Stay in bed and don't get up
Mrs. Su saw Su Huaihai leaning against the wall, exhausted, with blood stains on his clothes. "Master, how did you get beaten like this?"
Su Zhaoming also suspected that there was a thief in the house, but their house was bare and visibly shabby, and it was obvious that they were very poor. Could it be that the thief was mistaken?
"Mother, it's good that you're back. When Qingzhu and I came here, we happened to see a thief who broke into the house and started fighting with father. Father was defeated and beaten to a pulp by the thief." Su Qingli concealed the fact that Su Huaihai had mortgaged her to pay off his gambling debts and save his life, and told a white lie.
"Who are these blind thieves? They come to steal from our poor family!" Mrs. Su scolded them and squatted down to check her husband Su Huaihai's injuries.
"Sister, come out for a moment. I have something to tell you."
Su Zhaoming also saw minor wounds on Su Qingli's forehead and corners of her mouth, and guessed that his father Su Huaihai might have gone somewhere to gamble, attracting debt collectors and implicating Su Qingli.
Feeling her brother's strange gaze, Su Qingli nodded and followed him out the door. The brother and sister stood in the quiet courtyard, with moonlight covering them.
"Brother, what do you want to say?" Su Qingli was extremely calm, for she was afraid that Su Zhaoming would notice.
"Sister, are you hiding something from me and mother? If you're afraid that mother will worry, you can tell me. A real man should stand up straight and protect everyone in the family."
Su Zhaoming thought about it for a moment and felt that there was something fishy about this matter. Their family only had enough money for daily expenses and could not afford to buy other items to decorate the house, let alone renovate it.
Moreover, this earthen-walled house covered with thatched grass was obviously inhabited by poor people, and robbers usually would not rob people like them.
Su Qingli smiled calmly, as if nothing had happened. "Brother, you think too much."
"Sister, did Dad go out gambling again without Mom and me knowing, and the debt collectors are here to collect the money?"
The more she did this, the more strange Su Zhaoming felt.
"No, it's just a thief. My father is old, and the thief has some basic skills." Su Qingli tried hard to cover up the lie.
"Sister, how did you drive away this thief? Are you injured anywhere?"
Su Zhaoming looked at Su Qingli carefully, his expression quite nervous. His elder sister was so beautiful that not only would ordinary men covet her beauty, but even the powerful people in the capital would hardly be envious of her beauty.
"What are you thinking? I'm fine, aren't I? I only took two blows, and my father blocked them for me. In the end, he used the kitchen knife on the ground to protect me and scared the thief away."
Su Qingli still didn't tell the truth and took on everything on her own.
"I'm glad you're all okay. Father's injury can be cured. I'm just worried something might happen to my sister. You're a young woman." Su Zhaoming just breathed a sigh of relief.
"Brother, I have to leave now. I'll come see you when I have time. I'm still busy with my sachet business."
Su Qingli looked at the crescent moon hanging on the treetops. It was time for her to return to the Prime Minister's Mansion. If she was out for too long, Qian Jue would not be able to find anyone and would be affected by her.
Before she and Qingzhu went out, Qianjue reported to Fu Xuechen in his study.
"Sister, please don't work too hard on your business. My mother and I have found some work these days to supplement our family income. If we continue like this, you don't have to worry too much about us."
The mother and son were not at home today, as they had gone out to work. They thought that Su Huaihai had not been to the gambling house for several days, so he must have really turned to the good side!
Su Qingli nodded. Now that her brother and mother had something to do and could support themselves, she felt less stressed.
After a few brief greetings about family matters, she took Qingzhu back to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
"Miss Su, I went to Yunshuijian and Xiaoxiang's house, but there was no trace of you. Where did you go? You scared me."
When Qian Jue heard the news that Su Qingli had returned home, he rushed into Xiaoxiang Garden.
Su Qingli left a small note before leaving, so when Qian Jue saw that she had not returned for a long time, he went to find Yun Shuijian and Xiaoxiang's home.
"I met my father on the road, so I went to my mother's house for a small gathering. I also have a father, a mother, and brothers, so it wouldn't be okay if I couldn't visit them, right?" Su Qingli turned her back to Qian Jue, sat in front of the bronze mirror, took off the hairpin on her head, and prepared to wash and go to bed.
"That's not what I meant. Madam's safety is of paramount importance. I dare not slack off."
Every word of the quatrain is true. This is the task assigned to him by Fu Xuechen.
A self-deprecating smile appeared on the corner of Su Qingli's lips. Her safety was fake, but the loss of face for the Prime Minister's Mansion was real, right?
Such a high-sounding reason is consistent with her stereotype of Fu Xuechen.
"Guard Qian, you should go down and rest too. I'm tired." Su Qingli didn't want to say much. She had a lot of things on her mind that needed to be dealt with. The huge gambling debt owed by her father Su Huai made her extremely anxious.
Qingzhu brought a basin of hot water for foot bathing. "Miss, this foot bath has been soaked in some herbs that promote blood circulation and dissolve blood stasis. It will be effective for the bruises on your body."
"You took a beating for me, too. Do you have any extra water for foot soaking?"
Su Qingli looked at the big bump on Qingzhu's forehead and felt a pang of pain in her heart. She had caused trouble for Qingzhu.
Qingzhu shook her head honestly, "No, we came back too late, so this is all I have prepared for now."
Su Qingli pointed to a square stool not far away and said, "Bring a small stool over here and soak your feet with me."
Qingzhu scratched his head and stood still. Although the Marquis' Mansion was defeated, Su Qingli was a concubine of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and there was still a distinction between high and low. "You are the lady, and I am a servant..."
"The Marquis' Mansion is gone, and I'm no longer a spoiled young lady. 'Young lady' is just a title. Didn't Liu Meishuang, a country girl full of evil intentions, also benefit from the Prime Minister's influence and be called a young lady?"
In Su Qingli's eyes, Liu Meishuang was not even as good as a maid in a wealthy family. It was not that she looked down on country people, but Liu Meishuang's actions were too embarrassing for country people.
Qingzhu gritted her teeth and followed Su Qingli's instructions to soak her feet with her. Su Qingli was still worried about the gambling debts that Su Huaihai owed.
In a few days, the fat bachelor will come to take her to get married. If she is not seen at her parents' home, her parents and brother will be in danger.
Lying on the soft and wide bed, Su Qingli tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
The next morning, when it was bright, she did not get up.
Qingzhu brought over a few plates of food. "Miss, aren't you hungry? It's almost noon, and you're still lying in bed. I went to the pharmacy outside to buy some excellent wound medicine. Applying it to the affected area will help you heal faster."
Qingzhu was muttering to himself outside the snow-white curtain. The person lying on the couch was half conscious and could not hear clearly what Qingzhu said.
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