Chapter 35: I promise you.

Li Yue'er turned her head blankly to look at another carriage. The hazy night shrouded the carriage, blurring the view. Only the lantern with the character "Qu" written on it was the most eye-catching.

Her mind went blank, and she instinctively stepped toward the light. Not seeing the footstool in front of the car, she stumbled and fell forward, hitting her knee with a dull thud.

Fortunately, Teng Huang and Dan Sha reacted quickly and supported her from both sides, allowing her to barely stand.

Rattan Huang cradled her palm in his and carried her to the carriage.

Li Yue'er was preoccupied with other things and didn't feel any pain at all.

She bent down and crawled into the carriage.

The mistress's carriage was more spacious, with lights embedded in the four corners of the carriage. Stepping inside felt like entering a small, bright inner room. Except for not being able to stand or walk around freely, it had everything else one would expect.

Normally, Li Yue'er would have looked around curiously, but at this moment her eyes were only on the mistress.

The mistress was sitting on the soft couch facing the carriage door, reading a book. When she saw her come in, she barely managed to look up at her.

It was still that same cold and indifferent face, those aloof phoenix eyes, filled with disdain and indifference, sweeping over her.

But when Li Yue'er saw this face, it was like a drowning person seeing the last piece of driftwood and instinctively reaching out to grab it.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Yue'er lifted her skirt and knelt directly at the feet of the mistress, raising her face and saying, "Please help me, mistress."

Her vision was blurry, but her voice was clear: "I want him dead."

She couldn't wait any longer; she wanted that beast to die. As long as he lived, her mother, sister, and even herself would never have a peaceful life.

She had tried over the years, but unfortunately, she was always just a little short, whether in terms of strength or luck. Perhaps that was why that beast insisted on selling her, an educated woman, into a merchant's household as a concubine.

In this world, those tainted by money are considered dirty, and those who have been associated with commerce are considered stinking. Compared to scholars who are born superior, no matter how wealthy a merchant is, he is still base and vile at heart, and cannot be considered respectable.

This was that beast's humiliation and retaliation against her.

He planned that after selling both of his daughters, he would divorce the useless Ming family and sever all ties with them. Then he would be a clean and honest scholar, the purest and most innocent scholar in the world.

Li Yue'er knew exactly what he was thinking. Her heart was filled with hatred, and she even forgot that the mistress was only responsive to gentle persuasion.

Her lips trembled, tears welled in her eyes but stubbornly refused to fall, and she maintained an upright posture, trying to negotiate with the mistress to get her help.

But she had no worth whatsoever, and she couldn't find any benefits that would tempt the mistress, because her food, clothing, shelter, and even the skills she had learned were all provided by the mistress.

Only now did Li Yue'er realize that she was utterly useless, unable even to die together with that beast.

Li Yue'er slowly loosened her grip on the mistress's dress, her fingers clenched so tightly that the veins on the back of her hands bulged. Her fingertips were numb and stiff. She slowly sat down on her calves, finally lowering her eyes and head.

It's like even the last bit of pride has vanished.

Li Yue'er has always been proud, but it has been worn down and shattered.

She had to admire Su Rou. Both of them had fallen into the mire, but Su Rou had fallen deeper and hurt more, yet she remained proud to the core. Only she had long lost that pride, leaving only a half-straight spine.

She never truly bowed her head when she begged the mistress that night, because deep down she prided herself on being educated, principled, and flexible. She felt it was not shameful to beg the mistress's bed for her sister's sake and for survival.

But in reality, she is nothing.

She didn't know how to ask the mistress to do such a murderous thing. Even if someone was completely ignorant of the law, he wouldn't do such a deadly thing without enough incentive.

Li Yue'er bit her lower lip, feeling helpless and lost, as if she had fallen back into the water, suffocating and feeling a dull pain in her chest.

Her arms were so heavy she couldn't lift them, so they rested on her legs. Her fingertips trembled unconsciously. Like a Bodhisattva in prayer, she raised her face again and whispered softly, without any hope, "Please help me, I'm willing to give my life—"

repay.

Qu Rong had never seen Li Yue'er like this before.

Her slender, white neck drooped to the lowest point, as if it would break at the slightest touch.

She had forgotten even the tricks of feigning weakness and acting coquettishly, and she couldn't even utter the sweet words that usually coaxed her. She just knelt there, stubbornly trying to offer something in exchange for her benefits.

It seems that only in this way would she be willing to humble herself and help her.

Qu Rong closed the book and placed it on her lap, pursed her lips, lowered her eyes, and quietly looked at Li Yue'er.

Seeing the tears welling up in her eyes for a long time, she awkwardly lowered her head, unwilling to let anyone see them.

Seeing her slump onto her calves, he tried to grab her skirt with his fingertips but then withdrew them.

She knew what she was asking for.

That was a human life, the life of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations, not ordinary objects or gold and silver.

She wanted to offer something tempting and enticing enough to get her help, but she didn't want to ask for nothing in return.

Qu Rong thought that as long as Li Yue'er was willing to raise her face and cry to her, she would nod even if she didn't say anything.

But she insisted on hiding her true vulnerability from her.

Ultimately, it was neither that he trusted her nor that he truly gave her his heart.

If Qu Rong herself is like this, how can she expect Li Yue'er, with whom she has only shared a bed for a month, to open up to her?

That's all.

Teng Huang said that she had held on all afternoon at home without shedding a single tear, and it was rare for her to cry like this in front of her. Why should she argue with her about whether it was sincere or not?

Besides, what she wanted was never true love, only loyalty.

Li Yue'er has done it, and done it very well.

Qu Rong's fingertips twitched slightly, and she was about to speak when Li Yue'er suddenly raised her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, which rolled down her face and dripped onto her clothes.

