Ning Sichang shifted his gaze to the dead runner on the floor. With a look of guilt, he said to Yun Zhu, “I had not anticipated that one would slip through the net. This was my oversight, and I ask for Third Lady Lu’s forgiveness.”
As he spoke, Ning Sichang stood up and offered Yun Zhu a deep, formal bow.
“Magistrate Ning, you honor this humble woman far too much!” Carrying her daughter, Yun Zhu turned slightly to the side to avoid receiving his bow.
Because Yiyi had been so badly frightened, Duchess Wen Qing insisted that the mother and daughter stay at the yamen for a few days.
“Rest assured, I will be staying here as well, so no one will dare wag their tongues,” Wen Qing said, affectionately patting Yun Zhu’s hand. “Ling’er’s injuries are severe, and the physician said she cannot be moved. Sister Yun, just consider this staying to keep me company.”
Although this Sister Yun was just a village woman, she remained calm in the face of danger, acted decisively, and even knew a bit of medicine. Wen Qing grew more fond of her the more she looked at her!
Ning Sichang needed a woman like this by his side!
Yun Zhu looked down at her daughter, who was still clinging tightly to her. Realizing that if they returned home like this, her eldest brother and sister-in-law would surely worry, she agreed, “Then we will be bothering Madam and Magistrate Ning. I will send a message home shortly so my family does not worry.”
When Lu Jinghai and his wife, Lady Yang, learned from the Duke’s mansion guard that Yun Zhu and her daughter would be staying in the county seat for a few days, they could not help but feel anxious.
“How did Second Sister-in-law end up getting involved with the Duchess?” Lady Yang said with deep concern. “They will be fine, won’t they?”
Thinking of the half-carcass of pork, the bolts of cloth, and the pastries from the county seat that the guard had delivered when bringing the message, Lu Ziming pondered for a moment before saying, “The Duchess likely harbors no ill intentions.”
With the thorough purge of the county yamen underway, Ning Sichang, as the county magistrate, was so busy his feet hardly touched the ground.
Yun Zhu stayed by her daughter’s side every moment, comforting and guiding her, helping the little girl slowly emerge from the nightmare of that day.
Ning Ze, whose injuries had recovered by seventy to eighty percent, wanted to visit Yiyi, but the little girl instinctively shrank away whenever she saw him, running off to sleep on a lounger in the garden by herself.
“Third Lady Lu, I am sorry. It was I who frightened Sister Yiyi,” Ning Ze said guiltily, having heard that the little girl would wake up crying from nightmares several nights in a row.
Facing the disappointment and self-reproach on Ning Ze’s face, Yun Zhu smiled and said, “You saved Yiyi. I should be thanking you.”
Yun Zhu patted his uninjured shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. I believe Yiyi will figure it out in time.”
Her daughter was still young, and initially, Yun Zhu had worried deeply that she might be left with a psychological shadow.
However, based on her observations over the past few days, her daughter was stronger and more sensible than she had imagined.
She did not have the heart to watch her daughter be forced to grow up, but living in this era, there was no escaping it.
As the time to flee the famine drew closer and reality became even more cruel, they would both have to face it.
The only thing she could do now was to accompany and guide her, giving her daughter a sense of security so she could grow even stronger.
Ning Ze shook his head. “Third Lady Lu, in truth, Yiyi was braver than I was that day. If she hadn’t launched that sneak attack, I wouldn’t have survived either.”
“You are both brave children. I am proud of Yiyi, and I believe Magistrate Ning is proud of you too,” Yun Zhu said with a smile.
“My father… will be proud of me?” Ning Ze asked, a little uncertain.
“Most definitely!” Yun Zhu looked behind Ning Ze with a smile. “Magistrate Ning, am I right?”
Ning Ze whipped his head around to see his father standing just three meters away, watching him. He involuntarily clutched his hem with both hands, his eyes carrying a mixture of hope and anxiety as he called out softly, “Father.”
