Su Xuerong had hoped that if Ling Qingxue could make it back safely, she might be able to travel south with them.

But even after waiting until the ninth day of June, there was still no news from him.

The Su family had already packed their luggage and went to the dock early on the eleventh day of the lunar new year.

Su Xuerong, Yuanjie'er, and Xiuchun stayed in an upper room, while the Zhou couple, along with Su Jian, stayed in the next room. The rest of the people stayed in lower rooms below the cabin.

This time, the passenger ship was much larger than the one from the north, and the cabins were more spacious. Without the panic of fleeing Suzhou last time, Su Xuerong felt much more at ease.

While Su Xuerong was coaxing Yuanjie to sleep, Xiuchun went out to call for hot water and came back.

"My wife, guess who I just saw?"

Seeing Xiuchun's winking and gesturing, Su Xuerong felt a surge of joy: "Could it be that Mr. Ling has returned?"

"No!" Xiuchun said, "It's Lord Ming and the others!"

Su Xuerong's smile vanished instantly: "Why did they come along too?"

Xiuchun couldn't help but laugh: "Just now, Lord Ming was quietly complaining to me that someone wanted to be his shadow!"

"What is this?" Su Xuerong didn't find it funny at all; she just felt confused.

The thought of Ge Cong'an made her feel choked up.

What a tagalong! I run into him everywhere!

Xiuchun leaned close to her ear, suppressing a laugh, and whispered, "My lady, haven't you noticed that Mr. Ge has feelings for you?"

This wasn't just something she made up; even Han Changrong and Ming Shu could see it.

Su Xuerong glared at her: "Stop talking nonsense! He's so arrogant, it's bad luck to be targeted by him!"

Xiuchun noticed her displeasure and dared not make any more jokes.

This time, the waterway heading south is the Jiangnan Canal, which is over 600 li long. If the wind is favorable, it will take less than ten days to reach Hangzhou.

This time, the Su family had ample time to prepare, so they purchased medicine in advance to prevent shipwreck. In addition, the passenger ship's cabins were spacious and the windows could be opened, making it much more comfortable than the last time.

Su Xuerong sat at the low table by the window, intending to see her achievements over the past month. However, after reading only a few pages, she became dizzy from the rocking of the ship. Seeing that the rain had stopped, she asked Xiuchun to carry Yuanjie to the deck reserved for the upper room.

Su Jian couldn't stay in the cabin. As soon as he heard the noise next door, he ran out and excitedly ran towards the front deck.

He had only run a few steps when he suddenly cried out, "Ouch!"

Su Xuerong hurriedly looked ahead.

Just as the door to the cabin in front of them opened, Su Jian was caught off guard and fell on top of the person.

Xiao Yuan looked at the little guy lying on his lap, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, frowning as he said, "Whose child is this? Why aren't you keeping a close eye on him..."

Just then, a graceful figure walked over from the left and snatched the child from his hands: "You can even argue with a child, you're really something!"

Xiao Yuan really didn't expect that the child who suddenly jumped onto his lap was actually Su Xuerong's nephew.

He couldn't help but glare at Akira, who was pushing the wheelchair behind him.

Why didn't you remind him?

Ming Shu didn't look at him, but instead looked at Su Xue Rong with a fawning expression: "Madam Su, my master's leg injury hasn't healed yet, so he can only sit in a wheelchair. He accidentally bumped into Jian Ge'er. I'm so sorry."

Su Xuerong glanced at Xiao Yuan's leg, her expression becoming somewhat uneasy: "Is it still not done?"

She disliked him as much as she liked him, but since this person's injury was related to her, she couldn't pretend not to know.

Xiao Yuan immediately frowned and said, "Although the wound has healed a bit, it has damaged the tendons and bones, so it will take at least a few months to heal..."

Akira had to admire his master's performance; he could have easily performed in an opera.

He was clearly old enough to walk before boarding the ship, but he insisted on having someone bring a wheelchair to push him around as a conspicuous figure.

Su Xuerong immediately looked apologetic, gently biting her lip as she said, "If that's the case, I can help you prepare some medicinal cuisine..."

This time they brought everything they needed, so they had no problem preparing nourishing medicinal cuisine.

Xiao Yuan was feeling a sense of relief when he suddenly noticed her pause for a moment, staring at him and asking, "Mr. Ge, you won't mind, will you?"

Today she wore a light blue short shirt, with a crescent-white tube top underneath. Her dreamlike, misty gauze dress draped over her slender and exquisite figure, making her small face look incredibly delicate.

At this moment, she was looking at him with a questioning gaze, her watery eyes revealing a hint of worry.

Xiao Yuan said expressionlessly, "I've tasted Madam Su's cooking, and it's quite good. How could I possibly dislike it?"

Akira: "..."

It would be better to remain silent!

Su Xuerong frowned slightly, then chuckled softly, "I'm glad you don't mind, sir."

After saying that, he led Su Jian past him and walked towards the outer deck.

Xiao Yuan watched her graceful figure disappear into the distance, then looked at Ming Shu and asked, "Did I say something wrong? Why is she being sarcastic again?"

Ming Shu sighed, then couldn't help but look at him: "Master, I'm afraid you've never been in love with any woman, have you?"

Xiao Yuan glanced at him.

Ming Shu hurriedly said, "No, I didn't say anything wrong!"

Su Xuerong's good mood was not affected. She stood on the deck with Su Jian and Yuan Jie'er, looking at the misty river in front of her, and let out a long sigh.

These past few days I've finally escaped the shadows of my past life.

At this time, there was neither the gloomy and oppressive atmosphere of the palace, nor the madwoman Xu Wanjing causing trouble. Life couldn't be more pleasant.

As for Ge Cong'an, compared to Xu Wanjing, he's practically a saint.

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