Chapter 75 Is Mianmian my daughter?

In the quiet tea room, the only sound was the bubbling of the stove.

The two sat opposite each other, and neither of them spoke first.

Ning Guanzhou silently roasted the oranges on the charcoal stove.

Because he still remembered that Chen Qingyin didn't like to eat cold food in winter, she only liked to eat hot food.

Even fruits like oranges should be eaten warm.

She said it would be sweeter this way.

Chen Qingyin watched Ning Guanzhou's actions quietly.

I was touched by his attentiveness, but it only lasted for a moment.

"I had a quarrel with my family." She took the initiative to speak, but what she said was this.

Ning Guanzhou's lowered eyes were like the thin snow on the distant mountains, so pale without a trace of fluctuation.

"I know."

How could he not know?

He knew why she left the Hu family and why she left the Chen family.

He also knew all the grievances she had suffered.

Ning Guanzhou raised his head, his clear and dark eyes like a banished immortal, staring at Chen Qingyin steadily.

"No matter what kind of difficulties you encounter, you only need to remember that I will always provide you with selfless protection."

He spoke sincerely, with emotions flowing in his eyes, and the undisguised feelings seemed to be about to burst out from his brows.

Chen Qingyin lowered her head slightly and gave a faint bitter smile.

"You say so much now, but I can't forget your ruthlessness at that time."

Ning Guanzhou paused as he turned the orange. He was silent for a moment before he said, "I'm sorry. Actually, I..."

"Nothing," Chen Qingyin interrupted him, "I've moved on. From the day I married Hu Yunshen, I told myself not to look back."

Ning Guanzhou pursed his thin lips and swallowed the words he had not finished speaking.

Chen Qingyin adjusted her expression before continuing, "I would like to ask you to do me a favor for the sake of our friendship."

"you say."

"I want to divorce Hu Yunshen smoothly and take Mianmian with me."

Her request is difficult to achieve in today's world.

Although the laws of the Great Yan Dynasty allowed men and women to marry and divorce freely, once a woman gave birth to a child, she could not take her child with her no matter where she went or divorced in the future.

This is true from the common people to the princes and nobles.

Chen Qingyin was not sure about setting a precedent.

She looked into Ning Guanzhou's eyes and said, "Mianmian is everything to me. I must take her away, but I don't have a reliable backer. My father and his people... you know, they will only say that I am fooling around."

Ning Guanzhou nodded: "Master knows that you are not living well in the Hu family and will support you in getting a divorce."

"I know, but my father can't guarantee that he can let Mianmian follow me and leave the Hu family."

This is the only thing Chen Qingyin is worried about.

Her beautiful eyes were filled with sorrow.

"Hu Yunshen and Liang Yunyan are having an affair. Everyone in the Hu family is sucking my blood to climb up. I want to divorce them. I will definitely bring disgrace to their family and make them never get ahead again."

"But if I do this, I'm bound to fall out with them. I'm afraid they'll keep Mianmian here just to torture me..."

Ning Guanzhou slowly peeled the roasted orange, placed the orange segments on a plate, and pushed it in front of Chen Qingyin.

He didn't say anything, but Chen Qingyin was afraid that he would not agree.

"Ning Guanzhou, you must help me."

"I will." His tone was calm, but full of soothing power.

Ning Guanzhou looked at her seriously and said, "Qingyin, don't worry. Even if you asked me to kill myself today, I would do it, let alone this matter."

Chen Qingyin was stunned and didn't know what to say.

At last, she only said: "Thank you."

Ning Guanzhou looked at her, her face like a banished immortal, illuminated by the candlelight, revealing gentleness and calmness.

He took out a handkerchief and wiped his long fingers.

After a while, Ning Guanzhou said, "There is a question I have always wanted to ask you."

"You say." Chen Qingyin's attitude became much better.

Ning Guanzhou pursed his lips: "I hope you can answer me honestly, is Mianmian... really Hu Yunshen's daughter?"

Chen Qingyin's heart trembled.

"Of course!" she said quickly, "What are you thinking about? If it's not Hu Yunshen's, then whose else could it be?"

Chen Qingyin reacted: "Do you think that I am having an affair with someone else behind Hu Yunshen's back? No, not at all!"

Seeing that she was blushing, Ning Guanzhou hesitated to speak.

Chen Qingyin stood up suddenly: "I have to go back, Ning Guanzhou, you have to remember what you promised me."

After that, she pushed the door and left.

The cold wind blew in, disturbing the orange fragrance in the room.

Ning Guanzhou sat there silently, like a stone statue.

After Chen Qingyin returned to the room, she hugged the sleeping Hu Mianmian and lay down again.

For some reason, she didn't feel sleepy.

Ning Guanzhou's question kept ringing in my mind.

Mianmian, is this Hu Yunshen's child?

Chen Qingyin closed her eyes and frowned.

What happened in the inn that night kept flashing before her eyes.

She got caught in the rain and had a fever, so someone gave her water and took care of her.

She opened her eyes and saw Ning Guanzhou's features. She felt sad for a moment and, regardless of being in a dream, she wrapped her arms around his neck.

after...

Chen Qingyin rubbed his eyebrows.

She always thought that everything that happened that night was just a dream.

Because, when she woke up the next day, her room was clean and tidy, and there was no sign of Ning Guanzhou.

She asked the innkeepers, but they all said they had never seen this man.

What's more, at that time, Ning Guanzhou was already on a ship bound for the border. How could he possibly appear by her side?

Chen Qingyin decided not to think too much about it. She reached out and pulled the quilt for Hu Mianmian, then fell asleep.

Ever since moving into Ning Guanzhou's house, Hu Mianmian has been like a little fox that fell into a chicken coop.

There are roast chickens of various flavors for her to try every day.

Eat eggs in the morning, chicken legs at noon, and chicken soup at night.

She ate up the whole family of chickens.

Ning Guanzhou would occasionally come to play with her, sometimes to teach her calligraphy, and sometimes to take the little one for a walk in the garden.

Ning Guanzhou would send someone to deliver the things that Hu Mianmian mentioned casually the next day.

Once, Ning Guanzhou took Hu Mianmian to the study to learn painting, and she didn't come back for a long time.

Chen Qingyin went over and pushed open the door, only to see two people, one big and one small, both asleep on the table.

But the sleeping position is still exactly the same.

They all sleep soundly with their foreheads resting on the backs of their hands, face down.

Chen Qingyin smiled helplessly.

She asked Linlang to pick up Hu Mianmian, and she took a cloak and covered Ning Guanzhou with it.

He quickly opened his eyes and woke up.

Chen Qingyin took back her hand: "Did I wake you up?"

Ning Guanzhou smiled, dispelling the fatigue in his eyes.

"No, I just saw Mianmian sleeping so soundly, so I wanted to give it a try, but I didn't expect that I actually fell asleep."

Chen Qingyin saw the dark circles under his eyes and knew that he had been busy with the matter that the emperor wanted him to investigate thoroughly.

According to Feng Wu, Ning Guanzhou worked very hard and it was common for him to only sleep for three hours in two or three days.

After thinking for a while, Chen Qingyin reminded: "Take care of your body and don't get too tired."

After saying that, she left with Linlang and Hu Mianmian.

Ning Guanzhou waited until she left before he slowly forced a smile into his thin lips.

Half a month passed.

The dowry nanny found Tang Yinqiu and said, "Madam, I found out. I never thought that the third young lady and her daughter would live in Lord Ning's house. Could this be a rekindling of their old love?"