Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 202 Mother

After a short while, Chen Si returned, and the shopkeeper, with an embarrassed look on his face, told him everything that had just happened. As for concealing something? The young man in front of him was the major financial backer, and anyone could see that the two were in love, so why would the shopkeeper be so servile?
Chen Siyuan scratched his head when he heard this, but since Xing Xiuyan took the gold hairpin, he thought she accepted his gift?
He instructed the servant Qingyu to return by carriage. As expected, once they left the market, they saw Xing Xiuyan leading Zhuan'er along the roadside. Chen Siyuan gave a command, and the carriage slowly stopped as they passed each other. He then parted the curtains and said with a smile, "Cousin?"

Xing Xiuyan took a look and immediately smiled: "Brother Yuan, what are you doing——"

"I'm just about to go back. If you don't mind, cousin, why not take the bus back with me?"

Xing Xiuyan agreed without hesitation, and the servant hurriedly brought a footstool, which Xing Xiuyan stepped onto to get into the carriage. Zhuan'er, who was behind her, also wanted to get in, but Qingyu had already removed the footstool and was staring at Zhuan'er.

Zhuan'er blinked for a moment before realizing what he meant. He immediately covered his mouth and laughed. When the carriage started moving again, Zhuan'er leaned over to Qingyu and started mumbling, which annoyed Qingyu greatly.

The carriage rumbled, and the two sat facing each other inside. Chen Siyuan noticed the plum blossom gold hairpin in Xing Xiuyan's hair. Xing Xiuyan lowered her head and stroked her temples, then pondered and found the Xiuyu belt in her bag. "I just happened to see this and thought it would suit Brother Yuan perfectly, so I bought it."

Chen Siyuan took it with a smile. He saw that although the Xiuyan jade was not valuable, the workmanship was extremely delicate. It was a jade buckle with a landscape painting and poetry, and the belt was made of leather and wrapped with plain silk. It looked quite otherworldly.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Thank you, cousin. I like this belt very much."

Xing Xiuyan pursed her lips and smiled, "I should be the one thanking you."

The wind blew the curtains, and a ray of setting sun shone in, and the golden hairpin on the head and the jade buckle in the hand complemented each other.

You know and I know what you are thinking, and I know what you are feeling, but neither of us has revealed it, and we just chat casually in the rocking carriage.

After a long while, Xing Xiuyan asked, "Brother Yuan has met the governor, but is he ready to leave?"

Chen Siyuan said, "I'm afraid we'll have to stay for a while longer... Qingwen's mother hasn't been found yet." He then briefly explained Qingwen's life story.

Xing Xiuyan frowned and said, "That's not easy to find... But since Qingwen's mother is skilled in needlework, she must have been employed by one of the various weaving mills. Why don't you go look for her there, Brother Yuan?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and said, "I found the county's foreman. I think it will be more convenient than searching randomly on my own."

Xing Xiuyan nodded and was about to speak when suddenly something hit the curtain with a puff sound and then rolled to Chen Siyuan's feet.

Xing Xiuyan was startled and staggered, almost hitting the wall. Chen Siyuan was quick and put his hand on the wall, so the warm and soft jade hit the back of his hand.

Xing Xiuyan's pretty face suddenly turned red, and she stammered, not knowing what to say.

Outside, Zhuan'er was already yelling and cursing, "You weird little Zhongsheng! You green-bellied monkey, where are you going?"

The servant Qing Yu hurriedly asked, "Master, has anything been hit? I don't know what those naughty kids outside threw here."

"It's okay." After a casual reply, Chen Siyuan leaned over and picked up the beige ball. He squeezed it and found it was very elastic... Is this a latex ball?

Xing Xiuyan glanced at it and said, "This is a new latex ball. Return it to the children quickly."

Chen Siyuan agreed and opened the curtain, and saw several children pinching the corners of their clothes, at a loss. Chen Siyuan threw the latex back. The children got the latex ball and immediately pointed at Zhuan'er and cursed him. When they saw Zhuan'er chasing them, they dispersed.

Chen Siyuan lowered the curtains and said, "Cousin, how did you know that latex ball was new?"

