Chapter 2 I Picked Up a Man and Bringed Him Home

The girl was dressed smartly and exquisitely, but Qin Lizheng stared at her with indifferent eyes.

Just as they were about to drive them away again, another carriage happened to stop nearby. A figure suddenly appeared in the window of the carriage wall. Beneath the mustache was a plump face, wearing an official hat, and his eyes were filled with concern.

Qian Yingyi also heard the commotion, turned her face to meet the person's gaze, and after a moment, smiled happily, "Greetings, Uncle Lin."

Lin Bianhong was startled when he saw the puddle of red water on the ground. He didn't have time to ask questions, but when he heard the girl call him, his eyes immediately fell on Qian Yingyi's face. He felt that she looked familiar, so he raised his voice and asked, "Good girl, whose family are you from?"

"Uncle Lin, have you forgotten? Last year at the spring banquet, I came to your house with my second aunt and even asked you for a cup of tea."

Lin Bianhong blinked his caring eyes, then suddenly remembered, "Is she Old Qian's beloved granddaughter?"

He hurriedly lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage. A servant held an umbrella over his head, and he pretended to look at Qin Lizheng, who was leaning against the wall, and put on a bit of the demeanor of a prefectural magistrate. "Why is this person injured and lying here? Did he bully you?"

Seeing the guards following behind Qian Yingyi, Lin Bianhong mistakenly took Qin Lizheng for a scoundrel who was bullying women.

Qin Lizheng's heart sank, knowing that nothing could be accomplished today. Therefore, he remained silent and decided to continue the charade, pretending to be an injured person.

Xia Ling gently nudged Qian Yingyi's arm at the opportune moment. Qian Yingyi glanced at Qin Lizheng's figure; he had broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and very strong arms. Even with his legs bent and staggered, one could estimate his size...

After thinking for a moment, Qian Yingyi raised her chin and smiled at Lin Bianhong, explaining, "He didn't bully me. I was just passing by when I saw that he was injured, so I thought I'd help him out."

Lin Bianhong was known as a good official who loved the people. After Qian Yingyi explained the situation, he put away his official airs and immediately beckoned two servants to help Qin Lizheng to the side under the bricks and tiles to take shelter from the rain.

After helping out, he glanced at Qian Yingyi and said politely, "Look, don't just stand here like an idiot. You're a good girl, knowing how to help strangers. Leave the trivial matters to the servants. Would you like to come inside with me and sit for a while? I remember that Wenying and you know each other."

Qian Yingyi had no intention of entering the Lin residence; she only planned to secretly inquire about Yan Wenying's situation from outside.

Upon hearing Lin Bianhong's invitation to enter the mansion, she immediately felt uneasy. Firstly, she was not very familiar with Yan Wenying, and secondly, Lin Yuhu had just been escorted home from the brothel by the wet nurse, so Lin Bianhong probably did not know about it yet.

If she were to enter the mansion with him, and the Lin family were to cause a scene, it would be inappropriate for her to be there.

Therefore, Qian Yingyi's eyes lingered on Qin Lizheng. She nodded at him and replied to Lin Bianhong in a charming manner, "It's raining, which is really bad luck. Uncle Lin must be busy with official business to be home at this time. My second aunt and I will visit you later."

Lin Bianhong was only polite for a moment, then turned his gaze more affectionate. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he heard Qian Yingyi ask, "But I really haven't seen Sister Yan for a long time. Uncle Lin, how has Sister Yan been lately?"

"She's eating and sleeping well."

Lin Bianhong knew all too well how outrageous Lin Yuhu had been in the past, but he had suppressed all those foolish things he had done. Although Yan Wenying had caused trouble a few times, the household still treated her well, so it wasn't that she was bad to him.

After saying this, he waved his hand and politely took his leave from Qian Yingyi.

Qian Yingyi glanced in the direction Lin Bianhong had left for a moment, and concluded that Yan Wenying seemed to be doing well on the surface, so she put aside her desire to find out more.

