Yi Luowa’s heart was in her throat as she put down her phone and lay back dejectedly. It was the first ti she had ever heard the sound of real cannon fire. Although she only heard it through her phone, coming from Tong Airui’s end, it felt more terrifying than having it explode right next to her.
Unable to sleep, Yi Luowa kept checking her phone periodically, afraid to miss a call from Tong Airui.
"Serves you right! Karma’s catching up with you, for all the show-offs you’ve pulled!" Yi Luowa snatched the clothes, her cheeks puffing as she asked, "So, what’s your ga plan now?"
"What’s he up to now?" Tong Yao frowned slightly. "I shouldn’t have had so many of you back then!"
"Who knows? The problem now is Connie has nothing to wear. Where can we buy clothes this early in the morning?" Ai Ni looked at her mom’s figure, then at Yi Luowa’s. "Mom’s clothes definitely won’t fit; they’re one size off. My sister’s would be too big."
"Everyone is skilled in their own field. Your chess skills and driving prowess—they’re leagues beyond us." Tong Yao smiled gently. Despite her young age, Yi Luowa was more mature than her peers. Her son had chosen well!
"Mom—" Ai Ni ca clattering down the stairs. "You should go check on my fifth brother."
Connie, teary-eyed, looked over and quickly spoke as Tong Yao raised her hand again. "Auntie, please don’t hit him anymore; I share so of the bla, too."
Yi Luowa rubbed her temples in frustration. "You kissed her in front of all those people, and now you don’t want her to leave. What exactly do you have in mind?"
"She’s tough to please! She’s so stubborn now; she wasn’t like this before," Tong Aino grumbled, pulling the clothes out from under his shirt.
"That cannon fire was the Second Prince attacking the palace. Airui’s barracks are close to the palace, so it probably sounded nearby. You don’t need to worry about Rui’er; last night he launched a full-scale offensive. The study has the battle report he just sent over. Do you want to take a look?" Long Che lowered his gaze to her.
.
Tong Aino grumbled, "I’ll have soone else go get them then."
Tong Yao’s smile grew warr. "Afraid now? Did it not occur to you when you were tearing up Connie’s clothes that I would co to seek justice on her behalf?"
Yi Luowa burst out laughing. "If he doesn’t call you ’Mom,’ what would he call you instead?"
Tong Yao smiled dotingly and patted her cheek. "You’re my little joy!"
Tong Yao laughed and shook her head. "That was ages ago. If I were to compete in a race now, I doubt I’d even place."
"Alright, Dad. You focus on your work; I won’t disturb you." Yi Luowa bead and whispered to Tong Yao while holding her arm, "Mom, about that video of my dad being beheaded... What’s the story there?"
"It’s fine, your mother already knows." Long Che chuckled and turned to Tong Yao. "Your daughter-in-law didn’t want you worrying about Rui’er and tried to keep quiet."
Tong Yao saw her and smiled warmly, "Up so early, are we?"
When the two entered the room, Tong Aino was lounging on the sofa like there wasn’t a problem in the world, while Connie sat on the bed wrapped in a blanket.
Tong Aino stiffened at his mother’s smile and quickly stood. "Mom, don’t smile like that—it scares ."
"Why would I team up with you? You can’t even be straight with ."
Connie sniffled. "I told him I was going back to Raman today, but Tong Aino insisted I stay. We started tugging at my clothes, and then he got mad and sat on the floor shredding my clothes one by one. He said if I didn’t have anything to wear, I wouldn’t be able to leave... It was so late, I didn’t want to wake everyone, so I didn’t yell for help."
Yi Luowa quickly soothed her. "Don’t be angry, Mom, don’t be upset! I’ll always listen to you."
"If she dares leave without my say-so, I’ll break her legs. That’s my ga plan!" Tong Aino flicked his ssy hair arrogantly. "Fine, I’ll go pick up the clothes. But what if she sneaks off while I’m gone? That’ll be your fault!"
"You still feel sorry for him at a ti like this? What, do you want him to bully you for the rest of your life?" Tong Yao turned and embraced Connie protectively. "Connie, tell —why did he tear up your clothes? If he’s acting out this much, why didn’t you call for help? If he lost control and ended up hurting you, how would I answer to your parents?"
Yi Luowa hesitated for a mont before shaking her head. "I wouldn’t understand it anyway, and besides, battle reports are classified, aren’t they? If I read them, Dad, you’d be in trouble. Knowing he’s okay is enough for ."
"Ga plan?" Tong Aino looked confused.
"Your driving skills must be better than mine; otherwise, my second and third uncles couldn’t lose to you."
As she spoke, Tong Yao raised her hand and slapped Tong Aino’s bare arm. Five clear finger marks imdiately appeared on his skin.
It wasn’t until dawn that she took a quick nap. By early morning, without needing anyone to wake her, she got up, washed, and hurried downstairs.
"Fault, my foot!" Yi Luowa glared at him. The mont this guy stopped acting high and mighty, he’d fall apart!
Yi Luowa glared at him. "Tong Aino, try wrecking those again, I dare you!"
"He’s in the study. Do you need him for sothing?"
Yi Luowa stuck out her little finger, gesturing secretly toward Tong Yao.
