22 Chapter Twenty-Two
"If we can't get through this, it might not be good."
Chapter Twenty-Two
The rain poured down, obscuring the sky and the sun.
In the middle of the night, Liu Qingqing was awakened by the sound of thunder and rain. The raindrops hitting the green tiles were really annoying.
Two days have passed, and she still hasn't found the boy named Mu Ziying.
Liu Qingqing touched the white jade pendant hanging around her neck, slowly stroking the raised and recessed engravings on it. After only a few touches, she dared not touch it anymore, afraid that touching it too much would smooth it out, and then she would no longer have any trace of her mother.
Thunder rumbled outside the window, and a flash of white lightning illuminated the room for a moment.
She glanced sideways at the empty seat beside her, lost in thought.
Xie Lang has been gone for four days, and there has been no news of him at all. I feel uneasy. These past few nights, I have been half-asleep and half-awake, and I touch his cold spot, then wake up completely and have to lie down for a while before I can fall asleep again.
A few days ago, I was still in the mood to take out the storybooks hidden in the closet and read them with great interest. After reading them, I wrapped them in my clothes and then in a group of clothes to hide them.
I had absolutely no interest in watching that day.
She wanted to dream of Xie Lang, but she never did.
Come to think of it, how could she possibly dream about such a shallow marital bond with Xie Lang?
For some reason, Liu Qingqing couldn't fall asleep until the rain stopped, the clouds dispersed, and the sky brightened. She was so anxious that she couldn't feel sleepy at all.
After paying her respects to the old lady and having breakfast there, Liu Qingqing was still absent-minded.
The old lady saw this and roughly understood what had happened. She simply patted the back of her hand and comforted her, saying, "The Xie family has always been tough."
Liu Qingqing looked over quickly, and was about to speak when two little babies rushed in, interrupting her. After playing with the two babies for a while, she said goodbye to the old lady and headed back.
For the past two days, the person in charge has been coming to her study in the outer courtyard at this time every day to teach her how to read the account books.
You don't know until you see it, and what you see is shocking, which barely pulled my mind away from Xie Lang.
Even after lunch, Liu Qingqing was still wide awake. For some reason, she was restless and could only stroll around the courtyard to look at the scenery, but she couldn't really appreciate it. After walking for a while, she got annoyed and wandered aimlessly outside.
I don't know where I walked, but I seemed to hear a woman's voice. However, when I listened carefully, I couldn't quite make out the voice.
Liu Qingqing looked up and realized that she had walked to the outside of her second uncle's courtyard, where she saw a lush bamboo wall.
She felt that her second uncle's personality wasn't just taciturn; perhaps he also felt lonely, otherwise why would he have surrounded himself with bamboo? She heard that the concubine who gave birth to her second uncle had been released from the manor early on, according to her wishes, and that the Marquis's family was united as one; her second uncle must feel awkward about that.
After standing there for a while, there was no further sound.
She thought she must have misheard. How could there be a woman's voice in her second uncle's courtyard? Everyone in the Marquis's mansion knew that the people walking around in her second uncle's courtyard were all servants.
She walked towards the garden, passing the fishpond. Last time she had brought fish food, but this time she brought nothing. Liu Qingqing looked down at the fish that had gathered at the water's edge and were splashing at her, remembering that the last time she fed the fish, Xie Lang had taken her back to her room.
It neither left nor went looking for fish food; it just stood by the water, lost in thought.
As luck would have it, the old lady arrived shortly after. Liu Qingqing turned around upon hearing the noise and, seeing that it was the old lady, quickly went over to greet her.
The old lady helped her up and said kindly, "You've been thinking about Lang'er?"
His sharp gaze softened after sweeping over the bluish-gray under Liu Qingqing's eyes, which even powder couldn't conceal. He took her hand and led her to sit down in the pavilion, where he began to give her earnest advice.
"Grandmother knows you've had a tough time these past few days, but I want to tell you that this is the path every woman in the Xie family must take. I'm getting old now, and you will be the mistress of the Xie family from now on. Even if you have worries, you must be strong. Don't listen to that nonsense about men being the pillars of the household. In reality, the women in this household are the real pillars. If the women are settled, the family will not be in chaos. If the family is not in chaos, the men will be at peace when they are out in the world. And when the men are at peace, there is tranquility."
“Grandmother, I understand.”
No one had taught her these things, but Liu Qingqing carefully memorized and pondered them. However, for some reason, her mind was quite troubled today; many words were on the tip of her tongue, yet she couldn't quite put them into words…
Perhaps too many things have happened recently, pulling her out of the small, cramped space of the Liu residence, and she's still not used to it...
"But Grandmother, if..."
These words were ominous, and she couldn't say them aloud, but a heavy sense of bewilderment weighed on her chest, making it hard to breathe. She bit her lip nervously, "...If...what should I do?"
Fortunately, the old lady genuinely cared for her and sincerely taught her. The old lady had also been young once, so she naturally understood. She sighed knowingly before answering, "That's their fate, and it's our fate too."
She paused slightly, her gaze lingering on the sky. The sky was empty, overcast today. Liu Qingqing followed her gaze, but saw nothing. Then she heard the old lady say, "In this world, it's hard enough to just survive, let alone make a name for yourself—a life of constant danger. As for the outcome, it's not up to you, it's not up to me, and it's not up to even the Marquis."
So who gets to decide?
The old lady looked up at the gloomy sky again.
They said nothing, yet it seemed as if they had said everything.