Xing Xiuyan laughed and said, "This latex can't be stored for a long time. It will become brittle after half a year. How can it be elastic?"

Chen Siyuan thought to himself that this must be natural rubber. If it was mixed with carbon black and then vulcanized, it would definitely be of great use.

Seeing that he seemed lost in thought, Xing Xiuyan said, "When we moved out of Panxiang Temple, my family rented a house in the south city. There was a latex workshop just two alleys away."

Chen Siyuan immediately became interested and said, "Since there's a workshop, I think there must be raw rubber latex?"

Xing Xiuyan noticed his serious expression and said, "I don't know what raw latex is. If you want to know, why don't you go and see it yourself? The workshop is behind Chuanfang Lane."

Chen Siyuan bowed solemnly and said, "Thank you very much. Cousin, you may not know that this matter is of great use to me!"

Xing Xiuyan blinked and said, "I'm glad I can help you."

Chen Siyuan wasn't just talking nonsense. Knowing that there was raw rubber in Suzhou, he naturally bought some and took it back to experiment with vulcanization and carbon black. That was a business worth a hundred thousand taels, and Aunt Xue didn't know how much she could offer. He couldn't just lure people into joining with empty promises, could he?

Soon the carriage arrived at Jianxia Lane. Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er returned to the west, while Chen Siyuan went to the east.

Without mentioning Chen Siyuan's situation, let's talk about Xing Xiuyan and Zhuan'er entering the inner room. Xing Zhen came to greet them and asked from a distance, "Did you redeem it? It's my fault for forgetting about it for a moment... But the hairpin is quite old. If you can't redeem it, I'll take you to buy a new one someday."

As he was speaking, he came closer and saw the plum blossom gold hairpin on Xing Xiuyan's hair. He immediately smiled and said, "Oh, she redeemed it!"

Xing Xiuyan bowed and said, "My daughter is a little tired from walking. Let's go back to our room and rest first."

Xing Zhen agreed, and as she watched Xing Xiuyan turn and enter the main room in the front yard, she suddenly felt something was wrong. The gilded plum blossom hairpin had been worn for some time, and the base color had slightly faded. How could it be as new as it is now?

Suspicious, she stole a moment to find Zhuan'er and question him. Zhuan'er, intent on bringing Xing Xiuyan and Chen Siyuan together, whispered, "That hairpin was a gift from Master Yuan... He was afraid my sister... wouldn't be embarrassed, so he asked the shopkeeper to insist it was gilded and only cost three taels of silver!"

Xing Zhen was very surprised: "Is there such a thing?"

"Hmm!" Zhuan'er nodded repeatedly, muttering, "But my sister is so smart, she saw through it right away. After a few more questions, the shopkeeper, fearing he'd lose the deal, had no choice but to give Master Yuan away."

Xing Zhen frowned and scolded, "My silly daughter, you don't need to be smart just now! What happened next?"

Zhuan'er smiled and said, "Later, the young lady accepted the hairpin and used the money she had to buy a Xiuyu jade belt. I wasn't in the car just now, but when he got off, Master Yuan was holding it in his hand. I think it was a gift from the young lady."

Xing Zhen immediately smiled like an aunt, clasping her hands in praise. She thought to herself, these cousins ​​look like a perfect match, and now they are so in love. All they need to do is go to the capital, and with Madam Xing's help, whether they become a wife or a concubine, it will be a done deal!

The more she thought about it, the more beautiful it became. Xing Zhen couldn't help but go look for Xing Xiuyan. Xing Xiuyan was copying scriptures in her room. When she saw Xing Zhen enter with a smile, she felt a little displeased, but she quickly stood up to greet her.

Xing Zhen glanced at the golden hairpin and praised it, "My son, this plum blossom style suits you best."

Xing Xiuyan felt embarrassed, knowing that it must be Zhuan'er who leaked the news. She looked up and saw Zhuan'er hiding behind the door, with only half of his face showing.

