Chapter 17 Like a damp male ghost
"Why doesn't my sister-in-law dare to look me in the eye?"
Xie Suzhou's eyebrows were cold, the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, and his peach blossom eyes stared at the woman in front of him, as if he wanted to see through her heart.
Three years ago, he went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and met Wang Lin by chance. Wang Lin praised him as a man of great talent and gave him a jade pendant, saying that if Xie Suzhou encountered difficulties in the future, he could always come to him with the token.
For three years, the two of them had been exchanging letters. Even Xie Suzhou had only recently learned that Lord Wang Lin had come to Ganping County where he was, but Su Cheng seemed to have gotten the news even faster than him.
Su Cheng had never been so close to a man before, especially since the man in front of him was his nominal brother-in-law.
The almost perfect bone structure was magnified in front of her eyes. She could even see the not-so-obvious red mole at the end of the man's eye. His thick and curled eyelashes drooped and his face was cold.
"Even if you're interrogating a prisoner, you shouldn't be this close, right?" Su Cheng looked back, her nose just an finger's breadth away from the man's thin lips. "Uncle."
Xie Suzhou was only concerned with finding out her identity, and he moved closer just to observe her eyes. In his seriousness for a moment, he forgot the difference between men and women.
The two bodies were almost touching, and their intertwined breaths created an ambiguous atmosphere. Xie Suzhou's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly pulled away. His lower back suddenly hit the low wall, and surprise and panic flashed in his eyes. He was always eloquent, but now he stuttered, "Sister-in-law, I..."
He rarely loses his composure like this.
Su Cheng stood quietly aside, as if nothing had happened, with a calm expression, "Lord Wang is a good official. If you can gain his favor, you will be of great use in the future and will be able to help your career."
Xie Suzhou's breathing became heavier, his sanity completely collapsed. Looking at the little mouth opening and closing, his mind was in a mess and he couldn't hear anything.
Su Cheng looked at him quietly, with a half-curled smile on her lips. "You don't have to test me. I have no ill will towards the Xie family. If you can work hard and get help from noble people, you can seize the opportunity and soar to the top."
"Just do it with confidence. God will not treat you unfairly." Su Cheng patted his shoulder and turned to leave.
The wind blew in from outside, the edge of the green skirt swayed gently, and also blew back Xie Suzhou's senses.
He looked at the beautiful figure in the yard, and his usually cold and aloof handsome face gradually warmed up, and turned red to his ears. He quickly walked to the bucket, scooped up some water and applied it to his face. The well water was icy cold, just enough to dispel the heat in Xie Suzhou's heart.
Water dripped down the loose hair on his forehead. Xie Suzhou was a little dazed and muttered, "What did I just do..."
In the courtyard, Su Cheng escaped the man's sight and breathed a sigh of relief. He patted his chest with lingering fear and muttered softly, "Fortunately, I dodged quickly..."
Using other people's power to strengthen your own authority will lead to failure if you are not careful.
Holding the script in her hand, she naturally knew that Wang Lin was Xie Suzhou's benefactor. Because of his recommendation, Xie Suzhou entered the court as an official and would have a bright future.
[Host, Xie Suzhou's favorability value is very strange.]
Su Cheng was stunned and glanced towards the kitchen.
【How weird? 】
His favorability value fluctuated, rising from negative to 35 at its highest, like an electrocardiogram, and now it is stable at 28.
"What is Xie Suzhou doing..." Su Cheng was puzzled, but greatly shocked.
[Although the reason is unclear, Xie Suzhou's favorability has skyrocketed. The system has awarded him a map. The host can follow the instructions to find the location.]
Su Cheng looked disdainful and muttered quietly, "It's just a broken map, what use can it have?"
【You can make money.】
Su Cheng's expression changed instantly, and he smiled obediently, "That's really useful."
"stepmother……"
Su Cheng came back to his senses and turned to look behind him. Xie Cuicui was standing by the table with a timid look on her face. She spoke cautiously, "Did Cuicui cause you trouble again?"
