Chapter 59: Shi Yi is actually a girl!
With no one to disturb her, Li Yue'er played wildly until the end of Hai Shi (9-11 PM), when she was reluctantly led back by her mistress.
She felt like she was almost a swimmer, and even boasted to Teng Huang that if Teng Huang fell into the pond, she could pull her out.
Fujiwara was skeptical and turned to look at the mistress.
Qu Rong said, "She can rescue you once she's had her fill of water."
Gamboge, "..."
Teng Huang couldn't help but burst out laughing. Afraid of hurting Li Yue'er's pride, he turned around and quietly nestled in Dan Sha's arms, chuckling to himself.
A smile appeared in Dan Sha's eyes.
Dansha smiled restrainedly, while Tenghuang couldn't suppress his laughter and finally stopped pretending, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. He gestured to his waist and asked, "How did you do that?"
How could Yue'er, who seemed to know everything and fear nothing, actually swallow water in such a shallow pool? She never imagined that Yue'er, who appeared to know everything and fear nothing, was actually a mud beauty who couldn't swim.
Li Yue'er didn't want to pinch the mistress in front of everyone, so she pursed her lips and squinted her eyes as she chased after Teng Huang.
The two circled around the pillar containing the cinnabar-clad Qin King, but Teng Huang stopped because he was worried that Li Yue'er would get cold.
Soaking in the hot spring made her body feel warm and cozy, but her long hair was still damp and not completely dry. Afraid that the cold wind on the road would blow on her head and make her freeze, Li Yue'er put on the white fox fur trimmed hood and wrapped herself in the cloak. Not only was not a single strand of hair exposed, but her face was also mostly covered.
It's really warm around the hot springs, but once you leave, it gets really cold at night.
In particular, the manor house is less populated than the Qu residence. Although it has a more tranquil and refreshing mountain atmosphere, it lacks the liveliness and light brought by the maids walking around and keeping watch at night.
Teng Huang and Dan Sha followed behind the two carrying lanterns. Because Li Yue'er was talking while holding the mistress's arm, Dan Sha and Teng Huang lagged a few steps behind, keeping a slight distance from her.
Li Yue'er didn't say anything out of the blue; it was the mistress who was being suspicious.
The night was too quiet, and Li Yue'er vaguely heard short, low moans. She subconsciously stopped and gripped her mistress's arm, looking left and right.
This path was already very close to the courtyard where the two lived. In addition, there were servants who had signed a life-long contract to guard the manor, and Lin Mu led people to patrol every night. There were also several large wolfhounds kept by the manor manager to guard the night. Li Yue'er was not worried about bad people coming in to do evil.
She thought it was a small animal nearby.
There are many squirrels and wild cats in the mountains and fields; they might sneak into the village to forage for food.
The low humming sound might be from injury or hunger, so Li Yue'er curiously bent down to look for it.
Qu Rong paused, then gently tugged at Li Yue'er's clasped hands and whispered, "It's nothing, let's go back."
Li Yue'er said, "Let's keep looking. If we happen to find them, we'll give them some food. Consider it a way to accumulate good fortune at the end of the year."
She was afraid of disturbing the cats and mice, so she kept her voice very low, almost a whisper.
Qu Rong fell silent, glancing only at one direction out of the corner of her eye. At the same time, she raised her other hand to stop Dan Sha Teng Huang, who wanted to step forward, and made the two of them take a few steps back with their lanterns.
The two women, Dansha and Tenghuang, exchanged a knowing glance before turning their backs to each other.
Li Yue'er eventually discovered the source of the commotion, but the other party was different from what she had thought.
"Found it...." Li Yue'er's gaze slowly rose along the hem of a light black dress, and she slowly stood up, her eyes finally meeting those of Shi Yi, who was a head taller than her.
Li Yue'er, "..."
