The residence of the old Hou Ye and his wife is in the main courtyard of the Hou Mansion, which is called "Fu'an Hall".
Ruan Geng was too old to go to the battlefield, so the emperor handed over two large camps on the outskirts of Beijing to him, which was equivalent to leaving the security of the capital in his hands, and he had great trust in him.
On weekdays, Ruan Geng mostly camped in the suburbs of Beijing, and occasionally returned to the Marquis Mansion to stay for a few days. Mrs. Ruan was left in Fu'an Hall, which seemed a little deserted.
When she woke up after a nap, Mrs. Ruan was sitting alone in the hall, dragging her chin with one hand and lost in thought.
There are two young masters in the eldest and second bedrooms respectively. They all go to study at the royal academy "Tiandao Academy" and only come back every ten and a half months.
Qin Ruolan goes to Fu'an Hall every three days to talk to Mrs. Ruan, but recently she has closed her door to think about her past and hasn't been here for some days.
Thinking of Sanfang, Ruan Mianmian's little face naturally appeared in front of Mrs. Ruan's eyes. He was 60-70% like Ruan Qi. His small breasts were more delicate than his father's, and the charm between his eyebrows was even more similar.
Mrs. Ruan sighed longly, sat upright, stretched out her hand, and offered the tea bowl to the maid serving beside her.
After taking a few sips of tea, Mrs. Ruan handed over the tea bowl, and the maid quickly caught it with both hands.
"Why don't you see Aunt Yun?" After Mrs. Ruan finished speaking, she saw Aunt Yun walking in from outside.
"Old Madam, the old Marquis is back."
"Old thing, you still know how to come back?" Mrs. Ruan scolded her, but she couldn't help but smile.
Grandma Yun opened her mouth. She wanted to say something but said nothing.
Mrs. Ruan noticed it: "Ayun, you have learned to hesitate. Could it be that the old man brought a woman back?"
Upon hearing this, Grandma Yun laughed and said: "What are you talking about, old madam? Even if the old Marquis had the heart, he would not have the courage. He didn't even have it when he was young, let alone now."
After hearing this, the maids serving in the hall and the boys waiting outside the door covered their mouths with their hands to suppress their laughter.
"You are the only one with a poor mouth, and you are not very good at your age." Mrs. Ruan's depression was swept away and her gaze fell on the door, "Has he gone back to his room to change clothes?"
"The old Marquis hasn't arrived at Fu'an Hall yet?"
"Did he send his servants back to report first?"
"No."
Mrs. Ruan glanced at Aunt Yun in surprise. She stepped forward and said, "The old Marquis is walking towards Fu'an Hall with the young master."
"Young Master?" Mrs. Ruan was surprised, "You mean Mianmian?"
Seeing several maids filing out, Mrs. Ruan sat upright and waited for Aunt Yun to explain herself.
"It has spread throughout the house. The old Marquis held the young master's hand and was smiling all the way. It is said that they had a very happy chat."
Mrs. Ruan was also surprised: "You mean the old man and Mianmian had a very happy conversation?"
"Yes." Mother Yun couldn't help but praise, "The young masters were quite reserved when they saw the old marquis, but they didn't expect the young master to fall in his eyes."
"Not to mention the grandchildren, the eldest and second eldest are both dozens of years old. They are still trembling when meeting the old man."
"The third master is quite close to the old master."
"Qi'er was also afraid of his father when he was young. When he was a teenager, he communicated with the old man more and the father and son became closer."
"Old madam, everything is available in the mansion now."
"You keep spreading the word. There will be no slanderers in the Hou Mansion. Enough is enough."
"I understand." Aunt Yun lowered her voice, "I'm just afraid of the first and second bedrooms..."
Mrs. Ruan said displeasedly: "Who do we like to see or not, who dares to object?"
"This slave is too worried."
"I don't know what benefits the third room has given you? I've been trying to say good things to them these days."
"I have served you for decades, and I dare not take any benefit from anyone other than what you reward me."
"If others say that I don't believe it, but Ayun said it, I believe it."
"To be honest with you, madam, Qian'er has seen clearly what the young master looks like. The third master has watched him grow up as a slave. Seeing that little face that looks so similar to him, I feel very kind to him."
Mrs. Ruan nodded and fell silent. After a moment, she sighed, and Grandma Yun suddenly knelt down.
"Ayun, why are you kneeling so politely?"
"This servant takes the liberty of telling you something from the bottom of my heart. Old madam, the deceased has passed away. I hope you will cherish the people in front of you."
Mrs. Ruan's face turned ugly for a moment, and pain flashed in her eyes.
Aunt Yun had tears in her eyes: "Ayun, I don't care for anyone else. I just feel sorry for you. I can't bear to see you torture yourself."
"Only you have the guts to say heartfelt words in front of me. I will think carefully about it. The ground is cold, get up quickly." Mrs. Ruan stretched out her hand to help her.
"Thank you, madam."
Aunt Yun stood up. Both the master and the servant had tears in their eyes. Ruan Qi falling into the water was a pain in the hearts of the old Marquis and his wife.
Suddenly, there were rapid footsteps outside. Grandma Yun raised her sleeves and wiped the corners of her eyes and walked towards the door.
"Who is here? There is so much noise." Mrs. Ruan frowned slightly.
"Miss Ruolan is here." Aunt Yun could vaguely see her from a distance, "Hey! The maid next to her seems to be holding Xue'er in her arms."
At the same time when Qin Ruolan came outside the hall, Ruan Geng led Ruan Mianmian and they just walked into the door of Fu'an Hall.
Ruan Mianmian looked around like a curious child. She had never been here before, but she also saw that this courtyard was more exquisite than other places.
"Grandpa, you live here, it seems you are an honored guest of the Marquis Mansion."
"Wrong, wrong, I'm not a guest, I'm the host."
His short legs suddenly closed, and Ruan Mianmian's mind was spinning rapidly.
The old man is neither a servant nor a guest. There is only one master of his age in the Marquis Mansion.
Ruan Mianmian knelt down and kowtowed respectfully: "I have seen my grandfather, and I want to pay my respects to him."
Ruan Geng was confused when he saw this: "Little guy, you got the wrong person."
"Didn't you just say that this is your home, so you must be my grandfather, the Marquis of Ding'an."
"You called me grandfather?"
"You are my father's father, aren't you my grandfather?"
"Who is your father?"
"Ruan Qi."
"You are the third son! You can speak!"
"Grandpa, my name is Ruan Mianmian. I can speak, but I was reluctant to speak in the past."
Ruan Geng picked up Ruan Mianmian and looked at it carefully and murmured: "No wonder it looks like the third child when he was a child. I was mistaken and couldn't even recognize my grandson."
"Then you watch carefully and remember me well." Ruan Mianmian's little face moved closer to Ruan Geng and she grabbed his beard, "You won't make a mistake next time."
"Little baby, how dare you!" Ruan Geng raised his hand and knocked on Ruan Mianmian's forehead.
The grandfather and grandson looked at each other and laughed, unknowingly the distance between them became much closer.
"Grandpa, since I'm here in your courtyard, Mianmian thinks it's time to go and pay her respects to my grandmother."
"Well, he is a sensible child." Ruan Geng raised his head and looked at the sky, "Your grandmother must be in the hall at this time. Come on, grandpa will take you there."