Chapter 600: Brother (1)
When the man’s rough bellow faded from the parlour, everyone turned their attention the entrance.
Chu Lian turned in a slow, stunned manner, only to be met with the sight of a bearded middle-aged man. He was dressed in a commander’s silver armour with a sword at his waist. His figure was tall and buff, like a miniature mountain.
He Ying was equally stunned. It took a long moment before she finally called out in a tiny voice, “Brother…”
The stern expression on the matriarch faded away, replaced with unconcealed joy. She reached out to the side and Senior Servant Liu quickly supported her and helped her up.
Before she had even walked up to the middle-aged man, the old matriarch’s eyes had already turned red. She sounded on the verge of tears as she said, “My son, you’ve finally returned.”
Chu Lian finally realised that this middle-aged man who had suddenly appeared was her very own father-in-law.
She had to say that Eldest Brother resembled Count Jing’an the most…
Whether it was his figure or features, it was He Changqi who looked the most like Count Jing’an.
A rare spark of respectful admiration shone in He Changdi’s eyes when his gaze fell upon the count. The worry that Chu Lian had held for He Dalang disappeared after she saw Count Jing’an.
The novel had mentioned Count Jing’an before, and in that brief mention, Chu Lian knew that the count was a smart, level-headed person.
He had passed this trait down to He Changdi.
While Eldest Brother He Changqi was sensible when it came to external problems, he became irrationally stubborn in matters concerning the family or relationships.
Now that Count Jing’an was back, with someone pressuring He Dalang, perhaps only then would the Jing’an Estate finally recover its peace.
Chu Lian was still lost in her thoughts when her wrist was caught by He Sanlang, pulling her back to reality. She stared at her husband a little dazedly.
He Changdi put on a helpless look before bending down to whisper into her ear, “What’s wrong? Are you scared? There’s no need to be afraid. Father is very friendly and easy to get along with.”
When she heard his reassurance, she understood that He Changdi intended to bring her forward to greet the count for the first time.
The entire parlour of people stood up, some with uncertainty, some with wild joy and some with disappointment.
Count Jing’an was welcomed to the raised platform at the head of the room. One of the servants was about to help He Changqi up from his kneeling, but the count immediately put a stop to it with a shout. “Does he have the right to stand after doing such a terrible thing? Don’t move! Let him kneel!”
Once the count had spoken, no one dared to speak up for He Changqi any longer. Everyone looked at him with pity in their eyes.
After Count Jing’an set down the order, his gaze swept over the people gathered in the parlour before landing on He Changdi and his wife.
His fearsome, tan mien immediately melted into a kind, caring look. He beckoned towards He Changdi and Chu Lian and said, “This must be Sanlang’s wife! Come over here, you two.”
Chu Lian darted a quick glance at He Sanlang. Although she didn’t show it on the surface, she was actually rather nervous inside. It was her first time meeting her father-in-law, after all.
He Changdi returned a reassuring look and led her up to Count Jing’an.
After a short pause, Chu Lian greeted the count together with He Changdi. “Father.”
Count Jing’an, He Yanwen, took in the sight of his handsome son standing next to his beautiful, pleasant-looking wife. The couple seemed very loving in their interactions. His third son looked ready to defend his wife should anyone try to bully her, indicating that their relationship was going well.
The remaining bit of blame he had towards his mother for pleading the Empress Dowager for an arranged marriage dissipated.