As she left Mrs. Qiao's room, Ji Qingwu looked through a window and saw what was happening in the side house.
Nanny Li was playing shuttlecock with Jiu Jiu.
It had been about ten days since she'd last seen the little girl, and it seemed she had already grown taller.
When Jiu Jiu caught sight of Ji Qingwu, she flew out of the room like a little swallow.
Ji Qingwu caught the girl as she leaped into her arms and lifted her up.
Jiu Jiu asked cheerfully, "Mama, before you left, you said you were going to find a big house for Jiu Jiu to live in. Did you find it?"
Ji Qingwu remembered the grand promise she'd made to the little girl before entering the Imperial Palace.
She was silent for a moment. "The big house caught fire," she said. "There's a smaller one, but it means you'll have to make do for now, sweetie."
Jiu Jiu sensed the shift in her mother's mood. Her big, dark eyes gazed up at her. "As long as I'm with you, Mama, I'll be happy anywhere."
「The day before the wedding.」
