Su Yunmo tightened her fingers and frowned deeply.
If Lin Ze Qu had truly killed the King of Southern Borders, that would be a debt of blood and vengeance for her mother!
How could her mother be willing to marry her enemy?
Hu Xue knitted her brows, "You don't believe it? Do you know that only pure-blooded tribesmen can awaken special abilities? Even if your mother was royalty, if your father was from an outsider tribe, you wouldn't possess such abilities."
*Crack!*
The teacup shattered, and hot tea flowed down her tender hand.
"Little Miss!" Qian Xue's heart leaped, and she quickly grabbed a cloth to wipe it.
Ye Jing Yu pulled her from the adjacent chair a step ahead, taking out a handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe the tea off her hand.
Fortunately, the tea had already cooled, only reddening her skin slightly without causing injury.
"Lin Ze Qu wanted to kill you to prevent people from knowing his Southern Border identity?" Ye Jing Yu changed the subject.
Hu Xue looked at Su Yunmo, "It should be said he didn't want *you* to know. I'm not clear on the specific reasons."
Perhaps he didn't want his daughter to know what kind of person he once was, or perhaps there were deeper reasons.
Su Yunmo covered her head with one hand, "Take him away first."
She needed to be alone.
Qian Xue signaled to the servants to come and take Hu Xue away for safekeeping.
Ye Jing Yu held her small hand and blew on it, "What do you want to do?"
Su Yunmo lowered her eyes in thought for a moment, then slid off his lap, got down, and walked towards the exit, "I'm tired, I want to go home and sleep."
Qian Xue watched the little dumpling's retreating back and glanced worriedly at her master.
Ye Jing Yu picked up the teacup and took a sip, "Prepare a carriage for her."
Qian Xue sighed inwardly and bowed before leaving.
Su Yunmo got into the carriage returning to the General's Mansion.
As she alighted, she happened to meet Su Si Qi, who was about to leave.
Su Si Qi's eyelids twitched upon seeing her return, and he instinctively covered his money pouch, glaring at Qian Xue, "You brought her back yourselves, I'm not refunding the money!"
Qian Xue's previous worry vanished, replaced by helplessness.
How could someone with General Su's temperament raise such a little money-grubber of a son?
"Second Brother." Su Yunmo called out, as if to greet him, then walked towards the courtyard.
Su Si Qi watched her retreating back, reading the words 'troubled thoughts' from it, and frowned, "What's wrong with Mo Mo?"
Had Prince Yu bullied her?
Su Si Qi's eyebrows immediately shot up, "Hey, I sent my sister there to learn, bullying is not allowed!"
If the little one was made to feel upset, he wouldn't want his money!
"Second Young Master, please don't misunderstand. The Little Miss just missed home, so His Highness sent someone to escort her back," Qian Xue said with a chuckle.
Su Si Qi then relaxed.
"If there's nothing else, this subordinate will take my leave." Qian Xue departed.
Su Si Qi gazed at the carriage from Prince Lian's mansion, the greed in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a maturity that didn't belong to his age.
He always felt there was a secret between Mo Mo and Prince Yu.
Meanwhile, Su Yunmo did not return to her own room but slipped into Zhou Wan You's room.
Zhou Wan You was not there at this hour.
She casually took off her outer clothes and shoes, tossed them on the floor, and burrowed into the quilt.
The quilt was a little cold.
She shivered, tucking her limbs to her chest, and hugged the pillow tightly.
Zhou Wan You, upon learning of the little dumpling's return, put down her tasks and rushed over. The moment she opened the door, she saw her with her bottom sticking up, lying on the bed.
The quilt was bunched up into a bulge by her.
"Why did Mo Mo suddenly come back?" Zhou Wan You stepped inside.
Didn't Si Qi say Prince Yu was going to teach her new things and she would stay at Prince Yu's mansion for a few days?
Su Yunmo opened her mouth, but before she could speak, she sneezed.
Zhou Wan You dotingly stroked her hair and called for A Cai to bring a charcoal basin.
A Cai lit a fire in the room, closed the door, leaving a small crack in the window, and then stepped out.
The temperature in the room increased slightly.
The little dumpling then poked her head out, her small head burrowing into Zhou Wan You's embrace, "Mother~ Mo Mo missed you."
She had come back on impulse, but as soon as she said this, for some reason, it carried a hint of grievance.
Zhou Wan You, wrapped in the quilt, hugged her tightly and gently pinched her cheek, "Mo Mo has grown up, are you troubled by something?"
"Mmm~" The little dumpling held her wrist and rubbed against her hand.
Her mother's body was so warm and comfortable. She couldn't remember if she had ever acted so spoiled with her birth mother when she was in the Marquis's mansion.
Her mother had died when she was very young. She couldn't recall her mother's appearance, but she had a vague impression of her as a resolute woman.
How much pain must her mother have endured to be forced to marry her father's killer and bear him children?
Zhou Wan You gently patted her back, "Can Mo Mo not tell Mother about anything that troubles you?"
The little dumpling shook her head, then pursed her lips and thought for a moment, "Prince Yu told Mo Mo a story."
"There was a woman who, for the sake of her family, was forced into a marriage with her father's killer. A few years after giving birth, she passed away. Mo Mo thinks she was very pitiful."
Zhou Wan You was not unfamiliar with such stories; she had seen many similar picture books.
She pinched the little dumpling's nose, "I didn't expect our Mo Mo to be so sentimental."
The little dumpling lay on Zhou Wan You's lap, looking at her, "Mother, what do you think that woman was thinking when she was pregnant?"
If her mother hadn't given birth to her back then, would her life have been a little easier?
Zhou Wan You furrowed her brows, and after a moment, she stroked her hair and said earnestly, "I think that woman was very panicked when she first found out she was pregnant, but slowly, she must have felt very happy."
Su Yunmo froze, her eyes full of confusion.
Zhou Wan You touched her cheek, "Because that woman hated the man, not the child. If she had hated the child in her womb, she wouldn't have given birth to it."
"Mo Mo, do you know what a child means to a mother?"
The little dumpling shook her head.
Zhou Wan You leaned down and kissed her forehead, "A child is the continuation of her life, unrelated to anyone else."
Su Yunmo's heart skipped a beat, and she turned to grip Zhou Wan You tightly, hugging her, "Mother, Mo Mo understands."
"Alright, it's very late. Mother will have A Cai tell the kitchen to prepare some of your favorite dishes. After eating, you can sleep with Mother tonight," Zhou Wan You said dotingly as she picked her up.
A smile bloomed on the little dumpling's face, dispelling the gloom in her eyes, "Okay~"
Su Si Yuan had been living at the martial arts school and not returning for some time, and Su Si Zhuo also had to stay at the academy due to his studies.
Only the mother and children were left to eat at home.
A Cai had the kitchen prepare seven or eight dishes, more than half of which were Su Yunmo's favorites.
During dinner, Su Si Qi saw the little dumpling chewing with her cheeks puffed out, "It seems the food at the Prince's mansion isn't as good as ours. Look how hungry our Mo Mo is."
The little dumpling stuffed a large mouthful of food into her mouth and mumbled, "Brother Yu's food is very delicious, but the food at the textile factory is terrible."
Zhou Wan You, who was peeling fish bones, heard this and asked in confusion, "Textile factory?"
Su Si Qi's eyelids twitched.
This was bad.