Chapter 85: Marriage Cancelled
Lian looked at Xu Qingying and said in disbelief, "Sixth girl, is this the end? Yinxi doesn't have to marry him anymore?"
Xu Qingying picked up the pen and glanced at Lian, only to see her looking at her eagerly. "Second aunt, don't worry. Fourth sister doesn't have to marry Huang Yazi."
"But...but..." Lian seemed to have not recovered from the shock just now, muttering incoherently, "But what if he comes back again?"
"Second sister-in-law, you're just too concerned. Think about it, he took so much money, wouldn't he just run away and wait for Zhao Bantou and the others to deal with him? I'm afraid the Yellow Teeth Man has already left by now."
"Fourth Aunt is right." Xu Qingying continued writing, saying indifferently, "Besides, Huang Yazi probably won't be coming back."
Xu Degui looked at Xu Qingying, who said this calmly, and his eyelids twitched. He pondered for a moment before asking, "You mean... someone wants to harm him?"
Xu Qingying tilted her head and smiled slightly, "Why else would Father think that Zhao Bantou left in such a hurry just now?"
Xu Huiming immediately asked, "Is Zhao Bantou going to kill someone to silence them and get the prescription back?"
"Maybe. After all, with hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, there's no guarantee that Zhao Bantou won't harbor murderous intentions."
Xu Huiming felt a chill run down his spine. "No wonder Zhao Bantou looked like he wanted to eat Huang Yazi back then. Huang Yazi must have anticipated this, which is why he left overnight."
"Brother, come and help me write." Xu Qingying resigned herself to her fate and put down the brush. Her handwriting was crooked and looked like an earthworm. No, she had to get a pencil to write. Not only did the handwriting with a brush not form the characters, but it also easily smudged the paper. "I need to practice my handwriting."
Xu Huiming was confused. "Sister, what are you writing?"
"It's a dark and windy night, and I'm worried that Zhao Bantou might make a mistake. I have to prepare for both scenarios." Xu Qingying knocked on the table, motioning for Xu Huiming to write a new one. "Isn't Second Miss Qi in Xingyuan Mansion? I could ask her for a favor. Brother, I'll read it, and you can copy it."
Xu Huiming nodded in agreement.
Seeing that everyone was still gathered here, Xu Qingying waved her hand and said a few words to comfort them with a smile: "Dear elders, please disperse. It's been a tiring day today, so have a good rest. We have a tough battle to fight in two days."
Someone asked: "What tough battle?"
"This batch of soap must be sold in Xingyuan Prefecture. Also, catch the yellow teeth in the jar."
Lian walked back with a brisk pace. She just wanted to go back and tell Xu Yinxi the good news right away.
The moonlight was bright, Lian's steps were light, and her face was filled with unconcealable joy.
It seemed that in an instant, the autumn air became warmer and the mountain breeze became clearer.
Lian felt both happy and guilty. She was happy that Xu Yinxi had escaped from the dire straits, but she felt guilty that she would never be able to hold her head up in front of the third wife for the rest of her life.
Forget it. Since she has made the promise, even if the third room asks her to die in the future, she cannot even blink, otherwise she is really afraid of being struck by lightning.
Lian pushed the door open and walked in. Under the light, Miao was sitting at the head of the bed, staring at Xu Yinxi motionlessly.
The post station called a doctor, who prescribed some medicine and applied medicine on Xu Yinxi's neck. Xu Yinxi had been frightened and terrified all day, and now she had fallen into a deep sleep under the effect of the medicine.
Miao immediately stood up, put her finger to her lips, and whispered, "Second sister-in-law, the child is asleep."
Lian felt guilty when she saw Miao. Thinking about the prescription that Xu Qingying had just given her, not only did Xu Degui feel distressed, but Lian herself also felt distressed.
Although Xu Qingying said she would take it back, she had to accept this favor no matter what.
"Sister-in-law, you've worked so hard." Lian was no longer as hypocritical as before. She held Miao's hand tightly and refused to let go. Thinking of the past, her eyes reddened. "I... I really can't do you justice."
