freenovelworld Chapter 690 Arriving in the capital!
Chapter 690 Arriving in the capital!
We finally arrived in the capital on the fourth day of the eighth lunar month.
The group returned to the palace, where everything was in perfect order.
It has to be said that Duanmu Chuze is an incredibly thoughtful and meticulous man.
They arrived outside the city in the late afternoon of the third day, but stayed in a villa outside the city. They then sent servants into the mansion to begin packing their belongings. The next morning, they went back into the city. Thus, for Mu Xin Nuan and Xiao Zong Hua, everything was no different from going to the villa on an ordinary trip.
You see, the Changping Prince's Mansion has been uninhabited for so long. Although there are people guarding and cleaning it, without a master around, the servants naturally won't be particularly attentive.
Duanmu Chuze asked Aunt Fang to return first, so that everything would be perfect when they returned to the manor.
Chu Chu's courtyard was all arranged. Mu Xin Nuan told her that after they had paid their respects to each other, she would accompany her to the Duke of Ying's mansion.
Hearing that her master and mistress were with her, Chu Chu felt much more at ease.
Throughout the journey, she was still struggling with this question: should she stay at the Duke of England's mansion?
If she doesn't go to stay there, wouldn't she, as the nominal goddaughter, be essentially an outsider?
Besides, since she is the adopted daughter of the Duke of Ying's family, shouldn't she go and meet that Princess An, who is, after all, her nominal adopted sister?
Because they returned early, Mu Xin Nuan immediately suggested that her family, along with Rong Yue and the other maids, go to the Mu residence for a meal.
He really came here to freeload!
When they arrived at the Mu residence, Madam Li was just arranging the meals in the kitchen. As soon as she heard that they had arrived, she immediately instructed the kitchen to add more dishes.
Of course, all the added ingredients are things that Mu Xin Nuan and Duanmu Chu Ze love to eat.
When Mu Xin Nuan saw Li Shi, she couldn't hold back her tears. Although she had only seen her when she was in postpartum confinement, more than half a year had passed in the blink of an eye.
"Mother, you've lost weight."
Seeing his daughter's eyes brimming with tears, the father naturally felt terrible.
Mu Chang'an coughed, as if deliberately reminding Mu Xinnuan that her father was still standing there, couldn't she see him?
Sure enough, Mu Xin Nuan turned her head and saw her father. She took two steps forward and carefully looked him up and down. Compared to her mother, she did miss her father more.
After all, he hadn't seen him since he left the capital.
"Father, Father is fine, there's no change, except that his beard seems to have grown a bit more."
The last sentence successfully made Li Shi and Mu Chang'an laugh, and Mu Xin Nuan herself also stopped crying and started laughing.
Duanmu Chuze held Xiao Zonghua in his arms and pointed, saying, "Come here, Zonghua, this is your maternal grandfather, and this is your maternal grandmother. Come on, say hello to me."
How many months old is Xiao Zonghua? How could he be called that?
This was the first time Mu Chang'an had seen Xiao Zonghua, and he was looking at him with great interest.
Madam Li quickly stepped forward and scooped Xiao Zonghua into her arms. "Oh, my dear grandson, I've missed you so much! Don't you miss your grandmother? Come here, give me a kiss."
Mu Chang'an also leaned over and said, "This child is quite fair-skinned, but is it not a good thing for a boy to be so fair-skinned?"
Li glared at him. "What's wrong with that? Besides, which of our boys wasn't fair-skinned when they were young? But look at him now, even the youngest, Qingyang, is all tanned."
Mu Chang'an had never been one to hold a grudge against Madam Li, and now that he saw his grandson, he was even less inclined to argue with her.
"Yes, yes, yes. Children look better when they are fair and clean. Come here, let your grandfather give you a hug."
Xiao Zonghua wasn't shy at all; he actually tilted his body slightly to indicate that he was going to find his maternal grandfather.
This made Mu Chang'an extremely happy.
Holding the child, he stood there for a while, playing with him for a bit, before the butler whispered a reminder, "Master, why are you still standing here? The old master has been waiting inside for ages. If you're not careful, he'll say you forgot about him."
After being reminded like that, Mu Chang'an immediately snapped out of his daze. Of course!
Because of his advanced age, the old man waited in the front hall. The couple came out to greet him, and they started talking there.
"Come, come, come in quickly. Ah Nuan, your grandfather has been waiting anxiously."
Mu Xin Nuan smiled, "Yes, let's go, don't keep Grandfather waiting."
Once they entered the front hall, Mu Changping and the others from the second branch of the family also arrived.
After exchanging greetings and formalities, the family sat down together and chatted.
Of course, most of the conversation revolved around Xiao Zonghua.
"I heard that Xiao Zonghua is very smart. He could sit up at five months old, and now he's not even seven months old, and he can already crawl?"
"Yes, Mother. You must not let him come down. Once he does, he'll be crawling around on the ground with great enthusiasm."
"This child is intelligent and learns things quickly. In the future, he will surely become a person who excels in both literature and martial arts."
Mu Xin Nuan glanced at Jin Shi. It had only been two years since she last saw her, but Jin Shi had aged considerably. However, her words seemed to be more pleasing to the ear than before.
"Thank you for your kind words, Auntie. I don't ask him to be very talented, I just hope he grows up safely and peacefully."
Duanmu Chuze disagreed, saying, "That won't do! My son must be skilled in both literature and martial arts. Otherwise, how will he protect his younger siblings in the future? And when we get old, if he doesn't have any skills, how will he protect us?"
These words had a different meaning when they reached Li's ears.
A hint of surprise flickered in her eyes. "Anuan, are you doing it again?"
Mu Xin Nuan smiled sheepishly, then glared at Duanmu Chu Ze, "Nothing of the sort. Mother, don't overthink it. I just gave birth to Zong Hua not long ago. Having too many children at once isn't good for your health."
Of course, she spoke softly, so only Li heard it.
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes darted between her mother and Jin Shi's faces. They were clearly sisters-in-law, and her mother was even older than Jin Shi, so how come Jin Shi looked older than her mother after only two years?
Moreover, looking at Kim's face, she not only looked a bit old, but also seemed a bit haggard, which even makeup couldn't hide.
“Your second aunt hasn’t had an easy time these past two years. Your second uncle has taken two more concubines. Now, his courtyard is quite lively.”
Li whispered a reminder, hoping that Mu Xin Nuan would first understand the situation and not speak carelessly, lest she upset Mu Xin Nuan again, which would cause more trouble.
Mu Xin Nuan understood and nodded, "Mother, what about Second Uncle now?"