She chatted with the old lady for a while longer, but the old lady was tired and went back to rest. Liu Qingqing sat alone for a while before getting up and returning to her courtyard. As Xie Lang had been away from the mansion for longer, she found herself able to stay there more and more, always thinking that he might return at any moment.
Having slept poorly last night, Liu Qingqing prepared to take a short rest after returning to her room. She had only been lying down for a short while when she heard unusual footsteps. Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly put on her outer robe and got up to walk out. As soon as she opened the door, Xie Liu appeared like a ghost, only saying, "The master is back. I'm going to find a doctor," before disappearing again.
Seeking medical help?
How do I seek medical help?
In the blink of an eye, she saw Xie Wu, looking disheveled, and a servant she didn't recognize carrying Xie Lang into the courtyard. After only a quick glance, Liu Qingqing covered her lips and bit her lip to stifle a cry. She called out to Li Mama and Zhao Pansheng to prepare hot water, while she hurried back to her room. Together with Qingju, she moved all the extra brocade quilts off the canopy bed and replaced them with clean new cotton sheets.
Just as they finished, Xie Lang entered the room. Liu Qingqing pulled the dazed Qingju aside to make room for Xie Wu and the others. After carefully setting Xie Lang down, Xie Wu and the others turned around and knelt down before Liu Qingqing with a thud, "Madam, we failed to protect our master this time!"
Liu Qingqing hurriedly looked at Xie Lang. His face was covered in dirt, his lips were pale and cracked, and his handsome appearance was no longer visible. His clothes were also torn and tattered, and the exposed flesh was torn open and had turned white from being soaked in water.
His usually gentle eyes were now tightly closed, and his handsome brows were furrowed in pain.
"What's the use of saying all this now? Go and fetch a doctor!"
Liu Qingqing paced back and forth in a panic, then stepped forward and carefully covered his hand, which was as cold as a bronze cauldron left outside in winter.
"Doesn't the master have any life-saving medicine with him? Quickly, bring it to him for a while!"
Xie Wu gritted his teeth and looked at the lady. When the lady looked over, he quickly lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "The Regent once gave you a life-saving pill, which you gave to the lady last time."
Upon hearing this, Liu Qingqing's mind went blank, and she could only repeat in a low voice, puzzled, "Given to me?"
Xie Wu nodded.
Liu Qingqing pressed further, "When did you give it to me?"
Xie Wu remained silent, then kowtowed forcefully in Xie Lang's direction before getting up and quickly walking outside. "Madam, I'm going to see where the doctor is."
Just then, Granny Li had already boiled a pot of hot water. Liu Qingqing didn't have time to ponder Xie Wu's words; she needed to focus on Xie Lang's injuries first. Xie Lang probably didn't want anyone to see him like this, so he didn't let them in. He ordered them to place the hot water at the door while he wet a cloth and first cleaned the healthy areas, then roughly touched the minor wounds. Even though she didn't know medicine, she knew that covering wounds with wet mud was not good.
My whole body was tense, and as I gently wiped myself, I remembered Xie Wu's words.
Liu Qingqing wasn't stupid, and besides, she hadn't spent much time with Xie Lang. After thinking it over carefully, she found some clues. Perhaps it was because she had fallen for Xiao Yingshi's trick on the day she returned to the Liu residence. She didn't remember everything that happened that day.
Are you stupid?
Liu Qingqing hurriedly wiped her eyes with her sleeve, her voice trembling, "She wouldn't take my life, would she? Why would she need to steal your life-saving medicine?"
That idiot.
They had no feelings for each other, but they took out their life-saving medicine.
A myriad of emotions welled up inside her, making Liu Qingqing afraid to look at his face, lest she burst into tears if she looked closely.
They had been married for a short time and were getting along well. She originally thought Xie Lang was her everything, someone who could help her survive in this chaotic world. Although she hadn't believed any of his promises before, just a few days later, she not only discovered that the sky was about to fall, but also that he had already given his heart to her.
She is a cold-blooded, heartless, and wicked person.
Suddenly, she remembered that Granny Li had mentioned that her mother had secretly hidden a few pills for her before she passed away. Apart from those for common headaches and fevers, one of them was said to be something that could only be taken in a life-or-death situation.
Her handkerchief slipped from her grasp and fell into the basin. Liu Qingqing wiped away the tears that had fallen in the blink of an eye.
She hurriedly searched through the boxes and cages, her forehead covered in a thin layer of sweat. Her hands trembled as she searched, her heart pounding in her chest, as if someone had put their hand through her throat and squeezed her heart. She swallowed hard, feeling choked up.
"That's great, that's great."
Finally, she found the brown pill in an inconspicuous, torn pouch. She clutched the pouch tightly to her chest and cried softly.
Just then, the doctor finally arrived and knocked on the door.
Liu Qingqing quickly went over and opened the door to welcome the doctor in. After a quick glance, she noticed that the old doctor had white hair but a youthful face, and his expression showed the compassion and anxiety of a physician. He was probably no ordinary doctor; Xie Liu had likely invited him from the Regent's Palace.
Liu Qingqing felt a little relieved.
She didn't understand, so she naturally stepped back and watched as Xie Wu and the others surrounded the bed, clutching the purse tightly in their hands.
After examining the wound carefully, the old man shook his head. "Lord Xie has lost too much blood and damaged his vital energy. This is a minor matter; he can recover in a few months. However, the wound has been soaked in dirty water, which may cause a fever. If he cannot get through it, things may not be good."
After saying that, he couldn't help but sigh, "You'd better be prepared..."
[Author's Note]
Next chapter preview: Xie Lang woke up at some point and was quietly watching her.
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