Xing Xiuyan glared at Zhuan'er, who immediately retreated behind the door. Xing Zhenshi pulled Xing Xiuyan to sit down with her, patted her hands, and said earnestly, "You'll be seventeen next year, too. You know your father is unreliable, and I've been thinking about your marriage."

Xing Xiuyan lowered her head shyly and said, "Why did you bring up this, Mom?"

"Why are you ashamed?" Xing Zhen smiled and curled her lips. "Men should marry when they are old enough, and women should marry when they are old enough. Doesn't every girl have to go through this?"

Xing Xiuyan blushed and stopped talking.

Xing Zhen sighed and said, "I was always worried that you wouldn't be able to find a suitable family. Your father always said that his aunt in the capital would take care of you, but how could I trust him? Now it's all good. This Yuan brother is really good, but he can't be your wife..."

Xing Zhenshi realized her mistake the moment she said it! Xing Xiuyan, who had been timidly fiddling with the hem of her clothes, suddenly looked up when she heard this: "Can't be the legal wife? What do you mean, mother?"

"This..." Xing Zhen knew something was wrong, so she could only speak the truth with a shameless face: "Your aunt wrote to say that Yuan Ge'er and Miss Lin have an appointment to set up a ceremony for the co-heir."

Because Xing Zhong never explained it clearly, Xing Zhenshi made common sense and assumed that Daiyu would marry into both houses in the future. Although according to the rules Chen Siyuan could marry a concubine, in official terms, this so-called concubine was a concubine.

After her mother had said that, Xing Xiuyan didn't show it on her face, but she felt uncomfortable inside. Who would be willing to marry a pure and innocent girl to someone else as a concubine?
However, seeing that Xing Xiuyan looked fine, Xing Zhenshi assumed that her daughter had no objection. After talking for a while, she happily went back.

Xing Xiuyan saw her mother off, and when she picked up her pen again, the ink on the tip had dried. She was only sixteen years old, and although she was naturally indifferent, she couldn't help but think about the important matter of marriage.

After a long while, Xing Xiuyan sighed, put down her writing, and went upstairs. She lay down on the bed with her clothes on, her head resting on her wrist. In a moment, she felt the golden hairpin on her head fall. She reached out and grabbed it, staring at the plum blossom hairpin in a trance.

The other side.

After meeting Jia Yucun and finalizing his marriage with Lin Daiyu, he also found out about Xing Xiuyan's feelings, and accidentally learned that there was a latex workshop in Suzhou City. Chen Siyuan could not hide his excitement.

He was already in high spirits, and could not help but go looking for Xiangling. However, Xiangling was still in the back with Zhen Fengshi, and only Qingwen was in the front building.

Chen Siyuan walked in with a smile and saw Qingwen frowning as she worked on her needlework. Chen Siyuan's smile faded. Yes, Qingwen's mother's whereabouts were still unknown, so it was no wonder that Qingwen was so worried at the moment.

He suppressed his interest and walked slowly towards him. Qingwen heard the noise, raised her head, took a look, and called out "Master" in a low voice.

Chen Siyuan sighed and came closer, setting aside his work. He pulled her into his arms with a pair of soft hands, then put his arm around her shoulders and said, "It's just that we haven't found her yet, so why are you still worried about her? We've met the governor today, so there's no rush to return. We'll still have time to go back once we hear about your mother's whereabouts."

Qingwen pouted and said, "It's not good to delay too long... Master still has to go to Jinling and Yangzhou."

Going to Jinling is to bring some local offerings to the Zhen and Li families; going to Yangzhou is to pay tribute to the parents of this name.

Chen Siyuan calculated, "It's only the beginning of winter now. We can reach the capital from Yangzhou by carriage in about twenty days. There's no rush."

Qingwen sniffed, put her arms around Chen Siyuan's waist, hung her head and stopped talking.

The two hugged each other for a while, and then they heard the sound of footsteps coming from downstairs. A moment later, Xiangling brought up some snacks.

Xiangling glanced over and saw Chen Siyuan with his index finger raised to his lips. Upon closer inspection, she saw that Qingwen had indeed fallen asleep.

