Chapter 132 Shanshan's Teasing

Xi Qingtong's face turned pale when he heard this. He secretly cursed Qingwu for asking for trouble. He just loved doing the things that servants do. But in order to maintain his image, he could only laugh dryly and agree: "Is... is that so? Then..."

Without giving Xi Qingtong time to make excuses, Shanshan grabbed her hand and said impatiently, "Stop talking so much. Haven't you been looking forward to this for a long time? Go now!"

Seeing Xi Qingtong still showing hesitation, Shanshan pretended to be disappointed and said, "If you don't like it, then forget it. It's a pity that I finally found someone who shares the same ideals..."

The boasts she had made to Song Yunhe flashed through Xi Qingtong's mind. She forced a smile and said, "How could I not like it? It's just..." She looked down at the brocade clothes she had specially put on and her carefully maintained hands, "I..."

When had she ever touched something as dirty as dirt? She was wearing such nice clothes, was she fit to do such things?

Xi Qingtong looked at Shanshan intently, hoping that Madam Xu in front of her would understand her implication. However, Madam Xu's round eyes were clear and she said innocently, "Oh, just wash the clothes."

Then he pulled her to the backyard without saying anything and asked, "Is there no maid at home to do the laundry?"

Xi Qingtong was speechless. Was this about washing clothes? Couldn't she tell what fabric her dress was made of? Just as this thought arose in her mind, she remembered Mrs. Xu's background—a merchant family.

She almost fainted in one breath. Perhaps she really couldn't recognize Mrs. Xu and had never seen her before.

While Xi Qingtong was thinking, Shanshan had already pulled her to the backyard. As soon as she entered, she was stunned by the scene before her. While the flower pots in the front yard were still arranged in an orderly manner, the garden in the back looked like it had not been built yet. There was a large expanse of bare earth and a faint strange smell coming from it.

What made Xi Qingtong even more upset was that Madam Xu pointed at the dozens of flower pots lined up on the ground, then looked at her and said, "These are the flowers that need to be repotted. If you don't know how, I'll teach you."

"Come, let's change this pot of peonies first."

Shanshan handed her a shovel and enthusiastically demonstrated, "First, loosen the soil in the pot, and then pull the peony out."

Seeing Xi Qingtong stiffly take the shovel, she lowered her head to hide the smile on her lips, and said seriously: "Then shake off all the old soil and add new soil..."

She shook deliberately, sending dirt flying everywhere, and Xi Qingtong, who was standing beside her, was naturally not immune.

Soon the gorgeous skirt was covered with mud, but this was not the most unbearable thing for Xi Qingtong. She watched helplessly as a wriggling insect fell out from under the roots of the peony.

"Ah! There's a bug!"

Xi Qingtong screamed, and Shanshan suppressed her laughter. She looked up and said in surprise, "Qingwu, have you forgotten even this? These are earthworms, great for loosening the soil. You used to love playing with them, saying they felt soft to the touch..."

"Is... is that so..." Xi Qingtong's face turned pale, and she cursed the twin sisters in her heart, wondering why they would like to play with such things! It made her scalp numb.

"Why don't you try it? Maybe if you touch it you'll remember it?"

The more scared Xi Qingtong was, the happier Shanshan became. She immediately picked up the earthworm and handed it to her. Xi Qingtong was so scared that she stepped back repeatedly and wanted to run away on the spot.

But in order to maintain Qingwu's image, she stopped and walked to the other side, saying with a wry smile: "No need, no need, I'll help you change the soil, I'll change the soil..."

In less than a quarter of an hour, her luxurious dress was stained with mud, her carefully maintained nails were full of dirt, and sweat dripped from her temples, ruining her carefully applied makeup. To make matters worse, her skin began to itch.

But she couldn't say it out loud. The real Xi Qingwu had been dealing with mud before, so it was impossible for him to feel itchy.

"Qingwu, why did you stop?" Shanshan pretended to be concerned, "There are still more than a dozen pots waiting!"

Xi Qingtong endured it again and again, but finally couldn't hold it anymore: "I suddenly remembered that there is something important at home..."

"Is that so... Then you go back first." Shanshan sighed in disappointment.

Just as Xi Qingtong breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly heard her say, "You must come someday! I made a batch of manure myself. You said you loved researching this! That manure will definitely make the medicinal herbs you want to plant grow well! Otherwise, I'll take you to see it now."

Upon hearing this, Xi Qingtong's expression changed drastically. So that strange smell she smelled was actually feces?!

But she still remembered that she was now "Xi Qingwu", so she could only suppress the nausea in her stomach and force a smile: "No, no need."

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that Xi Qingtong was in great pain, but Shanshan still pretended not to know, blinking her innocent eyes and continuing to exaggerate:

"Didn't you say last time that you wanted to see it? I use only good materials, horse manure, chicken manure, and fish intestines..."

With every word she spoke, Xi Qingtong's expression became uglier.

Xi Qingtong just wanted to escape as quickly as possible at this moment, waving her hands repeatedly: "I'll see next time, I'll see next time...I really have something to do at home..."

At this point, Shanshan couldn't force it any further, lest Xi Qingtong see through her clues, and also to avoid pushing her too far. Next time, Xi Qingtong wouldn't dare come again, so she said, "Then I'll see you off."

Then he enthusiastically took her arm and deliberately rubbed his muddy hands on her sleeves.

"Come back next time. You are indeed my confidant. There are not many people in Beijing who share the same hobbies as me. They all like to pretend to be cultured, and I don't like to play with them."

Xi Qingtong, who was about to lose his patience, was about to pull back his arm, but when he heard this, he forced himself to hold it back. The short distance of just a few dozen steps felt like several days to Xi Qingtong.

As soon as she arrived outside Xu's house, she quickly said a few polite words and fled in a hurry, holding up her skirt, forgetting even the basic goodbye etiquette.

After the carriage drove away, Shanshan finally couldn't help laughing out loud.

“Hahahahahahahaha~”

Meanwhile, Xi Qingtong, who had hurriedly fled back to the carriage, was frantically slapping the dirt off his body, trembling with nausea.

"She's from a merchant family, truly unpresentable. Even though she's the wife of a top scholar, she still loves playing with flowers and plants and doing things that are not respectable... My twin sister is the same way. They really are like-minded!"

After returning to the mansion, Xi Qingtong couldn't wait to take a shower and soon fell asleep due to exhaustion. She had never done so much work before.

When Song Yunhe came back, Xi Qingtong was already asleep. He said to Jinzhu in a gentle voice, "Since Madam has gone to bed, I won't disturb you. I'll sleep in the study tonight."

Jinzhu couldn't help but feel warm in her heart, and then went into the house to serve, but she didn't know that after Song Yunhe returned to the study, another figure soon came in.

Once there is a chance, there will be a second chance. Dong Ning came to him, and Song Yunhe did not refuse her. He just covered her mouth to prevent her from making any sound.