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

Lu Mingzhao felt that there was no ambiguity in what he said.

But as soon as she spoke, everyone at the table seemed to freeze in place.

Lu Mingzhao looked around, puzzled.

Liu Muqiu had just recovered from the shock of learning that her sister-in-law had taken a liking to her younger brother when she saw her mother-in-law's bewildered expression. She quickly smoothed things over, saying, "Yes, marriage is a serious matter and cannot be taken lightly. Although Muyuan is my own brother, I, as his older sister, cannot say that he is entirely good."

"Furthermore, the girl and he haven't spent much time together, so to be honest, she only has a slight liking for him."

That was exactly what Lu Mingzhao was thinking, and he nodded upon hearing this.

"What Mu Qiu said is exactly what I meant. You are all still young, and Xu'er is not engaged yet, so An'an naturally doesn't need to rush."

"Is it because they haven't met many times? Or is it because the mother harbors prejudice?"

Zhou Ming'an suddenly spoke, his voice trembling slightly.

Lu Mingzhao looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "Prejudice? What prejudice?"

As she spoke, she worried that her tone was too harsh, so she tried to soften her voice.

"It's true that Liu Muyuan saved you, but you're still too young and could easily mistake a life-saving favor for affection. I'm not against you two, I just think there's no need to rush."

Before Zhou Ming'an could argue further, Chu Yuan'er quickly pulled his hand and whispered, "Miss, just listen to your sister and stop talking."

Zhou Ningchuan, who was in the courtyard, also noticed that something was wrong. He put down his shovel, walked back, looked around, and found that everyone had fallen into an eerie silence.

Zhou Ming'an looked up at his father, his eyes gleaming with a last glimmer of hope: "Father, do you still stand by what you said about arranging a marriage for me?"

Zhou Ningchuan paused, then looked at his wife.

He felt a little guilty; he hadn't discussed this with his wife, nor had he had a chance to tell her.

But in any case, his current thinking is clear.

He used to worry that he wouldn't live much longer, so he wanted to pave the way for his daughter as early as possible.

Now that he has recovered, he naturally wants to keep his daughter by his side for a few more years and find her the best husband.

So Zhou Ningchuan didn't think much of it: "It's worth it, but there's no rush."

The light in Zhou Ming'an's eyes dimmed completely. These words, exactly like his mother's, clearly indicated that it was the result of their discussion.

Her father had previously assured her that as long as she was happy, that was all that mattered.

After discussing it with her mother, she immediately overturned her previous statement.

This time it's her wedding, but what will it be next time?

After her father and mother reconciled, did this family lose even the last person who cared about her and loved her?

Zhou Ming'an clenched his fists and suddenly stood up: "I'm full, Father and Mother, I'm going back now."

Lu Mingzhao quickly stood up and explained, "An'an, I didn't mean anything by it. Of course, it's fine if you like it, but you're only fourteen..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhou Ming'an bowed, lowered his head, and strode out.

"An'an".

Zhou Ningchuan frowned slightly and called out to her.

Zhou Ming'an stopped in his tracks upon hearing the sound, but did not turn around.

Zhou Ningchuan was clearly very dissatisfied with his daughter's attitude.

Although his wife had mentioned wanting to gradually ease the tension with the children, he was prepared.

But he didn't want the mother and daughter to have a rift without any clear explanation.

Just like Lu Mingzhao once said, if there are any misunderstandings among the family members, they should talk them out face to face.

Zhou Ningchuan tried to soften his tone as much as possible: "An'an, we've already wronged your mother about the incident in the mountains. Since there are some things we can say directly, why not give it a try?"

Zhou Ming'an remained silent throughout.

Zhou Ningchuan wanted to continue persuading her, but his wife tugged at his sleeve and gently shook her head.

He then fell silent.

He knew his wife felt guilty towards their three children, especially towards their youngest daughter, whom she was most soft-hearted towards.

I imagine his wife wouldn't want to pressure their daughter either.

"It's okay, An'an," Lu Mingzhao forced a smile.

"Whenever you want to talk, your mother will always be here."

Zhou Ming'an was silent for a moment, then calmly asked, "May I leave now?"

"……Can."

Once Zhou Ming'an received permission, he left without hesitation.

Seeing this, Chu Yuan'er also got up and said softly, "I'll go check on An'an; perhaps I can persuade her."

Zhou Shixu was still foolishly building a snowman when he turned his head and saw that Chu Yuan'er and her sister had both left.

He was about to ask what was going on when he was hit with a snowball.

Turning his head, he saw his older brother making another snowball, raising an eyebrow at him: "Come on."

Zhou Shixu's competitive spirit was instantly aroused, and he quickly squatted down and started making snowballs. The two brothers soon became friends.

Lu Mingzhao slowly sat down and smiled apologetically at Liu Muqiu: "Muqiu, don't overthink it. Muyuan is a good boy. It's just that I'm reluctant to let An'an get married so soon."

Liu Muqiu nodded repeatedly upon hearing this: "Mother, I understand. An'an is still young, and besides, Muyuan is busy with his studies. It's still a long way from marriage."

Meanwhile, Chu Yuan'er had already caught up with Zhou Ming'an.

Zhou Ming'an's eyes were red, but he still tried to put on a polite smile: "Aunt Chu, you don't need to worry about me, I'm fine."

"Silly child, do you think I can't see what's on your mind?"

Chu Yuan'er sighed, her eyes filled with heartache as she gently tucked a stray hair behind Zhou Ming'an's ear.

"What you said today, sister, couldn't be clearer... But in the end, it's all my fault. I'm the one who brought up your marriage."

"I originally thought that while my sister and the Marquis were on good terms, I could settle your marriage as soon as possible, so you wouldn't have to live in so much fear. After all, isn't this all a woman's life is about?"

"But I never expected that the Marquis would change his mind."

"How can you blame Aunt Chu for this?"

Zhou Ming'an smiled bitterly, "Now that my parents' relationship has improved, my marriage is naturally decided by my mother. She always seems to oppose whatever I like, and I've been living like this for quite some time now."

"Please don't think that way, young lady. My sister has indeed changed, but I don't think she's trying to go against you."

Chu Yuan'er took Zhou Ming'an's hand and said softly, "In my opinion, sister just looks down on Liu Muyuan's current social standing."

"I heard that Liu Muyuan has already passed the imperial examination and will continue to take it next year. If he can pass the exam again, perhaps you, sister, will be able to take a liking to him. Then it won't be difficult for you two lovers to become a couple."

Zhou Ming'an lowered his head.

Upon closer reflection, Aunt Chu's words did indeed make sense.

After all, her mother had previously arranged for her to marry the son of the Duke of Huguo. Now, she was suddenly considering getting engaged to the son of an ordinary civil official, especially one who was not favored by the family. Naturally, her mother was unwilling to accept this.

However, her mother valued social status, but she didn't care; she just wanted to find someone who truly cared for her.

Chu Yuan'er seemed to see through her thoughts and sighed softly, "Actually, I think that liking someone is the most important thing. Even if someone is from royalty, if there is no true love, it is all for naught."

"Aunt Chu... is that really what you think?" Zhou Ming'an slowly raised his head to look at her, his eyes shining brightly.

Chu Yuan'er smiled and patted her head: "Of course, people only think that I stayed by your father's side to compete for the title of wife. But my heart is the same as yours; all I want in this life is to find my destined partner."

"So An'an, you have to believe that Aunt Chu will always be on your side. If you have any worries, just tell me, I won't tell them."

"Thank you, Aunt Chu."

Zhou Ming'an bit his lower lip lightly and nodded heavily.