18 Chapter Eighteen

"The young couple seems to have a good relationship; the husband came to pick her up himself."

Chapter Eighteen

Fortunately, the other person just patted her gently and said, "I have official business to attend to and need to leave the mansion. I may not be able to return tonight, so please don't wait for me for dinner."

Liu Qingqing bit her lip tightly, refusing to make a sound, hoping he would leave quickly.

But he seemed to be defying her, remaining motionless for a long time, and she dared not move either.

After a moment, he added with a smile in a low voice, "Drink more water today, so you don't get thirsty."

After saying that, someone knocked on the door. He listened carefully and heard Xie Wu calling him. It must be an urgent matter. Xie Lang didn't linger any longer. He patted her lightly twice and pulled her out of the quilt. Without saying anything more, he left quickly.

The door opened and closed again, and the main room returned to tranquility.

Liu Qingqing pricked up her ears to listen to the noise, and only when she saw that he would not come back did she sit up abruptly. Her rosy face was flushed as if by a sunset, and her watery eyes were fixed on the door, as if she could see through it and hook the person there.

Why did you have to add that sentence?

How could she not know that Xie Lang was such a wicked person?

Having accidentally hooked the bell beside the bed curtains earlier, Liu Qingqing dared not touch it today.

After a long while, she finally got up from the couch. Zhao Pansheng, who was waiting outside the door, heard the commotion and immediately informed Li Mama, and hurriedly went to fetch hot water.

Liu Qingqing had already changed into her outer garment. As she walked, she felt the fabric stinging her skin, but her complexion was the same as usual. If you looked closely, you could see that her ears were very red.

Zhao Pansheng brought water for Liu Qingqing to wash up, and Li Mama had Qingju set out breakfast.

It was supposed to be breakfast, but looking at the highly nutritious chicken and duck dishes, and then at the high-hanging sun outside, there was nothing more to say. Granny Li knew her young mistress was easily embarrassed, so even though she could tell at a glance that the bedding on the bed had been changed, she pretended not to notice.

The joy in his eyes and brows was impossible to hide.

This morning, the son-in-law did not go to court. After sending Xie Wu out, he returned to his room. Before going back to his room, he told Granny Li that the madam was feeling unwell after drinking too much last night and should rest a little longer.

The young lady and the eldest daughter came looking for someone this morning, but the son-in-law turned them away.

Liu Qingqing and Granny Li had relied on each other for many years. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Granny Li squinting and smiling like a mouse stealing rice milk. She dared not turn her head, for fear that Granny Li would come and ask her something.

Quietly, Liu Qingqing used the excuse of getting lunch for breakfast. Granny Li stood by her side. After Liu Qingqing was invited away by the young lady, Granny Li thought for a moment and went back to her room. She took out the storybooks she had been keeping at the bottom of her trunk, carefully cleaned them, and dusted them off. She squinted and saw the words written inside. Her old face turned red, and she exclaimed twice, as if the book was too hot to handle. She quickly closed the storybook.

The young lady was shy, so she planned to quietly return these storybooks to her mistress. She carefully hid them in the trunk where the mistress kept her summer clothes. Since the young master frequently returned to his room, leaving them there wouldn't be noticed by him.

Every time the seasons change, Miss always picks out her own clothes, and we'll probably see them then.

Granny Li thought the plan was flawless.

-

Xie Wanyan and Liu Qingqing agreed to take the two children to Jinshan Temple outside the city to offer incense today, and they could also stroll around the market on the way back.

The new dynasty had only been established for a little over ten years, and the border regions were still unstable when they were young. Now, the capital city was showing signs of prosperity, but just a few miles outside the city gates, the situation was quite different.

Not far from each other along the dirt road were various low sheds, which were really just some tree branches covered with tattered cloth. They were alright in the summer, but how could they possibly survive the winter?

There were also half-grown babies crying from hunger, but they hadn't brought any food with them because they wanted to go out and come back quickly.

The carriage moved slowly. After glancing at Liu Qingqing twice, he couldn't bear to look anymore and lowered the curtain, touching the hairpin in his hair.

Xie Wanyan saw through her thoughts and immediately put out her anger, saying, "Giving them the silver hairpin would only harm them."

He lifted the curtain again and pointed to her, "Look at those big men in the sheds guarding the pass, they're looking around. Whatever you give them won't end up in their hands, and they might even get a beating."

"If it weren't for someone protecting us, we wouldn't dare to go this far."

Seeing that Liu Qingqing was still depressed, Xie Wanyan gently patted the back of her hand, "We'll think of something when we get to the temple."

The two little ones just turned three, and they were unusually well-behaved in the car today, not making a fuss at all.

Xie Wanyan's two children, a boy named Wei Anxu and a girl named Wei Anyi, were huddled together whispering to each other.

Wei Anxu, with his sharp eyes, spoke to his sister while pulling out a round, brocade handkerchief from somewhere and stuffing it into Liu Qingqing's hand, saying, "Auntie, here's some sweet cake for you."

