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Chapter 55: Baoshu Wants Her Family of Three
Chapter 55: Baoshu Wants Her Family of Three
Meng Qianqian and Madam Lu paused in their steps.
Madam Lu exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect the Grand Marshal to come."
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "Lord Liu from the Governor's mansion also attended the first birthday celebration."
Although she hadn't appeared at the banquet, Lu Xingzhou had ridden in Lord Liu's carriage, and she had seen it with her own eyes.
Madam Lu, who didn't understand politics, was naturally unaware of Lu Yuan's determination to gain military power. Simply in terms of family background, the Liu family wasn't considered a prestigious clan, and they had no dealings with the Governor's mansion. Madam Lu thought that the Grand Marshal must have come to pay his respects to the Yong'en Marquis.
She seemed to have thought of something and glanced towards the door.
Meng Qianqian asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Madam Lu shook her head. "It's nothing. Let's go."
The two of them met Lady Liu in the accounting room. Lady Liu was a good mother-in-law, and her passing left Lady Liu truly heartbroken.
"She passed away in her sleep...at least she looked peaceful."
Lady Liu choked back her sobs as she spoke.
Madam Lu comforted her for a while before helping her with the arrangements for the elderly lady's funeral.
On the other side, the Marquis of Yong'en personally went to the front gate to welcome the Grand Marshal. The officials all greeted Lu Yuan respectfully.
"There's no need for formalities, everyone," Lu Yuan said as he entered the funeral hall with the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Shangguan Ling, who was carrying a sticky, chirping baby.
After leaving the funeral hall, seeing that Lu Yuan seemed inclined to stay, the Marquis of Yong'en hurriedly and politely said to Lu Yuan, "Grand Marshal, please come this way."
Most of the guests who had arrived tonight would be keeping vigil with the host family for Lady Liu. However, this Grand Marshal, who was usually busy with state affairs and didn't follow rules, couldn't be expected to stay for the vigil, could he?
But since the Grand Marshal was willing to lower himself, the Liu family couldn't afford to be negligent towards him.
The Taoist priests began their rituals, and the Liu family wailed loudly. As guests continued to arrive, the Marquis of Yong'en could only find a quiet place for Lu Yuan and instructed the Liu family's steward to not let any other guests enter.
A servant from the Liu family brought over a charcoal brazier.
The Liu family couldn't afford to burn red charcoal, so they used silver charcoal instead. Even these were brought by the Marquis of Yong'en's mansion specifically to entertain important guests.
Lu Yuan had just sat down.
The little bun in Shangguan Ling's arms couldn't contain herself anymore and started pointing incessantly, like a plump little moth fluttering its wings: "Waa Waa!"
Shangguan Ling didn't budge.
"Waa!"
Baoshu's anger exploded.
Shangguan Ling said, "It's no use glaring at me like that. I can't just walk around, so ask your father to go."
Baoshu looked at her father with a grievance.
Lu Yuan sipped his tea nonchalantly, acting as if it had nothing to do with him.
Baoshu clenched her little fists tightly.
In the funeral hall, the Taoist priests began their rituals.
Meng Qianqian moved between the various pavilions, attending to the female guests who had come to keep vigil.
The folk customs of this dynasty weren't as conservative as the previous one, and the pavilions for male and female guests were set up together, with a small flower bed in between.
Due to the cold weather, the curtains of each pavilion were lowered to prevent the snow from blowing in.
Meng Qianqian had just come out of one of the pavilions when she ran into Madam Wang.
Madam Wang exclaimed, "Oh, why are you here instead of resting at home?"
A maid from the Liu family asked, holding a plate of snacks, "Young Madam Lu, where should I send these snacks?"
"Over there," Meng Qianqian pointed to the pavilion on the east side.
"Yes." The maid left.
Madam Wang said, "You're still helping out here. Aren't you tired?"
Meng Qianqian said softly, "I'm fine. Please come in and sit down, Madam."
Soon, Liu Shaofu rushed into the pavilion, flustered and disheveled. "Sister Meng, I can't take it anymore. There's a child crying and wailing over there, and I can't calm her down no matter what I do."
Meng Qianqian said, "I'll go and take a look."
She turned to Madam Wang and said, "Madam, please excuse me for a moment."
Liu Shaofu stayed to entertain Madam Wang, while Meng Qianqian went to the pavilion Liu Shaofu had mentioned.
When she entered, she realized that the wailing little bun was Baoshu.
Baoshu was currently being held by a nanny, who had been brought by another guest to help soothe her. But even this experienced nanny was at a loss as to how to calm the little girl.