"Nuo’er~" Tong Yao smiled sweetly and walked step by step toward her son.
Tong Yao tapped her lightly. "Out with it—what has your fifth brother done this ti?"
"He’d have to call big sis; I’m youthful enough to pass for a sister!" Ai Ni teased before darting upstairs, fearing her mother’s wrath.
Tong Aino fled into the adjacent room, but she followed, grabbing his ear on tiptoe. "Can’t you use your brain once in a while? These days, sweet-talking is key, but all you do is make people angry! Go to the hospital—there are a few new outfits in my wardrobe, tags still on. Bring those back and claim you bought them for Connie. After that, pour your heart out sweetly to her. Once Connie’s not mad anymore, she’ll naturally decide to stay."
Without waiting for her reply, he dashed downstairs like the wind.
"Does that carry the sa gesture as going personally to ’buy’ them?" Yi Luowa snorted in annoyance. "Whatever, do as you please! Good luck finding a wife in this lifeti!"
"He tore up all of Connie’s clothes into ribbons." Ai Ni said crossly, "Last night, my sister-in-law and I listened for a while, but their room was silent, so I went to bed. Who knew he would do this in her room!"
Long Che smiled in satisfaction. "In that respect, you’re as sensible as your mother-in-law! Rui’er is fine, so you can set your worries aside. Go play with your mother-in-law. I need to work on so docunts, and there’s a military parade at the square in a little while."
Yi Luowa pouted. "After my call with your brother yesterday, I went to knock on the door. Aino said they’d gone to bed. I thought they’d reconciled... Wait, sothing seems off. If Connie’s clothes got shredded, why didn’t she call us?"
"I’m about the sa size; she can use mine. I brought a set of clothes yesterday and haven’t had a chance to change. She can wear that for now." Yi Luowa said, heading upstairs.
Hearing movent, Long Che pushed open the study door and waved Yi Luowa over.
Yi Luowa ran up to him. "Morning, Dad."
He paused briefly, then balled the clothes up and stuffed them under his T-shirt.
"Who has kids is not up to you!" Ai Ni pouted, teasing her.
"Fine, then answer . What do you really intend for Connie—do you want her as a wife, or are you just throwing a tantrum to spite her?"
Yi Luowa felt half amused and half exasperated. This brat—could he be any more childish?
"Mm-hmm." Yi Luowa nodded. "Mom, I heard from my second uncle that you’re a sharpshooter. I looked it up afterward, and it turns out you’re the kind of person who can identify soone in a crowd just by their footprint. Mom, you’re amazing!"
"Been worried all night, haven’t you?" Long Che looked at her fondly.
"You don’t know how to sweet-talk, huh? Dodging a slap from —do you think you’re invincible?" Yi Luowa chased after him, landing a few light smacks before giving him a fierce look.
Ai Ni ca in carrying the set of clothes Yi Luowa had ntioned. "Connie, wear your fourth sister-in-law’s clothes for now. If you want to go ho, no one can stop you. Mom will back you up."
Tong Yao laughed as she walked over. "This child overthinks everything. But don’t worry—Mom’s seen plenty of storms and rough seas. Back in the day, I even watched a video of your dad being beheaded with my own eyes."
"Morning, Mom! Where’s Dad?"
Tong Aino hesitated. "That’s a hard question to answer. Let grab those clothes and then we’ll talk. Watch over her for , alright?"
"No backing her up! She’s not allowed to leave!" Tong Aino snatched the clothes from his sister’s hands, shook them out, and readied to tear them up again.
Tong Yao snorted in mock exasperation. "None of you listen to !"
"The one killed was your dad’s double. I recognized it right away," Tong Yao said with a laugh, patting her hand. "When you encounter such situations in the future, don’t worry too much. Your father and Rui’er understand the weight of their responsibilities—they’ll take care of themselves."
"How am I not straight with you?" Tong Aino scratched his head in confusion.
Tong Yao’s eyes twitched at the sight of colorful fabric strips scattered across the floor.
Yi Luowa shook her head with a smile. It was bad enough that she was worried; she didn’t want her mother to worry alongside her.
Tong Yao caught hold of her. "Co upstairs with ; I need to see what’s going on with Tong Aino. If he keeps this up, he’s asking for it! You two, watch closely—if he doesn’t behave, the three of us will gang up on him! This ti, he’ll learn to call ’Mom’ properly!"
Tong Aino saw her turn to leave and quickly blocked her way. "Sis-in-law, we’re close, aren’t we? Help keep an eye on Connie—don’t let her leave before I’m back, okay?"
)
Tong Yao raised her hand to hit him again, but Tong Aino quickly sidestepped. "I’ve already apologized to her, and she still wants to leave!"
"Mom, weren’t you scared out of your mind at the ti?" Yi Luowa asked pitifully, finally finding soone who could relate. "I could hardly sleep last night after hearing the cannon fire."
Yi Luowa shook her head in resignation. She unfolded the clothes in her hands, saw they weren’t wrinkled, and carried them to Connie’s room. By the ti she entered, Connie had already climbed out of bed. Spotting the absurdly mismatched dress she was now wearing, Yi Luowa burst out laughing, nearly doubling over.
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