He glanced quickly at his mother, then pulled out another one as if by magic and handed it to her, saying awkwardly, "Mother has one too."

This little kid can hide things, and he hides them so well.

Xie Wanyan raised an eyebrow and teased him in a light voice, "Why did you give the sweet cake to your aunt first?"

Wei Anxu lowered his head: "Because my aunt looked like she was about to cry."

Wei Anyi wasn't as quick-witted as her brother. She only reacted after hearing this and awkwardly reached into her pocket for something, but her brother stopped her. Wei Anxu shook his head at Wei Anyi, "Sister, eat it yourself."

After saying that, she looked up and stared directly at Liu Qingqing: "The sweet cakes are yours once they're given to your aunt. If your aunt wants to give them to someone else, that's fine too."

The little white dumpling was trying to reason with her in its childish voice, but it gave Liu Qingqing a great shock.

Upon arriving at the temple, Xie Wanyan had the two infants taken aside to play.

She first offered incense, then drew a fortune stick, and donated money for incense. She seemed to be a regular customer. The monk who interpreted the fortune stick bowed to her kindly and said something after interpreting it.

Xie Wanyan descended the steps and extended her hand to her, but Liu Qingqing looked puzzled.

"If you don't want to help, give me the silver hairpin."

Liu Qingqing, unaware of her intentions, readily accepted the offer and took off the silver hairpin, handing it to her without hesitation. Xie Wanyan, seeing this, gently explained, "The plain hairpins we are wearing today can buy four thousand catties of good rice. I will first have someone buy some coarse rice to cook porridge, which will then be distributed by the temple."

Seeing that Liu Qingqing was still confused, Xie Wanyan continued to explain the situation to her in detail, "If it were good rice and meat, how could it end up in the mouths of those orphans and widows? They might even sprinkle some incense ash into the porridge when it's distributed."

No one had ever taught her these things carefully before, but as soon as Xie Wanyan explained them, she understood.

After understanding, her gaze towards Xie Wanyan was tinged with envy. From yesterday to today, she realized that women could live like this, knowing things and being reasonable yet slightly cunning, and sometimes indulging in laziness and naivety.

There wasn't much for her to ask for at the temple. She did wish for her mother to still be alive, but that was wishful thinking, so she gave up on asking. With the matter of buying rice on her mind, she became restless.

Xie Wanyan had finished her business. She was a straightforward person, so she called her two children over to prepare to return to the city and take Liu Qingqing with her.

After they boarded the carriage, a slender figure slowly emerged from behind the wall and watched them depart.

Xie Wanyan acted immediately, taking Liu Qingqing to the grain shop. She not only picked out coarse rice but also mixed in the lowest grade of old rice with stones. Liu Qingqing followed along, observing carefully, and knew that this was not a long-term solution.

But what is a long-term solution?

"Sister, how can we truly help them?"

Xie Wanyan remained silent for a long time after hearing this, and finally shook her head gently.

After everything was settled, they arrived at the market. Xie Wanyan suggested they take a stroll, and Liu Qingqing, who had hardly ever been there before, readily agreed.

She knew that helping the refugees was not something that could be done overnight and couldn't be rushed, so she simply suppressed the idea.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, but after walking for a while, she began to notice something was wrong. With each step, the fabric chafed against her, causing her pain and discomfort. So she slowed down.

Xie Wanyan watched without making a sound and smiled secretly, but did not expose her. She found a teahouse to have tea and rest, and decisively stopped her two children when they wanted to go back to buy candy.

"Mother, didn't you say yesterday that you would take us to see it?"

Wei Anxu asked, puzzled, "Your father wasn't here yesterday, so what made you uncomfortable?"

Liu Qingqing was initially surprised, but when she looked over, she happened to meet her aunt's eyes, and the two blinked at each other. Suddenly, she remembered yesterday, and Liu Qingqing quickly lowered her head, picked up her teacup, and pretended not to have heard.

This made Xie Wanyan blush deeply as well.

Xie Wanyan's face hardened. "If I say I'm not going, then I'm not going. If you make a scene again, I'll send you home."

The brother and sister dared not provoke their mother again; even their father dared not, so how could they?

An eerie silence fell; no one uttered a sound.

Suddenly her leg was bumped. Liu Qingqing looked at Xie Wanyan in confusion, only to see Xie Wanyan wink at her, telling her to look at the door. Liu Qingqing looked over and saw Xie Lang standing tall and elegant in the doorway.

When he saw his face clearly again in broad daylight, it was like a thunderbolt exploding in his mind.

Liu Qingqing choked on a mouthful of warm water and coughed repeatedly, her face flushed.

My aunt teased me, “The young couple has a good relationship; the husband came to pick them up himself.”

She felt Xie Lang looking at her, and the stinging spots on her body felt like they were on fire.

The next moment, a warm palm gently patted her back.

[Author's Note]

Next chapter preview:

"I'm not interested in that. Let's wait until you've recovered before we consummate our marriage."