Chapter 1240: The eldest son has grown taller!

Lin Lang steadied Zhao Liying's trembling body from shock and replied with a smile, "That's right, this is the back garden of the Tang Dynasty's Shanghai Imperial Palace."

Zhao Liying opened her mouth, and after a long while, she found her voice and asked with a trembling voice, "Husband...is this really...the Tang Dynasty?"

"Yes, baby, we have traveled through time to the year 661 AD."

Zhao Liying finally realized, belatedly, that everything in front of her, with its antique charm, was real.

"Wow... Honey, you actually have the superpower to travel through time! In the blink of an eye, you've brought me to the Tang Dynasty?!"

Zhao Liying's almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief; she could hardly believe her eyes.

Lin Lang pinched Zhao Liying's cheek and said calmly, "Baby, don't be so surprised. What you've seen is just the tip of the iceberg. Your husband knows a lot more!"

Just then, a clear, melodious laugh, like the sound of silver bells, came from the back garden not far away.

Zhao Liying looked in the direction of the sound and saw two little girls in pink dresses flying kites on a lush green lawn.

They wore the same double buns and tied with the same red ribbons. They had round faces and eyes like black grapes, clearly twin sisters around five years old.

"Sister! Run faster! The kite is about to take flight!" Lin Zhiluo called out as she turned around, her voice soft and sweet.

"Coming, coming!" Lin Zhinuo immediately lifted her skirt and chased after them. The two small figures ran and laughed on the grass, their skirts fluttering like two happy little butterflies.

Zhao Liying looked curiously at the twins dressed in ancient costumes, then turned to Lin Lang beside her and tentatively asked, "Honey, these two adorable little girls playing in the back garden of your mansion, could they be your twin daughters?"

Lin Lang looked at his twin daughters with a loving father's gaze and replied with a gentle smile, "That's right, these two little cuties are my and Gu Rou's twin daughters."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying exclaimed in surprise, "It's Gu Rou, the beautiful president of the Shanghai Auntie Tea Drinks chain company?"

"That's right! Gu Rou is still the CEO of Mixue Ice Cream, which basically monopolizes the market share of chain tea drinks in China. Her business is very successful."

"Hmph, honey, Gu Rou's business is very successful, and that's all thanks to you investing in her venture capital and having the Lin Group as her backer."

"What? You're jealous about this too?" Lin Lang playfully pinched Zhao Liying's nose.

"Tch, it's not that I'm jealous, it's that you're being biased!" Zhao Liying shook Lin Lang's arm and acted coquettishly.

Lin Lang looked at his twin daughters who hadn't noticed him, and they giggled sweetly as they ran off to fly kites, a gentle smile on their faces.

"Gu Rou gave me such lovely twin daughters, but I feel that giving her the equity and management rights of two tea beverage chain companies is not enough. When you give me a son, I will treat you well too."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Liying's eyes sparkled as she asked, "Really, honey?"

"Of course it's true! My husband has so much money he can't possibly spend it all. He doesn't leave any for his wives, concubines, or children. The Lin Group has acquired so many companies and industries that I can't manage them all myself!"

"Hehe... Honey, if I really give you a son, how are you going to reward me?" Zhao Liying nestled in Lin Lang's arms, looking up at him expectantly.

Lin Lang replied indulgently, "How about I reward you with 100 million RMB for having a son, and then give you and our son a 49% stake in 'Qidian Novel Network,' a subsidiary of Tencent?"

"Honey! You're so good to me!"

Zhao Liying instantly reacted like a lit firecracker, grabbing Lin Lang's neck and swaying on his body, her toes almost leaving the ground, her eyes shining like they were filled with stars.

"One hundred million! And nearly half of the shares in 'Qidian Novel Network'!"

She buried her face in Lin Lang's neck and rubbed against him, her voice soft and sweet, with a hint of nasal excitement: "Then you must keep your word, if I really give birth to a son, you can't lie to me!"

