The temperamental white moonlight is back, and the entire Marquis's family obediently calls him

"break off an engagement?"

Zhou Ming'an was the first to react, but his eyes were still full of wariness as he looked at Lu Mingzhao.

She pursed her lips, stared at the other person for a long while, and then gave a dismissive laugh: "You're just saying that to see me get all excited for nothing, aren't you?"

"You were the one who insisted on me marrying him, and you even pointed your finger at me and said, 'Even if my father doesn't agree, I have to marry him. I have no choice.'"

"And now you're putting on this act of being understanding, who are you trying to fool?"

Lu Mingzhao felt a pang of pain in his heart.

She truly raised both of her sons herself.

Therefore, she believed that her sons still held a sliver of hope for her.

She didn't even have time to hold this daughter, let alone properly love her.

Fourteen years have passed, and the image of her terrible mother has long been etched into An'an's heart.

An'an clearly has no trust in herself now.

Even when she said she wanted to call off the engagement, her daughter thought she was just playing a trick on her.

"I'm serious."

Lu Mingzhao's gaze swept over the three children one by one, with utmost sincerity.

"I used to think it was my mother's fault, and I don't expect you to forgive me now, but I will do my best to show you how my mother has changed."

Zhou Ming'an remained silent for a few moments before letting out a cold laugh: "I am not your father or elder brother. No matter how much you pretend, I will not change my opinion of you."

"If you want to show your motherly heart, just act like a good mother in front of your elder brothers. Don't waste your energy on me."

Zhou Ming'an flicked his sleeves, turned around, and left.

Lu Mingzhao glanced at his daughter's departing figure and sighed softly in his heart.

Freezing three feet is not a day's cold.

Let's take it slow.

Zhou Shixu, who was standing to the side, realized what his sister had said and looked at Lu Mingzhao with a face full of annoyance.

She was faking it all! He almost fell for her act!

Before he could even vent his anger for his sister, he was flicked on the head.

He covered his forehead, looking at the other person with a mixture of anger and shock: "You...!"

Lu Mingzhao remained calm and met his gaze: "Don't be angry, come inside and eat."

"Tomorrow morning, you will accompany me to the Duke of Huguo's mansion to annul the engagement."

Upon hearing her words, Zhou Shixu's anger instantly subsided, and he stared blankly at his elder brother.

...She's actually serious?

Are they really going to break off the engagement with An'an?

Zhou Shili nodded slightly without saying anything.

The impact of the past half-day was too great; even he was finding it difficult to cope.

Fourteen years of experience told him that perhaps this woman was just a master of acting, which made her portrayal of a mother more convincing.

But deep down, a voice kept murmuring another possibility.

After hesitating for a while, he ultimately did not refute, but only gave his younger brother a look, signaling him to come inside.

As soon as they sat down, Lu Mingzhao rolled up his sleeves and placed a small cup in front of each of them.

"This was made by my mother herself, you should try it."

She smiled expectantly at her eldest son: "Try it and see if it tastes the same as before. It's been a long time since I made it, so I'm afraid I might not have added the right amount of seasoning."

Zhou Shili had no idea what the other party was up to, and subconsciously thanked them.

But the moment he opened the small cup, he was stunned.

How could it be... steamed egg custard?

How could it be the steamed egg custard that Mother promised him on the day she disappeared?

Zhou Shixu, on the other end, grumbled in dissatisfaction, "What is this?"

"Who would want to eat this? It must be poisoned."

Fearing that Lu Mingzhao would be unhappy, Liu Muqiu quickly smiled and smoothed things over: "Uncle, did you misunderstand? The old lady is so kind to give us food, and she even personally washed her hands and cooked the soup. We juniors are overjoyed."

Zhou Shixu realized that his sister-in-law was trying to salvage the situation for him, so he pursed his lips and didn't argue.

Liu Muqiu secretly glanced at her mother-in-law, and seeing that she had no complaints, she breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at her husband.

This was a shocking sight; she noticed tears welling up in her husband's eyes!

