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“Amitabha, it was a safe trip!”

“Yeah, we are back safe and sound!”

Qiao Xuan’s excitement soared as thoughts of her husband, whom she hadn’t seen in so long, flooded her mind. The anticipation of their reunion and the old saying, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” made her heart skip a beat, causing her cheeks to flush with joy.

However, upon their return, Shao Yunduan was not there to greet them. Instead, Songshi answered the door.

Surprised and elated to see Songshi, Qiao Xuan bowed deeply and smiled. “Songshi, you’re here! That’s wonderful!”

Qiao Xuan smiled and nodded, asking, “Where is my husband? Has he not returned yet?”

Hanlin Academy should have been off duty, so she wondered why he wasn’t home. Annoyed thoughts crossed her mind – could he have gone somewhere else without her knowledge? How dreadful!

“Where is Old Master?” she asked, sounding rather stern as she turned to Songshi.

Songshi had never seen her like this, and it caught him off guard. He replied, “Madame, Old Master is working for the Crown Prince, and I have been assisting him. Old Master mentioned that you would be back soon, so he asked me to come home the day before. He should be back in a couple of days…”

“Working for the crown prince?”

Qiao Xuan was startled – she had been gone for less than two months, and she felt out of touch with her husband, finding it difficult to comprehend what Songshi was talking about.

What could the Hanlin Academy possibly do for the Crown Prince, especially when he was out of the capital?

Songshi said, “Yes, Madame…”

“Never mind.” Qiao Xuan waved her hands and said gently, “Let’s eat dinner first, and after dinner, you can tell me about this. We won’t cook tonight, but you can buy four or five dishes from Ji Restaurant outside the alley. One soup, and you can take care of the rest.”

Finding reassurance in the fact that Shao Yunduan hadn’t gone out to have fun, Qiao Xuan’s worries dissipated instantly. She sounded calm and gentle, like the gracious mistress of the family.

Songshi had no idea what was going on with his mother-in-law, but he let out a sigh of relief and nodded. He took the money from Lixia and went out to order food.

Qiao Xuan and her servant didn’t have much luggage on the trip, only a few bags with some clothes.

Lixia and Liqiu would carry them back to the room and put everything away.

There was hot water in the kitchen, and a brick bed in the room made it very warm and cozy inside.

Finally, they were home!

Qiao Xuan let out a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of relaxation wash over her. She smiled, feeling the warmth in her heart – this was her and her husband’s home.

Indeed, there was no place like home. Qiao Xuan felt at ease, carefree, and nonchalant. Even the best hostels on the road couldn’t compare to the comfort of being home.

But her husband still wasn’t there.

Soon, Songshi returned with food boxes.

Lixia and Liqiu quickly set up the table and carefully placed the dishes one by one.

On the table were shredded pork with capital sauce, roast beef with winter bamboo shoots, sliced fish, stir-fried vegetables, and a large bowl of steaming mutton soup garnished with coriander and green onions.

Additionally, there were four dishes from the restaurant – eight-treasure pickles, pickled radishes, mustard cabbage with sauce, and shredded bamboo shoots with red oil.

Qiao Xuan smiled. “Let’s start serving the dishes from the boxes before they get cold. Afterward, you can wash up and take a break!”