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Song Mo also spotted Lu Man and called out, “Sister-in-law”, before rushing over to her.
Lu Man caught him and asked, “Have you finished eating already?”
“Yeah.” Song Mo replied, then added, “I ate, but I’m still hungry.”
His words amused both Lu Man and Song Ming.
Lu Man had to say, “Since Mo is still hungry, let’s have a little more to eat.”
Seeing his son getting close to Lu Man made Song Ming very happy, but he felt awkward joining them for a meal. He smiled and said, “You two go ahead and eat. I’ll sit at the teahouse across the street.”
Observing Song Ming’s warm and gentle smile, Lu Man thought to herself, whoever becomes his woman in the future will be truly fortunate. Not only was he a good father and son, but he would also make a great husband.
She smiled at him and watched him leave the restaurant. She then had a few guards dine on the ground floor while she led Song Mo and her two maids to a private room on the second floor.
After ordering a few dishes, she and Song Mo ate at the table while the maids ate at a smaller table nearby. They also ordered additional snacks to take back for the children, He Mingzhu and He Cheng.
While eating and playing, Song Mo said, “Sister-in-law, I miss Yue, Jiu, the Jiang Brothers and the pets.”
Then looking sad, he continued, “Sister-in-law, I feel so lonely. I want to stay at your house every day, but I’m worried about Grandmother and Father being lonely.”
Oh, such a precocious child, understanding loneliness at such a young age, so clever.
Lu Man didn’t dare to extend another invitation, Song Mo already spent a day at the Donghui Courtyard every ten days. Besides, he was already five years old and had half a day of classes every day.
She jokingly said, “Then let your father find you another mother, have more siblings, and you won’t feel lonely anymore.”
Upon hearing this, Song Mo became anxious, pouting, “Sister-in-law, what a bad idea! I don’t like stepmothers, what if she causes harm to me.”
Lu Man chuckled, “Not all stepmothers are harmful, some are good.” Seeing Song Mo getting upset to the point of teary eyes, she quickly added, “Alright, alright, I misspoke. When Mo grows up, I’ll make sure your wife has more children, so you won’t feel lonely.”
Lu Man had always been puzzled by why Song Ming hadn’t remarried since his wife’s passing several years ago. Perhaps the trauma caused by the poisoning incident had deeply affected him, leading him to wait until Song Mo was older before considering remarriage.
Song Mo sighed again, “If there was a woman as good as you, Sister-in-law, I’d agree to her being my stepmother. But none of the women who want to be my stepmother can compare to you—I don’t like any of them.” He shook his head with a touch of helplessness.
His words made Lu Man blush slightly. She playfully pinched his little nose and scolded, “What nonsense are you talking? You have too many thoughts. Don’t say that to anyone, you might offend someone.”
Song Mo retorted, “I won’t be foolish like Xie Kaipei, blabbing everything.”
Their banter brought laughter to the group. In their rivalry for Jiang Yue’s favor, these two youngsters engaged in playful teasing.
Song Mo’s fondness for Jiang Yue was understandable, given his loneliness without siblings for company. Meanwhile, Xie Kaipei had several cousins to play with, yet he preferred Jiang Yue. This was mostly attributed to old Duke Xie, who had influenced the young boy.
After the meal, Lu Man led Song Mo out of the restaurant.
As they exited their private room, they unexpectedly encountered a group from another room. Among them were two young lady, one was Shu Mingwei.
The other lady was tall and fair-skinned, not strikingly beautiful but with a clear complexion. Upon seeing Song Mo, she walked over with a smile, saying, “Mo, what a coincidence.”
Her voice sounded familiar.
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Song Mo courteously greeted, “Aunt Xia.”
Lu Man already had a good idea of who she was. Being close to Shu Mingwei, with the surname Xia and overly friendly with the Prince He’s household, she must be Miss Xia who had gossiped about Jiang Zhanwei while boasting of “climbing high branches”.
Miss Xia’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she approached and asked, “Just Mo out for a stroll?”
With her mind and eyes focused solely on Song Mo, Lu Man didn’t even notice the others around. She completely ignored the young woman.
Song Mo replied, “I’m not alone, I just had a meal with Sister-in-law. And my father is at the teahouse across the street.”
Miss Xia excitedly exclaimed, “Aunt Xia bought two beautiful silkies today, colorful and lovely, with delightful calls. They are in Aunt Xia’s carriage. Come with me and have a look.” She reached out to grab Song Mo’s hand.
Eagerly, Song Mo reached out to her.
Lu Man found it amusing that Miss Xia thought she could simply take the child away from her.
Unable to resist, Song Mo would follow along with anyone who prompted him.
Annoyed, Lu Man lightly tapped his outstretched hand, frowning as she said, “I’ll take you back to your father first. You can go with whoever you want.”
Seeing Lu Man upset, Song Mo quickly withdrew his hand, trying to appease her, “Okay, okay, I won’t go see the silkies. Please don’t be mad, Sister-in-law.”
Miss Xia, hoping for a close interaction with Song Mo and potentially the Prince, felt frustrated by this interfering woman.
With a stern expression, she retorted, “Lady Jiang, just focus on your own child, why are you meddling in others’ affairs?”
Amused by the directness, Lu Man responded, “Miss Xia, didn’t you hear Mo calling me Sister-in-law? We are relatives. Since I took him out for a meal, I have a responsibility to return him to the adults. As for you, a grown woman, always trying to get close to motherless children—what’s the meaning behind that?”
Lu Man’s blunt remarks left Miss Xia blushing and embarrassed, muttering in frustration, “What nonsense, where did you get that idea from? I have no intention of getting close to motherless children.” Under her breath, she added, “No wonder she’s disliked even by her own man, truly a woman from a lowly family, only capable of using her tongue.”
Shu Mingwei smiled faintly and intervened, pulling Miss Xia aside, “Sister Xia, don’t be angry. If you know she’s from a humble background, why bother arguing with her? Don’t lower yourself to her level and diminish your status as a member of our house.”
Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, Miss Xia giggled, “You’re right, I misunderstood.”
Lu Man’s expression turned serious as she sarcastically glanced at the two women, saying, “Birds of a feather flock together, and people of similar character gather.”
Deciding not to engage further with them, she led Song Mo towards the staircase. Loudly addressing Xing and Xiao Xi, she remarked, “Tsk tsk, these young ladies are always thinking about becoming stepmothers at such a young age. If you want to think about it, at least do it discreetly. Acting so openly is unseemly and unimpressive.”