Chapter 10 This is not a study
The old lady finally gave Li Ma some face. Now that it had come to this, there was no reason for Xie Jinglan to refuse.
After he had comforted the old lady, he left Yifu Hall and asked Qingfeng, "What day is today? An odd or even day?"
"Master, today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, an odd day. Do you have any plans?"
Xie Jinglan didn't say anything, just shook his head.
Because of the injuries on her body, Wen Ning walked very slowly on the way back to the kitchen.
She was worried all the way, feeling that if she continued like this, she would either die at the hands of Nanny Li or be destroyed by Tang Zhu.
Just like these past two days, not only could she not protect herself, but she also caused Chun Xing to be punished.
The Marquis went straight to the woodshed early in the morning, and Nanny Li guessed that Chun Xing was talking too much.
When he came back, he was not only beaten with ten boards by Nanny Li, but also had his mouth pricked with a needle!
Chun Xing said that she did not regret helping Wen Ning, and she was just telling the truth in front of the Marquis.
Unfortunately, Nanny Li not only beat her but also fined her two months' salary. Without the salary, her seriously ill mother at home would be deprived of medicine, and she was afraid that her mother would die.
Chun Xing cried sadly, and Wen Ning's heart seemed to be pulled by someone, and it hurt.
She needed money to buy medicine for Chunxing's mother and abortion pills for herself.
But where does this money come from?
Just as Wen Ning was feeling distressed, a dark shadow came from behind, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist. Before she could react, she was dragged into the rockery next to her.
“Ah! Ugh—”
Wen Ning thought it was Tang Zhu, that scoundrel again, and she opened her mouth and bit the hand that was covering her mouth and nose.
Her soft lips suddenly touched the cool white jade ring, which pressed against her sensitive cherry-pink lips. Her rapid breathing left a fleeting mist mark on the surface of the jade.
Xie Jinglan felt the softness at the base of his palm. He wanted to exert force with his teeth, but subconsciously relaxed his strength. The tip of his tongue accidentally brushed across the white mark left by the teeth. A tingling sensation instantly spread along his palm, and Xie Jinglan couldn't help but groan.
Wen Ning had already seen clearly that the person in front of her was the Marquis. Thinking that she had hurt him by biting him, she quickly let go and said, "I'm sorry, Marquis. I thought it was..."
"Thought it was Tang Zhu?"
Wen Ning nodded.
"Don't worry, he won't dare bully you again!"
Wen Ning was still held in Xie Jinglan's arms at this moment, her whole body suspended in the air, her two feet hanging on his calves, she moved slightly left and right, helplessly trying to find a foothold.
Xie Jinglan was about to put Wen Ning down, but then he discovered that inside the rockery was an irregular arched hole, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and it was impossible for two people to stand underneath at the same time.
Xie Jinglan simply found a flat, protruding stone next to him, calmly raised one hand, lifted the hem of his robe, and sat down on the stone. Then, he gently placed his palm on Wen Ning's waist and firmly pressed her onto his lap.
Wen Ning suddenly felt ashamed, her heart almost jumped out, and she pressed her soft hands against Xie Jinglan's solid chest and tried to retreat.
"No! No way!"
Xie Jinglan clamped her waist and easily pulled Wen Ning's body back.
Then I heard the man's deep voice coming out from his chest, "Be honest, this is not like a study..."
Wen Ning froze in his embrace, not daring to move or struggle. People were constantly passing by the rockery, and if they saw her and the Marquis here, who knew what kind of trouble they would stir up.
In the afternoon, Xie Jinglan changed into a black Hangzhou silk gown with few patterns on it and the fabric was very smooth.
Even though Wen Ning didn't move, she couldn't help but slide down.
She tried a few times at Xie Jinglan's lower back, trying to get a firm grip, but she never dared to put her hand firmly on the ground.
"Did they ever give you any trouble?"
Xie Jinglan finally spoke again, and this time he was naturally asking about what had just happened in Yi Fu Tang.
"The old lady and the eldest lady are both kind-hearted and have never made things difficult for me."
What Wen Ning meant was that the old lady and the eldest daughter were both kind-hearted, and the one with a bad heart was Nanny Li.
After all, it was the Marquis who carried her out of the woodshed. Now, Nanny Li didn't dare to touch her openly, and could only gain some satisfaction by talking to her.
"If you have any grievances in the future, feel free to come to me. I won't be able to defeat you in a short time!"
Xie Jinglan's words meant that if he couldn't eat Wen Ning right away, he would have to eat her sooner or later.
"My Lord..."
"Um?"
Wen Ning mustered up her courage and finally said, "My Lord, can you lend me some money?"
Xie Jinglan was stunned. This was the first time someone dared to ask him to borrow money.
"How much does it cost? But you're having trouble?"
"Five taels."
Three taels of silver were used to buy medicine for Chun Xing's mother, one tael of silver was used for her abortion, and the remaining one tael was used to ensure the food and drink expenses for her and Chun Xing for the next two or three months. It was barely enough.
Wen Ning didn't say what she wanted the money for, so Xie Jinglan didn't ask any further questions.
"I don't carry any silver with me in the mansion. Would you mind coming to Tingsongyuan to get it tomorrow?"
Wen Ning hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Thank you, Lord."
Just five taels of silver made this girl so troubled. Xie Jinglan shouldn't have teased her anymore, but he still didn't want to miss this great opportunity.
"Then when will you return?" Xie Jinglan asked seriously.
"This servant... this servant will return it to the Marquis after receiving the monthly salary, but it will take a while."
A maid like Wen Ning was paid one or two taels of silver every month in the Marquis's mansion, but she was fined three months' salary by Nanny Li. It would take her more than half a year to save up the five taels of silver from the Marquis even if she didn't eat or drink. This... was a long time.
Wen Ning added somewhat embarrassedly, "Probably more than half a year."
Xie Jinglan frowned when he heard this: "So long?"
On that delicate and tender little face, her eyelashes drooped slightly, casting two trembling shadows on her porcelain-white skin.
Xie Jinglan's heart tightened, and he got back to the point. "How about this? In addition to these five taels, I'll give you an extra five taels every month. You don't have to return it. But from now on, on even days, you have to serve in Tingsong Courtyard. How about that?"
The work in Tingsongyuan was much easier than that in the kitchen. In addition to the monthly salary, Wen Ning could also get five taels of silver for free every month. If one only looked at the surface, Xie Jinglan had indeed suffered a great loss.
Wen Ning had no way out. If she wanted to survive in the Marquis' Mansion, she had to understand the rules. The most important rule in the Marquis' Mansion was the Marquis.
Wen Ning nodded.
When he raised his eyes, he met Xie Jinglan's scrutinizing gaze.
The Hunan-colored top made her skin look like fresh snow. Her slender waist was so thin that it could be held in one hand. It was connected to a dark brown skirt that spread casually between Xie Jinglan's legs.
"Does the candidate's clothes fit me?"
Wen Ning's pupils suddenly shrank, especially when she thought about how well it fit inside and out.
She answered irrelevantly, "I...I have to go back to the kitchen, otherwise I will delay my work again."
Xie Jinglan looked at the large blush on her face from the side to behind her ears, and then he let her go with satisfaction.
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