Miao was used to being bossed around by Lian, so seeing her being so humble was a bit of a loss. "Sister-in-law, what are you saying? We're all family, why are you being so polite? But has the Huang Yazi issue been resolved?"
Lian wiped her tears. It was difficult to tell Miao the details, so she said vaguely, "It's resolved. Yinxi doesn't have to marry him."
Miao was genuinely happy. "That's really good news. But don't rush now. Tell the fourth girl that the child just took some medicine and fell asleep. She had nightmares and finally slept soundly. Let her have a good night's rest. She'll be fine tomorrow."
Lian glanced at the sleeping Xu Yinxi, then saw the gauze wrapped around her neck, and her heart was filled with mixed feelings. Miao, seeing that it was almost time, was also anxious to go back, so she said, "Since my second sister-in-law is back, I'll go back first."
"I'll take you there."
After sending Miao away, Lian Qiuzhi sat at the head of the bed, caressing Xu Yinxi's pale face lovingly. She murmured to herself, "Son, I owe the Third House a big favor this time. I really didn't expect that Qingying would be willing to give up all the prescriptions for you. This girl... is great... It was my mother who made a mistake in the past, mistaking a fish eye for a pearl. Just wait and see... Since your father doesn't care about our lives, I won't let him be so proud for too long..."
The next day, everyone set off early in the morning.
Because I had to make soap at night, I had to hurry on my way during the day.
Xu Yinxi came over early in the morning. Her neck was still wrapped in gauze, and her face was very pale, but her eyes had regained their vitality. However, this time, Xu Yinxi bowed deeply to her as soon as she saw her: "Sixth sister... Thank you so much... I cannot express my gratitude for your kindness..."
Xu Yinxi injured her throat and her voice hadn't recovered yet, so her voice was very hoarse. He just hugged her and said with great effort: "Thank you so much... I don't need to thank you..."
Xu Qingying patted her and encouraged her, "Sisters should help each other."
Xu Yinxi's eyes were filled with tears, and she seemed about to say something, but was stopped by Xu Qingying. "There's no need to say more words of gratitude. No amount of money can compare to your life. As the saying goes, money lost can be regained. As for money, it's enough for us. If we run out of money, we can find a way to earn it again. You are more valuable than that prescription."
Xu Yinxi's tears suddenly flowed down.
At that moment, her guilt and self-blame reached their peak.
A prescription worth hundreds of thousands of taels was so easily given to Huang Yazi just because of her. If she were there, she would definitely stop Xu Qingying from doing this. How could she compare to the preciousness of that prescription?
Hundreds of thousands of taels are enough for dozens of people in the Xu family to live a carefree life for several lifetimes.
And for her alone, she had to sacrifice such a prescription. She was simply the eternal sinner of the Xu family!
In this life, apart from her mother, no one has treated her better than Xu Qingying.
No one in this world has ever treasured her so much.
If you can meet someone like Xu Qingying in your life, it would be worth dying for.
At this moment, even if Xu Qingying wanted her life, she would give it without hesitation.
Xu Yinxi hugged her tightly, her tears soaking Xu Qingying's clothes. Thousands of words were lost in her tears. Her voice was hoarse, as if she had used up all her strength in this life, "Qingying... thank you... thank you..."
Instead, Xu Qingying patted Xu Yinxi's head like a sister and comforted her, "Don't worry, I will make sure Huang Yazi vomits out as much as he eats."
Xu Yinxi stared at her with misty eyes, but Xu Qingying smiled and said, "Don't worry about these things. Take care of your voice first. Come and help me quickly. Besides soap, we will have other things to do."
As soon as he saw Xu Qingying's signature smile, it seemed as if nothing was a big deal in her eyes. Such calmness, such composure, and such composure made Xu Yinxi's heart slowly calm down.
Xu Qingying took her hand and said, "Let's go, Zhao Bantou is waiting for us."
The team started to move.
The few people who participated in the discussion last night were obviously worried.
Xu Degui was worried about whether he could get the prescription back.
Xu Huiming was wondering what means Xu Qingying would use to get the prescription back.
