Transmigration: The Evil Mother-In-Law Is Actually Innocent!-Chapter 645: Meeting_1

Rongchuan thought the shop was quite decent, "Indeed, it’s not bad."

Having decided on their choice, the rest was left to Scholar Deng.

Chang Zhong didn’t want to go back early, as it was a rare outing, "Mother, take me to stroll around the market, yes, and also to dine at the restaurant."

Zhulan couldn’t help but laugh; the little guy had been thinking a lot about restaurants. Every time Chang Lian came back from drinking, he surrounded him with questions, "Alright, today we’ll eat at the restaurant."

The little fellow was thrilled, "Future brother-in-law, please carry me."

Zhulan looked at her son’s spherical figure, "You’re too heavy."

Rongchuan smiled with his eyes, "Auntie, Chang Zhong isn’t heavy, I can carry him."

Chang Zhong replied with a satisfied expression, "My brother-in-law is really nice."

Zhulan burst into laughter at his use of ’future,’ "You, still so young, but you’ve been brewing a lot of charm soup for others."

Chang Zhong waited for his brother-in-law to pick him up, nestling his little head on his brother-in-law’s shoulder, "I just really like my brother-in-law."

The brother-in-law certainly indulged him!

Zhulan watched as Rongchuan carefully cradled Chang Zhong, thinking this child would make a good father; sometimes Rongchuan really was tender.

As the temperature gradually rose, the streets became busier, and each stall was rather lively.

Chang Zhong was the happiest of all, his little face lighting up with excitement as he checked out each stall, reaching into his little purse if something caught his fancy—inside it was Silver.

Speaking of silver, Zhulan felt amused; her son used to have no idea about Silver, but that changed after Ming Rui taught him. Since then, the boy insisted on keeping Silver in his purse. She let her son buy whatever he liked and couldn’t help but laugh at him frowning, struggling with his calculations.

The little fellow turned back and glared at his mother, who was neither helping him nor sparing him from mockery, but luckily there was his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law."

Rongchuan’s eyes were also full of mirth, "Alright, I’ll help you."

Soon, Chang Zhong had spent all the Silver in his purse, and the little guy settled down, feeling hungry after all the excitement, they walked into a restaurant.

Because they were with a child, Zhulan requested a private room. Fortunately, it wasn’t mealtime, so a private room was available.

The interior of the private room was elegant. They ordered some of the restaurant’s signature dishes and Zhulan leaned back in her chair to rest—it was exhausting to walk so far at her age.

Meanwhile, Chang Zhong tugged Rongchuan over to open the windows of the private room, which overlooked the street, and the little guy peered out through the window.

Rongchuan grew anxious, fearing that Chang Zhong might fall out. This was no joke, so he held Chang Zhong tightly, "Be careful, don’t move. Just look from here."

Chang Zhong obediently stayed still, but he couldn’t keep quiet, "Brother-in-law, look, a big horse, such a big horse!"

Rongchuan followed the little one’s pointing finger and saw the cause of his amazement. Indeed, the horses were rare, not like the ones kept at home.

Chang Zhong became even more excited, "Brother-in-law, when I grow up, I want a horse like that."

He felt as if his toy horse was no longer appealing, his eyes fixed on the big horse that was drawing nearer and nearer.

Ning Xu felt much better with the improved weather and preferred riding a horse to sitting in a horse-drawn carriage. From a distance, he heard the cries of a child. Accustomed to such exclamations, he found this one quite amusing, and as he approached and looked up, Ning Xu pulled on the reins, staring blankly at the restaurant window.

Rongchuan furrowed his brow, recognizing at once that the figure outside was of noble birth, judging by his attire and accessories, all indicative of Rank. Thinking that he might be displeased by Chang Zhong’s excited reaction, Rongchuan hastily pressed the boy’s head down, speaking politely, "We meant no offense, we just admired the horses and took a longer look." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

Ning Xu was still in a daze, not quite comprehending, until his young servant, sensing something amiss, reminded him, "Mr. Hou."

Ning Xu’s attention had not left the boy upstairs, and indeed, it was a boy. With a husky, dry throat, he asked, "What’s your name?"

Rongchuan’s heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale in an instant. What did this mean? Why was he staring at him so intently?

From inside the private room, Zhulan heard the noise, got up, and walked over. Upon seeing who it was, she froze, "Marquis Ning."

Ning Xu blinked and finally shifted his gaze, landing on the woman and child. They looked familiar, and thankfully his memory was not far off; he quickly recalled, "Oh, it’s you."

Zhulan was surprised. A brief encounter was hardly a deep impression, yet he remembered them. It was no wonder he had faked his death to become a spy, "Did my child just startle Mr. Hou? They are young, please don’t take offense, Mr. Hou."

Ning Xu realized he had scared them and tried to compose himself, "I take no offense."

He wanted to say more but couldn’t. The street was bustling with people, and there was always someone watching him—such was the fate of one who had reclaimed his status as a power beside the Crown Prince.

Zhulan smiled. Even though she held Marquis Ning in high regard, caution was still necessary. With someone who had been a spy, every word had to be carefully weighed, "We won’t disturb Mr. Hou any longer."

Ning Xu wanted to say something more, but seeing that the boy’s complexion hadn’t improved much, he closed his mouth. He had certainly frightened him earlier, "Mhm."

Zhulan waited for a response, then smiled as she closed the window. Once the window was closed, she pinched her son’s cheek, "You can’t be so wild in the future. This is the capital, a place teeming with nobles."

Chang Zhong didn’t understand, but he sensed the mood. His mother had been very careful with her words just now, and he clung tightly to his brother-in-law, "I won’t dare to do it again."

He felt a bit wronged then said, "It would be better if father was here."

In his memory, his father could do anything; his father was the most capable.

Zhulan tapped her son’s forehead, "Even with your father here, it would not do; my son, your father is but a Fourth-rank Official."

Chang Zhong could count from one to ten and widened his eyes, "So a Fifth-rank is higher than father’s rank?"

Rongchuan burst out laughing, the tension from before dispelled as he ruffled Chang Zhong’s hair, "No, that’s wrong. The smaller the number, the higher the rank."

Down at the restaurant, Ning Xu rode his horse slowly. The voices from the private room upstairs were very soft, but despite his age, his hearing was very acute, and he couldn’t help but smile at the conversation he overheard.

The young servant didn’t dare ask Marquis Ning as he sensed that Marquis Ning was in a good mood today.

Ning Xu didn’t look back at the restaurant but instead reflected on the boy’s appearance that he had just seen. The boy wasn’t old, but his clothing and accessories clearly showed he was raised in an official’s family.

Ning Xu closed his eyes but quickly opened them again. This wasn’t the right place to speak; he would think about it back at the mansion.

Back at the mansion, Ning Xu told his young servant, "You go and investigate, find out everything about the people in that restaurant’s private room. I want all the information by the afternoon, so hurry."

The young servant replied, "Yes."

In the restaurant, Zhulan was unaware her family was being investigated. The meals of the restaurant were quite good, and Zhulan was very satisfied.

Chang Zhong, patting his round belly, said, "Mother, let’s come out to eat more often."

Zhulan declined, "That’s not possible, dear. Although our family isn’t short on silver, we can’t always be extravagant. A meal at the restaurant is enough for half a month’s food expenses at the Zhou house in Jinzhou Province."

And that was the Zhou house in Jinzhou, not the few people in the capital. This meal was indeed quite expensive.

Chang Zhong still didn’t understand.

Zhulan patted her son’s head, "You’ll understand when you’re older."