Although An Ran didn't speak, her beautiful big eyes silently accused her of being the "culprit".
A gentle and indulgent smile appeared on Lu Mingxiu's lips. He said helplessly yet indulgently, "Yes, yes, it was my fault that Madam almost choked. To make amends, shall I serve Madam some food?"
As he spoke, he picked up a pair of clean silver chopsticks, selected a few side dishes that An Ran liked, and placed them on the plate in front of An Ran.
"Eat quickly, or it will get cold."
Responding to Lord Lu's call, Anran buried himself in his food and ate diligently, achieving considerable success.
Before long, she obediently drank the porridge in her bowl, the vegetables Lu Mingxiu had laid out in front of her, and a small bowl of mixed soup.
"Lord Marquis, have you eaten yet?" An Ran finished her meal in a daze and suddenly remembered that although Lord Lu had said before leaving in the morning that he would not return to the manor for dinner, he had not returned late. She wondered if he had already eaten dinner.
Lu Mingxiu nodded slightly and said, "It's already been used."
"Did you eat at the yamen?" An Ran asked casually. "You usually eat outside, but you're not back this early."
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingxiu hesitated for a moment, but still told the truth. "I just happened to run into my father-in-law."
Her father was An Yuanliang, the Marquis of Nan'an.
An Ran was somewhat surprised. How did Lu Mingxiu end up with her father? Did they even have dinner together?
"It's nothing, we just happened to run into each other!" Seeing the worry in An Ran's eyes, Lu Mingxiu decided to keep it a secret for now. He quickly smiled and reassured her, "My father-in-law invited me to dinner at Zhenweixuan."
An Ran glanced at Lu Mingxiu with some suspicion, seemingly not believing that An Yuanliang had no ulterior motive for seeking him out. She asked again, "Really nothing?"
"How could I dare to lie to my wife?" Lu Mingxiu sighed and solemnly assured me, "My father-in-law was just asking me if there were any good martial arts instructors who could teach my younger brothers some skills. He doesn't expect them to pass the martial arts exam or go to the battlefield, but at least they can strengthen their bodies and protect themselves in dangerous situations."
If An Yuanliang needed something from Lu Mingxiu, that would be more reasonable.
An Ran nodded, reluctantly accepting the suggestion.
She hadn't seen her father for a few days, and he seemed to have become quite formidable. Just the day she returned to her parents' home, her father was still very afraid of Lu Mingxiu, but now he dared to order Lu Mingxiu around.
Seeing that An Ran seemed to believe him, Lu Mingxiu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He did indeed see An Yuanliang, but it wasn't An Yuanliang who contacted him; rather, he arranged to meet An Yuanliang. And what he wanted to do—looking at his wife, who appeared even more serene and gentle under the lamplight, Lu Mingxiu's heart softened. He would tell her after it was all done.
Consider it a little surprise for her!
Cuiping and the others took away the food boxes, bowls, chopsticks, and other items, and the couple sat under the lamp talking.
"Ninth Sister, do you find anything strange?" Lu Mingxiu saw that although An Ran's face did not show it, there was still worry in her eyes, so he knew that she was still thinking about the boy and asked.
An Ran nodded, and said hesitantly, "I really think that Nian Ge'er's repeated actions are probably inseparable from Qing Ping."
"Does Ninth Sister think that Qingping is instigating Nian-ge'er? Is she deliberately going against you?" Lord Lu pointed out the crux of the problem in a very insightful way.
An Ran was slightly taken aback. She couldn't help but widen her eyes, seemingly not expecting Lu Mingxiu to so astutely point out the problem. He certainly hadn't just realized it the day before.
In fact, she had the same thought. But logically and emotionally, she felt that if Qingping had any sense, she wouldn't have done that. The reason Lu Mingxiu treated Nian'er as his own son was because his father, Zhou Cheng, had died for his country and hadn't been officially recognized. Lu Mingxiu was an extremely benevolent person and would certainly raise Zhou Nian well.
As someone close to Nian-ge'er, Qingping is practically family to him, and should be wholeheartedly devoted to his well-being. Even if it were just for her own sake, she should at least want Nian-ge'er to be happy. After all, her very existence depends on Zhou Nian.
