The tug and pull between Anlong and Dora paused for a moment. The former hesitated and then asked Xiao Tianjian for help: "Father, please help me persuade Dora. She wants to take Mingna back to her parents' home." But the latter vigorously She stepped on her husband's foot and took the opportunity when he retreated in pain to grab the box. He turned to Xiao Tianjian and said loudly: "I'm sorry, don't you always think that I am verbose and boring? You must be more interested in the daughter of a good friend. Do you want me to be my daughter-in-law?" After saying that, he grabbed his daughter and walked out.
Mingna cried loudly and dragged her mother's hand, refusing to leave. She really couldn't understand why her mother suddenly got so angry and wanted to take her back to her parents' home. Seeing that her crying could not convince her mother, she had no choice but to turn to her grandfather for help.
It's a pity that Xiao Tianjian was stunned now. He was stunned and didn't understand why his daughter-in-law, who had always been respectful and polite to him, was yelling at him. Winnie, who entered the room at some point, hurriedly explained to him: "I'm really sorry, Lord Earl, Miss Dora is just mad. She never meant to contradict you. Please forgive her."
"That's nothing, I'm just a little surprised." The look on Xiao Tianjian's face fully explained this point, "I originally thought she was a nagging little hen, but I didn't expect she was actually a tigress..."
"Oh, Lord Earl, what you say is so..." Winnie opened her mouth, not knowing how to answer, but she looked at the angry hostess and felt a hint of agreement with his statement.
Dora became even more angry when she saw this: "Winnie! Didn't I tell you to find the carriage? Have you found it?!" Winnie hurriedly replied: "Oh, miss, in fact, I have asked everywhere, so I can only We borrowed the car of the grocery store owner’s nephew. He lives near the dock and has just delivered goods to his uncle. He can give us a ride, but the car may be... a bit unseemly."
In fact, she said it very euphemistically. Dora could see the carriage parked outside the door. It was pulled by a skinny old horse. The carriage had no carriage or roof, and a few pieces were scattered on the wide carriage board. Straw rope, and two greasy jars in the corner. The young coachman, who was wearing a gray shirt with two buttons missing, took off his straw hat with a badly frayed edge and greeted her with a smile, revealing two large yellow teeth.
Dora gasped. Well, the car was indeed very...unrespectable, and the driver seemed unreliable, but she couldn't care about that much now, she just wanted to get out of this house as soon as possible. In any case, as long as they get to the dock ten kilometers away, they can transfer to a boat and go south along the Bebe River to the Port of Matter.
So she quickly ordered Winnie: "Go get your things and Minna's box, we'll leave right away!" Winnie wanted to say something more, but seeing her face, she hurriedly went.
At this time, Xiao Tianjian had already listened to his son roughly explain the matter. Although Anlong was very anxious, he did not move. He just lowered his head and thought about it, then pulled his son aside and whispered to him: "Let them leave for now. . Before I came back, I went back to the northern fortress to inquire secretly. Your boss is really suspicious. Fortunately, they don’t know that you have contacted Veronica yet, but once you leave Qidon and appear in other places, , you may not be able to hide it from him. When the time comes, you and I will escort Veronica to Ito, leaving only your wife and children here. What if Eamon takes the opportunity to arrest them and threaten you? Why not take advantage of this? Let them avoid the opportunity, and you can coax your wife to come back after the incident, okay?"
An Long hesitated. Although his father's words made sense, he really didn't want his wife to continue misunderstanding, which would seriously damage the relationship between them. Moreover, "Then Uncle Marshall staying here, wouldn't it be dangerous?" Xiao Tianjian frowned slightly. He frowned and said: "If he leaves, who will take care of your food and daily life? Besides, as long as your relatives are not around, who will arrest a housekeeper to threaten you?" After a pause, he added: "Don't worry, I will come back this time." Ito, I stopped by to intercede. If I can transfer you back or send you to another big city, maybe your wife will forgive you as soon as she is happy?"
An Long's heart moved, he turned to look at his wife and daughter outside the door, and finally made up his mind.
But Dora didn't know the content of their conversation. She only saw a few words between her husband and her father-in-law, and then she didn't catch up with her. Her anger became even stronger. There is no turning back now. If he gives in now, will Anlong still take her seriously in the future? She pulled her daughter hard, ignored the child's protests, half pushed and half carried her into the carriage, climbed up herself, and as soon as Winnie was firmly seated in the carriage, she signaled to the coachman to set off. The carriage they were riding in swayed and creaked onto the road.
At this time, Ming Na knew that it was impossible to convince her mother, so she could only call out to her father and grandfather, hoping that they would come out to stop her mother's behavior, but An Long and Xiao Tianjian just stood by the door and watched them leave. It even disappeared quickly. Only Winnie was waving a small handkerchief to them while crying: "Oh, Your Majesty, the lady did not really do this. We will be back soon. I will miss you, Oh, Your Majesty..."
