Free Web NovelChapter 69: Chapter 68: Nannan
In the side room, Mrs. Zhen and Shui Yue were having a casual conversation.
Seeing that the sandalwood incense on the offering table was almost burnt out, Shui Yue quickly added more.
Mrs. Zhen watched the ash falling and said, "Yun Di and Yunluo have been gone for two quarters of an hour, haven’t they? Why aren’t they back yet."
Shui Yue bowed to the Guanyin statue and chuckled, "There are many people up front, it’s lively, and it’s rare for the young lady to leave the mansion. Madam asked her to look around more. The Fa Yin Temple is only this big, and there are so many people with her, nothing will happen."
Even though she said this, Mrs. Zhen still felt uneasy, her heart pounding, until a nanny burst in, gasping for breath, making her look up abruptly. "Why are you in such a hurry?"
The nanny didn’t even dare to take a breath and said, "Madam, someone jumped into the releasing pool and collided with Miss."
Mrs. Zhen jumped up: "What about Yunluo? Was she hurt?"
"Miss sprained her foot," the nanny was already panicked, seeing Mrs. Zhen so anxious, she couldn’t give a detailed explanation, "Mr. Si is bringing her back, they’ll be here soon."
Mrs. Zhen frowned, ready to rush out, but Shui Yue quickly came to support her. The nanny behind was explaining about Mu Lianxiao, but Mrs. Zhen was so focused on Du Yunluo that she didn’t hear a word.
Out of the side room, Mrs. Zhen looked and saw Nanny Zhao bringing people through the round moon gate at the end of the corridor, with her Nannan being carried horizontally by a rough nanny.
As they got closer, Mrs. Zhen stared at Du Yunluo for a while and said, "Don’t block the doorway, quickly bring Nannan inside." After saying this, she didn’t wait for the maids and nannies to greet her, turning to lead the way into the side room.
Du Yunluo was carried in. Du Yundi awkwardly coughed, knowing that Du Yunluo was the apple of Mrs. Zhen’s eye. Whenever Du Yunluo got hurt, Mrs. Zhen would disregard everyone else, even though Nanny Zhao had sent someone to report...
Seeing the reporting nanny shrinking back on the side, Du Yundi shook his head and sighed internally: It seems the message was in vain; Mother didn’t pay attention to the Princely Heir at all.
Mrs. Zhen might have ignored Mu Lianxiao, but Du Yundi couldn’t do the same.
The two stood outside the side room, and Du Yundi said, "Princely Heir, Mother is worried about the Fifth Sister and didn’t mean to neglect you. Please wait a moment, and I’ll inform Mother."
Mu Lianxiao nodded; he had keen ears and heard Mrs. Zhen inside coaxing with concern. The term "Nannan" amused him gently.
What family’s young girl was still called "Nannan" by her mother?
However, it sounded particularly endearing.
Still, his first appearance had caused Du Yunluo to sprain her foot. Even if Mrs. Zhen didn’t say it, she probably blamed him in her heart. freewēbnoveℓ.com
Meeting the elder of his future wife’s family for the first time, Mu Lianxiao instinctively clenched his hand, leaving an imprint of a smooth, translucent pearl in his palm.
Inside, Du Yunluo sat on a chair, her injured foot on Mrs. Zhen’s lap.
With her shoes and socks removed, the swollen red ankle startled even Du Yunluo herself, let alone Mrs. Zhen.
"I warned you repeatedly, yet you never give me peace of mind. Look at this, injured so terribly, not knowing if the tendons or bones are hurt," Mrs. Zhen was heartbroken, not daring to touch it. She quickly called Shui Yue, saying, "Go ask if anyone knows something about treating injuries, have them come and check on Nannan."
Shui Yue responded.
Du Yunluo blinked and glanced out the window, thinking to herself that the person waiting outside was best at treating such injuries, but against Mrs. Zhen, even with her thick skin, she didn’t dare say it out loud.
Mrs. Zhen asked Nanny Zhao, "How did this happen? This July is truly... Yun Ying, Yunuo, and now Yunluo too."
After speaking, Mrs. Zhen couldn’t help but recite a few Buddhist mantras.
