Chapter 14 Chapter 14 "The Duke just looks fierce."...
Shancha looked at her carefully and found that she didn't seem to be faking it. After she truly believed it, she was almost frightened.
Pointing at my aunt's nose, I asked her, "Aunt, how can you be so disappointing!"
He turned around and reluctantly compromised: "But it's okay, it's better than starving to death outside. Before, all I wanted was a roof over my head to shelter from the rain and to eat meat. Now I have everything, there's no reason to want anything else. If people want too much, maybe God will take it all away in the end."
The two smiled at each other.
Shancha was surprised. When did their relationship become so good?
Jasmine made a wreath and a flower fan for Qi'er.
Girls all love beauty, but their families don’t have the money to buy hairbands or hairpins. So Jasmine and her friends would go to the mountains to pick all kinds of beautiful flowers, sit on the rocks, and see who made the more beautiful wreath.
The flowers grown in the Duke's Mansion were bright and large. When Jasmine's wreath was finished and sent to the third room, it received many surprised glances and praises from the little maids.
Jasmine can guarantee that Qi'er will like it.
The Third Master was the poorest of the Duke's family. His mother was a prostitute, so he entered the Duke's family and gave birth to the Third Master. Rumor has it that the prostitute seduced the Duke, forcing him to let her into the family.
Jasmine heard that when the Third Master was eleven years old, the prostitute hanged herself.
Therefore, the Third Master's life in the mansion was much harder than that of the other masters. Later, he married the Third Young Master's wife, who was only the daughter of an old scholar.
The Third Master and his wife had a daughter, Qi'er. The Third Master's wife loved her daughter very much and would celebrate Qi'er's birthday behind closed doors every year.
It’s not that the Third Young Master’s wife doesn’t want to invite anyone, but she knows that she can’t. Not to mention the relatives outside the Duke’s Mansion, even inside the Duke’s Mansion, who would really give their blessings?
The most important thing is that the Third Master is poor. He can only afford to have a good meal for the three of them behind closed doors.
The third room was in the north yard. Jasmine walked along the side corridor and when she was almost at the north yard, she went into the small path.
"...I won't let you go! How can you leave now when you know he's coming? How can you bear to leave us, mother and daughter, behind?"
"Let go! If I'm not here, what can he do to you? What are you afraid of?"
"But things have to be resolved. We live in the same house after all. We'll see each other sooner or later. You want to hide away forever? Qi'er and I won't allow it!"
"It's no use not agreeing, I have the final say!"
"Today is Qi'er's birthday, and we're the only ones accompanying her. Can you bear to disappoint her? Just consider it as a plea from me, okay?"
Jasmine stopped at the north courtyard gate. What should she do? They were arguing, what could she say?
Jasmine felt that she was not good at mediating fights, so she was planning to take Shancha for a walk nearby. When she came back half an hour later, she was discovered by Qi'er.
"Aunt Jasmine!"
Jasmine quickly turned around and gave the little girl a big smile: "Qier."
The quarreling and clamoring sounds in the room really stopped.
Jasmine sighed and had no choice but to step into the courtyard.
Qi'er rushed over and hugged her legs, whispering, "Aunt Moli, Dad and Mom are talking in the room, let's not go in yet."
"Okay." Jasmine agreed to her and touched her round head with a meticulously tied bun. She felt that the little girl was very lovable.
Jasmine handed her the garland and asked, "Do you like it?"
Qi'er's eyes were like two lit lanterns, and she asked uncertainly, "Did Auntie make this? Did she make it for Qi'er?"
Jasmine nodded: "Yes, I made it specially for a whole afternoon as a birthday gift for Qi'er."
Jasmine handed Shancha the flower fan in her hand and said, "Both of them are yours."
Qi'er spun around excitedly. When she heard the door open, she excitedly rushed to the Third Young Master's wife who opened the door and shouted, "Mom, it's from Aunt Moli!"
Seeing her father standing behind her mother, Qi'er didn't dare to speak.
The Third Master's face showed embarrassment and shame of having his privacy exposed, as well as anger at being unable to escape from the predicament.
The Third Master pushed the Third Young Master's wife away and stormed out in a rage.
When Qi'er saw her father coming out, her eyes lit up and she raised her flower fan and shouted, "Dad, this is Aunt Moli..."
Before Qi'er could say anything, she was slapped away by the Third Master. Qi'er fell to the ground with a thud, and her flower fan also hit the ground.
Qi'er didn't care about her butt, and took the lead in lifting the flower fan to check. The flower fan dropped two flowers and many petals.