When the house gradually disappeared from sight, Mingna finally accepted the fact that her father and grandfather did not stop her mother from taking her away. She could not help but tighten her face and huddled in the corner of the carriage in a daze.
Why is this so? An hour ago, my father was talking about checking how he was practicing his little grappling skills. Grandpa had just come back and I didn’t know if he had brought a gift for himself. Why did my mother suddenly get so angry? No matter how she cried, Why do they all insist on taking me back to my grandpa’s house? Did mom and dad quarrel again? Does mom know about Aunt Veronica? However, they had never quarreled so much. She didn't want to leave her father, grandpa and Grandpa Marshall!
She didn't know how long it took before she realized that her mother was also in a daze, and Winnie was wiping the car panel under her butt with a handkerchief with disgust, trying to make it cleaner, but she was still worried about relying on the car owner for the time being. The person was helpful and didn’t say anything unpleasant.
Minna asked her mother cautiously: "Mom, did you...did you quarrel...with dad? Why?"
Dora said with a straight face: "Huh, it's just because of that vicious woman! Your father actually lied to me and said that because that woman was sick, he wanted to send her back to Ito! He didn't even celebrate May Day with us. !" She looked angry, but when she noticed that the coachman was curiously pressing his ears back, she lowered her voice: "Who is he lying to? That woman is as strong as an ox, how could she get sick so easily?!"
"But...she is indeed sick..." Mingna muttered softly. Since her mother already knew, she shouldn't have violated the agreement with her father, right
"Even if you are sick..." Dora suddenly woke up and looked at her daughter with wide eyes, "You know?! You already knew what your father was hiding from me?! And you didn't tell me?!"
Ming Na was a little hesitant. Could it be that her mother was so angry because her father didn't tell her about Aunt Veronica's illness? She didn't understand why and said: "Dad said that if mom knew about it, she would quarrel with him, so he told me not to say anything. Mom, are you angry because of this?"
Dora was so angry that she couldn't care less about the coachman's prying: "You are so angry with me! How could you...how could you help your father hide such a thing from me! You..."
"Dora?" Suddenly a male voice came from the side. A man galloping past on horseback pulled the reins, turned the horse's head and came to their carriage. "Why are you here? Xiao Mingna, Winnie, how many days have passed? No, how are you?"
It's Goodwin Trulov.
===================== I am the dividing line that changes the scene =====================
Two hours later, Dora, her daughter and nanny were already in Goodwin's temporary residence in the Northern Fortress.
Dora looked at the simple but exquisitely crafted cherry wood furniture in the living room without leaving any trace. She felt a little confused and didn't know whether she should come here. She tried to calm down her daughter who looked uncomfortable and wanted to leave. When she saw Goodwin entering the house with a servant bringing tea, she used her eyes to signal Winnie who was standing aside to take a good look at Minna.
Goodwin smiled and said to Dora: "I have already rewarded you for that young man, and the luggage is placed in the next room. How about trying the tea I brought? The taste may not be as good as that of Xiao's Trading Company. Black tea, but it’s also a popular variety.”
Dora forced a smile and took a sip of tea. When she saw the servant going out, she whispered to him: "Thank you so much. I...I don't know how to say it. You...actually don't need to do this."
Goodwin smiled: "We are relatives, aren't we? To be honest, I think your decision may be a bit impulsive. Anyway, it is already evening now. It is impossible to get a boat to the dock at this time, at least until Tomorrow morning. Leaving you three ladies out there without a reliable person is not what I should do."
Dora lowered her head. She was calmer now than before, and she knew how reckless her actions were. She didn't think about whether there was a boat before setting off, let alone where to spend the night if there was no boat. There were only low-quality inns near the pier for coachmen or coolies. Was she going to live in a house with those rough guys
Seeing this, Goodwin couldn't bear to blame her anymore, so he turned to Mingna and said with a smile: "Xiao Mingna, uncle is going back to Yidong recently and bought some for my nephew, your cousin Bevin. The gifts are just small toys made by dwarves for the boys to play knight games. They are in the room diagonally opposite. But my uncle is really not sure about the children's preferences. I heard that you are a smart child. Would you like to take a look at it for uncle? Maybe you’d like to own one or two of these?”
Ming Na had been on guard since she saw him, and she was not unmoved when she heard him say this. But when she saw him speaking in this tone again, she became a little wary: Has he started pretending to be a good guy again? Is her mother going to scold her again
Seeing that she was just sitting still, Winnie became anxious and said quickly: "This is so rare, Miss Minna, don't you like playing knight games very much? Go and have a look?" Then she asked Dora and Dora Goodwin saluted and took Mingna out of the door. Minna looked back at her mother, just in time to see her smiling and thanking Goodwin.