She didn't see Shi Yi's expression, but she did see the person Shi Yi had pinned against the artificial hill, the person she tried to hide but failed to hide—it was her teacher, Su Rou.
Su Rou's long hair was loose, clearly indicating that she had already gone to sleep but had been forced to get up again after her hair was disheveled.
She was wrapped in a plain-colored cloak, the collar of which was neatly tied. The ribbon wrapped around Shi Yi's fingertips was...
By the time Li Yue'er realized what was happening, she had already carefully examined the two of them.
She raised her hand to cover her mouth to suppress her voice, immediately turned around, and saw the backs of Dansha and Tenghuang, "..."
She frowned in annoyance and bit her lower lip, gently pinching the back of her hand with the fingers that held the mistress's hand.
The mistress asked her calmly and casually, "Why are you pinching me?"
She wasn't the one who was arguing with Shi Yi.
Li Yue'er wished she could cover the mistress's mouth; in this situation, it would be better to leave quietly than to say anything.
Since they had already run into each other, the mistress had no intention of avoiding it. She simply held Li Yue'er's hand as if nothing had happened, and said at the same time, "Next time you come, don't choose the night or the road. If something happens to you, I won't be able to explain it to anyone."
Su Rou, "..."
Shi Yi lowered her eyes in agreement, while Su Rou hesitated for a moment before looking past the mistress at Li Yue'er's back. She then slowly lowered her gaze, turned slightly to the side, and used Shi Yi to shield herself.
In fact, Li Yue'er saw everything she needed to see. Her relationship with Shi Yi was clear enough with just one glance, without needing to say anything.
To do this now would only make things more obvious.
It was cold outside, but Su Rou and Shi Yi insisted on staying outside, even though they weren't afraid of the cold, while Qu Rong was worried.
She took Li Yue'er's hand, who had her back to Su Roushiyi, and they left. Dansha Tenghuang followed behind with her eyes downcast, never once looking up to peek to the side.
The only people who saw the two of them embracing like this tonight were Qu Rong and Li Yue'er.
After they all left, Su Rou seemed to have lost all her strength. She slumped back against the rock wall of the artificial hill, lowered her eyes, and gave a mocking smile.
It's a pity that she always maintained a haughty attitude in front of Li Yue'er.
Today, Li Yue'er witnessed this scene, making her seem like a joke and even more despised.
She is truly pathetic, hypocritical, laughable, and despicable.
As Shi Yi's nominal mother, she got involved with her stepson, and was even caught by someone late at night arguing with Shi Yi by the rockery.
Shi Yi said in a low voice, "It's my fault."
Su Rou: "Why should I blame you? It was me who didn't want you to come in."
She was thinking of burning bridges after crossing the river, secretly planning to use this trip during the Chinese New Year to distance herself from Shi Yi's abnormal relationship.
Shi Yi saw through her thoughts and followed her. Because she had become familiar with the gatekeeper Lin Mu by going in and out of the Qu residence every day, she easily entered the estate.
When Su Rou saw Shi Yi arrive, she didn't want to be carried to bed after only a few words, so she put on a cloak and pulled Shi Yi behind the rockery.
After a few words, she still almost met her end at Shi Yi's hands.
Su Rou couldn't even figure out what she was thinking. She had clearly planned to be just a mother and son in name only, but when Shi Yi pressed her hard, she softened her attitude and half-heartedly let Shi Yi untie her belt and put her hand inside.
Su Rou was so engrossed in the moment that she didn't realize what was happening, and she certainly didn't expect to run into Qu Rong and Li Yue'er at this hour.
Shi Yi felt guilty and remorseful. Seeing that Su Rou was in a bad mood, she even hesitated to move her raised fingers, which she wanted to touch Su Rou's cheek. In the end, she curled up and withdrew them.
Like a wolfhound that tucks its tail between its legs and lowers its head.
Su Rou saw it, looked up, and didn't know whether to comfort Shi Yi or herself, "They'll find out eventually, it's just a matter of time."
