TNIBFT -Chapter 297 Eldest Son’s Admiration

Xiao Wang finished speaking in one breath, panting heavily from exhaustion. He clutched his stomach with both hands, his face showing discomfort.

“Not fighting anymore?”

Sun Wuji frowned. Casually tossing the two large bundles aside, he lay back down on Ye Tian’s rocking chair.

Ye Shuangxue grabbed Xiao Jiang with one hand, her face full of excitement. “Let’s go!”

“Let’s go take a look!”

“Okay!” Xiao Jiang turned his head, saw that his older brother had no objections, and readily agreed. The three siblings followed Xiao Wang out of the hotpot restaurant—just in time to see Ye Tian riding in with a large group through the city gate.

The crowd followed closely behind. Ye Tian’s expression was imposing, and the common people lining both sides of the street knelt on the ground, shouting “Long live!”

Golden sunlight shone on Ye Tian’s face, adding a touch of mystery to his presence. Ye Shuangxue stood still, waving at him from afar.

“Dad!”

“Dad!”

As if hearing his daughter’s voice, Ye Tian pressed his legs against the horse’s sides, urging it to run faster.

Seeing this, Lin Xianzhong followed closely behind him.

“Dad, did you win the battle?” Xiao Jiang asked innocently. Beside him, Ye Shuangxue frowned and said, “When I grow up, I’ll help you fight too!”

Ye Tian leapt off his horse, casually handing the reins to a nearby soldier. Smiling, he rubbed the little heads of the two children.

At this moment, Ye Tian was admired by thousands.

Bathed in sunlight, he seemed to glow with a golden aura. Little Ye Yunting raised his head, staring blankly at his father. This is my father… He had led the people of Sifang City in resisting the invasion of the Great Zhou army—something ordinary people could never accomplish. Not only did he have courage and integrity, but also strategy and wisdom.

Ye Yunting’s eyes were filled with admiration.

“Eldest?”

Seeing his eldest son standing there in a daze behind them, not catching up, Ye Tian stopped and turned back, looking at him kindly.

Could it be that the child is jealous because I’m holding his younger siblings but not him?

Ye Yunting’s face flushed red as he lowered his head in embarrassment.

Ye Tian stepped forward, crouched down, and gathered all three children into his arms. Smiling, he said, “You’re all Daddy’s precious treasures.”

“And you—Daddy’s little ‘leaky cotton jacket.’”

Ye Shuangxue pulled a long face. “I’m not some ‘cotton jacket’! I’m the number one heroine under heaven!”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Ye Tian nodded perfunctorily.

Xiao Jiang grinned from ear to ear, showing his small, rice-like teeth.

Blushing, Ye Yunting said, “Dad, you’ve worked hard!”

“The people are very grateful to you. You’re a great hero.”

His eldest son’s words made Ye Tian feel a bit embarrassed. Though he had a thick skin, being praised so earnestly by his own child made him slightly self-conscious.

“You’re still young. I’m fighting to build a future for you,” Ye Tian said, changing the subject. “Yunting, study governance well with your teacher. I’ll leave everything to you in the future!”

Ye Yunting nodded seriously.

Following behind Ye Tian, Lin Xianzhong’s trusted aide whispered, “So these are Ye Tian’s three children. I’ve heard each of them is extraordinarily talented—a group of prodigies. Who knows what good deeds Ye Tian’s ancestors must have done.”

His tone carried a hint of jealousy.

Lin Xianzhong nodded. His only condition for the ceasefire was to meet Feng Jiaojiao once—and he hadn’t expected Ye Tian to agree so readily.

Meanwhile—

Inside the hotpot restaurant.

Duan Yingying grabbed Feng Jiaojiao’s arm, trying to pull her outside. “Shopkeeper Feng, come take a look!”

“This Lin Xianzhong is even willing to give up attacking the city for you—doesn’t that prove he cares about you? How many men in this world could do that? And now he’s the lord of a city, with a noble status—what kind of woman couldn’t he find?”

