Chapter 29 "Doesn't it need a beating?"...
There was no one else around. When the person approached, Cui Xintang took her hand and said gently, "I'm back to have lunch with you. We'll be going out again this afternoon."
Meng Yuanxiao blinked. "So, Brother Tang, you were waiting for me?"
"Hmm," Cui Xintang responded, but Meng Yuanxiao sensed something was wrong. She frowned and looked him up and down. "Why have you changed your clothes again?"
Tang Gege works hard to do her laundry every day, and Meng Yuanxiao feels that she can't just sit back and enjoy the benefits; she should also show some concern for him.
She didn't want to do laundry, so every night before bed she would take out the clothes he would wear the next day, fold them neatly, and place them by the bedside.
The clothes he was wearing were clearly not the ones she had prepared for him last night.
Cui Xintang chuckled, "I hitched a ride on a fellow villager's oxcart on the way back, and my clothes got dirty and a bit smelly. I was afraid you'd find them offensive, so I changed them as soon as I got back."
It was clearly his own fault for disliking her, yet he blamed her. Meng Yuanxiao snorted, turned to look at Qingzhu, and asked curiously, "Qingzhu, where have you been these past two days? I haven't seen you at all."
Qingzhu chuckled and said, "Young Madam, I've been running errands for you these past two days."
As they were talking, they returned to Village Chief Sun's house. As soon as they entered, Village Chief Sun came out to greet them.
Cui Xintang and Village Chief Sun went to the main room to talk. Meng Yuanxiao glanced at Qingzhu and asked suspiciously, "Qingzhu, what have you been doing these past few days?"
Qingzhu said with a grin, "Of course, I'm helping my master with his errands."
Seeing that Meng Yuanxiao looked unconvinced, Qingzhu continued, "My name was bestowed upon me by you, young mistress. Just now, my master instructed me to obey your orders. How could I dare to lie to you? However, since it involves official business, I really cannot say. If you really want to know, young mistress, you can ask my master."
Qingzhu's original name wasn't this. Meng Yuanxiao thought it sounded bad, so he changed it to Qingzhu without permission.
Her maid was named Hongshao, and Tang Gege's servant was named Qingzhu.
She was only seven or eight years old at the time, a time when she was very mischievous. Cui Xintang didn't blame her at all, and even went along with her wishes, changing her name to Qingzhu.
Qingzhu chuckled and said, "Young Madam, no one else but you would dare bestow my name upon me, not even the First Madam."
That's right. For servants, only their masters can bestow names. Once they receive a name, it means they have acknowledged the master.
Given Cui Xintang's personality, how could he tolerate others plotting against those close to him?
Meng Yuanxiao stared at Qingzhu for a long time, knowing that he probably wouldn't get anything out of him, so he stopped asking.
She said, "Mrs. Lin said she wants you to pass on a message to her brother."
"Young Madam, is there anything you wish me to convey?"
Meng Yuanxiao then asked, "Do you know Lin's younger brother?"
Qingzhu was taken aback. "We exchanged a few words at the county government office."
He showed no change in expression, so Meng Yuanxiao realized she had been overthinking things. Too lazy to argue with him, she simply said, "Go ask Lin Shi yourself."
After saying that, he went back to his courtyard.
After lunch, Meng Yuanxiao felt a little tired. He took off his outer robe and went to bed, but he couldn't fall asleep. So he took out a storybook and lay on the bed to read it.
Cui Xintang seemed to be in no hurry to go out, so he took off his outer garment and lay down outside her.
He rarely had such a leisurely moment. He bent one long leg and rested the other on it, and rather irresponsibly reached for the storybook in Meng Yuanxiao's hand, then looked at it in front of his eyes.
As he watched, he instinctively took Meng Yuanxiao's hand with his other hand and held it in his palm.
Yuanyuan's hands were delicate and soft. Cui Xintang squeezed her hand and teased her casually, "Why are Yuanyuan's hands so small?"
His voice was low, and when it reached Meng Yuanxiao's ears, Meng Yuanxiao suddenly remembered that he had personally witnessed those playboys in the capital harassing young ladies.
Those spoiled brats would grab the young girl's hand and say with a sly grin, "Why are your hands so small, little sister?"
All men in the world are the same, and Brother Tang is no exception.
It's really greasy.
Meng Yuanxiao couldn't help but glare at him and pulled her hand away from his palm with obvious disgust.
Cui Xintang was confused and tried to grab her hand, but Meng Yuanxiao wouldn't let him.
Cui Xintang was amused and annoyed, so he reached out and pinched her cheek. "Do you need a beating?"
Meng Yuanxiao snorted a few times, slapped his hand away, moved closer to him, and turned his face to look at her.
Seeing his handsome face and touching his firm muscles, Meng Yuanxiao felt a little more comfortable.
She frowned and said seriously, "Brother Tang, you mustn't turn into Second Uncle in the future."
“That’s hard to say,” Cui Xintang said with a smile. “Second Uncle wasn’t ugly when he was young either.”
Meng Yuanxiao: "...Hmph, if you really turn out like that, I won't like you anymore."
Cui Xintang: "..."
Meng Yuanxiao was about to speak again, but just as he opened his mouth, he sneezed loudly.
Cui Xintang paused, raised his hand to touch her forehead, and frowned slightly. "Did you catch a cold last night and get tired?"
Meng Yuanxiao immediately understood what he meant by "tired".
Having just been teased by Madam Lin, she blushed and rubbed her slightly congested nose. "No, I'm not that delicate. I probably caught a chill from the wind while walking with Niu Niu down the slope today, but it's nothing."
