Old Madam Huo glanced at Huo Jincheng, then turned back to look at Jian Ning. The smile in her eyes faded a little, and she felt very regretful.
This pair of people should have been a perfect couple, but fate played such a trick on them!
"I'm happy as I am, why do you care?" The old lady was unhappy for a moment and retorted to him, then asked, "What are your father and the others doing?"
"Dad and the others have moved to the kitchen. I'm here to invite mother and Madam Jian to have dinner over." Despite being challenged, Huo Jincheng still responded respectfully, showing that he was already accustomed to his mother's way of speaking.
"Okay, let's go eat." The old lady took Erniu and Sanniu by the hand, and called to Jian Ning, "Let's go and have dinner first."
When Huo Jincheng saw his mother's attitude towards Jian Ning and her daughter, he suddenly remembered that his mother and Princess Pingnan used to be good sisters. His mother must have recognized that Jian Ning looked like Princess Pingnan. Then he saw Jian Ning holding A Man's hand, and he felt mixed emotions.
On the way to the kitchen, Huo Jincheng and Jian Ning, who was holding Ah Man's hand, were talking and laughing all the way. The old lady and her personal maid were also teasing Erniu and Sanniu all the way, and they were as affectionate as a family. Yunniang followed behind and was so angry that she was seeing stars and was full of rage.
Arriving at the kitchen, Mrs. Huo saw a handsome young man chatting and laughing with the Grand Tutor and Wei Dong. She was surprised. She felt sorry for Jian Ning at first, thinking that such a beautiful woman married a country farmer. She never thought that this farmer was completely different from what she had imagined.
She was just wondering if he was Jian Ning's husband when she heard Erniu and Sanniu calling Ding Youtian "Dad" as he stood up, and then she heard A'man also calling him "Second Dad".
"My humble beginnings greet the old lady." Ding Youtian bowed respectfully to her.
"Well, yes, you are a good-looking person. No wonder Cheng'er's father always praises you."
"Thank you, Madam, for the compliment."
Ding Youtian's expression was smiling, neither humble nor overbearing, and he wore no trace of formality, which made Mrs. Huo even happier. She had always disliked pedantic scholars, especially those who would belittle themselves when you praised them. This displeased her greatly, but Ding Youtian's frank acceptance of it made her feel right.
When Mrs. Huo was still in the boudoir, she and Princess Pingnan had talked about the types of men they each wanted to marry. She liked generals who were decisive and ruthless, while Princess Pingnan liked scholars who were gentle and kind.
But things turned out contrary to her wishes. She married a scholar, while the Princess of Pingnan married a general instead.
After marriage, she and the Taifu had a bumpy life, but the Princess of Pingnan lived in harmony with the General of Zhennan, who had not yet been crowned king at that time. Less than half a month after their marriage, she followed the general to the border, and when she returned to the capital, Xinning was more than three years old.
During the dinner, Mrs. Huo looked at the happy appearance of Jian Ning's family of four, and then looked at her own son Huo Jincheng, who was still alone. She didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
She was happy about her best friend's daughter, the daughter-in-law she once favored, who married a good man even though she was living among the common people. But she was worried about her own son, whose marriage path was as unsatisfactory as her own.
Yunniang stood by, setting the table. Even if she were the wife, she wasn't supposed to sit at the same table with her parents-in-law, let alone a concubine. She stood there, watching the old lady, the tutor, and Weidong treat the Jian Ning family like honored guests. She felt deeply uncomfortable, and Ah Man kept calling Jian Ning "mother." She was so angry that her teeth nearly broke, and she wished she could smack Ah Man to death.
After dinner, Mrs. Huo ordered someone to take Jian Ning and his family to the side room to rest for a while. Jian Ning understood that she was going to talk about her own affairs with the Grand Tutor and Master Huo Jincheng.
After they left, Mrs. Huo chased Yunniang and all the servants away. Then she looked at Huo Jincheng and sighed, "You are unlucky. Such a good person can't fall into your hands. Alas!"
"What does mother mean by this? Is she really Duan Xinning?"
The Grand Tutor also asked, "Are you sure?"
Madam Huo glanced at him and his father. "I'm not blind yet. I don't know why she's refusing to acknowledge me, but I'm sure she is Ning'er! She's the daughter-in-law we chose for Cheng'er. There's no doubt about it!"
Huo Jincheng said, "She doesn't remember anything from the past. She was demented for many years until last year, when she was struck by lightning and finally woke up. But logically, she was almost five years old when she went missing, so she should have remembered some things from her childhood."
He briefly recounted what he had learned privately about Jian Ning in Dingxian Village. When Mrs. Huo heard him talk about Jian Ning's experiences at Old Ding's house, she gnashed her teeth in anger and said, "How dare that heartless and short-sighted fellow mistreat Ning'er like this?"
She scolded Huo Jincheng again, "No matter what, she and you were engaged in the past, so you should have dealt with that family. Even if you don't care about this old relationship, considering that your mother and I are sisters with her mother, you should still teach them a lesson."
"I didn't do anything, yet you still have the nerve to talk in front of me."
The old lady glared at him angrily.
Huo Jincheng did not argue, but just lowered his eyes and said nothing.
The Grand Tutor nodded and said, "Your mother is right. Even considering your mother's friendship with your Aunt Xi, you should act like a brother and fight for justice for her."
Huo Jincheng felt somewhat dissatisfied when he heard his father say this. Over the years, except for the matter of him marrying Hua, when his parents stood together to oppose him, no matter what else happened, he and his father always stood together to oppose his mother. Today, even his father would not help him because of Jian Ning.
He didn't think he had done anything wrong. Jane Ning herself didn't admit that she was Duan Xinning, so how could he help her get justice?
"Master." Huo Jincheng looked at Wei Dong. He thought Wei Dong could say a few words for him, but Wei Dong pretended to pick his ears and ignored him.
This is their family affair, how can he, as their master, interfere?
Wei Dong regretted staying and not going with Jian Ning and the others to rest for a while.
"Forget it, let's talk about what happened next." Mrs. Huo frowned at this point, thought for a moment, and then said, "That's strange. Could it be that she really isn't Ning'er?"
She glanced at the three of them with a confused look on her face. "Are there really people in the world who look so alike? Ning'er hasn't studied medicine, and she's been mentally retarded for years. Even if she wakes up one day, she probably learned some medical skills in her early years."
The Grand Tutor said, "I've asked the village head and the clan leader, and they tell me she's not as stupid as you think. She just can't remember the past. They said she was about seven or eight years old when she arrived at their village, and Xinning was less than five when she went missing. Who knows what adventures she might have had in the past two years."
"There are also strange people and hermits in this world."
"No," Huo Jincheng shook his head. "Her medical skills are unmatched. Even Doctor Yang from Puren Hall feels inferior to her. Not only did she rescue the deceased from the clutches of Yama, she also restored Xiao Shi's severed palm. How could an ordinary person accomplish this?"
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