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Mother Ao, whose real name is Aozheng, is the fourth daughter of the East Sea Dragon King. She brought Lin Qingmo to her current residence by Dongting Lake. It was already evening, and all the light lingered in the west, embracing the sunset that hung in the sky like a lantern. The lake was vast and expansive, resembling a small ocean. The residence was much smaller and simpler than the Dragon Palace, consisting of several rooms—seven or eight in total—two large houses connected by a small courtyard.
Aozheng helped Lin Qingmo settle down, placing a small cushion on the chair before he sat. Lin Qingmo's face flushed, changing from red to blue, then to purple, cycling through several colors in an instant. Mother Ao said nothing, but he knew she understood everything. Aozheng then brought over a pair of shoes and urged Lin Qingmo to put them on immediately. "Hurry and wear these; otherwise, you'll catch a chill later. I didn't have time to ask you to bring some clothes when we left. You'll have to make do with your father's for now." The term "father" felt too foreign and distant to Lin Qingmo. His father had left home shortly after he was born, never giving him the chance to call him "father" face-to-face. The sudden mention of "father" left Lin Qingmo momentarily dazed.
Aozheng sat down as well, looking at him gently with a smile. "Your father is your father-in-law."
"Madam..." Lin Qingmo initially looked up in confusion but then understood, wishing he could turn into a little mouse and scurry away along the wall. Aozheng continued, "You shouldn't call me Madam. I am your mother-in-law; you should call me 'Mother.' Come on, say it." Lin Qingmo lowered his head, shrinking his neck, but something inside him expanded like warm white smoke, filling his heart with warmth. He sniffled and softly called out, "Mother." Aozheng patted his hand with satisfaction. After a moment of silence, she added, "Your engagement to Ao Yan was arranged by his grandfather. To be honest, I wasn't very happy at first because our dragon clan has always intermarried within the clan and has never married outsiders before. Moreover, he is a boy. But once Ao Yan learned about your engagement, he secretly came to find you when he was just over a year old. He grew fond of you. He has been frail since childhood; even when he caught a cold, he still sneaked out to see you. After I found out and forbade him from going out again..."
"I remember; I was six at that time. Ever since Turtle Prime Minister took him away, he never came back to find me," Lin Qingmo said with a smile as memories of young Ao Yan surfaced in his mind, inadvertently interrupting Aozheng's words. Realizing his rudeness, he hurriedly apologized, "I—I’m sorry."
Aozheng waved her hand dismissively. "It's alright; there's no need for formality with me. After I forbade Ao Yan from going outside, he got angry with me and spent all his time hiding in that Bivalve Shell that only listened to him. Yuan Tiangang said that you two are destined for each other and that he would get better with you around. Seeing how he was back then finally eased my heartache. Ao Yan... cannot be without you."
Lin Qingmo felt his face heat up and dared not interrupt Aozheng again. She stood up and filled Lin Qingmo's teacup with tea. Earlier, Lin Qingmo had been nervous and dry-mouthed; he drank it all in one go. Suddenly Aozheng laughed softly at herself for sounding like an untrustworthy negotiator but continued speaking: "After my husband and I took on duties at Heavenly Palace, we became very busy; Ao Bi and Ao Yan were raised by their grandfather while I hardly supervised them at all. They grew up spoiled and undisciplined—especially Ao Yan—who is rough, willful, and domineering. I heard from Ao Bi about what he did to you—imprisoning you and hurting your friend. As a mother, I must apologize for my negligence..."
"No, Madam—no, Mother," Lin Qingmo exclaimed excitedly as he stood up, inadvertently pulling at his injury and breaking into a cold sweat on his forehead. He forced a smile through gritted teeth and said, "I'm fine! Actually, Ao Yan treats me well most of the time."
Aozheng gently urged him back into his seat. "You can stay here for now; return whenever you wish or if you don’t want to go back..." She paused for a moment before continuing calmly: "I will send you home."
Lin Qingmo looked slightly taken aback but nodded in agreement.
Not knowing if Aozheng felt the atmosphere was too heavy or if her thoughts suddenly shifted here, she suddenly added: "If you return later on, there will still be many days ahead for you and Ao Yan together—and you'll have children."
Lin Qingmo asked in surprise: "Adopt?"
Aozheng shook her head. Her tone was steady and prolonged; even when discussing what sounded like jokes or humorous matters made it feel like listening to scriptures—leaving no room for laughter. She said: "You will give birth using Parent-Child River. Parent-Child River is located within Daughter Kingdom's territory. Male couples from both the immortal realm and demon realm use it for childbirth as well. If you're willing, you and Ao Yan can have children together in the future."
Lin Qingmo was stunned upon hearing this; images of men with large bellies filled his mind until gradually the man's face transformed into Ao Yan's own. He couldn't help but smile inwardly.
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