Xingxing slept with Zhao Guihua that night, the mother and daughter whispering to each other until dawn.
“I’m a little worried. Tangguo is still a child herself. I wonder if she will cry every day while taking care of Yuting?” Xingxing felt that it was not very reliable after learning that Tangguo was sent to Changting County to protect Chen Yuting.
The unreliable Candy had already safely arrived in Changting County with Mo Tianzhu's family. Yesterday evening, they encountered another group of men in black, but they were all defeated by the crazed Candy. So last night, they dared not stop and continued their journey through the night.
When they arrived at Changting County, the city gates were open. They entered the city and headed straight for the Chen family. The Chen family had now acquired another residence, and Mo Tianzhu knew the address. He would occasionally send them wine, so he was quite familiar with Chen Tu.
Upon arriving at the destination, Mo Baoshan jumped down from the carriage, picked up the copper ring, and knocked on the door a few times.
Soon, the old voice of the gatekeeper came from inside, "Who is it? It's not even dawn yet, and you're disturbing my sleep."
"Open the door quickly! We're from Shanshui Town, and we have important business with Master Chen," Mo Baoshan called out.
"Shanshui Town? Is the wine being delivered?" the gatekeeper muttered as he opened the door.
The government office of Nanyang Prefecture.
It was already high in the sky, and she had only gone to sleep when the stars were about to lighten. She was always a heavy sleeper, and since she hadn't slept well the night before, she was determined to make up for it during the day. So she was still fast asleep and hadn't gotten up yet.
Zhao Guihua hadn't fallen asleep. After Xingxing fell asleep, she sat up and stared at Xingxing's little face. It had been three years since she last saw her. The soft, chubby little dumpling had grown up quite a bit and become a delicate little girl.
The more she looked at her, the more fascinated she became. So after going out for dinner, Zhao Guihua returned to her room and continued to stare at her daughter, unable to get enough of looking at her.
Finally, the stars woke her up. The little girl, still sleepy-eyed, climbed out of bed and leaned against Zhao Guihua's chest like a boneless tree. Her voice was still soft and sweet, "Mom, you woke up so early. Why didn't you wake me?"
"It's alright, you're still growing, so you naturally need to sleep more. I don't want to wake you up. Did you sleep well?" Zhao Guihua hugged her with a loving expression.
"Hmm, I slept well, but I always felt like there were eyes watching me in my dreams, it was so strange." Xingxing rubbed her almond-shaped eyes and smiled at Zhao Guihua.
Zhao Guihua paused slightly. Her daughter wasn't dreaming; she had actually been watching her all night. The child was quite perceptive, even sensing someone watching her in her dream.
"Get up, go eat something first. Mom steamed some egg custard for you. You loved it when you were little," Zhao Guihua casually changed the subject.
"Mom, I'm still young, only ten years old, still a little girl." Xingxing snuggled into her arms again, acting all cute.
Zhao Guihua was delighted by her daughter's affection and couldn't stop smiling.
Xingxing won't be able to stay with Zhulin today; she'll be spending all her time with her mother to make up for the longing she feels after not seeing her for three years.
In the evening, another group of guests arrived, and it turned out to be Zhang Xiantao and Zhao Mingyue. The former had stopped going around with Xingxing to help with disaster relief a year ago. Hearing that Madam Zhang had fallen ill, she took Zhao Mingyue back to the capital first.
Why did they suddenly come to Nanyang Prefecture again? And why did they go directly to the prefectural government office?
Over the past year, Zhang Xiantao has frequently written letters to Xingxing. Although Xingxing and her group are always on the move and can't stay in one place for long, Zhang Xiantao always finds a way to get the letters to Xingxing.
So she knew that Xingxing had been on her way to Nanyang Prefecture a few days ago, so she brought Zhao Mingyue with her.
As soon as Zhang Xiantao saw Zhao Guihua, she affectionately took her arm and said sweetly, "You must be Aunt Zhao. I've heard Xingxing mention you for three years now. I know you, Uncle Zhou, and Brother Fu. Xingxing told me all about it."
I've been wanting to visit you guys for a long time, but I've been too busy and haven't had the chance. Now that's great, we've finally met!
"So you're Miss Zhang from the General's Mansion? Xingxing often mentions you in her letters. You really are a lovable child, and you're also very pretty and cheerful." Zhao Guihua felt flattered by Zhang Xiantao's enthusiasm.
Upon hearing the word "festive," Zhang Xiantao chuckled. She always liked to wear bright red clothes, and today she was dressed in bright red as well. However, Zhao Mingyue said that wearing bright red every day was too dazzling.
Although Zhao Mingyue was just saying it casually, Zhang Xiantao took it seriously. He said it was dazzling, so she decided to wear different colors on weekdays. Later, she felt that other colors of clothes were also quite nice, so now her clothing colors are not so monotonous.
Xingxing watched as Zhang Xiantao coaxed Zhao Guihua, making her beam with joy, and couldn't bear it any longer. She cleared her throat and said, "Zhang Xiantao, tell me honestly, why did you bring Zhao Mingyue back to Nanyang Prefecture? Did your mother agree to let you leave the capital?"
“Of course I agree. Mingyue and I are so good at kung fu, what does she have to worry about?” Zhang Xiantao replied without batting an eye.
“You and Zhao Mingyue took Dazhuang and Daze out of the capital without bringing any servants with you. I suspect that you ran away secretly again this time, and you didn’t even have time to bring any servants.” Xingxing pointed out the truth in her words.
Zhao Mingyue remained expressionless, sitting silently to the side. Dazhuang and Daze scratched their heads and looked around nervously.
Zhang Xiantao stomped her foot and said angrily, "You see through me but don't say it. Why do you have to expose me? So what if I ran away? I'm just staying at your house anyway."
“It’s alright. We’ll go back to our own house tomorrow. Miss Zhang can come back with us then. Whether you want to stay in the prefectural city, the county town, the town, or the village, it’s fine with you.” Zhao Guihua patted her hand affectionately and said with a smile.
"Aunt Zhao, you're so good to me! I'd like to recognize you as my godmother. Please don't call me Miss Zhang anymore, just call me Xiantao. This is Zhao Mingyue. Mingyue is my future husband. I'll marry him when he grows up." Zhang Xiantao genuinely liked Zhao Guihua. This aunt was so understanding. No wonder the princess always thought of her, her commoner mother.
"Zhang Xiantao, watch your words. If we're going to get married, it'll be you marrying me and me marrying you, not the other way around. If I hear you say that again, I'm not going to talk to you anymore," Zhao Mingyue emphasized sternly, frowning.
Zhang Xiantao pouted, let go of Zhao Guihua's hand, and ran to pull Zhao Mingyue, "Mingyue, don't be angry. I promise I won't say that again next time. Trust me, once my parents agree to our marriage, I'll marry you right away."
"So, you ran away from the capital this time because General Zhang and his wife didn't approve of your marriage with Zhao Mingyue, so you two eloped?" Xingxing immediately discovered the truth.
"It's not an elopement. I just want to travel with Mingyue for another two years. He's only sixteen and I'm only nineteen, what's the rush?" Zhang Xiantao said nonchalantly. If she hadn't met Zhao Mingyue, she would never have planned to get married in her life. Her parents really have no sense of propriety at all.
How dare they look down on Mingyue for her humble background and object to their marriage? Is that even acceptable?
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