Chapter 65: The pink peony supported and embraced by branches and leaves.
The carriage moved slowly forward, but Li Yue'er was restless.
She kept leaning out and lifting a corner of the curtain to peek through the narrow gap. Only when she saw the servants following her and the empty, white space in the distance did she feel a little relieved.
Qu Rong leaned against the carriage, her body swaying slightly with the bumps of the carriage. Her eyes were fixed on Li Yue'er. Seeing Li Yue'er's repeated movements, a smile involuntarily appeared on her lips. "Scared?"
Li Yue'er: "A little."
She blurted out instinctively, then quickly turned to look at her mistress, her eyes filled with unwavering loyalty, "But as long as you're here, I'm like a river with a stabilizing anchor, I'm not afraid of anything."
The mistress gave a soft scoff, her gaze falling on the woman's clenched fists at her lower abdomen, clearly disbelieving.
Li Yue'er looked down, "..."
Li Yue'er smiled, slowly loosened her stiff fingers, snuggled close to the mistress, and hugged her arm, saying, "Of course I'm afraid, but even if I'm scared, I don't want to stay in the manor with you."
Qu Rong said, "I never intended to keep you here."
Li Yue'er, "..."
She looked down at Li Yue'er, deliberately and softly said, "I spent so much money and effort to raise you. If I die, how can I leave you to live alone?"
Li Yue'er, "…………"
Putting aside the mistress's tone, the words in the story sound quite romantic.
Li Yue'er was amused by her mistress's "meticulousness" and asked her in return, "You've spent a lot of money on Sister Su, covering up Shi Yi's affairs for her, finding jobs for Shi Yi, and even giving her a separate monthly allowance. Why didn't you include her in your expenses?"
Qu Rong replied, "Naturally, I can't be bothered to see her."
She didn't want to face Su Rou's aloof face while she was alive, and then die with her afterward.
Li Yue'er: "Okay, putting Sister Su aside, there's also Xiaoxiao. You let Xiaoxiao learn housekeeping from Aunt Qiu. How is that not putting in effort and energy? Why didn't you take her along?"
Qu Rong, "..."
She had Meng Xiaoxiao learn housekeeping from Aunt Qiu purely to give Meng Xiaoxiao something to do, so that she wouldn't have to call out "Sister Yue'er~" for ten out of twelve hours a day, which would hurt her ears.
Li Yue'er concluded, "You clearly only want to live and die with me."
That's so sickeningly sweet, Qu Rong can't stand it.
Qu Rong closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
She retreats, and she advances.
Li Yue'er wrapped her arms around her mistress's waist and swayed coquettishly, "Isn't that right?"
Li Yue'er looked up and saw the mistress pursing her lips without saying a word, only a faint smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Her long eyelashes fell down to cover her cold eyes, and her indifferent face was adorned by a small red tear mole at the corner of her eye, making her seem somewhat humane.
When the mistress doesn't open her eyes and speak, she appears coldly beautiful; once she opens her eyes, all that's left is coldness; and if she speaks again, nothing remains.
Li Yue'er secretly grumbled to herself, then reached out to touch the corner of her mistress's mouth. She touched it with her fingertip before the mistress slowly opened her eyes and looked at her, asking, "Have you washed your hands?"
Li Yue'er blinked. "No."
The mistress ruthlessly pulled her fingers off and took out a handkerchief to wipe the area she had touched.
She wiped the left side, and Li Yue'er touched the right side.
She wiped the right side, and Li Yue'er then touched the left side.
Qu Rong, "...I should have kept you at the manor."
Li Yue'er cheered, "It's too late, we've already reached the official road."
Qu Rong replied, "That's hard to say."
She said, "You still have a chance to go back to the village now, but once you travel a little further, you really won't be able to go back."
Li Yue'er didn't understand and looked up at her, "?"
Qu Rong told Li Yue'er, "When Mama Wu left the city, the Zheng family followed her the whole time."
Li Yue'er was startled and immediately leaned back to the window. She carefully lifted a corner of the fabric with her fingers, squinted at the outside, and asked in a low voice, "Is it still there?"
