Chapter 19 : Encounter

A few days after Song Ying met with Yue Shaozhi, all the rumors about Madam Hu and herself vanished as if silenced by an official order. No one mentioned them anymore, not even the storytellers, who had gone back to narrating tales of martial arts heroes.

Faer couldn’t help but sigh, “The Regent is still somewhat useful after all.”

Song Ying teased, “How about I send you over to serve Song Ruoer?”

She thought Faer would refuse outright, but after thinking for a moment, Faer said, “Sure. I’ll help you keep an eye on her. If anything happens, I’ll report back immediately.”

Song Ying smiled and said perfunctorily, “Yes, I know my Faer is the most loyal.”

Faer replied, “Mainly because I’d get two monthly stipends.”

Song Ying pinched her cheeks. “You little money-grubber.”

The mistress and servant joked back and forth until Xiaomi came running in excitedly. “Miss! Miss Liu is here!”

“Liuliu?”

Song Ying ran to the gate in delight, only to see Liu Lingyan directing her servants as they unloaded luggage.

“Liuliu!”

“Aying!”

The two women were overjoyed to see each other and were about to head inside when a child’s voice suddenly called out from behind.

“Where are you going, Mother?”

Liu Lingyan had brought her two children along.

“Oh no, I forgot about them,” she said apologetically.

Song Ying crouched down and waved to the twins. “Is this Dali and Xiaoli? You’ve both grown so big.”

When she had children, Liu Lingyan had only hoped that at least one would survive. “Yes, I wanted to come by myself, but these two insisted on tagging along.”

Song Ying hugged the children. “It’s fine. You can have as much fun as you want when you’re at your aunt’s place.”

The twins hadn’t seen Song Ying in a long time and were still a little shy.

Faer and Xiaomi played with them for a while, and soon the kids became comfortable and began running around the courtyard.

Meanwhile, Song Ying and Liu Lingyan chatted inside the house.

“So, tell me, what’s going on between you and Yue Shaozhi?”

Song Ying poured her good sister a cup of tea. “We’re divorced. Nothing more to say.”

Liu Lingyan snorted. “This is exactly why they trample all over you. If it were me, I’d rather be a widow than divorce.”

Song Ying smiled. “I was afraid he’d kill me before I ever got the chance to be a widow.” Yue Shaozhi was so shrewd. She might have tried to kill him if he had ever truly loved her but he never did. Even their intimacy had always been perfunctory.

Liu Lingyan sighed. “It’s good you got out when you did. The two of you were never meant to be locked together. So, what are your plans for the future?”

Song Ying replied, “Just live quietly like this. I’ll take care of the private estate my mother left me. Maybe someday, if I figure things out, I’ll marry a man who’s obedient.”

Liu Lingyan nodded. “I can help if you want to get into business. Actually, I came here for another reason. My husband wants to open a restaurant in the capital, so I came ahead to get a feel for things.”

“Why didn’t your husband come with you this time?”

“My mother-in-law’s health hasn’t been great, so he stayed home to look after her.”

Song Ying had met Liu Lingyan’s mother-in-law before, she was a kind woman who treated her daughter-in-law like her own child.

Song Ying asked, “Is it serious?”

Liu Lingyan said, “Nothing major.”

Song Ying nodded. “That’s good. Are you planning to stay with me or go back to your own house?”

Not long after Liu Lingyan got married, the Liu family moved to Chongzhou, leaving only one estate behind in the capital.

Liu Lingyan rolled her eyes. “Of course I’ll stay with you. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for my own food and clothes.”

Song Ying laughed. “That’s not what I meant.”

Liu Lingyan grinned. “I know. I haven’t had the food and wine at Shangyuelou in a long time. Shall we go tonight?”

Song Ying smiled. “That’s exactly what I was about to suggest. My treat.”

Liu Lingyan laughed, “That’s exactly what I was hoping to hear. Haha!”

This was the kind of relationship they had, no need to beat around the bush, just say whatever needed to be said.

