"Senior, please rise!" Li Chonglou stepped forward and helped Shen Yishou, whose eyes were red-rimmed, to his feet.
In terms of worldly knowledge and martial arts understanding, Shen Yishou was indeed a senior.
If it weren't for him, Li Chonglou might have been killed by Tian Shan on the spot during their first encounter, meeting the same fate as Xu Lie in the netherworld.
If it weren't for him, how could Li Chonglou have dared to go to Yong'an, set a trap, and kill Tian Shan to avenge Xu Lie.
This was a debt of immense gratitude.
Even though Li Chonglou had killed Tian Shan and avenged him, the two deeds were not equal.
From being his adversary at the start, to him helping Li Chonglou defeat Li Hanlong and turn the tide of battle, and now receiving the grace of his master and disciple and achieving his great revenge.
Li Chonglou had long regarded Shen Yishou as a friend.
For a friend, he would go through fire and water, loyal unto death.
After helping Shen Yishou to his feet, Li Chonglou declared in a firm voice, "You are a senior in the martial world, and I am now half a foot into it. From this day forward, we shall support each other. If Senior needs anything, Chonglou will not hesitate!"
"Don't leave, stay with us and have a good New Year at home."
"Good, good!" Shen Yishou was deeply moved, his face filled with emotion.
For many years, this was the first time he felt a sense of warmth in his heart.
After his eldest disciple, the husband of his other disciple Xu Qing, died at the hands of Tian Shan while helping him, Shen Yishou's heart had turned to ice, and he had no family left.
Xu Qing harbored resentment towards him, so celebrating the New Year at her place would naturally be inappropriate.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to wandering the world alone.
People said raising children was for old age support; he had no children of his own, so he treated his disciples as his sons and daughters.
But his son was dead, and his daughter had fallen out with him. One could imagine how tragic his situation was.
Now, having gained another family member, how could he not be touched?
"The food is here!" Just as everyone fell silent, his father-in-law Jiang Hongyi carried a pot of lamb soup to the table and called out, "Don't just stand there, come and eat."
The aroma wafted over, making Li Chonglou's appetite stir.
Although he had finished eating at the Han Palace just two hours prior, it was difficult to truly indulge at such a formal banquet.
It was more about the atmosphere. Now that he was home, he could finally eat his fill.
The lamb soup arrived at the perfect moment. In the midst of this harsh winter, it not only warmed the heart but also the stomach.
Looking at the harmonious family, Li Chonglou casually put his arm around Jiang Yuxin's shoulder, his heart filled with boundless emotion.
Once upon a time, he had dreamed of witnessing such a scene.
Now, after numerous hardships, it had finally come true.
Yet, he always felt something was missing.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Yuxin seemed to sense his inner unease, tilting her head and asking softly.
"It's nothing, let's just have a good New Year," Li Chonglou's fleeting melancholy vanished as he regained his composure.
Jiang Yuxin didn't ask further. She took his hand and led him to the table, serving soup for everyone.
She actually knew very well that Li Chonglou had something on his mind.
But since he didn't want to talk about it, she wouldn't press him.
This was the greatest return she could give to Li Chonglou. A woman either supported her man's career or took care of his emotional well-being.
If she couldn't do either, then she had to stabilize the home front.
Family was definitely about mutual effort and care, maintained with utmost caution.
She had staunchly opposed this concept before, but now she understood that it was because she hadn't met someone who made her willing to be a supportive wife.
The current Li Chonglou had earned that qualification.
"Come, come, Chonglou, have this lamb shank," even Liu Zhiru was extremely enthusiastic.
It was as if she had completely forgotten that this son-in-law, whom she had found displeasing in every way, was once so harsh.
People tend to be forgetful of things that are inconvenient for them.
Of course, Li Chonglou didn't mind. Loving the person meant loving everything associated with them. Not only had Liu Zhiru changed, but for Jiang Yuxin's sake alone, he couldn't hold a grudge.
Zheng Xiumei watched all of this with a look of deep contentment in her eyes.