Qi'er carefully brushed off the dust on the flower fan with a distressed look on her face, and wanted to put the two flowers back, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't do it.
"Auntie will help you." Jasmine hurried forward to comfort her.
The fan can be tied back to its original shape by untying the silk ribbon on it.
Jasmine heard the footsteps gradually fading away and turned around to ask, "Third Master, is there anything you're still dissatisfied with? Third Master, you were born in the Duke's Mansion, living a life of luxury, and now you have a wife and a daughter. If Third Master wants to leave, why not go further away and see how others live."
The Third Master wanted to ignore her, but he thought, what does she know? How can a woman from the harem understand the pain in his heart? What right does she have to talk to him?
The Third Master slowly turned his head, almost laughing out of anger: "You are just a wild girl who grew up in the mountains, what do you know? Who in this world understands my suffering and pain? I wish I had not been born in this mansion! But I have no choice."
The moment Jasmine called out to Third Master, she regretted it so much that she wanted to slap herself twice. Why had she been so stubborn?
But now that the words were out of her mouth, Jasmine could only bite the bullet and continue arguing with the Third Master, "How could the Third Master not have a choice? As long as he steps out of the Duke's Mansion, he will be free from now on. I don't think anyone in the Duke's Mansion will stop him."
The Third Master glared at her with the eyes of a ferocious wolf.
Jasmine continued, "Oh right, since the Third Master is leaving, then the Third Young Master's wife and children must follow him. The Third Master is such a man of integrity, he certainly wouldn't let his wife and daughter suffer in the Duke's Mansion."
The Third Master's eyes blazed with anger. Then he smiled: "Why should I leave? Will my leaving make them happy? I won't leave! The Duke's Mansion owes me money. Even if I have to be a termite, I will rot and die in this mansion!"
"The Duke's Mansion owes the Third Master, but the Third Young Master's wife and the child don't owe the Third Master, right?"
The Third Master's eyes flickered slightly, but he said nothing.
Jasmine continued, "Not only did they not owe anything, but it was Third Master who owed them. What is Third Master doing now? He doesn't dare to go find the person who owed him, and only dares to act arrogantly in his own courtyard. And Third Master still thinks he's right? Everyone has their own difficulties, but Third Master does."
In his dreams at midnight, the Third Master always felt sorry for his wife and daughter, but as soon as the sun rose, he couldn't help but repeat the things he did the day before to hurt them.
The third master suddenly bent his back and looked even more miserable.
The Third Young Master's wife held her daughter and looked at Jasmine's back for a long time before she looked away to look at the Third Master.
After a while, the Third Master stamped his feet and said, "It's too late. No matter what you say, I must leave today."
Jasmine was puzzled. She had clearly seen the guilt in Third Master's eyes. Jasmine quickly said, "Even if Third Master had something to do, he wouldn't have to do it today. Couldn't he at least spend Qi'er's birthday with her?"
The Third Master had already turned around and left quickly. After a few steps, he turned back and said to the Third Young Master's wife and her daughter, "I'll be back later."
After saying this, the Third Master left in a hurry.
Jasmine turned to look at Qi'er and the Third Young Master's wife. She was just about to say a few words of comfort, but before she could open her mouth, the Third Young Master's wife's expression suddenly changed and she quickly walked out of the courtyard.
Jasmine thought she was going to chase the Third Master, but when she turned around she found that her grandfather was standing outside the courtyard.
The Third Master, who was supposed to leave, was unable to leave as he was blocked by Zuo Hechunli on his left and right.
You can imagine how ugly the Third Master's face was.
Jasmine followed the Third Young Master's wife to greet the Duke: "Why are you back at this time?"
When the Third Young Master's wife heard her words, her face looked a little embarrassed.
The Duke said in a deep voice, "I was worried that the Third Master wouldn't be home at night, so I came back early."
Jasmine suddenly understood something and turned to look at the Third Young Master's wife.
The Third Young Master's wife didn't look at her. She smiled and said to the Duke, "You've arrived just in time. Today is Qi'er's birthday. Let's go inside and talk. Qi'er, quickly call Second Uncle."
Qi'er looked fearful and tried desperately to hide in her mother's arms.
The Duke looked at Qi'er in the Third Young Master's wife's arms and didn't know what to say.
Seeing this, the Third Young Master's wife forcibly straightened Qi'er's head and said, "Qi'er, be obedient."
Qi'er was even more frightened, pouting, wanting to cry but not daring to. She stretched out her hand to Aunt Moli: "Aunt!"
Jasmine took the little girl into her arms without a second thought.
