As soon as the girl came up, she hugged Hu Mingmei as if no one else was around. Bai Nuo was originally being held by Hu Mingmei, but because of her action, she was forced to let go as well.
The girl hugged him, and kept muttering, "Second Master, why have you been gone for so long? Qing'er missed you so much!"
Bai Nuo looked at Hu Mingmei with a strange expression. Well, I didn't expect Hu Mingmei to have a confidante at home. He's been gone for so long, and she's been waiting for him for so long.
It's truly touching.
When Hu Mingmei subconsciously turned his head, he saw Bai Nuo looking at him with a half-smile. He immediately felt his scalp tingle. With a cold face, he pulled Qing'er off the octopus-like body and shouted angrily, "What are you doing in my yard? Get out!"
This girl named Qing'er hadn't seen Hu Mingmei for a long time. She waited until her heart was broken before he returned, but she never expected to be treated like this by her beloved. Her eyes immediately reddened. "Second Master, what did you say?"
"I told you to get out! Get out!" Hu Mingmei was even angrier, emanating a chilling aura that terrified Zheng Qing'er. However, she refused to leave because of her longing, her eyes red as she pleaded, "Second Master..."
Hu Mingmei remained silent with a cold expression. Seeing the awkward situation and not wanting Bai Nuo to witness such an embarrassing scene upon her return, Lu Ying spoke up, "Miss, Second Master has just returned and is tired from his journey; he needs to rest."
Zheng Qing'er is the niece of Madam Zheng, Hu Haichuan's legal wife. Her family is also in business, and her father controls all of the Zheng family's finances. Her elder brother also holds a position in the Hanlin Academy, so her status is quite high.
In order not to cause trouble for Hu Mingmei, Lu Ying and Xia Donglai always treated her very politely.
As Lu Ying spoke, Zheng Qing'er naturally turned her gaze to Lu Ying. What she saw was astonishing: a woman was standing next to Hu Mingmei. Hu Mingmei's courtyard was never open to other women, not even her cousin. Yet now, someone was allowed in? And standing so intimately beside Hu Mingmei?
She had never stood beside Hu Mingmei before. If it weren't for this sudden turn of events, she wouldn't have been able to hug him. Otherwise, she would never have met Hu Mingmei in her entire life.
Zheng Qing'er had wanted to leave after Hu Mingmei got angry, but she was already controlled by anger and jealousy. She suddenly yelled at Hu Mingmei, "Who is she? Hu Mingmei, explain yourself! Other women can come to your courtyard, so why can't I? We even have a childhood friendship!"
Bai Nuo didn't speak, but reached out and pulled Hu Mingmei's hand again, saying softly, "Second Master, I'm so tired!"
"You bitch!" Zheng Qing'er saw Bai Nuo holding Hu Mingmei's hand and slapped her without thinking. But Hu Mingmei was there, and Lu Ying and Xia Donglai were there too. How could she let Zheng Qing'er hit Bai Nuo?
Hu Mingmei grabbed Zheng Qing'er's hand and said coldly, "It's been a long time. You've really become more and more unruly. If you keep causing trouble, don't blame me for not giving Madam Zheng any face."
"Second Master, you're back!" Just as tensions were rising in the corridor, a woman who looked like an old nanny came out from the moon gate. She was delighted to see Hu Mingmei and hurried over. She exclaimed, "Miss Hu, what are you still doing here? Madam just called for you. Please go quickly, Madam has been waiting for a long time."
They actually ignored the fact that Hu Mingmei was holding Zheng Qing'er's arm.
As for Bai Nuo, it was as if he didn't even see her.
Zheng Qing'er remained motionless, so Hu Mingmei naturally wouldn't let go. Seeing this, the old woman gave a wink to the maids beside her, and the two maids boldly stepped forward and rescued Zheng Qing'er from Hu Mingmei's grasp.
"Alright," the old woman said with a smile, "You should go now, Madam is waiting for you. The ice in the courtyard has melted these past two days, and the roads are very slippery. You two, take Miss Biao there, and make sure she doesn't fall!"
"Yes!" The two maids standing beside Zheng Qing'er grabbed her hands on either side and said respectfully, "Miss, we will escort you there!" Although they spoke politely, Zheng Qing'er couldn't move an inch and was simply pulled away like that.
"Second Master, when did you return? Why didn't you say anything? I could have sent someone to fetch you. It's so cold outside, what if you caught a chill?" After Zheng Qing'er was gone, the old woman looked Hu Mingmei up and down, showing concern for him. Then, seeing a woman standing beside him, she couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Is this the young mistress you mentioned in your letter?"
Hu Mingmei nodded.
So the old woman's gaze shifted from Hu Mingmei to Bai Nuo. After looking her over, she said with satisfaction, "Her demeanor is much better than that young lady's!"
Hu Mingmei wrote in his letter that he had gotten married in town. She had her own opinions about it. Even though her second master was not valued by the family, he was still a first-rate man and could marry any kind of girl. But today, she saw that he looked alright and let her look him over. He was not timid or hesitant and did not have the air of a country girl at all.
She was somewhat satisfied. Thinking that this was someone Hu Mingmei held dear, she began to treat her as her mistress.
"This servant, Wang, greets the young mistress."
Just as Granny Wang was about to bow down, Bai Nuo, who was watching from the side, saw clearly that the relationship between Granny Wang and Hu Mingmei was probably not ordinary. So, before she could bow down, Bai Nuo stopped her, saying, "Granny, there's no need for such formalities."
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