Chapter 173 Grandfather and Grandmother, Lure the Snake Out of Its Hole
When Mr. Xu heard Xie Yao say, "The person I really suspect is another person," he wanted to ask more questions, but Xie Yao skipped the topic.
The two chatted for a while, and then someone outside came in, "Master, Miss, lunch is ready."
Housekeeper Yu personally came forward, holding a plate of freshly made chestnut cakes, and placed it in front of Xie Yao with a smile: "Miss, this old servant specially added more osmanthus honey, please try it."
Xie Yao picked up a piece, looked up at him, and nodded slightly: "Butler Yu, thank you for your hard work."
She took a bite and it was the familiar taste from her childhood.
Butler Yu looked at her, his face full of excitement.
Miss, oh no, Princess Jingbei, is eating the snacks she made herself!
Old Master Xu secretly observed his butler Yu and felt that he spoke frankly and did not seem to be hiding anything.
Xie Yao ate another piece and said, "This chestnut cake wouldn't be sweet enough without the osmanthus honey. Could you please pack me a box without the honey? I'll give it to you when I get back."
She paused and forcibly restrained her emotions: “Let Madam Xiao have a taste.”
"Yes." Butler Yu happily went down to prepare.
Mr. Xu saw this, stroked his beard, and seemed to be thinking about something.
"Miss, please have some tea."
Qiu Shui walked in with a teacup. When she got closer, a faint smell of trauma medicine drifted into Jindong's nose, making her eyes freeze.
She smelled this scent as soon as she entered the villa and met Jiang Si, the guard of the Bo Mansion.
Jiang Si had been stabbed in the left foot by the princess before, so he must have had medicine on his body.
Miss Qiu Shui, how could you be infected with this smell?
Xie Yao's gaze fell on Qiu Shui's face. After just one hour of absence, the jade hairpin on her head was replaced with a smaller green jade hairpin, and her lip balm was also a little brighter, adding a touch of color to her delicate face.
"Women dress up to please themselves. Miss Qiushui has taken the trouble to dress up today."
Xie Yao picked up the tea, her tone a little playful: "Is it specially for me to see?"
The Xu family's villa is usually inhabited by servants, or by my grandfather, and myself today, Qiu Shui, who are you dressing up for?
Qiu Shui's eyes trembled, and she quickly lowered her head: "Princess, you are joking. I just saw this hairpin when I was packing my things just now, and I put it on without thinking too much."
"Oh, really?"
Xie Yao didn't ask any further questions. She lowered her head and took a sip of tea, as if she believed her words.
Qiu Shui didn't dare to stay any longer, so he quickly bowed and left.
At this time, Ren Dong said in a voice that only Xie Yao could hear: "Princess, she smells like trauma medicine, the same as the one Jiang Si used."
"knew."
Xie Yao put down the teacup and said calmly, "Go to the kitchen later and chat with the maids in the other courtyard. Ask them why Qiu Shui hasn't gotten married yet, or if she's been close to any other men."
After Ren Dong agreed and left, Old Master Xu said, "Little A'yao, is Qiu Shui the person you suspect? This girl is very proud. She rejected the eldest son of Housekeeper Yu a few years ago. After dragging it on, she became an old maid and said she would take care of me for the rest of my life——"
He suddenly stopped talking.
I'm an old man over sixty years old, and I didn't do anything to save Qiu Shui's life. Why did Qiu Shui never get married? Because of his age?
Xie Yao didn't explain and helped her grandfather to stand up: "Let's go for a walk in the back garden. I remember when I was a child, every time I came here, you always sat in the rattan chair in the back garden to bask in the sun."
Mr. Xu was stunned and nodded.
Because it was winter, there were not many flowers or plants in the back garden, and the rattan chairs had been moved away. However, the swing set opposite was still there, with a pavilion built on it to shelter from rain and snow.
The swing rope is newly replaced, and the red paint on the wooden board is mottled, revealing traces of time.
Old Mr. Xu looked at the swing from afar, and a beautiful figure seemed to appear before his eyes.
"When your grandmother met me, she was still a young girl, um... about the same age as you are now. She loved to play and make trouble. After she married me and went to Jiangzhou with me, she couldn't adapt to the climate and was seasick for half a month. But as soon as we got home, she clamored to eat Jiangzhou rice cakes and snacks, and looked at me with her big eyes and acted coquettishly, just like her name, Panpan."
As my grandfather spoke, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
"Every year I would bring her back to Beijing, take her back to her home, and watch her throw herself into my mother-in-law's arms like a cat slave."
"I made this swing for her myself. She always asks me to push it, once, twice. When she laughs, it's like the sweet sound of a silver bell, just like what's described in the storybooks."
"She said that when she sat there and looked at the world and the backyard, they were no longer square or round."
