Chapter 122 Continuing to Hang On
The fish has taken the bait?
Meng Jinyao's face lit up with joy, and in her excitement, she almost stood up.
Qingqiu and her servant had been together for many years and had a great understanding. She anticipated her next move and quickly reached out to press down on her shoulder to stop her from standing up suddenly.
Meng Jinyao didn't react at first, and looked up at her with a puzzled expression.
Qingqiu smiled and explained, "Madam, please be careful with your foot injury."
Meng Jinyao was slightly stunned. She suddenly looked down at her injured left foot and belatedly realized that her foot injury had not yet healed. She secretly rejoiced that Qingqiu reacted quickly, otherwise, if she suddenly stood up, her left foot would hurt and she would not be able to put any weight on it, and she would lose her balance and fall again.
Ning Dong nodded in agreement: "Yes, Madam, please be careful."
"The fish took the bait so quickly?"
Meng Jinyao spoke in a light tone, her voice laced with laughter, the corners of her mouth slightly upturned, and her eyes gleaming with a cunning light, like a sly fox.
Qingqiu said, "Madam, for a gambler, as long as there is enough bait, it's not difficult to get him to take the bait."
Meng Jinyao nodded slightly and asked Ning Dong, "What was your reply just now?"
Ning Dong smiled and said, "Madam, I told Brother Lin that we shouldn't rush things. We should keep baiting the line and wait until the fish relaxes its guard before reeling it in. As you said, 'To kill someone, you must first make them go crazy.' Let him taste enough sweetness and nurture his ambition so that he will place a bigger bet and hit the bullseye."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao suddenly looked at Ning Dong with surprise in her eyes. She had always felt that Ning Dong was not as composed as Qing Qiu in doing things, but she did well today and remembered what she had said earlier. It seemed that she had made a lot of progress.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Ningdong felt a little uneasy and asked anxiously, "Madam, did I do something wrong? I thought that was how you planned it, so I replied to Brother Lin like that."
Meng Jinyao shook her head and praised, "You did very well this time. I didn't change the plan and proceeded according to the original plan. Granny Qiao is too shrewd. She can see through obvious traps. She might not be able to use me then. After all, she is the kind of person who would risk her life to save Madam Sun."
Ning Dong immediately beamed with joy and breathed a sigh of relief.
Meng Jinyao then asked, "By the way, does Lin Rui have enough money?"
Lin Rui is the grandson of Old Man Lin, who is an old servant of the Zhou family. After her maternal grandfather passed away, he continued to stay in the Zhou family to manage the house. Lin Rui's parents died early, and she was raised by Old Man Lin alone. She is also a servant of the Zhou family.
After Old Master Zhou passed away, Meng Jinyao became the owner of the house, and the land deed was given to her. However, she did not live in the Zhou mansion. Since there was no master in the mansion, and Lin Rui was a young and strong man, he should not waste his time doing chores such as daily cleaning in the Zhou mansion. Therefore, Meng Jinyao allowed him to do external work.
Lin Rui is a clever and sociable person who knows people in the gambling den, and now he comes in handy.
Ningdong nodded: "I asked Brother Lin, and he said it's enough."
Meng Jinyao smiled, pursing her lips: "Enough bait is fine, ouch..." Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly cried out in pain.
Qingqiu paused in her application of the medicine and hurriedly asked, "Madam, did I apply too much pressure? Last night, I saw the Marquis apply the medicine to you like this: you need to massage it, otherwise it won't be effective. But I don't know how much pressure to use."
Meng Jinyao replied gently, "It's alright, I was just not ready. Please continue."
Qingqiu responded and continued applying the medicine to her, massaging with moderate pressure.
Meng Jinyao frowned slightly. It hurt, but it was much better than last night, and she could still bear it.
After a moment, Meng Jinyao asked, "By the way, did last night's incident cause any trouble?"
Qingqiu shook her head: "Don't worry, Madam. Last night, the Marquis only sent his men to look for you privately. No one knew. Even Xia Zhu didn't know that the Marquis was waiting for you at the gate. After all, it was so late. Who would pay attention to the gate?"
Meng Jinyao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. That was good. She should come back earlier next time, otherwise it wouldn't be good if word got back to the elders.
A moment later, Xia Zhu came in, carrying a cane.
Seeing this, Meng Jinyao could guess without asking who the cane was for. Among her, Qingqiu, and Ningdong, she was the only one who was temporarily lame and could use the cane.
Xia Zhu bowed to her, then handed her the cane, saying respectfully, "Madam, this is a cane that the Marquis ordered to be sent, saying that you sprained your ankle and have difficulty walking."
Meng Jinyao's smile froze.
She was so young, yet she already needed a cane.
After a moment, she took the cane and said gently, "My husband is so thoughtful."
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Around noon, Chunliu returned to Weirui Pavilion with her bundle in hand. She walked briskly with a smile on her face.
The lady sent her to teach Aunt Li manners. She believed she had no other intentions and only wanted to complete the task seriously and teach Aunt Li etiquette and manners well, so she was a bit strict.
However, because of her strictness, Aunt Li always felt that she was deliberately making things difficult on the orders of the Madam, and even the young master thought so. She felt very aggrieved. Now that she had finally completed this arduous task, she packed her things and hurriedly returned to Wei Rui Xuan.
Meng Jinyao was talking to Ningdong when she suddenly saw Chunliu enter the room. She was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Chunliu, didn't I tell you to go to Qingyuxuan to teach Aunt Li manners? Why did you suddenly come back? Did they make things difficult for you? If they did, I'll summon them here and give them a good scolding."
Hearing her words, Chunliu felt very comforted, and felt that all the grievances she had suffered these days were worth it. She curtsied to her and replied respectfully, "Madam, it was the young master who sent me back, saying that Concubine Li has learned the rules well."
Upon hearing this, Meng Jinyao was taken aback again, and then asked, "Have you really learned your lesson? Or is he just saying this to get rid of you?"
Chunliu did not hide anything and answered truthfully: "Madam, actually the young master wanted to send me back a few days ago, but I stayed a few more days to supervise Aunt Li and teach her etiquette and manners. In the end, I felt that Aunt Li had basically learned them, so I came back. Otherwise, if she hadn't learned the manners well, it would be because I hadn't taught her well, and I would have embarrassed you in the end."
Meng Jinyao was very satisfied after hearing this and smiled, "Now that Aunt Li has learned the rules, you can go back to Weirui Pavilion to work. I haven't been used to you being away these days."
“Madam,” Chunliu was about to say something when she suddenly noticed a cane on Meng Jinyao’s left. She paused, then asked, “Madam, why is there a cane here?”
Meng Jinyao said, "I sprained my ankle last night, but it's nothing serious."
Last night's events were embarrassing, and she didn't want to bring them up again. Her gaze fell on the bundle in Chunliu's hands, and she immediately changed the subject: "Chunliu, put your things away first."
Chunliu nodded in response, curtsied, and withdrew.
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