Xiangling walked lightly and put down the plate of snacks. She saw Chen Siyuan slowly break free, carry Qingwen horizontally and place her on the bed, then pull Xiangling downstairs to talk.

When they got down, Xiangling asked, "Hasn't she found her mother yet?"

Chen Siyuan frowned and shook his head, saying, "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack."

Xiangling felt the same way and sighed as well. If her master hadn't accidentally heard the message, she and her mother might never have been reunited.

Isn't it harder than climbing to the sky to search randomly like this?
While he was pondering this, he suddenly heard the little maid Yunxiang coming over from outside, shouting, "Master, Master! Hu Bantou is here!"

Chen Siyuan and Xiangling looked at each other and hurried out to greet him.

As soon as Chen Siyuan left, they heard a series of footsteps. Xiangling turned her head and saw Qingwen running down barefoot.

"Sister, what was Yunxiang yelling about just now? Is it Hu Bantou who's here?"

Xiangling nodded repeatedly: "Sister, you're almost getting your shoes on. That might be a good thing!"

Qingwen glanced down and realized she was not wearing shoes. She hurried up to pick them up, and when she came down again, she saw Chen Siyuan walking towards her with his hands behind his back.

Qingwen looked at Chen Siyuan's expression and saw that there was no joy on his face, and her heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Xiangling pursed her lips, came over, tugged at her hand, and shook her head at her. Qingwen bit her lower lip, her eyes already red.

A moment later, Chen Siyuan was about to come in, and Xiangling asked, "Master, what did Captain Hu say?"

Chen Siyuan glanced at Qingwen and forced a smile, saying, "I did find it. It's in a weaving mill outside the city."

Qingwen blinked, not reacting for a moment. Xiangling shook her arm and said with a smile, "Isn't that a happy occasion?"

Chen Siyuan nodded and continued, "But...something happened to your father a few years ago, and now your mother has remarried."

Qingwen's lips moved. It was her father who cruelly sold her that day. She only thought about her mother and hated her cruel father in her heart.

Without waiting for him to speak, Chen Siyuan continued, "Yes, you have a new sister." He paused and said, "It's getting late today. How about I take you to see her tomorrow morning?"

Qingwen finally recovered and bowed to Chen Siyuan, saying, "I will obey you, Master."

..................................................................

The moon was at its zenith, shining brightly on the bed, a lustrous sheen like a ball of soft jade. Suddenly, she called out softly, "Hey!" and her body swayed wildly.

Only after a short pause did Qingwen open her mouth.

Chen Siyuan gasped and couldn't help but say angrily, "A dog? How did you learn to bite people?"

Qingwen hummed without saying a word.

Chen Siyuan held the frail figure in his arms, gently patted her smooth back, and soothed her, "Go to bed early. I'll take you to find your mother tomorrow."

Today, Qingwen struggled twice before giving up. Chen Siyuan knew that Qingwen must be feeling uneasy.

Qingwen opened her eyes after a while, resting her head on Chen Siyuan's chest, her dark eyes fixed on the moonlight outside the window, and she said softly, "Master...my mother..."

"There's no use thinking too much, go to sleep quickly."

"Oh." Qingwen agreed, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

After a while, when Qingwen heard Chen Siyuan's breathing become regular, she was afraid that Chen Siyuan's arm would not be able to absorb the blood, so she turned over, rolled up the quilt and lay on her side.

She was thinking randomly in her heart: Mother...does she still remember her daughter?

The next morning, although Qingwen got up early, her eyes were inevitably bloodshot.

Chen Siyuan knew that she was in a state of confusion, so he urged Yunxiang to bring breakfast as soon as possible. The two of them ate it in a hurry, then hired a carriage and went straight out of the city to look for her.

Ten miles outside the city, there was a large village not far away. Two small rivers flowed around the village. Perhaps the owner of the weaving mill had built a dam here, so every hundred steps there was a huge water wheel slowly turning.

The guide, who was riding a donkey, pointed in the distance and said, "Master Chen, this is the place! Madam Xu's maiden name is Feng, and her ex-husband's surname is Bai. She just gave birth to a boy in October and is now idle at home."

