Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool-Chapter 101 - 82: Anyone Would’ve Thought You’d Remarried
"No, no, it’s not a big deal, really.
Besides, this is for dealing with Xingzi. It’s for the public good—a great service!"
With that, Song Chi glanced at his sister’s expression.
Seeing Song Meiqin’s face soften a little, Song Chi finally let out a sigh of relief.
Hearing Song Chi’s words, Lu Yuan grinned and said,
"Well, if that’s the case, then that’s great."
That was just how some things were.
Whether something was a crime or a great service...
...really just depended on the whims of powerful people.
After that little squall, the atmosphere turned a bit somber.
Finally, Song Meiqin was the first to break, glaring at Song Chi, who was sitting across from her.
"Alright, that’s enough out of you!
Go out for a ride. You’re making everyone uncomfortable!
You’re a pain in the neck wherever you go!"
Song Chi gave a sheepish smile, not daring to say more. He stood up, looked at Lu Yuan, and added,
"That was just a gut reaction earlier. I really didn’t mean anything by it."
Lu Yuan just smiled and waved a dismissive hand.
"I understand."
Song Chi smiled, offered a cupped-fist salute, and turned to leave.
Before he left, however, he couldn’t help but glance back at his sister’s and Lu Yuan’s clasped hands.
’Heh...’
’Something feels strange about my sister’s relationship with this Lu Yuan guy...’
...
「The next afternoon.」
The group could already see the silhouette of the Provincial City.
Their first impression of the Provincial City was that it truly lived up to its name.
It was simply magnificent.
A county seat like Taiping City simply couldn’t compare.
Taiping City had a permanent population of just a few hundred thousand.
Even including the surrounding towns, the total was barely over a million.
The Provincial City, on the other hand, had a permanent population of nearly three million within its walls alone.
In modern times, this wouldn’t be a particularly large number.
A decent-sized modern city could easily have seven or eight million people.
Mega-cities would be even more staggering, with populations of twenty to thirty million.
But that was the modern era.
In ancient times, however—for the Divine Ling Empire, which had a total population of only thirty to forty million—a city of three million in the war-torn Northern region was a metropolis of the highest order.
As they were about to enter the city,
Song Chi suddenly came into the carriage and looked at Song Meiqin.
"Sis, I can’t go back with you. I just got new orders. The bandits are acting up again near Liangshan.
I have to lead my men to Liangshan."
Hearing this, Song Meiqin’s body tensed. She frowned slightly.
"Will you be able to come back for the New Year, then?"
Song Chi shook his head with a helpless look.
"I’m afraid I can’t spend the New Year with you this year, Sis. This has to be dealt with quickly.
Next year, a high-ranking official from the Imperial City is coming to inspect our region.
If this isn’t handled properly and he reports back, I’m afraid none of my future New Years will be happy ones."
Song Meiqin understood the gravity of the situation and nodded.
"Alright, you go on. I’ll just spend the holiday by myself this year."
Seeing his sister’s expression, Song Chi felt a pang in his heart. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
After a moment of silence, Song Chi suddenly looked up.
"Sis, just endure for two more years.
Once my superior retires and I become the General, you won’t have to put up with the Liu Family’s abuse anymore!"
Song Meiqin offered a gentle smile and said softly,
"Don’t you worry about me. I’ll be fine. Go on, now. Don’t let your official duties wait."
Song Chi said no more and left the carriage.
The news that Song Chi couldn’t spend the New Year with her left Song Meiqin in low spirits.
The others could only offer words of comfort.
Coupled with the exhaustion from a full day and night of travel, everyone was weary.
So no one suggested going sightseeing or grabbing a bite to eat upon entering the city.
They would first go to Song Meiqin’s home to get a good night’s rest. Everything else could wait until morning.
At about three in the afternoon, the group arrived at the Liu Family residence.
The Inspectorate Mansion, home to the province’s second-highest-ranking Civil Servant, was naturally an imposing sight.
It was far more impressive than the Zhao Family’s estate.
However, while it looked grand from the outside, the interior was a far cry from the Zhao Family’s home.
’After all, what official would dare to furnish their home too lavishly these days?’
As mentioned before, they didn’t even dare to burn Spirit Stones this winter and had switched from Gilded Bowls to Plain Bowls.
The group entered through a side gate, heading directly to the courtyard where Song Meiqin resided.
Song Meiqin bustled about, excitedly directing people to move luggage and assigning rooms to Lu Yuan and his party.
She also sent people to prepare dinner.
As the lady of this courtyard, Song Meiqin was naturally eager to be a good hostess.
But just as everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion, a grating voice cut through the air.
"So, you finally decided to come back?
Anyone who didn’t know better would think you’d already remarried!"
A sharp-featured, sour-looking woman of about fifty walked in, supported by two Maids.
