Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 417 Raising Me

Luo An carried the box to a corner, turned around and looked at Nian Yao: "Why did you go to the palace?"

Nianyao looked at the food basket: "Lexi made these snacks while heavily pregnant and insisted that I deliver them to you."

Luo An raised an eyebrow: "I invited you, but you didn't come. You only drive others when they ask you to?"

What's wrong with you? You even eat this kind of vinegar!

Nianyao gritted her teeth: "Eat it or don't, it's up to you. If you don't want it, I'm taking it away."

Xu Chengyou moved the food box closer to himself and said indistinctly, "I want to eat, I want to eat."

Nianyao pinched Xu Chengyou's cheek: "You're the best, I'll give you all the food, I won't give any to him."

Xu Chengyou shook her head, took a lily pastry from the food box, jumped off the chair, walked to Luo An, and raised her hand as high as she could: "Youyou, eat some, and Crown Prince, eat some too."

Luo An took the lily pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, raising an eyebrow at Nian Yao, his whole being exuding pride!

Nianyao suddenly remembered when she was little, her father took her to Shengzhou to see the lanterns and go to the market. The market sold all sorts of things, and there was a dazzling array of little trinkets. She picked up a talisman at random.

The shrewd vendor said, "Young lady, carrying this Guan Gong amulet will keep evil spirits away, keep illnesses at bay, and ensure your safety and longevity. Guan Gong is also the God of Wealth, bringing in wealth and prosperity..."

Nianyao thought Guan Gong looked a lot like her father—powerful, brave, and rich—so she held up the amulet and said, "Daddy, I'll buy you one."

The vendor said, "This is the perfect gift for Dad. It would sell for thirty coins to someone else, but since the young lady is so lovely and filial, twenty coins will suffice."

Nianyao was completely bewildered by the vendor's string of "most"s. She took out all the copper coins she had and counted them out for the vendor, but there were only eleven.

How old was she then? She should be about the same age as Xu Chengyou. She was too young for her elders to give her much money; the vendors would just slip her change into her pocket.

It's in a merchant's nature to negotiate prices. Her father stood silently to the side, probably wanting to see how she would close the deal.

Nianyao didn't even think about asking for help, and opened her big eyes innocently: "This is all I have."

The vendor readily agreed, waving his hand and saying, "Since the young lady is so filial, I'll make a loss and sell it to you."

Nianyao held the amulet and looked up at her father. Her father squatted down on his own, and she put the amulet around his neck.

The vendors watched with envy, giving the father a thumbs-up: "Brother, you're so lucky!"

At that moment, Dad's expression was exactly the same as Luo An's in front of him. It was an arrogance that had nothing to do with childishness; it was the pride of parents who had sensible children.

In terms of seniority, Xu Chengyou is his younger sister. But in terms of age, Xu Chengyou could easily be his daughter.

If, if Luo An had children, he would definitely be a good father. If he had a daughter, she would surely be as quiet and gentle as him.

Luo An, oblivious to Nian Yao's myriad thoughts in that instant, casually picked up Xu Chengyou and said, "Come on, I'll take you for a stroll in the garden."

Luo An carried Xu Chengyou in his arms, while Nian Yao followed beside him carrying a small food basket. Perhaps because he was holding a child, Luo An's usually aloof demeanor softened somewhat.

The man was handsome, the woman beautiful, and the child adorable; all three possessed exceptional qualities. When the three left Ciming Palace, Eunuch Wei and the wet nurse were both stunned.

In a corner of the garden, there is a peach grove that looks like clouds and rosy clouds. The ground is covered with layers of peach blossoms, and the trees are adorned with scattered peach blossoms, their pink and white petals exuding fragrance.

Luo An helped Xu Chengyou sit on the swing, looked up at the peach blossoms, and said as if possessed, "The peach blossoms in Qinzhou bloom earlier than those in Bianjing."

Nianyao reached out and broke off a branch of newly opened peach blossoms, pinned it to Luo An's lapel, and said with a grin, "The peach tree is young and tender, its blossoms are bright and beautiful."

When a daughter marries, will she bring harmony to her family?

Luo An glanced down at the peach blossoms but didn't pick them. He said thoughtfully, "I won't be a doctor anymore. You'll take care of me."

Nianyao almost patted her chest boldly, then glanced at Xu Chengyou out of the corner of her eye, and placed her hand on Luo An's shoulder, patting it twice heavily, appearing very righteous: "You can rest assured, I can definitely afford to support you."

Caught off guard by her strength, Luo An staggered, and the peach blossom fell to the ground. Luo An bent down to pick it up and twirled it between his fingers.

Nianyao was focused on raising Luo An, counting on her fingers: "Putting everything else aside, there are few people in the world better than me at fishing, killing fish, and selling fish. With just this skill, I could support ten or eight men, let alone one."

Supporting ten or eight men? What kind of talk is that?

Luo An shook his head: "No, I don't like the smell of fish."

That's true, it's really not good to smell like fish every day.

Nianyao thought for a moment and said, "Designing and building ships, opening a shipyard, you could be the boss and husband, that would be great."

"Boss's husband?" What kind of description is that?

Luo An continued to shake his head: "Too tiring, I mean you're too tiring."

Nianyao then thought, "Then let's ferry them across. No matter how big the storm, it won't be a problem."

Luo An shook his head again: "It's even harder working in the wind and sun."

Nianyao, fearing that Luo An wouldn't let her support him, said, "Then let's open a small shop and sell whatever we want. With my business acumen, you definitely won't go hungry. We can sell glass art, and we can also sell model ships."

Yes, ship models, various ship models replicated to life-size. I'm an expert in this, I guarantee they'll sell well... Why are you looking at me like that?

Luo An said, "I just feel that you know a lot. Unlike me, I only know how to practice medicine."

Nianyao shook her head vigorously: "No way. What I know are just trivial skills, nothing special. It's already amazing that you can practice medicine, let alone be a world-renowned divine doctor."

Luo An tucked a peach blossom into Nian Yao's hair: "In this world, any skill that allows one to support a family honestly and upright is the greatest and most respectable skill."

Practice makes perfect, and practicing medicine is no different from what you've learned. As a remarkable woman who can row a boat, fish, sell fish, design, and build ships, I should never underestimate myself.

Nianyao stared at Luo An for a while, then suddenly said, "While chatting idly at the Xue residence, I heard my aunt talk about her relationship with my uncle when she was young. My uncle was full of vigor and ambition when he was young, while my aunt was just the proprietress of a traveling inn."

All sorts of guests come and go, and every day there are scenes of people harassing the pretty proprietress. My uncle not only stayed at the inn without paying, but also sat in a corner watching the drama unfold. Later, he even hurt my aunt for another woman.

At that time, my aunt was both insecure and arrogant, which led to a falling out with my uncle. It wasn't until she gave birth to Xue Yunting that she gradually came to terms with her insecurity and her marital relationship with my uncle.

My aunt said, "Inferiority complex is an emotion, just like joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. Anyone can feel inferior at some point; no one is always confident and fearless. Just like a normal person, it's impossible to only experience joy and happiness without any sorrow or anger."

Luo An nodded slightly in agreement.

Nianyao said seriously, "So occasional self-deprecation is just a normal expression of emotion."

Luo An chimed in, "That's right."

Nianyao smiled: "When do you feel inferior?"