Chapter 438 - 437: Impressions (Qiya He Shi Bi+)

Chapter 438: Chapter 437: Impressions (Qiya He Shi Bi+)

Du Yunluo tentatively asked Zhuang Ke.

But as for her father’s past, Zhuang Ke couldn’t really say.

The father in Zhuang Ke’s impression was gentle and kind, with a warm smile. If anyone on the oasis wanted to learn Chinese, her father would patiently teach and never tire of it.

Du Yunluo was puzzled and asked, "Did your father know how to speak the local language from the moment he arrived at the oasis?"

Zhuang Ke shook her head, "I never thought of asking my father that question. By the time I learned to speak, my father’s Chinese and local language were both excellent."

As the two sisters-in-law were talking, they heard the sound of hooves outside the courtyard.

Both stood up and looked out.

Mu Lianxiao and Mu Liankang came in together.

Zhuang Ke beamed with joy, holding her son and daughter, and went up to him, then went home with Mu Liankang to freshen up.

Mu Lianxiao entered the room and saw Brother Yan sitting on the kang, grinning with drool hanging from his mouth, and his mood brightened instantly.

After freshening up and changing clothes, Mu Lianxiao casually ran his fingers through his long hair and couldn’t wait to pick up his son.

Brother Yan had just sprouted two small, white teeth. He had grown and was a bit heavier than before.

Mu Lianxiao kissed him several times before reluctantly placing his son back on the kang, and said to Du Yunluo, "I heard from Jiuxi that our boy can crawl now?"

Du Yunluo chuckled and said, "He can crawl, but he doesn’t like to. He hums all day, and I don’t know what he’s saying."

Mu Lianxiao played with him for a quarter of an hour, and Brother Yan finally, as if to give face, lunged forward, crawling with hands and feet, making Mu Lianxiao grin from ear to ear.

Brother Yan loved to laugh. Seeing his father laugh, he laughed along, babbling excitedly.

At dinner time, Mu Liankang and his wife brought the children over, and they all had a lively meal together before parting.

Lady Peng took Brother Yan back to sleep, and Du Yunluo and Mu Lianxiao simply blew out the lights to talk.

The moon outside had grown gradually round, not far from Mid-Autumn Festival.

Du Yunluo brought up a letter she received from Mrs. Yang.

Mrs. Yan had finished her confinement. Although she had been quite frightened at the time, she adjusted well and was feeling comfortable.

The daughter was also well-raised, just waiting for a name to be given by the capital.

And the repairs in the courtyard behind the government office were proceeding in an orderly fashion, expected to be completed before October.

Mu Lianxiao, embracing Du Yunluo’s waist, said, "There’s no rush. We can wait to return to Xuancheng when we come back from Ancient Meili together.

We might not stay long in Xuancheng before having to return to the capital since the family is waiting for my elder brother to come home."

Du Yunluo nodded in agreement.

Once Ancient Meili is captured and the war comes to an end, Mu Lianxiao will no longer be needed to guard Shanyu Pass, and when they return to the capital, it will not be easy for her to come back to Xuancheng again.

Nothing else mattered, just the Yunluo Flowers in the small courtyard of Xuancheng.

Planted only this spring, she hadn’t seen them bloom...

Mu Lianxiao noticed Du Yunluo was distracted and gently asked her, "What’s wrong?"

Just as Du Yunluo was about to speak, Mu Lianxiao’s hand had already slipped inside her garment, brushing against her skin, neither too heavy nor too light.

"Those Yunluo Flowers, I won’t be able to see them next year," Du Yunluo murmured, curling her neck to dodge.

Mu Lianxiao wouldn’t let her escape, his hands ceaselessly exploring, with lips brushing her ear, whispering, "I’ll plant them again for you in Shaohui Garden."

The tingly sensation crept into her ears, making Du Yunluo shiver.

Mu Lianxiao knew her body too well and easily made her toes curl like white jade.

Du Yunluo thought to push him away, but in the moonlight, seeing the desire in his eyes, she hesitated and couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Come to think of it, they indeed hadn’t been together for a long time.

The last time was when she was heavily pregnant, and Mu Lianxiao dared not be too aggressive. After she gave birth to Brother Yan and recovered, they were separated by Mu Yuanjing’s mourning period.

Now that the mourning period was over, Mu Lianxiao, who had endured for so long, was surely difficult to deal with...

After the passion, when she lay limp in Mu Lianxiao’s embrace, Du Yunluo realized how naïve she had been.

It wasn’t just difficult to handle, she couldn’t handle it at all!

On the canopy bed, the movements made the bed frame creak, and Mu Lianxiao still showed some restraint there. On the kang, he had no such concerns and almost poured out a year’s worth of yearning all at once, coaxing and guiding Du Yunluo through heavenly and earthly ecstasies, over and over.

The next day, Mu Lianxiao was refreshed and went to practice martial arts. Du Yunluo gritted her teeth as she reluctantly got up.

When Mu Lianxiao returned to the room, Du Yunluo was sitting idly at her dressing table.

He walked over and embraced her waist from behind, softly calling her name.

Du Yunluo was still weak, and at his touch, she almost jumped up, throwing the handkerchief she was holding into his arms, "Hurry up and wash, you’re all sweaty."

Mu Lianxiao laughed heartily and went off, leaving Du Yunluo feeling both exasperated and embarrassed.

During the day, Ming Liu rushed back to town and handed a letter to Mu Lianxiao.

Mu Lianxiao opened the secret letter written to him by Mrs. Zhou, and his smile gradually turned somber.

Du Yunluo walked over to the table, and Mu Lianxiao handed her the letter. She took a look and sighed softly.

The things Mu Yuanjing mentioned were just as she had guessed—all the malicious actions that could cause conflict within the Marquis Mansion.

Slandering to the point of fatal damage, word for word, it was a past Du Yunluo had experienced.

Taking a deep breath, she calmed the storms inside her and gently asked Mu Lianxiao, "How much do you believe of what aunt said?"

Mu Lianxiao gave a wry smile, "It seems likely that Second Uncle did leave my elder brother at the Northern Border." ℴℴ𝘮

Du Yunluo asked, "Should we discuss this with Eldest Uncle?"

"Yunluo, based on the sequence of events, it all makes sense. There are many things that force me to believe," Mu Lianxiao stood and walked to the window, looking outside with his hands behind his back, "But he is still my Second Uncle, whether blaming or questioning, it cannot rely solely on inference."

Du Yunluo nodded, understanding the rationale.

She lacked concrete evidence, and whether it was Mu Lianxiao or Madam Wu in the capital, though they had their suspicions, there was always that final hope that they were mistaken, and their kin weren’t ruthless.

Such feelings were only human.

Du Yunluo would feel the same in their place.

A human sees as a human, a ghost sees as a ghost, and the more someone cherishes familial bonds, the less they can easily accept betrayal from family.

"When we return to the capital, we’ll first visit Qinglian Temple to see Brother, hopefully Mu Tang might open up, or Mr. Xing can diagnose him, see if he can remember anything. Until then, it’s better not to mention it to Brother," Mu Lianxiao said gravely.

Not mentioning it now was to avoid Mu Liankang forming a preconceived notion, which might skew his memory when recalling past events.