Chapter 39 The Lively Scene (3)
Lu Weifu was completely incapable of thinking straight. He didn't understand why Meng Guanqi had turned into Baohe. Just a quarter of an hour ago, it should have been Meng Guanqi who was passionately intimate with him. Why had he become this ugly servant? Could someone tell him what had happened? Why was Meng Guanqi standing perfectly fine in the center of the courtyard?
And this lackey, he tricked him so badly, he even dares to cling to his leg and won't let go?
He became enraged, grabbing Baohe's hair and straddling him, repeatedly punching his face: "Who told you to touch me? Who told you to touch me? How dare you, a filthy thing, touch my precious body? Who told you to touch me? I'll beat you to death!"
He roared and kept punching and kicking Baohe.
Baohe's head and face were quickly covered in blood. He clutched his head and cried out in pain. Magistrate Meng frowned, fearing someone might die. He was about to signal Zhao Jian to step forward and pull the man away when three people rushed through the crowd, shouting, "Young Master! Young Master! Stop hitting him!"
They were Lu Weifu's two personal maids and a servant. One of them was Xiangcao, a maid who had been tied up in the urinal by Li Xiaoxiao. The other two were Xiangyun and Acai.
They were guarding the gate of Mingyue Hall when they were knocked unconscious from behind and thrown into the artificial hill. The sound of servants from the Zheng residence hurriedly fetching water from the pond with buckets woke them up. They then remembered Lu Weifu and rushed to Mingyue Hall. On the way, they met Xiangcao, who had just returned from somewhere. The three of them met up and went to find Lu Weifu.
The maids and servants who were arranged by Madam Lu to accompany Lu Weifu and even take him out were obviously extraordinary. Ah Cai quickly took off his outer garment and wrapped it around Lu Weifu. Lu Weifu struggled and roared like a trapped beast. When he couldn't hit Baohe with his hands, he switched to kicking.
But Ah Cai was very strong and immediately hugged her tightly, then hurriedly said goodbye to Master Zheng: "Our young master is ill, please don't be offended, Master Zheng, we'll take our leave now."
After such an incident at his mother's birthday banquet, Master Zheng wished Lu Weifu would disappear immediately. He was just a wealthy merchant in Biyang County and had no connection with a young master from an official family like the Lu family. However, since his son Zheng Yang had invited him, he dared not refuse to entertain him. Who knew that such a thing would happen today?
He was humiliated, but dozens or even hundreds of people must have seen what happened to Lu Weifu today. In less than two days, the news would surely spread throughout Biyang County, and then to Lin'an...
At this moment, he couldn't wait for Lu Weifu to leave, and he had to be careful, saying, "Hey, take care~"
Ah Cai, holding Lu Weifu, saw that he was already somewhat out of his mind, gritted his teeth and carried him out the back door.
Xiangyun and Xiangcao followed behind Acai, whispering a few words to each other. Suddenly, Xiangyun returned and bowed to Master Zheng: "Master Zheng, can this Baohe come with us? Is he a servant under a contract with your household?"
"That's not true at all!" Master Zheng said. "Baohe and my Zheng family only have an employment relationship. We haven't signed a contract. You can ask him whether he's willing to go with you."
Xiangyun walked up to Baohe and said expressionlessly, "Baohe, would you like to come to Lin'an with us?"
Baohe, whose face was bruised and swollen, heard these words as if they were the words of a Buddha, and hurriedly got up: "I am willing, I am willing, I will follow Young Master Lu to the death."
Xiangyun said, "In that case, go find some clothes to wear and come with me."
Baohe's eyes flashed with surprise. He quickly ran back to Mingyue Hall, put on the clothes that Lu Weifu had torn to shreds, and followed Xiangyun like a lapdog.
The farce finally came to an end. Having witnessed such a spectacle, the guests had lost their appetite and took their leave as it was getting late.
