007
Qin Sang glanced at Su Qingyan subconsciously and smiled, "Then let's do it tomorrow."
Su Qingyan said softly, "I've long heard that your tea garden is incredibly beautiful and unparalleled, but I've never had the chance to see it. Qin Yue told me about it yesterday, and I'm really looking forward to it too. But judging from the weather, it might rain tomorrow, so it's not a good time to go out..."
Qin Yue then looked up at the sky.
Qin Sang smiled and said, "A cloudy day is better; it's not hot on the mountain."
Qin Yue said, "Then let's do it tomorrow. Sangsang has built a villa next to the tea garden. If we go up the mountain early tomorrow, we can make roasted meat with freshly killed free-range chickens. It tastes amazing!"
Su Qingyan smiled gently: "Sister Sangsang is so capable... cough cough, I'm still recovering from a cold, I hope you won't think I'm a burden."
Qin Sang said, "Not at all, it's just that I'll have to trouble you, sister."
Qin Yue said happily, "If it's settled over there, I'll send someone to inform Zhi Fenglang right away."
Qin Sang and Su Qingyan exchanged a fleeting glance, their eyes meeting briefly before looking away.
That day, Qin Sang suggested to Qin Yue that she invite Han Feng and her good friend to go up the mountain together, but the real reason was that Qin Sang had already sensed something was wrong, but her second sister was still oblivious and encouraging her.
She wanted to take this opportunity to expose the two treacherous individuals, give her second sister a quick death, and let her see the truth so that she could choose another husband.
In retrospect, this decision was indeed incredibly wise. Su Qingyan had something on his mind, but unfortunately, Qin Yue couldn't see it at all.
***
The next morning, the weather was indeed overcast.
Qin Sang was a bit grumpy as soon as she woke up. Thinking of Qin Yue's unreliable fiancé and her delicate, innocent best friend, she felt that today's battle would take a lot of energy.
I wonder what her silly second sister will do when she finds out the truth.
So for breakfast, she ate an extra basket of steamed buns, drank an extra bowl of soy milk, and filled a lot of snacks in a cloth bag she had sewn herself before heading out with Qin Yue, full of fighting spirit.
The carriage first took a detour to pick up Su Qingyan, and then another detour to pick up Han Feng. Including the driver, the five people in the carriage and two horses rode through the light morning mist, past the early spring willow buds, towards Phoenix Cry Mountain, heading out of the city.
Inside the car, Qin Yue and Han Feng sat on one side, while Qin Sang sat on the other side with Su Qingyan. Qin Yue couldn't see the flirtatious glances exchanged between Han Feng and Su Qingyan, while Qin Sang pretended not to notice anything, keeping her eyes down.
About an hour later, the carriage arrived at the foot of Fengming Mountain in the east of the city.
There is a tea stall here, which provides tea for tourists or those passing by to worship Buddha. There is a Ciyun Temple at the top of Fengming Mountain, which is said to be very effective for making wishes. It is usually crowded with tourists.
Although it was the third month of spring, the weather was gloomy today, and there weren't many people going up the mountain. The tea stall owner grumbled and complained that only a few groups of people had gone up the mountain in the morning, and said that it was probably going to rain later, so he might as well close up early and go home to chop firewood.
After drinking water, the group sent a carriage to wait at the foot of the mountain, and then went up the steps.
Qin Sang walks this road several times a month and knows it very well.
Because they were familiar with the area, they walked quickly and soon left the others behind. When they looked back, they saw Han Feng helping the delicate and timid Su Qingyan.
Qin Yue said worriedly from the side, "I should have known better than to invite Yan Yan to come along. She's still recovering from her cold, and climbing mountains is tiring."
Han Feng: "However, the air in the mountains is fresh, which may be beneficial to the illness."
Qin Sang wiped away non-existent sweat from her brow and shouted, "Hurry up, there's a viewing platform up there, the view is amazing!"
A short while later, the group climbed up to a viewing pavilion located halfway up the mountain, nestled between two valleys.
Although the place is narrow, the view is expansive, with terraced fields and tea gardens covering the mountains and fields, their verdant greenness flowing down like a stream.
The only flaw was the clusters of dark clouds in the sky. Qin Sang pulled Su Qingyan, who looked a little dejected, aside and pointed ahead, saying, "Sister Qingyan, look, that's my tea garden over there."
Su Qingyan looked into the distance and coughed unintentionally. Qin Sang turned around and saw that although Han Feng was talking to his second sister, his eyes kept glancing over here. Hearing Su Qingyan cough, the young man frowned slightly, looking very distressed.
She smiled gently, took Su Qingyan's arm, and said softly, "There's a question I'm not sure if I should ask."
Su Qingyan asked, "What does my sister want to ask?"
Qin Sang lowered her voice and said, "Sister Qingyan is already of marriageable age, why haven't I heard Second Sister mention your marriage prospects?"
Su Qingyan was taken aback, then coughed again, weakly covering her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Father and Mother are reluctant to part with me, but they are already making arrangements."
