Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 232 Willful

Having spent so much time with Duan Mingzhu, Qin Jiu had neglected Liang Qingcheng and Bu Zhi. Hearing Bu Zhi's words, Qin Jiu readily agreed, picked Bu Zhi up, and the three of them left Xianzhou Garden.

Duan Mingzhu stood at the entrance of the teahouse, watching their backs as they walked away, her expression somewhat gloomy.

Qin Jiu returned with a large bag of peaches and noticed that Duan Mingzhu wasn't in the tea room when he passed by Xianzhou Garden. Qin Jiu sensed something was wrong and quickly went to look for her, eventually finding Duan Mingzhu by Xianyue Lake.

The willow branches swayed gently in the breeze. Duan Mingzhu sat under the willow tree, gazing blankly at the lake, lost in thought. Duan Mingzhu's belly wasn't showing much, and she hadn't gained much weight. If one didn't know beforehand, they would never guess she was pregnant.

Qin Jiu watched for a while and suddenly felt a little sad. Duan Mingzhu was actually just a young girl.

"Ninth Brother!"

Qin Jiu looked around before walking to Duan Mingzhu's side: "Did the young mistress call me?"

Duan Mingzhu asked, "Is there anyone else here besides me?"

Duan Mingzhu kept her eyes fixed on the shimmering lake surface, not even turning her head to talk to Qin Jiu.

Qin Jiu squatted down and said in a gentle voice, "Young Madam, Brother Zhou has replied that the young general first went to Yanshan to persuade Jin Hu to surrender, then joined General Qi Yang to control the upper reaches of the Jingjiang River, and is now besieging Furong City with Prince Rui."

Duan Mingzhu said, "Is that so?"

Qin Jiu said, "The young general must be thinking of the young mistress, but he has no choice in the matter. The young mistress should be more understanding."

Duan Mingzhu said, "Yes, he is thinking of me. I had a dream yesterday in which he told me that he was waiting for me on the road to the underworld."

Qin Jiu said, "Young Madam, I've heard that women tend to overthink when they're pregnant. Life is hard enough as it is; we should always try to think positively."

Duan Mingzhu smiled and said, "So it seems that Ninth Brother isn't actually good at lying?"

Qin Jiu was taken aback: "What do you mean, young mistress?"

Duan Mingzhu asked, "Is Yun Ting still alive?"

Qin Jiu said, "Of course, the young general is highly skilled in martial arts and has extraordinary ambition..."

Duan Mingzhu said, "If he were still alive, why didn't he come to see me? Even if the war is busy, he shouldn't be unable to spare two days."

It would take ten days to half a month to travel back and forth. Qin Jiu said, "Young Madam, Yun Ting is a general, how can he just leave like that?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "Does the general only have war in his eyes, and no personal feelings for his children?"

Qin Jiu simply sat down next to her: "Generals die in a hundred battles, and brave soldiers return after ten years. This has always been the way of war. Young Madam, I know you're upset, but no matter what, you must believe in the young general."

Having traversed the world for many years, I've encountered all sorts of people, and the young general is definitely not the kind to be fickle; on the contrary, he values ​​loyalty and righteousness above all else.

Duan Mingzhu remained silent for a while, and Qin Jiu felt a surge of pity: Duan Mingzhu was also a pitiful person!

Qin Jiu advised, "Young Madam, go and get some sleep. Pregnant women need to rest more."

Duan Mingzhu asked, "Have you heard anything from my sister and brother-in-law?"

Qin Jiu said, "Bian Jing replied that the gang leader has gone to the northern desert to find the young master. If he finds him successfully, he will surely return soon."

Duan Mingzhu said sarcastically, "Ninth Brother's words are really... utterly worthless."

Qin Jiu's initial pity vanished instantly: This girl is utterly unlikable! Luckily, Xue Yunting is away fighting, otherwise he would be in for a lot of trouble.

Duan Mingzhu wanted to stand up, but she had been sitting for a long time and her belly was big, so it was naturally very difficult for her.

Qin Jiu immediately helped her up, saying, "Young Madam, please be careful."

