https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-94-Staying-the-Night-at-Her-Place/12582519/
Chapter 93: Qianqian Acknowledges Her Father
Chapter 93: Qianqian Acknowledges Her Father
"Miss, Miss."
Wu Ge's voice roused Meng Qianqian from her nightmare.
Meng Qianqian's forehead was beaded with fine sweat, and her back was damp with a cold sweat.
Her chest rose and fell slightly, and the lingering pain and hatred in her mind pierced her heart like needles.
"Miss, are you alright?" Wu Ge asked softly.
"I'm fine." Meng Qianqian suppressed her emotions and regained her usual calm. "What is it?"
"I remember when you first entered the capital, Miss, you mentioned that you wanted to see the molten iron flowers. It's been five years, and today is a rare opportunity. Would you like to go and see?" Wu Ge said.
"Molten iron flowers..." Meng Qianqian murmured, lost in thought. After a moment, she calmly said, "It's thoughtful of you to remember. Let's go and take a look."
"Aye!" Wu Ge replied.
The molten iron flowers were on Zhuque Street, where a shop had just opened. They had invited people from other regions to perform the iron flower display, attracting quite a crowd of onlookers. Before long, the place was packed with people, making it difficult even for horse carriages to pass through.
Wu Ge found an alley and stopped the carriage.
Tan'er and Banxia were sleeping soundly, so Meng Qianqian didn't wake them up. She asked Wu Ge to stay there and guard them while she walked over by herself.
Weaving through the surging crowd, Meng Qianqian caught sight of the newly constructed flower canopy in the open space.
A man with a gourd on his head and a bare upper body held the flower sticks in both hands. One stick was filled with molten iron, while the other was empty.
He let out a loud shout and swung the empty stick, striking the filled one forcefully!
The molten iron splattered onto the ground, creating a shower of sparks that burst forth like dazzling stars, shooting straight up into the night sky.
The iron flower performer continued striking, and countless fireworks bloomed in the night sky, filling it with colorful lights that even overshadowed the galaxy.
Meng Qianqian watched, transfixed, as her memories surged like a flood unleashed from a dam in her mind.
"Daddy! Hurry, hurry, hurry! If we're late, we'll miss the molten iron flowers!"
A four-year-old little girl rode on the man's neck, constantly shaking her little legs in excitement.
"Alright, alright, alright!"
The man held onto her tiny arms and laughed as he ran forward.
"Molten iron flowers! Molten iron flowers!"
The little girl kept chanting, shaking her head and swaying along the way. Unfortunately, by the time they arrived, the display had already ended.
She burst into tears. "Waaah—the molten iron flowers are gone—"
The man panicked. "Little Nine, don't cry. Daddy will take you to see it next time. I promise I won't be late, okay?"
Little Nine turned her face away, pouting. "Hmph!"
...
"Why isn't Daddy back yet? He said he would take me to see the molten iron flowers!"
"Come on, Brother will take you to see it!"
"I don't want to! I want Daddy to take me!"
...
"Little Nine... Little Nine..."
The man lay in a pool of blood, his face obscured and unrecognizable, eventually consumed by the flames.
Meng Qianqian gazed up at the fiery trees and silver flowers filling the sky.
Daddy, Little Nine finally got to see the molten iron flowers.
The iron flower display continued, with cheers and applause rising higher and higher.
The sea was calm, and the country was peaceful and prosperous.
But this prosperous age had nothing to do with her.
She was left with only a name and profound loneliness.
"Waaah!"
A soft, milky cry suddenly sounded above her head.
She looked up and saw the little bundle of joy, Baoshi, descending from the sky, her tiny arms outstretched as she fell toward Meng Qianqian.
Unfortunately, the angle of her descent wasn't quite right.
Meng Qianqian tapped her toes and, with a display of light footwork, leaped into the air, catching Baoshi mid-fall. Then, she stepped onto the windowsill and, with a graceful spin in the air, leaped into the open window of the pavilion.
She glared at Lu Yuan, who was leisurely sipping his tea, and asked, "Have you gone mad? What if I couldn't catch her?"