She turned her head and stared at Qin Lizheng for a few moments, a gentle smile curving her lips. "Speak, do you still want me to save you?"

The young lady spoke back and forth with Lin Bianhong for a while, and introduced herself as having the surname Qian. Qin Lizheng had already gone through the list of officials with the surname Qian in Jinling in his mind, and quickly figured out which family she came from.

Today's plans were abruptly thwarted by her, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't annoyed. Fortunately, he retained his composure, and after some deliberation, Qin Lizheng turned his gaze to this young lady...

After a few moments of hesitation, he nodded with a tight-lipped expression.

Lin Bianhong has already met him today, so he shouldn't go into the Lin residence again. Since she is acquainted with the Lin family, he can start by getting close to her instead.

Qian Yingyi smiled, her eyes holding a hint of approving satisfaction as she looked at him. A gust of cold wind blew by, and she happened to glance down and noticed a few streaks of red blood seeping into the soles of her shoes.

That smile instantly turned into annoyance. She couldn't help but rub the soles of her shoes on a stone step, then turned around and got into the carriage, saying to herself, "Go home, have two people stay here to look after things, and send someone else to bring raincoats."

The carriage circled back to Pipa Lane when it was completely dark. Qian Yingyi returned home and bumped into her second uncle, Qian Younian, in the garden. Qian Younian grabbed her shoulder as she tried to slip away and asked with a smile, "Where have you been having fun in the dead of winter?"

Qian Yingyi was feeling uncomfortable because her skirt was filthy, so she slipped away from Qian Younian and ran to her own courtyard, not forgetting to say, "I'll go back and change my clothes first, Second Uncle, let's go have dinner with Grandpa later!"

Qian Younian laughed and scolded, then called out, "I know, hurry up! Qiyu will be back in the afternoon, waiting for you to come home so we can play together!"

"knew!"

Qian Yingyi made her way back to Yunteng Pavilion, changed into an apricot-yellow dress, and replaced her round-necked jacket with a light pink stand-up collar short jacket. She then carefully changed into phoenix-head shoes, took a hand warmer, and headed to the flower hall.

Upon entering, the first thing you see is a round-eyed boy with red lips and white teeth. He has a black headscarf tied around his head, and a lake-green robe makes him look even more mischievous. He comes bounding over from afar, his voice very loud, calling out to Qian Yingyi "elder sister" repeatedly.

This is the boy born to Qian Younian, named Qiyu. He is eighteen years old now, only two months younger than Qian Yingyi, and is studying at the prefectural school.

The two grew up under the same roof since they were ten years old. The more Qian Yingyi ignored him, the more he wanted to get close to her.

After calling out to Qian Yingyi repeatedly, Qian Qiyu hurriedly pulled up a round stool by the table, pressed Qian Yingyi's shoulder down to sit, and then, as if presenting a treasure, lifted the food box on the table, revealing a bowl of honey-glazed rose taro inside.

Qian Qiyu urged with a grin, "Sister, this isn't the kind of food to eat at this time of year, but I know you love it, so I bought some on my way home. Try it quickly, I've been waiting for you at home for ages."

Qian Yingyi raised an eyebrow, couldn't help but flick Qian Qiyu's nose with a smile, and then turned to speak to the person seated above her, "Grandpa, I did something today."

Qian Lanting was seated at the head of the table. Although his grandchildren were all grown up, he looked energetic and handed a pair of chopsticks to Qian Yingyi, saying with a smile, "No matter what important things you have to do, let's talk about them after we finish eating. The food is almost cold just waiting for you."

Qian Yingyi could only lower her head and respond with embarrassment, putting aside the matter of saving the man for the time being, and obediently sat down at the table to eat.

During the meal, Qian Lanting glanced at the gold and gemstone-inlaid headdress on his second daughter-in-law Xu Jun's head, took a few bites of rice, and put a piece of braised goose on each of Qian Yingyi and her siblings' plates. He then suddenly spoke to Qian Younian: "The year-end has just passed, and your brother and sister-in-law have only recently returned to the capital. They've already sent another letter."

