Chapter 175 Going Home
Liu Min said matter-of-factly, "What else? With her status, she can only be a concubine. Moreover, with her status, she can only become a principal wife if she marries an ordinary commoner or a merchant."
Huo Ran remained silent. Unable to fathom his thoughts, Liu Min tentatively asked, "Master, are you planning to marry Miss Jiang? I'm afraid the Emperor won't agree. He has already chosen a noblewoman for you, with Princess Qinghe being the first choice. When you returned to the capital last time, he arranged for you to meet the Princess so that you could cultivate a relationship with her."
Huo Ran coldly replied, "Whoever wants her can marry her. I won't marry her. That princess is too arrogant. I can't afford to serve her. There are plenty of people who want to marry her. She doesn't need me."
Liu Min said with a bitter face, "But Princess Qinghe really likes you. She said she won't marry anyone but you. Princess Qinghe's mother is the current emperor's aunt. The relationship is extraordinary. It would be difficult for you not to marry her. If you like Miss Jiang, you can keep her in your room. It won't have any impact. But offending this princess will not be easy."
Huo Ran looked at him coldly: "When have I ever been afraid of these things? If I don't want to do something, no one can force me. Alright, you've had a long day, go and rest. It will be dawn soon."
Upon hearing this, Liu Min could only sigh and leave.
Huo Ran lay on the bed, facing the wall. On the other side was Jiang Mi's room. The two of them were separated by a wall, seemingly very close yet very far apart.
Jiang Mi slept soundly until dawn. When she woke up, it was already quite bright outside. She was startled. If it was too late and her mother found her cousin's house, her lie would be exposed.
Jiang Mi quickly put on her clothes and ran outside without even washing her face, only to bump into someone's arms.
Although she bumped into someone hard, the person managed to catch her on the shoulder, and thankfully she wasn't faking a headache.
"Be careful, why are you in such a panic?"
Jiang Mi looked up and saw that Huo Ran was already waiting outside the door. She didn't know when she had seen her, and she didn't know how long she had been standing there. Jiang Mi rubbed her head in embarrassment.
"What are you doing standing here? Did you get hurt?"
Huo Ran smiled gently: "It's okay, I'll wait for you here. It's still early, so don't rush. Go wash up first, and then come down to get something to eat."
Hearing Huo Ran's words, Jiang Mi finally felt relieved. She obediently washed her face and rinsed her mouth. After going downstairs, she saw Huo Ran already sitting there, with a lot of food on the table, all of which were her favorite foods.
"So much? Are we just going to eat this much?"
Huo Ran smiled faintly and said, "I've already eaten. You can eat slowly. If you don't like it or it's not enough, I'll ask the shopkeeper to give you more."
This table is full of food, enough to fill the stomachs of ten people. Is Huo Ran feeding her like a pig?
"That's enough, that's enough. There's no need to add any more. This is too much. I can't possibly finish it all. It's such a waste. What are you all standing for? Let's sit down and eat together."
Jiang Mi warmly greeted the guards standing to the side. Although the guards were tempted, none of them made a move. After all, they dared not do so without their master's orders.
Huo Ran blatantly lied: "They've already eaten, you can eat. I'll find a way to deal with the leftovers, I definitely won't waste them."
Jiang Mi finally felt relieved and started eating. Yesterday, she was cold and hungry on the mountain and didn't even have a sip of hot water. Last night, she was so tired and sleepy that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Only now did she realize how hungry she really was.
When she was about 80% full, Huo Ran stopped her, saying, "Alright, you must have been hungry for a long time. Eating too much at once is bad for your health. Eat smaller, more frequent meals. You can eat something else later."
Jiang Mi understood this principle, and although she really wanted to eat it, she forced herself to stop.
"Thank you for your hospitality. Next time you come to my restaurant, I'll treat you to something delicious."
Huo Ran's gaze towards her was filled with tenderness. Thinking of Liu Min's words from the previous night, he was deeply moved. He also wanted her by his side all day, but not as a concubine. He could imagine what it would be like if...
If that were really done, Jiang Mi would probably never smell as sweet and radiant as she does now.
"Have you finished eating? I'll take you home."
Jiang Mi quickly waved her hand and said, "No need, no need. I told my mother yesterday that I was going to my cousin's house. If you take me back, won't my lie be exposed?"
Huo Ran hadn't expected this turn of events, so he could only say, "Alright then, go back by yourself. You're already in town, it's broad daylight, so you don't have to worry about running into bad people."
Jiang Mi thanked her again before hurriedly leaving.
Huo Ran watched her retreating figure with a face full of reluctance. After many days apart, they did not spend much time together when they met again.
Liu Min saw all of this and sighed quietly. His master's love life was really bumpy. He wondered if they would be able to get married in the end.
Jiang Mi returned to the restaurant, and only then did she feel relieved. Yesterday had seemed to drag on forever; she felt like she hadn't seen her family in ages.
At this moment, the eldest brother Jiang Yan came out of the restaurant. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Jiang Mi and hurriedly came up to check on her: "Honey, you're finally back. I was so worried about you that I didn't sleep all night. I was afraid something might have happened to you. Luckily, you came back safe and sound. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to explain it to our parents."
Jiang Mi smiled at her brother: "Then you can rest assured now. Brother, you have a dark circle under your eyes, go and get some sleep, don't overthink it."
Jiang Yan needs to get some sleep, otherwise he really won't be able to stay awake all day.
When Jiang's mother came out and saw Jiang Mi and Jiang Yan, she looked puzzled: "Honey, you're back so early? Didn't you bring your cousin back? Let her try the food at our restaurant."
Jiang Mi casually brushed it off: "No, she's arguing with me again, and I don't want to talk to her right now. Mom, I want to eat the flower cakes you make."
Hearing her daughter's coquettish manner, Jiang's mother had no choice but to agree: "Alright, alright, I'll make it for you right now. You're all grown up now, yet you still act like a child, getting angry with your cousin all the time. How can that be allowed? You can't be so childish anymore."
Listening to her mother's nagging, Jiang Mi didn't feel annoyed at all; instead, she felt very at ease in the scene.
Jiang Yan went back to sleep, and Liu He complained to him: "Why didn't you sleep at night? You tossed and turned like a pancake. Now you're going to sleep. I don't know what's wrong with you."
Jiang Mi said guiltily, "Big brother is probably just too tired lately."
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