“I see,” Qin Sang smiled innocently. “I’m fifteen this year. The other day I heard my mother say that after my second sister gets married, she should start arranging my marriage. Alas, it’s a pity that I don’t have my second sister’s good fortune to have a brother-in-law who I grew up with and know well. I don’t know what kind of family I will marry into in the future.”
Su Qingyan smiled faintly, a hint of melancholy creeping onto her face again, before nodding and saying, "That's exactly right. My sister is very farsighted to start planning for herself so early."
"So, my sister was also looking out for herself when she started flirting with Han Feng?"
Qin Sang's words were like a slap to Su Qingyan's face, which was caught off guard. The color drained from her delicate face instantly, then surged back, burning her face bright red.
She opened her mouth, intending to say no, but she knew that her reaction had already given her away.
She glanced hurriedly at the two people not far away, then grabbed Qin Sang's wrist with her other hand: "No... please don't tell your second sister, okay? I'll break up with Han Feng."
"Broken up?" Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat. "Does that mean you two are already together?" She had thought that their relationship was just a fling and hadn't developed into anything substantial yet.
Now it seems the situation is more serious than she thought.
She instinctively asked again, "Did you two hold hands? Or hug? Or... kiss?"
Su Qingyan's knuckles turned white as she gripped the handkerchief. Qin Sang blinked; she understood.
Fortunately, at least I found out before the marriage, so the loss is relatively small. At most, I'll be heartbroken for ten days or half a month at home. Since that's the case, it's not a bad thing to let them be together. After all, mutual love is rare, and we shouldn't let an arranged marriage ruin it.
She was about to say that she would go back and persuade her parents to annul her second sister's engagement when she heard a sharp scream from the side, accompanied by the cracking sound of dry branches breaking. Qin Sang saw Sang Yue rolling down the hillside.
Han Feng stood awkwardly to the side, stammering, "Yue... Yue'er... she accidentally slipped and fell..."
Seeing that the person was rolling downhill, but Han Feng didn't immediately go down to save her, Qin Sang rushed over and pushed the person aside, intending to go down from where Qin Yue had fallen.
Although there are many trees here, the mountain is steep, and the viewing pavilion is built on a rock that protrudes slightly from the mountain. The path down is very difficult to walk, and if you are not careful, you will roll into a mud ball like Qin Yue.
Qin Sang had just climbed down two trees when she ran out of footholds. Just as she was about to jump onto a rock to the side, she heard a voice coming from above: "Go down from here? Are you looking for death?"
Qin Sang looked up and saw Xie Sui'an's face.
The wealthy young master, who was traveling around, was squatting on the edge of the cliff, fanning himself and watching the commotion with great interest. Qin Sang frowned: "What are you doing here? Didn't you go to Fengquan Mountain in the south?"
Xie Sui'an waved his fan and smiled, "I asked other people, and they all said that Fengming Mountain in the east of the city is better, and Ciyun Temple on the mountain is even better. I came here to worship the Bodhisattva. I didn't expect to run into you all. What a coincidence!"
Qin Sang: "..."
Xie Sui'an grinned and held out a hand: "Want to come up first?"
Qin Sang hesitated, glancing at Qin Yue, who had rolled down into the ditch and was now stopped. Xie Suian then pointed to the side with his folding fan: "That slope is gentler over there. Go down there to rescue her. Are you stupid? Besides, your companions have already run away. Look at the kind of friends you've made..."
Qin Sang, too lazy to listen to his nonsense, grabbed his hand and started climbing, but Xie Sui'an was caught off guard and preoccupied with talking. Suddenly pulled by her, he lost his footing and was yanked down: "Hey, hey, hey... I haven't... Ahhhhh..."
Qin Sang was so dizzy from the impact that she didn't have time to protect her head with her hands. She felt as if she were wrapped in soft silk and smelled a cool, white plum blossom fragrance. She had never smelled this fragrance before and thought it was probably the work of a famous perfumer in the bustling city of Kyoto.
As her body rolled over several sharp stones, Qin Sang felt her waist go numb and was worried that she might have injured her spine. Her hands and legs were also cut by sharp branches. She was suspended in mid-air twice, and when she landed, she and Young Master Xie couldn't help but scream. Finally, after rolling a few times on the gentle slope, she fell into the ditch in the valley.
Qin Sang's head was buzzing, and every part of her body ached, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly where it hurt. After a long while, she realized that there was someone on top of her. The person seemed to have fainted, and was pressing down on her with tremendous weight, so she couldn't move them at all.
Qin Sang was also too weak to continue, so she gave up for the time being. She looked around and saw Qin Yue not far away, hugging her legs and crying helplessly.
She took a deep breath and, with one burst of energy, flipped him off her. Xie Sui'an rolled onto the ground again, groaned, and then woke up with a hiss.
Despite her aching body, Qin Sang crawled on her knees toward Qin Yue. Seeing Qin Yue's disheveled appearance and deformed left leg, she guessed that Qin Yue had broken her leg.
Although the fall was quite dramatic, Qin Sang quickly calmed down and said, "Let me take a look. It's okay, just a little misaligned. Let go of it, don't move it. I've studied bone setting... crack crack..."
With just two cracking sounds, she had already set the bones before the other person could react.