Those toys, including hats, fake armors, fake masks, fake knight swords, small saddles, etc., are all very exquisite and look exactly like the formal tools used by chengren, except that the size and weight are different, and safety issues are taken into consideration. , the sword is not sharpened. If Ming Na had seen these before, she would have jumped for joy, but now, looking at these long-awaited toys, she suddenly felt uninterested. No matter how Winnie tried to get her to talk and play, she just kept looking at the room diagonally opposite, eager to know what her mother and Uncle Goodwin were talking about. Why did her mother seem sad
In the living room, after listening to Dora's story, Goodwin lowered his head and thought for a while, then said: "So, it's because your husband wanted to travel alone with that Miss Veronica without telling you, that's why you got angry. Is he angry? So..." He paused before continuing: "In fact, you still love your husband, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be angry."
Dora's eyes turned red: "Of course, I'm not afraid of your jokes. Until before the carriage set off, I thought he would stop me and give in to me just like before. I didn't expect..." She lowered her head and used a handkerchief. Wiped the corners of his eyes.
Goodwin fell silent. He clenched and unclenched his hands under the coffee table, clenched them into fists and unclenched them. After a long time, he suddenly smiled: "That's right. You love him so much. No matter what happens, you won't care. Changed. Then, in order for you to be happy, I... I want to give you some suggestions, which may be of some help to you. But before I say it, please promise that you will forgive me, otherwise I will not dare to say it. .”
Dora looked at him gratefully: "Oh, Goodwin, you are so kind. Please just say it, I won't blame you anyway."
Goodwin smiled: "Actually... I just think it's too irrational for you to take your children and leave with Winnie. I believe in your husband's love for you, but I don't know much about that lady's temperament. If …When you and the children were away, that young lady said something and did something to your husband, but you didn’t know anything about it. This… I’m afraid it’s not a happy situation.”
Dora was stunned as if she had been struck by lightning. Why didn't she think of it? ! She just took the child away. Among the remaining people in the family, her father-in-law Xiao Tianjian probably prefers the latter between her and Veronica. Marshall is basically from the Anlong family, and Bree has no weight at all. In this way First of all, wouldn't it just create opportunities for Anlong and Veronica? How could she be so stupid? !
She took two deep breaths and was about to say goodbye when she heard Goodwin say: "But if you go back like this now, I'm afraid your husband will think you have compromised, which will not be conducive to your husband and wife getting along in the future. situation. What should we do?"
When Dora heard this, the little determination she had just gathered dissipated again. That's right, if you go back now, Anlong will not take it seriously no matter how much you protest in the future. Do you want to swallow your anger when you see him with that woman? !
Goodwin glanced at her quietly and continued: "Maybe it would be a good idea to leave a helper, but... I can't imagine you mother and daughter without a maid by your side, so it is impossible for Winnie to go back. Otherwise …How about letting the kids go back?”
Dora hesitated: "But that child is too young. She has never left my side. How can I leave her?"
"You don't have to worry too much about this. Don't you have a very capable housekeeper at home? And with children here, Anlong may not leave home easily. If the children can understand your situation, maybe You will be a good helper. I believe it won’t be long before your husband comes to take you back in person.”
Dora was a little moved, but she couldn't bear to leave the child. While she was hesitating, Goodwin said with a smile: "You don't have to make a decision in a hurry. It's getting late now. I'll arrange dinner. You guys have a good time tonight." Take a rest here. I have to go out after dinner and won’t spend the night here, so you can feel free to use these rooms.”
"Oh, this...how can I be so embarrassed?" Dora said apologetically, "Isn't it because of us that you left?"
"Of course not. I was originally going to go out to do business, but I just happened to meet you and came back." Goodwin smiled, "But you don't have to worry, the matter will be handled quickly. I originally planned to leave at noon tomorrow. Let’s go back to Ito. Since you want to go back to Matt Port, I’ll walk a little longer and accompany you there first. Don’t worry about the ship.”
"This is really... too troublesome. You don't have to be like this. You still have work, right? How can it delay your business?"
"It's not troublesome at all. In fact, my deputy is planning to escort a batch of armaments to the naval base in Port Mate tomorrow, and I am in charge of the Ito side. It just needs to be exchanged. Don't you think, I will let a young lady from a relative's family go on the road without a reliable man, right? And if you take my boat, you don't have to worry about safety on the road. Maybe Anlong will pick you up halfway." He He smiled and looked at his pocket watch, "It's getting late. I'm going to ask someone to prepare dinner. You have a good rest first. See you later."
As soon as Goodwin left the room, Minna discovered it. She immediately left Winnie who was chattering and rushed to the room where her mother was. However, she accidentally bumped into someone and fell to the ground. When she looked up, she realized It was a big fat man with a bald head and a big beard. He was looking at himself apologetically: "Oh, kid, are you okay? I'm so sorry. I was so anxious that I didn't even see you."