[Foreword]

Many readers are wondering why the main story doesn't depict the sweet daily life of the male and female leads getting back together.

As an experienced writer who has failed, let me tell you why: it's because there's no main storyline.

There is no single goal that the male lead, female lead, male supporting character, and female supporting character strive for.

If the author were to force it, it would be possible, but the content would be very "scattered." Readers might initially find it sweet, but they would gradually realize that it becomes less and less interesting and increasingly superficial.

We're all sisters who have "read countless articles," so we've all probably read those sweet and rambling stories.

"Sweet treats" are like cream cakes. You might enjoy a slice every few days or even just one a day. But if you treat them as a regular meal and eat them three times a day, you'll get tired of them after a couple of days.

The same applies to cakes, and the same applies to novels.

If the author had actually continued writing about the two reuniting in the main text a few days ago, he would definitely have written about the Emperor (Prince Jin) and Prince Qin discovering the female lead and then coming to snatch her away.

After much deliberation, I decided to let it go and let Chen Mianmian and Bai Qingzhou live their lives in peace.

The peaceful and sweet daily life will be told in the epilogue.

Of course... the author can guarantee the side stories will be peaceful, but not necessarily sweet, because the author doesn't know how to write sweet stories. o(╥﹏╥)o, especially sweet stories without a main plot!

Also, the author really, really can't write side stories, and they are very likely to be poorly written. Please forgive me, dear readers!

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Kaiyang County was bustling all day, just like celebrating the New Year.

Everyone was talking about how the Ning family girl and the Empress became close friends and how she returned to her hometown in glory.

As night fell,

Many people who were still awake were still discussing and marveling at the good fortune that had befallen the Ning family's daughter. They said her father, Ning Lidian, might become a high-ranking official in the capital, and the Ning family might also have to move there. They were filled with envy and jealousy.

These are questions that even outsiders could think of, let alone the Ning family.

That night, the Ning family of four gathered together.

Ning's mother, Li, first held her daughter and cried for a while. Ning's father, Ning Maode, then comforted his daughter, saying that it was okay to lose her memory, and they would slowly help her regain it.

Shen Mianmian was very fortunate that the Ning family members looked like her family, making it easy for her to empathize and integrate. Otherwise, if she were to act out a scene of deep family affection and crying with three strangers, she wouldn't be able to cry, but she would probably not be able to cry realistically.

She has acting talent, but not much.

After everyone calmed down, Ning Maode asked his daughter about the Empress. After all, they lived with their daughter every day and hadn't discovered that their daughter had a private relationship with the Empress.

Shen Mianmian directly blamed it on amnesia, saying she didn't remember.

Finally, it was Ning Junchu, the young master of the Ning family, who made a surprising remark: "Your Majesty, could you have mistaken me for someone else?"

The Ning couple suddenly realized—that's right! Before, their daughter never left the house, and they knew who she met and what letters she wrote every day.

Moreover, if you count the time, the Empress was rebelling with the Emperor before her daughter entered the palace. How could she possibly be close friends with her daughter?

And the most crucial factor is age!

Although they did not know the Empress's age, it was rumored that when the Empress married Magistrate Bai... who was formerly the heir of the Marquis of Anning, she was eighteen years old. Now, seven years later, she is twenty-five years old.

Their daughter, Ning Furong, is seventeen years old. Seven years ago, she was only ten. What close friend could a little girl like her have?

After thinking it over, I felt that Ning Junchu's words made the most sense; it was almost certain that the Empress had mistaken someone for someone else.

Ning Maode had originally thought he could use his daughter's connections to become a high-ranking official in the capital, but now he realized—what high-ranking official could he possibly become? If the Empress found out, he might be charged with deceiving the Emperor.

After his initial panic subsided, Ning Maode calmed down and realized that as long as his family didn't linger in front of the Empress, even if she discovered their mistake, she would grit her teeth and bear it.

That's how most officials are; they care a lot about their image.

The higher the official rank, the more concerned they are with saving face. Even if it is truly their own mistake, they will find their advisors and retainers to take the blame.

Ning Maode sternly warned his family: "You must not divulge a single word about the Empress's close relationship with Furong! If anyone asks, just say it concerns the Empress. Do not harbor any resentment, or you could lose your head."

The other three nodded repeatedly, promising not to tell anyone, before stopping their conversation and returning to their rooms to rest.

Chen Mianmian returned to Ning Furong's room and lay on the bed, still smiling as she thought—she was afraid that Ning's father had taken the Empress's reward and made a fortune, and would no longer want to be a minor official, and would want to leave Kaiyang.

She had even prepared several contingency plans, but she never expected things to go so smoothly.

Ning's father dared not dream of becoming a high-ranking official, and continued to work as a clerk in a down-to-earth manner, which also made it easier for her to see Fengchu again.

