"Did the young lady ask anything?"
"She asked the madam!"
Chong Ling sighed, "The young lady is so good, I wonder why the madam doesn’t cherish her. Fortunately, the master treats the young lady extremely well..."
"Enough, stop talking, or you’ll wake the young lady!"
On the bed, Nalan Jinlian gently turned over and fell asleep.
In the evening, Nalan Jinlian bathed early, changed into clean clothes, leaned on the Noble Consort’s couch, waiting for Nalan Bo.
Nalan Bo came over, bringing two plum blossoms along. Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn n0velfire.net
Nalan Jinlian smiled and asked, "Father, where did the plum blossoms come from?"
"Got them from a friend’s house!" Nalan Bo said, handing them to Chong Ling, "Find a vase and put them in!"
Father and daughter sat at the table, with over a dozen dishes, a mix of meat and vegetables, all very appetizing.
Nalan Jinlian served Nalan Bo some greens.
Nalan Bo looked surprised for a moment then laughed, "Don’t only serve me, you should eat as well. How’s your head, still hurting after the fall a few days ago?"
"A bit painful, but not particularly so; it doesn’t hurt much if I don’t touch it!" Nalan Jinlian said, smiling.
In a somewhat foolish manner, Nalan Bo looked on, deep in thought.
His expression suddenly darkened, and after taking a sip from his wine cup, he quietly said, "If you don’t like them, don’t let them stay here with us. I’ll arrange for someone to escort them back to the Imperial Capital, and once there, I’ll settle them outside and not bring them back to the Marquis Residence!"
Nalan Jinlian paused with her chopsticks in hand, lifted her eyes puzzledly at Nalan Bo, her heart slightly troubled, "Father, bring them back here. It’s not good for your reputation to keep them outside. As long as they’re not difficult to get along with, I won’t make things hard for them!"
Conversely, if they cause problems without reason, she won’t hold back.
"You’re a good child!" Nalan Bo said, serving several more pieces of food to Nalan Jinlian.
Father and daughter ate slowly, feeling particularly warm.
A small courtyard in the back of the Nalan Residence.
A woman knelt on a prayer mat, chanting Buddhist scriptures facing the White Jade Guanyin.
She only opened her eyes after finishing a scroll.
"Madam, it’s time to eat!"
The woman gently shook her head, "I have no appetite, don’t want to eat!"
It’s just pickled vegetables and tofu daily, what’s there to eat.
"Madam, today’s dishes are different. They are said to be personally ordered by the young lady, asking the kitchen to make several new dishes, including a dish of vibrant green vegetables, a scrambled egg with chives, and a tofu soup!"
The woman mumbled a phrase, immediately tears streamed down her face.
Her unfortunate daughter was long gone, where could a young lady come from...
The curtain was lifted by an elderly hand, a gray-haired old woman in a worn cotton jacket entered the room, walked to the woman, helped her up, and gestured for the little maid to leave.
She then said, "Madam, our opportunity has arrived!"
"Why does old woman say that?"
"Madam, what kind of person is our master? Fearing you would harm that person, he never brought them back, but now this young lady is publicly said to be your child, master’s legitimate eldest daughter, the maids and old women around the young lady, I watched briefly the other day, not only well-behaved but also adept in Martial Arts, and that young lady is ill!"
"Yes, there are medicine residues emptied outside, and fresh vegetables delivered to the residence daily. The master even had dinner at the Lotus Garden in the evening, showing he values the young lady highly!"
The woman fell silent.
The old woman wasn’t in a rush to persuade.