"My son—" the elderly woman cried out, rushing to her son and hugging him tightly as she wept, looking every bit the loving mother.
Only then did Kong Qingyan finally see the man's face. He was wearing a simple coarse linen outfit, was thin, and had a handsome face, but his bruised and swollen face somewhat ruined his good looks.
The person merely glanced up at Kong Qingyan before lowering their eyes. Kong Qingyan assumed it was out of shame and didn't think much of it, unaware of the glint in their eyes.
"My dear wife, I've finally found you... Is Xiao Mu alright?" Just then, hurried footsteps came from the other end of the alley, accompanied by the old man's call. Then, an elderly man rushed over, stumbling and almost falling.
"We're alright, our son is fine..." the old woman said, crying. The family gathered together and wept bitterly. Kong Qingyan was about to leave when the old woman grabbed her sleeve.
"Thank you, young lady... thank you so much..." The old woman spoke incoherently, repeating the same sentence over and over, leaving Kong Qingyan both amused and exasperated.
"Young lady, just tell us what you need. We, the old couple, will do our best to help. Our son is our life!" Kong Qingyan wanted to refuse, but after hearing the old woman's words, she subconsciously stopped talking. Her previous worries seemed to have a direction now.
A joyful smile bloomed on the beautiful woman's face, like a radiant flower in full bloom. The sunlight cast a soft silhouette on her face, and her lips curved into a mischievous and lively smile.
"Grandma, I need your help with something."
Half a month later, Liu Yishui received news from Kong Qingyan and was so surprised that he almost jumped up from the spot. His eyes widened and his heart was filled with disbelief.
"Qingyan, do you mean you've found your family?" he asked again in disbelief, a hint of disappointment creeping into his heart.
He knew his own situation perfectly well; he was nothing more than a poor, bookish scholar. He was heavily in debt and had nothing but his talent. Ordinary people wouldn't even look at him. Qingyan was so beautiful and charming; surely many men would want her. Was he really worthy of her? An overwhelming sense of inferiority welled up inside him.
It was only then that he realized the slight, despicable thought in his heart: he hoped Kong Qingyan would never find her family, so she could stay by his side forever. After all, if he missed a woman like her, he might never meet another like her in his life.
Liu Yishui was deeply conflicted, but Kong Qingyan remained oblivious to his inner turmoil, smiling sweetly and charmingly.
In any case, she now has a home of her own in the mortal realm. After some time, she can marry Brother Liu and become a family. Then, they can live a life of farming and weaving, growing old together.
"Liu Lang, come with me to meet my relatives today!" Kong Qingyan said with a happy smile, tugging at Liu Yishui's sleeve and acting coquettishly.
No matter how conflicted he felt, he had no right to stop the girl from meeting his family, so Liu Yishui could only smile and agree, though his heart was filled with bitterness.
The relative's house was located in a secluded courtyard outside the city in the south. Although it was just a small courtyard, the blue brick and tile house looked very grand. Liu Yishui, who was sensitive, immediately had a big question mark in his mind about the relationship between the two.
"My cousin Qingyan is here, please come in." The person who opened the door was a young man in a blue shirt. He was handsome, well-mannered, and had an air of superiority about him.
Liu Yishui only felt that the gap between the two had widened, and did not notice the surprise that flashed in Kong Qingyan's eyes. After all, when the two first met, the other party was a down-on-his-luck young man who had been beaten up by thugs from a gambling den, but in just half a month, he had become such a respectable person.
The elderly couple explained that their son, who was doing business out of town, had been tricked by a friend into gambling and lost a large sum of money, which led to the gambling den chasing him for debt. The elderly couple, who were out of town when they heard the news, rushed over, but it was too late, which led to the previous incident.
Because of Kong Qingyan's kindness, the family plans to settle here, which will also help her cover up this lie.
"You must be Mr. Liu that Qingyan mentioned. Thank you so much for taking care of our Qingyan these past few days. It's really been a lot of trouble for you." The old lady, also known as Wuyou, was dressed simply and plainly, with a kind face. Having played an old person before, she could easily portray the demeanor of an elderly person.
"This is what I should do." Liu Yishui couldn't help but glance at Kong Qingyan, a hint of lingering affection flashing in his eyes.
"This is our gift to you in gratitude for taking care of Qingyan these past few days." Wuyou smiled faintly, took out a bag of silver from the side, and stuffed it into Liu Yishui's hand. This was Kong Qingyan's own idea; everyone could see that Liu Yishui came from a poor family, and she wanted to help him as well.
However, Kong Qingyan used the wrong method.
Wuyou clearly saw the humiliation in Liu Yishui's phoenix eyes. Scholars and literati are most proud and cannot accept favors from others; such blatant financial assistance is simply an insult.
Wuyou knew Liu Yishui quite well. He was the most arrogant man in his life, confident in his literary talent, and devoted to studying so that he could serve the court in the future. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not accept food offered with contempt. Taking out this silver was a blatant insult.
Zhang Wuyou was arrogant and naturally didn't win Liu Yishui's favor. On the contrary, Kong Qingyan was charming and cute, without so much airs, making her easier to like. All the mistakes Zhang Wuyou made were lessons learned by Kong Qingyan, making her relationship with Liu Yishui much smoother.
"This is the lead role that Qingyan gave us. He said your family isn't well-off and he wanted to help you. If you want to thank someone, thank Qingyan." Wuyou quickly shifted the blame.
And so, Kong Qingyan quickly settled down in the Zhang family and became "one of them".
Kong Qingyan went out on a date with Liu Yishui, leaving only Wuyou and the other two at home. Tang Chi looked at his old man's clothes with disgust and frowned, then transformed into a handsome young man with red lips and white teeth.
"Brother Zhang, why are we following Kong Qingyan? We should just arrest her and take her back. With the evidence, let's see what the Lingyun Sect can say then!" Tang Chi said, puffing out his cheeks in anger.
“You’re still too young. If we take Kong Qingyan back, Lingyun Sect can deny it completely, saying that Kong Qingyan went out traveling and didn’t pay attention to her behavior. You won’t be able to find any fault with her. Instead, you’ll just look petty.” Wuyou smiled and drank a cup of tea, looking very kind despite her old woman appearance.
"So, we can just stay by her side?" Li Mu was also a little curious. The master and servant looked at Wuyou expectantly, their eyes full of curiosity.
"Look at how much she and Liu Yishui love each other. They'll be together sooner or later. When they get married and have children, that will be the best evidence. Lingyun Sect won't be able to deny it. At that time, Lingyun Sect won't just lose face; they might even attract the attention of the Enforcement Hall." Wuyou poured Tang Chi a cup of tea, smiling slyly.
"Brother Zhang is amazing." Tang Chi gave a thumbs up, picked up his water bottle and took a sip. The three of them looked at each other and smiled, everything understood without words.
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