Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 727 - 612: Time to Go Back (Third Update)

These days, Tong Airui has been taking over his wife’s responsibilities, so busy that he doesn’t even see the sun. Fortunately, Emperor Haotian is now able to work normally, and the two of them are working together, handling many affairs.

Not long after, Queen Haotian also went to the office area, taking charge of disaster recovery and the commercial circle of Sanyuan Dao—two major responsibilities.

Yi Luowa, having rested enough, stepped in to assist her mother.

Gradually, Emperor Haotian and Queen Haotian found that they could stand on their own without relying on their daughter as a crutch. Yi Luowa finally felt a wave of relief.

The due dates for Youyou and Joyina’s deliveries were drawing near, and Tong Airui’s vacation days were dwindling. Queen Haotian gave the order: their daughter must go home!

Yi Luowa pouted silently. She did want to return home, but she was also worried about her parents. Her thoughts tangled until her guts felt knotted.

Queen Haotian pulled her daughter’s hand with a smile. "I know you’re worried about your father and me, but you’ve seen it yourself—we’re doing just fine now. Don’t worry. After you leave, we won’t feel lonely. Once we get busy with work, we won’t have time to dwell on anything."

Emperor Haotian laughed and said, "Luowa, go home without worry. I promise you, your mom and I will be fine. Ever since we’ve resumed working, our energy keeps growing! After all these years of war tearing Haotian apart, the land finally has hope again!

The people now have something to look forward to, and your mom and I do as well. The treasury, left empty for so many years, filled halfway after our war with Country R—all thanks to you and Airui advocating for Haotian. Your mom and I pledge to multiply these fortunes several times over."

Seeing her father so joyous, Yi Luowa grinned and said, "Both you and Mom shouldn’t work yourselves too hard. Once the commercial circle is built, the revenue alone can refill the treasury—it’s unlikely Haotian will remain impoverished for too long. Plus, with the farmland yielded from concentrated housing in the disaster areas, combined with tens of thousands of acres of fertile fields acquired from Country R, Haotian won’t need to import food starting next year, which will save a significant amount of expenses."

"Dad, Mom, I had a chat with my brother yesterday. He’s very interested in tourism. Haotian’s history of war has kept visitors away, but now that peace has returned, there are countless beautiful sights waiting to be developed into a thriving tourism industry. My brother mentioned that if you’re open to the idea, he’s willing to assist, no strings attached."

Emperor Haotian looked gratefully at his son-in-law. "This is indeed something your mom and I have considered before, but it never materialized. The main issue is that we don’t have much talent in this field, and funds weren’t readily available. So we postponed the plan, hoping to revisit it once resources were secured."

"Money isn’t a problem; Luowa and I still have some. My brother can also invest—he already adapted his proposal to Haotian’s state, suggesting eco-tourism, which doesn’t require significant funding."

Queen Haotian shook her head. "We won’t use you and Luowa’s money anymore. Previously, when you both pitched in for disaster relief, your dad and I agreed to grant you shares in state enterprises as compensation. We can’t keep relying on your resources and money."

Yi Luowa frowned and said, "Mom, Haotian is my home too. I’m just spending a small amount of money..."

Queen Haotian sternly interrupted her daughter. "It’s not about the money; it’s about principle. If you were Haotian’s reigning monarch, you could spend as much as you wish, and I wouldn’t stop you. But right now, you’re merely a princess—not to mention one with a family of her own. Luowa, Haotian’s future is incredibly bright. In just a few years, we’ll be able to provide the people with prosperous lives. I understand you wouldn’t accept repayment directly, so we opted for an alternative arrangement—only then can your dad and I feel slightly at ease."

Yi Luowa pouted. "You’re both impossible..."

Tong Airui chuckled and gently pressed her pursed lips. "Don’t defy your parents. Just follow their arrangements. In the future, we’ll help bring in more investment projects, and everything will fall into place."

Yi Luowa sulked and said, "Then you better make sure to rope in all your relatives and friends."

Tong Airui laughed. "Alright, I’ll bring over everyone I can."

Queen Haotian smiled and said, "Pack your things and return home tomorrow. The child is waiting for you."

"Mom, if we leave, will you and Dad manage okay? I’m not worried about anything else—just your health."

"Don’t worry, your dad and I will live long, healthy lives! We’re looking forward to caring for our grandchild. After that, we’ll dote on our great-grandchild. Your dad and I are aiming to live to a hundred!"

Yi Luowa smiled, reassured by her parents’ vitality and spirit. Perhaps it was time for her to go home.

"Dad, how’s the case with Xiang Zuo being handled?" Yi Luowa asked cautiously, still uneasy.