Her lower lip trembled slightly as she bit it until it bled.

"Please help me, I'll give my life—"

Need not.

Qu Rong bent down and lowered her eyes, "Okay."

Li Yue'er was stunned, not only because the mistress had agreed to her request, but also because of the warm and soft touch on her forehead.

She knew her mistress's habits; she was not allowed to touch her face, nor would she kiss her on the lips.

But at this moment, the mistress's lips touched her forehead, like a dragonfly gliding across the water, a gentle touch that stirred up ripples.

For some reason, Li Yue'er couldn't stop her tears. She knew that her mistress was a year younger than her, but at this moment, she, who could be the older sister, buried her face in her mistress's lap and cried out in suppressed pain.

She couldn't cry in front of her mother, because her mother would feel sorry for her and blame herself. She couldn't cry in front of her younger sister either, because her sister was too young and would be scared.

She had to force herself to appear as if she had a lot of ideas.

But now she clutched the dress on the mistress's leg and slowly began to cry.

Her sleeves were covered in mud, and her fingers, which had been soaked in water and used for a long day of rough work, were dry and unsightly. She lay there on her own lap, her shoulders trembling as she clutched her clothes tightly.

Qu Rong bent down slightly, raising her hand and sleeve together to almost completely envelop Li Yue'er, who was kneeling in front of her. Her sleeve covered Li Yue'er's thin back, and her palm gently patted her back. "I promise you."

Whatever you want, I'll grant it to you.

After venting her grievances and distress, Li Yue'er slowly regained her composure. Even while crying so hard, she didn't forget to wipe her tears and snot with her sleeve, making sure not to soil her mistress's clothes.

She looked up.

The mistress's face was very close, her eyelashes were down, and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye was obvious.

Li Yue'er couldn't resist. She reached out and wrapped her arms around the mistress's neck, pulling her down. Her moist, bloodied lips gently pressed against the red beauty mark under the mistress's eye. Her low, husky voice pleaded softly, "Just this once, mistress, please don't dislike me."

Qu Rong subconsciously closed her eyes, her heart trembling slightly, and responded softly with a nasal tone, "Mmm."

After Li Yue'er finished crying, she took a handkerchief, dipped it in water, and wiped her face clean before the carriage slowly moved forward.

The car had already traveled two miles when the mistress seemed to just remember, and slowly turned her head to ask her, "Aren't you going to stay overnight? You can go back tomorrow."

Li Yue'er, "..."

If the mistress had said this sooner, she might have taken advantage of her pitiful state to beg the mistress to let her stay and keep her mother and sister company for the night.

It's too late to turn back now!

Li Yue'er didn't know whether her mistress did it on purpose or not. As she bent down to wipe the mud off her sleeves, she deliberately said in a gentle voice, "If you want to stay, please send me back, mistress."

The mistress, "..."

Qu Rong began to concentrate on reading.

The carriage was quiet, with only the soft sound of her turning the pages of her book.

Li Yue'er glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, and couldn't help but stretch out her foot, gently kicking the upper of the mistress's shoe with her toe, "You asked this on purpose."

Qu Rong lifted her eyelids to glance at her, then looked down at her audacious feet, raising an eyebrow slightly, "...If you get them dirty, you'll have to clean them yourself."

Let her swipe it.

She was not only willing to brush Qu Rong's shoes, but she was also willing to wash Qu Rong's underwear.

Li Yue'er sat down next to the mistress and deliberately touched her with her dirty sleeve. When she met the mistress's expression of frowning in disgust and pursing her lips in silence, she smiled and said, "The shoes have already been washed, let alone a couple more pieces of clothing."

As he spoke, he reached out to touch her waist.

Qu Rong rolled the book into a tube and tapped it lightly on the back of Li Yue'er's hand, scoffing at her, "You scoundrel."

Seeing that Li Yue'er's expression relaxed and she finally smiled, she breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did she remember to make amends for herself, "It's not safe to go back in the dark and snowy night."

She believed that other places were unsafe, but how chaotic could Chenhe County be?

Besides, the snow is light and melting; there's no snow or ice on the ground, so why wouldn't it be safe to go back?

These were clearly just excuses from the mistress to prevent her from staying overnight.

Li Yue'er knew that her expression was not suitable for going home and causing her mother and sister to worry, so she pretended to believe the mistress's nonsense and nodded.

Her obedient response drew a glance from the mistress, who, as compensation, promised her, "Next time."

On the way back, Li Yue'er quietly leaned on her shoulder with her eyes down. Qu Rong, with the mentality of "it's already dirty, so let's just let it go", let her lean on her and read her book while keeping her on her shoulder.

The carriage finally arrived at the Qu family's residence.

When she got off the bus, Qu Rong felt numbness in half of her body, and her arms were sore.

At that moment, she suddenly felt a strange sense of relief that Li Yue'er had started her period...

Meeting Li Yue'er's gaze, Qu Rong slowly turned her face away, pretending to straighten her sleeves, and secretly rubbed her wrists and forearms.

Although Li Yue'er's eyes were red under the lantern light, she seemed much better. Rattan Huang raised his hand to his chest and let out a long sigh of relief.

When they arrived at the Li family's gate, she and Dansha stood outside the carriage. They could only hear Yue'er's suppressed sobs; they heard almost nothing else in the conversation.

Feeling sorry for Yue'er, she turned to Dansha and said, "Why don't you go to the street now and buy some things for Yue'er?"

cinnabar,"……"

Dansha looked up at the sky; snowflakes were seeping down from the dark expanse.

Yes, Yue'er's life is her life, but hers isn't.

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Cinnabar: I have no official title, I am not easily angered, and it is difficult for me to harbor hatred towards you. [melted]