Chapter 60 Arguing

"She's completely innocent, yet she keeps trying to get close to you, Master?"

"Last time, she saved your life by stopping your carriage to take you home."

"If I hadn't given you two hundred taels this time, wouldn't it have turned into a scene of 'I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so I will repay you with my body' in front of everyone!"

"I've eaten more salt than you've seen beauties! Who are you trying to fool!"

"Without your tacit approval, how dare she get close to you!"

"Waaaaah, I hate Jinlang! I'll never like you again!"

She threw a tantrum on the bed, both adorable and mischievous.

He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose: "What do you intend to do?"

She stopped throwing a tantrum, wiped away her tears, sat up in bed, climbed to his side, took his hand, and placed it on her pounding heart.

"Does Jinlang truly love his concubine?" Her brows furrowed slightly, her eyes reddened, and her watery gaze was fixed intently on his expression.

Without hesitation, he answered her, "I like it."

Yes, he was sure he liked her.

With her around, there's no room for anyone else's affection in my eyes.

"Did Jinlang also have feelings for that pure and gentle Haoyue girl?"

Looking at her pitiful appearance, he told the truth: "Never."

"Did you ever consider taking her into your household?"

His mouth felt a little dry, and after hesitating for a moment, he chose to tell her the truth: "Before I met you, I planned to redeem her from her servitude and arrange a house for her."

As if she had expected this, she released his hand, closed her eyes and turned her face away. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her lips pursed slightly, and a surge of sadness welled up inside her.

His hand slid down from her chest, wanting to raise it to comfort her, but he didn't know where to begin.

He felt like he had broken a cardinal rule.

But now that the matter had come to this point, he felt he needed to make things clear once and for all.

"Back then, you arrived at Hezhou a few days earlier than the commander-in-chief's carriage."

"At that time, the master did not return to the manor. It was also at that time that the master met Haoyue a few times."

"It's rare to have time to return to Hezhou for leisure, so taking people in is part of the plan."

"The people in this house are all connected to a messy network of relationships, and I'm too lazy to bother with them, so I haven't considered them."

"Although Haoyue was born into a lowly family, her past is traceable, and she has simple social connections, so she can be considered clean."

"She is not worthy of entering the manor; it is better for her to be kept outside."

Her tears flowed even more freely, and the sorrowful curve of her lips became increasingly difficult to control.

He quickly replied, "That all happened before I met you!"

"Since you came into my life, I have given up on the idea of ​​taking her back."

She turned her head, her eyes red and filled with tears: "What about the Bai family?"

What could he say?

That was the first time he had been with a woman. Her maid reported that she was frightened by the affair of the Sun family and was now physically unwell.

Just then, Bai approached him, and he decided to go along with it and give it a try.

Thinking that if possible, he might as well get involved in the Bai family's affairs.

"The master did not touch that Bai woman."

"It's what I want to touch."

"I want you more; none of them are as good as you!"

He used to quell bandits in Shanxi, and he led a group of ruffians who had heard all sorts of lewd talk and romantic tales.

There are always those who write letters to their wives day and night, spouting nothing but lies and lies.

He used to be so dismissive of it, but now he regrets not learning more!

He thought she would be happier after hearing this, but to his surprise, she raised her hand and slapped him.

With a sharp crack, Xu Mama, who was eavesdropping outside the door, rolled her eyes and pinched her philtrum hard to come back to life.

The maids, who were hiding further away, knew that the situation inside the room was bad when they saw the old woman's appearance. They all shrank back, trembling with fear.

Sure enough, a loud, questioning shout came from inside: "Li Qu! How dare you hit me?!"

As Zhou Jin watched her stare at him, tears streamed down his face, unable to conceal his shock and anger.

She remained remarkably calm: "To put it bluntly, Third Master only likes my appearance."

"When his beauty fades, will Third Master still remember who Li Qu is?"

"I'm afraid even Li Qu doesn't remember the slap that Third Master received today as vividly as he did."

He realized she had misunderstood him and hurriedly explained.

"I liked your color first, but now I like you as a person more than your color."

He forgot that he had just received a solid slap on the face.

He turned her shoulder to face her and said earnestly, "You are different from others, Aqu, you are different from others!"

She pouted and sobbed, "There are still others, there are always others."

He understood.

What she wanted was not his affection that superseded other women.

What she wants is to be loved exclusively.

He looked at her with concern: "Aqu, you are so jealous. What will happen when the mistress of the house comes into the house?"

He doesn't know if he'll have other women in the future.

There will definitely be a matriarch in the third branch of the Zhou family.

He won't only have her as a woman.

"Jinlang's marriage is something that I cannot change no matter how hard I try."

"I will not have any objection."