However, Xu Dekai, the fourth son, asked Zhao about Xu Qingying for the first time. From the moment she was imprisoned, he asked her everything, from bribing the yamen runners to bargaining with the Zheng family to break off the engagement, to the leggings, backpack, soap, etc. she took with her on the road to exile.
Zhao had already told the story tirelessly, so she asked, "Didn't you always look down on the Sixth Girl in the past? How come you realize how powerful she is now?"
Xu Dekai said honestly, "Sixth girl is only thirteen years old. I used to think she was just a little clever. How powerful can a girl be? But after what happened last night, I realized this girl is truly extraordinary. She's bold and careful, a mastermind. Last night, in such a critical situation, she took control of the situation, retreating to advance, and with one move, she caused Zhao Bantou and Huang Yazi to fight each other. You know what, the more I think about it, the more terrifying I find this girl. I'm afraid the third house... is going to produce a remarkable figure."
It was a rare sight for the couple to think alike. Zhao smiled coldly, "I told you earlier, but you didn't listen. If we had been able to invest in the soap business, I wonder how much we would have earned by now."
Xu Dekai retorted, "No matter how much money you make, don't you still have to give it to Huang Yazi?"
"Didn't you hear what Sixth Girl said last night? She said that if Huang Yazi eats a lot, he will have to vomit it out."
Xu Dekai subconsciously wanted to refute, but when he thought of those black and white eyes that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, he fell silent.
Zhao continued, "Don't disbelieve her. Just look at what she said along the way. Has she failed to keep her promise? She said she would return with the supplies, and she said she would help us remove our shackles, but now we're leaving empty-handed. From these things, I think this girl is more capable than my second uncle."
Xu Dekai shook his head. "You're crazy! No matter how powerful she is, can she surpass my second brother? My second brother is a Jinshi (a scholar) and an official. He's experienced more than us!"
This time, Zhao Shi didn't rush to refute. She only said meaningfully, "I'm afraid you're the only one in this family who still trusts Second Uncle. Just wait and see. I think it won't be long before the head of the Xu family will be replaced by Sixth Girl. In the future, Anping should stay with her Sixth Sister more. Who knows, she might have a future."
"Women's words are alarmist." Xu Dekai shook his head, disagreeing with the first half of Zhao's statement, but nodding in agreement with the second. "That's right. Let Anping stay with her sixth sister. I see that Feng'er that Qingying is with... she's changed a lot. When she was handing out money to everyone last night, she acted like the maid of a high-ranking family in Bianjing."
Zhao narrowed her eyes but didn't respond.
But in his heart, he said: "I used to dislike Xu Qingying for being so out in the spotlight, not like a good girl. Now I realize how capable she is, and I finally agree to let Xu Anping follow Xu Qingying."
On the other hand, in the first house, Huang Cui'e knew that Xu Huijia was mysteriously called away last night.
People from the third and fourth rooms also went there at the same time.
All they lack are their first and second wives.
Huang Cui'e certainly didn't like the feeling of being excluded. In addition, not long after they arrived, Huang Yazi told others that he had pushed Xu Yinxi into the water and that Xu Yinxi had climbed up by herself. In fact, he could not swim and did not go into the water to save her.
Huang Yazi's behavior really scared them.
Fortunately, Zhao Bantou testified righteously that Huang Yazi really could not swim, so everyone reluctantly believed this nonsense.
The strangest thing is that I didn't see Huang Yazi when I set out this morning. When I asked others, I found out that Huang Yazi was exposed for framing Xu Yinxi, and he felt ashamed to face everyone, so he packed up and ran away.
It's so weird.
It seems strange no matter how you look at it.
Who is that Huang Yazi? He is a scabby dog. Once you get involved with him, you can't get rid of him until you shed your skin.
How is it possible that he has a change of heart and still feels ashamed?
It's just weird everywhere.
The more Huang Cui'e thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. She always felt that this was related to the people from the third room. However, those people from the third room were very tight-lipped and refused to say anything no matter how much she asked. She had no choice but to hold Xu Huijia tightly.
The strangest thing is that Xu Huijia didn't know what happened. Ever since she came back from sneaking out last night, she seemed to have changed completely.
