Chapter 23 Xie Liangchen: Do I really owe her something?
Hearing her words, Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but glance at Zhao Yuniang. Seeing that her eyes were full of Xie Liangchen, the corner of her mouth twitched involuntarily.
That's what you call the male lead's halo, isn't it? He barely let go of his own simp before another one popped up, instantly filling in everything he was missing.
"You have good character." Xie Liangchen looked at Zhao Yuniang and said, "If I ever step forward in the future, I will definitely repay your kindness today."
Then, he looked at Jiang Nuanzhi and said, "I will remember this humiliation."
Jiang Nuanzhi released the horse's hand and turned to look at the handsome face: "How did I humiliate you? Just because I stopped being your slave?"
Perhaps the original owner's body couldn't bear to hear her beloved second young master say those words, because for a moment she felt a tightness in her chest, as if a surge of grievance was welling up inside her.
Jiang Nuanzhi frowned: "Second Young Master, put your hand on your conscience and ask yourself, did I really humiliate you?"
"Have you ever thought that while others in exile endure hardship and suffer all kinds of humiliation for a single bite of food, has the Second Young Master ever experienced such treatment?"
Xie Liangchen's brows furrowed slightly: "That is naturally because my old clan has cultivated many good relationships."
“My second young master, even now you still believe that people are kind-hearted, which shows how well you have been protected.”
"Do you know? When I was in exile, I had to fight with many people for steamed buns to give you every day. I was beaten up countless times, and some people would even spit on me if they couldn't beat me."
Every single steamed bun you disliked and refused to swallow was one I carefully presented to you.
Furthermore, you sleep restlessly at night, complaining of the noise around you. Little do you know that I, a woman, have watched over you day and night, chasing away wave after wave of lecherous men who coveted your beauty with a wooden stick.
You probably don't know this, but the reason your winter coat is so warm is because I secretly stuffed the cotton from my own clothes into yours.
Xie Liangchen met Jiang Nuanzhi's eyes, which were glistening with tears, and was momentarily stunned: "You..."
"Xie Liangchen, we are no longer master and servant, you should know that, shouldn't you?"
Jiang Nuanzhi continued, "I get up before dawn every day. I don't eat myself, but I can't bear to see you cold and hungry. I light the fire for you early in the morning and prepare different kinds of food for you. Do you know all this?"
Have you ever wondered why you are so clean and tidy when everyone else in the countryside is covered in dust and dirt?
It wasn't that you, Xie Liangchen, possessed extraordinary beauty, but rather that I, Jiang Pangya, washed your clothes and shoes day and night without fail throughout your entire miserable winter, afraid that you might feel even the slightest discomfort.
"You never mentioned any of this before," Xie Liangchen said, a hint of bewilderment in his expression. "I...I still gave you the money after all."
"It's true that you gave me silver, but it was only ten taels in total. You probably don't know that your writing materials cost more than twenty taels. If you're not worldly-wise, you can ask them if that's the price of writing materials."
Xie Liangchen looked at Afu and saw Afu nod subtly, which made his brows furrow even more.
"You probably don't know that the blankets you use every day and the food you eat regularly were all bought with the money I earned from selling myself into servitude. I served as a slave in the Xie family for ten years, and all the money I saved was spent on you. Others may curse Jiang Pangya for not being human, and Jiang Pangya is indeed not a good person, but you, Xie Liangchen, are not. Because Jiang Pangya has a clear conscience towards you."
His words were resounding and powerful, eliciting a long silence from those around him.
Jiang Nuanzhi wiped away her tears: "Xie Liangchen, I told you my feelings some time ago, and you told me your thoughts. It's really impossible for us to be together. Now I've let go of my thoughts and just want to live a good life with the children. I don't want anything else, but I want to take back the quilt I made stitch by stitch and the horse my late husband left behind. If you don't allow it, I have nothing more to say."
Having said that, he led his horse away, leaving everyone with only a lonely silhouette.
Xie Liangchen subconsciously took two steps to chase after her, but stopped just in time. He turned to look at Afu and Chuntao and asked, "Was what she just said true?"
Seeing the evasive looks on both of their faces, he understood immediately. He said coldly, "It's just silver. Go give her twenty taels of silver, no, give her two hundred taels. When have I, Xie Liangchen, ever owed anyone anything? Why should I be pointed at and berated like this?"
"Young master, we're out of money," Afu said, his voice trembling with tears.
“I remember that the jade pendant was pawned for a thousand taels of silver.”
Afu: "Young Master is right, but the thousand taels have already been spent in large quantities. The expenses for the journey of exile took up most of the money, as did the An family, the redemption of Chun Tao and the others, and the expenses for your entry into the school. All of these have cost a lot of money."
Xie Liangchen seemed to have thought of something, and suddenly narrowed his eyes and said, "That's right, I redeemed you all, so why does she say she's not my servant?"
Afu gave a dry laugh: "Well... when we got to Jiang Pangya, we didn't have much silver left. And at that time, you disliked Jiang Pangya because she was ugly and didn't care about her. It was that hunter from the Li family who died who bought her."
Xie Liangchen: "."
"So I'm really going to owe her something?"
“That can’t be said like that. It was Jiang Nuanzhi’s own choice. How can you blame the second young master?” Chun Tao said.
“That’s right, that’s true. Besides, she’s as fat as a pig, how could she dare to covet you? It’s her good fortune that she has the opportunity to take care of you,” Afu said.
Xie Liangchen's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly: "But she is not good-looking. Even the girls my parents chose to serve the flowers and plants in the courtyard would not have such a face. Naturally, I don't think much of her."
“Liangchen, there’s no need to blame yourself.” Zhao Yuniang stepped forward and said, “What Jiang Pangya said sounds nice, but she just wants to live her own life because she sees that you are now penniless and down on your luck, and she can’t get any benefits from you. Such a person is of bad character. Liangchen, when you pass the imperial examination, you will definitely make her regret her actions.”
Xie Liangchen pursed his lips, feeling that Zhao Yuniang's words seemed a bit off.
If we're talking about hardship, exile was the most difficult time, but she didn't leave.
Furthermore, he remembered that she had three children and no man, and it was much more difficult for her to manage her own household than for him to handle miscellaneous matters.
“You can calculate how much silver she gave me, and I will return it to her in full!”
As soon as Jiang Nuanzhi stepped out the door, the sorrowful atmosphere around her completely disappeared.
Humming a little tune, I led my horse and slowly made my way back.
"My horse, I didn't expect to get you back so easily?"
Jiang Nuanzhi patted the back of the big black horse, feeling quite pleased.
Eight or nine parts of what she said were true. After revealing everything to Xie Liangchen, the resentment that had been lingering in her heart seemed to have completely dissipated. Perhaps the original owner's last regret had vanished.
The horse snorted and shook its hooves after she touched it, looking rather displeased.
"Hey, so you don't like me either? I went through so much trouble to get it back for you, my eyes are all swollen from crying, see?"
The horse continued to breathe through its nostrils.
Jiang Nuan slapped its rear end in exasperation: "You're just like Da Hei, biting the hand that feeds you!"
The next second, the horse neighed, broke free of its reins, and galloped forward.
"Hey, where are you going?"
Jiang Nuanzhi immediately ran after him.
But then they saw the silly horse run to a bundle of withered reeds on the other side of the stream, stop there and pace anxiously in circles, occasionally exhaling through its nose.
The sun had set for a while, and the last traces of twilight remained. Jiang Nuanzhi walked across the stone path, which no one knew who had built it, and squatted down to look.
Reaching out to brush aside the withered grass, her pupils contracted: "This is..."
(End of this chapter)
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