"But, my love, I want to do everything in my power to win your love."

"It's love, not fickle infatuation."

"It is an irreplaceable love."

"Jinlang, do you understand what it feels like to love someone?"

Zhou Jin didn't understand.

He has never been in love.

His falling in love with her was something he hadn't expected.

He couldn't answer her.

He posed the question to her: "Does Aqu love Grandpa?"

She stopped crying and looked up at him.

Her eyes, which were originally brimming with tears, slowly filled with a galaxy.

She knelt on the bed, placed her hands on his legs, and leaned down to kiss his lips.

The kiss was streaked with tears, a mixture of salt and sweetness.

She pressed softly against him and then pulled away, looking at him earnestly and saying, "I love Jinlang."

"My love is boundless. I can tolerate Jinlang's bad temper and help him marry a woman of equal social standing."

"But a concubine's love is also selfish."

"My heart is filled with Jinlang, and there is no room for any other man."

"I want Jinlang to love me as much as I love you."

"Though we lack the wings of a phoenix to fly together, our hearts are connected by a single thread of understanding."

"May we find one heart to share love with until our hair turns white."

"Jinlang~"

She leaned forward and kissed him.

"I love you, and I wish your heart were like mine."

He did not respond to her.

He even felt a bit blank in his mind.

She seemed to have grasped some kind of answer, and after parting from his lips, she lowered her head and wept.

"It was wishful thinking on my part."

She hurriedly got out of bed, staggered to the window, and dismissed him, saying, "I'm tired today, I want to rest for a while."

Zhou Jin slowly got up from the bed.

He was a bit flustered, so he didn't go over to comfort her.

And her mouth wouldn't listen to her, scolding her: "Aqu should reflect on her actions!"

It's a mess.

Zhou Jin wiped his face weakly and hurriedly walked outside.

He needs to stay away from her and have some peace and quiet.

The moment he stepped out the door, he clearly heard her suppressed sobs.

Sobbing and heartbroken, I feel like I could die.

He paused slightly, noticing that Granny Xu was standing by the door, and instructed her, "Take good care of her."

Xu Mama caught a glimpse of the handprint on Zhou Jin's face, held her breath, and bowed respectfully: "This old servant obeys."

He then strode out.

A cold wind swept over my face, and my mind gradually cleared.

He thought that his beloved concubine had played a very clever game today by taking advantage of her jealousy.

She implanted a new concept into his mind: choose one person, love one person, and spend your life with one person.

She has huge ambitions.

She actually wanted the Third Master Zhou to love only her for the rest of his life.

This is clearly contrary to his understanding.

It was common for men to have multiple wives and concubines.

He is picky about women, and he doesn't know if he will have other concubines in the future.

But she was determined to thwart his future plans to take other women.

She wanted to bind him in the name of love!

She's so bold!

Once my mind was clear, my heart calmed down.

He suddenly turned around and met a pair of eyes that were difficult to describe in terms of complexity.

Longing, grievance, sadness, reluctance, regret, and cautious peeping were all mixed together in a pair of red, misty eyes.

She seemed surprised to be caught peeping, and quickly shrank back to hide behind a pillar, leaving only her red and gold skirt swaying gently in the wind.

He undoubtedly felt sorry for her, and he also undoubtedly didn't want to spoil her.

If this is a protracted battle, he hopes she will give up first.

How could the high and mighty Master Zhou lower his noble head for a woman?

impossible!

Absolutely not!

She probably thought he was gone, and slowly peeked out from behind the pillar.

The moment those tearful yet expectant eyes looked over, Zhou Jin felt his knees buckle.

In an instant, I was brought under control by reason.

In Li Qu's eyes, it appeared as if he had taken a step back, then turned and left without hesitation.

She closed her eyes, concealing the disappointment in them, and tears streamed down her cheeks, turning her whole being the color of autumn.

Granny Xu stepped forward to persuade her: "Madam, why are you throwing a tantrum at Third Master?"

"Which man doesn't have three wives and four concubines?"

"Even the poorest peasants, if they ever become rich, will want to take a beautiful concubine at home."

"Let alone scions of high-ranking families?"

She sat down on the railing along the corridor pillar, leaning her head weakly against it: "Granny, were you ever young? Did you ever love wholeheartedly?"

Granny Xu was speechless.

Everyone starts as a child.

Love is selfish.

"If you truly love someone, how can you not hope that the other person will reciprocate with equal love?"

She leaned against a pillar and closed her eyes to rest.

In Xu Mama's eyes, it was as if her own concubine loved the Third Master to death, but was also heartbroken by him.

As Zhou Jin turned back, the lonely figure sitting on the veranda looked utterly pitiful.

He thought that she must be very disappointed and very sad right now.

