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Chapter 993: Chapter 996: Never Forget Our Roots
As October arrived, Qiao Duo’er seldom ventured out aside from her walks, spending the rest of her time in the courtyard, basking in the sun and reading books.
Even so, she still ended up exhausted every day.
Feeling helpless about this, Qiao Duo’er could only look forward to the little one’s early arrival.
On this day, the weather was bad, so Duo’er stayed in her room.
Before long, Qing Xin came rushing in, "Madam, it’s terrible, King Qin has arrived, what should we do?"
Just the thought of his stern face sent shivers down her spine.
"He doesn’t eat people. You all entertain him first; I’ll get ready and go out."
Qiao Duo’er got up from the couch without any hurry.
King Qin was an important guest; she couldn’t receive him looking unkempt.
Qing Xin immediately shook her head, "No, absolutely not, let me help you with your hair instead."
With Granny Su and the maids outside, there shouldn’t be any problems, but it could be different with one more person involved.
Qiao Duo’er had never been fond of the ancient hairstyles, happy to let someone else handle it for her, so she didn’t refuse Qing Xin’s offer.
As Qing Xin fixed Duo’er’s hair, she said enviously, "Your hair is so lovely, so black and smooth, prettier even than satin, and your skin is so delicately soft."
Just by looking at her face, one couldn’t tell at all that she was pregnant.
After getting herself tidied up, Qiao Duo’er finally appeared in the main hall.
King Qin was sitting at the seat of honor, drinking tea as if no one else was there.
Granny Su and the maids from the household stood to the side, ready to act on any of King Qin’s needs immediately.
Suddenly, one of them caught Qiao Duo’er’s eye for a second look – it was her sister, Qiao Mei’er.
From the rosy, flirtatious look on her face, it was likely she was entertaining thoughts about King Qin.
Upon seeing Duo’er arrive, King Qin teased, "No one besides you has ever dared to keep me waiting this long."
Normally, others waited for him, or hurried out to greet him right away, but only Qiao Duo’er was daring enough to have her maid send him off with just a cup of tea.
Qiao Duo’er apologized, "I didn’t know you were coming by so suddenly, did I? You have to give me some time to dress up; otherwise, I feared coming out and frightening you."
"These past few days, I’ve been wandering through several villages to get a sense of the situation. When I got to Big Willow Village, I heard from my servants that you and Ah Hong were living here, so I decided to stop by and see for myself," explained King Qin.
Qiao Duo’er was shocked because she never expected King Qin to explain.
After all, he was a high-ranking prince with formidable military achievements to his name.
Seeing Duo’er’s reaction, King Qin just smiled it off. He had seen enough deceit and life-or-death struggles; now, he cherished every friend that treated him with sincerity.
Fortunately, Qiao Duo’er counted as one among those friends.
When the male protagonist didn’t show up after a long time, King Qin couldn’t help but ask, "How come I haven’t seen Tan Zhenghong?"
Could it be that his grooming took longer than a woman’s?
"He’s gone hunting in the mountains; they are vast, and it could take a while to find him," Qiao Duo’er apologetically explained.
"Hunting?" King Qin was now the one surprised. He clearly remembered Qin Longyun mentioning that the Tan Family owned a shop, and he had even tasted their marinated meat, which was quite good and surely a hit.
A family like that wouldn’t be rich but would definitely be considered prosperous. Why would the male host need to go hunting in the mountains?
Qiao Duo’er nodded, "His main profession is hunting. Now that he has some free time, he goes to the mountains to keep his skills sharp, otherwise, he’ll get rusty."
King Qin’s impression of the Tan Family elevated, seeing them as wealthy yet grounded, indicating their strong character.
"You’re here inspecting the village; where is Lord Qin?"
This matter concerned the public affairs; there was no reason for Lord Qin not to be present.
