Chapter 12: Empress Shen

  Ji Siyuan showed up at Qiao Yu's place and then returned to the hotel, carrying her luggage back home. Her family was originally in X City, so after returning, she stayed in a hotel instead of going home first, there was a reason for this.

  She leaned against the door and listened for a long time before taking out the key to open it, and cautiously stepped inside. Seeing the creature basking in the sun on the balcony with its eyes closed, she called out in a low voice, "Big kitty! Big kitty!"

  On the balcony, a fat Garfield lazily opened his eyes and glanced at her, then closed them again with a noble and cold beauty. The fur on his body was sun-kissed and fluffy, making his big face look even rounder.

  Ji Siyun didn't mind and continued to ask in a soft voice, "Is Empress Shen here?"

  As soon as the words fell, a pen flew over, and a cold voice sounded in his ear, "You've been crazy outside for a few years without coming back, can you still expect it to recognize you?"

  The cat on the balcony meowed twice at this time, as if agreeing with that voice.

  Ji Siyuan dodged and immediately threw the box and ran out.

  Ji Siyun has been making a big show of herself outside for so many years, if there's anyone who can still intimidate her and keep her in check, it would have to be Shen Taihou Shen Fanxing.

  Ji Siyun was born to Ji Mo and Shen Fanxing, a couple who could be said to have had a late-born daughter. However, just a few years after Ji Siyun's birth, the couple, who were used to living a carefree life like clouds and wild cranes, felt that she was a hindrance. After Ji Siyun entered middle school and became able to take care of herself with a sense of self-protection, her parents, both painters, would often go out to play together, leaving home for ten days or half a month at a time, under the guise of "gathering inspiration". They would often leave behind a note and disappear without a trace, so Ji Siyun could be said to have been raised in a state of abandonment.

  Ji Sixuan grew up, inheriting all the advantages of her parents' appearance, and surpassed them. One day when Shen Taihou finally realized that she was a bit 'unrestrained', it was already too late. Young Ji Sixuan, with a face that could bring disaster to the country and its people, had already swept through all the men in the neighborhood, whether they were good-looking or not, and even cats and dogs would take a detour when they saw her.

  During this time, Empress Dowager Cixi was also summoned to the school once.

  It is said that one day, Ji Xiu made a comment in a public class with a pair of pure and innocent big eyes, "Teacher Yang teaches very well. Every time he teaches, the page numbers of my classmates' textbooks around me are different, but they can all understand what the teacher is saying."

  Even teachers can't let it go, such a fierce behavior Shen Fen Xing didn't dare to attempt when she was young.

  Ji Sixuan had gone abroad to study on her own initiative, and it wasn't until she had settled down on the other side of the ocean that she called to inform her two elders. The anger of Shen Taihou can be imagined, with flames burning from this end of the phone all the way to the other side of the ocean. If not for having an exhibition to attend, Ji Sixuan would probably have been unable to escape unscathed.

  When she left, she didn't say anything, and when she came back, it was only natural that she wouldn't say anything either. Ji Siyu thought so, but she also knew about Shen Taihou's explosive destructive power in an instant, this fire had been suppressed for several years, and once it 'exploded' out, the damage value was too high, so with a lucky psychology of taking two people out for a walk while not at home, she planned to come back first and test the waters, but who knew that she would run into trouble right away.

  "Come back!"

  The voice behind her was neither cold nor hot, but Ji Siyu obediently stopped and slowly turned around with a flattering smile, "Haha, mom, you're here?"

  The woman in the middle of the station hall, even if she is middle-aged, still has a lingering charm. Her hair bun is neat and tidy, her cheongsam is well-tailored and fitted, her high heels are moderately high, her waist is straight, and even at home, she has a refined makeup look. There isn't a single wrinkle on her cheongsam, perfectly interpreting what it means to be elegant and refined. At this moment, she is looking at Ji Si Xuan with a subtle smile that is not quite a smile.

  Ji Siyun knew she couldn't escape punishment, so she stuck out her neck and looked towards the study while forcing a smile, "Uh... where's my dad?"

  Empress Shen coldly snorted, "Don't expect your dad to save you, he left a note and disappeared, saying he's going out to find inspiration, and has been gone for almost a month."

  Ji Siyuan accidentally spoke her mind, "Then why didn't you go together?"

  Empress Shen held the art knife in her hand and suddenly smiled warmly, "How can I catch you if I leave?"

  Ji Siyun quickly changed the subject, "Old Ji is really something! How can he be like this? He says he's leaving and then comes back, I'll speak up for you!"

  While speaking, she quickly picked up the pencil on the ground with her keen eyesight, took small steps to walk over and piously took the art knife from Empress Shen's hand, then walked back with small steps, squatted back to the original place and started sharpening the pencil seriously.

  At this moment, she was extremely grateful to Empress Shen, because what she had just thrown out was a pencil and not a craft knife.

  Empress Shen did not calm down due to her deliberate flattering behavior, but instead became furious, "First talk about yourself! Your dad at least knew to leave a note! And you? You said you were going abroad and then went abroad! Only calling me after arriving!"

  The cat basking in the sun on the balcony was startled by a sudden loud noise, looked up and meowed twice.

  Ji Siyuan was covered in cold sweat, unsure of how to respond.

