Chapter 368: The Tacit Understanding Between Father and Daughter

At this moment, the sky had darkened, and many shops in the city had hung lanterns in front of their doors.

Changling City had no curfew, and there were still many pedestrians on the streets.

Places like taverns and brothels naturally became lively only as the night progressed.

After leaving the Wanrui Cabinet Gate, Song Qian didn't rush to use her instant movement technique to take Song Ye home. Instead, she wanted to accompany Song Ye on a stroll through the streets, allowing him to experience the bustling nightlife of the Yanguo capital.

As the head of the Longyang Song family, Song Qian's presence in the capital was well-known. However, due to her usual use of horse carriages or magical abilities for transportation, she rarely strolled through the streets like today. As a result, many common people in the city did not recognize her.

Nevertheless, her stunning beauty attracted the attention of many passersby. The people around couldn't imagine that the young man standing beside her was her daughter.

After all, Song Qian's attire and makeup made her appear mature and luxurious. At a glance, she seemed older than Song Ye. Moreover, Song Ye was still wearing a roughly made hemp garment, so standing next to Song Qian, he looked more like a servant of the Song family.

However, some people noticed the small flying spirit accompanying Song Ye. The news of the appearance of a stranger in the outskirts of the village had spread into the city hours ago. Therefore, these people inferred that the young man standing with Song Qian was not a servant of the Longyang Song family but a human being from the lower realm, known as an "outsider" in this world.

Suddenly, Song Qian stopped in front of a silk shop and said to Song Ye, "This silk shop belongs to our—no, not ours, it's mine, and you have nothing to do with it."

While speaking, she smiled and glanced at Song Ye's hemp clothes. "Go inside. I'll have them make you a new outfit."

The shopkeeper of the silk shop, who was also a disciple of the Song family, greeted Song Qian as soon as she entered. "Madam, why did you come personally?"

"Measure his size and make him a new set of clothes with the best silk," Song Qian instructed the shopkeeper.

"Yes."

Without asking much, the shopkeeper immediately brought a ruler to measure Song Ye's size. Meanwhile, Song Qian, standing by, chose the style of clothing for him. Song Ye remained silent and let her decide.

After making the selection, she asked the shopkeeper, "When will it be ready?"

"If we work on it tonight, it will be ready by noon tomorrow," the shopkeeper replied.

"After it's done, have someone deliver the clothes to the Song residence," Song Qian said.

"Yes," nodded the shopkeeper.

After leaving the silk shop, they walked down another street and arrived at the Song residence.

"We're here. This is my mansion in Changling City," Song Qian said, standing in front of the Song residence.

"Then this will be my home from now on. After all, wherever there's a daughter is home," Song Ye said with a slight smile.

Song Qian tilted her head slightly, pursed her lips, and said, "Who's your daughter? Don't talk nonsense after entering the mansion. I haven't acknowledged you yet."

Previously, when they met again in Mugu Village, this unreliable father had pretended not to recognize her. After she exposed his identity, he now casually referred to her as his daughter.

Indeed, men's mouths were as deceptive as ghosts.

Song Ye smiled faintly but didn't say anything more.

In fact, on the way here, Song Ye also noticed that in front of others, Song Qian had never referred to him as her daughter.

He called out, "Father."

On the surface, it seemed like Song Qian was angry with him, deliberately not acknowledging him. However, Song Ye knew that Song Qian had deeper considerations.

After all, Song Ye's current identity was that of an outsider, a stranger from the outside world. Song Qian, on the other hand, was the head of the Longyang Song family.

If it became known that the head of the Song family recognized an outsider as her father, it could have a significant negative impact on the reputation of the entire Longyang Song family. It might also affect the loyalty of the Song family disciples in the future.

Song Qian was a woman with a strong sense of strategy and rationality. She wouldn't let emotions dictate her actions. She was unsure of the extent of the world's rejection of outsiders, so she told Song Ye that she wanted to assess whether he was still a qualified father. In reality, she temporarily didn't want to publicly reveal their father-daughter relationship.

Song Ye had similar concerns. That's why he didn't immediately acknowledge Song Qian. He believed that there was a certain understanding between them regarding this matter.

In fact, they didn't need to care about how others perceived their relationship. As long as they knew that the other person was the closest to them, it was enough.

For Song Ye, this might be the most ideal state. After all, he didn't know whether, three years later, he would also exit this world like other players. He couldn't stay by Song Qian's side indefinitely as a father, nor could he make any promises to her.

Song Qian knocked on the mansion's door and led Song Ye inside.

At this time, Wang Xiangrong was still calculating the losses in the medicinal fields in Mogu Village. Another housekeeper came out to greet Song Qian.

"Ziying, quickly tidy up a room in the upper courtyard. The bedding should be new," Song Qian instructed the housekeeper.

The housekeeper was stunned. The upper courtyard was the master's courtyard, and currently, only Song Qian lived there. Usually, only Song Qian's close maids and three female housekeepers could enter the upper courtyard.

Now, the master unexpectedly brought back a male outsider from outside and said to arrange for him to stay in the upper courtyard. This made Li Ziying doubt the relationship between this outsider and her master.

However, as a housekeeper, she was just a servant of the Song family and shouldn't ask more than necessary. She replied, "Yes, I'll arrange it immediately."

As the night grew darker, Song Qian came to Song Ye's room, personally checking if the room was clean and if the bedding was new. She had changed into a light green chiffon gown, barefoot like her mother. 

"See if you can get used to this bed," Song Qian whispered to Song Ye. "Are you hungry? I've had the kitchen cook some lamb soup for you. After eating, you should rest early. I saw you running around Mogu Village today; you must be tired."

Song Ye felt a bit absent-minded. It seemed that this time, their roles had reversed, and he had become the one being cared for.

"I'm not sleepy yet," Song Ye said.

"Then, after you finish the lamb soup, find a book to read on your own. I don't have time to accompany you constantly. I need to go back to my room to check the account books later," Song Qian said as she went to several candlesticks in the room, trimming the excess wicks to make the room a bit brighter.