An Ran didn't mind Lu Mingxiu's "taking matters into his own hands." She praised him, saying, "You did the right thing. The Chen family is no good. If Brother Yu's father really is a descendant of the Xu family, it would be strange if they didn't do something wicked."
Jiu Niang had no good feelings towards the Chen family at all; in fact, she seemed to despise them.
Lu Mingxiu didn't say anything, but secretly wondered to himself. Could it be that the Chen family had offended Ninth Sister? Whether it was the matter of Third Sister An or Sixth Sister An, it was difficult for Ninth Sister to have a good impression of the Chen family.
“I’ve already sent Colin over with his men tomorrow, leaving four to protect them,” Lu Mingxiu said. “With the Chen family’s power, they probably wouldn’t dare to confront the Pingyuan Marquis’s manor. They’ll be safe on your estate.”
An Ran was finally able to relax a little.
As the two were talking, they heard Nian-ge'er's voice from outside. Anran had wanted to look at the account books earlier, so she had asked Taozhi and Taoye to take Nian-ge'er for a stroll in the small garden. It seemed that he had already returned.
Qingmei and Qingxing were just about to politely stop Nian-ge'er from going in later when they heard Lu Mingxiu's voice from inside the house. "Nian-ge'er, come in."
Hearing that his father had returned early, Niange put down his toys and happily ran inside.
"Father, you're back!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingxiu smiled gently. He picked up Nian Ge'er and softened his voice, saying, "I heard your mother say yesterday that you have already memorized the Three Character Classic. Come, recite it for your father."
Nian Ge'er got down from his arms, stood up straight, and looked for An Ran again.
An Ran quickly gave Nian Ge'er an encouraging smile, which put Nian Ge'er at ease. "At birth, human nature is inherently good—"
The child recited the entire Three Character Classic in a soft, clear voice without pausing, demonstrating remarkable fluency and clearly the effort he had put in.
"Nian-ge'er is really amazing." Remembering An Ran's words, Lu Mingxiu wanted to praise the child more, so he said, "Father will reward you. In a few days, I will take you to the village in the west, and our family will stay there for a couple of days."
Before he finished speaking, Nian Ge'er cheered.
"Mother, we're going out to play!" Nian Ge'er excitedly shook An Ran's hand.
Lu Mingxiu felt warmer, so he asked Anran to watch over Nian Ge'er while he went to change his clothes.
As soon as Lu Mingxiu left, Nian Ge'er laboriously waved his little arms and kicked his little legs to climb onto the kang (heated brick bed) by the window. Standing upright, he was finally as tall as An Ran. He leaned close to An Ran's ear and whispered, "Mother, I have something to ask you, please don't be angry, okay?"
Before he even asked, An Ran already knew what he was thinking.
Qingping is being held captive at a manor near western Beijing. Anran had promised Nian-ge'er that she would take him to see Qingping in the future.
"Mother knows what you want to ask, and Mother will answer your questions." An Ran looked at Nian Ge'er's face, which was scrunched up, and gently comforted him, "Nian Ge'er is a good child, how could Mother be angry?"
Perhaps only a child's feelings are truly genuine, after all, Qingping raised Nian Ge'er and escorted him to the capital through many hardships. Even though Qingping had her own plans and was using Nian Ge'er, he was a kind and good child who preferred to remember the kindness of others.
If she refuses outright, it will hurt Nian-ge'er's feelings!
If Qingping repents, she won't mind leaving Niange a memory; if Qingping doesn't repent, she will make Niange suffer a short pain rather than a long one, and then Qingping will cease to exist.
Nian Ge'er threw himself into An Ran's arms, but kept his head down and refused to speak.
Although Nian-ge'er seems to be gradually becoming more cheerful, he still has unresolved issues in his heart. We can only try to help him gradually.
When Lu Mingxiu returned, the mother and son had already started talking about other things.
Seeing that Nian Ge'er was clinging to An Ran's arms, he was afraid that she would get tired, so he took Nian Ge'er away. He saw some snacks that Nian Ge'er liked to eat and thought of using them to coax him.
"Dinner will be served soon." An Ran placed Nian Ge'er in Lu Mingxiu's arms. Seeing that Lu Mingxiu was about to get some snacks for Nian Ge'er, she couldn't help but say, "Be careful he won't be able to eat dinner tonight."
Lord Lu put down the pastries in his hand with a clear conscience.
"There's nothing I can do, even your father has to listen to your mother." Lord Lu admitted defeat without the slightest embarrassment.
Nian Ge'er nestled in Lu Mingxiu's arms and giggled.
He felt safe and happy because his father and mother were so close.
******
Chen Qian had already promised Xu Hui that he would give the letter, along with some silver notes and medicinal herbs, to Zheng Xing.
He had already read through Xu Hui's letter. Although it was rather long, it was all written to her father. She told him to rest assured in his post, that she and her mother were doing well, and so on. She even wrote a lot about their daily lives, which seemed a bit verbose, but it was a sincere expression of a daughter's heart.
Even if he agreed in bed, Chen Qian had no intention of going back on his word.
That day, he handed the letter and another rather large bundle to Changqing, asking Changqing to deliver them to Zheng Xing's home.
Before even reaching the Zheng family's gate, Changqing encountered Zheng Xing and conveniently handed over the matter to him. Zheng Xing recognized Changqing as Chen Qian's man and, though unwilling to leave him, turned to leave. Xu Hui's words of rejection and her mocking gaze were still vivid in his mind; he didn't want anything to do with her anymore.
"Young Master Zheng, please wait a moment." Changqing raised his voice slightly and said, "This was sent to Lord Zheng by Miss Xu. Are you really not going to help?"
Upon hearing that it was for Xu Hui's father, Zheng Xing stopped in his tracks, a hint of hesitation on his face.
The Zheng and Xu families were on good terms. Xu Hui's father had treated him well before, and he had always helped the Xu family mother and daughter send things to Xu Hui's father, who was far away in the Northwest. Now that he refused, it made him seem narrow-minded.
Therefore, he turned around expressionlessly, intending to take the thing from Changqing's hand.
"Miss Xu also instructed that if her words were inappropriate, she asked Young Master Zheng to help revise them." At the time, Changqing was also puzzled by Xu Hui's request. Xu Hui only said that her father was demoted to the Northwest because he was framed, and there might be people watching him and finding fault with him.
Although she wrote mostly everyday stories, she was afraid that others would find fault with her, so she asked Zheng Xing to take a look, which was what she had always done before.
Chen Qian didn't suspect anything. He had already read the letter and Xu Hui hadn't tried to smuggle any information out. Seeing that Xu Hui had been obedient and docile these past few days, he agreed.
Zheng Xing nodded with a cold face.
As Changqing was about to leave, Zheng Xing couldn't help but ask, "Now that your eldest mistress has entered the family, what exactly is Xu Hui in the Chen household?"
After all, she was someone he had once liked. Hearing Changqing repeatedly refer to her as "Miss Xu," he guessed that Xu Hui, who had already been taken by Chen Qian, probably didn't even have a formal title. Otherwise, Changqing would have called her "concubine." Even though he had already hardened his heart and was no longer willing to care, the thought of Xu Hui's current situation still made him feel very uncomfortable.
Changqing bowed and said without changing his expression, "Young Master Zheng, there's no need to worry. Miss Xu is doing very well at your residence."