northernbook Chapter 293 Meng Dong
Chapter 293 Meng Dong
The room remained quiet for a long time, or perhaps a very short time.
Nianyao felt like a dying fish struggling to breathe. She needed air, sunlight, and space away from Luo An's oppressive presence... She instinctively and mechanically moved towards the door.
Luo An said, "Xue Nianyao!"
Xue Nianyao turned around blankly, and Luo An's face in front of her was unfamiliar and blurry: "I'm here."
Luo An asked, "Where are you going?"
Where could she go? Where could she go? She had no father, no Uncle Liu, no Uncle Xu, and she told Zhou Yan she would never see him again. She had no Dahe Gang, so where could she go?
So, without Luo An, did she have nowhere to go? Without Luo An, did she have nothing at all?
Suddenly, the sound of a child crying came from outside the door. Nianyao grabbed a lifeline like a drowning person: there was still Xue Chenxi, at least she still had Xue Chenxi.
Nianyao rushed out the door as if fleeing for her life. The sunlight outside was dazzling, making her squint. Just yesterday she had told Guyu: "Tomorrow will definitely be a good day. Ninth Brother has been locked up for several days, so he can finally come out and bask in some of his bad luck."
The wet nurse stood in the corridor, holding Xue Chenxi, and looked at her with concern: "Madam?"
Nianyao hugged Xue Chenxi and said, "Let's go."
Just then, Gu Yu came over with a tray: "Where is Madam going?"
Where to? I don't know! At least I need to get out of here first. Nianyao continued walking forward without saying a word.
Gu Yu blocked their way: "Chunhua, go and invite the young master."
When Nianyao saw Chunhua leave in response, and then looked at Guyu's calm face, she suddenly realized that in Xizhai, in Bianjing, or even in Heaven and Earth, no one had ever truly respected her.
She was merely Luo An's wife; once Luo An fell out with her, she wouldn't even be able to command a servant. Worse still, even a servant could easily obstruct her.
Nianyao's inherent stubbornness rose instantly, and she commanded in a deep voice, "Get out of the way."
Gu Yu, of course, wouldn't allow it: "Madam, please wait a moment."
Luo An didn't come, so Chunhua came to report: "Young Master said that Madam is free."
Gu Yu was still hesitating when Nian Yao pushed him away, causing the tray to fall to the ground and spilling crystal steamed buns and porridge all over the floor.
"Did Gu Yu prepare this for her?" Nian Yao stomped heavily on the steamed buns, thinking bitterly: "It's all fake affection."
The two walked down the street one after the other. Nianyao suddenly felt a little lost: Where should we go? Where can we go?
Should we go to the Duke's mansion to find Qin Jiu? Nian Yao told Qin Jiu these things back then, hoping that Qin Jiu would tell Luo An the truth, just like she would tell the Xue family about Xue Yunting's death.
What Nianyao didn't consider was that these two matters were completely different in nature. General Xue knew Xue Yunting's character; once Xue Yunting made his choice, no one could stop him, not even if it meant suicide. An Jingchen, on the other hand, was blind and knew no martial arts, so he could only passively wait for rescue.
If I see Qin Jiu, what should I say? Should I say that Luo An kicked her out after learning the truth? Qin Jiu would definitely feel guilty then.
Actually, Luo An didn't kick her out; she left on her own. But since Luo An didn't stop her, what's the difference between that and kicking her out?
The wet nurse gently touched her back: "Madam, someone is calling you."
Nianyao looked up and saw Meng Dong walking towards her arm in arm with An Qile: "Uncle and Aunt!"
Meng Dong was very enthusiastic: "Nianyao, Qile and I are just on our way to Xizhai to find you. This is your little baby, so cute. Come here, let your aunt hold him/her."
The baby was soft and squishy. Meng Dong supported the baby's bottom and back with one hand and the neck and head with the other, maintaining a very steady posture. "Nianyao, why does the baby look more like Xiao An?"
An Qile said, "Of course, a daughter resembles her father."
Nianyao didn't know how to respond, so she could only give an awkward smile.
