Chapter 26 It Has Nothing to Do with Me
After seven or eight days of rest, Liu Yiyi was finally able to walk normally again.
But she seemed to have lost all her energy and spirit, and completely fell silent.
The figure that used to linger near the inner courtyard has disappeared, and he rarely even sets foot in the kitchen. Most of the time, he just locks himself in that narrow and shady servant's hut.
This radical change was so sudden that even Tang Xiaoning, who had previously been most wary of her, sensed something was amiss.
"What's wrong with her..." Tang Xiaoning leaned against the cushioned couch, twirling a plump purple grape between her fingers, and looked suspiciously at Li Minghua, who was sitting on a low stool by the window wiping his sword. "Finally... given up?"
She put a grape in her mouth, the sweet and sour juice spreading on her tongue, but she couldn't suppress the doubt in her heart: "Why is it so quiet all of a sudden? It's a little... strange and I'm not used to it."
She spat out the grape seeds, and the small silver plate made a crisp "ding" sound.
Li Minghua focused intently on the gleaming blade of his sword, a soft white cloth brushing against its surface as he moved with steady, fluid movements.
Upon hearing this, she didn't even look up, only replying indifferently, "Isn't it better to be quiet?"
Her voice remained calm and even, as if she were discussing the weather.
“Great! Of course it is!” Tang Xiaoning immediately sat up straighter, her tone one of obvious agreement.
Then she frowned slightly: "I just think, tsk, it's too sudden! With her stubbornness of not giving up until she hits a wall, I thought it would take at least three or five more rounds before she would admit defeat."
As she spoke, her eyes darted around like a wary deer. Suddenly, she leaned close to Li Minghua, almost touching her earlobe, and deliberately lowered her voice, her tone carrying a mysterious and tentative undertone:
"Hey, do you think she might be planning something big? Like... playing hard to get?"
The warm breath, carrying the sweet scent of grapes, brushed against Li Minghua's earlobe.
Li Minghua finally stopped wiping the sword.
She raised her eyes, her gaze clear and cold like a deep pool, carrying a hint of obvious helplessness, as she looked at Tang Xiaoning, who was standing close by, her eyes sparkling with "whimsical ideas."
That look seemed to say: What kind of nonsense have you been reading this time?
"You've been reading too many storybooks." Li Minghua's voice carried a barely perceptible tone of certainty that "you're just imagining things again."
In her view, Liu Yiyi had simply finally seen the stark difference in their circumstances and the cold, hard boundaries, and had chosen the wisest and easiest course of action: to give up and leave.
The ending was logical and predictable.
Tang Xiaoning was taken aback by her straightforward reaction. Just as she was about to retort, she saw the curtain of the warm pavilion being gently lifted.
Butler Fu walked in, his wrinkled face showing a hint of emotion. He bowed and greeted her, "Miss, Miss Li."
"Uncle Fu, is something the matter?" Tang Xiaoning temporarily put aside her "conspiracy theory" about Liu Yiyi and looked at him.
"Yes." Uncle Fu's tone was respectful, with a hint of a sigh. "Miss Liu just came to say goodbye to this old servant."
"Saying goodbye?" Tang Xiaoning was slightly taken aback, subconsciously sitting up straighter, a look of surprise on her face. "She's leaving?"
Although this result was within her "expectations," she still felt somewhat surprised when she actually heard it.
“Yes, Miss,” Uncle Fu nodded in reply. “Miss Liu said that her foot injury has healed and it is really inconvenient for her to bother her for long.”
There is an elderly mother at home who is lonely and needs someone to take care of her and provide her with medicine.
She repeatedly expressed her gratitude for the hospitality and care she had received during this time, especially…
Uncle Fu paused, then turned his gaze to Li Minghua, his tone becoming even more solemn: "Especially grateful for Miss Li's life-saving grace back then, a grace I will never forget in this lifetime."
As he spoke, he took an object from his wide sleeve and presented it with both hands.
It was a small, exquisite plain-colored sachet made of ordinary material.
However, the embroidered bamboo stalks on it are exceptionally upright and elegant, with fine and even stitches. The layers of bamboo leaves seem to carry a sense of integrity, clearly showing that a great deal of effort and time has been devoted to their creation.
"This is what Miss Liu specifically entrusted to this old servant to pass on to Miss Li before she left."
She said...this is just a small token of her gratitude, a token of her deepest appreciation. She dares not ask for anything more, only hoping that the heroine...will not forget it.
Uncle Fu spoke the words "Never forget" very softly, yet they landed clearly in the suddenly quiet warm room.
Tang Xiaoning's heart skipped a beat and instantly jumped into her throat.
Is there a gift to give before leaving? Or perhaps a sachet to wear close to the body, a symbol of affection?!
That Liu Yiyi! She's about to leave, and she still has to pull this stunt?!
She suddenly turned her head to look at Li Minghua, her eyes filled with tense inquiry, and she even held her breath.
Li Minghua's gaze fell on the exquisite sachet, his expression remaining calm and undisturbed.
She was silent for a moment before speaking, her voice calm and clear: "She has already repaid the debt of saving my life with labor, so we are even. This item is useless to me, so I don't need it."