Aside from Zhou Nian, even if Lu Mingxiu were to take care of Qingping because of Zhou Cheng and his wife, it would only be some money or valuables.
If Qingping wants wealth and status, she should take better care of Nian-ge'er. She should ensure his well-being in the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion and, first and foremost, cultivate a good relationship with his stepmother in the inner quarters.
Anran initially thought Qingping genuinely wanted Niange'er to be close to her, but later she realized that Qingping's repeated emphasis on respecting and obeying her stepmother seemed overly deliberate and insincere.
“I suddenly remembered that from the first time we met, Qingping repeatedly emphasized to Nian-ge’er to behave well in front of me and to respect me.” An Ran recalled, “Now that I think about it, it always feels a bit strange.”
“Back in the countryside, I played with Nian-ge’er and the other children, and everything was fine. But when you and I went to pick him up, Nian-ge’er was a completely different person. At first, I just thought he was not used to the change in status. But after you let Qingping leave the manor, Nian-ge’er became close to me.”
"But when Qingping came back this time, Nian-ge'er started to revert to his old ways. Sometimes he would be close to me, and sometimes he would be lost in thought."
An Ran poured out all her doubts in one breath.
Lu Mingxiu's expression didn't change much. Long before Qin Feng and the others discovered the rumor that Qingping had spread that Nian Ge'er was his illegitimate son, even though Qingping could explain herself, Lu Mingxiu had already become suspicious of her. It was precisely to prove his doubts that Lu Mingxiu had Qingping leave the mansion.
As expected, Nian-ge'er and An-ran got along very well. He was willing to call her "mother" obediently and could even act cute in front of her occasionally.
A month had passed, and as expected, when Qingping returned, Nian-ge'er's condition fluctuated. Although Lu Mingxiu wasn't home during the day, he could still discern some clues from the short time he spent with Nian-ge'er in the evenings. After all, children aren't very good at hiding their true feelings.
“But I just can’t understand it. Qingping was Nian’er’s mother’s old servant and the person she trusted most, which is why she entrusted Nian’er to Qingping. Even if Qingping was thinking of herself, shouldn’t she want Nian’er to be happy?” This is why Anran has never been able to completely believe that Qingping has a problem.
An Ran was completely baffled as to how Qingping dared to do this, knowing that Nian Ge'er was not Lu Mingxiu's son. Where did she get the confidence to do this?
“Perhaps she has her own plans.” Lu Mingxiu said thoughtfully, his long fingers tapping rhythmically on the small table. “Today Songyang told me that Qingping went to withdraw a thousand taels of silver.”
One thousand taels of silver?
An Ran blinked, somewhat puzzled.
At this moment, Lu Mingxiu realized that he had not yet explained the 50,000 taels of silver to An Ran. Therefore, Lu Mingxiu explained in detail how he gave the silver note to Yang Shi, how the silver note ended up in Qingping's hands, and how he got the silver back.
Finally, Lu Mingxiu said calmly, "If she spends these fifty thousand taels of silver on Nian-ge'er, I don't care. But if she has some other purpose..."
An Ran understood what Lu Mingxiu had left unsaid.
No wonder Qingping said she was going to Yilan Courtyard to check if Songyang had come when Niange fell today; it turns out she was referring to a sum of money. Anran frowned slightly and said, "I allocate twenty taels of silver to Yilan Courtyard every month for Niange. This is only the amount that reaches Qingping; all his food, clothing, and other expenses are paid from the public funds. Where would she get such large expenditures?"
An Ran asked herself honestly, and realized that she had been very generous to Nian Ge'er and had never skimped on his expenses. Twenty taels of silver was more than enough for daily expenses.
“I think it’s better to keep Nian’er with you and raise him.” Lu Mingxiu felt more and more that it was inappropriate to leave Nian’er in Qingping’s hands. Now that he had taken Nian’er in, he had to be worthy of Zhou Cheng and Yang Shi. “Send Qingping to the estate.”
An Ran recalled the lingering affection and reluctance in Nian Ge'er's eyes when he mentioned Qing Ping, and her heart softened. She said, "In Nian Ge'er's heart, Qing Ping might be his last remaining family member. Won't doing this hurt him? He's so young, and his mind is at such a sensitive stage..."