Chapter 146 World 6 (18)
The season of salt comes early this year, and the river is full of crab roe.
It was crab season, and many fishermen were catching crabs on the rivers and streams, casting their nets. They often returned with a full load, bringing their nets, heavy with crabs, to various restaurants and shops to trade for money. While the Qin family had skilled chefs, they were ultimately no match for the cuisine of the restaurants that specialized in the craft. On a whim, Qin Fu, armed with her treasured fan, headed to the city's best crab restaurant.
The restaurant was built by the river. Qin Fu and Bao Shan climbed the stairs to the upper floor. Besides the cooked crabs, there was also a bottle of warm rice wine on the round table. The alcohol wasn't too strong, but it felt warm as soon as it entered her stomach. Bao Shan knew that crabs were cold, so she didn't eat much, only using a few chopsticks before stopping. She looked up at Qin Fu, who was carefully picking the crab meat from the crab legs with a delicate tool.
Bao Shan reached out her bare hands and took a whole crab in her hand. Her movements were slow and careful, and soon she had picked out all the meat from the crab shell, filling the porcelain bowl to the brim. Bao Shan handed the bowl of crab meat to Qin Fu, then stood up and poured a glass of rice wine, gently advising, "Sister, crabs are cold in nature, so don't eat too much."
Hearing Baoshan's gentle consolation, Qin Fu's brows relaxed. He only used the crab meat in the porcelain bowl handed to him by Baoshan to satisfy his craving and then stopped.
Baoshan turned around and gazed out the window. He saw boats coming and going on the river. These boats would hang a banner on the pole at the bow to identify their patrons.
There are not many boats on the river, but most of them have the word "Thanks" hung on them.
Baoshan withdrew his gaze, picked up the rice wine in front of him and sipped it slowly.
I heard that Xie Guan has taken over the Xie family's water transportation business and is making it flourish.
Xie Guan's personality has also changed from being mild and polite at first to being bold now. Some time ago, he even sent people to deliver a bunch of foreign toys to the Qin Mansion, all packed in exquisite boxes.
The box Bao Shan received was the smallest, able to be held in two hands. Compared with the wooden boxes received by others, it looked extremely pitiful.
Baoshan lowered her eyebrows, without showing any displeasure on her face. She held the wooden box and returned to her room.
The lock opened slightly, and the wooden box was opened. Inside were plump pearls with a warm color, a total of sixteen pearls.
Bao Shan naturally likes pearls, which are very valuable, and look simple and elegant when worn, without attracting attention.
Pearls are especially rare, and this pearl has a light pink color. You can tell at a glance that it took a lot of effort to cultivate it.
However, the treasure fan only closed the wooden box and did not make the pearls in the box into jewelry or wear them on the body.
Xie Guan was known for his reserved and gentle nature. Bao Shan had already told him that it was inconvenient for them to meet again. Yet, Xie Guan openly gave her the pearl. Although it was done under the guise of friendship within the palace, such behavior was enough to terrify one.
Bao Shan frowned in deep thought, and Qin Fu said leisurely, "Han Wenxin does have some tricks."
Baoshan frowned slightly and looked at Qin Fu with confusion.
Qin Fu chuckled and said, "As for the Han family's affairs, she went to the Qin family and the Duke's Mansion. She even asked to see the Yin family, who was engaged to Xie Guan, but she was unwilling to go to Xie Guan to find out the truth. I don't know why."
Bao Shan's expression remained normal, and her voice was gentle: "It's the same if I look for Miss Yin. There is always affection between engaged couples."
Qin Fu disagreed and scoffed, "The Han family's predicament was resolved, not because of Xie Guan, but because of the Yin family's personal appearance.
Things took a turn for the better. Lord Han's depression dissipated and his illness gradually improved.
However, Han Wenxin suddenly fell ill and was sent to a secluded place by Lord Han for treatment."
Bao Shan said softly, "Miss Han was ill, but she looked very healthy that day..."
Qin Fu remembered the purple marks on Bao Shan's arm, which took a long time to completely disappear.
Qin Fu frowned immediately, thinking that Han Wenxin was not only healthy, but also extremely strong.
"Being sick is fake, hiding is real."
Qin Fu saw it clearly. How could it be such a coincidence that someone got sick? Lord Han had just recovered, and Han Wenxin fell down again.
It was clearly Lord Han who used the excuse of seeing a doctor to send Han Wenxin away to hide. However, it was unknown how long it would take for him to return. If the reason Han Wenxin needed to hide had disappeared, then Han Wenxin would naturally be able to return early.
If the people and things that need to be avoided stay in the city for a long time, Han Wenxin's return date may be uncertain.
Before the crab feast was half over, a maid from the Qin Mansion came and leaned over to whisper something in Qin Fu's ear.
Qin Fu stood up and was about to leave, but when he saw Bao Shan standing up gracefully, his heart moved slightly. After careful consideration, he warned: "You stay here, and don't let anyone say that I restrained you."
Baoshan was kept in the mansion all day and was not allowed to go out. This time, there was even no reason for her to leave halfway during a crab feast.
Bao Shan's watery eyes trembled slightly, and she said softly, "Eldest sister treats me well, of course."
Qin Fu snorted lightly and did not respond, but her relaxed brows showed that she was in a good mood.
After Qin Fu left, Bao Shan looked at the table full of dishes, called the waiter, and ordered some nourishing meals.
Baoshan picked up the wolfberry and black chicken soup on the table, stirred it with a spoon, and gently put it into her mouth.
The door moved slightly. Baoshan thought it was Qin Fu who had returned. She wiped the corner of her lips with a handkerchief and stood up. Before she could call out "elder sister", she saw that the person in front of her was not Qin Fu, but a woman covered in pearls and jade, with an arrogant face.