But she really didn't expect that Qu Rong and Li Yue'er had such a relationship, and she was Li Yue'er's teacher, yet Qu Rong didn't tell Li Yue'er about her and Shi Yi's affair.
Su Rou's life is already like this, there's nothing she cares about, and she has no secrets.
The only thing she needed to hide, and that Qu Rong could manipulate, was the gender of her stepson.
Shi Yi looks like a man, but he is actually a woman.
Su Rou raised her hand and placed her palm on Shi Yi's chest, gently feeling the curve of his body.
Shi Yi looked up at her, her breathing quickened, her eyes were deep, and her Adam's apple bobbed.
She couldn't tell what Su Rou wanted to do, nor did she know whether she wanted to pull closer or push her away.
Shi Yi took half a step forward, almost pinning Su Rou against the artificial hill, and looked down at her.
Su Rou's fingers traced along Shi Yi's chest to her neck and cheeks. Her long eyelashes drooped, her lips parted slightly, and she lifted her face, glancing at Shi Yi out of the corner of her eye.
The elder gestured to Shi Yi, "Continue."
That's just how it is anyway; let her rot completely if she wants to.
Shi Yi didn't want to continue at this time, but she couldn't resist Su Rou's temptation, so she had to pick her up and carry her back to the room. "If we're going to continue, it should be on the bed. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to stand steadily, Mother."
.
Even after walking a distance, Li Yue'er remained expressionless and dazed as her mistress led her back into the house by the hand.
The maidservants added more charcoal braziers to the outer room, and Li Yue'er, wrapped in a cloak, sat outside drying her long hair.
After the maids finished their work and left, Li Yue'er couldn't help but move over and sit down next to the mistress, her eyes shining as she looked at her and asked in a low voice, "Did I see wrong?"
Is it possible that one of the maids looks somewhat like Su Rou...?
She was asking the question with the answer in mind, even though she knew it was impossible. After all, she had the most contact with Su Rou and could occasionally detect some abnormalities in her, but she just didn't investigate them deeply.
Qu Rong combed the ends of her hair. Seeing that Li Yue'er had finally asked, she didn't hide it from her and even stopped Li Yue'er from trying to deceive herself. "You didn't see wrong, it's Su Rou and Shi Yi."
Li Yue'er bit her lower lip, tilted her head, and leaned on the mistress's shoulder. "It really is the two of them."
Qu Rong said, "They're not even my biological children."
Li Yue'er: "Of course I know."
She had read similar stories before, but seeing them suddenly become reality still shocked her.
What shocked her even more was that the mistress said to her in a casual tone, "Shiyi is a woman, and the two of them got together about two years ago."
Li Yue'er's eyes widened.
She clutched her chest and asked in a low voice, "Who started it?"
Is this the key point?
Li Yue'er quickly denied the previous topic, "Shi Yi is actually a woman?!"
Shi Yi is actually a girl!
A head taller than her, Shi Yi, who was following Su Rou around like a lone wolf, carrying a suitcase and holding an umbrella, was actually a girl!
This explains why Su Rou and Shi Yi, who are mother and son with no blood relation, are so close.
Qu Rong said, "The steward's family is wealthy, but he doesn't get along well with his brothers and sisters. When he was most affectionate with Madam Shi, all he wanted was a son to inherit the family business."
"But Madam Shi was injured during childbirth and feared she would not be able to have children in the future, so she was bewitched and lied that the baby was a son after giving birth to a daughter."
"After the news got out, Manager Shi had no choice but to make the best of a bad situation and raise Shi Yi as his son. He even thought about getting rid of Shi Yi's merchant status and allowing him to enter the agricultural system to take the imperial examination and pursue an official career."
Li Yue'er roughly understood, "So he divorced his wife at the same time?"
Qu Rong said, "That's one reason, but more importantly, the couple's relationship soured later on. Shi Yi changed her household registration with her mother, so she could have taken the imperial examination."