Chen Siyuan said: "Trouble you to lead the way, I will reward you handsomely later." Of course, there was no need to mention the hanger-on's inability to express his gratitude.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived at a corner of the village. The helper pointed out the entrance, and Chen Siyuan sent Qingyu to knock on the door first. At this time, Qingwen tightly pulled Chen Siyuan's arm, and Chen Siyuan said, "I will go with you."

Qingwen bit her lower lip and shook her head: "I don't know what the situation is yet... I, I'd better go by myself."

Chen Siyuan thought about it and nodded, "Okay, then I'll wait for you here."

"Yes." Qingwen agreed, lifted the curtain, got off the carriage, and followed Qingyu into the alley.

After walking for a while, Qing Yu stopped in front of a farmhouse. He turned his head to look at the waiter at the entrance of the alley. The waiter nodded repeatedly, so Qing Yu walked up to him and called out, "Is anyone home?"

Qingwen stopped behind Qingyu with her fists clenched. She looked up and saw three thatched farmhouses, two barns, and a chicken coop under the eaves with two old hens in it.

"Is anyone at home?"

After another sound, the door inside creaked open and a woman walked out.

"Young man, are you..." The woman was speechless when she saw Qingwen.

Qingwen also stared at the woman.

"Magpie?" the woman tried to call out, then came running over madly: "Magpie!"

Qingwen couldn't help herself any longer, and with red eyes she replied, "Mother, mother!"

Seeing this, Qingyu quickly stepped aside. The gate was thrown open, and the woman rushed over and hugged Qingwen tightly. For a while, both mother and daughter sobbed and cried.

After a long while, the woman let go of Qingwen, held her shoulders, and looked her up and down. She laughed and cried, "You're a grown-up girl now, and your face has gained some flesh... How are you doing with this dress?"

Qingwen wiped her tears and nodded continuously: "Okay, everything is fine... I just miss mother."

The woman also nodded repeatedly while crying.

At that moment, a little girl with patches all over her body came out of the room. Seeing the woman and Qingwen like this, she called out in surprise, "Mother? Who is she?"

The woman turned around to take a look, waved to the little girl, and said with a smile: "Luan'er, come here quickly. This is your elder sister."

Then she said to Qingwen, "You left just two months ago, and I gave birth to Luan'er. She's your sister. By the way, have you eaten yet? Mother will make you your favorite Aozao noodles!"

Without saying anything, he pulled Qingwen and walked inside. After a few steps, he stopped and turned to look at Qingyu outside the door.

Qingyu bowed to the woman and said to Qingwen, "Young lady, please make your own way. I'll go to the entrance of the alley to wait on the master. If you need anything, just call me."

Qingwen responded, and Qingyu turned and left.

The woman seemed to be thinking about something, and she couldn't help feeling relieved.

The thatched hut was dark and cramped. As soon as I entered, I heard the sound of a baby crying.

The woman grumbled and ordered, "Luan'er, go look after your brother first. I'll go make Aozao noodles."

Luan'er, who was only four or five years old, licked her lips and said happily, "Aozao noodles, I want to eat Aozao noodles too!"

The woman found a flour bag, first poured out a bowl, and then resolutely poured out all the brown flour inside.

She turned her head and looked over happily, saying, "Que'er, come and sit down. Mother will be there in a moment."

Qingwen agreed, found a bench and sat down beside her. She said in a hoarse voice, "Mother...how have you been these past few years?"

The woman sighed and said, "What's good or bad about it? It's just a matter of survival."

She began to talk. It was that year when she was pregnant and her husband had injured his waist, leaving the family without a livelihood. Her husband thought about it and, seeing Qingwen's increasingly beautiful appearance, he began to think about pawning her.

The woman just cried and made a fuss, and never agreed. Later, when the family was really struggling to make ends meet, her father hid the matter from her and said that he had sent Qingwen to a wealthy family to work as a maid, where she would enjoy a comfortable life.

The woman was half-believing and half-doubting, but after giving birth to Luan'er, she clamored to see Qingwen. Her father asked, "How could I find Qingwen?" After a few moments of hesitation, she finally told the truth.

