Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 244 Children

Xue Yunting slept until he was starving, and when he woke up, the room was dimly lit.

Duan Mingzhu sat with her back to him, staring blankly at the lamp on the table.

Xue Yunting stretched, feeling refreshed and invigorated: "Mingzhu, what time is it?"

Duan Mingzhu didn't turn her head: "It's past four o'clock."

Xue Yunting said, "Four o'clock? I've been sleeping for so long? Why aren't you asleep yet?"

Duan Mingzhu turned to the side, opened the casserole on the low table, and took a sip: "Are you hungry? This is the porridge your sister made, it's just the right temperature now."

Xue Yunting exclaimed in surprise, "So many?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "I'm afraid you'll be hungry, so please eat."

Xue Yunting sat opposite Duan Mingzhu and saw a bowl next to her: "Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something? I can just use the pot."

Even when you're hungry, you're still thinking about her? Duan Mingzhu shook her head: "I'm not hungry, you eat."

Xue Yunting was indeed hungry, and he wolfed down the porridge, which was soon emptied.

Duan Mingzhu kept looking at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and joy.

Xue Yunting looked up, slightly stunned. Since returning this time, he felt that something was off about Duan Mingzhu: "What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "My sister and brother-in-law had a fight."

Xue Yunting put down his spoon: "What... are they arguing about?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "I didn't hear it very clearly... It seems that my sister went to Yanshan with Prince Rui on this trip. Prince Rui flirted with my sister, hugged her, and said he wanted to marry her..."

Xue Yunting said, "Is that so? Did my sister tell you?"

Duan Mingzhu shook her head: "My sister didn't say anything, it was my brother-in-law who found out, so he's quite angry."

Xue Yunting thought for a moment: "And then?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "My sister said that Prince An and the others were afraid that my brother-in-law would have no descendants, so they arranged for him to take a concubine. They chose a gentle, virtuous girl with a big bottom who was good at bearing children, but they disliked my sister because she couldn't have children."

Xue Yunting stood up: "I'll go take a look."

Duan Mingzhu said, "There's no need to go. They both left later. My sister left first, and then my brother-in-law left too. Neither of them came back."

Xue Yunting asked, "Are you sure none of them have come back?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "I haven't been able to sleep since they argued. If they come back, there will definitely be some noise. But then again, it's not like my sister is incapable of having children. Prince An and the others are too anxious. No wonder my sister is angry."

Xue Yunting believed Duan Mingzhu's words without a doubt: "Can she have children?"

Duan Mingzhu said, "My brother-in-law is a miracle doctor. Even if he can't cure it right now, he can study medicine more and maybe he can cure it in two or three years. They are young and strong, so why is Prince An in such a hurry?"

These words were as good as saying nothing at all. Xue Yunting took it as Duan Mingzhu comforting him: "Of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no offspring. There's really nothing incomprehensible about that."

Duan Mingzhu said, "You also think it's reasonable for your brother-in-law to take a concubine?"

Xue Yunting said, "It's not just my opinion, it's the truth. How many concubines do you have? How many concubines does Ninth Brother have?"

Taking concubines is commonplace in wealthy families. You previously had a bunch of girls surrounding me and even sent me to brothels—isn't it all the same?

Duan Mingzhu said, "That's right. Yunting, when you return to Qinzhou to marry, it will be a proper marriage, not a concubine! It's just a pity that my child will only be an illegitimate child that can't be seen in the light of day."

Xue Yunting frowned slightly: "Why would you think that? This is the eldest grandson of our Xue family, how could he be an illegitimate child who can't be brought into the light? You shouldn't be traveling right now. We'll take the child back to Qinzhou after he gives birth..."

Duan Mingzhu smiled sadly: "Yun Ting, you don't need to comfort me. You know I won't live to see that day."

Xue Yunting reached out and smoothed her hair, his tone firm: "You were born a member of the Xue family, and you will die a member of the Xue family. The eldest grandson and eldest daughter-in-law of the Xue family will be included in the family genealogy."

Duan Mingzhu knew that Xue Yunting wasn't the kind of person who would just make empty promises or talk big. He meant what he said, which meant he truly considered her his wife.

Duan Mingzhu suppressed her tears: "Yunting, I don't want to be buried in Qinzhou, nor in Kunzhou. I want to be buried in the snow of Oulu Mountain. The snow on Oulu Mountain never melts, it's clean and beautiful, and I love it there."

Xue Yunting said, "Everything's fine now, why bring this up?"

Duan Mingzhu held his hand: "Promise me, if I die, you will bury me in Mount Oulu, okay?"

Xue Yunting said, "Mingzhu, you know me. As long as you say it, as long as you have a request, I will agree to it."

Duan Mingzhu immediately said, "Since that's the case, then I have another request. Let's give this child to my sister. It's better for her to raise our child than to raise a concubine's child."

Xue Yunting was so shocked that it took him a long time to speak: "How could you think that?"

Duan Mingzhu said matter-of-factly, "My sister is kind-hearted and good to you, so she will definitely not mistreat this child. As long as no one says anything, this child will have biological parents, and both of them will be alive. He will live a happy and fulfilling life."

"You still have Yunfan; he can have another child. Losing this one won't kill off the Xue family line. It's different for your sister. She'll feel a lot of pressure not having children. Are you just going to stand by and watch her argue with her husband about having children?"

Xue Yunting said, "Raising a child requires the couple to discuss it together. What good is it if my sister agrees? My brother-in-law may not be willing to raise someone else's child. Besides, this is the first grandchild of our Xue family. My parents and your in-laws may not be willing."

Duan Mingzhu said, "As long as you agree, everything else is negotiable."

Xue Yunting never found it easy to refuse Duan Mingzhu's requests: "I didn't know you respected me so much? I'm fine with anything, it's up to you. My sister also has the surname Xue, it's no different for her to raise me than for us to raise me."

Duan Mingzhu smiled, lowered her head slightly to conceal her emotions, and said, "Then I'll go tell my brother-in-law."

Xue Yunting put his arm around Duan Mingzhu's shoulder to stop her from getting up: "It's not even dawn yet, what's the rush? You rest first, I'll go find them."

Nianyao's room was slightly ajar, and there was no one inside. At this hour, most of the lights in the backyard were off. Xue Yunting thought for a moment and then went to the tea room.

The tea room was dark, but by the light of the lantern, you could see a person sitting on the platform, head down and motionless.

Xue Yunting stood outside the teahouse for a while, then slowly walked over and sat down next to Nianyao: "Sister, were you crying?"

Nianyao looked up, her tone arrogant and unrestrained: "What a joke, how could I possibly cry?"

It seems that what Duan Mingzhu said was true; the two of them really did have a fight, and it was quite a big one.

Xue Yunting said, "It's good for girls to cry sometimes. Mingzhu often cries in front of me, and I can't do anything about it."

Nian Yao said listlessly, "I'm not her, and you're not Luo An. You knew Duan Mingzhu was lying to you, but you still willingly let yourself be deceived. Can Luo An be the same?"

Xue Yunting said, "She's actually alright, she didn't lie to me much?"

Nianyao turned to look at Xue Yunting: "Have you never been wary of her? Take Kunzhou for example. Let me ask you, if Duan Mingzhu hadn't helped you, could you have taken Kunzhou?"

Before Xue Yunting could answer, Nianyao interrupted, "You definitely can. Whether you outsmart them or attack them head-on, the final result will be the same."

Duan Mingzhu is so clever, of course she would have figured it out. That's why she helped you steal the seal, hoping to minimize the damage and gain an extra husband.

But why did you kill her father and brothers? Didn't you consider that she would hate you for doing that?