Nanny Zhao felt guilty too, as she had accompanied the young master outside, yet an accident occurred: "Someone rushed out and jumped into the releasing pool, colliding with Miss. She nearly fell into the water, thanks to the Princely Heir’s quick reflexes pulling her back, yet she ended up spraining her foot."
"People jump mountains and lakes; what kind of behavior is jumping into a releasing pool? With people all around, before you drink a few mouthfuls of water, you’d be dragged up!" Mrs. Zhen was furious. There are many ways to seek death, this person clearly meant to create a scene and ended up harming her Nannan. If it weren’t for the Princely Heir... Princely Heir?
Mrs. Zhen’s eyes narrowed, glancing at Du Yunluo who seemed absent-minded, then she turned to ask Nanny Zhao, "Which Princely Heir?"
"The Princely Heir of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, the Fifth Miss’s..." Nanny Zhao intended to say, it was the Young Master; if it were someone else helping, who knows what might have happened afterward, but seeing Mrs. Zhen’s expression, she didn’t dare say more.
Mrs. Zhen eyed Nanny Zhao and directly asked Du Yunluo, "How did you encounter the Princely Heir? Why was he right next to you?"
"It was quite a coincidence." Du Yunluo evaded.
Du Yundi feared Mrs. Zhen would hold Du Yunluo accountable and that Mu Lianxiao would hear, so he quickly interjected, "Mother, the Princely Heir heard you were here and came to pay his respects, he’s waiting outside."
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhen swallowed her words, pointed a finger at Du Yunluo, and in a suppressed voice said, "I’ll save face for you, but settle this with you later!"
Mrs. Zhen asked Nanny Zhao and Jin Ling to move Du Yunluo to the inner room, then she tidied her hair and adjusted her clothing, asking Du Yundi to invite Mu Lianxiao in.
Saying that he came to pay respects, Mrs. Zhen was only a fifth-rank concubine, and facing this future son-in-law, she couldn’t bear to fully accept the courtesy.
Mrs. Zhen took the chance to scrutinize Mu Lianxiao closely.
A sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy with handsome features, a lifetime of martial arts training gave him a posture as upright as a pine tree. His every move carried more openness than the ordinary scholarly gentleman.
Mrs. Zhen was quite pleased. She had heard from Mrs. Shi that Mu Lianxiao was a well-rounded talent in both literature and martial arts. Seeing him now, the gentleman’s demeanor and the soldier’s frankness were indeed present, proving Mrs. Shi hadn’t deceived her.
"I heard it was Princely Heir who saved Yunluo?" Mrs. Zhen asked with a smiling face.
Mu Lianxiao bowed his head: "It happened suddenly, I saw Miss Du about to be knocked into the water by that woman, so I grabbed her by chance, not expecting her to sprain her ankle."
Mrs. Zhen asked again, "Does Princely Heir know Yunluo?"
Mu Lianxiao found the question odd but still answered truthfully: "I didn’t know before, otherwise, I would guarantee her safety and not let her fall."
Mrs. Zhen was insightful and from his words inferred some meaning.
Nanny Zhao, seeing this, whispered the matter of Mu Lianxiao’s actions to Mrs. Zhen.
Mrs. Zhen understood.
As a woman of the inner chambers, Mrs. Zhen knew that rumors sometimes had no basis in reality; with enough retelling, others often made it appear believable while the subjects themselves remained oblivious. She acknowledged Mu Lianxiao’s chivalry and prudence, and considered Du Yunluo’s sprained foot genuinely accidental.
After all, compared to falling into the water, a sprain was a better outcome.
Inside, Du Yunluo listened to the conversation outside, catching every word Mu Lianxiao said, and involuntarily she smiled, gently leaning forward, trying to get a clearer view of the situation outside.
Due to the angle, Mu Lianxiao couldn’t see the inside where Du Yunluo was, but Mrs. Zhen caught her daughter’s movements clearly, secretly glared at Du Yunluo to stop her antics, and exchanged a few more words with Mu Lianxiao. Shui Yue then returned, leading a fifty-year-old nanny inside.
Mu Lianxiao knew this was to examine Du Yunluo’s foot injury. Though they were engaged, they hadn’t yet had the grand ceremony, and it wasn’t suitable for him to stay any longer, so he took his leave.
