014
Su Qingyan looked at Qin Yue, who was soaking wet and had almost died at his hands, yet was still speaking up for him, and finally burst into tears: "Don't call my name! My name isn't Yan Yan, I'm not Su Qingyan, I don't want to be Su Qingyan!!"
Qin Yue: "..."
Qin Sang: "..."
Xie Sui'an: "..."
Su Qingyan pulled up her sleeves, revealing red welts. She choked back tears for a moment before saying, "They want to marry me off as a concubine to an old landlord just because he promised to give my family 10 acres of fertile land as a dowry. If I don't agree, I'll be beaten. What else can I do but save myself? You've all been pampered since childhood, never having to worry about anything. From birth, you were destined to marry into another good family and continue your peaceful and carefree lives. But what about me?! Why should I be thrown into this filthy mire and made to rot in the mud! I want Han Feng just to find a way out for myself! If you lose Han Feng, you still have Zhang Feng, Li Feng, but I only have him!"
Su Qingyan wiped away her tears, her expression suddenly becoming resolute: "What did I do wrong?!"
Qin Sang was stunned for a moment, then squatted down in front of her and sighed: "What do you mean by all this? Even if it wasn't your intention for my second sister to fall into the water, don't say it was just a slip of the hand when you were frantically throwing stones... Is your own life more important than other people's? If everyone thought like you, dragging others down with them when things don't go their way, wouldn't the world be in chaos by now? Tell me, was bringing my second sister out on the orders of that Fatty Li?"
Su Qingyan stood there for a moment, her tear-streaked, pitiful face suddenly breaking into a smile that seemed to convey utter despair, heartbreak, and helplessness. After she finished laughing, she said, "The other side has powerful connections. You're just some nobody landlords in Li County. What do you have to compete with them? With your worthless land, if they wanted it, could you keep it? We're all fish on the chopping block. What's the point of distinguishing between high and low, noble and lowly? Hahaha, it's truly laughable..."
Her voice was already weak, and her words evoked both hatred and pity. Qin Sang's compassionate heart was indeed touched by that desolate smile, but despite her compassionate heart, she was also hard-hearted and pointed at Jinyun without the slightest emotion: "You saw his kung fu just now, didn't you? Do you think we can find another one as skilled as him in Lixian County?"
When Jinyun heard himself being mentioned, his eyes darted over, he wanted to laugh but dared not, and he struggled to hold it in.
Qin Sang continued, "Can't protect you? If you hadn't harbored any wicked intentions, perhaps I could have saved you from this misery. But you are inherently vicious. You want to help that Li family take over my family's tea fields so that you can have ten acres, and you also want to use him to get rid of my second sister so that you can marry Han Feng smoothly. You've played this two-birds-with-one-stone scheme so skillfully, using other people's lives as a shield without feeling any remorse. If you're not miserable, who is?"
Su Qingyan smiled, turned to Qin Yue, and said, "Do you really think Han Feng is a good match? Do you really think he and you are childhood sweethearts, destined to be together forever? Do you know that besides me, he's also involved with other women? I only mentioned it once, and he was so heartless as to push you off a cliff. You want to marry him? Hahaha, you should thank me for pulling you out of this mess! I don't ask for your pity. I've always made my own decisions about my life. Whether it's good or bad, it's none of your business to judge me!" The last sentence was directed at Qin Sang, "And what about you? You're keeping Yang Wenhao on one hand and relying on Tang Zi'an on the other. Do you think everyone in Li County is blind and can't see through your scheme? Qin Sang, you may be young, but your scheming is far too deep!"
Xie Sui'an's fan swayed gently.
Qin Sang was stunned, and Qin Yue was also stunned. Her dark eyes stared at her former friend, who seemed to have become a complete stranger. She was speechless for a moment.
But Qin Sang didn't want to argue with her. She stood up, looked around at the darkness, and said, "Are you all alone here? Where did Fatty Li originally ask you to take my second sister?"
Su Qingyan then looked up and around, as if he had just realized that someone who should have come was missing.