Yun Zhu gave Ning Sichang a courteous bow with a smile, picked up her daughter who had fallen asleep on the lounger, and left the garden.
Ning Sichang walked over to his son with slow, gentle steps, his voice warm. “Are your injuries feeling better?”
“Thank you for your concern, Father. They are much better.”
Having watched the mother and daughter of the Lu family interact, Ning Sichang suddenly realized that the polite distance his own son maintained with him was wrong.
It felt as though a barrier existed between them.
This realization left him feeling quite uneasy inside.
He and his late wife had been married in their youth, deeply in love, but her health was poor. It wasn’t until she was nearly thirty that she became pregnant with Ze’er, and when Ze’er was only three, she passed away.
By the time he pulled himself out of his grief, he realized Ze’er had already grown up. He was usually consumed by official duties and neglected his son, which was the main reason his senior sister was always trying to matchmake for him.
Only after Ze’er faced danger this time did he deeply reflect on himself.
He had truly cared far too little for Ze’er.
Father and son suddenly fell silent again, neither seeming to know what to say.
After an unknown length of time, Ning Sichang spoke, “Third Lady Lu is right. I am proud of you!”
Ning Ze snapped his head up, looking at his father in disbelief. “Father…”
The moment he called out, his eyes grew moist.
A wave of bitterness also welled up in Ning Sichang’s heart. “Ze’er, I failed to take proper care of you all these years. It was my fault. Can you forgive me?”
“That’s not true!” Ning Ze said hastily. “Father has been very good to me!”
He knew!
He knew it all now!
“Father, I was naive in the past. From now on, I won’t blame you for focusing on your official duties anymore,” Ning Ze suddenly offered his father a bright smile, tears still glistening in his eyes. “I know in your heart, you care about me!”
Ning Sichang was startled for a moment, then let out a warm, gentle smile. Feeling a mixture of emotion and melancholy, he murmured, “Ze’er has grown up!”
Without him even realizing it, his son had grown up.
Wen Qing was surprised to discover that the distant father and son of the Ning family had somehow become inseparable.
In the past, the two interacted like a superior and a subordinate, as if rehearsing every word in their heads before speaking.
Now, however, they had endless things to talk about, and when the two were together, even she couldn’t interrupt.
The change in the father and son brought great joy to Wen Qing. She also noticed that Ning Ze’s attitude toward Yun Zhu was completely different from his reaction to the other women she had previously introduced to Ning Sichang.
On this day, Wen Qing called Ning Ze to her side. “Ze’er, if Sister Yun were willing to become your stepmother, would you agree?”
Ning Ze had asked himself this question a thousand times already.
His answer was an absolute yes!
He also wanted a sister as cute as Yiyi.
“Madam, would Third Lady Lu agree?” Ning Ze asked instead of answering directly.
Seeing that he didn’t reject the idea right away, Wen Qing guessed his answer and said merrily, “Isn’t that why I’m seeking your opinion first? If you agree, I’ll go bring it up with Sister Yun.”
Ning Ze bowed solemnly to Wen Qing. “Thank you for taking the trouble, Madam.”
Wen Qing gave him an annoyed glare, pulling him up. “You silly child, acting so distant with me?”
This kid had finally softened his stance!
Then again, Sister Yun and her daughter were indeed truly lovable.
“Senior Sister!” Just as the older and younger pair were discussing how to bring this up with Yun Zhu, Ning Sichang walked in with a helpless look on his face. “I told you long ago that I have no intention of remarrying.”
Wen Qing put on a stern face. “Do you look down on Sister Yun for being a country woman?”
Yun Zhu, carrying her daughter, was on her way to bid farewell to Wen Qing and Ning Sichang. She hadn’t expected that just as she reached the doorway of the main hall, she would overhear this conversation. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to walk in or simply turn and leave.
“Sister Yun?” Wen Qing looked up and caught sight of Yun Zhu and her daughter standing outside the door.