Duan Mingzhu didn't try to be strong and let Qin Jiu help her walk from the lakeside to the main road.

Liang Qingcheng and Bu Zhi were standing on the road. When they saw the two of them coming up, they handed Duan Mingzhu a peach: "It was just picked and washed. Young Madam, please try it. It's quite sweet."

Qin Jiu slowly loosened his grip: "Young Madam, it's good for pregnant women to eat more peaches."

Duan Mingzhu took the peach: "Ninth Brother knows a lot?"

Qin Jiu said, "Eighth Sister has been eating three bowls of rice at every meal since she got pregnant, and she's gained a lot of weight. Young Madam is still the same, just with a big belly. She must be eating too little. If she doesn't like to eat rice, eating more fruit would be good too."

Duan Mingzhu asked, "Ninth Sister-in-law, isn't Ninth Brother particularly considerate?"

Liang Qingcheng smiled and said, "Men are all like this; they are considerate to other men's wives."

Duan Mingzhu took a bite of the peach: "Sister-in-law Jiu is right."

As the group slowly walked back, someone suddenly asked, "Does Auntie like my dad?"

Duan Mingzhu looked at him in surprise and asked, "Why?"

I don't know: "You always make my dad play with you, my dad doesn't have time to play with me anymore."

The child changes every day; he has become noticeably more lively and outgoing, and his speaking ability is also improving.

Duan Mingzhu teased him, "No, it's your father who likes me, and he insists on staying with me."

Qin Jiuquan took it as a joke by the two children and didn't take it to heart.

He said very seriously, "My aunt can't like my dad, and my dad can't like my aunt."

Duan Mingzhu said, "What if you like it?"

I don't know: "They'll be drowned in a pig cage."

Qin Jiu quickly stopped him: "I don't know, you can't talk nonsense."

Duan Mingzhu stopped in her tracks: "Who told you that?"

I don't know: "That's what Tiger's aunt said."

Duan Mingzhu's face darkened: "Don't worry, your father is too old for me to be interested in."

Qin Jiu said, "Yes, yes."

Instead of taking it seriously, he corrected her: "No, Dad is the most powerful, and Aunt is a witch."

Duan Mingzhu was furious. She pulled and flung him, and he rolled down the slope into the lake.

Qin Jiu, standing next to Liang Qingcheng, had no idea that Duan Mingzhu would harm the child. He reached out but missed, and immediately jumped into the lake to pick up the child.

She drank a few mouthfuls of water and burst into tears. Qin Jiu and Liang Qingcheng took turns holding her and trying to soothe her, but they couldn't calm her down; she cried until her voice was hoarse.

The next day, Bu Zhi developed a high fever, and Song Yuan prescribed medicine, but it didn't improve after two days. Liang Qingcheng and Qin Jiu invited a Taoist priest from Haidong County to perform an exorcism. It wasn't until the fourth day that Bu Zhi's condition improved slightly.

With Hu Zi in front and Bu Zhi behind, no one dared to approach Duan Mingzhu on Chongming Island. Liang Qingcheng, along with Bu Zhi, worked in the fields with Ba Mei and the others every day, trying to avoid meeting Duan Mingzhu.

Duan Mingzhu seemed to enjoy the peace and quiet, so she simply slept every morning, took a nap after lunch, and then got up in the afternoon to do some activities or sit in the tea room in a daze.

Qin Jiu recounted Duan Mingzhu's story to Nian Yao in detail. Even though some time had passed, Qin Jiu's tone still carried a hint of indignation: "Was it really necessary to be so cruel to a child?"

Nianyao sighed, "She is indeed a bit willful. But she is all alone on Chongming Island with no relatives or friends, Yunting is not around, and she is in poor health. She is truly pitiful."

Qin Jiu said, "If she were any more approachable, all the brothers on Chongming Island would be happy to be her family. But what kind of things has she done?"

Nianyao comforted her, "She definitely knows you're here, so nothing will happen to her. If she really had any bad intentions, Hu Zi and Bu Zhi would be gone, wouldn't they? Ninth Brother, I heard you split up Jingzhao Manor and sold it? What happened? Why didn't Second Aunt go with you?"