xymnovel Chapter 577 A House Full of Children
Chapter 577 A House Full of Children
Dozens of children stood at the back of the crowd, watching from a distance.
The eldest son, Lin Nianjun, is already twenty-two years old. He is dressed in silver armor, with a long sword at his waist. His eyes and brows show both the heroic spirit of Lin Chen and the gentleness of Liu Ruyan.
He stood in front of the group of children, his hand on the hilt of his sword, looking at Lin Chen who was surrounded by his aunts, his lips pursed, his fingers slightly tightening and loosening.
A group of younger siblings were watching him, waiting for him to make the first move.
At this moment, Lin Nian'er walked out from behind the crowd.
She was already twenty-five years old, and had grown into a graceful young woman. She wore a plain white dress, her long hair cascading down her shoulders. Her features resembled both Liu Ruyan and Lin Chen, her older brother.
She looked at Lin Chen, smiled, and called out, "Father."
Lin Chen looked up at Lin Nian'er, momentarily dazed.
He recalled what Lin Nian'er looked like when she was a child, and what she looked like ten years ago...
In the blink of an eye, she's already grown up and a young lady.
"Nian'er." Lin Chen smiled and waved his hand.
Lin Nian'er flashed and bumped into Lin Chen's arms, just like when they were children.
Lin Chen was stunned for a moment, then hugged her back.
Lin Nian'er whispered in Lin Chen's ear, "Father, welcome home. Nian'er missed you so much."
Lin Chen's nose tingled a little: "Yeah, I miss you too."
Lin Nian'er released Lin Chen, took a step back, looked him up and down, and then smiled:
"Father, you're getting old."
Lin Chen: "...You're saying I look old as soon as I get back?"
Lin Nian'er stuck out her tongue: "I meant I've matured!"
Lin Chen reached out and ruffled her hair: "You silly girl."
Lin Nian'er squinted and rubbed against Lin Chen's palm, just like when she was a child.
Lin Nianjun, Lin Nianbei, Lin Nianying, Lin Nianjie, Lin Nianze, Lin Nianzhao, Lin Niansu, Lin Nianruo, and Lin Nianxing, nine children, walked out from the back of the crowd and stood in a row.
Behind him, dozens of younger siblings stood in neat rows.
Lin Nianjun stood at the front, knelt on one knee, and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your son, Lin Nianjun, pays respects to his father."
"Your son, Lin Nian... greets his father."
Dozens of children knelt down in unison, leaving Lin Chen momentarily dazed.
He could hardly believe he had so many children.
No wonder some people say that given time, a man can create a world.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, waved his hand, and said, "Get up, everyone."
Lin Nianjun was the first to look up, his eyes filled with turbulent emotions. He pursed his lips and then stood up.
As soon as he stood up, dozens of children behind him all stood up in unison, their movements so synchronized that it seemed they had practiced hundreds of times.
Seeing this, Lin Chen nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that his eldest son did have the demeanor of an elder brother.
"Nianjun!" Lin Chen called out.
Lin Nianjun took a step forward, his posture upright, his silver armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight.
Before he could kneel down again, Lin Chen had already reached out and grabbed his arm.
"Don't kneel anymore, kneeling once is enough to show your respect."
Lin Nianjun stood up straight and bowed: "Father, your strength is much greater than it was back then."
"Nonsense, you were just a little kid back then, I was afraid I'd hurt you." Lin Chen patted Lin Nianjun's shoulder, then pinched his arm, raising an eyebrow.
"His cultivation level is quite well hidden? Half-step Celestial Immortal?"
Lin Nianjun smiled and said, "I just broke through a few days ago."
"Good lad." Lin Chen slapped him again, this time with a bit more force, making Lin Nianjun's shoulder sway slightly.
Lin Nian'er shouted from the crowd:
"Xiao Jun! Daddy's praising you! Why don't you smile?"
Lin Nianjun's lips twitched. He didn't dare to pay attention to this big sister and reached into his chest to pull out a token, handing it to Lin Chen.
"Father, after I came of age, I doubled the size of the Lin family army. This is the new military order."
Lin Chen took it and glanced at it. The token was engraved with the Lin family crest, and the edges were worn smooth, indicating that it was something he carried with him every day.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness." Lin Chen returned the token to Lin Nianjun, then walked past him and looked behind him.
"Lin Nianbei".
The young man in the blue robe took a step forward.
He was half a head shorter than Lin Nianjun, with an excessively delicate face. His eyebrows and eyes inherited the curve of Qin Shuyan's, giving him a gentle, scholarly air.
But the undisguised sharpness in his eyes clearly indicated that he was not a weak scholar.
He had just opened his mouth to give his name when Lin Chen interrupted him:
"Stop reporting it, your dad doesn't have Alzheimer's."
The children chuckled, and Lin Nianbei smiled and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Father's words are wise." He paused, then added, "I've also reached the level of a half-celestial being."
Lin Chen stared at him for two seconds: "...Mr. Zhuge gave you special tutoring, didn't he?"
Lin Nianbei turned her face away, her ears turning slightly red, and muttered softly:
"The master treats everyone equally; it's just that they're playful."