"Why do you say that?" Su Cheng waved at her until the little girl came to him, then he hugged her in his arms, gently rubbed her head, and said in a gentle tone, "Don't think so much in your little head. It's their fault, it has nothing to do with you."
Xie Cuicui's nose felt sore. She rested her little face on her shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "Cuicui knows that my brother and I are a burden to the family. Will there be a day when... our stepmother will also leave?"
Just like when my own mother left, without looking back and without hesitation.
A soft sigh came from above her head, and then she was hugged even tighter.
"Don't be afraid." Su Cheng hugged her malnourished little body, a loving look in his eyes, and whispered, "You and I were destined to be together in our previous lives, and we can be mother and daughter in this life. I treat you as my own flesh and blood and will not abandon you."
When Zhou Beibei led a group of people to cause trouble, the little girl was very scared, but she still bravely stood in front of herself to protect herself.
She treated him sincerely, and Su Cheng was willing to raise her.
The little guy in his arms was silent for a long time before he called out in a muffled voice, "Mom..."
Su Cheng paused, then patted the little girl on the back and replied softly, "I'm here."
[Xie Cuicui's favorability +15]
In the room on the east side, Xie Jinyu leaned against the window, looking through the half-open window at the woman in the yard.
Su Cheng seemed to have sensed something, and raised his head for some unknown reason. His eyes met the man behind the window, and he was startled.
"Xie Jinyu, what are you doing standing there without saying a word?" Su Cheng frowned and said in an unhappy tone, "Like a damp male ghost!"
"Male ghost?" Xie Jinyu raised an eyebrow, a smile appearing on her feminine and pale face, "Sister-in-law is afraid of me?"
"If you just stand there silently, anyone would be scared!" Su Cheng rolled his eyes at him, thinking about the map given by the system. He coaxed Xie Cuicui to go play by herself and hid in the room alone.
Xie Jinyu looked at the house opposite with its doors and windows tightly shut. The corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up. Her fingertips gently stroked the edge of the teacup, and her thin lips parted slightly. "Where on earth did it come from..."
Inside the house, Su Cheng took out a special map from his sleeve and spread it flat on the table.
The map is very large, but only Ganping County is drawn on it, with a blank area around it. The starting point is the Xie family in Xinghua Village, and the end point is Nanshi Street in Pingchuan Town.
Su Cheng looked at it carefully and read the words on the picture softly, "Hu Shi Ya Lang..."
After a simple lunch, Su Cheng wanted to go to town alone, but he couldn't stand the little girl's nagging, so he had no choice but to take her outside to wait for the bus.
Xie Cuicui had never been outside before, and she was very excited, looking around with her big eyes blinking.
"Remember, don't let go of my hand." Su Cheng held her tightly, fearing that he would lose the little one by accident.
"Don't worry, mother. Cuicui won't run around." The little girl smiled carelessly and changed her words very smoothly.
In a moment, the ox cart came lurching over.
Xinghua Village is not far from the town. Although the ox cart is slow, it arrives in less than half an hour.
Su Cheng took Xie Cuicui to Nanshi Street and saw the broker shop on the street at a glance. After hesitating for a long time, he walked in.
As soon as she entered the shop, a pretty woman came up to her and smiled politely at Su Cheng. "Young lady, are you looking for a way to make a living? I have tenant farmers and embroiderers here... As long as the money is enough, I can even put you in a wealthy family to work."
Su Cheng nodded, his eyes sweeping across the small room with a calm expression.
"Where does the young lady live? I see you have a maid with you, so we can look for one near your residence so that it will be more convenient for you to look after the child."
"My home is in Xinghua Village."
The woman flipped through the booklet on the table and accidentally caught a glimpse of a passage. She uttered a soft "hmm," and said, "There's a good job in Xinghua Village. It's at Laoyun Book Hall, where you cook two meals for the children in the courtyard."
Su Cheng frowned and repeated in a low voice, "Laoyun Book Hall?"
"Mother..." Xie Cuicui tugged at her sleeves, raised her face, and whispered, "Isn't Second Uncle teaching at Laoyun Academy?"
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