Huang Cui'e patiently asked him several times, but Xu Huijia refused to open his mouth. Huang Cui'e was so angry that she pinched him hard, "You idiot, how come you act like you've been drugged after going there? I'm telling you, you're my son, I gave birth to you! What secrets do those two families have? You have to tell us. Tell us, what's going on with Huang Yazi?"
Xu Huijia was annoyed by the questions and held her head in her hands. "Mom, don't ask anymore. Didn't Sixth Sister tell you everything? Huang Yazi framed Fourth Sister and was exposed. Zhao Bantou told him to leave, so he left!"
"Bullshit!" Huang Cui'e hit Xu Huijia hard. "You're trying to trick me, aren't you? That Huang Yazi is like a dog-skin plaster. How could he leave just because I told him to? No, he must have been caught with something, or else, he must have been given some benefits!"
Before the meeting ended last night, Xu Qingying had specifically instructed that no one else should know about this. Firstly, they had to deal with Huang Yazi and were afraid the news would leak out. Secondly, the fewer people who knew, the safer Xu Yinxi would be.
Xu Huijia knew that her own mother was a talkative person, so she naturally refused to say anything.
But he also had doubts. That damn girl Xu Qingying was so smart, it was impossible for her not to know that Huang Cui'e would ask him later why she called him at that time?
Could it be that they are short of someone to bolster their momentum?
Or does she consider herself one of the people?
Thinking that Xu Qingying disregarded his face and kept Qian Zhenniang by her side to do things, Xu Huijia quickly rejected his idea.
Could it be that this is a test for him?
Xu Huijia really couldn't understand.
To be honest, Xu Huijia naturally disliked Xu Qingying.
In the past, Xu Huijia was the eldest grandson of the Xu family, so his status was naturally extraordinary.
His parents had high hopes for him, and his grandmother was quite partial to him. Although he was not as good as the two illegitimate sons of the second house, he was the eldest grandson after all. In the past, Xu Qingying dared not breathe when she saw him and could only nod in agreement.
Since being exiled, Xu Qingying has become a different person for some reason. Not only has she become more cheerful and talkative, but she has also become more experienced in doing things.
Although he didn't like this girl, sometimes he had to admire her.
No matter how stupid he was, he could see that most of the people in the Xu family were leaning towards Xu Qingying.
Especially that damn girl, she earns ten thousand taels of silver a day.
What makes people feel even more strange is that she is willing to give up a prescription worth hundreds of thousands of taels just to save Xu Yinxi.
Although they are brothers and sisters, they are not born from the same mother. To be honest, he is unwilling to spend any more money on the second wife.
Xu Huijia was terrified just by listening to what happened last night. Now that she thinks about it, that damn girl is quite capable.
But...about Qian Zhenniang's matter...could it be that he really did something wrong?
Who would be willing to marry a girl with such a strong destiny?
Xu Huijia thought about it over and over again. He was naturally unwilling to admit that he started to reflect on himself because of Xu Qingying's influence.
Xu Huijia would never admit that she was a little afraid of that girl.
What a joke! How could a tall and strong man like him be afraid of a little girl?
Seeing that Huang Cui'e continued to pester her, Xu Huijia cleverly changed the subject, "Mom, you're talking about Qian Zhenniang's matter... let's..."
Huang Cui'e thought of this terrible thing again and immediately scolded Xu Qingying again, "That damn girl Xu Qingying, is she just going against the people in the first house? You and Qian Zhenniang have both broken off the engagement, but she's still keeping Qian Zhenniang by her side, saying she wants her to be an accountant. It seems like she's trying to slap our first house in the face! No, I have to find trouble with her!"
Xu Huijia pulled Huang Cui'e, her eyes darting around, feeling a little guilty, "No, no, no, why are you looking for Sixth Sister? She's busy..."
"I'm not looking for Xu Qingying, I'm going to trouble Qian Zhenniang!"
The mother and son looked at each other. It seemed that at this moment, no one had the courage to provoke the big devil, so they decided to pick the weak one in the box. "Yes, yes, yes, find Qian Zhenniang and let her go on her own!"
