He naturally let Yining show off as long as she was happy.

Lin Hairu, having just heard of Luo Yining's troubled past, was frightened and said she wanted to come over to see her. The maids and servants, seeing the heavy snow, dared not let her come over. If she fell on the road, it would be no joke. Someone was sent to tell Luo Yining. Thinking that she would be leaving the Luo family the next day and fearing she would rarely see her stepmother, Luo Yining sent a maid to the main house with an umbrella.

Lin Hairu brought Yining in, and she looked at Yining with reluctance to leave.

Yi Ning made her shudder, but Lin Hairu held her hand and said, "I was so scared when you were punished to go to Lu Ming Hall! Now you're a daughter of the Duke of Yingguo's mansion. I don't know who in the Luo family dares to look down on you. Your uncle just sent someone to pack you a thousand taels of silver."

Yi Ning looked at her and asked, "You... don't despise my background?"

Lin Hairu asked her to sit down, hugged the girl she had watched grow up, and sighed, "I've lived for so many years, don't you understand? Who cares about family background? It only makes you miserable. As long as you're living a good life and are loved by others, I'm happy for you. I used to have a housekeeper in my family. Her husband wanted to divorce her after he went out to have affairs with other women. Later, she married a farmer a few years younger than her, and people pointed fingers at her. But she was a strong-willed woman and never tolerated what others said about her. She gave birth to a son and a daughter, and they lived happily together."

She was born into a merchant family, and her family didn't have so many rules. She had seen all kinds of life in the market.

"Besides, your mother..." Lin Hairu stroked Yi Ning's hair and said, "She is also a pitiful person."

Lin Hairu really wanted Yining to take away the golden nanmu Luohan bed and ivory-inlaid dressing table she had given her, but this was obviously unrealistic. In the end, she only gave Yining a few silver notes, and Yining was shocked when she saw the amount on them. Even if her stepmother was rich, she shouldn't have given her so much! She quickly refused, "You have to take this back. The three thousand taels you gave me earlier this day are more than enough."

"I don't know when I can see you again..." Lin Hairu said this with a sad look on her face, her eyes slightly red. "I don't have anything else to give you. Compared to your aunt, I don't understand Confucius or Mencius. I only know how to give you mundane things. I'll give you more money. It's better than nothing. I don't need much money at home."

She was really afraid that Yi Ning would be bullied outside. She felt sorry for the child. She wished she could go to the Duke of Ying's mansion with her.

Yi Ning held her for a long time, feeling incredibly safe just by smelling her stepmother's scent. Hearing her sobs, she couldn't help but cry with her. After this separation, she feared she wouldn't see her again for a long time.

*

At the Governor's Office, Wei Ling stayed up late, ordering the guards to prepare a comfortable carriage. They had set out from Baoding this morning and should arrive in the capital the next morning. The journey would take a day and a night, and he was worried the girl would be tired. He also sent his confidants back to the Duke of Ying's mansion to prepare things first, so as not to neglect her. "...are you ready for the snacks, the charcoal stove, and so on?"

Thinking that he was going to take the girl back, he also brought two maids who usually served him with him, and would assign them to Yining's service in the future. He was now questioning one of them.

The maid bowed and said, "Don't worry, Duke. I have prepared everything. Ten vegetarian dishes, five meat dishes, and snacks such as dried fruits and candied fruits."

Wei Ling nodded and thought carefully to see if there was anything wrong, but it seemed that there was nothing.

He called the guards in again and said, "... first send someone to inform the commander of the Wucheng Army. I'm afraid we'll have to enter the city in the early morning."

After giving these instructions, Wei Ling thought about taking the child back home and having a daughter. He let out a long sigh, suddenly feeling a sense of anticipation. He had to go back and ask those who already had daughters how to take care of a daughter. Didn't Dingbei Hou have several daughters? He should ask him when he got back. He would be sure not to fail to raise the girls well.

What kind of courtyard should be prepared for her, what kind of servants should be chosen to serve her. What clothes should she wear every day, what food should she eat. Girls should be pampered and not treated with pampering.

Wei Ling even thought about the girl's marriage.

When it comes to young talent, no one can compare to his adopted nephew, Cheng Lang. How many ladies in the capital want to marry him? He's a young official in the Ministry of Personnel, and he's also handsome. I wonder if Yining would like this... But Cheng Lang's usual flirtation doesn't seem right!

After thinking about it, Wei Ling felt that it was better not to talk about marriage for the girl too early. So he brought her back, but he had to raise her for a few years first.

At dawn the next day, Wei Ling brought people to the door.

Uncle Luo and Luo Chengzhang were waiting for him at the screen wall in their official uniforms.

Yining was also woken up by Xuezhi early in the morning. She was dressed neatly in a water-red brocade jacket with a ruyi pattern, a bun with a heart-shaped topknot, and a golden lotus-shaped hairpin.

Xuezhi and Mother Xu were very reluctant to let her go. If the marriage hadn't been arranged long ago, Xuezhi would definitely leave with her. Yining saw that she started crying again and said to her, "I have already made an appointment with my third brother. He will arrange your marriage for you." She wiped her tears and said, "You are going to be a bride. Stop crying."

She shook Mother Xu's hand before leaving Luming Hall with Songzhi and Qingqu. Xuezhi hesitated for a moment under the veranda before catching up and handing the box to Songzhi. "Sister loves these glutinous rice and potato dumplings. I made them overnight. Give them to her on the road..."

Songzhi was reluctant to part with them, tears streaming down her face. Only Qingqu showed no reaction. All her possessions—38 taels and 5 qian of silver—had already been packed up and were in her bag. She had no other concerns. She would go wherever Yining went anyway.

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