Oh no! My grandmother made me shoulder the responsibility for eight households!

Chapter 292 Trip to Dongshan

Lin Chen toured the entire nine-story base.

Actually, it was mainly because Li Chunfeng insisted on taking him around, showing off as they went.

"My lord, look at this floor. It's full of rare treasures and precious items. I guarantee that in the near future, it will be no less impressive than the Central Plains Holy Land."

"My lord, look at this floor. It's a vault of weapons and magical treasures—swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks. Would you like to give it a try?"

"My lord, look at this floor. It's a training ground, equipped with an array. The gravity can be adjusted to a hundred times..."

Lin Chen nodded and hummed in agreement the whole way, his mind preoccupied with getting back to his wife.

When they reached the seventh floor, Zhuge Liang stopped him: "My lord, there are two more floors."

Lin Chen waved his hand: "I don't need to look anymore, I trust you guys to handle things."

Li Chunfeng was still not giving up: "The eighth floor is a medicine storehouse, and the ninth floor is—"

Lin Chen had already headed towards the teleportation array.

Zhuge Liang smiled, waving his feather fan: "My lord's heart is not here."

Li Chunfeng muttered to himself, "Where is my heart?"

Zhuge Liang smiled but remained silent.

As soon as the teleportation array lit up, Lin Chen appeared in the study of the main house.

It was already late at night outside.

The moon hung in the sky, big and round, illuminating the entire mountain in silvery white.

Lin Chen stretched out a big yawn, turned around, and walked towards Ye Qingying's courtyard.

Ye Qingying's courtyard is on the east side; it's not big, but it's quiet.

Two bamboo trees were planted at the entrance, casting long shadows in the moonlight.

Lin Chen pushed open the door and went in.

Ye Qingying was leaning against the bed with her eyes closed.

He wore a black single-layer shirt, the material of which looked slippery and loose.

Her long hair was loose, hanging down from her shoulders, and she looked cool and aloof, blending into the moonlight.

Hearing the noise, she opened her eyes.

Upon seeing that it was Lin Chen, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"I thought you weren't coming."

The voice was soft, with a slight nasal tone, as if the person had just woken up.

Lin Chen walked over, sat down next to her, and put his arm around her waist:

"You promised, how could I not come?"

Ye Qingying didn't speak, but leaned closer to Lin Chen.

The two of them just sat there.

The window was open, and moonlight streamed in, covering the floor with a layer of silvery white.

After a long while, Ye Qingying suddenly spoke:

"My husband."

"Um?"

"It's very quiet here."

Lin Chen nodded, nuzzling his chin against her hair: "Do you like it?"

Ye Qingying gave a soft "hmm".

Lin Chen smiled and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

Ye Qingying looked up at Lin Chen.

Under the moonlight, those eyes, which were usually cool and aloof, were now filled with tenderness.

Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he pulled her into his arms.

I'll stay with you tonight.

Ye Qingying leaned against his chest without saying a word.

But Lin Chen could feel her hand quietly gripping the hem of his clothes.

Late at night.

The moon hid behind the clouds, then peeked out again.

The yard was quiet; even the insects had stopped chirping.

Inside the room, the lights flickered.

After a long time, the lights went out.

After a while, Ye Qingying's voice softly sounded:

"My lord, are you going somewhere else tonight?"

Lin Chen's voice was muffled, tinged with sleepiness:

"I'm not going anywhere, I'll stay here."

Ye Qingying didn't say anything more.

But Lin Chen felt her hands holding him even tighter.

Early the next morning.

Lin Chen opened his eyes; it was already broad daylight.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, drawing a bright square on the floor.

The room was empty around her; Ye Qingying didn't know when she had gotten up.

There was a note on the bedside table, under a hairpin.

"I'm going to find Sister Yueyao—Ying"

Her handwriting was neat and orderly, just like her personality.

Lin Chen smiled, folded the note, and put it into his pocket along with the others.

This woman has changed quite a bit since having a child.

It used to be so cold that people were too lazy to even talk, but now they actually leave notes.

After washing up and having breakfast, he strolled around the garden casually; he hadn't really looked around properly last night.

As I passed by Qing'er and the others' courtyard, I heard their chattering laughter, like a flock of sparrows.

Lin Chen pushed open the door and went in.

Five little girls were sitting together, laughing so hard they were doubled over, talking about something.

Qing'er's face turned red from laughing, Dai'er covered her mouth, and Xi'er laughed so hard she fell face-first onto the table.

The laughter stopped when Lin Chen entered.

Five pairs of eyes turned to look at him.

Qing'er blushed slightly, but still stood up: "My husband has arrived?"

