He Jiuniang watched his departing figure and sighed softly.

Logically speaking, she should be able to relax a lot now that Lu Baichuan is gone, but why is she not happy at all, and even has a bad feeling?

He Jiuniang shook her head, thinking that she must be overthinking things.

"Madam, these are the pastries you had the maids prepare."

Sister Xu brought out three food boxes, each containing three identical portions of pastries, all of which were recently developed by Sister Xu and her team.

In the few days since she returned, He Jiuniang has not gone to the clinic. She still feels a bit tired, so she takes a short rest. This also allows her to watch Xu Saozi and the others make the pastries taste the best.

The three portions of pastries were specially prepared for Jiang Ruoya, Cheng Xuewei, and the doctors at the clinic. She was going to the Ming Mansion and the clinic soon, so she brought them along.

"Okay, put them all in the car. In a little while, have Yuezhen and Yuezhu come out with me."

He Jiuniang quickly composed herself, realizing she needed to focus on getting the job done.

Following the previous order, we went to Mingfu first thing in the morning.

Someone had already been sent to inform her last night, so when He Jiuniang arrived, there were already people waiting at the door.

This time, Ling Yue and Ling Xue were clearly happier to see He Jiu Niang than ever before, and they ran up to greet her from afar.

Previously, she was referred to as Doctor He Jiu Niang or Lady He, but this morning she was called "Miss".

"Miss, you're finally back! Madam has missed you terribly these past few days!"

Lingyue took the initiative to link arms with her, as if they were long-lost sisters.

He Jiuniang was a little puzzled by her attitude and how she addressed her, but she didn't think much of it. Maybe it was because they really missed her during the days she was gone.

After walking a few steps, Jiang Ruoya came out herself, with Mingze by her side.

He Jiuniang called out "Madam," then said to Mingze, "Master Ming is here too!"

"Jiu'er!"

Jiang Ruoya excitedly ran to He Jiuniang's side and hugged her before she could even speak.

"You really are my Jiu'er, my Jiu'er!"

She murmured to herself, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably, yet her expression was one of pure joy.

Seeing her laughing and crying at the same time, He Jiuniang smiled helplessly and said, "Madam, please don't cry. I've only been home for a few days, and I'm back now, aren't I?"

She thought Jiang Ruoya was like this because she hadn't seen her for the past few days, but she was surprisingly careless and didn't notice that Jiang Ruoya's condition had improved a lot compared to before.

"Yes, yes, she's back, my Jiu'er is back!"

Jiang Ruoya reached out and touched He Jiuniang's face. Although He Jiuniang felt a little strange, considering Jiang Ruoya's condition, she didn't say anything and just stood there letting her look at her.

Mingze watched them with a smile, and waited until Jiang Ruoya calmed down before saying, "Alright, alright, it's good that Jiu'er is back. Didn't you make her something delicious yourself? Let's go eat something first."

Mingze walked over and took her hand. Jiang Ruoya obediently led him away, but with her other hand she reached out to pull He Jiuniang.

"Yes, yes, let's go eat first! Jiu'er, I made a lot of your favorite dishes, be sure to eat a lot later!"

He Jiuniang felt that this family was being overly enthusiastic, which made her a little uncomfortable, but seeing Jiang Ruoya's smiling face, she felt that it was actually quite nice.

"Yes, thank you, Madam."

Seeing that she didn't reject her, Jiang Ruoya smiled even more happily.

Suddenly, He Jiuniang recalled Jiang Ruoya's melancholy appearance during their escape from famine, and compared it to her current state, she looked much better.

If possible, He Jiuniang hoped that she could always be this happy, even if she continued to treat her as her daughter, it wouldn't matter.

In ancient times, when communication was underdeveloped, it was almost impossible to find a child who got lost at a young age.

In this way, by impersonating her, she could alleviate Jiang Ruoya's distress, which could be considered an act of kindness.

When they arrived at the dining table, He Jiuniang looked at the sumptuous dishes and was a little at a loss. Was it really okay to eat such a lavish meal so early in the morning?

Jiang Ruoya personally served He Jiuniang rice and enthusiastically served her dishes. He Jiuniang felt a little embarrassed as she watched the bowls quickly pile up.

Mingze, sitting opposite her, smiled gently and said, "She hasn't seen you for several days and misses you terribly. I hope you don't mind."

Since they had already gone this far, she felt too embarrassed to refuse, so she nodded and smiled, "Yes, thank you, Madam. It must have been hard work making so many dishes so early in the morning!"

As He Jiuniang spoke, she picked up her chopsticks. These dishes were actually the everyday fare of wealthy families. She hadn't eaten them many times before, but undeniably, they were all exactly the flavors she loved.

Jiang Ruoya kept looking at her, and asked expectantly, "Is it delicious?"

"It's delicious, thank you, madam."

Jiang Ruoya's face immediately fell, and she said somewhat aggrievedly, "Don't call me Madam, just call me Auntie, okay?"

He Jiuniang glanced at Mingze, and seeing Mingze nod, she called out, "Aunt Jiang."

Jiang Ruoya immediately smiled and agreed, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at her with loving eyes, making her finish the whole bowl of rice.

After she finished eating, just as they were about to give her acupuncture, Jiang Ruoya said, "I've been feeling much better these past few days. Can we skip the acupuncture? I'll just take the medicine."

He Jiuniang took her pulse and found that her condition was indeed good. She just needed to pay more attention to her condition. She said, "Alright, I'll give you a milder prescription. Take it for a while and see how it goes. Then we can do acupuncture to consolidate the treatment."

Jiang Ruoya nodded repeatedly.

He Jiuniang gave her the pastries she had brought and said, "Aunt Jiang, these are pastries that my family made recently. They taste very good. You must try them!"

"Okay, okay, I love snacks!"

Jiang Ruoya took it and held it in her arms like a precious treasure.

Afterwards, He Jiuniang chatted with her for a few more minutes. Seeing that it was getting late and she had to go to the clinic to see patients, she bid farewell and left.

Jiang Ruoya and Mingze personally escorted her to the door, and only after watching her carriage slowly depart did they let out a sigh of relief.

Jiang Ruoya exclaimed, "Aze, this is really my daughter. I never imagined that she would grow up to be so outstanding over the years."

Her eyes were filled with love and reluctance, and she continued to stare in that direction until the carriage was no longer in sight.

"Yes, she is very outstanding, and her in-laws treat her very well. She is living a happy life now, so you shouldn't blame yourself for the past."

Mingze gently stroked her cheek, which was still streaked with tears.