Chapter 173 Guanyin Who Grants Children
Luo Kangning turned around and, by the moonlight, saw the butler's expressionless face.
She said calmly, "I was woken up and couldn't sleep, so I came out to check."
The butler bowed slightly. "I apologize for disturbing your rest, Miss. I will handle things here. Please return to your room."
Luo Kangning obediently nodded and left, but the pleading voice was deeply etched into his mind.
Back in her room, she leaned against the door, her heart pounding like a drum.
What unspeakable secrets are hidden in the seemingly glamorous mansion of the Luo family?
But she knew better than anyone that she was just a newly acknowledged illegitimate child, still in the early stages of life.
To gain a foothold in this secluded mansion, one must learn the skill of turning a blind eye.
...
As dawn broke, Luo Kangning had already finished washing and grooming.
She specially changed into a simple cotton and linen dress, preparing to make breakfast for her grandparents to show her filial piety.
In the kitchen, Chef Cao was busy at the stove.
Looking at the bird's nest and red date porridge and the steamed eggs with cordyceps flowers laid out on the table, Luo Kangning sighed with feigned annoyance, "I'm still a step too late. Sister Cao has already prepared everything."
Aunt Cao wiped her hands and smiled kindly: "Miss, you're too kind. Feel free to use whatever you want; the ingredients are all ready."
He put the food into the food box and walked out.
Luo Kangning watched her leave, lost in thought.
She had already inquired with Luo Yinglang; Cao Sao must know that her grandparents always got up late.
Where exactly is she taking the breakfast she's carrying?
While pondering this in his mind, Luo Kangning quietly began to cook ginseng chicken soup porridge.
The movements were deliberately slow, and every now and then the seasonings were "accidentally" spilled.
Just as the porridge was ready, I heard my grandparents making noises upstairs.
When she brought the carefully arranged breakfast to the table, both Mr. and Mrs. Luo looked very kind.
The Luo family elders had been childless for many years, and seeing Luo Kangning serving them so attentively now, even though she was just an illegitimate daughter, it soothed their long-standing regret.
The old lady held her hand and praised her as a "good child".
Although the old man didn't say anything, he drank two more bowls of porridge.
Luo Kangning stood to the side with his head bowed and eyes lowered, subtly revealing a hint of filial piety.
After the meal, amidst the fragrant aroma of tea, Luo Kangning played three games of chess with the old man, using the black pieces.
She wasn't very good at chess, but she was clever and quick-witted, and under the old man's guidance, she improved rapidly.
The old man was very proud of himself, stroking his beard and smiling, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothing out a bit.
After the old man returned to his room for a short rest, she gently asked Liu, the maid who served her closely, "Where is Grandmother now? I would like to go and pay my respects."
Liu Ma bowed and replied, "Replying to Miss, the old lady is chanting scriptures in the Buddhist hall in the east wing."
Luo Kangning arrived outside the Buddhist hall.
Through the crack in the carved sandalwood door, one could see the old lady kneeling on a gold-embroidered prayer mat, with a statue of Guanyin, a Bodhisattva of Compassion, carved from mutton-fat white jade, placed before her.
The Guanyin statue is smooth and lustrous, radiating a soft glow under the light of the ever-burning lamp.
The old lady clasped her hands together and kowtowed devoutly: "Greatly compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, please bless my Luo family with a safe and healthy heir..."
Luo Kangning's heart tightened suddenly, and he held his breath and stepped back.
As I turned the corner of the corridor, I bumped into Sister Cao carrying a gilded food box and hurrying by.
All the clues came together at this moment.
The crying and pleading she heard last night must have come from the surrogate mother that Jing Chan had mentioned.
The Luo and Ruan families are using another woman's womb to create a legitimate heir for their marriage alliance.
Luo Kangning quietly returned to his room.
After much hesitation, she opened her chat with Lu Yao.
When they parted last time, Lu Yao said meaningfully, "I'll need your help a lot in the future." Unexpectedly, it was her turn to ask Lu Yao for help first.
“Master of a Thousand Years,” Luo Kangning carefully chose his words, “I need an invisibility talisman. The Luo family has imprisoned a surrogate mother, which is both illegal and inhumane. I want to help her escape.”
After sending the message, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Facing a master like Lu Yao, any attempt to conceal the truth would be futile.
Rather than being exposed, it's better to be honest with each other.
The phone vibrated quickly, and Lu Yao's reply was tinged with a knowing mockery: "Are you genuinely trying to save people, or are you worried about losing your position?"
Luo Kangning bit his lip and replied, "Half of it is from the heart, and half is from selfish motives. Master, your insight is unparalleled; I cannot hide anything from you."
She stared at the message "The other party is typing..." on the chat box, her heart racing involuntarily.
...
At the summit of Jinglan Mountain, clouds and mist swirl around.
Lu Yao sat cross-legged, her fingertips lightly forming a magic seal.
As her spiritual energy flowed, scenes appeared before her eyes:
In the stairwell of an old residential building, a girl squats on the steps doing her homework, with a thick exercise book under her knees.
A loud crash came from upstairs, followed by the father's curses and the mother's suppressed sobs.
She gripped the pencil tightly, the tip leaving deep marks on the paper.
"Xiao Li, why aren't you inside writing?" Grandma Zhang from next door sighed as she came upstairs carrying her vegetable basket.
Bai Li looked up and forced a sweet smile: "The lighting is good here."
Actually, she just didn't want to hear her father getting angry about gambling debts again.
That night, her mother quietly pushed open her bedroom door, holding a steaming bowl of egg noodles in her hands.
"Mom isn't hungry, you eat."
Her mother touched her hair.
Bai Li was eating noodles with her head down. In the steaming heat, she saw the bruises on her mother's wrist.
That was left behind after my father shoved me after losing money.
"Mom, I'll definitely make a lot of money in the future," she suddenly said. "I'll take you to live in a big house and never let Dad find us again."
The mother paused, her eyes instantly reddening, but she only gently pinched her cheek: "Silly child, just focus on your studies."
Later, Bai Li really got into the best university.
She worked tirelessly to earn scholarships and take on part-time jobs, hoping that she could finally take her mother away from that home.
"I received the national scholarship today, and I finally have 50,000 yuan saved in my account. Yesterday, I secretly looked at a small apartment near the school. Although it's only 40 square meters, it has great sunlight. Once I graduate and find a job, I'll bring my mom over..."
Bai Li silently calculated the accounts in her mind, gazing absently at the sycamore tree outside her dormitory window.
Her phone suddenly vibrated, interrupting her thoughts.
A video message from an unknown number popped up on the screen.
She clicked on the video, and the screen was shaking violently.
The mother was tied to a chair, her mouth taped shut, and her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
A man with a muscular face and a scar near his eye gently patted his mother's cheek with a dagger.
"Miss Bai, did you see that clearly?" The scarred man leaned close to the camera, a cigarette dangling from between his yellow teeth. "Your father owes us thirty million, and now he's vanished without a trace."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