The couple had a big fight, so there's no need to go into details.

Although the woman wept bitterly, she was pregnant with Luan'er and couldn't leave her family and property to look for her, so she had to raise her. Unexpectedly, Qingwen's father couldn't bear to see her go on, so he conspired with his fellow villagers to smuggle salt.

He brought back money the first two times, but he never returned the third time.

The woman waited for two years and finally returned to her parents' home. With the help of her parents' family, she married into her current family.

The woman said this calmly, as if she didn't care at all. Then she said to Qingwen, "Where's Que'er? How are you doing?"

Qingwen thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "It's all good. First I went to the Lai family, then to the Rongguo Mansion, and then to the master's side. Everything is fine."

She only reported good news and not bad news. Naturally, she would not tell anyone about the day she was driven out of the Rongguo Mansion and almost lost her life.

"My master has just passed the Autumn Examination and is now a Juren. He is also very capable, having built a fortune from scratch... and he treats me very well."

The woman said with relief, "You are beautiful, and it's natural for you to be favored by others... But you must not let your favor lead you to arrogance. No matter how beautiful you are, you will eventually grow old."

Qingwen nodded and said, "Don't worry, mother. I won't."

The woman smiled and shook her head, saying, "You've been so stubborn since you were little, and you're not one to cut corners. How can I be at ease? I just hope that gentleman is kind and can at least tolerate you."

Qingwen said shyly, "Master is very good."

As they talked, the woman cooked some noodles and found half a dried duck from under the eaves. She thought for a moment and said to Qingwen, "I'll go buy a fish. You wait at home."

"Mom, you don't have to—"

"Just wait." The woman ignored Qingwen and walked out in a hurry.

Qingwen sat down again, watching over the stove, feeling a mixture of emotions. A moment later, Luan'er came out, holding a swaddled baby. She stopped in front of Qingwen, staring at her for a long moment, and said with a smile, "Mother is right. Big sister is indeed beautiful!"

Then he bent down to show Qingwen the baby and said, "This is my little brother. He's so ugly!"

Qingwen felt mixed emotions for a long while before she finally said, "Sister?"

"Yeah," the little girl nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "My name is Luan'er."

Seeing that the little girl couldn't hold the baby, Qingwen volunteered to take over. However, she had never taken care of a child before, and in just a moment, the baby started crying.

Luan'er was very sensible. She quickly took the child over and coaxed her for a long time before she finally stopped crying. Then she smiled and said, "Mom said that my eldest sister went to live a good life with a rich family. How come she can't even hold a child?"

"I—I only know how to do needlework."

At this time, the woman came back from outside, holding a one-foot-long green carp in her hand.

Once inside, he asked, "Is that your master in the carriage parked at the entrance of the alley?"

Qingwen agreed, and the woman smiled and said, "He looks like a good host. Go and invite him over. Even if you don't like this Aozhao noodles, mother should still thank him sincerely."

Qingwen couldn't refuse, so she went to the alley entrance and said to Chen Siyuan, "Master, my mother wants to cook some Aozao noodles. Would you like to try some?"

"Aozao noodles?" Chen Siyuan lifted the curtain and stepped out of the carriage, unable to help but reminisce, "I once had this when I passed through Kunshan. It was truly delicious. If you hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten about it. Ha, I have to rely on Qingwen's help today."

Qingwen smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

Chen Siyuan pulled Qingwen's hand and ordered Qingyu, "Get a pot of Shaoxing yellow wine and some snacks to go with it."

Qing Yu was shocked and said, "Master, this round trip is nearly twenty miles!"

"Just go when I tell you to. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"Hey, I'll go right away."

"Don't forget to buy some food for the warrior and the rickshaw driver as well."

Qing Yu agreed again, and the driver and the waiters beside him hurriedly thanked him with a smile.

Chen Siyuan smiled and indicated that it was just a small matter, then pulled Qingwen into the alley.

Soon they arrived at the wooden gate, where the woman had already come to greet them. Seeing Chen Siyuan, she hurriedly bowed.

