The people in Qingzhou City were simple and kind. Although they didn't know Chu Qing's identity, they still greeted her with friendly smiles.
As a result, Chu Qing genuinely fell in love with this place.
Especially... there were a great variety of snacks here.
Perhaps due to her pregnancy, Chu Qing now had a strong preference for food.
Seeing Chu Qing's eyes lighting up at a food stall, Lady Zhou smiled and took her by the arm, then walked towards it.
"What's this?" Chu Qing watched the food tumbling in the oil pan and swallowed silently.
She was the Princess of Ning, and she couldn't lose her dignity.
But...
It smelled so good!!!
Normally, pregnant women would have a strong reaction to greasy food. Even if they didn't, they would stay away from fried food.
However, she was different. Once she smelled the aroma of fried food, she couldn't move her feet.
Before Lady Zhou could introduce the food to Chu Qing, the vendor enthusiastically spoke up, "Miss, you can tell what's delicious at a glance! This is our specialty in Qingzhou, deep - fried tofu!"
Deep - fried tofu?
Just tofu could smell so good?
And what did the vendor just call her?
Miss?
Chu Qing looked at her belly. Thanks to the loose clothes, her pregnancy wasn't noticeable.
The vendor probably thought she was... very young?
So...
The overjoyed Chu Qing cheerfully ordered two servings.
The vendor skillfully scooped the golden - brown fried tofu into bowls neatly and then poured a layer of his homemade sauce on it.
"Madam, can you eat spicy food?"
"Yes."
With her permission, the vendor quickly added a layer of chili.
Then Chu Qing and Lady Zhou found a seat and sat down, each with a bowl, ready to start eating.
The spicy chili and rich sauce paired with the fried tofu were simply a delicacy on earth.
Chu Qing thought the food in Qingzhou was really to her taste!
Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Qingzhou had a relatively humid climate. Therefore, the people in Qingzhou always couldn't do without spicy food.
Compared with Yongcheng, she was more accustomed to the life here.
The fried tofu was soon finished. Seeing that Chu Qing liked spicy food, Lady Zhou took her to eat some other spicy snacks. Chu Qing exclaimed in delight.
When they were both a bit full, Lady Zhou noticed that Chu Qing looked tired. Before she could say anything, Lady Zhou suggested going back to rest.
This was exactly what Chu Qing had in mind, so she was more and more satisfied with Lady Zhou.
She was really a good candidate to be a daughter - in - law!
Thinking of this, Chu Qing blurted out impulsively, "Does Lady Zhou have a daughter?"
"Eh?" Lady Zhou was taken aback. Then the smile on her face froze a bit as she replied, "My husband and I... haven't had a child yet."
"Um..." Chu Qing stopped smiling.
What was wrong with her head?
She was really asking the wrong question!
At this moment, Chu Qing wished she could sew her mouth shut. But in this situation, she couldn't really say nothing.
So, Chu Qing gently said, "Whether you have a child or not doesn't affect how you live your life. As long as you and Lord Zhou truly love each other, life will be good no matter what."
"Yes. My husband... always cherishes me." Lady Zhou smiled and then continued, "Princess, let me escort you back."
"Okay, let's go back."
...
After returning to the room, seeing that Chu Qing's face didn't look very good, Lvluo couldn't help but ask worriedly, "My lady, why are you still unhappy after going out?"
"I seem to have said something wrong."
"My lady...?"
"I asked Lady Zhou in front of her if she had a daughter. Then she told me that she still hasn't had a child."
"Ah?" Lvluo couldn't help but let out an exclamation.
Chu Qing lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, looking listless. "You also think I said something wrong, right? I don't know why, but I was so impulsive and asked her such a question."
Seeing Chu Qing looking so guilty, Lvluo quickly comforted her, "My lady, you don't have to be like this. I heard that... Lady Zhou and the Lord of the city once had a child."
"What?"
Once had a child? Once... had?
Could it be that something had happened to this child and then... the child was no longer alive?
Thinking of this, Chu Qing frowned. Even if the child was no longer alive, why did she say that she had never had a child?
Seeing Chu Qing's surprise, Lvluo continued to tell her the gossip she had heard these days:
"I heard that the Lord of the city and his lady once had a daughter. If she were still alive, she should be about ten years old now... But five years ago... she disappeared."
"Disappeared?"
"Yes, my lady. The little girl disappeared. Once Lady Zhou took her out. Without paying attention, the little girl got lost. When Lady Zhou realized it and went to look for her, she couldn't find her no matter what. After getting the news, the Lord of the city immediately sent people to search the whole Qingzhou City, and even the areas outside the city... But the little girl seemed to have evaporated from the world. No matter how hard they searched, they couldn't find her. Although the Lord of the city didn't blame Lady Zhou, she blamed herself deeply. Maybe because of excessive grief later, Lady Zhou seemed to have forgotten this memory. When others asked, she always said that she and the Lord of the city had never had a child. The Lord of the city was afraid that she would be sad, so he seemed to have also acquiesced. By the way, my lady, Lord Zhou is really good to Lady Zhou. If this happened to others, I'm afraid..."
"I'm afraid a letter of divorce would have been sent long ago." A shadow passed over Chu Qing's eyes.
Fortunately, Zhou Cheng was a man of good character. Otherwise, not only would he have sent a letter of divorce, but he might have resented Lady Zhou for a lifetime.
Just thinking about the question she had asked Lady Zhou on the street, Chu Qing felt very sorry.
By accident, the question she asked was whether she had a daughter.
After much thought, Chu Qing still felt very sorry. She asked Lvluo to call Chu Zhan over and then told him what was on her mind.
She knew Chu Zhan's ability, so she wanted him to help keep an eye out for the whereabouts of Lady Zhou's daughter. But five years had passed. They couldn't find the girl five years ago. Now, after five years, it seemed even more difficult to find her.
"Don't tell Lord Zhou and the others. We don't want them to be disappointed. And if you can't find her, don't be too upset."
Chu Qing naturally wouldn't make things too difficult for her elder brother, and Chu Zhan naturally understood her intentions.
After talking about other people's affairs, Chu Zhan began to ask about her well - being and nagged for a while.
Sitting on the chair, Chu Qing listened to Chu Zhan's nagging helplessly, feeling a headache.
Was Chu Zhan her elder brother?
He was clearly her nursemaid!
The etiquette nuns in the palace might not be as nagging as he was!
Seeing that Chu Zhan was starting to scold her for eating whatever she wanted outside, Chu Qing quickly stood up and took his arm, squinting her eyes and smiling innocently, "Brother, accompany me to Mingyue Villa tomorrow, okay?"
"What for?"
Sure enough, Chu Zhan's body stiffened noticeably.
Chu Qing glanced at him and smiled meaningfully, "I miss Ling'er a bit. Or we can ask Ling'er to come here. I want to chat with her, like what kind of man she likes. I can find a good match for her."
"Chu Qing!"
"Eh?"
"Go and rest!" There was a very complicated look on Chu Zhan's face. He seemed to want to say something but felt embarrassed. So, he could only wave his sleeve and turn around to leave gently, closing the door behind him.
Watching someone leave awkwardly, Chu Qing raised her eyebrows.
It seemed that Chu Zhan wasn't indifferent to Qu Ling...
It was just that...
He was... an idiot when it came to feelings!