Phoenix Chick...

It's been a long time since I called him by that name, although I used to call him that name secretly in my heart.

Now, continue to call her name secretly, because it is a name that belongs only to her.

Lost in thought, I drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

The next day.

When Shenmian opened her eyes, she had been sleeping until almost noon.

She was stunned—over the past few decades, as she grew older and her life became more monotonous, she suffered from increasingly severe insomnia, eventually sleeping only three or four hours a day on average.

Now that I've suddenly switched to a seventeen-year-old's body, my sleep quality has improved dramatically, and I'm still getting used to it.

She hurriedly got out of bed, quickly dressed and washed up, and ran out of the room.

But then they saw Li washing vegetables.

Seeing her daughter come out, Madam Li said lovingly, "You're up? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?"

Chen Mianmian said awkwardly, "...Sorry, I slept a lot because I was traveling hard the past few days."

Li smiled and said, "It's alright. You've always liked to stay in bed. Anyway, there's nothing else to do, so you can sleep a little longer."

Chen Mianmian nodded.

Yesterday's "family meeting" revealed that the Ning family is extremely harmonious, the couple is loving, Ning's father does not want to take a concubine, and there is no obvious preference for sons over daughters.

In this ancient society where men were superior to women, it was rare to find a society where there was no obvious preference for sons over daughters.

"Mom, are you washing vegetables? Let me help you."

Li handed over the vegetables, saying, "Okay, you wash them. I'll start the fire. Once lunch is ready, I'll have Junchu bring it to your father."

Shen Mianmian was taken aback. "Delivering meals? There's no canteen at the yamen... uh... work meals?" She didn't know what canteens were called in ancient times.

Li didn't think much of it, only assuming that her daughter was injured and had lost her memory, and felt secretly sorry for her. "Yes, there used to be a chef named Zhang, but yesterday Chef Zhang went home for a funeral. The yamen couldn't find a suitable temporary chef for a while, so the magistrate distributed the lunch money to everyone so that everyone could find a place to eat. Our house is close to the yamen, so I thought I'd have your brother deliver the meals for a few days. We'll find a chef in a few days."

Shen Mianmian understood, but suddenly a question came to mind—if it were the yamen, would it be possible to see Fengchu?

Thinking of this, Chen Mianmian's cheeks flushed slightly. "Mother, why don't you keep busy and I'll cook lunch? I'll bring the food to Father later, okay?"

“You can do it, but this meal delivery…” Madam Li hesitated. Although since the new emperor ascended the throne, everything was thriving and the people’s customs were becoming more open, Furong was still an unmarried girl.

In the past, it would have been fine for a commoner woman, but now that Furong is the Empress's close friend, her status has risen, and she might even have a good marriage. Shouldn't she... not show her face too much in public?

Chen Mianmian said earnestly, "Let Junchu study more. Although our daughter has amnesia, she knows that those high-ranking officials in the capital studied diligently from a young age, and that's how they rose to prominence."

Upon hearing this, Li was instantly energized. "Alright, I'll listen to you. You... you're not a child anymore, make your own decision. If you think you can deliver it, then deliver it."

"Of course." Chen Mianmian took over the work, happily washed the vegetables, and then carried the clean vegetables into the kitchen to start cooking.

Half an hour later.

A delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen.

When Li entered the kitchen, she was surprised. "When did you become such a good cook?"

Li had taught her daughter to cook before, but her daughter's skills were mediocre, unlike how good she is now.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you, Mother. I learned a few dishes from the cooks in the Imperial Kitchen, but my skills aren't very good," Chen Mianmian said with a smile.

She was being modest, of course. Back in modern times, when her parents got old and had poor appetites, she would cook different dishes for them every day.

After her younger brother got married, his wife liked her cooking and would come over for a free meal every weekend.

Later, when her sister-in-law was in postpartum confinement, she hoped that her sister-in-law could eat well, so she prepared postpartum meals for her brother to pick up every day.

Li exclaimed in amazement, “As expected of the Imperial Kitchen, their skills are indeed better than those of us commoners!”

Chen Mianmian quickly finished cooking and packed the food into a food container.

Li asked in confusion, "Why did you pack so much food?"

Chenmianmian—of course, she brought a portion for Fengchu as well.

"Because I was thinking that maybe one of your colleagues forgot to bring his own lunch, so I could give him a portion. It would be a way of doing you a favor, and it would make things easier for you when you're in the government office."

Lady Li suddenly realized, "As expected of someone who has been to the palace, their considerations are thorough!"

With a smile, Chen Mianmian picked up two large food boxes and went out to the yamen.

.

Kaiyang County Government Office.

When Chen Mianmian arrived at the gate of the yamen, she was about to explain to the gatekeeper that she was delivering food when the gatekeeper recognized her. "Oh my, isn't this Miss Ning? Are you here to deliver food to your clerk Ning?"