He remained calm, but his emotions were still affected.

Taking a deep breath, he ultimately decided to stand his ground against her.

Under the winter sun, the figure sitting on the veranda, with his back to the warm sunlight, appeared lonely and desolate.

Fanghua Garden has entered winter early.

The maids who received the notes and gifts personally written by Li Qu were not happy.

Instead, everyone was filled with apprehension.

The aunt and the third master had a fight.

It was still the Cold War kind of conflict.

Zhou Jin, who usually stayed at Fanghua Garden, stayed at Mianxiao Residence for three consecutive days.

This gave others an opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Bai Shisi Niang delivered personally prepared meals to Mianxiao Residence three times in a row, and was subsequently moved out of Qinghuai Courtyard by Third Master and arranged to live in Qinglan Courtyard.

Some admired her for her perseverance in moving mountains, while others mocked her for following in her sister's footsteps.

Many people were simply curious about why Li Qu and Zhou Jin were arguing.

The three concubines of the second wife were very busy helping the second wife manage the household affairs.

Despite their busy schedules, the three of them took some time to sit together at Fanghua Garden.

When it's cold, gathering around a stove to brew tea has become a common way to entertain guests.

The four sat on the veranda basking in the sun, with a screen blocking the cold wind from coming and going.

Aunt Hu, with her delicate fingers, placed the roasted persimmons onto the plate in front of Li Qu, her face full of resentment.

"Third Master is so petty!"

"How could he bear to leave our beautiful Li sister in the cold?"

"If you ask me, just ignore him!"

"Our plum orchard will open in a couple of days. Come with me for a relaxing trip!"

Why bother with him!

Aunt Xun peeled a longan and nodded in agreement: "When you like someone, you go to great lengths to keep them by your side, but when you're not happy, you just leave them aside. They're really no good!"

"Her family also owns a horse farm and horse racing. We should have some fun with them later."

Aunt Hu chimed in, "I had someone send you an invitation; did you receive it?"

Li Qu nodded: "Received."

She smiled much less.

The three concubines exchanged glances, all sighing in helplessness.

After chatting idly for a while, the group said goodbye, citing their need to return to help the second mistress with household affairs.

Later that day, Aunt Zheng gave her some jewelry that had been made at the public school this year.

This is the allowance for the concubine.

Li Qu invited Aunt Zheng to sit in the room and have tea.

Aunt Zheng pointed to the six-piece gold hairpin set with swaying ornaments on the tray and said, "We only got one piece. Madam is quite biased towards you."

Li Qu was surprised: "How could that be? The two ladies have a very good reputation and never show favoritism."

"We don't know, and we dare not ask."

Aunt Zheng leaned back in her chair, exuding charm, her eyes scanning Li Qu with a half-smile.

"If it's not that Madam is biased, then it must be Third Master's way of making up for it."

"To be honest, I can't compare to Sister Hu and Sister Xun."

“I am of lowly status; I was originally kept by the Second Master for his amusement.”

"Because he gave birth to a son, and since the Second Master was not an official, the Madam showed mercy and brought him back to the mansion, elevating him to the status of a concubine, thus securing his future."

"I have no one to rely on but Second Master, so I have never had any disagreements with him."

"Everyone has their own way of living, and I'm not trying to advise my sister on anything."

"I just wanted to say, sister, don't just follow the crowd."

"When a person is reincarnated, it's like flower petals dancing in the wind; some fall into the hands of noble people, while others fall into cesspools."

"How can the petals from a cesspool compare to the petals in the hands of a nobleman?"

Her candid words were truly from the bottom of her heart.

Life is full of helplessness, so it's best to figure out what you want.

Li Qu quickly thanked her, saying, "Thank you for your concern, sister."

"Okay, then I'll be going now. If anything happens, just send someone to let me know."

Li Qu saw her to the door, gazing at the swaying hairpin on her head, lost in thought.

People of different classes have different ways of living.

"Madam, why don't you take the initiative to apologize to Third Master?" suggested Granny Xu.

“Aunt Hu and Aunt Xun have powerful family backgrounds, while Aunt Hu’s family background is weak. If she really becomes estranged from Third Master, only Aunt Hu will suffer.”

Xu Mama wasn't the only one hoping that Li Qu would give in first.

Zhou Jin was also waiting at Mianxiao Residence.

He sat at his desk, looking at the embroidered purse on it, its embroidery now a mess of cuts, and waited and waited.

Instead of her, Bai Shisi Niang, who was bringing the meal, arrived instead.

He was in a terrible mood: "Let her in!"

He naively chose a way to provoke her and make her jealous.

The person he imagined being provoked was actually choosing the clothes and jewelry to wear on the day he went to the Wei family to see the plum blossoms and the horse race.