Qi'er buried her little face in her arms, sobbing softly, her chubby little shoulders shaking, looking so pitiful and helpless.
Jasmine patted Qi'er's back and stared at her grandfather.
The Third Young Master's wife was extremely anxious and helpless.
The Third Master lowered his head, looking as if he was saying, "Now that I've been caught by you, you can kill me or chop me up as you please."
Jasmine whispered softly in Qi'er's ear: "Dear Qi'er, the Duke is a good man. Look, even your aunt is not afraid of him."
Qi'er turned half her head and carefully raised her red and swollen eyes to look at the Duke.
Jasmine continued, "The Duke only looks fierce. He's actually just like Qi'er. He cries when he's sad and laughs when he's happy. Can we not be afraid of him?"
When the Duke saw Qi'er looking at him and heard what Jasmine said, he remembered and curled the corners of his lips.
Jasmine didn't expect her grandfather to cooperate with her. She said in surprise, "Look, isn't the Duke smiling? He likes Qi'er!"
The Third Master rolled his eyes silently.
The Third Young Master's wife looked back and forth at the Duke and Jasmine, a moment of surprise flashed across her face, then she seemed to be thinking about something, and slowly her face regained its spirit.
...
In front of the round table in the main hall of the third room.
The Duke sat at the top, the Third Master sat on his right, and Jasmine and Qi'er sat on the Duke's left.
There was only a tea set on the table where a sumptuous meal should have been placed.
The Third Young Master's wife was instructing the maid at the door and soon returned to sit next to the Third Master.
The couple really didn't expect that the Duke would actually stay for dinner!
It was already dinner time, and the Third Young Master's wife planned to deal with the Duke before the family had a good meal.
The Third Young Master's wife is not stingy and doesn't want to treat guests, but she doesn't think the Duke will agree.
Who would have thought that the Duke would agree just because she said it politely!
The Third Young Master’s wife could only use her own pocket money and asked Xizhi to go to the kitchen to prepare a good table.
The Third Master didn't have time to think more at this moment. He felt very uncomfortable and annoyed.
The Third Young Master's wife then realized that the Third Master had not poured tea for the Duke, and she hurriedly stood up again.
"It was my negligence, please don't blame me, Duke..."
"Don't worry, I'll do it myself."
Jasmine didn't wait for her master to make a move. She had already stood up and took the teapot from the Third Young Master's wife. "Madam, please don't be so busy. I'll be here soon."
The Third Young Master's wife held the handle of the teapot tightly, not letting go: "Let me do it."
The Third Young Master’s wife poured the wine for the Duke herself, and did not forget to pour it for Jasmine.
Jasmine was flattered and thanked her.
The Duke didn't say anything, so the Third Young Master's wife didn't dare to say much.
Everyone at the table was waiting for the Duke to start his lecture.
The Third Master was extremely impatient and thought to himself, "Let him be free as soon as possible. Don't delay even if you want him to die."
But the Duke never said a word.
The Duke waited until the meal was brought in from the kitchen and started eating without saying anything else.
After taking two bites of the food, the Duke suddenly put down his chopsticks.
When everyone saw him put it down, they also became ready for battle.
The Duke first touched his waist, then rolled up his sleeves and took off the two wrist guards from his wrists. He then handed the wrist guards to Qi'er.
"Just consider it as Qi'er's birthday gift."
The Duke practiced martial arts and wore no ornaments except for a pair of wrist guards that he used to defend himself against enemy swords.
It is said that the Duke's wristband is made of special stone and is extremely hard.
But, is it appropriate to give this thing to a six-year-old girl?
The Third Master couldn't help but roll his eyes again.
The Third Young Master's wife also felt that the Duke was a bad person, but she still smiled and let Qi'er thank him.
Jasmine really likes this pair of wristbands. I wonder if she can ask me to give her a pair for her birthday. Ideally, she can use them.
Jasmine felt that it was not a good idea to ask for it, so she decided to quietly come and exchange the wristbands with Qi'er in a month or two with other things.
"Qier, thank you, Duke." Qi'er wanted to cry again. She didn't dare to take the black, cold object in front of her.
Jasmine quickly took it and handed it to the Third Young Master's wife for safekeeping.
The meal was finally over.
The couple looked at each other and saw surprise in each other's eyes.
The Third Master thought to himself: Is the Duke leaving? Is he not going to bother him anymore?
The Third Young Master’s wife thought to herself: You came all the way here but didn’t say a word. Does that mean you’re not planning on pursuing the matter?
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the Duke said to Jasmine, "Take Qi'er out first."
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