Chapter 26 Several teacups were placed on the table…
Several teacups were placed on the table, and a hand with distinct knuckles picked up one of them.
Feeling the warmth of the teacup in his hand, Xie Rongjing naturally handed it to Xie Baoqiong, who was sitting down beside him.
Unable to leave immediately, Xie Baoqiong leisurely took the teacup, held it in her palm, and stared blankly at the brown tea, intently listening to Xie Rongjing's conversation with the other person, without making a move to take a sip.
Although the water infused with tea leaves will carry the unique fragrance of tea, he prefers to drink plain water rather than tea leaves unless absolutely necessary.
However, the Marquis's residence has always prepared tea for its guests.
The surface of the tea soup was calm and still, and from Xie Baoqiong's angle, she could clearly see half of Xie Rongjing's face reflected in it.
The mouth in the reflection moved, but Xie Rongjing wasn't speaking to Qi Yan, but to him:
"After running around for so long, let's have some water first."
Ripples spread across the calm surface of the tea, blurring the reflection. Xie Baoqiong brought his lips close to the tea, pretending to sip, and then realized belatedly that the "tea" was sweet.
He glanced at Xie Rongjing with a puzzled look, but the latter had already looked away and turned his attention to Qi Yan across the table.
Xie Baoqiong picked up her teacup and continued drinking the water, her eyes following Xie Rongjing's gaze.
Qi Yan's mind was somewhat distracted, and it took him a while to notice the gaze fixed on him.
Lifting his half-drooping eyelids, Qi Yan looked directly at his brother opposite him and asked, "I wonder what trouble Xiao Gui has gotten into?"
Xie Rongjing's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly for a moment. Qi Yan's words sounded like he was asking about what had happened, but in reality, he was tacitly acknowledging that Qi Gui was at fault without knowing the truth.
Unlike Meng Si, who immediately reprimanded Meng Rui, Meng Si's actions, while seemingly scolding, were actually protective of him, while Qi Yan...
He changed the subject of his original words, swallowed them back, and spoke again with a different story: "When my younger brother was playing with Young Master Meng, he accidentally pulled your younger brother, causing a little commotion and soiling his robes. That's why I brought your younger brother to the side room."
After saying that, Xie Rongjing secretly observed Qi Yan's expression. The latter's expression remained normal, but he did not spare a glance to check on Qi Gui.
"Since there's nothing else, I'll take my leave with Xiao Gui," Qi Yan said.
Xie Baoqiong looked at Xie Rongjing with a puzzled expression. Wasn't Qi Gui injured?
Xie Rongjing raised his hand to pat his head, ignoring the confusion in his eyes, and stood up to see the guest off.
Xie Baoqiong finished the sweet water in her cup in one gulp, put down the cup, and followed behind Xie Rongjing.
Xie Rongjing stood at the doorway of the side room, blocking most of the view outside. Xie Baoqiong stood in Xie Rongjing's shadow, only able to hear one sentence clearly:
"Young Master Qi, you should pay more attention to your younger brother."
Xie Rongjing closed the door, and the light in the room dimmed. Xie Baoqiong then asked, "Brother, why didn't you tell Young Master Qi about Qi Gui's injury?"
Xie Rongjing's eyelashes drooped, and for a moment she didn't know how to explain it to her younger brother.
Fortunately, another voice came to his rescue; Meng Rui's loud voice was still very recognizable:
"Big brother, why didn't you say anything just now?"
Meng Si stared thoughtfully at her younger brother, her expression subtly revealing a dangerous aura:
“Our family doesn’t get along with him. Father just reported Qi Yan’s father a couple of days ago. I spoke up, and who knows, tomorrow Lord Qi might report Father for failing to raise his son properly.”
Meng Rui pouted unhappily, then heard Meng Si continue, "I didn't expect that child just now to be from the Qi family. I've never seen him before."
Xie Rongjing snapped out of his reverie, distracted by the conversation between the other two in the room. He noticed Xie Baoqiong still looking up, seemingly determined to get an answer from him. He sighed and explained:
“I didn’t mean to hide it. It’s just that Young Master Qi immediately took the blame for Qi Gui. Then I brought up the incident, but Young Master Qi didn’t show any concern for Qi Gui. Qi Gui also had no intention of letting Young Master Qi know. The injury was an old one, and as an outsider, it was not appropriate for me to bring it up.”
Xie Baoqiong nodded as if he understood, but before he could think further, a gasp interrupted his thoughts.
"An old injury?! Brother, didn't you say I accidentally injured you?"
Meng Rui shook Meng Si's arm in dissatisfaction, and Xie Rongjing looked at his friend with a slight apology.
Meng Si grabbed her younger brother's hand with one hand and affectionately ruffled his messy hair with the other: "Who told you not to notice? You just admitted it outright."
Xie Baoqiong silently shrank closer to Xie Rongjing, though he didn't actually notice.
Meng Rui broke free from the clutches and asked, "What happened to Qi Gui's injuries?"
"Who knows? His family situation..." Meng Si's expression was complicated.
Looking down, Meng Si met Meng Rui's gossipy gaze and shut up. "This is not something you two kids should be listening to."
Xie Baoqiong was also aroused, but since this matter had nothing to do with Princess Huayang, his desire to gossip was not as strong as Meng Rui's.
"Hmph, I know even if you don't say it." Meng Rui released his grip on Meng Si, who was throwing a tantrum, and said confidently.
Xie Rongjing poured another cup of fruit tea and handed it to Xie Baoqiong. The latter took the cup and immediately drank a sip, but her ears perked up, waiting for Meng Rui to speak next.
“Who in the entire capital hasn’t heard the rumors about Lord Qi and Madam Qi?” Meng Rui said.