"The carriage is far away and the horses are galloping, I miss you so much that I can never forget you."
The old man's deep and gentle voice was like flowing river water.
He raised his hand and quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes: "Su Su is very much like her, very much like..."
There was deep longing in Mr. Xu's eyes.
Xie Yao looked at the swing, her breath choked, and her heart softened.
Her grandmother passed away early and she never met her, but her grandfather never remarried and had no concubines.
Through her grandfather's words, she could imagine what her grandmother looked like.
Panpan.
She must be a very pretty woman.
The deceased is gone, but in fact, she is still alive in the hearts of those who care about her.
This kind of feeling is called holding hands with your lover and growing old together.
"I haven't asked you yet, how does King Jingbei treat you?" said Mr. Xu.
Speaking of Xiao Yizi, Xie Yao said softly, "Grandfather, don't worry. Although the prince and I were married by imperial decree, he is...very good."
She and the prince were husband and wife in name, but in reality they were just allies. However, she was not blind to everything the prince did.
Old Master Xu did not ask too many questions. Matters of the heart are like drinking water, only the person who drinks it knows whether it is hot or cold. As an old man, he would not give advice to these young people.
"By the way, I heard that the eldest branch of the Xiao family is declining, while the third branch is thriving. Have you been wronged in the Xiao family?" he asked again with concern.
"The Xiao family is very nice," Xie Yao said, "Even my grandfather knows about the Xiao family's third branch?"
Mr. Xu said, "I know that's your husband's family, so I sent someone to inquire about it. They said that the eldest son of the third house is pregnant, and the third house is going to have another baby."
"Grandfather, don't worry. Madam Xiao has already given me the keys to the palace. The third house can't threaten the first house no matter what."
Xie Yao lowered her eyes and thought to herself that she understood why Old Madam Xiao had specifically asked the Emperor to grant Xiao Yizi a marriage.
As she was speaking, Ren Dong returned and replied, "Princess, I've inquired carefully. The maids in the kitchen all said that Qiu Shui has a noble character. Apart from taking care of the affairs of the other courtyard, she rarely leaves the house. I have never seen her interact with any other men."
Xie Yao's eyes darkened.
She is not married and has no boyfriend outside her family, but she is contaminated with the smell of medicine from Jiang Si and she even changed her makeup today.
And she knew that Jiang Si was lustful.
The relationship between Qiu Shui and him is self-evident.
She suddenly remembered that Qiu Shui was once a little maidservant beside her mother.
Eighteen years, she didn't dare to think about it.
I’m afraid that my mother’s acquaintance with Xie Mingan was all a scam!
"Master, Miss, someone wants to see you."
Housekeeper Yu came over and saw the grandfather and grandson looking at the old lady's swing with nostalgia, so he couldn't help but slow down his pace.
Xie Yao came back to her senses: "Who is it?"
Bai Su jumped out from behind Butler Yu excitedly, her white teeth flashing as she smiled. "Princess, the prince asked me to ask you if you will be home for dinner tonight?"
Xie Yao: "Uh..."
She took two looks at her grandmother's swing and felt something in her heart.
My grandfather said that my mother and grandmother looked alike. In fact, he always missed my mother very much.
"Since we're here, we naturally have to resolve the matter thoroughly before leaving."
After a while, Xie Yao said goodbye to her grandfather: "Grandpa, it's getting late. I will come to see you another day."
Although Old Master Xu called her Little A'yao and the Xu family also called her the eldest lady, she was the Princess of Jingbei after all, and she still had to observe the proper etiquette.
After the princess left, Mr. Xu, Butler Yu, and Qiu Shui saw her off to the door.
Only after seeing the carriage from Prince Jingbei's Mansion disappear at the end of the long street did Qiu Shui let go of his vigilance.
Fortunately, although Xie Yao became suspicious and asked her maid to find out whether she was having an affair with a man outside her family, she didn't get to know anything.
How could those maids in the backyard know about her and Jiang Si's affair?
There is no evidence. She once saved the master and was grateful to the Xu family. Even though Xie Yao is the Princess of Jingbei, she cannot be touched at all.
Qiu Shui returned to the courtyard and before dinner, he went to the back door of the villa as usual and arranged for someone to carry the fresh fruits and vegetables brought in from outside to the back kitchen.
She was greeting the servants when a strange boy came up to her quietly.
"Miss Qiushui, this is what my master asked me to give to you."
The servant lowered his head, and his low voice suddenly sounded in her ears.
Qiu Shui's heart skipped a beat: "Who are you?"
The servant did not answer. After handing her a note, he quickly followed the people transporting the fruits and vegetables away.
Qiu Shui was in a state of anxiety and did not even have time to see the servant's face clearly.
Only when she returned to the house did she unfold the note.
It said: See you at the back door of the uncle's house at 2:15 pm tonight.
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