Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 27 Heartache

Inn.

As soon as Gu Qingyue and Wen Qinghong entered the room, Xiao Nian rushed into their arms, hugging Gu Qingyue's legs tightly.

"Brother, you never take me out to play, hmph," she said, blinking her big eyes and pouting.

Gu Qingyue squatted down and looked at the little guy: "Do you want to go out and play?"

Xiao Nian nodded quickly: "I miss Grandpa so much, why hasn't he come to see me yet?"

Gu Qingyue's questioning gaze passed through Xiao Nian's head and landed on Rong Qingqing's face beside the table, as if she were asking a question.

Xiao Nian is still too young. She probably forgot that her grandfather had passed away and that it was Xiao Shun's uncle and neighbors who helped with the burial. She didn't know how to tell Xiao Nian about her grandfather again. She was at her wit's end.

Rong Qingqing rolled her eyes in a very unladylike way: "This kid has been keeping me busy all morning, I'm exhausted, I'm going to rest, the rest is up to you."

Gu Qingyue and Wen Qinghong exchanged a glance. They could tell that Rong Qingqing was not in a good mood and were a little surprised. During this period, Rong Qingqing and Xiao Nian had been inseparable. The two were so close that anyone would think they were mother and son. What had happened?

The two looked at Rong Qingqing and Xiao Nian with questioning eyes again.

Xiao Nian continued to cling to his leg, looking adorably silly.

Rong Qingqing stood up, not forgetting to grab some melon seeds from the table. Facing their questions, she said irritably, "This kid insisted on seeing his grandfather and acted like a spoiled child all morning. I told him that if I took him to see his grandfather again, he should say that I was a liar, a human trafficker, and that I only cheat children."

Gu Qingyue and Wen Qinghong were so shocked that their mouths gaped open, looking completely dumbfounded. Rong Qingqing pouted and swayed her hips as she walked out of the room.

"Aunt Rong..." Wen Qinghong had barely opened his mouth when Rong Qingqing's figure had already disappeared from sight.

Wen Qinghong turned around, grinning as she walked towards Xiao Nian. She picked up the little guy by the back of his neck, put him on the table, stroked his chin, and stared at him, trying to find something out from his little face.

Xiao Nian crossed her arms and turned her head to the side unhappily: "Adults are all liars! Humph!" Her expression was extremely irritating.

Gu Qingyue shook her head with amusement, sat down at the table, poured herself a cup of tea, and took a leisurely sip.

Unexpectedly, Rong Qingqing's head peeked in from outside the door: "Don't call me Aunt Rong anymore, I'm not that old, call me Sister Rong." After saying that, she ate some melon seeds and swayed away.

Gu Qingyue almost spat out her tea.

Rong Qingqing is acting very strange today!

"What happened to Aunt Rong?" Gu Qingyue quickly wiped her mouth and asked Xiao Nian in confusion.

Xiao Nian hummed twice and turned his head to the other side, indicating that he didn't want to talk to the liar.

Gu Qingyue stood up and pinched the little guy's cheek. "Mmm, so smooth and soft, it's so nice to pinch."

In the next guest room, Rong Qingqing leaned against the table and continued cracking sunflower seeds.

Seeing Gu Qingyue walk in, he stretched and said, "So, what happened?"

Gu Qingyue carefully examined the woman in front of her. She was very beautiful, with the kind of mature and charming beauty that Gu Qingyue admired. She wondered when she could possess such charm.

"She hasn't woken up yet. She should be awake by tomorrow, or at the latest the day after tomorrow." Gu Qingyue paused, then said, "Sister Rong... Sister Rong, cough cough..." Gu Qingyue looked at the threatening look in Rong Qingqing's eyes and abruptly changed the subject.

"Are you angry with Xiao Nian?" Gu Qingyue asked in a teasing tone.

Rong Qingqing put down the melon seeds in her hand and dusted off her sleeves.

“How could that be? It’s just a joke,” Rong Qingqing said, getting up and standing by the wide-open window, watching people come and go on the street. After a moment of silence, she said, “I just heard some news today.” Turning around, she looked at the pair of clear and bright phoenix eyes in front of her and didn’t know how to speak for a moment.

Today, she took Xiao Nian to a teahouse to listen to storytelling. An old man nearby was praising the Yong'en Marquis's family in the capital for their favor with the Emperor, and how the Yong'en Marquis was especially valued by the Fifth Prince and Consort Liu, with a promising future…

She didn't know how she left the teahouse. Thinking of the man with gentle eyes but a rebellious and unruly nature, she felt a pang in her heart. Suddenly, she felt that he had been so close, yet so far away. All the beautiful memories seemed to have remained in yesterday, and all that remained today was endless regret, longing, and resentment.

"Qingqing, shall we travel together to see the mountains and rivers and eat all the delicious food in the world?" The man smiled, carrying a rabbit in his hand.

“It’s just the two of us!” the man emphasized.

Upon hearing this, the woman smiled and pursed her lips: "What about the child? Aren't you taking him?"

"Oh? Of course, we'll go together after the baby is born, and our family will always be together."

"Qingqing, this is a drawing of you. Is it pretty?"

"Not pretty enough, watch me," the woman giggled, picking up her paintbrush...

Rong Qingqing closed her eyes, her heart aching terribly. She gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, trying to calm herself down.

“When the time is right, I will tell you. You are still young and don’t understand.” Rong Qingqing unconsciously revealed an expression full of sadness and self-mockery, which made Gu Qingyue sigh silently in her heart.

Yes, there are many things in this world that cannot be spoken aloud, because others can never truly empathize, let alone something that concerns one's own feelings. It's normal that she can't say it to a child right now, and perhaps doesn't want to.

She must have heard news about the husband she'd been searching for, right? Gu Qingyue thought silently.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly carefree Rong Qingqing is actually a love-obsessed person.

She wasn't really a twelve-year-old girl after all. Although she hadn't experienced love, she had seen and heard quite a bit, so she could somewhat understand Rong Qingqing's current feelings.

This was the second time Rong Qingqing had so hesitantly and solemnly refused to speak her mind in front of her, and she had no desire to force anyone to do so.

After all, she is a boy now, so it's normal that Rong Qingqing has no intention of opening up to her.

Nodding, Gu Qingyue said, "I'll be here whenever you want to talk." After saying that, she patted Rong Qingqing's arm reassuringly and walked out of the room.

This surprised Rong Qingqing. Why did she feel that the boy in front of her was not a child, but an adult?

Such sensitivity and insight.

She felt that Gu Qingyue had understood her unspoken words, so she shook her head and turned her gaze to the window.

"master".

In a refined villa in the city, Mu Nan was giving a report outside the study.

"I just received news that Gu Qingyue went to the shop this morning."

Mu Yun Chu, who was writing, didn't even lift her eyelids when she heard the news, and continued with what she was doing.

Mu Nan waited for a while, but didn't get a reply. He continued, "He went to get medical treatment. Zhou Changming's condition has improved." After saying that, he looked up at Mu Yun Chu, waiting for instructions.

At this moment, Mu Yun Chu suddenly raised her head, threw the brush into the brush washer, and picked up the handkerchief next to her to wipe her hands.

Mu Nan quickly handed over the note in his hand.

"He can cure diseases?" Even he was surprised after reading the information on the note. He thought that when he first met him, he had only bandaged his own wound. Did he really know medicine?

Mu Nan nodded.