Qu Rong, meaning "natural".
Li Yue'er quickly covered the gap in the curtains and stared wide-eyed at the mistress.
Qu Rong laughed and said she wasn't afraid. "I guess Zheng Er found out that the old lady got Qu Ming's letter. When he saw that the old lady wanted to take me back, he was worried that there might be some clues in Qu Ming's letter that would be detrimental to him, and he was also worried that if I returned to the mansion, all the tricks he had played during this time would have failed."
She abandoned everything and left before the New Year, and Zheng Er was the happiest of all.
The Qu family already has a small population; if internal strife breaks out again, the only one who will benefit in the end is Zheng Er.
During this period, Zheng Er had done a lot of things behind the scenes to sabotage the Qu family's business, which was another reason why the old lady agreed to compromise.
Compared to her, Zheng Er is the real outsider.
Qu Rong lowered her eyes and adjusted her sleeves. "Zheng Er's men followed Wu Mama out of Chenhe County. I guess he wants to use the same trick again, to create the illusion that the world is unstable and that I will be ambushed by bandits on my way back to the county town, so that I will die halfway and be unable to return."
The word "death" had barely left Qu Rong's mouth when Li Yue'er covered it.
Li Yue'er frowned at her and scolded her in the same tone as Li Xing'er, "It's unlucky to say such things, so spit twice."
Qu Rong quietly looked up at Li Yue'er.
Li Yue'er urged her, "Hurry up, or if the gods and ghosts on the road hear us, they will take it seriously."
Qu Rong grasped Li Yue'er's wrist. Despite not believing in gods or ghosts, she softened under Li Yue'er's anxious gaze and reluctantly spat twice.
She looked at Li Yue'er and said, "Pah!"
Li Yue'er breathed a sigh of relief, wrapped her arms around her neck, and leaned back into her lap. "That's good."
Qu Rong raised her hand and put it around her shoulder, patting it gently as if to comfort her, and asked softly, "Aren't you fearless of death?"
Li Yue'er said quietly, "I'm not afraid of jokes, but I've finally made it this far, and I certainly don't want to die unjustly on the road."
but.
Li Yue'er looked up at her mistress and sighed softly, "If there is really no way to survive, it would be good to be able to go on the road with you, mistress."
She recounted, “My mother and sister are in the academy. If anything were to happen to me, the headmaster would definitely take good care of them. My mother will also be strong because my sister is young. Once my sister grows up, my mother will have her to take care of me, so I have nothing to worry about.”
"As for Xiaoxiao, Aunt Qiu is there for her. I've seen how Aunt Qiu treats her like her own daughter, so I think Aunt Qiu will protect her whether I'm around or not."
As for Sister Su, there's even less need to worry about her.
Li Yue'er actually followed the mistress's wishes and considered her own affairs after death. She found that it was best if she lived, and if something happened to her, those around her would have made the best arrangements.
And since she was able to travel with her mistress, she had no regrets.
Li Yue'er felt relieved, wrapped her arms around her mistress's shoulders and neck, her eyes crinkling, her watery pupils reflecting her mistress's face, "I've made up my mind."
Qu Rong looked up at her.
Li Yue'er spoke softly and gently, promising her, "Through life and death, we have made a vow."
She spoke with seriousness and focus, not as if she were joking.
Qu Rong was stunned.
Seeing that Li Yue'er took her words seriously and was truly willing to share life and death with her, Qu Rong suddenly felt a tightness in her chest. She would rather Li Yue'er only wanted her money and abandoned her as soon as she heard about the danger, then she would feel more comfortable and relieved.
If there were any real danger, she actually hoped that Li Yue'er could stay out of it and remain safe and sound.
Qu Rong gently tapped the back of Li Yue'er's head with her palm, not looking at her gentle eyes, but only patting her hair, and sighing softly, "Reading so many books has made you stupid."
Qu Rong used to disbelieve in stories of lovers dying together in books and operas, but now, looking at Li Yue'er, she felt that Li Yue'er truly meant what she said.
If she had truly died on the road today, Li Yue'er probably wouldn't have survived alone.