“It just shows that you’re still in his heart. Your fate together isn’t over yet!”

A spark of gossip lit up in Duan Yingying’s eyes.

The story between Shopkeeper Feng and Lin Xianzhong was like a tale of a gifted scholar and a beautiful lady from storybooks—captivating and endlessly talked about.

Feng Jiaojiao’s cheeks flushed red as she hesitated.

Deep down, she still had feelings for Lin Erniu, but after more than ten years apart, she suddenly felt afraid.

Just as Duan Yingying had said, Lin Erniu was no longer the same Lin Erniu—he was now a city lord of the Great Zhou.

What right did she have?

Aged and no longer in her prime, just a simple village woman… Feng Jiaojiao clutched the apron at the front of her clothes tightly, her heart filled with anxiety.

Chaotic footsteps sounded from outside. Suppressing her emotions, Feng Jiaojiao said,
“The boss is back. Let’s talk about this later.”

She hurried forward to greet him.

But the moment she reached the doorway, she saw a middle-aged man with a full beard, clad in golden armor, exuding a fierce and imposing aura as he walked into the shop.

As if drawn by fate, their eyes met instantly.

Thump! Thump!

Her heart pounded violently. Her steps faltered, and she reached out with a trembling hand to steady herself against the doorframe. Tears welled up in her eyes as she was too overwhelmed to speak.

Ye Tian glanced over and quietly instructed those around him, “Everyone, get back to your work.”

“Disperse.”

Everyone already understood what was happening. In moments, only Feng Jiaojiao and Lin Xianzhong remained at the entrance.

Twelve years.

The childhood sweethearts, once husband and wife, were finally meeting again.

After a lifetime on the battlefield, Lin Xianzhong had only wanted to earn honor and status so Feng Jiaojiao could live a better life. Yet fate had played its cruel tricks, keeping them apart for more than a decade.

No matter how formidable a warlord he had become, at the sight of Feng Jiaojiao—her temples now streaked with gray—tears streamed down his face.

“Jiaojiao?”

With that single call, it was as if they had returned to their teenage years.

Back then, by the small river, he had called her the same way—

“Jiaojiao, my family may be poor, but I promise I’ll cherish you all my life and never let you suffer.”

“Jiaojiao, have your parents agreed to our marriage?”

“Jiaojiao, you’re so beautiful. From now on, you’ll be my wife.”

“Jiaojiao, wait for me. I will come back for you…”

The flood of memories surged through her mind. Tears streamed down Feng Jiaojiao’s face as she looked at the man before her. The boy she once knew… had grown old.

Choked with emotion, she could only nod repeatedly.

Lin Xianzhong said, “I sent people to Lin Family Village to look for you. My cousin said you had run away with a peddler. Others said you were dead… or trafficked. I didn’t believe any of it. All these years, I’ve been searching everywhere for you. I never expected… you were here in Sifang City!”

Feng Jiaojiao nodded. “Back then, when news of your death arrived, our parents couldn’t bear the shock. Within a year, they both passed away. Your clansmen tried to seize the family property… and even attempted to violate me. With no one to stand up for me, nowhere to seek help, I came alone to Sifang City to find you.”

“And that search lasted over ten years…”

She spoke lightly, brushing over the past, but Lin Xianzhong knew the bitterness and hardship hidden beneath her words. Gentle and kind by nature, never one to argue—how had she endured all these years as a lone widow?

Seeing the wrinkles on her face and the gray in her hair, Lin Xianzhong hated himself.

“It’s all my fault!”

“My fault for not returning home sooner… for ruining your entire life! It’s all my fault—I delayed your whole life!”

Filled with guilt, he continued, “And now, I’ve even caused you to become a hostage. I’ve wronged you!”

“A hostage?”

Feng Jiaojiao was stunned and turned to look inside the shop.

Inside the hall, everyone was craning their necks, watching the scene with great curiosity. When Feng Jiaojiao glanced over, they immediately pretended to busy themselves.

Wiping her tears, she said, “I’m not a hostage. Ye Tian is my boss… and my benefactor!”