Her refusal remained firm and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation.
Uncle Fu seemed completely unsurprised by the answer; his face showed no surprise, only a hint of regret that he had already known the outcome.
He nodded and steadily put the sachet back into his sleeve: "This old servant understands. Then...this old servant will go to the accounting office to get her some travel expenses and see her out of the mansion?"
This is routine.
"Wait a minute," Tang Xiaoning spoke first, her tone filled with mixed emotions that she hadn't fully sorted out.
She disliked Liu Yiyi and was even somewhat annoyed by her pestering.
But upon hearing the news that she had left alone and that her elderly mother was still sick at home, the tenderness in her heart, a product of her upbringing as a young lady from a prominent family, stirred within her.
The joy of "victory" that might have existed was replaced by an inexplicable sense of loss.
She pursed her lips and lowered her voice: "Give her more. She's a young woman, traveling all that way, and she still has to take care of her elderly mother when she gets back. It's not easy for her."
“Yes, Miss is kind.” Uncle Fu bowed and replied, his eyes showing more approval as he looked at Tang Xiaoning.
As he bowed his head and stepped back, his gaze swept quickly over Li Minghua, who remained composed, and Tang Xiaoning, who visibly breathed a sigh of relief. His gray eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
He thought to himself, "This Miss Li is truly as firm as a rock, only revolving around her young mistress."
The curtains of the warm pavilion fell, and the room returned to silence, with the rustling of leaves in the breeze outside the window.
Tang Xiaoning turned her gaze away from the doorway and onto Li Minghua's still calm and composed profile.
The slight disappointment I felt earlier was replaced by a strong sense of curiosity.
She couldn't help but lean forward and ask, "Minghua, you... really don't feel... moved at all?"
She did so much for you, from teaching you manners to making soup, and even... she embroidered the sachet with such care.
Now you're just leaving like this, and you really... feel nothing at all?
She tried to find a crack in Li's perpetually icy face.
Li Minghua had carefully placed the polished longsword, which was gleaming, into its simple scabbard, producing a clear and melodious "clatter".
She raised her head, her eyes clear and bright, like an unpolluted mountain stream, and looked directly at Tang Xiaoning with almost pure rationality:
"Everything she did stemmed from her own inability to let go of her obsessions; it was neither what I sought nor what I wished for."
Now that she has let go of her obsession, it is a liberation for her, the beginning of her return to the right path. Why should I be moved?
Her logic was simple, direct, and even coldly clear-headed, yet it was like a clear spring that instantly extinguished the indescribable emotions in Tang Xiaoning's heart.
"Yes!" Tang Xiaoning suddenly understood, her eyes lighting up.
All the entanglements, troubles, and petty thoughts stemmed from Liu Yiyi's one-sided "obsession" that she refused to let go of.
Throughout the entire process, Minghua never gave her even the slightest hope or hint.
The boundaries are clear, and the attitude is unequivocal!
Now that the obsession has dissipated and everyone has returned to their place, for Minghua it is nothing more than brushing away a fallen leaf that had unintentionally landed on his shoulder and getting rid of a trouble that should never have existed!
Having figured this out, Tang Xiaoning's subtle sense of melancholy vanished in an instant.
Instead, there was an unparalleled sense of ease, and a secret delight to want to show off a little.
Look! Her Lady Li, her will is as firm as a rock!
How could just anyone easily shake it in the slightest?
She was in a great mood, and her eyes and brows suddenly filled with light, like a flower that suddenly blooms in spring.
She stretched out her slender fingers and carefully selected the largest, plumpest, and bright purple grape from the fruit plate, holding it between her fingertips and bringing it to Li Minghua's slightly pursed lips.
Her voice was sweet and clear, with a hint of self-satisfaction and affection: "Here you go! This is your reward! Firm in your stance and upright in your thinking! You truly deserve to be my heroine, Li!"
Li Minghua was slightly taken aback when she saw the crystal-clear grape, still glistening with water droplets, suddenly brought to her lips.
She has always been averse to excessive sweetness.
But looking into Tang Xiaoning's expectant and smiling eyes, a subtle tenderness still flickered in her usually overly calm gaze.
She hesitated for only a very brief moment before lowering her head slightly, opening her lips, and obediently accepting this unexpected "reward," putting the fruit into her mouth.
Sure enough, the sweet juice instantly surged and spread in her mouth, causing her to subconsciously furrow her brow slightly.
"Too sweet." Li Minghua swallowed the grape and gave the exact same evaluation as when he tasted the sweet soup last time, his tone carrying a hint of helpless honesty.
"Sweet is just right!" Tang Xiaoning smiled, her eyes crinkling into crescents, as she watched Li Minghua frown but had no choice but to swallow. She looked like a child who had just pulled off a prank.
She slowly picked up a grape and put it in her mouth, savoring it. She felt that the grape tasted a thousand times sweeter and more delicious than it had before Uncle Fu came in.
Li Minghua's slight frown and helplessness, in her eyes, became a uniquely sweet and adorable expression.
The warm room was filled with the sweet aroma of grapes and a tranquil warmth that belonged only to the two of them and needed no words to express.
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