My house was confiscated and I was exiled. I emptied the emperor's warehouse and fled.

It was the third watch of the night and all around was quiet.

Qin Mu knocked on the closed gate with two wine jugs in his hands. The wine jugs contained the strongest liquor on the market, Shao Dao Zi.

"Third Master, you are finally back!" The concierge opened the door and hurriedly welcomed him in. "Third Aunt came this afternoon and is waiting for you in the hall."

Qin Mu frowned: "Why didn't you send someone to tell me?"

"The third aunt won't let us, saying that she doesn't want to disturb you." The doorman echoed.

Soon, the housekeeper came over and said, "Third Master, Third Aunt and Miss Ke Yan are here together. They have prepared a table of delicious food together and are waiting for you to come back and enjoy a good meal."

"Zhao Keyan?"

"Yes, she accompanied Third Aunt to the county town and has now returned to her own residence. She will come to look for Third Aunt tomorrow morning."

As they were talking, the two of them came to the hall. When the Third Aunt, who had been sitting there for a while, saw him, she stood up with a look of surprise on her face: "Mu Ge'er, you are finally back. Have you had dinner?"

She looked Qin Mu up and down, and when she saw the wine jug in his hand, a sour feeling suddenly arose in her heart.

Qin Mu shook his head, put the wine jug on the table, and said concisely: "No, serve the food."

"Yes." The housekeeper responded and went back to ask the servants to serve the dishes.

Only the mother and son were left in the room. Qin Mu said in a deep voice, "Aunt, if you come to the county town next time, let someone notify me so that you don't have to wait too long."

"You want to live here for a long time?" The third aunt opened her eyes wide, her eyes full of surprise.

Qin Mu paused slightly, thinking of that unpleasant night, and nodded.

The Third Aunt's lips trembled slightly, and she wanted to say something, but she saw several servants coming in one after another to bring dishes to the table, so she had to change her words: "Let's eat first, and try Miss Ke Yan's cooking skills to see if she has inherited her father's true skills."

"Why is she going with you?" Qin Mu is a sentimental man. He understood Zhao Keyan's feelings even when he was on the road of exile.

At that time, he had no intention of talking about feelings. Considering that she was a good friend of his sister-in-law, he did not express it clearly and just treated her coldly.

Later, when I saw her give up due to difficulties, I didn't take it to heart anymore. I only knew that she and her sister went to the city to open a teahouse.

Now that she suddenly appeared, Qin Mu felt surprised and at the same time felt inexplicably depressed.

The Third Aunt sighed and said, "Madam wanted me to feel more at ease, so she asked her to accompany me. I am a widow now, and I shouldn't leave Beiling Village. It will be easier to explain to the old lady if she is with me."

Qin Mu frowned deeply, not wanting to see his mother trapped in the backyard. "Since you are here, stay here for a while."

"That won't do. I promised the old lady that I would go back as early as possible tomorrow." The third aunt waved her hands repeatedly. Even if she wanted to stay, she could only refuse against her will.

"It's okay. I'll send someone back to tell the old lady tomorrow morning that I asked you to stay and take care of me."

Qin Mu had no fear of the old lady, but the third aunt was subject to the old lady's tyranny.

She was so anxious that sweat broke out on her forehead, and she said eagerly, "Brother Mu, why don't you go back to live in the mansion?"

Qin Mu's face flashed with bitterness, "No, it's more convenient for me to live here, let's eat."

After saying this, he poured a bowl of assorted abalone porridge for the Third Aunt and changed the subject.

The third aunt had no choice but to shut up and put the porridge into her mouth with a spoon.

The rice porridge is soft and smooth, the meat is firm and crispy, and the fresh and fragrant taste fills the mouth, it is delicious.

The third aunt tasted other dishes and praised Zhao Keyan highly.

During the meal, she kept asking Qin Mu to eat more, and said, "Whoever marries Miss Yan'er will have a lifetime of good food."

These suggestive words made Qin Mu curl his lips and he immediately lost his appetite.

He opened the jug, filled the jar, and began to drink.

Seeing his mood visibly plummeting, Third Aunt put down her chopsticks and advised, "Brother Mu, drinking is bad for your health. Talk to Aunt."

Qin Mu knew what she wanted to know, and said gloomily, "Shu'er is gone."

"Where did you go?" The third aunt leaned forward and asked anxiously.

"I don't know. My son and she parted ways and are happy on their own." Qin Mu said and drank the wine in the glass again.

When the strong liquor goes down the throat, it is like swallowing a ball of fire. From the throat to the stomach, it is hot and spicy all the way, and it feels like being scraped by a red-hot knife.

But such strong stimulation could not cover up the hurt and pain in his heart.

The Third Aunt stopped him from reaching for the wine jug with a distressed look on her face and asked softly, "What exactly is the problem between you and her?"

"Problem?" Qin Mu smiled bitterly and leaned back in his chair. "The biggest problem between us has been clear since the day we met again, but neither she nor I have been able to solve it. We can only put it aside for the time being and whitewash it."

The third aunt looked puzzled, and after thinking for a while, she said, "Then can your eldest brother help solve it?"

Qin Mu shook his head and told Yin Ruoshu's life story in a bitter tone: "Shu'er's stepfather is the King of Beidi."

"How could this happen?" Third Auntie exclaimed, her words faster than her brain could think, "Then why did you bring her back to Beiling Village?"

"Yeah, why did I bring her back to Beiling Village?" Qin Mu asked himself with a wry smile.

The third aunt was horrified: "What did she do to harm the Qin family?"

"That's not the case." Qin Mu stared into the void, lost in memories.

"From the beginning, she just wanted to be alone and self-reliant in the city. It was my selfish desire to ask her to get back together in the name of love, and I also insisted on bringing her back to Beiling Village.

But I can't give her complete trust, but I want her to restrain her nature, sacrifice her freedom, and make everything center around me.

She had long harbored suspicion and dissatisfaction, but I failed to detect it in time, which led to the current outcome when it exploded."

These days, Qin Mu carefully recalled the past and felt that he was completely wrong.