The mistress held her head down with her palm, preventing her from lifting her head. Li Yue'er had no choice but to use what was available and bite the mistress's ear.
She was even prepared to risk her life to embark on an ancient romance with her, but she called her foolish.
Qu Rong cleared her throat twice, patted Li Yue'er, and changed the subject to something lighter, "Is that your thing?"
Li Yue'er's attention was subconsciously diverted. Seeing that the mistress had let go of her, she looked in the direction the mistress was gesturing. "What is that?"
A long box.
It was placed on the cushion next to her, and she really wouldn't have seen it if the mistress hadn't pointed it out.
Li Yue'er looked on curiously, "How come I didn't see it just now?"
That's because her mind was preoccupied with life and death, and her attention wasn't on this.
Li Yue'er shook her head, "It's not mine."
She doesn't have such a flat, long box.
Qu Rong repeated slowly and deliberately, "Are you sure it's not yours? Why don't you open it and take a look first?"
Li Yue'er blinked, feeling that the mistress was playing a trick on her; what was so mysterious about it?
Li Yue'er thought of poison from the white silk ribbon. After all, their conversation just now wasn't exactly lighthearted, mainly because that's how it's written in storybooks.
She reached out and picked up the box, placing it on her lap. At the mistress's prompting, she slowly lifted the lid.
Li Yue'er felt like she saw the sun!
Otherwise, how could it be so dazzling!
She gasped, her eyes widening as she turned to look at her mistress.
Inside the box was neither white silk nor poison, but a golden abacus.
It is smaller than the usual bulky wooden abacuses, and its design is more exquisite, but it is by no means lightweight.
Li Yue'er's eyes lit up. All the vows of life and death were worthless in front of the gold abacus. Now, all she could see was gold.
Qu Rong: "Is it yours? If not, put the cover back on."
Li Yue'er replied without hesitation, "It's mine, it's definitely mine, my name is on it."
Because her name was engraved on the lower right corner of the abacus:
moon.
Li Yue'er gently stroked the abacus with her fingers, then, remembering something, turned her head and asked, "Is it gold, or copper plated with gold?"
She would be happy even if the gift was gilded bronze, given its exquisite beauty.
Qu Rong frowned. "Naturally, it's gold."
Why would Li Yue'er think of it as copper plating?
The mistress's expression was too obvious; her disdain was written all over her face. Li Yue'er smiled and bit her lip, thinking to herself that it was because she dared not think about real gold.
This is incredibly valuable!
She carefully picked up the abacus, its heavy weight giving her a sense of security.
Qu Rong leaned against the hard pillow beside her, her fingers supporting her forehead. "The truth is worth at most one coin, but the golden abacus weighs ten catties and seven taels and eight qian."
She had told Li Yue'er long ago that sincerity was worth very little; the only reliable things in the world were money and real gold.
Li Yue'er hummed, "I want the golden abacus, and I want a single coin too."
She wasn't going to fall for it; she wanted it all.
Qu Rong raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "Greedy."
How could Li Yue'er, who was full of affection and well-read in poetry, be even more greedy than this merchant?
Fortunately, she had plenty of money.
Fortunately, Li Yue'er is attracted to more than just sincerity; money is also acceptable.
Li Yue'er touched the golden abacus again and again, so much so that she forgot where the carriage was and how dangerous the road was.
She turned around and asked, "Why did the mistress think of giving me this?"
Qu Rong, "New Year's Gift".
Li Yue'er cheered up and said that the mistress couldn't possibly be so stingy as to only give her one coin; as for the remaining five taels, that was a reward for her hard work...
Qu Rong raised her hand and gently brushed her fingers against Li Yue'er's cheek. "You'll need this abacus later if you learn accounting from Su Rou."
How could Li Yue'er bear to take it out and use it?
She discovered that when the mistress gave her things, she was generous and lavish. She would give away a thirty-tael jade turban and a newly acquired jade thumb ring without hesitation, and a gold abacus weighing ten catties and seven taels and eight mace without asking.
She used to give six taels of silver, but now she's squeezing out every single coin, as if afraid she'll run away once she gets the money.
