Chapter 650 Mianmian sneaks out for a trip
Zhou Ruiyuan put his arm around her shoulder and said, "Let the children handle their own affairs. Look at Yi'er, didn't she find a good marriage for herself?"
Du Wanchun smiled frankly and said, "That's right, let them be."
She often thought that her own parents were the same way.
It's been several years since I last saw them.
Du Wanchun slowly got up and looked out the window, feeling a pang of longing for her parents.
A month passed quickly, and Mianmian had no idea that Xiaoqing'er was coming.
She was used to being carefree and would go out to play every few days. As soon as her older brother's matter was resolved, she took Aruo to Cheng'an County.
Although they have been away from Cheng'an County for many years, they still cherish the old place.
Three years ago, Aunt Zhou and the Third Prince returned to Cheng'an County with Zhouzhou to settle down.
Mianmian suddenly decided to go back and take a look, so she pulled Aruo along and they set off.
Aruo was formerly a hostage of the Southern Barbarian Kingdom. Now that the Southern Barbarian Kingdom has been severely damaged by the Northern Barbarians, Zhou Ruiyuan has given him a new identity and made him the princess's personal bodyguard so that he can protect Mianmian at any time.
If it were anyone else as guards, Mianmian would definitely have secretly abandoned them and acted alone.
With Aruo here, having someone to protect you is better than having no one to protect you at all.
Zhou Ruiyuan kept him in the palace precisely because of this.
Mianmian and Aruo took the waterway.
The two secretly boarded a merchant ship belonging to the Zhou family.
Since Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan returned to the palace, most of the Zhou family's businesses have been taken over by Zhou Feng. Now, the Zhou family's rice shop has become the largest rice shop in Xuan Yue Kingdom.
The entire Cheng'an County was supplying rice to the Zhou family, requiring several large boats to transport it every month.
As Aruo boarded the boat, she looked down at the river below.
"This water is really deep."
The Southern Barbarian Kingdom rarely had a river as deep as this; it was his first time on a boat, and he was quite excited.
Mianmian had traveled to the capital by boat with Du Wanchun since she was a child, so she didn't find it strange.
She walked to the side of the boat and leaned down, saying, "Cheng'an County is better; the water here is clearer."
Aruo said nervously, "Princess, be careful."
Mianmian waved her hand and said, "Don't worry, I won't fall, and besides..."
She rested her chin on her hand and looked ahead. "And I'm a very good swimmer."
Aruo knew she was a good swimmer, but she was still worried about her. She walked over to her and said, "The river water is cool, and it would be very uncomfortable to fall in. It's better to be careful."
Mianmian nodded.
Although Aruo and she were mistress and servant in the palace for the past few years, they were actually close friends.
Everyone in the palace, except for her eldest brother, second brother, and fourth brother, treated her with deference and flattered her.
But Aruo is different; they can be as relaxed and comfortable as ordinary playmates.
"Aruo, do you miss your parents?" Mianmian asked him.
A faint sadness flickered across Aruo's clear eyes. "My father never treated me like a son, and we didn't have a deep relationship. Not long after I was born, my father slit my mother's throat with a scimitar."
Mianmian opened her eyes wide, a look of surprise on her face.
They rarely mentioned the Southern Barbarian Kingdom, and this was the first time they had mentioned Aruo's mother.
Aruo gave a bitter smile and continued, "My mother was actually from Xuan Yue Kingdom. One day, she went to Nan Yi Kingdom with a merchant caravan and was detained by their people. Later, because of her outstanding appearance, she was favored by the old king and imprisoned in the palace."
“The Southern Barbarians have a rule that if a child is born at midnight, the mother and child can only stay for a while. When the old king saw that I was a man, he did not think much and directly took my mother’s life.”
"I announced to the public that my mother died in childbirth."
His tone was calm, his expression unreadable, but his eyes were noticeably more moist than before.
Seeing him like this, Mianmian's heart broke.
Aruo's sadness quickly disappeared, and he smiled at Mianmian, "The past is the past, and I no longer feel hatred. It's just a pity that my mother never held me after giving birth to me."
The river breeze ruffled their hair. Mianmian snapped out of her reverie and smiled as she comforted him, saying, "Perhaps you'll have the chance to meet your mother's family someday."
"My mother's family?" Aruo was taken aback, then shook her head. "Never mind, none of that matters. I think things are fine as they are now."
Mianmian smiled and said, "If you can find your family in the future, you can leave the palace and marry and have children like an ordinary man."
Aruo's gaze fell on Mianmian's face, and she fell silent.
Mianmian felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze, and asked with a smile, "What? Do you want to stay in our palace and never leave?"
Aruo withdrew her gaze and replied, "Of course not."
"Why is that?" Mianmian took two steps into the boat.
Aruo, standing behind her with two swords in his hands and arms crossed, said, "I'm thinking about what kind of wife I want to marry."
Mianmian stopped and turned to look at him, her gaze deep, as if waiting for something. "What kind of wife do you want to like?"
Aruo pretended to be deep in thought, then looked up and smiled, "Of course, it's a gentle and virtuous woman like Miss Wan'er."
Mianmian's eyes immediately darkened, and she turned around and smiled, "Alright, after you come of age, I'll talk to my mother and ask her to find you a woman like Sister Wan'er."
As soon as she finished speaking, she pushed open the door and went into the cabin.
Aruo watched her retreating figure, the smile on his face slowly fading.
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