A sudden question caught Qian Yingyi off guard, causing her to look up blankly, "What brings Father's letter again?"

"I was having dinner with your second uncle," Qian Lanting paused before continuing, "I didn't come to urge you to return to the capital."

Qian Yingyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"What news has come from your elder brother this time?" Qian Younian asked, holding a bowl with some confusion.

Although Qian Lanting requested to be transferred back to Jinling, he still left his eldest son, Qian Jinnian, to serve as the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. Qian Jinnian would always briefly explain some of the events that happened in the capital in his letters home.

"Your elder brother said that at the end of the year, there were errors in the accounts of the six ministries, and the accounts did not match. The emperor was furious."

Qian Younian's heart skipped a beat. He pondered his father's words and glanced sharply at the spear on Xu Jun's head, but said nothing.

Qian Lanting continued, “The officials of the Six Ministries are all seasoned veterans, having been fried in oil countless times. They’ve become greasy from the pursuit of profit. I reckon they’ll only get a reprimand at most for this commotion. After all, the Emperor is only human; he only has two hands and needs someone to act as his three heads and six arms to do his bidding.”

“Those people will be more restrained in the future, but they will still be full of grease, it’s just that…” Qian Lanting took another bite of rice, his voice a little deeper, “Local officials are different. They have less say, but more ability to do things for others. They can’t climb very high themselves, and being stuck in the middle, they are most likely to not get the best of both worlds.”

Qian Lanting glanced at his second son, and after a short while, ladled a spoonful of fish soup for him. "The matter mentioned in your elder brother's letter reminded me. I think that as the county magistrate of Yongping, you don't need to take on this undesirable task, do you?"

Qian Younian understood perfectly well that his father was admonishing him not to do bad things because of greed. So he quickly took the spoonful of fish soup, smiled and praised the fish soup for being fresh and tender, and said, "I know."

After saying that, he pointed to the heart-shaped ornament on Xu Jun's head and said frankly, "Father, what do you think of this heart-shaped ornament?"

Xu Jun quickly put down her chopsticks and glared at Qian Younian with a mixture of anger and reproach. Qian Younian, however, smiled and continued, "I understand what Father means. I'm all grown up now, and I know that Father doesn't want to act like an elder in front of me. Please rest assured, the hat on your daughter-in-law's head was made by exchanging the grain distributed at the end of the year and adding some of my own money."

Xu Jun was taken aback, then her expression changed instantly. "You actually had some hidden money!?"

Qian Younian secretly realized he had let something slip, timidly shrank back, buried his face in the bowl, and remained silent.

Qian Lanting smiled, deciding to leave it at that and not intending to continue the conversation. Pointing at the two elders and the two juniors, he jokingly scolded, "Look at you two elders, your actions and words are not as composed as your juniors'!"

Qian Yingyi and Qian Qiyu were initially startled, but upon hearing this, they burst into laughter, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere in the hall once again.

After finishing their dinner, Qian Qiyu insisted on going out with Qian Yingyi to stroll along the Qinhuai River, but Xu Jun grabbed his ear and dragged him back to his room, where he obediently went to study.

Qian Younian, also having some trivial matters to review at the yamen, carried a yellow gauze lantern and turned to go to the other side.

Only Qian Yingyi remained, sitting in the flower hall keeping Qian Lanting company as he brewed tea.

The room fell silent for a moment before Qian Lanting spoke: "Tell me, what did you do today? What kept you from returning home until dark?"

Qian Yingyi immediately perked up and excitedly told Qian Lanting about Lin Yuhu being taken away from the brothel, without realizing that there was anything wrong with the word "brothel" coming from the mouth of a young lady like her.

Qian Lanting frowned repeatedly upon hearing this, so he put on a stern face and flicked her forehead with his finger, "Who gave you permission to look there?!"

