Chapter 183 He couldn't just ignore it.
Yao Qingling blushed and glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed: "Who's reluctant to let you go? If you want to go, then go. Nobody's stopping you."
Lin Shiyuan lowered his head and leaned closer to her: "Really?"
Yao Qingling turned her head away: "Hmph."
After teasing her enough, the man took her hand and played with her fingers one by one, saying, "I'll send someone else. You're about to give birth, I'm not leaving."
Qingling turned her head back and looked at him: "Even if I give birth, you can't be there."
To the Marquis's family, Lin Shiyuan was just an outsider.
He couldn't even find a reason to visit her on the day she gave birth.
No one would visit someone who is giving birth; they would be disliked by the host family for causing trouble.
No one in the entire Marquis's mansion would take pride in a divorced woman having a child. For a guest to arrive at this time would only be seen as an insult to the mansion.
Qingling felt a tightness in her chest when she thought about this.
She took a deep breath: "Besides, having a child is a woman's job, and no man can help with that."
"Besides, we're now on separate paths, and your visit to the Marquis's residence won't do us any good right now."
"Never mind, you can go."
Once Yao Qingling understood this, she became more carefree.
She pulled her hand away.
Lin Shiyuan grasped her hand again: "No."
Yao Qingling felt her hand being gripped tightly by him, as if he were afraid of losing her.
She looked up at him, but the man's eyelashes were drooping, and she couldn't see his eyes, only his solemn expression.
Lin Shiyuan said nothing more, but simply held her tightly, stiffly indicating that he would definitely stay.
Yao Qingling was unaware that Lin Shiyuan was thinking about that night at Yongning Temple.
At that time, he was still in prison, while she was alone in a mountain temple, facing a massive massacre.
If she had died in the temple at that time, Lin Shiyuan would not have been heartbroken or filled with regret over her death; he would have only felt sorry and regretful.
But after so much time, he had developed feelings for her, and if anything happened to her, he would not forgive himself.
He knew that childbirth was like passing through the gates of hell for a woman, and its danger was no less than fighting a war.
But he couldn't help her in this battle; she had to face it all on her own.
But he couldn't remain indifferent or act as if it were none of his business.
Even though they were separated by a courtyard wall, he wanted to be with her and hear the news that she was safe and sound as soon as possible.
Holding hands, they remained silent for a long time, until Qingling felt her hand getting sore from his grip.
She shifted slightly: "Be gentle, or your bones will break."
Doesn't he know how strong he is, someone who handles weapons all the time?
Qingling pulled her hand away to check if he had pinched it bruised, but she felt a sweet warmth in her heart.
Unlike when Zhan Xingzhuo held her arm tightly, he gripped her only as a threat.
Lin Shiyuan's grip was a sign of his concern, a fear that she would drive him away.
Lin Shiyuan grabbed her hand back: "I know what I'm doing."
He held her little chubby hand, which was soft and fluffy, like cotton.
That night, the man stayed with her until she fell asleep before leaving.
He went to the outskirts of Beijing.
After a whistle blew, a masked man dressed in black emerged from the forest like a ghost.
He knelt down and saluted Lin Shiyuan: "General."
Lin Shiyuan, with his hands behind his back, said calmly, "Go to the Jicheng mine for me..."
...
Hua Manlou.
Xia Chan went to retrieve the baby clothes that had already been made.
The shopkeeper greeted Xia Chan warmly, "Miss Xia Chan, you've arrived! Your clothes are here—"
He turned around, took a bundle from behind the counter, and then went to greet the other distinguished guests.
The cicada opened its bundle to check the quality of the clothes.
I heard voices behind me saying, "Girl, this color suits you perfectly. No one looks more beautiful in it than you."
"It looks nice, but this style isn't new this year, is it?"
Upon hearing the sound, the cicada reflexively tensed up and inexplicably felt pain in its knees.
No one will forget the feeling of kneeling on rubble.
The pain seeped in little by little from the kneecap, spreading throughout the entire body until it convulsed.
She turned her head and saw Zhou Zhining emerge from a side room, wearing a traditional Chinese dress embroidered with two-tone begonia flowers. The purple color accentuated her fair skin, making her appear rich and radiant.
However, she didn't seem satisfied with her new clothes.
Zhiyun said, "You clearly have better clothes here. What, are you afraid my daughter can't afford them?"
The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Of course not. Miss Zhou is a regular customer of our shop, how could she not afford it? It's just that the 'Cuiwei' dress has already been bought."
"Who bought it?" While Zhiyun was arguing with the shopkeeper, Zhou Zhining glanced at Xia Chan on the counter.
They looked at each other, and Xia Chan subconsciously narrowed her eyes, turned away, and clutched the baby clothes in her hands tightly.
With the young lady gone, there's no one to back her up.
But she quickly realized that she was now the agent owner of Hui Ba Fang, and she was a servant, as was Zhou Zhi Ning. Who was more noble than whom?
To be fair, Xia Chan was merely a servant, not a criminal.
Xia Chan turned her gaze back to Zhou Zhining, staring coldly at her with neither servility nor arrogance.
Zhou Zhining walked towards her, and Xia Chan clenched her fists even tighter.
Zhou Zhining walked up to her and glanced at the pile of clothes.
It's obviously meant for babies.
It must be for the child in Yao Qingling's belly.
A fire seemed to ignite in Zhou Zhining's heart, and hatred flashed in her eyes.
She curled her lips in a mocking smile, raised her hand, and was about to reach for the clothes when Xia Chan, quick as a flash, snatched them all into her arms, as if Zhou Zhining's hands were poisoned.
Zhou Zhining's face turned ashen instantly, but she quickly laughed and said sarcastically, "Even the most ordinary clothes from Hua Manlou cost fifty taels of silver each."
“Yao Qingling has never worn Hua Manlou’s clothes before, but now she’s willing to buy them for the child? Ha, look at how nervous you are…” Her mocking and disdainful gaze swept over the few baby clothes. “Even the cheapest cotton cloth is worth treasuring like this. You really haven’t seen anything good since you’ve been with Yao Qingling.”
“When you were serving in my courtyard, you saw all the good things in life. But following Yao Qingling, you’ve only gotten worse off.”
Xia Chan took a deep breath and retorted, "The clothes you're wearing were all paid for by Second Master Hua Zhan. I don't understand how you have the nerve to say that."
"When you lived in the new mansion, you were the young mistress of the Left Censor-in-Chief's mansion, weren't you? Spending other men's money, yet you talk about being noble here. I wonder if Wang Xuan will come and beat you up again when word gets to the Left Censor-in-Chief's mansion."
"I, Xia Chan, may not have seen anything good, but I have seen countless times that Miss Zhou has a bruised and swollen face, and her head is swollen like a pig's head!"
There were other customers in the shop who, upon hearing this, looked at Zhou Zhining and covered their noses while chuckling.
Zhou Zhining's face flushed crimson, so ashamed and indignant she wanted to bury herself in it: "You—"
That brat! How dare she talk to her like that? This brat is incredibly audacious. Has she forgotten how she begged for mercy when she was being punished?
Seeing her mistress being humiliated, Zhiyun suddenly took action and slapped Xia Chan hard across the face.
"You lowly servant, how dare you insult your master? I'll teach you a lesson about how to behave as a servant!"
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