Chen Mianmian smiled and nodded. "Hello, big brother. Yes, is my father here?"

"Here you are, come in quickly!" The constable smiled and pointed.

Chen Mianmian's eyes flickered, and she asked again, "Excuse me, sir, is the county magistrate here?"

"Here you are. Do you need to see Lord Bai?" The constable Tao Jun's eyes changed slightly. He thought to himself, "Lord Bai is the most handsome man in the surrounding area. Could it be that Miss Ning admires him?"

Well... there are many girls who like Lord Bai, but Lord Bai may have been betrayed by two wives and concubines in succession, and now he has no interest in matters of men and women. Should we tell Miss Ning this in a tactful way?

But then I thought, Ning Lidian also knows about this, and he will definitely tell him.

"Lord Bai is here."

Shen Mianmian saw the constable's gaze, but smiled and pretended not to see it. "It's like this, could you please trouble your elder brother to report to the county magistrate that I've come to deliver food to Father? Because Mother told me that the county magistrate told everyone to go out to eat, and didn't say that delivering food was allowed."

As he spoke, he took out a tael of silver and stuffed it into the hand of the constable, saying, "Please, brother, help me out."

Tao Jun took the silver with great joy, but also felt somewhat embarrassed. "There's no need to tell Lord Bai. He's a kind and generous man and wouldn't be petty. Besides, this silver... I can't accept it..."

Chen Mianmian insisted on sending it, saying, "Please, brother, tell him for me that this money is Furong's way of treating you to lunch."

Tao Jun ultimately couldn't resist the temptation of money. He thought to himself, "Whether Lord Bai is willing or not, I'm helping Miss Ning anyway, so this money isn't a complete waste."

Afterwards, Tao Jun first took Miss Ning to Ning Lidian's official residence, and then went to find Lord Bai.

When Ning Furong arrived at the entrance of the official residence, she saw that there were still a few people inside, so she did not go in but waited for a while.

They were waiting for the people inside to leave, and also for Fengchu to arrive.

The reason she waited for others to leave was that if she really ran into Ning's father's colleagues and friends, she wouldn't be able to feed Fengchu with all the food she had taken.

Although people in ancient times might not have had such thick skin, we still had to be wary.

So we waited for a while.

Before the people inside could come out, they heard footsteps behind them.

Shen Mianmian turned her head and saw a tall man in an official robe rushing over. His fair and handsome face was flushed with excitement, and his clear, starry eyes were filled with joy.

Shen Mianmian's heart was also pounding. Just as she was about to say something, the constable came up from behind. "Sir, this is Miss Ning. You should have met her yesterday."

Chenmian winked at Bai Qingzhou—"There are outsiders here!"

Bai Qingzhou quickly pursed her lips, suppressing her joy—she knew she wouldn't show it.

Bai Qingzhou took a deep breath without making a sound, then said calmly, "I heard you came to deliver food to Ning Lidian?"

Shen Mianmian also pretended to be very respectful and polite, "Yes, sir. My mother said that my father is a picky eater and probably won't be used to eating out, so since we live nearby, we sent some. Where do you plan to eat later, sir?"

Bai Qingzhou glanced at the two large food boxes on the ground and understood that Mianmian had brought him a portion. He was so happy that he almost couldn't control his expression.

He discovered that concealing pain was easy, but hiding joy was truly difficult. Now, all he wanted to do was kick Tao Jun out of the government office.

Unfortunately, with Tao Jun so oblivious to social cues, he had to suppress his laughter and say, "I haven't decided yet."

"If you don't mind, you can have a meal with my father. Today's meal was prepared by me. Because I have no experience, I accidentally made too much."

Bai Qingzhou was about to agree immediately, but then felt that answering too quickly was somewhat incongruous, since the two were "not familiar" with each other.

He pretended to think for a moment, then said with feigned difficulty, "This...isn't that inappropriate?"

The officials in the government office heard the two talking and hurriedly came out.

Seeing this, Chen Mianmian said to Ning's father, "Father, I prepared a little extra food today. I heard that you haven't eaten yet. Why don't you invite you to have lunch with us?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Maode hurriedly replied, "Of course, but I'm afraid you might find it inappropriate."

Chen Mianmian smiled and secretly gave Bai Qingzhou a look—look, I've prepared a way out for you, now get off.

Bai Qingzhou felt that he could hardly hold back his tears, so he made a fist, put it to his lips, and coughed lightly twice, pretending to be polite. "Then... I'll respectfully accept your offer."

His joyful eyes secretly glanced at her.

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The novel marked "[Completed]" means the main text is finished, but it does not affect the updating of side stories.

The bonus chapters will be updated irregularly, mostly about trivial matters. Please enjoy them casually and don't wait! Best wishes!