim eyes, she wasn't surprised at all. Instead, a blush quietly rose on her cheeks, making him even more excited.

"It's been almost four months..." He sighed deeply with meaning, his hands already skillfully supporting her waist and moving up and down.

Li Zhi didn't resist. She lifted herself up and let him loosen her belt, stepping back two steps to sit on the long table, tilting her head to kiss his throat softly, whispering, "Be careful, don't hurt the child."

"Alright." Pei Ji was somewhat overwhelmed. With one hand supporting the edge of the long table tightly, he held her shoulder with the other, shifting back and forth. On one hand, he tangled with her in a kiss, while on the other, he silently swore in his heart that he must control himself in the future and never let her unexpectedly become pregnant again.

...

The next two days were rare leisure time for the two of them, spent in each other's arms, just their own days.

The ancestral sacrifices were scheduled for the fifth day of the second month, and the two of them did not want to trouble others and did not make it public, only letting the people in the ancestral home privately arrange everything.

Out of respect, both of them bathed and burned incense, dressed neatly, with solemn expressions, and accurately walked into the ancestral shrine with Yuan Lang in their arms.

There were rules for the sacrifices.

Following the rules meticulously, the two of them completed the rituals, then asked others to step back, leaving only themselves holding Yuan Lang.

Pei Ji knelt straight on the cushion, his eyes solemn, looking at the words "Pei Yan" in front of him, not speaking for a long time.

Li Zhi quietly stood by, not interrupting him. When he was away, he was always reticent, only showing a different side in front of her when there were no others around. Now, although everyone had withdrawn, facing his deceased father, the words that had lingered in his heart for a whole year or two were not so easily spoken.

In the silence, Pei Ji remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking, calling out "father."

But with just this one word, his eyes suddenly reddened, and the emotions that had accumulated in his chest for a long time were triggered, searching for an outlet.

Li Zhi glanced at him, silently grasping one of his hands.

His gaze remained steady, but the hand she held suddenly tightened, enveloping her palm firmly. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and slowly smiled, "Father, your son is now married, and soon to have a second child."

As he spoke, he patted the hand of Yuan Lang, immediately capturing the child's attention.

Li Zhi leaned closer, coaxing their son gently, "Xiao Lang, let's say 'grandfather,' ‘zhu.'"

Yuan Lang blinked, staring at his mother's face, subconsciously pursing his lips and blurting out a vague "zhu," followed by a "hu," managing to call out "grandfather."

Encouraged, Pei Ji smiled at his son, then looked up and continued, "Father, this is your eldest grandson Yuan Lang. He can now say 'grandfather.' This child is healthy and obedient, unlike me when I was young, troubled by many illnesses, causing my parents a lot of trouble."

He turned to look at Li Zhi. "This is all thanks to Li Zhi, your daughter-in-law. She has endured much suffering and is now carrying our second child."

The two smiled at each other by the grave.

After chattering about the changes in the family over the past two years, Pei Ji handed their son to Li Zhi to hold and took out a heavy golden wolf head from his bag, placing it solemnly in front of the grave.

The wolf head looked fierce, stained with blood, but its golden brilliance was unmistakable. The wolf was a symbol of the Turkic people, and this was obviously brought back from the battlefield.

Pei Ji bowed solemnly three times. "Father, this is the golden wolf head cut from the Turkic royal flag. After a year of preparation and months of fighting, the soldiers of our Dayan have finally defeated them completely, driving them into the northern desert. The great threat to our Han people that has troubled us for hundreds of years has finally been eradicated! Your son knows that your lifelong wish is to protect the stability of the northern people, and now, your son has fulfilled it..."

At this point, he couldn't contain his excitement any longer, closing his eyes silently, unable to rise for a long time.

For generations, the Pei family had guarded Hedong. When the conditions were difficult in the early days of the dynasty, their duty was to resist the Turks. Later, as the dynasty's power grew, although there were brief periods of stability, the lack of imperial decisiveness meant the threat was never completely eliminated.

Now, this wish had finally been fulfilled, and Pei Ji was naturally overwhelmed with excitement.

Li Zhi freed one hand to pat his back lightly, while Yuan Lang also cleverly remained silent.

After a while, when his emotions had been completely released, Li Zhi smiled and took out the clothes Empress Dowager Li had personally made. "Don't forget this. It's a token of Mother's affection."

"Yes, this is the most important. Mother's instructions must not be forgotten." He took it and placed it in front of the grave. "Mother has now learned to make clothes. These are all made by her hands. Father will surely be very pleased to see them."

The atmosphere gradually returned to warmth and harmony. The two, with their child, talked about the situations of the two empress dowagers over the past two years, as well as the recent situations of several uncles and cousins. An hour later, they left together.

Yuan Lang was already sleepy and was carried away by the nurse to sleep, but the couple did not rush back. Instead, they sat on the veranda in the courtyard, shoulder to shoulder, watching the setting sun gradually sink.

The sky was dyed with a brilliant glow, reflecting their figures, casting long shadows on the ground, inseparable from each other.

"Sanlang, why do I feel like we're already old people who have passed their prime?" Li Zhi, basking in the warmth of the spring sun, leaned her head on Pei Ji's chest and squinted, speaking softly.

Clearly, they were a young couple in their twenties, but at this moment, bathed in the sunset, that familiar and warm feeling made it seem as if they had been an elderly couple for decades.

"It's probably fate. According to Buddhist teachings, we were born destined to be husband and wife."

Pei Ji hugged her tightly, smiling gently at her silly words.

"I believe that." Li Zhi lifted her head, cupping his face. "Sanlang, without you, I think I would never have had the chance to know the taste of happiness in my life. Meeting you, everything gradually became better for me."

"Mmm." Pei Ji leaned against her forehead, gently caressing, his eyes full of tender love. "And I as well.”

For the rest of their lives, if they continued like this, there would probably be no regrets.

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