Meng Dong carried the child forward: "Bowen and his brother always said they didn't have a younger sister, but now they do. Nianyao, look, she's smiling at me..."
Nianyao, from now on, when you live in Bianjing, please come to our residence often. The osmanthus trees in our residence were planted by my uncle himself; they bloom so profusely and are so fragrant, the whole residence smells wonderful…
My osmanthus cake is delicious; I'll teach you how to make it later. Xiao An once said that osmanthus cake can improve appetite and digestion, and even make your voice smell sweet…”
Meng Dong talked as he walked, and Nian Yao didn't even have a chance to interrupt. She followed Meng Dong all the way to the Prince's Mansion.
An Bowen and An Xuewu were overjoyed and wanted to hug their little sister, so Meng Dong carefully taught them how to do it, and the two brothers learned it very well.
The wet nurse sincerely praised, "Madam and young master are truly meticulous and considerate."
The two brothers took the child and went to play. The wet nurse quickly followed, saying, "Young masters, please slow down."
Meng Dong said, "Nianyao, it's better to have a daughter. Boys are too naughty and can't be controlled."
Nianyao then chimed in, "Auntie is so young, she can have another daughter."
An Qile quickly shook his head: "Forget it, forget it, we won't have any more. Nianyao, you don't know, when your aunt was pregnant with our first child it was summer, and she kept asking for snow. I went to great lengths to have someone transport a box of snow from Baishan. And then..."
Nianyao guessed, "So Auntie didn't eat it again?"
An Qile said, "I did eat, but I vomited and had diarrhea in the middle of the night. I not only called the imperial physician overnight, but also went to the palace to ask the emperor to order the imperial guards to open the city gates at night and go to Mount Taiwei to invite your father-in-law. The imperial physician and your father-in-law scolded me, saying that pregnant women cannot eat cold foods."
Regarding the matter of opening the city gates at night, Commander Fu publicly berated me in front of all the civil and military officials, even going so far as to call me a femme fatale… The Emperor had no choice but to dismiss me from my post as Left General to appease the public anger.”
Nianyao asked curiously, "What about having a second one?"
An Qile said, "When she was pregnant with my second child, she said she wanted to smell pigs. So I took her to a farmhouse pigsty. I thought she would come back quickly after seeing how dirty and smelly the pigsty was. But I didn't expect her to stay until night and refuse to come back."
I had no choice but to buy the pig and build a pigsty in the backyard overnight. Your aunt could manage on her own in the pigsty, but she insisted on dragging me along. Every time I went to court, people would hold their noses and keep their distance, saying I smelled like pigs.
Nianyao couldn't help but laugh: "Auntie, is it true?"
Meng Dong said with a slight blush: "I had some special cravings when I was pregnant, but they just passed in waves."
An Qile said, "After your aunt's special fondness subsided, I sent people to dismantle the pigsty and slaughter the pig overnight. When your aunt got up, she hugged the hairless pig and cried, saying that the pig had been with her for so long and she had grown attached to it. She said we were too cruel, and in short, she couldn't eat it."
Nianyao tried hard to suppress her laughter: "Then what should we do?"
An Qile said, "Bury it under the osmanthus tree."
Meng Dong added earnestly, "That pig really has a spirit. Our osmanthus flowers smell better than others', and the osmanthus cakes we make are so fragrant that even the Emperor praised them. Come on, I'll take you to see them."
Meng Dong took Nian Yao's arm to look at the osmanthus tree: "Qi Le, send someone to tell Xiao An that Nian Yao will stay at our house for a while longer, and tell him not to worry."
“I’ll go.” An Qile responded and walked out.
Nianyao said enviously, "Auntie, Uncle is so good to you."
Meng Dong scoffed: "Even the closest of relatives can be husband and wife. You only see how good he is to me, but you don't see us arguing and fighting. You'll see once you stay at our house longer. Your uncle is outwardly respectable, but deep down he's a beast in human clothing..."
Hypocritical? A beast in human clothing? Nianyao felt a surge of camaraderie: her aunt probably didn't like reading either.