After hearing his eager voice, Feng Tianlan nodded with a chuckle and said while blushing, “Okay, I’ll be waiting for you to visit with a marriage proposal.”
The corners of Si Mobai’s lips lifted to reveal a slight smile, as he lowered to kiss her cheek. He rode his horse into the city and dropped her off at the Feng Manor. He left after.
When Feng Qingling heard that Feng Tianlan was back, he dropped what he was doing and hurried back from Qingyan Academy. As he entered, he saw a beautiful woman sitting in the main hall, and recognized her at once. This was the first time he saw Feng Tianlan after more than a year.
He quickened his pace towards her. However, he stopped in his tracks as he was about to arrive. He stepped forward slowly and looked at her for a long time. He choked a little, and called out, “Tianlan”.
“Uncle, I’m back,” Feng Tianlan said with a smile.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Feng Qingling nodded in acknowledgment without speaking.
After awhile, he choked up and said, “You’ve grown taller, thinner and look beautiful. Have you suffered a lot outside?”
She was only sixteen years old when she left and now she was seventeen. She was only as tall as his shoulders when she left, and now she had grown to reach his nose. How time flew by.
Over the past year, Feng Qingling had heard much about Tianlan. She must have shed much blood, tears and sweat in the outside world for her glamour. She must be tired.
“No, Uncle. I just miss you and was homesick”. The Feng family was her home, and Feng Qingling was her only blood relative.
After hearing her words, Feng Qingling, who had been holding his tears back, could not help but tear up. He wiped his tears subtly and said, “The wind is so strong today and some sand entered my eyes”.
Looking at the sunny weather outside, Feng Tianlan nodded lightly and replied, “Well, the wind’s really strong.”
Feng Qingling sat down and asked about her experience over the past year. He wanted to know if she had suffered. He wanted to know all the details.
Feng Tianlan did not feel that he was nagging — she felt that it was very heart-warming. This was the feeling of home. Compared with her previous life, this felt real. She thought about her previous life — if she had returned from a trip, they would ask about her trip briefly, but not in this detail.
With a comparison, there were realizations on many things. It helped her to tell if someone was genuine or had an agenda.
Feng Qingling talked for a while, only to realize that he had spoken too much. He said hurriedly, “If you’re not tired, go take a bath first. You can eat after you wake up, I’ll cook for you personally.”
“No, actually the reason why I’m back is to say goodbye, Uncle. I’m going to Xuantian Continent soon,” Feng Tianlan said.
“The Guiyuan Continent is too small for you. You belong in a bigger place. It’s good for you to go there,” he replied. Although reluctant, Feng Qingling was not going to hinder her.
“I don’t know how long I’ll take this time. It might be a long time before seeing you again.” The trip was going to take three to five years or even more.
Feng Qing was taken aback for a moment but he eased into a smile. He told her “Don’t worry, there’ll always be Feng’s Mansion and Qingyan College. No matter how long you take, I’ll wait for you to come home.”
Xuantian Continent was a good choice, as it was a place where the sky soared.
Feng Tianlan’s heart warmed upon hearing her Uncle’s promise that he would be waiting for her to go home. No matter where she was, this would always be her home and family.
“Uncle, there’s another reason why I’m back this time — for my marriage.”
Upon hearing that, Feng Qingling was stunned and patted the back of his head in regret. “Look at me, I forgot about it. If your mother had known, she wouldn’t let me off.”