"Give her to me," Meng Qianqian said as she stepped forward.
The nanny, with a hesitant look, handed over the child to her.
Unexpectedly, the little girl stopped crying and even comfortably tucked her tiny feet as she snuggled into Meng Qianqian's embrace.
The nanny was completely bewildered!
A maid from the Zhou family approached and said, "Nanny, the young master is crying."
Not only had the Zhou family's young master started crying, but all the children present had been infected by Baoshu's wails and were now crying together.
What was even more annoying was that while the other children were wailing, she had already proudly retreated.
Lu Yuan let out a soft sound, and Baoshu proudly lifted her little chin.
As if to say: She cried with her own skills, it's not embarrassing!
The nanny returned to soothe her own child.
Meng Qianqian walked towards Lu Yuan, who was seated, and greeted him with a respectful bow. "Greetings, Grand Marshal."
Tonight, Lu Yuan wore a dark robe, exuding less of a captivating charm and more of a solemn coldness.
Lu Yuan acknowledged with a soft 'hm'.
Meng Qianqian then bowed to Shangguan Ling. "Greetings, Commander Shangguan."
Shangguan Ling returned the greeting with a fist to his chest. "Please don't stand on ceremony, Lady Lu."
Baoshu pointed to the chair and then to one of her tiny feet.
Understanding her gesture, Meng Qianqian sat down on the chair.
This chair was different from the others in the mourning hall, as it was not only padded with soft cushions but also had a thick backrest. The fatigue that had been weighing her down instantly eased a little.
She held Baoshu's foot and asked, "What happened to your foot?"
Baoshu's tears flowed instantly, and she looked utterly aggrieved.
Meng Qianqian gently removed her tiger-head shoes. "Come to think of it, wasn't Zhaozhao supposed to be playing at Yan Niangzi's place for three days? Why did she come back after just one day?"
As she finished speaking, the little one's foot was also freed from its covering, revealing a swollen little foot that resembled a steamed bun.
Meng Qianqian's brows furrowed. "Was she—stung by a bee?"
The little girl nodded pitifully.
Lu Yuan coldly humphed. "Hmph, and you still have the audacity to look so aggrieved?"
Meng Qianqian looked at Lu Yuan and Shangguan Ling with a confused expression.
Shangguan Ling explained, "Tsk, Yan Niangzi took Miss Baoshu to Wan Hua Lou this morning. In just an hour, she managed to break Yan Niangzi's cherished antique jade plate, soak the rouge in water, and burn the charcoal with the eyebrow ink... All that could still be tolerated, but somehow, she released the poisonous bees that Yan Niangzi kept."
"I see," Meng Qianqian said, understanding the situation.
Although Meng Qianqian's sense of taste and smell were temporarily impaired, she couldn't detect the medicinal smell on the little girl's wound. However, she could tell that medicine had been applied.
"It must have hurt a lot," she said, her voice filled with sympathy.
Even with the medicine, it would still hurt.
Baoshu nodded vigorously, snuggling into her embrace for comfort.
Shangguan Ling's lips twitched. "Miss Baoshu was only stung by the non-poisonous bee once. But Yan Niangzi... In order to catch her, her hands were stung so badly they looked like bear paws. All the girls at Wan Hua Lou were also stung, their faces so swollen they couldn't show themselves to others."
Wan Hua Lou had been in business for many years, and even 'harboring' Northern Liang spies hadn't forced it to shut down. But after Baoshu's visit, it had no choice but to close its doors to guests.
Meng Qianqian looked at the little girl in her arms with utmost seriousness.
Baoshu blinked innocently and lifted her injured little foot.
As if to say: I'm hurt, so pitiful.
Meng Qianqian stayed in the mourning hall to take care of Baoshu.
At some point, the silver charcoal in the hall had been replaced with smokeless red charcoal, filling the space with warmth. Before long, both the adult and the child felt drowsy and dozed off.
Lu Yuan stood up, his face cold and expressionless.
Shangguan Ling was startled. "Grand Marshal."
"Let's take a walk," Lu Yuan said.
Shangguan Ling glanced at Meng Qianqian, who was asleep in the chair with Baoshu in her arms, and nodded. "Yes!"
The two men left the mourning hall, and Qing Shuang appeared from the shadows, taking up a position at the entrance of the hall.
Baoshu: Two is enough for a family, ╭(╯^╰)╮
Lu Yuan: So, you're quite satisfied with this father, huh?
Baoshu: (⊙o⊙)
(End of Chapter)
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