7 Chapter 7

◎This Liu family is a perfect family; she's the only outsider.◎

Chapter Seven

Granny Li, who had gone out to inquire with her old friend, returned. With her keen sense of smell, she detected a scent even before stepping inside. Just as she was about to investigate further, she could no longer smell anything.

"strangeness."

Li Mama suddenly felt dizzy, but shaking her head made her feel better. She wondered if it was because she hadn't slept well last night.

But when Miss was seriously ill, she seemed to have smelled this scent before.

Perhaps it was her departed mistress who, feeling sorry for Miss Qingqing, manifested her spirit. She clasped her hands together in prayer before the hibiscus tree her mistress had planted, asking her mistress to bless Miss Qingqing and prevent those two heartless beasts from actually taking her dowry.

The once lush canopy is now sparse and scattered, clearly showing that it has not been properly cared for.

It was planted by the master himself for the young lady on their wedding day...

Pooh!

The more Li Mama thought about it, the angrier she became. She even wanted to spit on the faces of Liu Xu and Xiao Ying, that adulterous couple.

After saying this, he sighed and looked around. There used to be a weasel nest in the yard. Unlike other places, weasels were considered auspicious these days. It was a pity that since the owner of the yard left, the atmosphere in the yard seemed to have dissipated, and the weasel nest had disappeared without a trace.

They left nothing for Miss Qingqing.

Suppressing her complicated thoughts, Granny Li walked towards the main room.

Turning her head, she saw the main room door was closed and her brow furrowed slightly. She quickly went over and raised her hand to push the door open. However, she couldn't budge it at first. Granny Li immediately became terrified, a cold sweat breaking out on her back. With a burst of brute force, she flung the door open with a bang, and it crashed against the wall like broken leaves, making a crackling sound.

After carefully scanning the room, Li Mama breathed a sigh of relief to see Miss Qingqing soundly asleep on the long couch. She considered waking her up but hesitated; Miss Qingqing hadn't slept well all day, so she decided to let her sleep a little longer.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as Li Mama expected. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Liu Qingying was heard calling "Sister" sweetly from outside the courtyard. Before she even reached the door, her shrill voice woke Liu Qingqing up.

Liu Qingqing felt as if she were having a dream, her whole body burning with an unbearable heat, as if she were being roasted by a raging fire.

Before Futa could fully recover, Li Mama quickly supported her young mistress's lower back. Before she could even sit up properly, Liu Qingying bumped into Liu Qingqing's arms. Liu Qingqing was caught off guard and stumbled. Li Mama immediately caught her, otherwise both of them would have fallen to the ground. Liu Qingying, however, was completely oblivious and wrapped her arms tightly around Liu Qingqing's slender waist.

Liu Qingying, who is only three years younger than Liu Qingqing, is like a spoiled child who needs everyone's attention or else she will cause a scene.

"We've been waiting for you to come back, sister! Did you bring Qingying a gift?"

Seeing that her sister did not respond, Liu Qingying continued to play dumb and counted on her fingers, "The osmanthus cake that sister brought back last time and the red bean honey cake that she brought back the time before last were both delicious."

"Where's that little gadget?"

Seeing Liu Qingqing's indifferent expression, Liu Qingying looked dejected and pitifully lowered her head, "Didn't you bring even a little something for your younger sister? Now that you're married, do you no longer care about your younger sister?"

It was as if Liu Qingqing had committed a heinous crime and wronged her.

Liu Qingying has been good at distorting the truth in front of others since she was a child.

There was no sisterly affection between them at all.

Therefore, Liu Qingqing didn't give her any face and ruthlessly pushed her hand away, saying, "When have I ever had you in my heart? Your father, brothers, and mother aren't here. Who are you putting on this show for?"

Liu Qingqing didn't give Liu Qingying any face. Liu Qingying gave a coquettish snort, stuck her neck out, sat up straight, and twisted her handkerchief, but didn't leave.

This is not like Liu Qingying's usual personality; she has never suffered a loss before.

Liu Qingqing looked at her suspiciously, "What are you plotting now?"

Liu Qingying glanced at her silently, her expression quite resentful, "Sister, it really makes Qingying sad to hear you say that."

Liu Qingqing: "..."

It's so disgusting.

Liu Qingqing ignored her, got up and looked around. After carefully examining the repaired area, she turned back to Liu Qingying when she saw that Liu Qingying still hadn't left. "I'm leaving now. You should go back too."

Liu Qingying's eyes were bright and clear: "Won't you have dinner with us, sister? When I came, Mother specially sent the kitchen to make pumpkin soup, which you like."

Upon hearing this, Granny Li finally couldn't hold back. She forced herself to bow to Liu Qingying before whispering, "Second Miss, our young lady always gets rashes when she eats pumpkin. How can she say she likes it?"

Liu Qingying shrank her shoulders in fright: "Granny scared me. I had no idea that eating pumpkin would cause a rash in my sister."

Seeing this mushy behavior, Granny Li was even more furious. She wasn't a man, so why was he being so clingy in front of her?

Liu Qingqing reached out and patted the back of Li Mama's hand to signal her not to rush. She had long been used to being disgusted by this mother over the years.

"Granny, go and ask Mother if the dowry list has been sorted out. If it has, I'll take it back today for comparison."

