Chapter 65 Why can't she?

Liu Qi was hosting a birthday party, and Qiu Chu also went to Liu's residence.

Originally, it was a young lady's birthday celebration, and as an outsider with no connection to the Liu family, he really didn't need to join in the fun. He wasn't one to join in on celebrations, and he would never have gone with any other young lady. But this was because the Liu family's young lady's brother was his future brother-in-law! He hadn't met this brother-in-law yet; he'd heard his name and his good reputation, but he'd never considered befriending him, so he remained a stranger. Now that this man was about to become his brother-in-law, he had no choice but to meet him. After finding out, he wished he could grow wings and fly to see what the man looked like, what his character was like, and whether he was worthy of his sister. But since things weren't settled, he had to consider his sister's reputation, so he had refrained from going. Now that he had a legitimate reason, of course he had to go.

I saw him in the crowd.

He was indeed very handsome, and his demeanor was excellent, so the rumors seemed true. However, he was too dashing and too refined, appearing weak and lacking in masculinity. He thought that if he wore a traditional Chinese dress, he might be even more beautiful than a woman. He was very dissatisfied. But his sister liked it, and he didn't want to hurt her feelings. But he just wasn't satisfied.

To avoid losing his composure, he drank a lot of alcohol in silence. By the time he realized it was inappropriate, he had already overdosed, felt dizzy and lightheaded, and was afraid of making a scene, so he quickly made an excuse to leave the table.

Staggering along, when I couldn't hold on any longer, I grabbed a tree to steady myself.

Just as his eyes were glazed over and his mind was racing, a clear crimson begonia suddenly appeared in the hazy confusion, fluttering towards him. He found it strange, so he craned his neck and squinted, straining to see what it was looking at...

Seemingly having noticed him as well, Haitang stopped and hesitated in place.

She doesn't look like a young lady or anything like that.

He was genuinely drunk and his mind was unclear, so he actually beckoned to Haitang.

He could tell that Haitang hesitated for a while before slowly walking over and standing at a distance from him. She quietly bowed and then asked, "Does the young master have any instructions?"

She was indeed a girl, but she was quite pretty. Her skin was as white as fine porcelain, and her eyes were round and bright, like grapes. When she looked at people, her gaze was so sincere it was almost innocent...

My throat feels even drier...

"...I'd like a bowl of hangover soup."

"Please wait here, young master, and do not move."

The crabapple blossoms fluttered away.

I haven't seen him come back in a long time.

Maybe he won't come back.

After all, he's a non-male.

He regretted asking her name earlier.

Unexpectedly, she actually returned.

She bent down and presented the tray to him, saying softly, "This is your hangover soup, young master."

He no longer needed the hangover soup, but he still slowly finished it.

She stayed by his side, silent, her eyes fixed on the bowl in his hand, her black hair falling peacefully down.

They're probably waiting to take the bowl back.

Sure enough, he had just finished his soup when she reached out to take it from him.

Her wrists were as white as frost, with well-proportioned flesh and bone, and adorned with a jade bracelet. The jade was of poor quality, unworthy of such beautiful skin and flesh.

She took the bowl, bowed again, and then prepared to leave.

This time he called out to her and asked her name.

She looked up abruptly, her face filled with shock.

He had indeed been abrupt, and it was no wonder she was startled. Just as he was about to say a few words to comfort her, he suddenly heard her say, "Bitao." Then, as if emphasizing, she repeated it again in a firm tone: "My name is Bitao."

It turns out it wasn't a crabapple tree but a peach tree.

When he got home, he told his mother that he wanted her and begged her to go to the Liu family to ask for her on his behalf.

Unexpectedly, his mother flatly refused.

"How can this be! You've lost your mind! What are you going to say? How did you even get to see her maidservant from the inner quarters? Is this something to talk about? You can't not think about your sister! A maidservant, first she served her husband, and then she served her brother from her own family... How can you even bring yourself to say that!"

He felt his mother's words were too serious. It was just a small matter, and his family couldn't easily intervene. However, he knew that other people could help him. It was just a matter of a few words.

However, her mother firmly refused.

But he was determined to have it and insisted on arguing his case. His mother, however, became impatient and said, "Call your sister over. You can talk to her yourself."

Qiu Qingfang shared the same thoughts as her mother.

No. This won't do.

And so the matter was dropped.

Qiu Qingfang has now decided to bring it up again.

Her actions surprised Bitao greatly.

In late spring, the Liu family made summer clothes for everyone. Although they were maids, they were respectable maids, so the tailor still took their measurements one by one.

