"Mother!"

  "Ah, Brother Xun has arrived in person. Come on, let's have a toast!" Qin Miao immediately got off the carriage and saw a small head appearing at the door, and the awkwardness that had been building up in the carriage all along suddenly dissipated.

  The little fatty stretched out his hand in her direction, his chubby face puffed up, and he gave Qin Miao a big wet kiss on the face. Seeing the big mouthful of saliva left on Qin Miao's face, she couldn't help but shrink into the person's arms and laugh hehehe.

  "Little rascal!" Qin Miao took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the saliva on her face.

  Qin Lang smiled and hugged the little guy, also taking out a handkerchief to wipe the little guy's mouth. Turning his head, he saw Xie Yan standing beside the carriage with a dazed expression. He had only met Xie Yan twice before, once when Qin Miao got married, and another time when Qin Miao was drunk and sent him back to the Hou Mansion, where he even got punched by Xie Yan.

  "How...how did he end up here?" Qin Lang furrowed his brow, looking at Qin Miao in confusion.

  Qin Miao naturally took the little guy from his arms, as if they were a ordinary couple, and said calmly: "Oh, I met him on the street a few days ago. Today it's raining, seeing me hurrying home, he sent me on my way."

  "You go in first. I'll have a word with him."

  Qin Miao slightly nodded her head, then turned back to glance at Xie Yan, before turning around and entering the mansion.

  Qin Lang stepped forward, cupped his hands and said with a warm tone, "Thank you, Your Excellency. As Your Excellency is a busy noble, my humble abode is too simple, so I won't keep you from returning to the manor for a rest." After finishing speaking, he again politely cupped his hands in gratitude.

  Xie Xuan is still delighted today, having the opportunity to be in that small room with Qin Miao, finally getting "close" after all these years. Although Qin Miao still has that cold and distant expression, at least she doesn't seem to be intentionally rejecting him. Unbeknownst to him, her politeness and distance, not wanting to return to the manor with him, have a reason behind them.

  His fists were clenched and his eyes blazed with anger, but Qin Lang was still courteous. It was as if a wicked fire had nowhere to vent, and he was being driven to death.

  That Qin Miao was the same, having thought of her for so long, only to turn around and fall into someone else's arms, even having a child with them. Xie Yan's head spun, his vision went black, and he almost fell onto the carriage seat. If it wasn't for Cheng Ying's quick step, he feared that his beautiful face would be disfigured beyond recognition.

  What a shame, a dignified marquis, yet so vulnerable to defeat. Is this still the same ruthless general who once dominated the battlefield? Cheng Ying curled up her lip in disdain and pushed him into the carriage, then drove it away from the alley entrance.

  Back in the Qin family's house, the little guy was entwining around Qin Miao playing with her fingers.

  "Xun Ge'er, Auntie is telling you again, don't randomly call me 'mother' from now on. Got it?" Qin Miao pinched the little guy's ear as a warning. This child didn't know what was going on, recently he kept calling her "mother", she had told him several times already, but he just wouldn't listen.

  The little guy saw some anger on Qin Miao's face, and being good at reading faces, he held Qin Miao's hand with his fingers and drew circles in her palm. He replied obediently: "I know, Auntie. Xun Ge will be well-behaved next time and won't cause any trouble."

  Just then, Eldest Sister-in-law Cui Feng called out to the two cousins to come and eat. Qin Miao took the little one to the side hall. Now that the ancestors and father are gone, on ordinary days when Qin Lang is not around, there's only her and Cui Feng eating at home, it's very quiet. Now it's better, Qin Lang has returned from afar, and the family has a bit more atmosphere.

  Qin Miao saw that her sister-in-law was already in her twenties, with wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. She felt uncomfortable in her heart. "Sister-in-law, you rest, I'll feed our Xun Ge."

  Cui Feng's slightly pale face smiled faintly: "Alright." After speaking, she still put two scoops of tofu into Xun Ge'er's wooden bowl.

  Xun Ge'er was mischievous in front of Qin Miao, but when he saw his own mother, he became very obedient. "Mother dear, you've had a tiring day, eat some more. Father said that although our days are harder than before, as long as we all face the difficulties together, things will get better. Mother, don't worry too much."

  Xun Ge's chubby face looked very tender, but he said something so serious that it was heart-wrenching to listen to. Cui Feng's heart melted as she looked at her own dear son. She didn't have the appetite to eat anymore and took out a handkerchief to wipe away tears.

  "Sister, Xun brother is right, the days will get better and better later on. Big brother......" Qin Miao unconsciously paused for a moment, her heart also couldn't help but feel a sourness, but she still squeezed out a big smile: "The doctor didn't say it too, big brother is still young, as long as he takes good care of himself, that leg will get better one day. You can rest assured, with me and second brother here, we definitely won't let our family suffer forever."