Lin Lang chuckled as Zhao Liying swayed him, then steadily supported her waist and replied indulgently, "This little bit of money is nothing to your husband, I will definitely keep my promise."

Zhao Liying smiled sweetly with a hopeful expression and said, "But honey, what if my belly doesn't cooperate and I give birth to a daughter?"

Lin Lang lowered his head and kissed Zhao Liying's forehead, his tone overflowing with affection, "Silly wife, I love you so much, even if you give birth to a daughter, the reward I promised you will not change."

"That's great! Honey, I love you, mwah!" Zhao Liying stood on tiptoe and kissed Lin Lang's handsome profile, her laughter full of joy.

"Silly girl, how can you be so cute?" Lin Lang tickled Zhao Liying's armpit, making her giggle and squirm in his arms.

Zhao Liying pouted, then her eyes lit up, and she said with a sly smile, "I'm going to start a gossip column on Qidian Novel Network, and write about your scandalous stories with your 'mistresses' every day, so that all the readers on the internet can see just how promiscuous the Shanghai Emperor Lin Lang is!"

"Hey, you dare!" Lin Lang continued to playfully tease Zhao Liying.

Just then, a clear child's voice came from behind Lin Lang, calling out, "Father!"

Lin Lang immediately stopped playing around with Zhao Liying, turned around and saw a handsome little figure. His eyes lit up and a loving father's smile appeared on his face.

"Tian'er, come here quickly and let your father hug you!"

Indeed, what Lin Lang saw was his eldest son with Chu Yiren, Lin Haotian. The little guy was already five years old, with a chubby face and a pair of big, dark eyes. His smile was incredibly endearing.

Xiao Haotian was dressed as usual in an apricot-colored diamond-patterned half-sleeved shirt, paired with moon-white striped trousers, the cuffs of which were loosely tied with matching brocade ribbons, revealing a section of his fair ankles.

He wore a small red-gold tiger-head hat, with several round pearls adorning the brim, which swayed gently with his bouncy steps.

Although he was dressed in ordinary clothes, the dragon pattern embroidered on the brim of his hat and the jade belt hook at his waist subtly revealed the majesty of the crown prince, making him appear both like a lively and endearing ordinary child and possessing an innate noble air.

"Father, when did you get back?" Xiao Haotian ran and jumped into Lin Lang's arms.

Zhao Liying's laughter stopped abruptly. She looked at Xiao Haotian with a little embarrassment, and sighed inwardly, "Which concubine did Lin Lang have this son with?"

Lin Lang bent down and picked up Xiao Haotian, supporting his little bottom with his arms. He kissed his rosy cheeks again and again, his stubble making the little guy giggle. His tone was full of undisguised joy.

"Tian'er, do you miss your father? I've been thinking about you terribly these past few days."

Xiao Haotian immediately stretched out his chubby arms and hugged Lin Lang's neck, pressing his face against his shoulder, and said in a childish but exceptionally loud voice, "Yes! Of course I want to! I can only fall asleep at night by holding the little sword that Father Emperor gave me!"

Lin Lang's heart melted as he listened. He reached out and touched his son's arm, then pinched his calf, and finally gently patted his round little belly, his eyes filled with contentment.

"Our Tian'er's arms and legs feel firm to the touch, and his little belly is bulging too. It seems he really isn't a picky eater."

As he spoke, Lin Lang compared his height with his son's and said with a smile, "Eldest son, you've grown taller again. In another two years, you'll probably be as tall as your father."

Xiao Haotian proudly puffed out his little chest, his eyes curving into crescents.

"My mother said that as long as I eat well and don't pick at my food, I will grow up to be as tall and handsome as my father, and as powerful as him!"

"Hahaha, that makes a lot of sense!" Lin Lang laughed heartily, amused by his son, and kissed him on the cheek. "Our Tian'er has ambition!"

Zhao Liying, who was standing to the side, listened to the conversation and thought to herself, "Oh."