Granny Li gritted her teeth and hurriedly left. Liu Qingqing and Liu Qingying faced each other in silence. Liu Qingying glanced at her from time to time with tears in her eyes and then wiped her eyes with a handkerchief, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

A short while later, the old nanny beside Madam Ying returned with Granny Li. After entering the room, she kept her eyes down and dared not look around. She said in a tight voice, "Miss, Madam has invited you to stay for dinner. The kitchen has already started preparing the meal. We will start the meal when Master and Young Master return. Madam said that since you haven't been back for some time, Master and Young Master have been thinking of you. We must have a good get-together today."

Before Liu Qingqing could respond, he bowed with a pale face as if being chased by a ghost, and hurriedly left.

This is clearly a case of using the master and young master to pressure the young lady.

Granny Li's expression was still not good. Liu Qingqing gave her a comforting look and said, "In that case, let's wait a little longer."

Liu Qingqing didn't try to hide anything. She took out the dowry list in her hand and looked at it again. Liu Qingying looked around, seemingly preoccupied with something, but didn't say anything or leave.

The main room was extremely quiet, except for the rustling of the wind and the sound of Liu Qingqing turning the pages of paper.

Fortunately, not long after, a servant rushed over to report that the master and young master were about to return home, and the carriage had already arrived outside the neighborhood.

Liu Qingqing stood up, and Liu Qingying quickly followed. The two walked towards the main gate, and just after passing through the garden corridor, they encountered Madam Ying.

Little Ying greeted them with a smile, glanced at Liu Qingqing, and then tapped Liu Qingying's nose, saying reproachfully, "You, you've gone to bother your sister again, haven't you?"

Just as they reached the back of the screen wall, the carriage stopped. Xiao Ying gestured for the two women to wait there, while she quickly walked around to greet them.

She said with a smile, "Master, is there some good news? Qingqing is coming back to the mansion today to compare the dowry list. I have prepared a table of delicious dishes. It will be a good time for our family to get together and have a good chat."

Liu Xu was already in a bad mood after being reprimanded by the Regent's men in court today. The thought of Liu Qingqing's return reminded him of what Xiao Ying had told him a few days ago—that his eldest daughter hadn't yet consummated her marriage with Xie Lang. He was furious. So what if she was forced into a marriage with the Marquis? She was utterly useless! All these rumors had made him lose face! Not only had she failed to share his father's burdens, but she also had the nerve to come back demanding a dowry!

So she flicked her long sleeves and snorted coldly, "Does she think she's above everyone else just because she married into the Marquis's mansion?! Now she's got quite the airs, needing her father and brothers to accompany her for dinner. Is she my father or something?"

After saying that, she waved her hand at her eldest son, Liu Yuanzhou, with considerable annoyance, "I have an appointment to admire orchids with someone today. As a fourth-rank official in the court, how can I have such free time to accompany her? If you have the time, then go and accompany her."

Liu Yingzhou was initially overjoyed to hear that his sister had returned home, but upon hearing his father's tone, he lowered his head and said softly, "I also have appointments with my colleagues, so I'm afraid I won't be able to accompany my sister."

Upon hearing this, Liu Xu's expression relaxed, and he praised, "That's exactly right."

Liu Yuanzhou stopped in his tracks, then bowed to his father and Madam Ying, before turning and leaving without even stepping through the door.

Liu Xu didn't lower her voice; her words, as unpleasant as a cold wind, swirled into the ears of the servants around them. An eerie and awkward silence fell over the surroundings, while Liu Qingying, behind the screen wall, secretly observed her elder sister's expression.

The elder sister stood there motionless, her eyes lowered, as if she hadn't heard those disgraceful words.

As Liu Xu finished speaking, he stepped over the screen wall and stopped when he caught a glimpse of a figure hidden behind it. He squinted at the figure, his face turning red and white. Finally, with a dark expression, he flicked his sleeve and was about to leave when he stopped and turned slightly to look at Liu Qingying. "What are you doing here? Come with me."

She glanced at Xiao Ying again, "And you too."

Liu Qingying looked left and right, and quickly chased after her father as he impatiently took a step to leave.

Xiao Ying was not in a hurry. After the father and daughter had walked away, she said to her with a face full of apology, "Look at your father's temper, it's getting worse every day. Don't take it to heart."

He waved to the servants, "Quickly send a portion of the best food to the young lady. We can't let her leave on an empty stomach."

Looking back at the direction the father and daughter had gone, she could no longer see them. She hurriedly said, "I've already prepared the dowry list. I'll have someone deliver it to you in a little while."

Without waiting for Liu Qingqing's reply, he hurriedly chased after her, leaving her alone there.

The servants nearby were whispering amongst themselves, and even if you couldn't hear what they were saying, you knew it wasn't anything nice. Granny Li trembled with anger, and she put her arm around her young mistress's back, protecting her as they walked towards the courtyard.

Dinner was already laid out on the stone table in the old courtyard.

Their hearty laughter drifted from the nearby Xinzheng Courtyard, faint and indistinct, seemingly near yet far.

As before, the Liu family was a close-knit household, with her being the only outsider.

[Author's Note]

Next chapter preview:

Xie Lang asked intently, "What does she want?"