https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-384-Meng-Sister-Are-You-Pregnant-/12945282/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-386-The-Reunion-of-Grandfather-and-Grandson/12945294/
Chapter 385: Xian'er, Here I Come!
Chapter 385: Xian'er, Here I Come!
After leaving the capital city, the group traveled south.
For the first half a month, snow covered the land, making the journey difficult. Gradually, as they moved south, the heavy snow disappeared, leaving only the piercing cold wind and bone-chilling dampness.
"Why is it so cold and hot at the same time?"
At the post station, Tan'er asked in confusion.
Meng Qianqian replied, "It's warm during the day and cool at night. Remember to add more clothes in the morning and evening."
Tan'er pouted, "I know."
She skipped outside, "Xiao! Let's go hunting!"
Bai Yuwei, who had just gotten off the carriage and was about to go hunting, exclaimed, "Hey, is it you returning home or me? Why are you more excited than I am?"
Meng Qianqian curved her lips and went to the side room to check on Shang Changle.
The beds at the post station were too hard, so Banxia laid out the soft bedding she had brought, and helped Shang Changle lie down.
"Elder Sister."
Upon seeing Meng Qianqian, Shang Changle's eyes revealed an undeniable sense of dependence and fondness.
Meng Qianqian walked over and sat on the stool next to the bed, gazing at her gently.
Strangely, she wasn't a particularly kind or gentle person, but whenever she was with Changle, she couldn't help but exude a hint of gentleness, just like... how Second Aunt had taken care of her in her memories.
"After traveling for so long, you must be exhausted. Let's rest at the post station for two days while the weather is good."
"I'm fine, not too tired," said Shang Changle.
Meng Qianqian took Shang Changle's pulse.
Her cold had recovered, and the poison from the Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion was temporarily suppressed by Yan Niangzi's antidote. Her current pulse was normal, and there was no need to treat her as a frail patient.
However, ordinary people would also feel tired after such a long journey, as could be seen from Banxia.
When the little maid first ventured out, she had been chattering non-stop with Tan'er through the carriage.
These past two days, she had become as quiet as a frost-bitten eggplant.
Meng Qianqian couldn't help but chuckle.
Banxia asked, "Miss, are you laughing at me?"
"Mhm."
Meng Qianqian nodded with a smile.
Banxia said with some embarrassment, "This time, I'm not as miserable as six years ago, right?"
Six years ago, Meng Qianqian had married into the capital city from Youzhou. At that time, Meng Qianqian was twelve, and Banxia was eleven. It was the first time these two half-grown children had traveled so far, and they had vomited so much in the carriage that they almost lost their lives on the road.
Meng Qianqian's memory of that time was fragmented, and she couldn't remember the details. However, Li Mumu had mentioned to her more than once that when the Lu family first saw Meng Qianqian, they thought she had caught some plague on the road and wouldn't survive.
The past that had once broken her heart no longer caused her pain when she recalled it.
The soul that had sunk to the bottom of the lake had finally let go.
Seeing that Meng Qianqian wasn't speaking, Banxia thought she was upset and said guiltily, "Miss, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought up sad memories."
"What sad memories?" Shang Changle asked.
She was new here and didn't know about Meng Qianqian's past yet.
Banxia covered her mouth. Oh no, why couldn't she control her mouth today? She either said the wrong things or let slip secrets.
Meng Qianqian gently touched Shang Changle's hair. "Does Changle want to hear it?"
Shang Changle nodded. "Yes, I want to hear everything about Elder Sister."
Meng Qianqian pretended not to see Shang Wuyou lurking outside the door and said, "Okay, I'll tell you."
-
Outside the door, Shang Wuyou was listening intently when suddenly, someone patted his shoulder.
Shang Wuyou was startled and turned around. It was Yu Zichuan, frowning at him.
"You're eavesdropping."
"I'm not!" Shang Wuyou denied.
"You look guilty," said Yu Zichuan.
Shang Wuyou said sternly, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. The door was open, and I wanted to see if she was doing anything to my sister."
Yu Zichuan said, "What could she possibly do to your sister? Your sister is long dead."
Shang Wuyou: "..."
Yu Zichuan: "Do you still want to listen?"
Shang Wuyou muttered, "Who wants to hear about her misfortunes?"
Yu Zichuan's expression turned cold. "Then why don't you leave?"
Shang Wuyou's voice turned cold. "Why don't you leave?"
Yu Zichuan said straightforwardly, "I want to listen."
Shang Wuyou: "..."
Meng Qianqian brought up the past with Changle to deepen their understanding, and she knew that Shang Wuyou was eavesdropping.
She had to strike a balance.
She couldn't be too sad and make Shang Changle feel bad for her.
But she also had to play up the tragedy a bit to stir Shang Wuyou's compassion.
"Anyway, that's how it was."
Meng Qianqian smiled nonchalantly, "I once thought there was no hope for this life, that I could only live in silence... But it turns out there's no obstacle you can't overcome. As long as you want to, you'll always be able to wait for the clouds to part and the moon to shine through."