Xie Baoqiong, a villager from the mountains, asked curiously, "What is it?"
Xie Rongjing seemed to want to stop him, but he couldn't keep up with Meng Rui's rapid-fire delivery, and in an instant, he blurted out the rest of his words:
"Before marrying Madam Qi, Lord Qi had a reputation for being a womanizer. After meeting Madam Qi, he fell in love at first sight and settled down. In addition, he did have some ability and good looks, so he successfully lured Madam Qi into marrying him."
The story was so clichéd that it would be considered one of the worst stories in the genre, Xie Baoqiong thought to herself.
Seeing that his friend was getting a little distracted, Meng Rui quickly changed the subject:
"The two were in love for two years, and it was during that time that Young Master Qi was born, but!" Meng Rui raised his voice, but Xie Baoqiong still showed little interest.
The male protagonist of the story is tired of his mundane life and also tired of the other protagonist in the story.
"At the first birthday banquet of the eldest son of the Qi family, a woman brought the baby to the Qi residence and made a scene. It was only then that Madam Qi learned that Lord Qi was keeping a mistress. Fortunately, Madam Qi was not a weak person and dealt with the matter."
Although she never divorced Lord Qi, she kept male concubines and even boasted that if Lord Qi could do it, why couldn't she?
Lady Qi's family was powerful, and Lord Qi dared not say much. However, after being discovered, Lord Qi stopped pretending and frequently engaged in philandering. Although he no longer fathered children, he would bring people to his residence; it was rumored that he even brought a demon home once.
The word "demon" immediately drew Xie Baoqiong's attention. He had only heard stories of marriage between humans and demons in folk tales, and rarely heard of them in the mortal world.
Humans and demons have different lifespans, and ultimately only a minority of demons are willing to form partnerships with humans.
"But that time, that demon was pregnant, though I don't know if the child was ever born." At this point, Meng Ruifu muttered to himself, "Could Qi Gui be that half-demon?"
Xie Baoqiong inexplicably thought of Xueyan, who had fallen into his hands, timid and weak, and seemed to overlap with Qi Gui's figure.
Those inside the room, except for Xie Baoqiong, all showed expressions of expectation upon hearing Meng Rui's speculation.
Instead, Meng Rui asked in confusion, "Huh? Since Madam Qi is such a generous person, she shouldn't be making things difficult for a child. Could it be that Qi Gui's injuries are..."
The three men had different expressions as they awaited Meng Rui's speculation.
"I really did it."
A soft laugh, tinged with mockery, rang out. "I know too?" The parrot-like words, delivered in a rhetorical tone, came from Meng Si's mouth, mocking Meng Rui.
Provoked, Meng Rui snorted softly, trying to defend himself: "I meant I know about the Qi family, not about Qi Gui's injuries."
Meng Si, ultimately out of affection for her younger brother who had gone through all that trouble to get himself blamed, explained:
"Qi Gui's clothes are not made of good material, and Qi Yan's attitude suggests that the person in charge of the Qi family does not value him. There are many possible reasons for his injuries, such as a wicked servant bullying his master, mistreatment by people in the family, or being bullied at the academy."
Hearing Meng Si's explanation, Meng Rui felt somewhat smug. Meng Si wasn't sure of the real reason either, but an even greater question clouded his mind: "Isn't he a half-demon? How come he can let ordinary people bully him?"
"Whether they are half-demon or not is still undecided..." Meng Si said.
Another voice rang out almost simultaneously: "If a half-demon has never cultivated, apart from being able to change the form of their true body, they are no different from ordinary people, except that some species are physically stronger..."
Xie Baoqiong's voice gradually faded. He noticed that the other three people's gazes were gradually focusing on him, and Xie Rongjing, who was closest to him, had a strange expression.
Meng Rui, who was furthest away, exclaimed in surprise, "Ah Qiong, you even know these things."
Xie Baoqiong suddenly realized, as if waking from a dream, that he, as an ordinary person, shouldn't know this news. He blinked slowly and made up an excuse:
“I saw monsters when I was in Sishui Mountain before, and I heard them talking about them.”
It's not entirely untrue that he overheard the conversation between the fox and the tombstone in Sishui Mountain.
Everyone believed him, but Xie Rongjing secretly pondered the words. He remembered seeing a similar place name in Xie Zhuo's study.
—
After seeing the guests off, before parting ways with Meng Rui, the other party made sure to arrange a time: "Ah Qiong, let's meet at the temple fair on the fifteenth."
Watching her friend and younger brother walk away into the distance, Xie Rongjing was surprised at how quickly Xie Baoqiong's friendship had progressed. Then, thinking how lovable her younger brother was, she couldn't help but whisper a reminder to Xie Baoqiong:
"Qiong'er, your father has not yet agreed to let you leave the manor."
Xie Baoqiong opened her innocent eyes and looked up to meet Xie Rongjing's gaze: "Brother will help me."
The sentence was stated so matter-of-factly, yet Xie Rongjing, looking into those eyes, couldn't utter a single word of refusal.
Xie Rongjing secretly pondered whether he, as the elder brother, had been too soft-hearted. In a daze, a face half-hidden by sunlight appeared in his mind.
His mother held one of his hands, while her other hand covered the slightly protruding belly of the woman whose face was indistinct.
Warm, tender lives were in his palms.
For a moment, it seemed as if both hearts were beating at the same time.
"How much longer until we can see the baby in Auntie's belly?"
"..." The voices in my memory have become blurred, only his own voice echoes through time in my ears.
"I will take good care of Him after He is born."
He felt a tugging at his cuff and snapped back to reality to see a pair of wet, droopy eyes staring at him.
"Does my brother hate monsters?"
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Author's Note: The illustrations for this article will be available soon [Cat Head emoji].
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