Her voice had a slight nasal tone. Cui Xintang paused for a moment, then said, "Stay in the village for two more days and then return to the county town. Don't go out during these two days; just rest in the room. There's some medicine for colds that I carry with me in the trunk. I'll ask Mao to brew a dose for you later."
Upon hearing this, Meng Yuanxiao's delicate eyebrows immediately furrowed.
Cui Xintang: "...I brought the non-bitter kind on purpose."
Meng Yuanxiao was finally satisfied.
She clung to Cui Xintang, and her hands soon became restless.
Cui Xintang let her do as she pleased. He flipped through the storybook for a while, not sure if he was really engrossed in it, and suddenly asked, "Did Madam Lin send you to deliver a message today?"
“Yes,” Meng Yuanxiao said, “How did you know, Brother Tang?”
Cui Xintang casually said, "Qingzhu just said that Ye told you to ask him to pass on a message."
"That's true." Meng Yuanxiao nestled in his arms, reading a storybook with him.
Cui Xintang glanced at her and asked casually, "Did Lin say anything else to you?"
Mentioning this made Meng Yuanxiao somewhat unhappy.
She pouted. "Hmph, of course I said it. It was pretty much what you said the other day, that women should take control of the family's finances and livelihood and not take men too seriously."
Cui Xintang paused, "Did the Lin family really say that?"
Meng Yuanxiao gave a light hum, "Yes."
Cui Xintang raised his eyebrows and said with a smile, "The Lin family lives quite wisely."
Meng Yuanxiao: "..."
She was furious and pinched his chest hard.
Cui Xintang hissed in pain and pulled her hand away to stop her from causing trouble. "I heard there was a commotion at the Ye family's house today?"
"Hmm." Meng Yuanxiao perked up and told him in detail what she had heard outside the Ye family's house.
After saying that, he clicked his tongue and said, "I saw that the swill in the Ye family's bucket was all rotten, and that half bucket of rotten swill was all poured on those two women."
Her eyes sparkled with excitement. "Serves them right! Those two women are really no good!"
Cui Xintang listened patiently to her finish speaking, then chuckled and asked, "Who was it that said the Ye family was annoying?"
Meng Yuanxiao choked, and stammered, "I didn't say the Ye family wasn't bad, it's just that the Wang family members are even worse."
Cui Xintang looked at her with a half-smile, "Didn't I say we shouldn't go looking for the Ye family anymore?"
Meng Yuanxiao had his reasons: "I just went to deliver the Thousand Character Classic to her."
"Has anyone been affected?"
"No, I originally wanted to listen to the excitement for a while, but Ms. Ye threw the doll at me, so I had to take the doll and leave."
She said in a muffled voice, "Then the wind blew in."
She sounded rather aggrieved, which amused Cui Xintang. He pressed her down a little and kissed her on the lips. "You're not allowed to go out these two days. If you're really bored, have Qingzhu invite Madam Li over to keep you company."
Meng Yuanxiao did not respond to this.
"how?"
Meng Yuanxiao said, "Today, Madam Ye told me that she can tell me anything I want to know."
She was even planning to secretly visit Madam Ye tomorrow!
“No need,” Cui Xintang said.
Ye's knowledge was limited. He had already followed the clues he had gleaned from her to find some more information, and even if he tried to get more out of her, he wouldn't be able to get any more out of her.
Meng Yuanxiao paused, then whispered, "Brother Tang, once we leave here, the Ye family won't have an easy time, will they?"
The Wang clan members are keeping watch over her, afraid that she might reveal something to Tang-gege. If Ye-shi had been quiet these past few days, it would have been fine, but she's deliberately going against the clan. They're afraid that once they leave, the Wang family won't let her off the hook.
Cui Xintang paused for a moment, not answering her question, but instead asking her, "Yuanyuan, have you ever thought about why Ye Shi became so attached to you, and why she let the baby get close to you?"
Meng Yuanxiao was puzzled, and Cui Xintang slowly said, "A child under three years old has never even left Huai Shu Village. How could he have gained any knowledge? He probably hasn't even seen many strangers. Logically speaking, when Ye's child sees you, he should only feel fear of strangers, not deliberate affection."
He used the word "deliberately," and Meng Yuanxiao blinked, unsure how to respond.
Actually, she felt the same way in front of Niu Niu. Niu Niu's fawning and affectionate behavior towards her also made her feel strange.
How could a little child understand these things? It must have been instigated by adults.
She pursed her lips and remained silent. Cui Xintang raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
His tone was merciless, "Yuanyuan thinks the Ye family and the baby are pitiful, right? But there are many pitiful people in the world, how can you possibly pity them all?"
He paused for a moment and then said, "These past few days, I've had people secretly investigate in Yunping County, and there are many others who have suffered the same fate as the Ye family."
Meng Yuanxiao said in a deep voice, "I can't control what others do, but the plight of the Ye family is inextricably linked to you, Brother Tang."
Even though the Ye family had ulterior motives, they did indeed take advantage of them.
She couldn't help but ask, "Brother Tang, can you help the Ye family?"
Cui Xintang did not answer her question.
Soon, Village Chief Sun called him from outside. Cui Xintang got out of bed, put on his clothes, and came back to tuck Meng Yuanxiao in.
“Yuanyuan, take a nap first. I’ll ask Madam Mao to prepare your medicine. Take it when you wake up. I need to go to the fields today, so I can’t drive the carriage. Qingzhu will stay here to watch over you. He’ll go and ask Madam Li to come and keep you company this afternoon.”
Meng Yuanxiao, wrapped in the quilt, looked at him with her almond-shaped eyes, remaining silent.
Cui Xintang waited a moment, then ruffled her hair. "Be good."
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