To welcome her dear friend, Song Ying reserved a private room on the third floor. Once the window was opened, they could see most of the South Gate.

Although Liu Lingyan’s two children were noisy, they were quite well-behaved. As soon as someone called their names, they would immediately sit still.

Midway through the meal, Xiaoli needed to use the toilet, and Song Ying wanted to stretch her legs anyway, so she took the little girl downstairs.

“Are you done?” Song Ying stood outside the restroom.

The little girl was able to pull up her pants by herself, but the edges were still a little crooked, so Song Ying squatted down to help fix them.

“Thank you, Auntie.”

Seeing the little girl’s soft and cuddly look, Song Ying couldn’t help but give her a playful pinch.

Hmm… feels nice.

“Let’s go.”

Holding Song Ying’s hand, Xiaoli asked curiously, “Auntie, don’t you need to pee?”

Song Ying answered patiently, “Because Auntie didn’t pee.”

“Oh, then why didn’t brother come down to pee?”

“Because he doesn’t need to either. Just drink less water.”

Xiaoli shook her head. “Grandma said I should drink more water, but my brother doesn’t like to.”

“Does your brother like to play?”

“Yes! Sometimes he plays so much he doesn’t even eat.”

“Then your brother really is a playful one.”

“I’m not playful. I’m the best.”

Song Ying laughed. “Yes, yes, our little Xiaoli is the best.”

Since Xiaoli was not even four years old yet, it was hard for her to climb up to the third floor. Song Ying picked her up and carried her.

Because the child blocked part of her view, when they reached the stairs, Song Ying didn’t notice someone coming up.

“Song Ying?”

Hearing someone call her, Song Ying put the child down and greeted him naturally, “Young Marquis, here for a meal too?”

Wen Jun was a regular here.

He hadn’t seen Song Ying in a long time, and when he noticed the little girl beside her, he couldn’t help asking curiously, “Is she yours?”

Song Ying replied, “She belongs to a friend.”

Wen Jun gave an “oh.” That made sense, he figured Song Ying wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. A man like Yue Shaozhi wouldn’t leave behind an unwanted child.

Noticing the little girl staring at him, Wen Jun bent down and winked, “What’s your name, little girl?”

Xiaoli hid behind Song Ying and tilted her head. “My name is Xiaoli, uncle.”

Wen Jun’s eyebrow twitched. He was only a year older than Song Ying, but he still preferred to be called “brother.”

Song Ying took Xiaoli’s hand. “I won’t bother you, please go ahead.”

Wen Jun called out behind her, “I heard you and Huo Zhen are neighbors now?”

Wen Jun was a bit of a gossip. Song Ying didn’t bother hiding it and said casually, “Yes. Any problem with that?”

Wen Jun smiled awkwardly, “No problem.”

Song Ying: “Then please go ahead.”

When they returned to the private room, Song Ying saw Liu Lingyan scolding her child.

Song Ying asked, “What’s going on?”

Liu Lingyan pinched her son’s cheek. “You little rascal! You broke the bowl! That bowl was expensive.”

Liu Lingyan was wealthy, but never wasteful.

Sure enough, there were broken pieces of a bowl on the ground. Song Ying called for a waiter to clean up the mess, then asked him to record it on the bill to settle later.

“If you keep being naughty, I’ll throw you out.” Liu Lingyan was angry. Dali sat still and tried to placate her, “Mother, don’t be mad. I know I was wrong. I’ll behave.”

Liu Lingyan: “Hmph! You only know you’re wrong after breaking something? Just wait till we get home.”

Xiaoli giggled at the side. “Brother is dumb.”

Dali made a face at her. “You’re the dumb one.”

Then the two little ones started bickering. Liu Lingyan slammed the table. “Quiet!”

The two kids sat down immediately but couldn’t help making silly faces at each other.

After dinner, Song Ying and the others came out of their private room just as the door of the room across the hall opened.

Wen Jun was walking in front. When he saw Song Ying, he waved and greeted her, “Song Ying, you’re done eating too?”