Lin Chen walked over and sat down next to her: "What are you chatting about that makes you so happy?"

Qing'er smiled and said, "It's nothing, we just... talked about what happened last night."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Last night? What happened last night?"

Dai'er chimed in from the side, her voice soft and sweet, like a marshmallow: "Husband, did you sleep well last night?"

Lin Chen grinned mischievously, "What? Missed me?"

All five people nodded in unison.

Lin Chen looked at them, feeling a tickle in his heart.

These girls are all incredibly beautiful.

Qing'er is gentle and graceful, Dai'er is cute and sweet, Xi'er is lively and cheerful, Su'er is quiet and gentle, and Ling'er is playful and mischievous.

Those who come from the Hehuan sect are extremely knowledgeable.

More than half a month after their marriage, Lin Chen still acts like a clueless greenhorn every night.

Just as he was about to say something, he heard footsteps outside again.

Four people entered: Qin Xin, Qi Yun, Shu Yu, and Hua Yi.

Upon seeing Lin Chen, the four women paused for a moment, then bowed in unison.

Qin Xin smiled and said, "My husband is here too? We were just dropping by, I hope we didn't disturb you?"

Lin Chen waved his hand: "No disturbance, no disturbance, you've come at the perfect time."

He glanced at the five women, then at the fourth, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"Since you're all here, let's have a chat."

Qing'er blinked: "What are you talking about?"

Lin Chen said in a serious tone: "Let's talk about life, ideals, and the future."

Dyer muttered softly, "Why didn't we chat last night?"

Lin Chen coughed lightly: "Something came up last night, so I was delayed."

Xi'er laughed beside her, her laughter shaking: "Husband, you went to Sister Ye's last night, didn't you?"

Lin Chen: "...You're quite well-informed."

Xi'er laughed so hard she shook: "The rest of us saw it this morning."

Ling'er chimed in, her eyes sparkling.

"We saw her pass by the gate of the yard this morning, and she was walking a little... well, a little unsteady."

Lin Chen: "..."

Qin Xin and the other three, who were listening nearby, couldn't help but laugh.

Shuyu said softly, "Husband, you still need to practice your skill of spreading your affections evenly."

Lin Chen glared at her: "Who said that? I call this taking a holistic approach, understand?"

Qi Yun murmured from the side, "Overall planning and consideration... that's a brilliant use of the word."

Lin Chen was getting a little embarrassed by their laughter, so he decided to just go all out:

"Alright, alright, you guys are amazing. Tonight I'll show you what true comprehensive planning and coordination really means."

The nine people looked at each other and laughed.

His smile was meaningful.

Xi'er leaned closer: "Husband, what are our plans for tonight?"

Lin Chen thought for a moment and said, "Here's what we'll do: all nine of you, get some rest during the day and conserve your energy."

Qing'er asked, "And then?"

Lin Chen said with a serious expression, "Then tonight, we'll have a meeting."

Dyer blinked: "What do you mean?"

Lin Chen: "Family meeting, let's discuss future development plans."

Qin Xin chuckled softly from the side, "Husband, are you sure you want to discuss development plans?"

Lin Chen: "What else?"

Qi Yun said softly, "I thought we were going to discuss human anatomy."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Lin Chen was speechless, choked by the words.

These girls are all incredibly fierce.

After leaving the courtyard, Lin Chen led Lin Nian'er to catch some fish.

He took Zhao Mingyue and the other women to a hot spring.

He then spent some time in the study, reviewing summaries of news from various sources and handling some official business.

As the sun set, Lin Chen stood precisely at the entrance to Qing'er's courtyard.

The room was brightly lit, and shadowy figures could be seen moving back and forth through the windows, as if they were preparing something.

He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

Inside the room, nine women stood in a row.

The five girls, Qing'er and her companion, wore thin gauze dresses of various colors—red, pink, purple, green, and blue—with very little fabric.

The four girls, Qin Xin, were dressed in elegant long dresses—white, blue, gray, and moon white—and looked as if they had stepped out of a painting.

They were all dressed up carefully, each with their own unique beauty.

Upon his entry, they all bowed in greeting:

"My husband."

Lin Chen swallowed.

This is quite a big operation.

He glanced around; nine women, nine pairs of eyes, all staring at him.

Some were laughing, some were waiting, and some had wandering eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

But since things have come to this, we have no choice but to go through with it, even if it's tough.

He cleared his throat:

"Let's have a good talk tonight."

Qing'er smiled, her eyes curving into crescents:

"What are you going to talk about?"

Lin Chen said in a serious tone:

"Let's talk about...how to take everything into account."

……

Laughter filled the house that night.

Outside the courtyard, the chirping of insects provided a lively accompaniment.