Seeing that Qin Yue had cried out loudly but then gradually stopped, he turned around with a start to look at Xie Sui'an.
Fortunately, Xie Sui'an was strong and healthy and had already sat up on his own, but he was staring blankly in his direction and did not move.
Qin Sang's heart skipped a beat. Had she damaged her brain?
Suddenly, he grimaced and looked down to examine the wound on his arm—Xie Sui'an's entire right arm was torn by tree branches, and a shocking gash was cut across his arm, from which blood was gushing out.
He couldn't see the wound, but it hurt, so he reached out to touch it, but Qin Sang stopped him abruptly: "Don't move! Don't touch it!"
Xie Sui'an was stunned.
Despite her aching body, Qin Sang stood up, walked to Xie Suian, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and carefully cleaned his wound. She then took another handkerchief from her second sister's sleeve, tied the two handkerchiefs together, and wrapped Xie Suian's wound tightly.
"Is your leg injured? Can you move your leg?" she asked.
Xie Sui'an moved his legs, seemingly unharmed, then his temper flared: "Are you stupid?! I haven't even stood up properly yet, what are you doing pulling me? I've done you a favor, not held a grudge against you, you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Jinyun, who was rushing over from another road, interrupted him: "Young Master... Young Master... Young Master, are you alright...?"
Xie Sui'an vented his anger on him: "Stop howling, you didn't die from the fall!"
"That's great! I was so scared. If anything happens to you, young master, I'll have no choice but to jump down from here and be buried with you... Waaaaah..." Jinyun choked up as she spoke, wiping away the tears that hadn't yet fallen from her eyes.
Xie Sui'an asked curiously, "Then why didn't you jump down from up there just now?"
Jinyun stepped forward to help him up: "I...I have to save you! I'll get hurt if I come down from up there too!"
Xie Sui'an was speechless.
"Stop arguing, my head hurts. Can you lend me a hand?" Qin Sang interrupted their conversation.
Xie Sui'an gave her a strange look, broke free from Jin Yun's hand, and went over to cup Qin Sang's head and pat it for a while, clicking his tongue and saying, "You have a big bump on your head, here, right here, feel it."
Jinyun looked on with disbelief. Young Master Xie still thought he was a six-year-old child, making advances on young ladies at the drop of a hat, completely oblivious to the need for propriety.
Following his directions, Qin Sang indeed found a large bump on her head, so she gave Xie Sui'an a slight glare.
Xie Sui'an raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean by looking at me like that?"
Qin Sang hesitated for a moment, then said, "Never mind, it's not a good idea. Could you please have your servant help me help my sister upstairs?"
Xie Sui'an: "No way! If you don't tell me why you glared at me just now, then you can go up there yourselves."
Qin Sang gritted her teeth: "I want to say, if you don't have the strength, don't show off. You fell over as soon as I pulled you up, and you still had the nerve to say you'd pull me up. Now look what happened, we both rolled down and are all injured."
"..." Xie Sui'an choked with anger: "What did you say?!"
Qin Sang patted the withered leaves off her clothes: "Alright, alright, let's go up there and talk about it. Be careful of snakes and insects in the mountains. If you get bitten, you really won't be able to come back."
Just then, a deafening clap of thunder echoed through the mountains, boom! ... Immediately afterwards, the sound of wind rose in the forest, and a whirlwind swept past the group, carrying withered branches and leaves.
Drip, drip, drip, it's raining.
The group, looking disheveled, circled around the bottom of the valley and then walked up another hillside, where they could reach Qin Sang's tea garden. Next to the tea garden was a small villa, built of wood, with a very cozy layout and all the necessities for food, clothing, and daily use. Qin Sang often stayed there for two or three days when making tea, and Qin Yue had also visited before.
But Qin Yue was thinking about her Feng Lang at the moment, and asked Han Feng and the others what to do several times, but Qin Sang did not give her a direct answer.
Finally, Xie Sui'an grew impatient and said, "Your Feng Lang has already run off with a young girl!"
Qin Yue was taken aback upon hearing this, then said with certainty, "They must have seen that we were in trouble and went back to get reinforcements. Sang Sang, if we just leave like this, won't they be very worried when they come back and can't find us?"
Xie Sui'an: "Then you can just wait for them in the valley."
The drizzle turned into a light rain. Xie Sui'an wrapped his head with Jinyun's outer robe, so the rain couldn't get on his face for the time being, and he could still laugh and make sarcastic remarks.
Qin Sang was already sore all over from the fall, and she was helping Qin Yue climb the mountain in the rain. Hearing her second sister's foolish words, she was instantly furious and finally said, "Han Feng and your best friend have been secretly flirting for a long time, can't you see that?"
Seeing Qin Yue's stunned expression, he continued, "So, how exactly did you roll down the hillside just now?"
Qin Yue was even more bewildered. She turned to stare at Qin Sang, speechless for a long time.
Seeing that her silly older sister seemed to have finally understood something, she didn't want to rub salt into the wound. She simply said, "Let's go back and settle accounts with them later. Let's go and take shelter from the rain in another courtyard."
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