After a long while, the woman finally spoke in a calm voice, "The old maid is right. With Nalan Bo’s self-serving nature, this woman’s identity must not be simple. He appears to display deep father-daughter affection, but is it not just courting and deceiving? Even if this woman does not come from a clean background, the places she will go in the future are certainly beyond our reach!"
The old maid nodded, "Madam speaks the truth!"
"Enough, enough. Since she is my daughter, I must show her some care. It’s not easy to be mother and daughter!"
"Indeed, a father cannot compare to a mother’s care. Besides, Miss has instructed the kitchen to send dishes over as a gesture of goodwill. As long as Madam treats her sincerely, and wins over Miss’s heart, the opportunity for a turnaround will come. By then, don’t even mention restraining that concubine, selling her off would leave Master with no choice but to swallow his broken teeth and blood, enduring it!" The old maid added.
The woman stood up and looked outside the door.
"Old maid, the snow has come extraordinarily early this year, and the chilly wind is exceptionally strong!"
The old maid smiled and draped an old cloak over the woman’s shoulders, "That’s because a wind is a sign of a changing sky!"
The woman, who was actually Nalan Bo’s first wife, Mrs. Xu, suddenly laughed softly, murmuring, "Indeed, the wind is rising, and those who owe me should repay their debts!"
"Madam, it’s good that you have thought it through!"
Nalan Bo had dinner at the Lotus Garden and hurriedly left the residence, taking a carriage to the gate of another house.
A young servant at the door quickly came forward to greet him, "Master has arrived!"
"Where is your Madam?"
"Madam is in the inner courtyard, and Miss and Young Master are there too!" ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI(F)ire.net
Nalan Bo nodded and went directly to the inner courtyard.
Mrs. Liao was the concubine he kept outside, who had given birth to a son and a daughter for him, and now was pregnant again, naturally making her highly important to him.
There were some matters he needed to instruct her about.
From a distance, Nalan Bo could hear laughter coming from the courtyard and smiled slightly.
These two children were indeed lively and cheerful. Once they returned to the Capital City, they would surely win their mother’s favor.
With their mother’s affection, their days at the Marquis Residence wouldn’t be too difficult.
Nalan Mingcong noticed Nalan Bo and called out, running quickly over.
Nalan Bo embraced him, the eight-year-old child was quite sturdy, making him a bit heavy to hold.
"Father!" The thirteen-year-old Nalan Mingzhu respectfully called, walking over to Nalan Bo’s side and curtsying.
Nalan Bo patted her head, "Are you cold?"
"Not cold. I just came out with my brother, prepared to gather some snow and build a snowman, and then you arrived!"
"Continue playing, I’ll go inside and have a chat with your auntie!"
Nalan Bo entered the small hall, and Mrs. Liao immediately ordered tea to be served, gently saying, "Why come over in such cold weather?"
Mrs. Liao was the epitome of a delicate beauty, gentle as flowing water—not very beautiful, but very pleasing to the eye.
Her temperament was also gentle and endearing, considerate and attentive.
"Just came to talk to you!"
Mrs. Liao smiled, nodding gently, "Is the eldest young lady’s health better?"
"Much better. We even had dinner together today. She also mentioned, as long as you all don’t provoke her, she will not make things difficult for you!"
"Don’t worry, Master. I understand and will also remind Mingzhu and Mingcong to respect and admire their elder sister without disobedience!" Mrs. Liao softly replied.
Without the slightest hint of displeasure or pettiness, she truly knew how to handle things which made Nalan Bo profoundly fond.
Knowing that upon returning to the Marquis Residence, everything would need to be arranged, and realizing Mrs. Liao didn’t have much money, Nalan Bo took out a stack of silver notes, "Keep these safe!"