The tailor was not old, in her early twenties, and was a married woman. She had an ordinary face, but a rare silver tongue, and could chat with anyone with a smile.

Upon measuring Bitao, the tailor said, "Where are you from, young lady? You look familiar, like a relative of mine."

Unexpectedly, the tailor exclaimed in surprise, dropped his ruler, and tightly grasped Bitao's hand: "I am from He County! You look just like my aunt. When I was little, my mother took me to visit relatives. Although I only met her once, she was so beautiful. One time was enough. I still can't forget her. Are you her daughter? She married into a Yang family in Beibei. There's a mulberry tree in their yard, so thick that it would take two or three people to hug it. They say it's sixty years old..."

Bitao's surname is Yang.

Now everyone was looking at them.

Green Willow asked, "Is he really your relative?"

Bitao's expression was somewhat strange, as if she felt uncomfortable. Under everyone's gaze, she nodded with a forced laugh, "...It seems we really are relatives. My family does indeed have such a mulberry tree..."

Everyone in the room became excited.

"What a coincidence! Sister, sit down and have a good talk with her. Guo'er, go brew some tea and pick some fruit. Let's all sit with you for a while."

Everyone sat down.

It was strange. Despite being Bitao's relative, she didn't say much, just sat there, and didn't sit quietly either.

Because Bitao knew in her heart that this person was not her relative at all. She only recognized this relative because of the thing in her hand. She didn't know what the tailor had just given her, so she was eager to find out.

The next day, the tailor came to the Liu residence again. He didn't go through Yihe Hall, but went straight to Guangyi Hall. When he arrived, he stuffed the fabric and pastries he was carrying into Ziyu's hands.

“Yesterday when I went back, I told my mother about seeing my sister at the manor. My mother wants to see my sister… You don’t know, my aunt has been dead for over ten years, and my mother is almost sixty, practically half-buried… Please think of a way to fulfill her wish! My mother said that life was hard back then, and when sisters passed away, all they could do was cry…”

It's really hard to hear.

Ziyu immediately patted her chest and said, "Let her go with you, sister, so you can have a good chat with your family."

Bitao took a car to her cousin's house. Song's mother, who came with her, accompanied her to meet her gray-haired aunt. After exchanging a few words, she tactfully asked someone to lead her over for a drink.

After Mama Song left, Auntie followed her out, and a radiant young lady emerged from behind the screen.

Bitao was momentarily stunned, because she had seen her before.

Green Willow was an overly kind person. Even though she was afraid of her, she was still kind to her. She wanted Green Willow to know things that others knew, so Green Willow saw her future grandmother amidst the flowers.

Why is it her? Wasn't it him...?

Bitao's heart sank; she was very disappointed.

She came here for her own future.

A month ago, it was the young lady's birthday, and she was assigned to help in the kitchen. While she was busy, Granny Zhou, who was in charge of the flowers and trees in the mansion, suddenly came to find her and pulled her out of the noisy kitchen with a smile.

"Mom, just tell me what's wrong, I'm very busy."

Zhou looked at her and smiled, "Congratulations, young lady! Do you know Zhao Ersao, who manages the storeroom? You must have heard of her, right? She wants you to be the wife of her only son! Isn't that wonderful news, young lady! Zhao Ersao is very wealthy! And she only has this one precious child. From now on, her big house will be yours! You'll enjoy endless riches and honors! Today is a good day. You and your mother-in-law can meet. She has met you, but you haven't met her yet! Come on, I'll take you there! I'll tell you secretly that she has prepared a generous gift for you!" As she spoke, she tried to pull her away.

Bitao did not want this generous gift.

Of course, Granny Zhao Bitao knew that the person who managed the storeroom for the lady was wealthy and indeed had only one son, and that all her money would belong to this son in the future.

But Bitao just didn't want it.

Granny Zhao's son was actually quite handsome, but he was a glutton, a gambler, and a womanizer. At only twenty years old, he was already bankrupt and looked like a consumptive.

Bitao felt unlucky, but more than that, she was afraid. She was afraid that she would really become the wife of such a slut. Although she was a servant, she had no one to rely on in the Liu family, while Granny Zhao had deep roots. Her future fate was just a matter of a few words from her.

She thought of escaping.

"Auntie, stop joking! Don't you know what day it is today? I'm so busy I barely have time to breathe, I don't have time to play pranks on you! Come and tease me another day!"

After saying that, he turned to leave, without even going to the kitchen.