"Ouch..." Qian Yingyi winced and clutched her forehead in pain, but quickly raised her chin defiantly again, "It was Boss Chen who asked me to meet him there. If it weren't for wanting to earn some money, why would I have gone? Grandpa's beatings are getting worse and worse!"

Qian Lanting naturally knew that Qian Yingyi was the 'Little Red Bean of Jinling', which gave him quite a headache. He had been proud and upright for half his life and had two decent sons. His two grandchildren were also very well-behaved. It was Qian Yingyi and Qian Qiyu who gave him a headache!

Especially this little granddaughter in front of him, who was writing strange tales at such a young age. At first, he thought it was just a girl's pastime. A few years ago, he asked her for a copy to read, but he was so frightened at night that he found his own white hair terrifying.

Qian Lanting took a deep breath and retorted, "During festivals, the red envelopes your grandfather gives you are the biggest, and your parents often send you money. Isn't that enough for you? What kind of money do you expect a young lady like you to earn?"

Qian Yingyi snorted: "How I spend my money is my own business. I often give you paintings that you like, which were also purchased with money, and I've never seen you refuse to accept them!"

At this point, Qian Yingyi realized that she had spoken too quickly and started arguing with the old man again. Now was not the time to anger him.

So he changed to a fawning smile and stood behind Qian Lanting, gently pressing his head down.

Qian Lanting relaxed, his brows twitching as he said lazily, "You still haven't told me what you did today."

Qian Yingyi: "I picked up a man and took him home."

"...What?" Qian Lanting's eyes widened in shock. He quickly stood up, looked Qian Yingyi up and down, and seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, he angrily scolded, "Nonsense!"

Qian Yingyi pouted, "Don't be so quick to blame me. I ran into that young master Wu again today. He kept pestering me so much that I had no choice. The guards in the house are all quite skilled, but because of your past discipline, they dare not do anything to young master Wu. It was just a coincidence that I picked up a man!"

After that, he explained the whole story.

Qian Lanting, leaning on the chair, took a long time to catch his breath before urgently asking, "Where is that person?"

Qian Yingyi hurriedly called out, "Xia Ling!"

Xia Ling entered the hall with her head bowed and briefly explained the situation, saying that the man she had picked up was placed in a side room. Since Qian Yingyi had not given any instructions, she had only hastily bandaged his wounds and was now waiting for Qian Yingyi's arrangements.

"Bring him here," Qian Lanting instructed, furrowing her brow slightly.

Xia Ling responded and withdrew.

Qian Yingyi looked up at Qian Lanting, her soft cheeks twitching slightly. She smiled, took his arm, and leaned close to him. "Grandpa, you agreed, didn't you?"

"Who said I agreed? Don't try to take advantage of me!"

Qian Lanting tried to pull her arm away, but couldn't, so she let her cling to her. "I'll talk about it after I've seen the person."

Qian Yingyi leaned happily against the old man's still relatively strong arm and said a few words to cheer him up, "Grandpa, from childhood to adulthood, you have always loved me the most. I want to stay by your side for the rest of my life."

Qian Lanting didn't show it on his face, but he was secretly delighted.

When Qin Lizheng followed Xia Ling into the flower hall, he saw the rosy-cheeked young lady leaning to one side, her thin shoulders slumped on the chair, her hands holding a cup in each hand, clinking them together playfully.

The young lady stopped looking at him, but another gaze, full of scrutiny, scrutinized him from head to toe.

After a short while, Qian Lanting said, "I have heard the whole story. May I ask how you were injured?"

Qin Lizheng turned his gaze slightly upon hearing the voice, glancing indifferently at the person who had spoken.

He was the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works in Southern Zhili. Ten years ago, he served as Junior Tutor in the capital. He was a humble and kind person.

While waiting in the side room, he had already thoroughly figured out the entire Qian family.

The two cups were still clinking together. If one were to scrutinize it closely, it could be considered impolite. Qin Lizheng watched silently. This Minister Qian did not intend to reprimand his granddaughter. Clearly, he was wary of him and did not treat him as a "guest".