Although these things could be pawned, Li Yue'er wasn't at that stage yet, so naturally she couldn't bear to part with them.
Li Yue'er carefully put the items back into the box, placed them next to herself on the cushion, turned around and threw herself into her mistress's arms, affectionately kissing the corners of her mouth, "I knew I made the right choice in following you."
If she stays on the estate, the mistress will be angry and will definitely delay giving her the abacus until tomorrow.
Qu Rong pinched her cheek and smiled slightly, "'A vow of life and death, a promise made to you'?"
Seeing that Li Yue'er was completely absorbed in the abacus, Qu Rong was also unhappy.
Li Yue'er smiled and buried her face in her arms, "Mistress is the best."
She had just acquired the golden abacus and roughly estimated that if she pawned it, she could not only redeem the Ming family's ancestral home, but also buy ten more Ming family ancestral homes.
That's gold worth one tael of gold and ten taels of silver!
She vowed to follow her mistress to the death for the rest of her life!
Qu Rong reached out and hugged her, gently stroking her back with her palm, and said softly, "You're not very good at studying."
Li Yue'er didn't react for a moment, and looked up at her blankly. Why did she suddenly say that she was not good at reading?
Meeting Li Yue'er's gaze, Qu Rong looked away and didn't continue the topic. Instead, she answered her previous question, "I'm not a good person."
Li Yue'er disagreed, "The mistress of the house is the best in the world!"
Qu Rongyou looked at her and said, "You think that way, but Aunt Wu may not think that way."
Qu Rong casually lifted the curtain of the car window, gesturing for Li Yue'er to look outside.
Their carriage had somehow ended up on the path.
Li Yue'er's eyes slowly brightened, and then she thought of Mother Wu, "..."
Anping Prefecture is located behind Kyoto. Kyoto hasn't fallen into chaos yet, so even if Anping Prefecture does fall into chaos, it won't get too far.
It's just that people's hearts are unsettled and they are filled with anxiety.
In addition, the magistrate of Chenhe County was not incompetent; even if Anping Prefecture was in chaos, Chenhe County would not be.
Therefore, Qu Rong was not worried at all about the refugees and bandits on the small road. On the contrary, compared with the so-called official road, the small road was truly peaceful and smooth.
Unfortunately, Wu's mother, who took the official route, was not so lucky this time.
Her carriage was suddenly stopped.
She was nearly thrown out of the carriage by the sudden braking.
Just as Madam Wu was about to angrily berate the servants for driving the carriage, she lifted the curtain and saw the robbers with knives in front of her.
Mrs. Wu's face turned pale instantly, and she was so frightened that she silently sat back down and slowly lowered the carriage curtain.
Heavenly Bodhisattva, how could she have encountered bandits?
Wu's mother carefully lifted the carriage curtain, trying to look back.
In such situations, the bandits would usually rush towards their masters first, because the women had money on them.
Wu's mother was on tenterhooks. She wasn't afraid of Qu Rong being murdered, but she was afraid that she would be caught in the crossfire if Qu Rong was killed.
But it would have been better if I hadn't looked back. When I did, I was so angry at Wu's mother that I almost fainted.
There was no carriage behind her, only an empty one with luggage in it.
In other words, Qu Rong ran away?!
Qu Rong, she ran away with Li Yue'er?!
Inside the carriage, Wu's mother unleashed a torrent of curses upon Qu Rong's ancestors, then strained her ears to listen to what was happening outside.
The servants didn't act rashly, but instead lifted the carriage curtain to show the people in front, saying, "We just want to live. Whatever you want, sir, take it yourself."
Mrs. Wu, “?!”
Mrs. Wu was so frightened that her face turned pale, her bottom lifted off the cushion, and she reached out and pulled the carriage curtain down.
The servant didn't intend to "send" Wu's mother away; he was simply showing her to the bandits to indicate that their target wasn't there.
The "bandits" hesitated, but now they were more confused.
The master said that the person to be killed was a young but mature girl, not this old but reckless girl.
"The person is not here, there's no need to cause any trouble." The bandit accepted the hundred taels of silver offered by his servant and prepared to release the person while he was at it.