Shang Changle's eyes welled up, and her cheek rubbed against Meng Qianqian's palm, gently caressing it.
Suddenly, a hot tear dropped onto Meng Qianqian's palm.
Meng Qianqian: "..."
Hmm, did she go too far?
The child was crying...
Meng Qianqian stayed with Shang Changle for a while, until Baoshu called her and she tucked the blanket corners for Shang Changle and left.
Shang Wuyou entered the room.
Shang Changle choked up, "Brother, Sister is so pitiful."
Shang Wuyou's lips moved slightly, "Maybe she's tricking you."
Shang Changle paused, and said seriously, "Then I'd rather she was tricking me, than for her to have truly experienced those five years."
Shang Wuyou was stunned.
After resting at the post station for two days, everyone's energy was restored significantly, so they continued their journey.
Si She sent Luo San back to Miaojiang, and even with the horses galloping day and night, it still took nearly a month.
They estimated it would take at least two months.
They spent the New Year's Eve in a small town.
For two consecutive New Year's Eves, Lu Yuan was by her side.
The first time was for Baoshu, and the second time was for Changle.
They had been rushing towards each other all along.
"Light the firecrackers!"
Tan'er hugged a pile of bamboo that the Majestic King had cut and threw them into the blazing bonfire. The loud crackling sounds excited Baoshu, who couldn't stop giggling.
"You're so noisy!"
Bai Yuwei couldn't stand the noise.
Tan'er stuck her tongue out and made a face, "Slightly, slightly."
Baoshu: "Slightly, slightly."
"Okay, Treasure Piglet, are you and Tan'er ganging up on me? I can't beat her, and now I can't beat you either?"
Bai Yuwei tried to catch Baoshu.
Baoshu quickly ran away.
Tan'er extended her arm, "Treasure Piglet, come here!"
The three of them were having a great time.
Meng Qianqian hugged Shang Changle and sat by the bonfire.
Shang Wuyou and Yu Zichuan were competing in archery nearby.
The Majestic King, Lu Yuan, Chenlong, Ji Li, Liu Qingyun, and Qingshuang were drinking the Burning Knife they had brought from the capital.
Qingshuang single-handedly drank four of them under the table.
Lu Yuan didn't join them in drinking, he had his own drink.
The flickering firelight reflected on his face, giving him a captivating beauty.
He had been unusually quiet throughout the journey, not causing any trouble at all, and seemed uncharacteristically normal.
Meng Qianqian withdrew her gaze from his face and waved to Banxia.
Banxia glanced at Shang Changle, who had fallen asleep on Meng Qianqian's shoulder, and quietly approached, saying softly, "Miss, let me handle it."
Meng Qianqian gently placed Shang Changle into Banxia's embrace, and just as Lu Yuan was about to tilt his head back for another drink, she took his wine flask.
"This is the third flask."
She said, "Drinking so much, are you troubled by something?"
"Let's go!"
The Majestic King was tipsy and continued to compete in drinking even in his dreams.
Lu Yuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, as if he was hesitating.
Meng Qianqian spoke softly, "It's okay if you don't want to talk."
"Hey! You're cheating!"
"How am I cheating?"
"You're shooting at the target, who gave you permission to shoot my arrows?"
"Aren't your arrows on the target?"
"Let's fight!"
"Then let's fight."
Yu Zichuan calmly accepted the challenge, putting down his precious bow and fighting with Shang Wuyou.
Meng Qianqian smiled and looked at the two of them, "Yu Zichuan's martial arts are better than his archery skills, I didn't expect Wuyou to be able to fight him to a draw."
She thought Lu Yuan would say that Shang Wuyou would lose within ten moves.
But Lu Yuan didn't say anything.
He must have something on his mind.
Meng Qianqian leaned closer to him, not urging or pressuring him further.
She knew that if she kept pressing him, given their current relationship, he would probably tell her.
But she didn't want to force him.
If it was something he found difficult to talk about, it might be a scar he didn't want to touch.
The two of them sat in silence, with three drunkards across from them, and Shang Wuyou and Yu Zichuan sparring on either side, while Baoshu, Tan'er, and Bai Yuwei played and laughed.
"Chancellor Xun knows my father."
Lu Yuan suddenly spoke up.
Meng Qianqian was taken aback, then turned and looked at him intently.
Lu Yuan spoke calmly, "'Do you know why I let you take the surname Lu? You are his child, you say you don't take the surname Lu, then what surname do you take?' These were the last words he said to me before he died."
He spoke calmly, but Meng Qianqian could easily imagine the tone of Chancellor Xun's words, filled with schadenfreude.
Meng Qianqian said, "There are two possibilities. One, he deliberately set a trap to disturb your mind. Two, he really did know your father."
That damn old thief Xun, even in death, he had to make Lu Yuan suffer.
If it was the second possibility, then Chancellor Xun's treatment of Lu Yuan would have to be re-evaluated.
She had always thought that Lu Yuan's resistance to being tamed was the reason Chancellor Xun repeatedly suppressed, polished, tormented, and destroyed him.