Miss Yin looked at the precious fan in front of her. It was delicate and slender, like a willow swaying in the wind.
The wind from the river blew through the window lattice and into the house, blowing Baoshan's dress, making her look even more fragile and unable to bear the clothes.
Miss Yin looked at Baoshan's face carefully. Her eyebrows were soft and her lips were red. No wonder Xie Guan was so confused that he didn't know what day it was.
Han Wenxin had no hope of meeting Lu Wenhe, and knew that she could not ask Xie Guan for help, for fear that after Xie Guan knew the whole story, he would be even more indifferent to the Han family, and it would be even more hopeless to save the business.
Han Wenxin was desperate. With her memories from her past life, she knew that Miss Yin had some feelings for Xie Guan. In her past life, Miss Yin was the legal wife, but she was suppressed by Bao Shan, a favored concubine. She must have been filled with resentment.
Otherwise, Miss Yin would not have taken the risk of killing Bao Shan, ending up being completely ignored and severely tortured by Xie Guan.
Thinking about it this way, Miss Yin naturally resented the precious fan.
But now, because of the incident at Han Wenxin's Spring Banquet, Baoshan is no longer Xie Guan's concubine.
Miss Yin naturally had no way of knowing which woman Xie Guan was thinking about.
Han Wenxin took a different approach and sought out the Yin family's residence, offering to help Xie Guan in exchange for the woman he had been dreaming of. Miss Yin hesitated for a moment before agreeing. While the Yin family didn't have a shipping business, they did have acquaintances who did, and could help Han Wenxin out of his immediate predicament.
When Miss Yin learned that the person Xie Guan was thinking about was actually the Qin family's concubine's daughter, she was overwhelmed with emotions.
Miss Yin once thought that Xie Guan's sweetheart must be of low status.
There is even a huge gap in their status, otherwise Xie Guan would not have been so slow to propose marriage.
However, Miss Yin did not expect that her future husband would be thinking about a concubine's daughter, which made the proud Miss Yin feel frustrated.
Miss Yin sent people to search for the treasure fan, and was able to meet the treasure fan in the restaurant.
Miss Yin was puzzled: Baoshan's pitiful face could easily make a man with a weak mind lose his mind and fall in love with her.
But Xie Guan looks gentle and reserved, but actually has a strong character. How could he be moved by such a woman?
Miss Yin raised her chin slightly, her expression full of disdain: "Are you the Qin family's concubine?"
Baoshan replied softly, her dark eyebrows furrowed as she said softly, "I'm the only one in the room. If you're looking for someone, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place."
The maidservant beside Miss Yin announced her master's name. One would have thought that a delicate and frail woman like Bao Shan would have politely greeted her. But Bao Shan frowned and whispered, "It's Miss Yin! I really didn't expect it."
Baoshan's eyes were clear and bright, and their light could illuminate people, but Miss Yin saw a bit of irony in those eyes.
Baoshan was so surprised, no doubt because Miss Yin did not know the rules and pushed the door open rashly.
Such a rash behavior is extremely inconsistent with Miss Yin's status as a noble lady.
Miss Yin's face flushed, no longer concealing it. Her tone was full of contempt: "You look weak, but you have a sharp tongue. You look so pitiful. If you behave yourself, you can still find a good family."
But she is very ambitious and wants to be a foxy woman, but I am afraid it will be a waste of time."
Miss Yin pushed open the door, and her voice was clear enough for everyone in the restaurant to hear.
"Xie Guan and I are engaged, and this is known to everyone in the city. If you want to be my concubine, I won't stop you. But I'm afraid I can never be Xie Guan's concubine in this lifetime.
Even if Xie Guan wanted to take a concubine, girls from poor families or girls from brothels were all fine.
But you look so weak and pitiful that it makes people feel disgusted. You will definitely not be able to enter the Xie family."
Every word was full of humiliation. Crystal tears welled up in Baoshan's eyes. Her voice trembled, "Miss Yin, we just met for the first time. Why are you slandering my innocence like this? A woman's reputation is so important. How can you..."
Baoshan's body was trembling, and his voice was intermittent and could no longer form a complete sentence.
Bao Shan walked lightly to Miss Yin. She could clearly hear some rustling noises coming from below the restaurant. Bao Shan's beautiful eyes turned and she lowered her voice.
"Miss Yin, do you want to know why Xie Guan is thinking about me but looking down on you?"
The voice was so soft that if Miss Yin hadn't listened attentively, she wouldn't have been able to hear it clearly. Miss Yin leaned forward slightly, her lips slightly parted: "Because—"
"Miss Yin has a hideous face, and Xie Guan is terrified of her. Miss Yin, please don't disbelieve me, but when Xie Guan and I met privately, he often mentioned that when he met Miss Yin, he had to imagine what I looked like in order to force a conversation.
But if they get married, what should Miss Yin do?"
Bao Shan sighed softly, seemingly deeply concerned for Miss Yin's sake, yet every word pierced her heart. She didn't want to give the slightest bit of dignity to someone who had harassed her like this. She spoke slowly, ignoring Miss Yin's bruised face.
"As newlyweds, during the time of loving and caring for each other, Xie Guan must have been thinking about me all night long before he could have sex."
"Shut up!"
Miss Yin was so angry that she stretched out her arm and pushed the precious fan.
The two of them walked out of the house, and one step back was the stairs.
Baoshan lowered her eyes and looked at the corner of clothes that flashed by in the pavilion. Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly, and she no longer dodged when Miss Yin used brute force again.
"Treasure fan!"
An anxious figure ran towards the treasure fan.
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