Madam Zheng's birthday banquet was completely ruined by Lu Weifu, who came uninvited. The old lady was so angry that she took to her bed. Master Zheng could only force a smile to see the guest off and then go back to the inner courtyard to comfort his ailing mother.
As Meng Guanqi walked out of the Zheng residence with his father, he couldn't help but look back.
Thinking he was looking for her, Liu said, "Qi'er, I'm here."
Meng Guanqi stepped forward to support Liu Shi: "Mother, are you alright?"
Liu grabbed his hand: "I'm fine, it's just—" She frowned, but since they were still at the entrance of the Zheng residence and it wasn't convenient to talk, she could only say: "Let's go home first, we'll talk when we get home."
Meng Liniang, who was following Liu, was a little puzzled. She and the young lady of the Li family hit it off immediately and were chatting happily when something suddenly happened in the front yard. Liu went out with the other ladies to see what was going on, but Granny Qi wouldn't let the young ladies go with her. Not long after, she sent Yingchun to tell her that she had to go home.
Baoqin secretly went to inquire, only to find out that a guest had accidentally set fire to the house, causing a fire, and that was the end of the story.
She had been looking forward to going out for a long time, but she didn't expect that she would have to leave early before the play was over and before she could even exchange a few words with the ladies she had just met. She couldn't help but feel a little depressed.
But her mother insisted on leaving, and she dared not say anything.
Meng Guanqi helped Liu Shi and Meng Liniang into the carriage. Asheng had already brought the horse over. He mounted the horse and kept glancing at the servants in the house out of the corner of his eye, but he still couldn't find the person he wanted to see.
Is she still trapped in the Zheng residence?
He was anxious, but dared not show any sign of unease on his face, and could only slowly urge his horse away from the Zheng residence.
Not only was he looking for her, but Granny Qi was also looking for Li Xiaoxiao. Why wasn't that brat there? Where had she gone?
Granny Qi hadn't seen Li Xiaoxiao for a long time.
At first, she thought she was quite obedient. She only ate one bowl of rice and then put down her bowl along with everyone else. She was relieved, but then she took the opportunity to go to the toilet and disappeared without a trace.
Although the Zheng residence was not a noble family's home, and Liu was considered the most distinguished person there, she was not arrogant enough to dare to casually look for a missing maid in someone else's house; that would be extremely rude.
They could only ask Xiumei and Baoqin to keep an eye out, and if they saw Li Xiaoxiao, to tell her to immediately return to the inner courtyard and meet up with them.
But when they left the Zheng residence, that brat was nowhere to be seen. Granny Qi was furious; it seemed she would have to punish her severely when they got back.
Granny Qi was fuming with anger when, just as she turned a corner, someone naturally came up to her and walked beside her.
Granny Qi turned her head, and sure enough, it was that brat Li Xiaoxiao! She actually came out first!
The carriage was still moving, and Granny Qi didn't stop, gritting her teeth as she asked, "Where have you been?"
Li smiled and said, "I went out and ate a bowl of noodles."
Granny Qi sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation. Sure enough! That brat was bound to cause trouble if she hadn't eaten her fill.
Fortunately, she had already escaped. If she had secretly gone to the Zheng family's kitchen to steal food, that would have been a disgrace to the county government.
She glared at her fiercely: "Can't you just put up with it a little longer? I'll ask Aunt Mao to bring you food when we get home."
Li smiled and said, "I've finally gotten out of the house, so I have to try other people's cooking. I get tired of eating Mom's cooking every day~"
She still thinks she's right?!
Granny Qi said with a stern face, "I'll settle the score with you when we get back."
Although she didn't cause any major trouble, this brat's forgetful nature needs to be corrected, otherwise she'll definitely do it again next time.
Seeing Li Xiaoxiao rejoin the group, Meng Guanqi, who was riding on horseback, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, she had come out safely as well.
Upon returning home, Granny Qi immediately went to Mother Mao to complain about Li Xiaoxiao.