Queen Haotian turned to her husband. "I’ve not intervened in that matter at all. How’s your side progressing?"

"Xiang Zuo was sentenced to three years in prison and fined two million."

Queen Haotian frowned slightly and asked, "So it really was him tampering with the fabric, using inferior materials?"

"No, it was a manager under him who did it. He secretly sold the better fabric to hospitals and substituted defective ones for government use. Once the perpetrator was found, Xiang Zuo narrowly escaped the death penalty."

Queen Haotian knitted her brows slightly. "Ah... How people change over time. Once they change, they can never return to how they were. When did he turn into someone so careless? By the time he’s finished serving his sentence, who knows if he’ll be able to bounce back. I can’t help but feel guilty toward him and his family."

Emperor Haotian sighed. "Zhi Lan, it’s not that I disregard your old ties. The people demand justice, and we must give them a resolution. Regardless of whether Xiang Zuo committed it directly, he bears responsibility—being unaware that he was being swindled. This sentence is in no way unfair to him!"

Tong Airui noticed his mother-in-law’s expression wasn’t great and quickly chimed in, "Mom, don’t dwell on it too much. When he gets out, we’ll help him back on his feet. He won’t succumb to despair."

"It can only be this way. This time in prison, let it serve as a lesson for him. He’ll hopefully be more cautious in the future. Let’s not talk about these disheartening matters anymore. You both should go pack and get some rest early."

Tong Airui responded with a nod and supported Yi Luowa as they headed back to their bedroom.

Once inside, Yi Luowa whispered, "You don’t think they’ll fight over this issue, do you?"

"Shouldn’t be. Dad’s handling of it is fair and reasonable, and Mom knows this is necessary to soothe public anger."

"Before we leave, I deliberately brought this up because I’d hate for them to argue over it after we’re gone. Thinking about leaving makes me uneasy—I want to go home, but I also don’t."

"Since we should go, we’ll go. Your parents won’t feel lonely. Our family has many investments here—my elder brother, third brother, and Ainuo. They’ve already told me that whenever they visit Haotian, they’ll stay at the palace and spend more time with your parents."

"..."

"We can bring the child back here anytime too."

Yi Luowa looked up at him. "My family wouldn’t stop me from visiting just because I’m pregnant, would they?"

"No way. Last time, you were pregnant with twins and almost lost them. This time, it’s only one, and the little one isn’t giving you any trouble. If flying becomes unsuitable, we can take the train."

"Honey, Haotian and Xiawu only have railways. Could we build a high-speed rail? That would save so much time."

Tong Airui laughed. "Would you propose building a high-speed rail just to make it easier for you to visit here? If this proposal reached Dad and Prime Minister Muta, their noses would be bent out of shape."

Yi Luowa pouted and cast him a glance before turning to open the wardrobe.

"The clothes hanging inside—soon enough, you won’t fit into any of them. Leave them here and wear them after you’ve had the baby and come back."

Yi Luowa quietly shut the wardrobe, kicked off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed.

Tong Airui saw her lying there with an annoyed pout and approached her, amused. "Don’t be mad. Constructing a high-speed rail isn’t impossible, but it has to be proposed by your parents. In the future, the rail won’t be restricted to Xiawu—it should connect Haotian to several neighboring countries. That’ll facilitate commerce."

"What neighboring countries? Beyond us, it’s just Beidi. The western half has a few countries too, but they’re blocked off by Xiawu and Beidi."

"Haotian’s geographical position is poor; otherwise, Katie wouldn’t have conspired back then to annex Xiawu and Beidi. Her real intention was to open Haotian’s national gates. Now it’s unnecessary—after the defeat of Country R, the waterways opened up. As for the railway, Dad and Mom can negotiate with Prime Minister Muta and the King of Beidi for land purchases or leases."

"Buying land would be a permanent solution, but who would sell?" Yi Luowa scratched her head. "With transportation limited to air and sea, some merchants might find it inconvenient. Plus, shipping bulk goods wouldn’t be practical. Even importing into Haotian would incur doubled costs."

"Dad and Mom will figure it out."

"Then I’ll go talk to them." Yi Luowa tried to sit up.

Tong Airui quickly pressed her down. "No need. They already have this in mind. Dad spoke to me about it—he’ll probably visit Beidi and Xiawu soon."

"Why wait until now to negotiate? The wars ended years ago."

"Haven’t you learned why after managing things for them these past days?" Tong Airui shook his head helplessly. "First, there was no money; talking about it would’ve been futile. Then, after securing some funds, Dad wanted to credit this achievement to Danton. But now...Danton is no longer an option. It’s reached the point where a decision can’t be delayed, so Dad is elevating it to an urgent priority."

Yi Luowa blinked and then covered her head with the blanket.