She wasn't foolish. From her hospitalization until now, she had witnessed her son's efforts bit by bit.
He just hadn't spoken about it.
Now, this was perhaps the best outcome.
After the meal, Li Chonglou took his mother for a stroll in the garden after dropping off Lü Yunxu at her home.
He finally got to the point, "Mom, after the New Year, I'll be going to Shangjing for a while."
"Go ahead, if you're going to do something big, Mom certainly won't stop you," Zheng Xiumei responded with great openness, chuckling. She didn't seem as worried or concerned as before.
A mother knows her son best. Her former nagging and worries were only because her son hadn't yet stood on his own two feet.
Now that he had grown into a man of integrity, what was there to worry about?
Moreover, he was undoubtedly going to Shangjing because of something on his mind.
Perhaps going there would resolve his regrets.
His mother's reply instead left Li Chonglou's unspoken words lodged in his chest, with no outlet.
He had been contemplating how to avoid revealing his purpose, concerning anything about his father, how to avoid upsetting his mother, and how to find a legitimate excuse to go to Shangjing.
He never expected that none of it would be necessary.
He couldn't help but smile wryly. He had overlooked one thing: his mother wasn't just a simple farmer's wife; all his strength and resilience came from her.
This was the greatness of maternal love.
Seeing Wu Hao's company still brightly lit so late in the evening from afar, Li Chonglou did not go in. After their walk, he took his mother back home.
Wu Hao's company was currently at a critical juncture, working overtime. There was no rush to disturb him.
However, after being apart from his wife for so long, now that everything had settled down, it was time to comfort her properly.
Indulging in romance over friendship for once was not out of the question.
The moment they entered the room, Jiang Yuxin's fair and perfect face immediately blushed like an overripe peach, all the way to her ears.
Her usual cool and aloof demeanor, like an iceberg, completely vanished.
With her head bowed, she dared not look at Li Chonglou, her shy expression incredibly alluring.
"Who would have thought that one of Qin Prefecture's Three Beauties, the great beauty Miss Jiang, would be so shy at home in front of her husband?" Li Chonglou felt mischievous and deliberately teased her, lifting his chin.
Seeing his flippancy, Jiang Yuxin's blush deepened, and she shot him a glance, "What Three Beauties of Qin Prefecture? That's just people talking nonsense."
"Yunxu and Fu Yaya are one thing, but what am I?"
Fu Yaya was the last of the Three Beauties, but she had always been in Shangjing, working hard, not in Qin Prefecture.
Therefore, in reality, there were only Jiang Yuxin and Lü Yunxu left in Qin Prefecture.
One was his wife, the other a friend.
Speaking of which, many people would be envious.
But Li Chonglou didn't care about any of that. He said with deep affection, "Whether it's Three Beauties or Two Beauties doesn't matter. What matters is that you, Jiang Yuxin, are my wife, Li Chonglou's wife."
"In my eyes, you are the only one who is the most beautiful."
"You... when did you become so glib?" Jiang Yuxin was overjoyed by the compliment and said playfully.
"Now." As soon as Li Chonglou finished speaking, a pair of fiery red lips suddenly pressed against his.
The temperature in the room rose sharply, creating a scene of enchanting beauty.
Before long, faint gasps could be heard.
"Let's go, let's go..." Outside the door, Jiang Hongyi gritted his teeth and dragged his wife away from his daughter and son-in-law's room.
Liu Zhiru looked on with a pleased expression. Back in their room, she pondered, "Our proud daughter, who would have thought she would eventually fall for Li Chonglou."
"Why do you think he... why has he changed so much all of a sudden? I don't even dare to say a single critical word about him now."
Jiang Hongyi chuckled a few times, "A son-in-law is half a son. What is there to sigh about? Let's go to sleep!"
"Aren't you going to praise me a little? Your daughter is being praised..." Liu Zhiru, uncharacteristically, embraced her husband.
Jiang Hongyi treated her with the fear one reserves for tigers.