But Granny Zhou wasn't joking. "Don't go, girl!" She grabbed her with both hands, like crab claws, and wouldn't let go. After all, she had taken the benefits to do a good job, and if the job didn't work out, she would have to give back the benefits.

Bitao fought back desperately, unafraid of offending anyone. She used all her strength to push the person to the ground with a loud thud, and Granny Zhou screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

Bitao ignored her and only cared about escaping.

Perhaps the gift was too generous, because Granny Zhou was reluctant to return it, and she still chased after it despite her limp.

As Bitao hid, she pondered, and eventually found a place no one could guess.

They were not allowed to go to the front yard, because they would run into people there.

Just like right now.

She was about to leave, but he beckoned her over.

Should I go or not? If I go, it's against the rules, and if someone finds out, she'll be in big trouble. If I don't go, and he gets angry and investigates, I'll be in the same boat.

After much deliberation, I decided to go.

It must be some young master from a family who came to a banquet today, got drunk and wandered here, saw her and asked her for some hangover soup.

He was drunk, and she could have ignored him without any serious consequences, but she still decided to give him a hangover soup.

Because of the way he looked at her.

The young master also had that look in his eyes, but he wouldn't look at her, nor at anyone else, only at Shanlai...

She thought of one possibility.

If Shanlai can do it, why can't she?

Even if there's only the slightest chance, she'll seize it, stubbornly cling to it...

He asked her name.

In an instant, everything felt light and airy, making one's body go limp, as if one wanted to fly away...

But what he said was clear and powerful.

It's Bitao, not someone else.

As she returned to the kitchen, a strange joy welled up inside her. She thought, perhaps it really is true, and she too can marry a noble young man and live a glamorous life...

However, nothing happened.

There was no sound, no one took her away, and Granny Zhao didn't come to ask her for anything.

Actually, yes, the lady approached the young master, but he refused because Shanlai pleaded with him on her behalf.

This is what Chengfeng told her.

Because of Shanlai, she didn't have to jump into the fire pit.

Chengfeng was happy for her, and she was happy too, but what was most prominent in her heart was hatred.

I hate it so much. Why? We're both human...

Why didn't she die back then?!

She refused to accept her fate, so she kept telling herself to wait.

Finally, it's here.

The tailor wasn't her relative, but the scene in the painting was something that had actually happened.

He finally came to find her.

But why not him...?

She was stunned when her former future grandmother smiled at her and said, "I'm so glad to see you, sister-in-law."

She was a smart woman, and in a flash, she figured out the key point. In an instant, her scalp tightened, her mouth and throat went dry, and her heart pounded like a drum...

“Sister-in-law, you are so lucky. My brother treats you so sincerely… He saw you the other day and went back to ask my mother to help him marry you. My mother disagreed, so he made a scene with her. In the end, he had to use me to persuade him to give up his idea… Sister-in-law, please don’t blame me. I didn’t know about these things before. Isn’t it because my marriage to your family fell through? Now that there’s no obstacle, my brother has brought it up again and come to me, asking me to persuade my mother to let you two be together…”

Upon hearing this, Bitao was inwardly turbulent, but outwardly remained calm.

She knew things wouldn't be that simple.

“My mother is always a woman of her word, and once she's made up her mind, she rarely changes it. But my brother is my own brother, and he asked me for help, so of course I have to help him. What do you think, sister-in-law? He said that as long as I can get this done for him, he'll agree to anything I ask for... I don't want anything in return, I just want my sister-in-law to do me a small favor.”

"Let's not beat around the bush. I want to teach that Shan Lai a lesson. My sister-in-law is always with him, so she'll surely find a way to help me, won't she?"

"As long as you agree, I will give you five hundred taels of silver immediately. You can take it back to redeem yourself, and the rest will be your private savings. This house is also yours. You can live here after you get out, and wait for your brother to take you into the mansion."

"What do you say, sister-in-law?"

Of course, that's great, but...

She remained silent, which annoyed Qiu Qingfang, who felt that the person was ungrateful.

"Does your sister-in-law not want to?"

"I……"

It wasn't that she was unwilling, but that she was afraid her future husband would find out.

She is a gentle and pitiful girl, how could she harm someone?

What will she do if he finds out and stops loving her...?

"Sister-in-law, now that you're here, you're on my side. Getting on is easy, but getting off is hard. You don't want me to use any tricks against you, do you?"

Bitao thought she needed a promise.

So, with tears streaming down her face, she said in a trembling voice, "I'll do whatever you say, I'll do whatever you ask, but... can... can you please not let him know... I don't want him to know..."