After leaving the Marquis of Pingxi's residence, Zheng Yuanyuan took Xu Zhi's hand and said shyly, "Sister-in-law, how did I do this time?"
Xu Zhi smiled and said, "Of course it's good, Yuanyuan. That's how you should be from now on. If others bully us, we must fight back. Prepare yourself well. After the New Year, we'll go to Luzhou. You can stay with us in Luzhou for a while."
Zheng Yuanyuan lowered her head and said, "Sister-in-law, what will happen to things in the capital if I leave?"
Xu Zhi felt a bit resentful towards Liang Chengdi. It was clearly her own sister-in-law who was hurt, but Liang Chengdi, for the sake of his family's reputation, refused to investigate the matter further, clearly wanting Zheng Yuanyuan to suffer this loss for nothing.
Xu Zhi sneered twice and said, "There are so many people in the capital who can breathe. You've been wronged, can't you go out for a while and have a good rest? And Mingwan is here too, we can go together. It's not far from Luzhou to Wuzhou, we can go to Wuzhou together to visit Mingwan's aunt."
Hearing her sister-in-law say this, Zheng Yuanyuan nodded happily and said, "Then you go ahead and do your thing, sister-in-law. I'll pack my luggage now, and we'll leave after the New Year."
Xu Zhi was warmly welcomed upon her return to the Yongning Marquis's residence.
Xu Bai and Chen Yuyuan returned with Wu Muyue on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month. As soon as they returned, Chen Zhaoci and Chen Zhaozhi gave Chen Yuyuan a very detailed examination. After the examination, they found that there was nothing wrong. Because Chen Yuyuan had a high fever when he was a child, he did not remember many things from his childhood. However, Chen Zhaoci still asked him if he remembered that when he was in the Cold Palace, someone gave him a small pill.
Chen Yuyuan thought for a long time and said, "I have some recollection. My mother told me not to eat anything given to me by strangers. That person let me eat it, but I didn't actually put it in my mouth. I remember throwing that pill into the bushes."
Chen Zhaoci was finally relieved. Seeing Chen Yuyuan's puzzled expression, she told him what Wang Xiuyuan had said. Chen Yuyuan was stunned for a while before saying, "Auntie, then you should tell my mother quickly so she won't worry."
After a while, Chen Yuyuan asked hesitantly, "Auntie, how is my mother now?"
Looking back, it has been more than ten years since Chen Yuyuan left the palace. How could a child not miss his mother? Chen Zhaoci said with a smile, "What a coincidence! I went to see your mother a few days ago. Your mother is in good health. She is relieved to know that you are doing well outside. She said she is taking good care of herself and waiting for you to come back so that mother and son can be reunited."
Chen Yuyuan's eyes reddened, and she nodded while holding back her tears. After a while, she asked softly, "Auntie, can I go see my mother?"
Chen Zhaoci sighed inwardly and advised gently, "Ayuan, the situation is still a bit complicated. We can't let others find fault with us. Over the years, we've made so many efforts to hide you well, and now we've reached the final stage. We still have to persevere. We've waited for more than ten years, so let's not worry about the present moment, okay?"
Chen Yuyuan nodded with a disappointed look. Chen Zhaoci looked at the little boy who had grown up to her shoulder and said with a smile, "I heard you had a lot of fun in Gaoqing County. Come on, tell your aunt what you did?"
Chen Yuyuan thought back on the time he had spent in Gaoqing County and realized that he had indeed had a very enjoyable time.
The Yellow River flows through the north of Gaoqing County. Thanks to the nourishment of this mother river, the crops on both banks are very fertile. In earlier years, when the Yellow River flooded, some low-lying areas retained a lot of Yellow River water. After many years, those low-lying areas became many lakes.
Along the lake were villages of all sizes. Xu Yao's husband's family was the largest landowner in Gaoqing County. It was said that the Lin family owned more than half of the land in the entire county. However, the crops in the fields had already been harvested, and the winter wheat planted in the fields had sprouted. Lin Zhining took Chen Yuyuan and Xu Bai to play in some places in the county.
Chen Yuyuan's favorite place was the large lake south of the county town, which was full of reeds. The lake was so big that you couldn't see the edge. The reeds were planted near the shore. Sometimes you could even hunt wild ducks by walking along the lake. The reeds in the lake were harvested and made into reed mats, which were used to build houses. It was said that people from far away would drive horse-drawn carts to Gaoqing County to buy reed mats to build their houses.
Chen Yuyuan learned a lot from Xu Bai. If it weren't for the upcoming New Year, the two of them wouldn't have thought of heading back. Who knew that they would encounter people looking for them on the way back? They hurried back on horseback. When they got back, Chen Yuyuan learned that it was all because of the trouble he had caused by Wang Xiuyuan when he accidentally met her years ago.
Chen Yuyuan told Chen Zhaoci in detail about what she had seen and heard in Gaoqing. Chen Zhaoci listened with a smile until Xu Bai ran in from outside, rushed into Chen Zhaoci's arms, and said happily, "Mother, I have packed all the things for you, Grandmother, and Grandfather. We can go and kowtow to Grandmother later."
Xu Bai had grown to be as tall as Chen Zhaoci's chest. Xu Bai ate well and exercised regularly. When he suddenly rushed into Chen Zhaoci's arms, Chen Zhaoci couldn't stop him. He exclaimed twice, "Brother Bai, you're getting stronger and stronger!"
Xu Bai said shyly, "Mother, I'm just happy because I haven't seen you in so long. I'll be more careful in the future. Mother, my fourth sister is pregnant again, but she hasn't told me yet. She's not allowed to say anything until she's three months along. Actually, I've already figured it out. The nanny serving her is treating her like she's some kind of servant. I'm worried about my fourth sister."
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