Chapter 25
Thinking this, Ning Qingxi became even more adept at being a rogue. When Huo Yanci came to bring her a cup of tea, she would take the opportunity to grope him, and then Ning Qingxi would give a long, rogue whistle.
The process was so smooth and seamless that Huo Yanci was both amused and exasperated: "Where did you learn all this?"
After wiping away the oil, Ning Qingxi looked down and continued looking at the blueprints: "Self-taught, wouldn't you call that a gifted talent?"
Huo Yanci was completely speechless. He couldn't even utter a few witty remarks because Ning Qingxi always managed to come up with something amazing, which he simply couldn't handle.
Ning Qingxi said, "Speaking of which, you should come home with me in a couple of days. It's been a long time since I've been back. I wonder how things are at home."
It had been a month since Ning Qingxi last went home. She hadn't expected that things on the project would be so complicated. Just when things were finally sorted out, the other half of the construction had only just begun.
Fortunately, Ning Qingxi didn't have to worry too much about this, as someone was keeping an eye on things. She had already prepared the design, and even the dry landscape garden that Zhang Fu had specifically requested had been designed. As for construction, she was really powerless to do so. No matter how ingenious the various mortise and tenon structures were, she couldn't see them, and it would be useless for her to do so. All she could do was to make sure that the workers didn't do a shoddy job or just do things perfunctorily.
Huo Yanci readily agreed: "Sure, it wouldn't be good to go empty-handed, what do they like?"
Ning Qingxi looked around and, taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, quickly stood up and gave Huo Yanci a light bite on the lips, saying with satisfaction, "You can just come back with me, there's no need for so many formalities."
When Zhuo Miao entered the room, this was the scene that shocked him so much that he almost tripped and fell flat on his face.
Ning Qingxi was furious and embarrassed: "What are you doing? You're such a grown man, and you can still fall while walking. What use are you?!"
Huo Yanci waved her hand, blocking them, and said to Ning Qingxi, "How can that be? It's my first time visiting in person, and I'm not bringing anything. People will think I'm someone you're keeping."
Zhuo Miao twisted her ankle with a "crack".
"What nonsense are you talking about? Anyone with eyes can see you're rich just by looking at you," Ning Qingxi said, putting the blueprints away and locking them in the cabinet. "Come on, let's go outside and talk."
Ning Qingxi simply couldn't stand Zhuo Miao's overly dramatic and attention-grabbing manner; her presence was so strong that she couldn't get anything done.
Huo Yanci followed her lead out the door, saying as she walked, "Is Zhuo Miao alright? How could he twist his ankle walking on flat ground?"
Ning Qingxi thought to herself, "Shameless bastards, they're the ones who caused all this trouble."
However, the other culprit clearly did not have such awareness, and was still clicking his tongue and lamenting that this person was not good enough, falling down wherever he went, what kind of person was he?
Ning Qingxi felt uneasy and didn't respond. She just thought for a moment and said, "I'm thinking there are a few good prospects on the construction site. When I start my own business, I'll poach them."
Who are they?
"Zhuo Miao is good at managing accounts, Ma Li is meticulous, and those few little antiques whose names I don't know are all quite good." Ning Qingxi chuckled, "If we really dig them up, we'll have them all learn from me! It's so boring to build gardens that are all neat and tidy every day."
The garden is now taking shape. The land has been prepared and the stones have been placed. Only the construction of pavilions, towers, corridors and archways remains. According to Ning Qingxi's vision, the others discussed how to build it, striving to make it more beautiful, more solid, and more natural, even though it is made by man. [1]
Ning Qingxi was very satisfied, and even became much more tolerant of others.
Huo Yanci looked at Ning Qingxi, who was skipping along in front of her, and couldn't help but smile: "Didn't you say you wanted me to come out and talk to you? What do you want to say?"
Ning Qingxi didn't even turn her head: "Have you said everything? I'm going crazy from being cooped up in the house all day. I wanted to call you out for a walk."
The person I love most is right beside me, my most important career is thriving, the sun is shining brightly, and everything is as beautiful as a painting.
