Chapter 479 Joining Hands
Empress Dowager Dong carefully put away the amulet.
"We're all mothers, I understand how you feel. Don't worry, Lingge is my daughter-in-law, but I prefer to treat her like my own daughter. With me here, I will never let anyone bully her."
She had met Du Shiyin many times before and knew her character.
Although this amulet is not a valuable item, it shows the thoughtfulness of the person who specially requested it for their daughter, and they did not forget to bring her one.
Waiting at the city gate at this time was not intentionally delaying their time, but was truly out of love for their son.
Empress Dowager Dong's words were not merely to comfort her; they reflected her true feelings.
Such a well-raised daughter of someone else has married into this family, allowing her to enjoy the filial piety that should have been enjoyed by Meng Xingyuan and Du Shiyin. Therefore, it is only natural that we should protect her like a mother.
Wen Zhiming stepped forward, put his arm around Meng Lingge, and said to Du Shiyin.
"Don't worry, Mother-in-law, I will definitely protect my wife and will never let her suffer any harm."
Du Shiyin nodded.
“I believe you all treat Lingge well. I just… I just…” Her voice choked slightly as she gently stroked Meng Lingge’s hair and smiled, “I’m just a little reluctant to part with you. Alright, let your mother hug you one more time before we set off.”
As she spoke, she hugged Meng Lingge tightly. Meng Lingge held the amulet in one hand and was being led by Wen Zhiming with the other. Her heart was being torn between a sweet and sharp contradiction. Just as she was about to hug Du Shiyin back, the other woman had already let go of her.
Du Shiyin squatted down and hugged Wen Woyu again.
"Give your grandmother another hug, my darling. Woyu, you must take good care of yourself. After your grandfather retires, we will come to see you together, and your mother too..."
Without waiting for Wen Woyu's reply, she turned around and hurriedly returned to her carriage.
“Mother…” Meng Lingge took a step forward, then abruptly stopped.
Mother must have been unable to hold back her tears, but didn't want to shed them in front of so many people, fearing it would embarrass her. She also didn't want to delay the army any further, which is why she left in such a hurry. Going back now would only make things worse for her, and make the situation even more difficult to resolve.
Meng Qingyu and Meng Xiyao looked at her and said.
"It's getting late, sister and brother-in-law, you should set off. We'll take care of Mother here, so you can rest assured."
Meng Lingge could guess that Du Shiyin was probably covering her mouth and wiping away tears inside the carriage at this moment.
She watched quietly for a while, her eyes red-rimmed.
The blazing sun overhead and the long line of soldiers behind them all seemed to urge them on silently.
Let's go.
Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming returned to the carriage, passing by Du Shiyin and the others' carriage. Meng Lingge leaned against the window, watching the carriage drive further and further away until it disappeared from sight.
Wen Zhiming gently turned her head, closed the car window, and said softly.
"Since you're so reluctant to part with your parents-in-law, why don't I write a letter to the Emperor and ask him to allow your father-in-law to retire early, so they can come and join you sooner?"
“No need.” Meng Lingge had come to her senses by now. “Father will be able to retire in a year or two. When we were in power, we did not give our parents any special treatment. Now that they have relinquished their important responsibilities, there is no reason for us to make things difficult for the Emperor over such a small matter. Qingyu and Xiyao are both in the capital, so there is no need to rush.”
Wen Zhiming held her hand to comfort her, "Since my mother-in-law's leg recovered, my father-in-law has been afraid of being disliked by her every day. He has been behaving very well lately. With him here, he will definitely appease my mother-in-law soon. I can't be inferior to my father-in-law, so I have to appease my wife quickly."
Upon hearing this, Meng Lingge was afraid that Wen Zhiming might say something outrageous in front of the Empress Dowager and Woyu, so she immediately smiled and said...
"I'm fine, I don't need to be comforted."
The sadness reached its peak at the moment of parting; she was truly reluctant to leave then, but she's much better now. After all, everything is fine at home, and she has nothing to worry about.
Seeing that his threat had worked, Wen Zhiming smiled triumphantly.
The accompanying soldiers were mostly infantry, with very few horses, so the journey was quite slow. They didn't reach the next town until dark.
Wen Zhiming arranged for the soldiers to set up camp and rest, while he took Meng Lingge and Wen Woyu to stroll around the town market.
The original plan was for the whole family to go, but the Empress Dowager had been jostled around in the carriage for most of the day and was too tired to stroll around with the young people, so she declined.
Wen Woyu grew up in the palace. Although she had a few rare opportunities to leave the palace, she was always surrounded by a large entourage, which greatly diminished her enjoyment of playing.
Now, the family of three went out to the night market. The street layout and the things sold were different from those in Beijing. She was very excited and wanted everything she saw that she had never seen before.
Meng Lingge didn't want to spoil her, but thinking that her daughter was like a bird in a cage, now that she was out of the palace, she wanted her to experience the joy of an ordinary girl. So she readily bought whatever Wen Woyu wanted and had Wen Zhiming carry it.
Wen Woyu not only bought things for herself, but also bought everything that suited her father, mother, or grandmother.
Before long, Wen Zhiming was covered with the spoils of the mother and daughter. Seeing that he would not be able to hold his wife and daughter's hands if he continued to buy more, he had no choice but to stand in front of them to discuss the matter.
"How about we just buy this much for today? If we buy any more, it'll just end up hanging in my mouth, and we haven't had dinner yet..."
Meng Lingge and Wen Woyu couldn't help but laugh out loud when they heard Wen Zhiming's aggrieved voice and saw that Wen Zhiming was covered from head to toe with the things they had bought, and even had two strings of jewelry tied to his ears.
After laughing, Wen Woyu pointed seriously at Wen Zhiming's hands and said, "Father has ten fingers on his hands, so he can buy at least ten more items."
She remembered Meng Lingge's instructions and addressed her father and mother as "father" and "mother" in public. The three-year-old child never made a mistake.
Wen Zhiming shook his hands and looked at Wen Woyu seriously.
“Sometimes you run too fast, this hand is reserved to catch you, as for the other hand, I have to keep it to walk hand in hand with my wife.”
"Hmph, Father is biased. He uses arrest on me, but he says it's like walking hand in hand with Mother."
Wen Woyu was pouting, but her eyes were full of smiles.
She outwardly appeared jealous of her parents' loving relationship, but inwardly she was overjoyed.
As Meng Lingge watched the father and daughter playfully bickering, a slight smile unconsciously appeared on her lips. This simple happiness was within reach, truly reassuring.
"Then let's not buy anything today, let's go have dinner," Meng Lingge said softly.
Although Wen Woyu was relatively obedient and didn't run around, the night market was a mixed bag of people, and if they encountered danger, Wen Zhiming's clothes would restrict his movements too much.
"Mother is biased too; she listens to everything Father says."
Wen Woyu snorted again, but obediently took their hands and stopped looking at the little things that tempted her.
The family of three went to a popular restaurant and ordered a few dishes.
While waiting for the food to be served, Meng Lingge saw a very familiar figure in the kitchen not far away.
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