The backdrop can also be propped up.

362. Escaping the Huang Mansion 28

Xu Qinying and Huang Muyan continued chatting, while Mu Wanqing, feeling bored, wanted to eat the pastries on the table but dared not touch them.

Seeing that the little maid Huang Muyan had brought was staring longingly at the pastries on her table, Xu Qinying smiled, pulled the little maid to sit on the empty stone bench, and pushed the pastries over, saying gently, "I'm not used to the food made in the kitchen, you can have these."

When the bowl of pastries was placed in front of her, Mu Wanqing hesitated for a moment. She first glanced at Huang Muyan's expression, and since Huang Muyan didn't seem unhappy, and with Lu Renkui's assurance in her mind, Mu Wanqing picked up a pastry and said, "Okay, thank you, Miss Xu."

"You're welcome, this child is so well-behaved," Xu Qinying said with a smile.

Huang Muyan watched Mu Wanqing eat the pastries and chuckled twice: "Guixi is very sensible."

"Oh, right, your mother talked to me about you." Xu Qinying remembered that Wang had asked her to persuade Huang Muyan to stay, and decided to tell Huang Muyan about it.

"Hmm, really? What did my mother say to you?" Huang Muyan remembered that when she returned home, Wang Shi had been urging her to get married, both openly and subtly.

Although my father is now dead, and my mother won't bring up marriage for at least three years, she probably hasn't given up on her idea.

“It seems your mother doesn’t really agree with you continuing your studies,” Xu Qinying asked. “Is there some kind of conflict between you two?”

"Ah, there was no other way. When I went to school, my father heard that the Xu family had sent both of their daughters there to study, so he sent me there too."

"So when I started school, my mother was strongly against it, and my father was also concerned about whether I could get in touch with Miss Xu. If I couldn't get in touch, then he wouldn't let me continue my studies."

"I see..." Xu Qinying pretended to think, then asked Huang Muyan, "What are your thoughts?"

"I will definitely continue my studies," Huang Muyan insisted.

“I have friends at school who share the same aspirations, and I hope that I can do my part for the country and save this land.”

“Very good,” Xu Qinying said, taking Huang Muyan’s hand. “If you insist on this idea, then I think you will definitely not go astray—when do you plan to leave the Huang residence?”

"I plan to go back to school after my father's funeral," Huang Muyan said. In fact, if she had known when Xu Qinying and the others would leave, Huang Muyan could have left even earlier.

“Then you need to talk to your mother. I don’t think she wants you to live too far from home,” Xu Qinying said.

Upon hearing this, Huang Muyan knew that her mother must have spoken to Xu Qinying—her mother probably still hoped that she could stay with her father in the Huang family, and as soon as the three-year mourning period was over, she was busy arranging a marriage for her.

Huang Muyan sighed inwardly—if I told her, then she would truly be unable to leave the Huang family—but she agreed to Xu Qinying's request: "I will talk to my mother. If Miss Xu is leaving, please remember to let me know, and I will see her off at the door."

"Alright, it's getting late, I'm going to rest." Xu Qinying said as she got up from beside the stone table—it seemed that Huang Muyan knew what she wanted to convey.

"Then I won't bother you any longer." Huang Muyan also got up and left with Mu Wanqing.

Xu Qinying and Zhou Hefang stayed at the mansion for two more days. At the middle of the night, Xu Qinying was suddenly woken up.

Xu Qinying, still half-asleep, called out through the door, "Who is it?"

"Miss Xu, our madam has arranged for the carriages to be moved." A maid called out from outside, "You and Mr. Zhou should hurry and pack your luggage, otherwise the carriages will be moved again if it gets too late."