Just as they were about to leave, someone arrived with yamen runners.
Shi Yi reported the matter to the authorities and is now following behind the yamen runners.
The situation reversed instantly. The bandits were surrounded by yamen runners in front of them and servants who had already drawn their swords behind them. They were trapped in the middle and attacked from both sides. They had clearly fallen into a trap!
Just as the bandits were being captured, Zheng Er was standing at the second-floor window of Yingkelai, drinking with his friends.
Amidst the swirling snowflakes, he was in high spirits, holding an exquisite wine cup, gently inhaling and savoring the celebratory wine.
His friends behind him had already opened wine jars to celebrate, congratulating him on his upcoming takeover of the Qu family's business and becoming the largest merchant in Anping Prefecture.
Zheng Er smiled broadly, gazing towards the city gate, his eyes revealing his scheming, greedy, and ruthless nature. "Let's celebrate in advance for our Zheng family."
As he raised his wine cup to toast the guests, a carriage slowly made its way to the main street and passed by below.
Following the sound, Zheng Er looked down and immediately saw two lanterns swaying in front of the carriage, with the character "曲" (qu) clearly written on them.
He froze, immediately bracing himself against the window frame with both hands, almost leaning half his body out to look down, his eyes unblinking, his breathing becoming soft.
He wasn't disappointed; a slender, pale finger lifted the curtain from the inside, revealing the owner of the hand sitting inside the carriage.
It was none other than Qu Rong, who should have died on the road.
Qu Rong raised an eyebrow and looked up at the second floor. She raised her other hand, her fingers slightly curled in the air, as if she were raising a glass to clink glasses.
Zheng Er's expression changed drastically in an instant.
How is she still alive?!
Qu Rong, who was perfectly fine, lowered the carriage curtain and gently pulled back her slipped sleeve. "I'm afraid Master Zheng won't be able to enjoy his drinks to the fullest today."
The carriage slowly entered the Qu residence and stopped in the backyard.
It's still snowing lightly outside.
Qu Rong got off the carriage first and signaled Teng Huang to set off fireworks as agreed, firstly to let Su Rou and the others know they could set off, and secondly to let Shi Yi know they were safe.
They have already returned to the Qu residence. It would be best if Shi Yi didn't delay either, lest Zheng Er realizes what's going on. Whether it's sending people to help or the gecko cutting off its tail, it will be troublesome.
The mistress alighted from the carriage first, followed by Li Yue'er, who was carrying the golden abacus box and bowing low.
Dansha had raised her hand to help her up, but Li Yue'er handed her the box without hesitation.
Compared to her, Jin Suanpan is even more fragile; if she were to bump into it, she would be even more heartbroken than if she herself had fallen.
Dansha took the box and stood aside, while Li Yue'er lifted her skirt with one hand and held onto the carriage with the other, intending to walk down herself.
Just as she was about to get out of the carriage, the mistress glanced at Dansha, then turned to look at her, took two steps forward, and slowly extended a hand toward her, palm facing up.
Li Yue'er froze, then subconsciously looked up ahead.
She was dressed in light pink today, while the mistress was dressed in blue. The two of them, one above the other, seemed to be supporting her blooming branches and vines. They didn't say much, but just kept giving.
Li Yue'er suddenly seemed to understand what the mistress had said:
"You are not well-read."
Because the second half of the line "In life and death, in separation and reunion, we made a vow" in the *Book of Songs*, specifically in the section "Bei Feng: Ji Gu", is clearly—
"Holding your hand, we will grow old together."
Li Yue'er's eyes welled up with tears. She placed her fingers in her mistress's palm and almost jumped off the carriage shaft, landing in her arms, where her hands were wrapped around her waist and back to catch her steadily.
Just like a pink peony supported and embraced by branches and leaves.
Although the mistress did not say it explicitly, she already understood it.
————————
Now
Mistress: I can't give you my true heart, but do you want real gold?
Moon: ...
after
Every night, the mistress whispers in Yue'er's ear: "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you (giving her gold) I love you, I love you, I love you (giving her lots of gold)."
Moon: ...
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