Chapter 65: No More Talk About the New Home

We traveled like this for almost three days and soon arrived at the capital.

On the way, Zhou Linjin would sometimes complain of a headache, or be frightened at night. Chen Lianxiu had no choice but to use acupuncture to give him some relief. Although the poisoning was not serious this time, he had been poisoned once before, and there was no medicine on the road, so it was really hard to say.

Arriving in the capital, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As soon as he entered the city gate, Zhou Linjin asked Bi Cha to go home first to report the news. He had to tell them about the eyes, Chen Lianxiu and An An's affairs, so that his family could be prepared first.

As for Zhou Linjin himself, official business was naturally more important. He had to take Pei Qian to report first, and then continue the investigation.

Zhou Linjin first asked Ao Xing and the others to take Pei Qian back, while he found a secluded place on the street to stop and got on the carriage of Chen Lianxiu and the others.

"I asked Bi Cha to go back first. They will send you back to Duke Cheng's Mansion later." Zhou Linjin said.

Before Shen Lianxiu could speak, An An asked loudly, "Where is it?"

Zhou Linjin wanted to touch her but couldn't see her. However, just hearing An An's voice softened his heart, and his voice softened. He said, "Go to An An's house. Grandma, aunt, and cousin are waiting for you."

An An tilted her head and began to think. After all, in her understanding, she had already left home with her mother, and this was not the Baixi Village she knew, so how could she say she was going home?

She had never seen a grandmother before, she only knew that her friends next door had a grandmother.

"I will not go back to Duke Cheng's Mansion," Chen Lianxiu said firmly before An An could say anything, "That is not our home."

Zhou Linjin frowned. Her reaction was within his expectations. He had driven her away in the past, so it would not be easy to invite her back. Naturally, he had already made other arrangements.

"A Yuan, where are you going if you don't stay at home?" Zhou Linjin didn't dare to retreat at this moment, for fear that if she gave in, she would run away again.

"Stay in an inn," Shen Lianxiu had already planned on the way, "and then I'll find a place to rent on my own."

Zhou Linjin said: "No."

Shen Lianxiu looked at him angrily, but he couldn't see.

"The inns are full of mixed bag. If you want to rent a small house later, you won't be able to find one that suits your taste without paying a high price. The surrounding environment is most likely not good..."

"What do you want to say?"

Zhou Linjin didn't seem annoyed by her interruption, but continued, "In a place like that, it would be easy for King Hui to attack you, so I will never agree to it."

Chen Lianxiu sneered: "You keep threatening me with King Hui, right?"

"How could I threaten you?"

Shen Lianxiu pressed his forehead.

"So what do you say?" she said.

Zhou Linjin thought for a moment and said, "Ao Xing has an empty house. Most of the people living there are officials and their families. It will be safer. You can go and live there."

How could Chen Lianxiu not hear that Ao Xing was just an excuse, and this was probably Zhou Linjin's own private residence.

She raised an eyebrow and asked, "How do you calculate the money?"

"Money...you can give it as you see fit." Zhou Linjin said.

Chen Lianxiu didn't want to go against him anymore. Since he was already here, there was no point in getting entangled in such trivial matters. Since he said that it was rented out by Ao Xing, then just treat it as Ao Xing's.

But after thinking it over, she said, "Hu Jun will be harmed by King Hui at home. If he really wants to..."

"Don't say any more," Zhou Linjin's face suddenly changed, and he immediately interrupted her, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Chen Lianxiu smiled, lowered his head and touched An An's little head, without saying anything.

Afterwards, Zhou Linjin parted with them, and Chen Lianxiu and An An were sent to the legendary Ao Xing's house.

It seemed that there were indeed not many people living here. There was only one doorman guarding the place. When he saw them coming, he quickly welcomed them in.

The house is only three-story in size and is inconspicuous among the streets. The front yard is for receiving guests, and after crossing the courtyard is the second living area, and further back is where the servants live.

Chen Lianxiu sat with An An for a while, and then Bi Cha came back.

Bi Cha was sweating profusely from his busy work. He just gulped down a cup of cold tea and said to Shen Lianxiu, "Madam and the others are already here. Please get ready, Madam."

Chen Lianxiu stood up and looked at An An who was playing by herself at the side without saying a word.

Seeing that she was silent, Bi Cha naturally thought that she didn't want Yang and Zhou Yishao to come, so he advised: "Madam, you heard that you have a granddaughter, you are so happy that you don't know what to do. You didn't even bother to ask about your husband. Madam, please let them come to see the young lady!"

Chen Lianxiu waved to An An and asked An An to come over to her side.

She selfishly didn't want to see anyone from the Duke Cheng's Mansion, probably because it was almost as shameful as being kicked out five years ago. But in fact, it was only Zhou Linjin who drove her away, and Yang and Zhou Yishao had no grudge against her. Zhou Yishao even treated her very well when she left. She would never forget all this.

She had already followed Zhou Linjin back to Beijing, so it was unreasonable not to let Yang and Zhou Yishao see An An. She couldn't vent her anger on them.