  "When Xun Ge'er grows up a bit, we'll invite another good teacher. Who knows, you might become the wife of an official's family in the future! Is that right, Xun Ge'er?" Qin Miao's little person in her arms squeezed his eyes, and he immediately took the bait, busily nodding: "Yes, yes, today Father praised me for having a good memory, I can recite all the books he asked me to memorize without missing a single word. In the future, Xun Ge'er must work hard, grow up and bring back an official title to Mother!"

  Cui Fengben was also weighed down by his own troubles, but hearing the big and small ones at home laughing and joking together, he couldn't help but smile. "You're just bragging, stop pretending to be so majestic. Eat your meal, little clever ghost."

  Xun Geer saw that he and his aunt had successfully coaxed his mother into a good mood, so he happily picked up the small wooden spoon and shoveled a big mouthful of rice into his mouth, his cheeks bulging out in the process, looking utterly comical.

  The whole family was in high spirits as they sat down to eat, and Qin Miao accompanied Qin Lang in drinking a few cups of wine, making the meal quite enjoyable.

  After dinner, the little guy was a bit sleepy in spring, so Cui Feng took him back to the house. Qin Lang and Qin Miao sat under the corridor, chatting occasionally like they used to when they were young.

  "Second Brother, the Qingyin Festival is approaching, we should pack up and head back to Hangzhou." Qin Miao hadn't forgotten about what happened at the government office this morning, and thought it was best to leave early.

  "Let's go, let's leave early and pay our respects to our ancestors and father as soon as possible. It's also good to avoid some of the people we usually meet." Qin Lang hurried back early, mainly for this reason too.

  "By the way, how did Xie Yun end up in Junwucheng?"

  Qin Miao leaned against the windowsill, watching the raindrops on the eaves hitting the ground with a pattering sound. Only then did she blink and respond: "I don't know either. He found his way to Qingfeng Pavilion himself, probably because he wasn't willing to be separated from me. After all, he's a marquis, how humiliating."

  As for Xie Yan's recent repeated murmurs about wanting to reunite after a broken mirror, if she said she didn't feel anything at all, she wasn't that heartless. It's just that she ultimately didn't believe Xie Yan; it's easy to change the world but hard to change one's nature, and with just a few words he thought he could coax her back again? She was no longer the silly Qin Anuan who had wholeheartedly wanted to chase after her husband in the first place.

  Qin Lang saw that she was calm and composed, and he also felt at ease. When they were in Pingyang, the maid who had been sent to deliver a message came back and said that she wanted to return to Hangzhou. He thought it wasn't good, but from start to finish, he didn't ask her a single question about the reason, thinking that Qin Miao wouldn't treat him unfairly.

  "But judging from his expression just now, he might have misunderstood you and me. After you left, he seemed to have fainted."

  "Let the misunderstanding be a misunderstanding then, it's better for him not to be so stubborn. It's also good this way."

  Sure, here is the translation:

  As expected, for the next two days, Xie Yan didn't come to Qingfeng Shop again and didn't show up at Qin Miao's residence either. This made Qin Miao very satisfied with the U-turn event at the door that day, and soon settled all the matters in the shop. Two days later, they set off in a horse-drawn carriage, returning to Hangzhou together with Qin Lang and Zi Xuan.

  In the General's mansion, Xie Yun had locked himself in for two days and two nights. Po Feng waited dryly outside the door, seeing Cheng Ying sitting crookedly under the corridor, poked him. "Master can't be like this, it's just a woman, is it worth it..."

  She opened her eyes, glanced at him sideways: "Yes, it's just a woman, what's the big deal about one or two. Tsk... and yet you're talking about others..." After finishing speaking, she closed her eyes again to bask in the sun.

  He felt a chill run down his spine as he heard the words, and just as he was about to ask what he meant, he heard the door creak open.

  "One by one, they're all dead! I've been shouting my lungs out in there, how can every single one of them be deaf?!" Xie Yun yelled with a dirty face, looking like she had a terrible temper. Po Feng looked at Cheng Ying's indifferent expression and could only force himself to squeeze forward.

  "Master, you've finally come out. We two have been waiting for a long time, what's the urgent matter?"

  "Your master is going to eat dinner! He's going to eat a lot of food!"

  He sulked for two days, but ultimately couldn't take it anymore. What's the big deal about getting married? There are plenty of ways to make her get a divorce again. What's the big deal about having a son? No problem, just raise him as your own later on.

  So many years of being heartbroken and hard to cure, finally found a girl I like. Xie Yan, you can't give up!

  Eat first, it's better to fight after eating your fill!