Lu Yuan paused in the act of drinking tea. "Are you scolding me, Your Excellency?"
Knowing when to adapt is a sign of wisdom. Meng Qianqian immediately performed a ritual and said, "Little Nine dares not. Little Nine greets the Grand Commandant."
Lu Yuan let out a cold hmph.
Baoshi, far from being startled, let out excited cries.
Taking advantage of the two adults' momentary distraction, she crawled out through the window by the table again.
Lu Yuan abruptly threw down his cup, and Meng Qianqian reacted in an instant.
In the same moment, they both flashed out, landing on the ground and each grabbing one of Baoshi's little tiger ears on her cloak's hood.
Baoshi widened her eyes, curling her little legs up so that her feet didn't touch the ground as she froze in place.
The passersby were stunned by this scene.
They had never seen such a remarkably handsome man, a valiant and graceful woman, and an adorable little bundle of joy like this before.
Someone clapped and shouted, "Bravo!"
Immediately after, a thunderous round of applause and cheers drowned out the trio.
—They had been mistaken for street performers competing with the iron flower show.
Another embarrassing moment for the Grand Commandant.
"Stand still!" Lu Yuan ordered.
Baoshi placed her little feet on the ground.
Lu Yuan released his grip and started walking away.
Baoshi: "......!!"
Meng Qianqian had no choice but to follow, carrying Baoshi.
"Hey—where are you going? Are you moving to another spot to perform?"
"Go, go, go! Let's follow them and see!"
This family is even more entertaining than the iron flower show! The Grand Commandant, who held sway over the court and the empire, was chased by a crowd of onlookers for several streets like a performing monkey.
In their haste, they reached the lakeshore and escaped onto a small boat, finally finding some peace.
"Grand Commandant, do you know how to row a boat?" Meng Qianqian asked.
Lu Yuan, with his arms crossed over his chest, sat in the cramped cabin: "No."
Meng Qianqian fell silent.
Lu Yuan glanced at her: "Don't tell me you don't know how either."
Meng Qianqian patted Baoshi's little head: "I do, but you threw the oar into the lake when we boarded the boat."
Lu Yuan: "......"
In order to shake off the crowd as soon as possible, Lu Yuan threw a tael of silver to the boatman. The boatman pushed the boat out with a strong shove of the oar and then threw it towards Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan, with a flash of his hand, sliced the oar into two pieces, looking incredibly cool as he did so.
Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he looked at the boatman who had tried to sneak attack him with contempt, his aura overwhelming!
"You insignificant ants, do you dare to challenge me?"
The boatman was completely lost.
Lu Yuan frowned sternly: "Wasn't he trying to sneak attack me?"
He even thought that he had been merciful today, sparing the boatman's life.
Meng Qianqian said, "He was trying to give you the oar."
"You should've said so earlier," Lu Yuan turned away, his voice cold. "I've never sat in such a shabby boat before."
Meng Qianqian sighed: "Yes, yes, yes. You usually sit in large boats and pleasure barges, rowed by a hundred people. You've probably never even seen an oar or a pole before."
Lu Yuan's gaze turned icy as he looked at her: "Are you deliberately provoking Yin Yang Grand Commandant?"
Meng Qianqian immediately became well-behaved: "Little Nine dares not."
---
At the Grand Commandant's residence, Qing Shuang asked Cen, the manager, to find a few servants who knew how to swim and go retrieve the Grand Commandant and the two others.
Cen narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Alright, let's go in the morning then!"
Qing Shuang asked: "What about tonight?"
Cen smiled mysteriously: "Of course, they'll be enjoying the flowers under the moonlight, sailing to the ends of the earth! Perhaps after tonight, Miss Meng will have to change the way she addresses the Grand Commandant."
Qing Shuang didn't understand: "Change from Grand Commandant to what?"
---
On the boat.
Meng Qianqian and Baoshi had fallen asleep.
The interrupted dream resurfaced, and she clutched Lu Yuan's sleeve, calling him 'Daddy' all night.
Under the moonlit flowers, the Grand Commandant, who held sway over the court and the empire, had gained another wild daughter.
(End of Chapter)
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