Chapter 181
After the steamed bun shop owner left, Miao Qi sat at the doorway, tending to the medicine pot as it brewed.
She didn't know why, even though they had only known each other for less than a month, she fell in love with him at first sight. She liked him and wanted to marry him.
The girls here are very reserved; they never express their feelings. But it's different in the Miao Kingdom. If a girl there likes someone, she will take the initiative to pursue him.
As darkness fell, Qi Mo gradually woke up. When he opened his eyes, he saw a figure sitting at the door.
For a moment I thought I was hallucinating. I rubbed my eyes, but the figure was still there.
He then got out of bed and walked towards her.
"Miao Qi... Miss?"
Qi Mo called out her name in surprise, then felt something was off, so he added the word "Miss".
"You're awake? Is there anything else that's bothering you?" Miao Qi, who had been leaning against the door, was half asleep when she heard the voice and opened her eyes. "Perfect timing, the medicine is ready. Drink it while it's hot."
Qi Mo took the medicine she handed him, his face blank for a moment.
Since his parents passed away, no one has taken care of him like this.
His eyes reddened slightly. He looked at the person in front of him and whispered a thank you, then downed the medicine in one gulp.
"What's wrong? Is the medicine too bitter?" Miao Qi noticed the dampness on his face and quickly took out some candied fruit, handing it to him: "Here, have one quickly."
"No." Qi Mo shook his head, but didn't say anything more.
He looked at the girl in front of him and said earnestly, "You've been watching over me all day. There are other rooms next door, why don't you go and get some rest?"
"It's okay, I'm not tired." Miao Qi sat down in the chair and looked at him, saying, "You should go back and lie down. Don't take the medicine and feel a little better, only to feel hot again."
Qi Mo obediently nodded and sat back on the bed.
The two were a bit far apart, and neither of them spoke first, creating an awkward atmosphere.
After a moment, Miao Qi spoke first: "I heard that you stood at the gate all afternoon yesterday, which is why you caught a cold and developed a high fever. Who... were you waiting for?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Mo's face flushed red, and he couldn't think of anything to say.
Seeing his silence, Miao Qi took a deep breath and mustered her courage to ask, "Were you waiting for me?"
After a long while, there was no response from inside the room.
Just when she thought he wouldn't answer, she heard a soft "hmm".
Miao Qi was instantly overjoyed, her face beaming with smiles.
Her eyes crinkled with excitement, eager to walk to his bedside and talk to him right now.
But she was afraid of scaring him, so she tried hard to suppress her joy.
"So, is there something you need from me?"
Qi Mo was stunned for a moment before saying, "It was cold yesterday, and you were late. I was worried that something might have happened to you, so I waited for you at the door."
Miao Qi touched the tip of her nose and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
She wanted to come yesterday, but her mother stopped her and gave her some instructions.
Seeing that it was getting late, she didn't go out anymore. Who knew that this fool would wait for her at the door all afternoon.
“I live near the pear orchard in the north of the city. You can go there to find me next time,” Miao Qi said after a moment’s thought.
"Okay." Qi Mo pulled the blanket up a little to cover his face and responded softly.
Miao Qi's lips curled up in a wide smile, her heart filled with joy.
She felt that he also liked her a little.
For several days in a row, Miao Qi took care of Qi Mo at the Qi family home.
Once he recovered, she felt relieved and went home to rest for two days.
In the days that followed, Miao Qi would come to see Qi Mo almost every day, either to read books with him or to go out and play with him.
Their relationship quickly blossomed, and they began discussing marriage.
That day, Miao Qi was strolling down the street with her mother, wanting to buy some jewelry for the betrothal ceremony.
Unexpectedly, the general returned from the capital, riding a tall horse through the town.
He took a liking to Miao Qi, who was picking out jewelry on the street, at first glance.
That afternoon, they found the steward and invited the person to the general's mansion.
Miao Qi was unwilling, but the men who came had three or four guards, and they seemed to be ready to kidnap her if she didn't want to.
She then went to the general's mansion. As soon as she entered, she was looked up and down by a disgusting gaze.
Miao Qi's face turned cold, and she was about to lose her temper when she heard the man in front of her speak.
"Would you be willing to become my concubine?" The general, who had changed into civilian clothes, sat in a chair with his legs crossed and asked, "If you are willing, I will certainly not let you go without food and drink."
"I'm not willing." Miao Qi's face turned cold, and she immediately refused.
Her family isn't poor, so why would she rush to become a concubine for someone she doesn't like?
"Why?" The general's face turned cold, and he exuded an aura of power: "If you marry into the general's mansion, I will guarantee your family a life of wealth and honor."
Miao Qi looked at the man's cold face and was still a little scared, so she softened her tone.
"I have someone I like, and we're already discussing marriage. I believe the general is a virtuous man and would never do something as immoral as breaking up someone's marriage."
The general was very displeased upon hearing this, but since he was in this predicament, he could only nod and let the man leave.
Miao Qi thought she had escaped a disaster and happily went home to await her marriage.
But on the day Qi Mo was to propose, his family waited for a long time but he did not come.
When they arrived at his house, they found it was deserted.
When Miao Qi heard the news, she was filled with disbelief.
Just as I was about to go and see for myself, the steward from the general's mansion arrived again.
He brought over a dozen boxes of betrothal gifts, speaking with a beaming smile.
“Miss, you don’t need to wait for Scholar Qi anymore. Our general gave him five hundred taels of silver and sent him to the capital to take the imperial examination. Scholar Qi should have already traveled several hundred miles by now.”
Upon hearing this, Miao Qi felt as if the sky had fallen.
She collapsed to the ground, somewhat unable to believe that Qi Mo was this kind of person.
At this moment, the older brother who had gone to check on the Qi family also spoke.
"The Qi family is long gone, and all their belongings are empty. That kid must have run off because of his vanity. Sister, you're so beautiful, why would you worry about not finding someone else good? Stop crying, just consider it a waste of your sincerity."
Upon hearing this, Miao Qi touched her face and felt the wetness, realizing that she had been crying unconsciously.
She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, stood up, and said, "Yes, consider it as my sincere heart being wasted on a dog."
Upon seeing this, the steward of the general's mansion immediately stepped forward with a smile and said, "Miss, our general asked me to ask you..."
"I won't marry him." Miao Qi retorted instantly, "Even if Qi Mo runs away, I will not marry into the General's Mansion and become his eighteenth concubine!"
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