Li Xiaoxiao happened to come into the kitchen to get a drink of water and bumped into her. She blinked her big eyes and awkwardly exchanged a glance with Mao's mother.
Mao's mother's cheeks twitched, and she reached out and picked up the rolling pin that was on the stove.
Li Xiaoxiao screamed and ran away.
"You dare run away?!" Mother Mao was furious and chased after her, yelling as she ran, "Li Xiaoxiao, you stop right there! I promise I won't hit you!"
They even came out chasing her with sticks, yet they said they wouldn't hit her. Li Xiaoxiao slipped away, dodging the sticks as fast as she could: "Mommy Mao, it's hot, and you're quite chubby. Running too fast will hurt your liver!"
Seeing that she dared to hide and even called her fat, Mao's mother took even faster strides: "Running away is one thing, but calling me fat is another. Looks like I'll have to beat you up."
The two of them circled the courtyard, attracting all the maids who hadn't rested. They covered their mouths, laughing and watching the commotion. Ah Sheng and Liu Zhi even encouraged Li Xiaoxiao: "Sister Xiaoxiao, run faster! Mama Mao is about to catch up with you!"
Granny Qi watched as Mama Mao's plump figure panted and chased after Li Xiaoxiao, almost hitting her each time but she always managed to escape, slippery as an eel. Granny Qi almost couldn't hold back her laughter, wanting to laugh but restrained by her status.
The backyard hadn't been this lively in a long time. The maids in the manor were all well-behaved and respectful to the head maid. Even if they had any thoughts in their hearts, they would never dare to speak them out. Moreover, if the head maid wanted to discipline them, they would either beg for mercy or admit their mistakes and accept punishment. How could they be like Li Xiaoxiao, running, laughing, and dodging at the same time? She hadn't seen such a lively maid in decades...
Moreover, Madam Mao usually treats Li Xiaoxiao too well, spoiling her to the point of being unruly. Now, she's chasing after her with a stick to beat her, but it's just for show, to put on a show for herself as the head steward of the inner courtyard. In reality, if she actually catches up with her, she definitely won't be able to bring herself to hit her...
"What are you doing?" A clear voice rang out. Granny Qi quickly composed herself, stepped forward and bowed, "Young Master." At the same time, she glared at Mama Mao and Li Xiaoxiao, who were still chasing after her.
Since her master had been alerted, Mama Mao naturally couldn't continue the chase. She stopped, panting heavily. After only a few laps, she was already covered in sweat.
Li Xiaoxiao stopped with a regretful look. She had only chased a few laps before stopping, and she hadn't even broken a sweat yet!
Meng Guanqi looked at Mao's mother with concern: "If Xiaoxiao does something wrong, Mao's mother can just scold her. There's no need to get angry and make a fuss. The ground is uneven, and she might fall."
Madam Mao was flattered and overwhelmed. This was the first time the young master had shown her such concern. She immediately became excited and said, "Yes, this old servant was impolite. This girl is going to cause trouble on her first outing with Madam. If we don't teach her a good lesson, I'm afraid she'll dare to do it again next time."
Meng Guanqi said, "Xiaoxiao is sincere and honest. Although she is a bit lively, she is never wrong on matters of principle. Madam Mao, could you please forgive her this time for my sake?"
Meng Guanqi actually pleaded for Li Xiaoxiao? Mama Mao was terrified: "This old servant dares not. Since it is the young master who pleaded for her, she will remember this beating for now."
Meng Guanqi nodded slightly and turned to go to the outer courtyard.
Mama Mao grabbed Li Xiaoxiao by the ear: "You're lucky this time, the young master pleaded for you. If you run around like this again, I'll break your legs! Come to the kitchen and help me out."
Li Xiaoxiao grinned and followed behind her.
Granny Qi glanced in the direction where Meng Guanqi had disappeared, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but she quickly shook her head, thinking she was overthinking it.
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