Chapter 102 But it made him feel extremely uneasy.

Tao Ye practically leaped up and ran to the door, pushing it forcefully.

Clang, clang, clang.

The only sound was the latch knocking on the wooden door.

She turned back to Qingling anxiously: "Miss, they've locked us inside!"

At the door, the old woman guarding the door said coldly, "Miss Qingling, the old lady has something to say: you should reflect on your actions inside."

Taoye ran back to Qingling's side: "Miss, what should we do? Are we really going to have to spend the night here?"

It's fine during the day, but at night, it's cold and hard here, how can anyone sleep?

Moreover, it's eerie and ghostly. The young lady is pregnant; what if she disturbs the fetus?

Yao Qingling was also furious.

She was polite to them, but they treated her with absolutely no respect!

Qingling clenched her fists, took a deep breath, and said to the door, "Go and tell the old lady that if she is not afraid of a fire that could cause deaths, then let the door remain locked."

The old woman disagreed.

The Lady Hou said that Miss Qingling is lawless and should be taught a lesson.

Does she still dare to burn down the ancestral hall?

Qingling stared at the motionless figure standing at the door, her eyes deep and somber.

Tao Ye blamed herself: "I shouldn't have come alone. I should have called Lou Yue too. With someone guarding the door, they wouldn't have had a chance."

"If Lin Qiao were here, she'd be so strong, she could kick the door open with one kick..."

As Qingling sat there, the image of Lin Shiyuan unexpectedly surfaced in her mind.

She once told Taoye that if she encountered any emergencies in the future, she could seek help from Lin Shiyuan.

Now that Peach Leaf is here too, who will go and inform them?

Even Lin Qiao couldn't be summoned.

She then thought of the time when Lin Shiyuan sneaked into Mulan Courtyard at night dressed in black.

Why haven't they explored it again?

Never mind, the Marquis's mansion isn't that big, but it's not that small either. He couldn't find the ancestral hall, which alerted the people in the mansion, and they even had something on him.

Yao Qingling sighed and looked at the butter lamp placed on the altar.

She couldn't very well just burn the ancestral hall down.

If the fire gets out of control, she could lose her life; and if she inhales too much smoke, it could affect the fetus... She didn't want to bear those consequences.

Once the fire was lit, the Marquis's mansion drove her out and severed all ties with her.

The old woman glanced inside and saw only two figures sitting slumped over.

She rolled her eyes and curled her lip in disdain.

Madam Hou is right. Miss Qingling is just all talk. Even if she's married, she's still just a little girl. How could she dare to set fire?

...

Yao Qingling was trapped in the ancestral hall.

It's been three days.

For the past three days, meals have been delivered to me at irregular times. The food was cold, the rice was thin, and there wasn't a single meat dish.

Tao Ye ate the bland vegetarian food with gritted teeth, then slammed the bowl and chopsticks back onto the plate.

It's dry and tasteless, and I can't eat it.

She ran to the door and yelled, "Why isn't there any meat? Did you sneak some along the way?"

The old woman at the door sneered, "You think you can have meat while locked up? You're dreaming."

Tao Ye kicked the door angrily; it did nothing but hurt her foot.

Qingling said, "Even if it's meat, eating cold dishes like this will only give me diarrhea. Let's just eat it like this."

They only wanted to punish her and make her submit; they didn't intend to kill her or bury her. She should be grateful to the people in this grand mansion; they hadn't gone so far as to be completely inhuman.

Qingling looked at the moonlight through a small hole in the window.

“Peach Leaf, do you remember? When we were little, we often came here to be punished. This ancestral hall is like an old friend of ours.”

Tao Ye gritted her teeth and chewed on the tough, chewy celery.

I remember, how could I not remember?

Winter was bitterly cold, freezing our bodies stiff. We had no choice but to take down the butter lamp to warm ourselves, filled with fear of offending our ancestors.

He burned the prayer cushion, almost causing a fire, and then he was punished with a beating.

In the sweltering summer, you're drenched in sweat, your clothes are soaked through, and they smell sour. The food you eat is also spoiled, and eating it gives you diarrhea.