Ning Qingxi couldn't help but sigh, "Looking back now, it feels like a dream."
After hearing what she said, Ning Qingyuan and Ning Qingshan felt like it was their uncle's dream!
Ning Qingshan looked at Huo Yanci in disbelief, while Huo Yanci looked back without fear.
Ning Qingyuan was much more direct: "Sis! You haven't been scammed, have you? Rich people are full of tricks, you can't let them fool you!"
Ning Qingxi looked embarrassed and tugged at Ning Qingyuan: "What are you saying, child? Where did you learn all this from?"
Ning Qingyuan said, "That's how it's written in storybooks."
Storybooks are nothing more than tales of talented men and beautiful women; normal people would only feel romantic after reading them. She was very curious about what kind of magical storybooks were designed to shatter people's dreams.
"Qin Luofu".
"..." Ning Qingxi said, "Then it's alright... Wait! How did you understand it?!"
Ning Qingyuan said with pride, "I've learned so many characters, and now I can understand all the storybooks."
"Wow, that's amazing!" Ning Qingxi changed the subject, "So, can you write your own name yet?"
Huo Yanci had moved to the desk. There were two stacks of paper on the desk. On one stack, the three characters "Ning Qingshan" were written neatly, with a hint of the neatness and elegance of running script.
The other stack, clearly belonging to a rather unruly owner, was scattered haphazardly, with a name written crookedly at the top: Ning Qingyuan.
Huo Yanci: "..."
He probably knew what kind of path this family was on. The characters were also of progressively higher quality. Ning Qingxi was just average. Her writing wasn't as beautiful as Ning Qingshan's, but it wasn't as messy as Ning Qingyuan's.
Ning Qingyuan, completely unaware of his own ignorance, proudly shook the paper: "Who says I can't?"
Ning Qingxi took it and looked at it. She saw that although the characters were extremely ugly, the stroke order was much more coherent than when she drew names before.
While I felt gratified, I couldn't help but feel a little heartbroken.
Without her even knowing, her two children had grown up so much.
Ning Qingxi was surprised to find that the two siblings in the Ning family had grown quite tall. The clothes she had made not long ago were already a bit too small, and Ning Qingshan was even about to surpass her in height.
Ning Qingyuan, with his thick-skinned nature, didn't understand her little emotions and kept recommending his storybooks: "Sister, do you want to take a couple with you when you leave? Otherwise, it'll be so boring if you don't have anything to pass the time."
Ning Qingxi said, moved, "That's wonderful! What's available?!"
The two men looked at each other, leaving Ning Qingshan and Huo Yanci standing aside.
Ning Qingshan suddenly whispered, "Are you serious about my older sister?"
Huo Yanci raised an eyebrow, seemingly somewhat surprised: "What do you think?"
Ning Qingshan honestly said, "I don't think you are like that, but my older sister trusts you a lot."
Huo Yanci was even more surprised to hear this: "Why don't I look like it?"
"Because your brother took another concubine this month, and he's handing out candy along the street."
Huo Yanci: "..."
Can anyone tell him where this guy came from?
Ning Qingshan: "The scene was exceptionally large, didn't you know?"
Huo Yanci shook her head: "I'm not familiar with them, so you can rest assured."
Ning Qingshan remained silent.
Huo Yanci felt a strange sensation, which was unusual for her.
He bought food for these brats before, and they didn't act like this then!
Thinking about this, Huo Yanci also began to reflect on herself.
He'd always known he was good-looking, but recently some busybodies had already written eight hundred stories about him, including one about him cheating on his wife and children. He'd just laughed it off when he heard them, but now he suddenly felt there might be something wrong with his image.
So he was absent-minded all day, so much so that even someone as oblivious as Ning Qingxi noticed. She tossed a piece of meat onto his plate and asked curiously, "What's wrong with you today? You look like you've suffered some kind of blow."
Huo Yanci was even more puzzled and asked in return, "Ning Qingxi, what do you think of me?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Qingxi immediately thought of the saying "insecurity is a man's best dowry," and exclaimed, "You are the most beautiful person in the world! Where can you find someone as good as you? You're rich, good-looking, and you'd be doing all sorts of things with anyone. You're perfect!"