  "Why aren't you talking? I'm telling you and you're still not convinced?"

  Ji Siyuan didn't dare, raised her head with a sincere face, "Admit defeat! Especially admit defeat! Mom, you're absolutely right, it's all my fault!"

  "You say one sentence and I have a hundred waiting for you, what's going on, getting long-winded?"

  Ji Siyuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, should I say it or not?

  Empress Shen suddenly let out a cold laugh, but instead of looking at Ji Siyuan, she turned her head to glance behind him, "You still know how to come back?"

  Ji Siyuan quickly turned around to look for her allies and saw the man carrying luggage, she burst into tears and shouted "Dad!"

  Ji Mo glanced at his wife and then at his "daughter", quickly taking two steps away from Ji Siyu to make his stance clear.

  Empress Dowager Shen was filled with compassion, "Come in, since you still know how to leave a note, I'll let you off the hook for today. Let me deal with your 'daughter's' problem first, then we can discuss your issue."

  "Good!" Old Master Ji immediately smiled and walked in with his luggage, but was pulled back by Ji Siyu as he passed by her.

  Ji Siyun acted so "real", "Dad! They all say that a daughter is her father's little cotton-padded jacket, even if it's hot now, you can't abandon your little cotton-padded jacket!"

  Old man Ji also cooperated, sighed after being embarrassed for a long time, "Ah, daughter! Other people's daughters are their father's intimate little cotton-padded jacket. In our family, you're my bulletproof vest! If it weren't for your return, the one standing here getting bombarded today would be me!"

  He said nothing and pushed aside Ji Si Xuan's hand, then turned around and went into the house without looking back, to take a bath and change his clothes.

  Ji Siyuan gritted her teeth, "Really no sense of justice!"

  Empress Shen also pitied her 'daughter' and soon relented, "Alright, come in."

  Ji Siyun had just let out a sigh of relief and was carrying her luggage through the door when Empress Shen's next words made her kneel directly on the ground.

  "You go take a bath and change your clothes first, I'll cook some dishes for you."

  Ji Mo and Ji Siyu simultaneously dropped the things in their hands and rushed over to stop Empress Shen, each grabbing one of her arms.

  "Let's go out and eat, I'll treat you, to celebrate your daughter!"

  "No need, no need! I'm not hungry!"

  Empress Shen gave them a sideways glance, "What do you two mean?"

  Ji Mo quickly withdrew his hand and squeezed out a few words with great difficulty, "It doesn't matter, cooking hurts my hand."

  Ji Siyuan's face was in agony, "The fumes... are damaging my skin."

  Empress Shen kicked away the two people blocking her way and went to the kitchen with a majestic air, "Get out!"

  Ji Siyuan was about to lose her composure, so she came up with a forced excuse and ran out of the "door", "Mom, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do, I'll go out first, you guys eat first, don't worry about me."

  Ji Mo also wanted to run away, "I'll drive you."

  Empress Shen didn't even turn her head, and a slow and gentle voice came from the kitchen, "You two do as you please, but if I finish cooking and come out to see that neither of you are sitting at the dinner table, you're both dead for sure!"

  A few seconds later, father and daughter walked back obediently, sitting at the dinner table with a lack of energy, staring blankly at each other.

  Empress Shen's speed was very fast, and half an hour later, the dinner table had four dishes and one soup, and the three members of the family enjoyed their dinner together.

  Father and daughter, you look at me, I look at you, but neither of us makes a move.

  Empress Shen slapped her chopsticks down and said, "What's going on here? Do you want me to feed you?"

  Ji Mo took the initiative to serve Ge Siyuan some dishes, "Girl, eat more, you're getting thinner."

  In the blink of an eye, the dishes in front of Ji Siyuan had piled up into a small mountain.

  Ji Siyun paused for a moment, turned her head and gave Shen Taihou some dishes, "Mom, you've worked hard, eat more."

  Empress Shen slowly savored a mouthful, and as soon as the dish entered her mouth, she stiffened all over, her face changed color, and she forced herself to swallow it down. Then, she picked up the nearest plate of food and poured it all into Ji Mo's bowl. "You've been out gathering wind for so long, you must not have eaten well outside, eat more."

  Ji Mo's face was filled with resentment, wanting to say something, but looking at Empress Shen, she opened her mouth and then didn't speak, lowering her head to start gobbling down the dishes, shoving food into her mouth and chewing for a couple of mouthfuls before gulping down water.

  Ji Siyun watched with rapt attention as Empress Shen made a very tactful suggestion, "Mom, do you think we could use less salt when cooking in the future?"

  Empress Shen sat up straight, looking at her with a stern expression, "What do you know? This is called eating salty and looking light! If it's too salty, just put it down and eat again."

  Ji Siyuan pouted, "It's salty even after it's cooled down."

  "Time will dilute everything." Empress Shen looked at Ji Si Xuan with a profound gaze, "Don't think I don't know why you ran abroad a few years ago and refused to come back even if you were beaten to death."

  Ji Si Xuan felt embarrassed and no longer argued about the salty dishes, lowering her head and eating obediently.

  A meal that was eaten with relish, after finishing the meal and washing the dishes, father and daughter took a walk hand in hand out of the door.