Qin Lizheng's voice sounded exceptionally calm amidst the crisp clinking sound, "Reporting to Your Excellency, I was injured by a creditor."

"Creditor? What creditor? Judging from your accent, you're not from the Nanjing area."

Qin Lizheng lowered his eyes and began to recount the prepared story: "My younger brother and I are from the capital. We came south to make a living and worked at the docks. My younger brother lost a lot of money at a gambling den and ran away a few days ago. The people at the gambling den couldn't find him, so they had to come to me."

He stood there, calmly letting Qian Lanting look him over, and his expression remained unchanged as he recounted this series of fabricated stories.

Seeing that he was tall and upright, and that even though he was injured and rain-soaked and looked a little disheveled, he still had a sharp edge to him, Qian Lanting made a decision and raised his hand, saying, "Please sit down."

After sitting down, Qian Lanting tied his arms behind his back, paced back and forth in the hall a couple of times, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Lin Zheng".

Qian Lanting narrowed his eyes slightly and glanced outside the hall. The butler outside understood and quietly withdrew.

Just then, there was another commotion outside, a noisy din and heavy footsteps, as if they were running and about to overturn the floor tiles. It turned out that Qian Qiyu, that rascal, had returned, unwilling to study, and had secretly slipped away.

Upon entering the hall and seeing the unfamiliar man, Qian Qiyu exclaimed "Huh?" twice and stepped forward to ask, "Grandpa, who is he?"

"You sneaked over here again, be careful your mother beats you!" Qian Lanting glanced at his grandson, then looked at Qian Yingyi, before coughing lightly and admonishing, "Yingyi, there are guests here, what kind of behavior is this? Sit up straight and put the cup down."

The maidservants who were serving outside the hall hurried in to pour tea.

Now I'm thinking about hospitality.

Qin Lizheng knew what Qian Lanting meant. He politely drank two cups of tea. When the maid brewed the third cup, the steward who had left earlier returned and waited outside the door, giving Qian Lanting a slight nod.

Once Qian Lanting received confirmation, he lowered his scrutinizing gaze, questioned the woman carefully, and finally asked, "Do you know martial arts?"

"I know a little bit about it."

"Yingyi, call your little hawksbill turtle over here." Qian Lanting tilted his head and instructed Qian Yingyi, then smiled at Qin Lizheng, "Today, my granddaughter saved you. Originally, I should have let you go back, but my family happens to be short of a few guards. If you don't mind, you can have a contest with the guards beside my granddaughter."

The sound of the glasses clinking had long since faded, replaced by the sound of knuckles lightly tapping the table; this young lady always seemed to enjoy making some noise.

Qin Lizheng pursed his thin lips slightly, cupped his hands, and said, "Thank you, sir."

Qian Yingyi waved to Xia Ling, who immediately went to call someone.

Before long, a young man dressed as a guard arrived. He was quite tall and dressed in black from head to toe, except for two brown threads woven into the tassel of his sword. He looked to be no more than eighteen or nineteen years old.

Little Tortoiseshell had already heard Xia Ling mention it a few times before she arrived. Seeing that the rain had stopped, she decided not to go into the flower hall. Instead, she stood upright in an open space outside and extended her hand to Qin Lizheng, saying, "Please enlighten me."

Qin Lizheng got up and walked outside the hall. Before he could even steady himself, Xiao Daimao launched a series of attacks. Qin Lizheng curled his lips slightly, his eyes hiding a hint of disdain, or perhaps a provocation. He simply dodged backward, flipped over and used the momentum to kick Xiao Daimao's left shoulder. Taking advantage of the pain, he pressed down on Xiao Daimao's body with his knee and pulled his arms behind his back.

"...Ouch...ouch ouch ouch!" the little hawksbill turtle howled, baring its teeth, "Let go, let go, let go!"

Qin Lizheng calmly released him, without even panting.