Sure enough, the "mother" the little boy was talking about was Chu Yiren, and it seems that this is Lin Lang's eldest son, Lin Haotian.

As she was thinking, she saw Lin Lang carrying Xiao Haotian and turning towards her.

"Tian'er, come here, let your father introduce you. This is Aunt Zhao," Lin Lang said to his son with a smile.

Little Haotian blinked his big, dark eyes at Zhao Liying, his little brows furrowing slightly in confusion as he asked timidly, "Father, why does Aunt Zhao look different? Aunt Zhao didn't look like this before..."

Lin Lang chuckled and gently pinched Xiao Haotian's nose: "Silly son, this is your Aunt Zhao, named Zhao Liying. The Aunt Zhao you mentioned is your brother Haoming's mother, Zhao Lanshan. They are not the same person."

"Oh—" Xiao Haotian drawled out, nodding as if suddenly realizing something.

The little one immediately flashed a sweet smile and called out to Zhao Liying in a clear voice, "Hello, Aunt Zhao! Aunt Zhao is so beautiful, like a fairy in a painting!"

The sweet address softened Zhao Liying's heart, and her previous restraint vanished instantly. She smiled and waved to Xiao Haotian, "Tian'er is so good, and so good at talking."

Lin Lang watched this scene, his smile deepening. All the children in his family were so sensible and endearing; there was truly hope for the future.

Zhao Liying said somewhat embarrassedly, "Honey, you didn't tell me beforehand, so I didn't prepare a gift for Tian'er."

Upon hearing this, Lin Lang immediately took out a gift box of Taiwanese specialty snacks from his personal space and handed it to Zhao Liying.

Zhao Liying glanced at the gift box of Taiwanese specialty snacks, which included nougat, brown sugar plum candy, pineapple cake, mochi, and Snow Love candy, and was very surprised at how Lin Lang had conjured them up.

Actually, these were snacks that Lin Lang bought for the children after rescuing Wang Xinling's younger brother in Taiwan and dealing with Yang Xiong, the leader of the Four Seas Gang. He never expected them to come in handy now.

Seeing this, Zhao Liying smiled and gently handed the gift box of Taiwanese specialty snacks in her hand to Xiao Haotian, saying softly, "Tian'er, this is candy that your aunt brought for you. Try it and see if you like it."

"Thank you, Aunt Zhao!" Xiao Haotian's eyes lit up, and he quickly reached out his chubby little hand to take the gift box, hugging it tightly to his chest as if afraid it would be snatched away.

A child's love for candy is impossible to hide. He hugged the gift box and rubbed it against it, grinning and smacking his lips. His previously slightly reserved face was instantly filled with smiles.

Lin Lang couldn't help but laugh when he saw his son's greedy expression. He reached out and ruffled his hair, then exchanged a smile with Zhao Liying—a smile full of indulgence towards their son.

He put Xiao Haotian back on the ground, took the gift box, quickly opened the packaging, took out a bag of nougat, tore it open, took out a piece of nougat, peeled off the wrapper and handed it to his son's mouth: "Here, try this."

Xiao Haotian opened his mouth, took the nougat in his mouth, and his eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

The milky white candy slowly melted in his mouth, the crunchy peanut flavor mingling with the milky aroma spreading on his tongue. He mumbled indistinctly, "Delicious..."

As he spoke, Lin Haotian's little hands were still tightly clutching the gift box, as if afraid it would be taken away. "I love eating candy the most!"

Looking at Xiao Haotian's chubby cheeks, Zhao Liying's smile deepened: "Eat more if you like it, and Auntie will bring you other flavors later."

Lin Lang added from the side, "Eat as much as you want, but don't overindulge, or you'll get cavities."

Xiao Haotian nodded as if he understood, but before he had finished the candy in his mouth, he stared longingly at the other candies in the gift box. His greedy look made Lin Lang laugh again.

Just then, a little girl's clear, sweet voice came from behind Lin Lang: "Brother, Father!"