Noticing Shen Qiyin's gaze, Huo Xiaoyue took the opportunity to ask her, "Sister Qi, what do you think?"
"I'll sit and watch."
"...That's not what I meant." Huo Xiaoyue smiled awkwardly and explained, "I wanted to ask you, do you think Sister Qing should move out of the General's Mansion?"
"Do I think it's useful? I'm not one of your general's men."
"I'm just worried that I'm too young and might not think things through. If I say something wrong and Sister Qing misunderstands that I don't treat her like family, and that makes her unhappy, that would be bad."
"That's easy, just give me the money to buy Qing'er a house."
Huo Xiaoyue was immediately stunned.
Shen Qiyin continued, "In this way, not only will Qing'er not think too much about it, but others will also admire the deep sisterly bond between you and Qing'er. Wouldn't that be killing two birds with one stone?"
"But buying a house requires a lot of money."
"Of course it's because I need a lot that I'm asking you for it. Otherwise, if it were just a ounce or two, it wouldn't make a difference."
“Sister Qi…” Huo Xiaoyue frowned slightly, looking at a loss: “Did Yue’er do something wrong to upset you? I feel like you’ve become a different person.”
"No, I've always been this sharp-tongued."
Huo Xiaoyue was speechless.
She had never seen anyone like Shen Qiyin, who would even curse herself when she went crazy.
She stood there stunned for a while before saying, "Sister Qi is joking. How could you be a sharp-tongued person?"
“If you were truly bad, Sister Qing wouldn’t have befriended you.”
"Don't you think so, Sister Qing?"
That's a difficult question to answer.
If we say yes, then we are talking against what Shen Qiyin said.
But if she said no, it would be tantamount to pointing her finger at Shen Qiyin and saying that she was competitive, ambitious, and difficult to get along with.
Neither yes nor no is appropriate.
Therefore, before Huo Xiaoyue could finish speaking and before Huo Wanqing could answer, Shen Qiyin preemptively said, "You're so strange. Why do you always have to ask others whether something is right or wrong?"
"At your age, don't you even have the most basic judgment about some things?"
"You asked me just now, and now you're asking Qing'er. If there's no one around, who would you ask? The little flowers and grass? How is that any different from a concubine who's gone mad in the cold palace?"
"You, you..." Huo Xiaoyue's expression was embarrassed: "How could you say such harsh words?"
"I already told you that I'm a sharp-tongued and mean person, but you didn't believe me. Who can you blame?"
Huo Xiaoyue was speechless after hearing what she said. With red eyes, she snorted and ran away.
After she left, the room fell silent instantly.
A moment later, a very soft laugh rang out.
It's Huo Wanqing.
She covered her lips, her smile tinged with shyness: "I know I shouldn't be laughing, but I just can't help it."
Finally, she slowly suppressed her smile and said seriously, "Qiyin, thank you."
Shen Qiyin looked bewildered: "Huh?"
What should I thank her for?
Huo Wanqing lowered her eyes and said with a hint of sadness, "I don't know if you have heard about the General's Mansion. Xiaoyue was not with her parents since she was a child, and was only found and brought back later."
“I know she has suffered a lot while living away from home, so I try my best to be good to her.”
"But do you understand? That kind of kindness is based on the fact that she is my parents' daughter, and I feel that I should do that, rather than out of liking her as a person."
She even occasionally felt a bit of dislike for Huo Xiaoyue.
Just like before.
She felt that the purpose of her words was not because she was reluctant to leave, but because she couldn't wait for her to leave.
But she had no evidence; everything she said was based on her feelings.
Over time, Huo Wanqing began to wonder if she was being cynical and judging others by her own petty standards.
However, Shen Qiyin's reaction made her realize that the problem wasn't with her.
After listening to what she said, Shen Qiyin thought for a moment and said, "You have to consider Huo Chenzhou's feelings being caught in the middle, so you will naturally act timidly. Next time she tries to play tricks on you, tell me and I will help you bully her back."
"That won't do!"
Huo Wanqing immediately refused: "I'm befriending you, not to use you to help me."
“Friends helping each other out is not considered taking advantage of each other.”
"What's it called?"
"Protecting one's own."
Upon hearing this, Huo Wanqing paused for a moment, then chuckled.
She took Shen Qiyin's hand and said softly, "Thank you, Qiyin, but I can handle it myself. If I ever encounter a problem that I can't solve, I will ask you for help."
Since she had treated her with sincerity, how could she bear to let her face the wickedness of people's hearts again?
The messy people in the Shen family have already hurt her deeply enough.
The two talked for a while longer, and after Huo Chenzhou sent someone to invite them, Shen Qiyin and Xianglan went over again.
It's unclear whether the couple argued again later, but when they arrived, Su Mengdie was already gone. Shen Qiyin didn't ask anything; as long as those two arms didn't come at her, she could ignore them.
After giving Huo Chenzhou acupuncture, she went to Guangrentang to see patients as usual. In between, when she had nothing to do, she went to the bookstore with Xianglan.
Xianglan refused to go to the academy to study, preferring to study at home instead.
Shen Qiyin thought she would look for some poems and songs to read, but when they arrived at the bookstore, they found that Xianglan had picked out some romantic stories.
She felt no embarrassment whatsoever, only a slight guilty conscience because she feared Shen Qiyin would think she lacked ambition: "Heh, heh heh... Miss, the purpose of studying is to understand principles, there are many principles involved..."
"for example?"
“For example, this one.” Xianglan held up a book called “The Jade Hairpin” and said emphatically, “A young lady from a respectable family eloped with an actor, ate nothing but chaff and wild vegetables every day, and finally fell ill and died.”
"This story teaches us that staying away from men is staying away from suffering."
As soon as he finished speaking, a sweet female voice suddenly came from the side: "This young lady's insights are truly unique!"
Upon hearing the sound, Chen Qiyin and Xianglan looked over and saw a young woman with her face covered by a light veil standing among the bookshelves filled with the fragrance of ink.
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