Fu Erchao bowed to Qian Lanting again, humbly saying, "Please forgive me, sir. I just have been working at the docks for a long time and am quite strong."

Qian Qiyu watched in stunned silence. After a few words, he understood that the man was a new guard in the household. He quickly bowed to Qian Lanting and pleaded, "Grandpa, can he come with me?"

"He's mine!" Qian Yingyi hadn't expected the man she'd taken in to be so powerful; he'd even easily knocked her little tortoiseshell dog off course. Overjoyed, she immediately grabbed her skirt and stepped forward, asking the question she'd been wanting to ask: "Your name is Lin Zheng, right? I have a question for you. As a guard, if someone keeps harassing me..."

The girl approached unexpectedly, and a fragrance of tonka bean wafted straight into Qin Lizheng's nostrils, as fresh as a garden in spring.

Qin Lizheng lowered his eyes and replied, "To protect my master."

"What if that person keeps pursuing us?"

"I will do what my master says. If my master tells me to break his legs, I will."

A sense of satisfaction welled up in Qian Yingyi's heart. She turned and ran to Qian Lanting's side, looking at him expectantly, "Grandpa..."

This amused Qian Lanting, who then ordered his servants to inform his second daughter-in-law, Xu Jun, since she was in charge of all the household affairs and the addition of a guard would naturally have to be arranged by her.

After asking a couple more questions, Qian Lanting felt exhausted. He patted each of his grandchildren on the shoulder and instructed them, "Go to sleep early. It's late tonight, so don't go to the river again."

After saying that, he led the steward outside.

Once they were some distance away, Qian Lanting's expression gradually calmed down. "Investigate more thoroughly. There can't be anyone of unknown origin in the house."

The steward readily agreed.

After Qian Lanting left, Qian Yingyi also refused to listen to his urging to go play on the banks of the Qinhuai River. Qian Qiyu felt bored and glanced at Qin Lizheng's unfamiliar face before going back to his room.

Before long, the servant sent to Xu Jun returned, saying that Qin Lizheng would be placed next to Qian Yingyi and do the same work as Xiao Daimao.

Having finished one matter, Qian Yingyi couldn't help but smile slyly, her eyes shining even brighter in the dark night, illuminated by the lantern.

“Hey, starting tomorrow, you’ll be responsible for following me.” Qian Yingyi smiled, her eyes crinkling, and then straightened her back to give Qin Lizheng a quick glance up and down.

That figure is truly superb—strong arms, a thick wrist exposed, broad shoulders, and wet hair...

Wet hair? Qian Yingyi looked closely and realized that he was still wet, as if no one had taken care of him since he was picked up. The ramie cloth under his arm was also stained red.

After glancing at him several times, Qian Yingyi suddenly turned around and went into the flower hall. She took out a clean handkerchief and, as she passed him, draped it over his face.

He commanded, "From now on, follow me. You must not be dirty or disheveled. Your clothes must not be unkempt. You are too dirty now. Wipe yourself clean."

After saying this, she grabbed her skirt and left.

The handkerchief she threw down, carrying a faint fragrance, hit Qin Lizheng's face. Qin Lizheng inevitably smelled it again. The handkerchief quickly fell down, and Qin Lizheng caught it without thinking, but he could still feel the fragrance.

Little Tortoiseshell recovered and praised Qin Lizheng highly, coming over with a grin and saying, "My name is Jiang Yu, but Miss usually calls me Little Tortoiseshell. You're really good at fighting."

He glanced again in the direction Qian Yingyi had left, his expression turning serious. "Please don't find it troublesome to serve Miss."

Qin Lizheng did not answer; his dark, misty eyes remained expressionless.

His joining the Qian family was merely a second-best option.

How troublesome could a delicate young lady from a secluded family be?

A note from the author:

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Qin Lizheng: She's just a young lady, how much trouble could she possibly cause?

Little Tortoiseshell: Hehe, you're making grand pronouncements too early.

Qian Yingyi: You're a little dirty [glasses]