Mo Qing saw a moment of stunnedness flash across the face of the person in front of him.
Old Lady Mo quickly introduced, "Master, this is A'Rui and Madam Mei."
She did not directly state Nan Rui and Consort De's true identities, as Nan Rui had previously instructed that from now on, they would no longer be Prince Rui and Imperial Consort De.
Mo Qing probably recognized the two, so Old Lady Mo figured a simple introduction would be enough for him to identify them.
The titles were somewhat unfamiliar to Mo Qing, but he knew his old wife well and understood that she would only introduce people he knew to him.
So Mo Qing took a good look at Nan Rui and his mother. After a long while, he finally had a sense of sudden realization, and also felt incredible disbelief.
If it had been just one familiar face, he could have brushed it off, but with both Nan Rui and his mother - two very familiar people - standing together, Mo Qing had to believe that the people before him were none other than the current Prince Rui and Imperial Consort De.
He just did not understand why the mother and son would appear in such a barren place as the northwest.
No wonder Mo Qing was puzzled. On his way back from the west, he had been drifting in and out of consciousness in the carriage, and his sons did not tell him too much so he could rest properly.
After returning to Xiling Village, the family immediately discussed military affairs, then prepared for the family reunion banquet. So Mo Qing knew nothing about what Nan Rui and the Consort were doing in the northwest.
Seeing his family and two old friends treat Nan Rui and his mother's presence as normal, it was clear that there was nothing odd about them being in Xiling Village.
Even with countless questions in mind, Mo Qing still tried his best to remain calm on the surface.
When introducing them, his wife had addressed them as A'Rui and Madam Mei - there must be some hidden reasons behind this, and he should not pry.
"Hahaha...welcome, welcome. Today we happen to have a family reunion banquet, please take a seat."
He could not stand up, so he simply gestured to invite them to sit.
He did not intend to give up the host's seat to anyone.
The current Mo Qing did not have a very good impression of the Nans. His hospitality was just to avoid spoiling the atmosphere, not true friendliness.
As for how to deal with Nan Rui and his mother in the future, he would have to find out more before deciding.
Nan Rui had always been gentle and refined. Even as a prince, he interacted with others in a down-to-earth way.
Seeing Mo Qing's invitation, he politely took a seat below Mo Qing and Old Lady Mo together with Consort De, showing no discomfort at all with sitting in that position.
At this moment, not only was Mo Qing puzzled by Nan Rui and his mother's situation, Mo Junrui and Mo Jiacheng were also very curious.
But like their father, they tried their best to restrain their curiosity with so many people around, planning to ask the guests after they left.
Unexpectedly, during the meal, Nan Rui took the initiative to tell them about his circumstances.
For a while, Mo Qing could not determine whether Nan Rui was truly tired of power, or had other motives. In any case, he could not completely trust him.
Since the family's situation had been clearly exposed to others, it seemed they would have to speed up the plan of secretly building an army.
In this world, human hearts were unpredictable - who could completely understand another's thoughts?
Of course, in front of Nan Rui and his mother, Mo Qing did not show any abnormality and continued to warmly entertain the guests.
This was the first time Mo Qing, Mo Junrui and Mo Jiacheng tasted such delicious food.
Back in the capital, the Mos had also been a prestigious family with specialized chefs, but the dishes they made could not compare at all to today’s food.
Many ingredients were also things they had never seen before.
And that was not all - after the meal there were many delicious fruits, also novel tastes they had never sampled.
Having just returned home yesterday, they were already experiencing so many fresh foods.
If they had not been stationed in the Western Regions before, they would have certainly thought all these were specialties of the west.
It was Old Lady Mo who noticed the puzzlement of the father and sons and explained where everything came from.
For instance, the delicious watermelon - He Zhiran had intentionally nurtured some seedlings early on in her space ring, hoping to let the family try some fresh ones first. Now, some had ripened.
But the number of ripe watermelons was still small at the moment, not enough to sell externally yet.
After eight years, the Mo family was finally reunited. The atmosphere could not be affected by Nan Rui’s appearance.
Everyone ate, drank and chatted until late into the night before retiring individually.
Due to Nan Rui's presence, Mo Qing inevitably felt some mental pressure.
Seventh Brother had intended to set off south the next day, but was stopped by He Zhiran.
It wasn't that she wasn't anxious to build the army, but she considered that the new compound had been fully constructed with all furniture in place.
If the Mo men had not rushed out to search for their father earlier, they would have moved in already.
For ancient people, moving into a new residence was a big deal - no one hoped for absent family members.
Therefore, He Zhiran decided to delay Seventh Brother's trip for a day - they would move first.
Otherwise, with Seventh Brother only returning in over a month, it would be inconvenient to live in this small courtyard so close to He Zhiran’s due date, especially with the growing household. That was why He Zhiran had specially built those courtyard houses.
Thinking of the large family, and her modern soul also not accustomed to that kind of communal living, she had deliberately constructed ten courtyards, with an eleventh on the far west end later gifted to Mo Hanyue. Each was a siheyuan.
Viewed from afar, the eleven siheyuans stood neatly in an east-west row, with the front and back evenly aligned, looking very orderly.
In front, He Zhiran had specially planted many peach trees in the open spaces surrounding the houses.
Come spring next year, the area would take on a different beauty.
There were not many items in the rented courtyard for the Mo family to move as new furniture had been prepared in the compound, so not much needed to be transported.
The family only had to carry some personal belongings over.
With many helpers from Hu Cong and Tao Ran, moving only took about an hour in the morning.
The sisters-in-law returned to clean up the rented place, checking for any forgotten useful items and giving the rest to villagers. They also thoroughly cleaned the place to return to the landlord.
By afternoon, all was done.
Yu Er prepared another rich feast for the housewarming banquet, after which everyone returned to their own courtyards for the night.
He Zhiran had built so many siheyuans considering the large household, and as someone from the modern age, she was also not accustomed to living in a big traditional family setting. Separate living quarters gave each family privacy while they still worked together in the day.