Zhou Shili was still staring blankly at the steamed egg custard in his bowl.

When I was five years old, my father wrote a letter saying that I was about to be promoted to centurion and told my mother not to be frugal and to wear nice clothes and eat nice food.

So, on Zhou Shili's birthday that year, his mother steamed a bowl of egg custard with four eggs in it.

I added some fine salt, and drizzled soy sauce and sesame oil around it before taking it off the heat.

The golden-yellow steamed egg custard trembled slightly in the white porcelain spoon. It melted in my mouth with just a gentle touch and slid down my throat before I could even chew it a few times.

After dinner, his mother rubbed his head and said, "When your father becomes a centurion, we can eat steamed egg custard every day. Just thinking about it makes me happy."

He and his younger brother leaned against their mother's arms, laughing out loud with joy.

He will never forget that birthday and that satisfying meal.

And this bowl of steamed egg custard in front of me...

Seeing Zhou Shili take a bite, Lu Mingzhao couldn't wait to ask, "How is it? Is it delicious?"

Zhou Shili grunted "Mmm" without looking up and began to eat heartily.

"Slow down, don't choke," Lu Mingzhao said with a smile. "Looks like my cooking skills are still up to par!"

Seeing his elder brother eating so heartily, Zhou Shixu also tentatively took a bite.

The taste wasn't bad, and it even had a strange sense of familiarity.

That's not enough to make my older brother like it this much!

Unconvinced, he took a second and a third bite.

Hmm...it does seem quite delicious.

Before he knew it, Zhou Shixu had finished a whole bowl of steamed egg custard.

After finishing his meal, he felt a little embarrassed, coughed twice, and hurriedly made an excuse to get up and leave.

Lu Mingzhao didn't insist he stay, but instead called out, "Don't forget, you're coming to the Duke's mansion with me tomorrow morning!"

Zhou Shixu gave a vague reply and ran away without looking back.

Seeing this, Liu Muqiu also stood up: "It's getting late, Madam, please rest early. Master and I will also return to the East Courtyard first."

Lu Mingzhao said, "You two stay here for a moment, I have something to ask you."

Liu Muqiu's heart, which had finally calmed down, was raised again.

Zhou Shili had been silent ever since he started eating the steamed egg custard, and when he heard this, he only slightly raised his head.

Lu Mingzhao, oblivious to their expressions, stroked his chin and asked, "Isn't the Duke of Protectorate more powerful than your father? Is it going to be difficult to annul this engagement?"

One was a duke, the other a marquis.

Although she was determined not to let her daughter marry into the family, she was inevitably at a loss when dealing with this kind of thing for the first time.

"Shouldn't we prepare something?"

Liu Muqiu felt a sudden alarm bell ring in her heart, immediately realizing that her mother-in-law must be testing their attitude.

She was just about to think of a way to change the subject when she heard Zhou Shili say slowly:

"I wrote to my father about An'an's marriage last month."

"Father will not agree to An'an marrying into the Duke of Huguo's mansion."

"We can postpone it for a while, no more than two months. Once Father returns to the capital, all the problems will be solved."

Liu Muqiu suddenly turned her head to look at her husband.

How dare he say it so openly?

The matter of writing a letter to the Marquis was something the couple discussed privately.

That same day, Zhou Shili wrote a letter to the Marquis, asking him to hurry back to oversee the arrangements.

The Marquis always doted on this daughter. If he hadn't had no other choice, he would have even considered taking her with him to the Northwest.

Therefore, the Marquis would absolutely not allow An'an to marry a纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man).

As long as the Marquis returns, Zhou Ming'an will no longer need to marry.

But if my husband suddenly reveals everything today, and my mother-in-law gets anxious, wouldn't she want to marry her daughter off immediately?

What chance will An'an have then?

However, the next moment, Lu Mingzhao suddenly slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his eyes shining as he looked at the two of them: "Well done!"

"I knew you wouldn't just stand by and watch An'an get pushed into the fire."

Liu Muqiu: ...Huh?