Chen Lianxiu said to Bi Cha, "You take An An here. I'll go to the back to take a look and take a rest. I won't see them anymore."

Bi Cha opened his mouth, not knowing what to say for a moment. Chen Lianxiu didn't want to see anyone, and he couldn't force her down. Taking a nap was just an excuse that everyone could hear.

"An'an, just wait here for a while," Shen Lianxiu turned and instructed An'an, "Grandmother and aunt are coming over. Be polite when you see them and don't act naughty."

An An snuggled up to Chen Lianxiu, and after hearing what she said, she was obviously a little reluctant. She pouted and called Chen Lianxiu "Mom" several times, but did not make a noise.

Bi Cha was afraid that An An would stick to Shen Lianxi, and if she made a fuss, she wouldn't be able to see Yang and the others, so he said, "My dear, I'll play with you here, and my dear is right behind us, it's okay."

"Is it okay?" Shen Lianxiu asked her again.

An An nodded.

So Chen Lianxiu immediately handed An An to Bi Cha and asked him to stay with her. She went to the backyard, went into the house and closed the door, so she could not hear any movement in the front yard.

Soon, Yang and Zhou Yishao hurried over.

Ever since Bi Cha came to report the news, Yang was neither happy nor sad. Her heart felt like it was being fried in a frying pan, taken out to cool, and then fried again, over and over again.

At first, she was worried about Zhou Linjin's eyes, and then she suddenly heard Bi Cha say that Chen Lianxiu was not dead, and had given birth to a daughter, who was now five years old. She was so surprised and happy that she fell on the chair for a long time and couldn't speak. After she came to her senses, she immediately called Zhou Yishao. She couldn't wait a moment and had to come to see her immediately. She was also afraid that Chen Lianxiu was still angry and would not let them see her.

On the way, she kept asking Zhou Yishao what to do if Chen Lianxiu refused to let them see the child. Zhou Yishao only said: "That's what I should do."

Yang was both worried and happy.

When she walked in as if in a dream and saw the child standing in front of the hall, Yang couldn't help but shed tears. She walked over and squatted in front of the child, not saying a word for a long time.

"Okay, mother, don't scare her." Zhou Yishao helped Yang up and smiled at An An, "Your name is An An, right?"

An An nodded, her big eyes rolling around, looking at Yang and then at Zhou Yishao.

Yang wiped her tears, touched An An's head and said, "Look at him, he looks so much like our Erlang when he was a child."

She then remembered something, looked around, and asked Bi Cha, "Where is your second wife?"

Bi Cha said: "She went to the house to rest."

Yang and Zhou Yishao looked at each other and immediately realized that Chen Lianxiu had avoided her. Yang frowned and sat down with An An in her arms. Seeing that An An didn't make a fuss, she liked him even more.

Yang asked Zhou Yishao to take out the two red envelopes she had prepared. They were stuffed full of banknotes, and then she handed them to An An: "This is a gift from your grandmother and aunt. There are also other things. Grandmother has asked someone to speed up the preparations and they will be sent to you and your mother soon."

An An was confused as to what she was getting at the red envelope. She just vaguely remembered that Shen Lianxiu would give her a red envelope during the Chinese New Year. So she looked at Yang and then at Zhou Yishao, and said to these two people who were still strangers to her, "Thank you."

Zhou Yishao couldn't help but touch An An's plump cheeks and said softly, "I'm your aunt, and this is your grandmother."

An An nodded, but didn't call anyone.

Yang sighed and said, "Let's go see your mother."

"Mother, let's not do that," Zhou Yishao stopped Yang. "It's normal for her not to want to see us. After all, Erlang treated her like that before. If I were her, I wouldn't be able to get over it. If she had forgiven him, she would have returned to the Duke's Mansion long ago. Why would she live here? But being able to live here is good enough. We must not force her now. She's tired from the long journey. Let her rest well now."

"It's all Erlang's fault. How could he be so stupid? People used to say he was precocious and intelligent, but now it seems I have raised a stupid son. So many people in the family thought it was inappropriate. Even someone as mean as your grandmother felt that she couldn't kick him out. But he just wouldn't listen. Life is so confusing. Even if it weren't for..." Yang looked at An An. The child was soft and tender, so she naturally couldn't bear it, so she kept complaining.

Zhou Yishao quickly interrupted her: "Stop talking, An An is still here, don't let the children hear it."

Yang pressed her cheek against An An's soft hair and murmured, "Okay, I won't say anymore. Poor An An, she has been living outside like this all this time. I don't know how much hardship she has endured."

"She's so plump and beautiful, and I don't know how well she's been taken care of by her mother," Zhou Yishao couldn't help but say, "Mother, it's a good thing she's not here, otherwise you'd just be adding fuel to the fire, and Erlang would never have to take her home in his lifetime."

After hearing this, Yang said, "I don't care what Erlang does, but he must find a way to bring them back to the Duke's Mansion as soon as possible. Also, write a letter to your father when you get back to tell him the good news!"