But what if Chancellor Xun's true target of torment was Lu Yuan's father?
He was jealous of Lu Yuan's father, but he had no way to deal with him, so he took it out on Lu Yuan instead.
(End of Chapter)Even more, he might have aligned with Thousand-Mechanisms Pavilion's idea, turning Lu Yuan into the sharpest knife in their hands, one day to be plunged into that man's chest.
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying it became.
But Lu Yuan didn't succeed; he died at the hands of the blade he had honed himself.
This was a well-deserved punishment; evil deeds will eventually lead to self-destruction.
"So, your father's surname is indeed Lu."
Meng Qianqian spoke.
On the ground, the unconscious Liu Qingyun suddenly perked up his ears.
That dog of a man is surnamed Lu?
His jade pendant doesn't have the character 'Qin'?
Liu Qingyun clenched his fists, took off his silver hat, and sat up, saying irritably, "No wonder I couldn't find that heartless man in Miaojiang for so many years. It turns out his surname is Lu!"
Meng Qianqian widened her eyes, "Mother, are you sober?"
Liu Qingyun was exasperated, "I was drunk! And now I'm sober!"
Meng Qianqian blinked, "Is it possible that the person who ate and ran away... is you, Mother?"
Liu Qingyun, who had indeed escaped faster than a rabbit back then, remained silent.
Meng Qianqian seemed to have discovered something extraordinary. She walked up to Liu Qingyun with a giggle, squatted on the ground, and looked at her like a little rabbit, "Mother, you're so angry. Is it because you still miss Father in your heart?"
Liu Qingyun spoke coldly, "Who are you calling Father? Did I agree to that?"
Meng Qianqian obediently said, "Oh, I won't call him that."
Liu Qingyun rolled her eyes, "Who misses him? Besides being handsome, having a good figure, a pleasant voice, being gentle to women, being generous, having great martial arts skills, what else is there to miss about him?"
Meng Qianqian was speechless.
Liu Qingyun cleared her throat, "I'm going back to my room!"
Damn it, she really drank too much tonight.
Why did mentioning that man suddenly feel like a fire in her heart?
In fact, she had lied to her son. He wasn't dead; at least, he was alive when she left him.
She had checked his breath with her fingers.
As for whether he died later, she couldn't guarantee it.
He hadn't shown up for so many years; perhaps he had died outside.
Even if he wasn't dead, she wouldn't let her son go looking for him.
After so many years without any contact, they would avoid each other in the future and live their own lives.
After two months of traveling through mountains and rivers, the group finally entered Miaojiang.
Everyone could see that they were tanned, especially Yu Zichuan, who had been sitting on top of the carriage every day and had become a little black charcoal.
Bai Yuwei and Treasure Piggy weren't any better.
You should know that when they left Miaojiang, she stayed in the carriage every day, afraid of getting tanned even a little. But when she arrived in the capital, she was still as fair as ever.
Today, she had been taken hunting by Tan'er and was being fed by Treasure Piggy to her little brother.
She was no longer Bai Yuwei; she was clearly a black pearl!
"Xiao Bai, where is the Ni Family?"
Tan'er poked her head out of the carriage and asked.
Bai Yuwei also stuck her head out of the window, pointing at a distant mountain, "Do you see that mountain? We'll be there once we cross it."
Tan'er curiously asked, "I heard that the miasma in Miaojiang is very strong, and people will die if they smell it. Where is the miasma?"
Bai Yuwei said, "We've already passed the Poisonous Forest."
"Ah?" Tan'er was extremely disappointed, "We passed it? How come I didn't know?"
Bai Yuwei, who had been constantly overshadowed by Tan'er, finally regained her composure. She hugged her arms and said, "This is a secret."
Meng Qianqian asked, "Are we taking a shortcut?"
Since entering Miaojiang, they hadn't seen many towns; they had been climbing mountains and crossing rivers.
Miaojiang had many mountain ranges, but the Majestic King's Village shouldn't be this remote.
"It doesn't seem like a shortcut."
Lu Yuan said, "It seems more like another route."
"Another route?"
Meng Qianqian was puzzled.
At this moment, Bai Yuwei also gradually sensed something amiss, "Amu, which route is this? I haven't been back to Miaojiang for just a few months, but why do I not recognize these roads?"
Amu lifted the curtain and looked outside, then shook her head, "Miss, I haven't been on this road before."
Bai Yuwei leaned out of the window, looking at the comfortable carriage and said to the Miao King, "Grandfather, have we taken the wrong road?"
The Miao King tightened the reins, standing tall and proud, "No, this is the right road!"
Bai Yuwei said, "But this isn't the way back to the Miao King's Village."
The Miao King asked, "Who said I was going back to the Miao King's Village?"
Bai Yuwei asked in confusion, "Then where are we going?"
The Miao King raised his chin, "To Wushan!"
As the sun set, the group arrived at a peaceful Miao village.
The Miao King dismounted, threw the horsewhip into Shang Wuyou's arms, and laughed heartily three times!
"Hahaha! Xian'er! I'm here—"
End of Chapter
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