Meng Qianqian calmly looked at her, from her appearance, to her attire, and finally to the fingers gripping the handkerchief tightly.
She also glanced at Meng Qianqian once.
Her expression froze momentarily, but she quickly lowered her gaze and brushed past Meng Qianqian, stepping into a carriage parked across from the gambling den.
At that very moment, Yu Li rushed out.
He never expected to run into Meng Qianqian here.
His gaze passed over Meng Qianqian and landed on the carriage that seemed to flee in haste. A surge of guilt and awkwardness seized him.
He didn’t know how much of their conversation Meng Qianqian might have overheard, nor how to explain or handle it.
"Was that my mother?"
Meng Qianqian spoke with a calmness as deep as an ancient well.
Yu Li was so shocked he couldn’t speak. He just stared blankly at her, at that face that bore a five-part resemblance to his aunt’s, his lips moving several times before finally nodding under the oppressive tranquility of her gaze.
Meng Qianqian said, "So you’ve come to the Capital City, not to marry me, but to meet her."
Yu Li hastily explained, "My wish to marry you is genuine!"
Meng Qianqian didn’t press further. "Cousin wasn’t heading to the gambling den earlier, but to see her, wasn’t he?"
This was something Yu Li couldn’t deny.
"I’ll head back now."
Meng Qianqian turned and walked away.
Yu Li thought she would dwell on the mention of his aunt because she cared about him always seeking her out. But as he watched her carefree departure, he suddenly found himself unable to comprehend her.
Cousin’s reaction... wasn’t right, was it?
After all these years of assuming her mother was dead, and now seeing her alive and in front of her—shouldn’t she be shocked, emotional, confused, hurt, crying while asking why? Why her mother was alive but never returned to You State to see her brother or herself? Why she abandoned them?
Her mother was living in the Capital City, seemingly of significant stature. Did she know that her daughter was also married into the Capital City?
Had she ever inquired about her?
But Meng Qianqian asked nothing.
Yu Li was utterly bewildered. Could it be that the shock was so great that it had rendered his cousin senseless?
He hurried to catch up to Meng Qianqian. "We didn’t mean to hide it from you..."
"I know." Meng Qianqian nodded slightly as she walked. "You did it for my own good."
Her third uncle had mentioned this before.
Yu Li thought: Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be my line...
"Cousin!" Yu Li moved in front of Meng Qianqian, blocking her path. Gritting his teeth, he steeled himself and said, "If you have questions, just ask them. Don’t bottle it up—it’ll only harm you!"
Meng Qianqian stared at him steadily. "What am I supposed to ask?"
Yu Li stepped aside and walked alongside her, sighing helplessly. "Fine, running into your ’deceased’ mother must have been a huge shock. When you’ve processed it, I’ll tell you more—it won’t be too late."
Meng Qianqian replied, "Oh, I found out she was alive a few days ago."
Yu Li froze. "You... already knew? Then why..."
Meng Qianqian sighed. "All right, why did she leave the Meng Family back then? Why did she abandon me and my two brothers?"
Yu Li let out a subtle sigh of relief. As expected, she did care, but this made him feel even more sympathy for her.
"Aunt... always had issues with Uncle," he said softly.
"What kind of issues? She just looked down on my eldest brother, didn’t she?"
Meng Tianlan’s cold voice suddenly cut through the air in front of them.
Yu Li’s face turned pale. "Third Uncle?"
Meng Tianlan approached them, his expression sour. "Don’t call me Uncle. Our Meng Family could never aspire to match your esteemed aunt’s talents. She’s truly remarkable, managing to latch onto some small County Magistrate stationed in You State, who turned out to be a Young Marquis in the Capital City! No wonder she abandoned her own children to raise someone else’s. Who wouldn’t want to be a Marchioness?"
Yu Li’s face paled further. "Third Uncle, how did you..."
Meng Tianlan snorted coldly. "Did you think I’ve just been wandering around aimlessly in the Capital City all these days?"
In truth, he had mentioned to Steward Cen in passing that Qianqian’s mother wasn’t dead but had remarried to some Young Marquis in the Capital City.