Chen Siyuan moved aside and said with a smile, "No need to be polite, Auntie."

"Hey, sir, please come in. My house is very poor, please don't mind it."

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "I had a hard time when I was young, so please don't treat me like a playboy."

As they were talking, they walked inside. As expected, Chen Siyuan did not show any disgust. He pulled a rattan chair and sat down without hesitation.

He smiled and said to the woman, "Auntie, are you using duck soup as the base? No need to look, this Aozao noodles must be authentic."

The woman didn't know how to respond. She laughed for a long time before saying, "Master Chen..., my Que'er has been strong-willed since he was little, and he's also a person who doesn't give up easily—"

"Eh? Madam, you've gone too far. Qingwen has a very righteous heart. She's just like the saying that someone may have a sharp tongue but a soft heart."

As he spoke, he pulled Qingwen's hand again and said to the woman, "It's because she's still young, otherwise I would have held a wedding banquet to marry her off long ago."

Qingwen was so embarrassed that she didn't dare to look up, but she also knew that Chen Siyuan said this to reassure her mother.

As expected, the woman was delighted when she heard it: "As expected? Oh my god, God bless you, Mr. Chen, please don't scare me!"

Chen Siyuan said angrily, "I am a juren after all. How can I go back on my word?"

The woman agreed without hesitation, and her eyes looking at Qingwen showed more and more relief.

Without saying anything more, the woman skillfully prepared a pot of Aozao noodles. When the noodles were cooked, she opened the pot and found that the aroma was indeed overwhelming.

Before Qingyu returned, the woman found a chipped coarse porcelain bowl and filled a large bowl for Chen Siyuan. She then divided some between Qingwen and Luan'er, so that only the bottom of the pot was left.

At this time, the baby started crying again. The woman said, "The child must be hungry. Mr. Chen, please forgive me. I will go and feed the child first."

"Just do as you please, Auntie."

The woman went into the side room, and only Chen Siyuan, Qingwen and the little girl Luan'er were left at the dining table.

Na Luan'er stared at Chen Siyuan with curious eyes, holding the bowl but not daring to pick up the chopsticks.

Chen Siyuan asked, "Why are you looking at me?"

Luan'er said, "Grandma said that if Daddy doesn't move his chopsticks, no one else can."

Qingwen frowned and asked, "Which grandma?"

Luan'er blinked and said, "It's the new grandmother, whom Big Sister has never seen before."

Chen Siyuan knew it must be the woman's in-laws after she remarried. Seeing Luan'er looking at him eagerly, Chen Siyuan stood up, pushed most of the noodles in the bowl over to her, and then sat down and said with a smile, "I just ate, I'm afraid I can't finish it. Luan'er, can you help me eat more?"

Luan'er couldn't help swallowing her saliva, nodded, and whispered to Qingwen, "Sister, your uncle is a good man."

Qingwen nodded and gave some to Luan'er, causing her to cry out, "That's enough! Any more and my stomach will burst."

Even so, Luan'er still didn't pick up the chopsticks.

Chen Siyuan picked up his chopsticks and took a bite... Tsk, the taste was just average. Come to think of it, how could an ordinary woman's cooking skills compare to those of a restaurant?
Luan'er used her chopsticks quickly and ate with relish; Qingwen ate gracefully, and soon her eyes became red again, perhaps because the Aozhao noodles brought back memories.

After another half an hour, Qingwen had only eaten half a bowl, while Luan'er had already devoured the entire bowl of Aozao noodles. Chen Siyuan was afraid that the little girl would burst her stomach, so he didn't dare to give her any more.

The baby's crying in the room had long since subsided, and then the woman came over with a shy look on her face.

After exchanging a few words, the woman said to Qingwen, "Que'er, come here. Mother has something to tell you."

Qingwen stood up and followed the woman. A moment later, she returned with a frown on her face. She first glanced at Luan'er, who was burping non-stop, then at Chen Siyuan, who seemed hesitant to speak.

Chen Siyuan asked, "Is your mother in trouble?"

Qingwen nodded and whispered, "Master...can you take my sister with you?"

(End of this chapter)