Xu Degui ignored the people from the second house. Even when Xu Deyuan came to question him early in the morning, Xu Degui didn't even raise an eyebrow. After asking too many questions, he even impatiently asked Xu Deyuan to ask Lian himself.
Although Xu Degui believed that Xu Qingying could get the prescription and money back, he was angry because she had given up such a large family fortune for the second house, and he naturally couldn't hide it.
He hated Xu Deyuan more than he hated the Lian family.
How could I not have noticed before that this second brother was so heartless? After all, she was my daughter, and when something happened, the first thing he did was to distance himself from her. Even when Xu Yinxi hanged herself, he scolded her without any reason.
Now that he has been told that Huang Yazi has left and will not fulfill the engagement, why is Xu Deyuan still asking questions as if he wants to call Huang Yazi back?
After much thought, Xu Degui finally figured out something.
This second brother was cold-hearted and didn't care much for Lian and her three daughters. Even if I were a lowly person in Qianzhou, even if Huang Yazi was a bad person, he was still a small official, at least he could keep some villains in check.
Could it be that Xu Deyuan wanted to exchange his daughter for something?
Xu Degui looked down on Xu Deyuan more and more. He was really blind before. How could he think that his second brother was good in every way, had seen a lot of the world, and was a high-ranking official in the court. He must be more sensible than them who grew up digging for food in the fields.
Now it seems that he is not as good as his daughter Xu Qingying.
Xu Degui was furious. Several people from the second house tried to inquire about his situation, but Xu Degui pretended not to understand. He insisted that Zhao Bantou had driven Huang Yazi away, and that Xu Yinxi was innocent.
Xu Qingying had specifically instructed that speaking too much would lead to mistakes, and that talking too much would actually harm Xu Yinxi. If the Xu family knew that Xu Qingying had redeemed Xu Yinxi with a prescription worth hundreds of thousands of taels, Xu Yinxi's future in the Xu family would be difficult.
However, Xu Huiming noticed that two people were missing from the escort team early in the morning.
One is Ming Xiaoshuang and the other is nicknamed Daniu.
Xu Huiming immediately told Xu Degui what he had discovered. Xu Degui, upon hearing it, recalled what Xu Qingying had said last night and said without hesitation, "Go tell your sister."
Xu Degui told Xu Qingying about this discovery, but Xu Qingying seemed to have already made up her mind. "Father, brother, don't panic. Zhao Bantou should have sent these two people to chase Huang Yazi."
Xu Huiming, who was standing by, thought the same thing, but still had hope in his heart, "I really hope they can catch up with him and get our prescription back."
Xu Qingying smiled, "Even if we catch up with him, the recipe will probably have to go through Zhao Bantou first."
After thinking about it, the father and son, combined with Zhao Bantou's ambiguous attitude last night, felt that Xu Qingying was right.
"Also, I don't think they can catch up to him." Xu Qingying pointed to the rolling hills ahead. "Last night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong. Huang Yazi was alert. He must have thought that Zhao Bantou would send someone to deal with him. So if he wanted to hide and go into the woods, Ming Xiaoshuang and the others wouldn't be familiar with the terrain and might not be able to find him."
Xu Degui remained silent, his face darkening.
He had originally hoped that Zhao Bantou could capture Huang Yazi so that neither the silver nor the recipe would be lost. But if Huang Yazi came back, what would Xu Yinxi do?
The best way is... to kill and silence the witness!
Xu Degui's heart skipped a beat. How could he have such a terrible idea?
When did he dare to think of killing someone?
Xu Huiming didn't seem to notice the change in Xu Degui's expression, but seeing that Xu Qingying remained as calm as ever, his frown suddenly relaxed, and he smiled, "Seeing that my sister is so confident, I guess she has a plan."
Xu Huiming was also amazed at what was going on in Xu Qingying's head. How could she resolve any difficult problem in her hands? It seemed that nothing in the world was a big deal in her eyes.
Xu Huiming secretly admired Xu Qingying's calmness and composure, and secretly thought that he should learn more from Xu Qingying's calm and experienced style.
Xu Qingying didn't say much, "Wait a little longer."
"Waiting for what?"
"Of course we'll wait for Zhao Bantou to come find us."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