Ning Qingshan looked at Ning Qingxi giving Huo Yanci a thumbs up and was speechless. He looked at Huo Yanci as if to say, "What kind of bewitching potion did you give my sister?"
Huo Yanci clearly didn't believe it and continued to sigh. Ning Qingxi sighed along with him in her heart: "What's wrong, my young lady?"
"Don't you think I'm the kind of person who would change my mind?"
Ning Qingxi: "What's wrong with you? Why are you worrying about this? If you change your mind, you'll see if I can beat you to death."
The other three: "..."
Do you doubt your reputation?
None of that mattered to Ning Qingxi. Huo Yanci's little sadness was instantly shattered. He picked up the meat that Ning Qingxi had put on his plate with his chopsticks and chewed it with relish.
Seeing Ning Qingxi like this, Ning Qingyuan couldn't help but worry even more. After the meal, he pulled her aside and said to her with great maturity beyond his years, "Sister, I think you are too easily deceived now."
Ning Qingxi: "?"
Ning Qingyuan: "How come you become so infatuated with him the moment you see him?"
Ning Qingxi was both amused and exasperated, and tapped her head: "What are you thinking? This is a matter for us adults, what are you interfering in? Besides, I have my own life too. No matter what kind of person he is, that's my business. I can't give up my life just because of what you two say. Ayuan, I don't owe you anything, and you don't owe me anything. We all have our own lives."
Ultimately, she's just their older sister. Everyone has their own life, and if you give up your private life for someone else, it becomes a burden for that person.
They are too young to understand these things, but that's okay. Ning Qingxi just needs to let them know one thing: that Ning Qingxi can't always revolve around them.
She has her own career, her own lover, and she will get married in the future. That will be her new identity, and it will not conflict with her current identity.
Ning Qingyuan clearly couldn't understand and looked somewhat saddened: "Will you leave us in the future too?"
Huo Yanci, who was upstairs, couldn't see or hear clearly what Ning Qingxi said, but he heard one thing: Ning Qingxi said she wouldn't give up on him.
Huo Yanci had enough of that, and even the cheap, astringent wine in her hand tasted much better.
After sending the two children home, Ning Qingxi gave the wet nurse a few taels of silver as money for daily living expenses and clothing.
Sitting in the carriage on the way back, Ning Qingxi squeezed Huo Yanci's fingers: "I'm sorry, I didn't expect them to react so strongly... but they don't mean any harm, they're just too dependent on me, so they felt..."
Ning Qingxi considered her words for a moment: "It's probably like a beloved doll being suddenly snatched away. Let them accept it on their own."
Huo Yanci said understandingly, "I understand. After all, you two have been relying on each other for so long."
Ning Qingxi sighed.
She had no doubt that even if she brought back someone else instead of Huo Yanci, the two little brats would still have a hundred and eight reasons to make things difficult for her. Perhaps in their world, the fact that their older sister had a boyfriend meant that she didn't want them anymore.
Ning Qingxi was at her wit's end, but when she turned to Huo Yanci, Huo Yanci sighed softly, "Although I understand the reasoning, it still makes me sad."
Ning Qingxi: "...?"
What's going on here now?
Huo Yanci: "I ask myself honestly, haven't I always treated them quite well? How come they turn their backs on me at a time like this?"
Ning Qingxi remembered a meme she had seen before, which perfectly suited her current situation; she felt as helpless as a man.
She was a little flustered and at a loss for what to do, which suited Huo Yanci's wishes. That night, she coaxed and pleaded with Huo Yanci, taking her own quilt to Ning Qingxi's room and insisting on squeezing into the partition behind the screen. While lying down, she kept nagging, "Oh dear, it's so inconvenient to do anything before we're married. When can we put this on the agenda?"
Ning Qingxi casually replied, "We'll talk about it when it's finished. I'm too busy to deal with all that nonsense right now. I'm telling you, you're getting back home before dawn tomorrow. If word gets out, you'll be paying with your life!"
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