He had forgotten about it instantly, but the next day, Steward Cen had unearthed the entire family history of Yu’s in-laws, down to their ancestors from eighteen generations back.
Turning to Meng Qianqian, he said, "That’s the situation. Back when Grandfather approved your engagement to Lu Lingxiao, it was partly because we thought she was in the Capital City and could look out for you somewhat. It’s just that the Marquis was stationed in West City that year and only returned to the Capital at the beginning of this year."
On the bustling street, pedestrians hurried past, and the clatter of horse-drawn carriages echoed around.
Yu sat inside the dimly lit carriage, her mind replaying the image of that pale, clean face and those calm, emotionless eyes. Her thoughts suddenly became unsettled.
"Madam, we’re here," the coachman said.
A charming young girl briskly descended the steps, throwing herself into Yu’s arms like a little swallow returning to its nest. "Mother!"
Yu lovingly stroked her head. "You’re not a little child anymore—aren’t you embarrassed?"
The girl pouted coyly and said, "Why would I be embarrassed to hug my own mother? Mother, where did you go? Why are you back so late?"
Yu replied softly, "I went shopping for some things."
The girl stretched out her hand expectantly.
Yu took a small gold bracelet out of her pouch. "Didn’t you say your bracelet broke last time? I got you a new one."
The girl snuggled into Yu’s embrace, cooing affectionately, "I knew Mother loves me most!"
Yu chuckled. "Oh? Does your father not love you?"
The girl pouted. "All he cares about is my brother’s studies. He doesn’t care about me at all!"
Yu said, "Your brother just passed the imperial exam as a Tanhua. Isn’t it natural for your father to be concerned about him? Besides, who cried and complained to Grandmother, saying Father’s strictness would force her to marry off soon just to escape?"
"Mother!" The girl exclaimed in embarrassment.
Yu chuckled. "All right, I won’t tease you anymore. Has your father come back?"
The girl linked her arm with Yu’s as they walked into the mansion. "He’s back. He’s in the study testing my brother’s lessons."
Yu asked, "You didn’t manage to scare off today’s teacher again, did you?"
The girl’s face turned solemn. "She wasn’t very capable."
Yu gave her a knowing glance. "She’s one of the top embroiderers in the Capital City."
The girl retorted indignantly, "Top embroiderer? The best is obviously the owner of Yanyu Pavilion! Mother, why don’t you invite her to teach me?"
Yu replied, "I don’t have that kind of pull."
The girl arched a brow. "Mother, you’re the Marchioness of Anyuan, and the mother of a Tanhua. Who would dare refuse you?"
Elsewhere, Meng Qianqian boarded the carriage holding Bao Shu.
As she lifted the curtain, she realized Lu Yuan was also inside.
It had been a while since they’d seen each other. He still wore that insufferable, rebellious expression, and it was fortunate that his face was strikingly handsome, or anyone who saw him would want to punch him.
"Greetings, Grand Commander," Meng Qianqian said with a courteous bow.
Bao Shu was already asleep in her arms, drooling peacefully.
Lu Yuan glanced at Treasure Piggy and barely restrained the urge to toss her out, repeatedly telling himself that she could still be salvaged with a good wash.
Feeling the palpable hostility, Meng Qianqian sat as far away as possible.
Lu Yuan snorted coldly. "If I wanted to kill you, no matter how far you sat, you couldn’t escape."
Meng Qianqian shifted herself another half inch away, inching closer to the edge.
Lu Yuan shut his eyes briefly, his tone exasperated. "If I had known about your connection to the Marchioness of Anyuan, I wouldn’t have sent an invitation to the Marquis Mansion. If it bothers you, I’ll have them retrieve the invitation."
Meng Qianqian thought for a moment. "Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?"
Lu Yuan said lightly, "There’s no inappropriate act this Commander hasn’t done. One more won’t matter."
Looking at the soundly asleep Bao Shu, Meng Qianqian fell silent briefly before saying calmly, "It’s fine. I don’t mind."
Why should she mind someone irrelevant?