Li Yue'er stared at the mistress.
The mistress said, “The situation is unstable. In the current court, being an official is not necessarily a good thing. In addition, the Su family, a whole family of loyal ministers, has ended up like this. Steward Shi is disheartened and has no hope for Shi Yi, so he has not mentioned letting her take the imperial examination again.”
"Later, when Steward Shi fell seriously ill, the Shi family members were restless, some with Su Rou and some with the family fortune."
Qu Rong glanced at Li Yue'er, then slowly lowered her eyes. She gently twirled the end of Li Yue'er's hair with her index finger and stroked her hair with her thumb as she said to her, "Su Rou has set her sights on Shi Yi, who has returned to take care of her. How can sixteen-year-old Shi Yi resist this?"
"Later, when Manager Shi passed away, Shi Yi moved back to the Shi family's business registration and rejoined the family, inheriting her father's wealth and her nominal stepmother. This is why Su Rou was willing to compromise and bow down to me for Shi Yi's sake."
Because of her return to the merchant class, she had to think about Shiyi's future, and also about her own.
Only if Shi Yi is well can she be well in the Shi family.
Li Yue'er always felt that there was a deeper meaning in the words spoken by the mistress when she twirled her hair.
Two years ago, sixteen-year-old Shi Yi couldn't resist Su Rou's temptation, and this year, on the day of the Beginning of Winter, the sixteen-year-old mistress also couldn't resist her allure.
Li Yue'er sighed softly and reached out to hug her mistress.
She pitied Su Rou for having no choice in her own life. If it weren't for the corrupt court and family misfortunes that led her to this situation, how could such a proud young lady from a prestigious family have taken that step?
Qu Rong glanced at her sideways and said, "You feel sorry for her, but she may not understand you."
She told Li Yue'er all this because after seeing her today, there was no point in hiding it anymore. Rather than letting her speculate about it out of curiosity, it was better to tell her the whole truth.
Li Yue'er's biggest flaw is that she is soft-hearted and kind. She can understand Su Rou's hardships by putting herself in Su Rou's shoes. However, Su Rou is proud and arrogant. When Li Yue'er suddenly discovers this, she will lose face and be furious.
Qu Rong raised her hand to touch Li Yue'er's cheek, looked down at her, and said gently, "If she doesn't treat you well, we'll find another teacher. Or, I can teach you myself."
Li Yue'er suddenly woke up, sat up straight instantly, and subconsciously shook her head, "Sister Su wouldn't do that."
She felt that even if Su Rou treated her badly, given Su Rou's own upbringing and temperament, she would never mock her because of that matter. At most, she would just treat her like a wooden student and ignore her. But the mistress was different.
If Li Yue'er were to be lectured by the mistress for two days, she feared she wouldn't be able to muster any enthusiasm for her in bed.
The mistress's gentle stroking of her cheek instantly turned into a light pinch, she gave a cold snort, and got up to go into the inner room.
Li Yue'er rubbed her cheek and breathed a sigh of relief. After politely declining the offer from the mistress, she began to twirl her hair with her fingers, looking troubled again.
How should I start the conversation with Su Rou tomorrow? Should I pretend I don't know anything, or should I be upfront about it?
After all, her relationship with the mistress was also very strange. At least, no mistress in a wealthy family would disregard her husband's life or death outside and only enjoy herself with her concubines every day.
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Aww, that's it for today's double update!
Shi Yi and Su Rou, as well as Teng Huang and Dan Sha, will be mentioned intermittently within the storyline of Yue'er and the mistress. They might take up some space, but not the entire chapter. Please forgive me if you don't like them.
If you like, I'll write a whole chapter of their side stories.
This is a lighthearted winter story, it won't be very long, and it will be finished before the end of the year!
so--
I'm back with another pre-order announcement! Please add it to your favorites! [doge emoji]
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