When Yining woke up the next day, Luo Shenyuan and Luo Huaiyuan had already gone to the governor's office. They were newly admitted juren and were going to attend the Luming Banquet.
Mrs. Luo had the kitchen cook some barley, red bean, and rice porridge for her. Yining was enjoying her porridge when she saw Songzhi come in with a food box. Smiling, she opened it and showed it to her: "Miss, this is a snack sent to you by Miss Gao from next door. I heard it's only available in Guangdong, and it's called Durian Pastry."
Miss Gao from next door, ask someone to send her some snacks?
Yining paused her spoonful of porridge and beckoned Songzhi to her side. She opened the box and peered inside. Inside lay six golden pastries, their crusts layered with sesame seeds. They had a unique aroma and looked incredibly tempting.
Gao Xian had never spoken to her, so why would she send her snacks on purpose?
Yi Ning covered the lunch box and asked Song Zhi to put it on the table nearby. Gao Xian just wanted to please her, and she even went out of her way to ask about her preferences. She brought over a box of snacks.
Yi Ning thought about it again and said to Song Zhi, "Forget it, let's not put it away. I can just pick it up and eat it with porridge."
When Mrs. Luo returned from the small Buddhist temple, she smelled a strange smell in the house. She looked around and found that it was the snacks her little granddaughter was eating.
"Is this made for you in the kitchenette?" asked Mrs. Luo with a frown.
Yi Ning smiled and said, "This is what Miss Gao gave me. She said it's called Durian Pastry. Grandma, would you like to try it?"
Mrs. Luo felt that this little girl had no dietary restrictions at all. She couldn't even avoid it in time: "I can't stand the smell of this. Eat it quickly and clean up. I'll take you to the Gao Mansion to meet Mrs. Gao later."
Huh? Why are you suddenly going to Gao's house?
Mrs. Luo went on to explain, "Mrs. Gao invited us over as guests, and she also invited your mother."
Yi Ning smiled and said, "Being a guest is fake. I think they really like Third Brother!"
Mother Xu and Xuezhi couldn't help laughing when they heard this. Old Mrs. Luo looked at her mischievous look and said unhappily, "You're a girl too, why don't you have any taboos? Which girl is like you? Look at Miss Gao..."
"If I really did that, Grandmother, you would still say, 'Look at Miss Luo Qi, she loves to laugh and make noises all day long.' Isn't that right, Grandmother?"
Mrs. Luo was speechless after being blocked by her. She rubbed her head and said with a smile: "Okay, I still like our Meimei the most - then you should eat this snack quickly, my room is full of this smell."
Yining finished the remaining snacks in a few bites, and Xuezhi took her inside to change clothes.
A horse-drawn carriage clattered into the gate of the Luo Mansion. Then, a stocky woman drew aside the blue cloth curtain and said to the gatekeeper, "Brother, please tell the old lady that Madam Zheng from Zhending is here to see her."
The young gatekeeper, seeing the woman's rustic clothes, said disdainfully, "What country girl? You can see our old lady whenever you want. Go back quickly! Don't block the entrance to the alley and prevent people from leaving."
The woman was so frustrated that she immediately started cursing, "You bastard! Every mother in Zhending came to her with millions of dollars asking for medical treatment—and yet you actually call us country bumpkins!"
The old woman's gentle voice came from inside: "Qingqu, don't be angry."
"Mother Zheng, this guy who takes advantage of others' power deserves to be scolded. Why should we tolerate him?" The woman turned around and said to the curtain.
"Give this to him." Another business card was handed out.
The gatekeeper lazily took the card, read it carefully, and was so frightened he was speechless. He didn't even have time to apologize: "...The old lady had already told Mother Zheng to come back, I just thought it was an old lady... I'm sorry! Please come in!"
As he spoke, he opened the door for her, and then someone immediately went to the main hall to inform Old Lady Luo.
Yining was changing out of her jacket when she heard Xuezhi say that Mother Zheng was back.
"Is it really Mother Zheng who's back?" Yi Ning confirmed with Xue Zhi. Xue Zhi nodded and said, "The old lady said she won't go to the Gao family for now. She told you to go out and see Mother Zheng right away. Speaking of which... Mother Zheng was the one who took care of you until you were six months old."
Yi Ning had long been curious about Mama Zheng. She was curious about everything about little Yi Ning's biological mother. It was just that she had sent someone to invite Mama Zheng two months ago, and now her third brother had passed the imperial examination. It was indeed a little late.
Xuezhi led her to the main hall, recounting in detail the life of Madam Zheng. Yi Ning listened quietly. Turning around the corridor, she saw an elderly woman with silver hair sitting below Old Lady Luo. Her hair was neatly combed, and she wore a simple sandalwood satin jacket. Her every move was gentle and energetic. Behind her stood a simple-looking maid.
Mrs. Luo's expression was somewhat calm. She pointed at Yining who had just arrived and said, "This is Yining."
The old woman turned around to look at her, sized her up carefully, and with tears in her eyes, she bowed to her and said, "I'm honored to meet you, my dear. You were just a little kid when I left, but I didn't expect you to be so big now." She seemed to want to hug Yining very much, but she retracted her outstretched hand.
Yi Ning just nodded to her: "Mother Zheng is here to serve my mother, so there is no need to bow."
Yining still remembered what Mrs. Luo had said: Mother Zheng had left after Yining's mother died, and that she was a person who was forgotten after she left. Although she didn't fully understand Mother Zheng, she didn't get too close to her either.
Hearing her tender and clear voice, Mother Zheng's expression was somewhat moved: "Sister, it's because of the old lady's good teaching."
Old Madam Luo asked Yi Ning to come over to her side, and Yi Ning obediently went over. Seeing that little Yi Ning was not very close to her, Mother Zheng seemed a little sad. Old Madam Luo said calmly: "Back then, I advised you not to leave, but you left without looking back. Now I am sick and old, and I can't do anything anymore. There is no hatred in this world that cannot be resolved. On the one hand, I asked you to come back to treat me, but on the other hand, I still want to ask you if you are willing to continue to stay with Yi Ning. She doesn't have anyone who can take charge of things around her now."
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