Lin Chen reached out and tugged at Lin Nianbei's green robe sleeve, frowning as he sized him up.
"You're as skinny as a bamboo pole. Tonight, I'll have your mother watch you eat three bowls of rice."
Qin Shuyan's cool voice drifted over from the side: "He has been practicing abstinence from grains for years, and I've told him so many times, but he won't listen."
Lin Nianbei shrank back and whispered, "Mother, fasting is beneficial to cultivation..."
"With your father around, why are you even practicing fasting?" Lin Chen slapped him on the back of the head.
"If you don't eat ten bowls of rice at the banquet tonight, I'll break your legs."
Lin Nianbei coughed and stepped aside, the redness on her face still lingering.
The next person stepped forward without Lin Chen calling him.
"Dad! It's my turn! It's my turn!"
The girl in the outfit hopped forward half a step, her ponytail swinging wildly behind her head, her eyes and brows filled with the image of Xiao Yulou.
Lin Chen chuckled lightly: "Lin Nianying, you really are a carbon copy of your mother."
"That's right, I'm my mother's daughter." Lin Nianying stuck out her tongue, leaned closer to Lin Chen, and lowered her voice:
"Father, although I am only at the peak of the terrestrial immortal realm, I fought Nianbei, and I won!"
She tried to keep her voice down, but the people around her still heard her.
Lin Nianbei coughed and said, "That's because you cheated."
"That's called 'all's fair in war'!"
Lin Chen looked at her mischievous eyes and suddenly reached out and pinched her cheek.
Lin Nianying winced as Lin Chen pinched her: "Dad! How old am I?!"
"No matter how old she is, she's still my daughter." Lin Chen let go of her hand, and seeing that she was still glaring at him, he added, "She's like your mother, she's accomplished."
Lin Nianying was stunned for a moment, and then she couldn't suppress the smile on her lips.
As she stepped aside, her ponytail swayed back and forth, as if she were having a great time.
Then a short person suddenly squeezed out from the crowd.
"Father! Father!"
Lin Nianyu (Zhao Mingyue and Lin Chen's youngest son) forced his way out from between his two older brothers.
The sixteen-year-old boy hadn't grown tall enough yet, and had to look up at Lin Chen to stand in front of him.
He was dressed in a dark blue outfit, his belt was crooked by half an inch, obviously from being jostled too fast earlier.
Lin Chen looked down at him: "Nianyu?"
"Mmm-hmm!" Lin Nianyu nodded vigorously, then followed his older siblings' example and knelt on one knee with his fists clasped.
Because he was in such a hurry, he tripped over his other leg and fell forward half a step. Lin Chen reacted quickly and grabbed him.
The person around burst into laughter.
Lin Nianyu looked up, his face flushed red: "...Father! I wanted to look more handsome!"
"What's so handsome about him?" Lin Chen grabbed him by the back of his collar and straightened him up. "Stand still when you speak."
Lin Nianyu stood up straight, puffed out his chest, and shouted:
"I am Lin Nianyu, a terrestrial immortal in the early stage! I broke through at the end of last year! I know I'm still a bit behind my older brothers, but I'm the youngest—"
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chen slapped his head and ruffled it, making his hair stand on end.
"A sixteen-year-old land prodigy, and you call that 'almost there'?"
Lin Nianyu's eyes were squinting as Lin Chen rubbed them, and the corners of his mouth were turned up even higher than Lin Nianying's.
Lin Chen let go, watching him retreat into the group of children, only to be pulled away by Lin Nianying, who grabbed his shoulder and pulled him over.
Dozens of children came up one after another.
Nianjie, Nianze, Nianzhao, Niansu, Nianruo... each reported their cultivation level, some high and some low, ranging from the peak of the Celestial Realm to the Land Immortal Realm.
When the youngest ones came up later, Lin Chen wouldn't have known who they were if someone hadn't pointed it out.
"Lin Nianqiu? You've grown so tall! When I left, you were still in your mother's belly."
"Nianliang, what happened to that scar on your face? Who did you fight with?"
"Nian Shuang—is that a cricket in your hand? Release it, don't bring it into the yard."
"..."
After speaking with each child, Lin Chen took a deep breath and glanced at the children filling the yard.
Dozens of heads, dozens of pairs of eyes, shining brightly in the sunlight.
"I—" Lin Chen began, his throat a little tight, and he cleared his throat before continuing:
"In all the years I was gone, none of you went astray. I, Lin Chen, have been incredibly lucky in my life, truly amazing."
After he finished speaking those last few words, Lin Nianying immediately called out:
"Father, you're swearing!"
"So what if it explodes?" Lin Chen glared at Lin Nianying. "What, are you going to tell your father what to do?"
Lin Nianyu jumped up and down behind, shouting, "That's right! Father is right!"
Several older people around him were laughing, but Lin Nianjun kept his head down, his hand on the hilt of his sword, unable to suppress the smile on his face.
The other children burst into laughter, and then everyone laughed, including Lin Nianying.
For a moment, the air in the entire Dongshan Villa was sweet because of Lin Chen's return.