After Zhou Chenyu finished explaining things to Baoyu, she waited in the same spot for a while. Li Xiuju remained unconscious, and nothing unexpected happened. She then took the silver and hurriedly left.
The Mid-Autumn Festival had just passed, and although there were few pedestrians on the street, every few steps one could see red lanterns hanging high, so she didn't seem too lonely.
Baoyu has an upset stomach, so porridge is the best thing for him.
Zhou Chenyu went to the congee shop she used to eat at, ordered a takeaway vegetable and pork liver congee, and also bought a few meat buns. Without lingering, she headed to the clinic with her things.
However, she did not expect that, on her way back, she would run into Chen Cuiping and her daughter Zhou Wanqiu, right after the Mid-Autumn Festival and not on a market day.
"Late autumn?"
When Zhou Wanqiu saw Zhou Chenyu, she was eager to go forward.
Chen Cuiping immediately grabbed her. Her face, which had been cold, lit up with excitement the moment she saw Zhou Chenyu, and she answered first:
"Shenyu, where are you going with all this food you bought?"
"My mother-in-law is sick, so we rushed out and haven't had breakfast yet." Zhou Chenyu looked at Zhou Wanqiu's bewildered expression and asked curiously, "The Mid-Autumn Festival is over, where are you going?"
“Where else can we go? Let’s go out and buy some things. Right, girl?” Chen Cuiping gave Zhou Wanqiu a hard tug.
Despite the pain in her arm, Zhou Wanqiu looked at Zhou Chenyu in alarm and said, "Sister Chenyu, I came out with my mother to buy some things."
Fearing that this brat might say something wrong, Chen Cuiping exchanged a few pleasantries and then quickly pulled her away.
Buying things?
Zhou Chenyu stopped in place and looked at them. Chen Cuiping had only taken a few steps when she immediately let go of Zhou Wanqiu's hand and impatiently pushed her forward.
Really buying something?
Zhou Chenyu looked down at the breakfast in his hand. Right now, there was nothing more important than curing Li Xiuju. After a brief pause, he hurriedly returned to the clinic.
——
Chen Cuiping dragged Zhou Wanqiu through several streets, finally stopping in front of a secluded mountain villa. Staring at the grand plaque hanging above the door, she gasped in surprise, gazing enviously for a long time before coldly glancing at Zhou Wanqiu, who kept turning back, and commanded:
"Did you remember everything your mother told you? When you go in later, you must repeat it to Young Master Qian word for word, understand?"
Young Master Qian?
Zhou Wanqiu stood there, looking up at the magnificent and imposing pavilion, which felt like a towering mountain surrounded by black mist, pressing heavily on her.
Her life was as insignificant as an ant's.
Zhou Wanqiu looked at Chen Cuiping with teary eyes, "Mother, I didn't lose that box of mooncakes, you know that."
This reminder made Chen Cuiping think of the box of mooncakes she had picked up and eaten. If she had known it would cause so much trouble, she wouldn't have eaten them even if she had been rewarded with money.
Chen Cuiping pursed her lips guiltily, hiding the greed in her eyes, and looked down at Zhou Wanqiu gently, giving her plenty of patience, and advised:
“Girl, I know you delivered the mooncake box to Chenyu. I know you are innocent and have been wronged. But Young Master Qian insists that your sister Chenyu didn’t receive the mooncakes. He’s from a wealthy family, he wouldn’t make things difficult for us over a box of mooncakes. It’s clear that it was you, the one you keep calling Chenyu, who said that.”
"Mother doesn't know why she said that. Perhaps she doesn't forgive us and pretends she didn't receive the things, or perhaps she just made up an excuse to fob off Young Master Qian. Now that the words have reached Young Master Qian's ears, Mother has to give an explanation for doing things for him."
"Young Master Qian has feelings for your sister, and I can't say anything bad about her. But if I say I lost it myself, he certainly won't be lenient. Just say you lost it, and he won't make things difficult for a little girl like you, right?"
"Even if you don't care about your own feelings, at least think about me. Don't put me in a difficult position, okay?"
No matter what Chen Cuiping said, the scene of Qian Rushan tearing her mouth apart was like a nightmare that she couldn't shake off.
Zhou Wanqiu bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes, "But I..."
Chen Cuiping finished her rant and lost her patience. "That's enough! Young Master Qian is up there. If we delay any longer, we'll both be in big trouble! Let's go see him right now!"
Chen Cuiping straightened her clothes and, regardless of Zhou Wanqiu's wishes, forcibly dragged her inside.
The servant standing at the door to greet guests saw Chen Cuiping and Zhou Wanqiu, glanced at their clothes, and said coldly, "Lanxiang Garden is not a place for you to come. Get out of here immediately."
Chen Cuiping was annoyed by the snobbish servant, but in order to curry favor with Qian Rushan, she had no choice but to suppress her anger and grovel:
“Young man, we’re here to see Master Qian. He instructed you to find the young men beside him and ask them.”
Upon hearing these three words, the servant finally looked at the person properly and said, "Come with me."
Zhou Wanqiu stared at the open door, as if a monstrous beast were on the other side. Her feet seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move an inch. "Mother, I'm not going..."
Not going?
We're already at the door, and now you're saying we're not going?
Chen Cuiping turned around and, in front of everyone, twisted her arm hard. "You have no choice in this. If you don't go, I'll break your legs and have someone carry you inside!"
"Ah..." Zhou Wanqiu clutched the twisted spot in pain and was dragged in again by Chen Cuiping. They walked for an unknown amount of time before stopping in front of a fish pond.
The servant leading the way looked at the man feeding the carp and said, "Second Master, they've arrived."
Qian Rushan glanced at it casually, put down the bait, and sat back in his chair. "You may leave now."
As Zhou Wanqiu looked at the familiar figure in front of the pool, her body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Before Qian Rushan could speak, Chen Cuiping knelt down with a thud. Seeing Zhou Wanqiu standing there stunned, she began to hurl insults at her:
"You brat, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and kneel down, kowtow to your master and admit your mistake!"
Zhou Wanqiu was suddenly pulled by Chen Cuiping, and her knees slammed into the hard cobblestones, causing her to let out a suppressed whimper in pain.
Qian Rushan picked up the freshly brewed cup of fine tea without flinching, stirred the tea leaves with the lid, and took a small sip.
Seeing that Qian Rushan hadn't said a word, Chen Cuiping panicked and squeezed out two lines of tears, crying out in a pitiful voice, "Second Master, I've brought my maid to apologize to you!"
Zhou Wanqiu knelt on the ground, not daring to look at Qian Rushan, and cried out in fear, "Second Master, please...please spare me."
The pleading voices of an old woman and a young girl rang out. Qian Rushan wearily picked at his ear and coldly glanced at Chen Cuiping. "From what you're saying, your youngest daughter stole that box of mooncakes?"
"That's right!" Chen Cuiping found a scapegoat, pointing her finger straight at Zhou Wanqiu's nose. "It's this stinky girl who was reincarnated from a starving ghost. She saw something good and ate it without a second thought, who knew she would cause such a huge disaster and upset you. I'm going to slap her right now!"
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