At this moment, Jinyun was finally able to speak. He said, "It's all resolved. No one will come to arrest you."
Qin Sang's eyes widened, but Su Qingyan understood. He glanced at Jinyun in disbelief, then completely collapsed, his face ashen.
Qin Yue then realized what her friend, whom she had been defending just moments before, intended to do to her. She said in a hoarse voice, "Su Qingyan, you...you're going to kidnap me and sell me?"
"Finally figured it out, congratulations, sister!" Xie Sui'an was always eager for a good show.
Qin Yue's lips moved slightly, her whole body trembling, whether from the cold or from anger. These past few days, she had repeatedly contradicted herself, and because Han Feng came to apologize and admit his mistake, she had chosen to believe that what happened that day was an accident.
Unfortunately, if Qin Sang hadn't appeared in time, she probably would already be...
Qin Sang bent down to help her second sister up: "You're freezing! Let's go home and change your clothes..."
Qin Yue shouted, "Su Qingyan! I've been so good to you!"
Su Qingyan lowered her head, gritting her teeth to hold back her tears. She looked like a statue of despair, her fingers tightly gripping her dress. After a long while, she whispered, "Thank you, but it's not necessary."
Limping, Qin Sang and Ying'er helped Qin Yue, who was also limping, ashore from the riverbank. The night wind gave them goosebumps. Xie Suian had just taken off his coat to wrap Qin Sang in it when he heard a splash behind him.
The group stood there stunned for a moment. Qin Sang sighed and ran back towards the dock.
"Hey!" Xie Suian said urgently, "Let Jinyun...go..." Before he could finish speaking, Qin Sang had already jumped into the water.
***
The March night breeze was cool, brushing against their soaked clothes, making the three girls sneeze incessantly. Xie Sui'an, unusually, didn't crack any jokes or banter; he asked, "Is someone really going to buy your tea plantation?"
Qin Sang said, "It's not buying, it's robbing. Didn't you see it all? What, Young Master Lu seems to be of noble status, is there anything you can do?" She wrapped the outer garment Xie Sui'an had given her tighter around herself, but still couldn't help sneezing again.
Xie Sui'an frowned, but said firmly, "Yes."
Qin Sang: "Really?"
Xie Sui'an: "Of course it's true. You look down on me?"
Qin Sang immediately blocked his way, solemnly extending her right little finger. Xie Sui'an asked, puzzled, "What's this?"
Qin Sang said sincerely, "I could tell from the beginning that Young Master Lu has an extraordinary demeanor and a kind heart. After all, you have slept in my Tea Mountain Villa. You have to take responsibility for it. It's up to you to help me protect it. Let's pinky swear and this matter is settled. Help me resolve this matter, okay?"
Jinyun hurriedly tugged at his young master's sleeve, but Xie Sui'an had already extended his right little finger and hooked it with Qin Sang's little finger: "What's so difficult about that..."
Jinyun: "..."
After stamping the document, Qin Sang rubbed her nose and asked him, "So, what are Young Master Lu's plans next? What's the solution to this matter?"
Xie Suian thought about it seriously for a moment, and then said, "As the saying goes, to catch the thief, first catch the king. Only by removing the fuel from under the cauldron can we solve the problem once and for all. Since these people are from Quzhou Prefecture, then let's go to Quzhou Prefecture!"
Qin Sang paused for a moment, then nodded: "That makes sense. So when shall we set off?"
"Why not seize the day, or perhaps tomorrow?"
Qin Sang nodded again: "Alright, better to be early than late. I'll send a carriage to pick up Young Master Lu at dawn tomorrow."
Xie Sui'an: "Mao Shi (5-7 AM)?? Could it be...?"
Qin Sang said, "The early bird catches the worm. It will take two hours to get to Quzhou. It's settled then. Alright, you don't need to see me off anymore, lest the neighbors see us and gossip. Farewell, go back and get some rest. See you tomorrow. Young Master Jinyun, thank you too, see you tomorrow!"
Qin Sang helped the distraught Qin Yue home.
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