After going outside, they saw Yao Qingqi and her brothers and sisters drinking iced plum juice, with servants fanning them.

They even mocked her, comparing her to a wild monkey that had fallen into the water.

Qingling reminisced about the past, slowly rubbing her fingers.

She will no longer compromise with this noble family.

...

Four days later, Lin Shiyuan passed by Yao Qingling's general store again and found that only workers were renovating, but Yao Qingling or her people were nowhere to be seen supervising the site.

The man stood quietly for a while, his dark eyes flickering slightly.

He went to Tongluo Lane.

She knocked on the door, and Lin Qiao opened it: "Brother?"

Lin Shiyuan asked, "Has Madam Yao gone on a long trip?"

Lin Qiao blinked: "Brother, what are you talking about? Miss is inside the room."

Lin Shiyuan frowned slightly: "At the manor?"

Lin Qiao was merely a guard here and had no authority to allow her brother to enter. She asked, "Do you need to see Miss? I'll go and inform her."

Lin Shiyuan remained silent.

Lin Qiao glanced at him and said, "If you want to come in, just say so. You're such a silent gourd again."

She ran in quickly and then ran out just as fast, saying, "Miss, please come in."

Lin Shiyuan lifted the corner of his robe and stepped over the threshold.

The house is not large; you can walk through the front yard to reach the main hall.

Besides Yao Qingling, there were several other people who looked like shopkeepers.

When Yao Qingling saw Lin Shiyuan come in, she waved her hand and told them all to leave.

She looked at Lin Shiyuan and asked him to sit down: "Did you need something from me?"

Lin Shiyuan looked her up and down and saw that she was just a little thinner.

He sat down and said, "I haven't seen you at the shop for several days. Did you get harassed after returning home that day?"

Qingling raised an eyebrow and slowly poured tea: "You left without saying goodbye that day."

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

That night on the rooftop, what started as a simple conversation, even with some disagreements, suddenly turned into the two of them lying down and falling asleep together.

Although it's a rooftop, there's still a distinction between men and women.

Moreover, it feels like the starry sky is your blanket and the roof is your mat.

When Lin Shiyuan woke up, he was immediately a little unsettled, his whole body tense and hot.

He carried her into the house and left before dawn, not daring to linger.

But now she brought it up herself.

Lin Shiyuan suddenly felt agitated.

That sound was like a complaint, a coquettish tone, and also like talking about something extremely ordinary.

But it made him feel very uneasy.

He suppressed his agitation and said in a deep voice, "There are other things to do. Besides, Yao Niangzi and I are just ordinary friends. There's no need for us to be so reluctant to part."

He glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eye.

Yao Qingling sipped her tea and looked out into the courtyard.

Lin Qiao was practicing her marksmanship, displaying a powerful and domineering style.

Her marksmanship had improved again, and Qingling told her to practice diligently so that she could become her personal bodyguard from now on.

However, there was another person in the courtyard who was learning martial arts—Taoye.

She squatted in a horse stance, her hands clenched into fists and pressed tightly against her waist. She had been squatting there for an unknown amount of time, and her body was swaying unsteadily, looking like she was about to give up.

Lin Shiyuan also looked into the courtyard.

With his discerning eye, Tao Ye's horse stance was unacceptable, and he would kick her and make her practice more.

Yao Qingling's calm and composed voice rang out: "I don't have many friends..."

She didn't say anything more, seemingly somewhat regretful.

But she quickly changed her tone and asked, "Why did you say that just now?"

Lin Shiyuan said, "If a woman doesn't come home at night, the household will definitely take it as a big deal."

The border in southern Xinjiang is in chaos, and women are not even allowed to leave their homes at night.

Although Yao Qingling lived in the capital, she was from an official family and was subject to even more strict etiquette.

Qingling nodded and made a soft "hmm" sound, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary: "I've been locked up."

Lin Shiyuan's eyes revealed a knowing look.

He had considered sneaking into the Marquis's residence at night, but after his last attempt, she was not happy, so he thought he would come and ask Lin Qiao about it today.

If he still had no news of her, he would go and investigate again.

Thinking about this, he realized that his words "ordinary friend" were unusual.