Borrow money
Jiang Yi bent down to pick up the hairpin she had just bought. Luckily, the box protected it from breaking. Jiang Yi also picked up the woman's things. Judging from the way they were packed, they were probably medicine she had bought from a pharmacy.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't see you clearly. Here you go."
The woman's lower face was covered by a light white veil. Her eyebrows and eyes were charming, but her slightly furrowed brows revealed a hint of wariness and coldness, which actually diminished her charm.
Jiang Yi stared at her for a long time. According to the usual pattern, any woman on the street who covers her face with a white veil is either breathtakingly beautiful or horribly ugly. She was particularly curious about which category this girl belonged to.
"Miss, Miss? Give it back to them!"
Xia Zhi gently tugged at the sleeve of the person next to her, and Jiang Yi finally came to her senses. Looking down, she saw that Jiang Yi was tightly clutching the girl's things and refused to let go.
Jiang Yi felt slightly embarrassed and quickly let go of his hand. If she were a man, she probably would have looked like a complete lecher just now. Luckily, they were both women and wouldn't hold such grudges...
The woman took her things, nodded to Jiang Yi, and was about to leave when, with that nod, the wind blew the white veil covering her face away.
Jiang Yi's eyes widened. Heaven had indeed heard her heart's desire and satisfied her curiosity.
It's confirmed, this girl belongs to the first category. In one word—beautiful, in two words—absolutely stunning!
This place is indeed teeming with talented people and beauties! Even a random passerby on the street is so good-looking! But what shocked Jiang Yi was not only her beauty, but also the bright red butterfly on her right cheek, about the size of two fingernails, as if painted on with a brush, fluttering its wings and lifelike.
Xia Zhi exclaimed in surprise, "You are...!"
As soon as the white veil fell, the woman hurriedly covered her face, quickly picked up the veil, and ran away.
Watching her retreating figure as if she were running away, Jiang Yi wondered why she covered her face when she was so beautiful. Wasn't that a waste of such a good-looking face?
So he turned to Xia Zhi and asked, "Do you know her?"
Xia Zhi shook her head, leaned closer to Jiang Yi and whispered, "I don't know her, but she should be a courtesan."
"ah?"
"Miss, you don't know, I heard that the biggest brothel in the capital, Mirror Flower Water Moon, has all the women tattooed on their faces. The person just now had a red butterfly on their face, so it must be that one."
"A sting?! That must hurt so much!"
Xia Zhi nodded blankly.
A chill ran down Jiang Yi's spine. Tsk, feudal ideology is deadly!
No wonder they didn't want to show their faces; it's an absolute disgrace, forcing them to expose their scars to everyone in broad daylight. What's worse, they have to endure endless insults and ridicule...
Back at the General's Mansion, Jiang Yi pulled Gu Ziyu aside and secretly asked He Lin if he had eaten after she left.
Gu Ziyu was also helpless and said that she should try to persuade them.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Yi couldn't help but show her delight and said, "That's great!" which surprised Gu Ziyu. Had the two of them become enemies to this extent?
Jiang Yi knocked on the study door: "He Lin, I'm coming in."
No one answered from inside, so Jiang Yi didn't care and pushed the door open. After all, she had already given her greetings, and it was up to He Lin whether he responded or not.
"Hey, I heard you didn't eat? It's fine if you skipped breakfast, I'm not home so no one's going to bother you, but why didn't you eat lunch either?"
He Lin stood in front of the table, focused on his painting, not even looking up, treating her as if she were invisible.
Jiang Yi didn't mind, put the things she was carrying on the table and opened them, and a fragrant aroma immediately wafted out.
He said to himself, "I've been thinking about it, and considering I freeloaded at your place a few days ago, I've decided not to hold it against you. So when I came back from outside, I packed you a roast chicken and some snacks. Come and have some."
Smelling the greasy smell of chicken, I gripped the brush harder, ruining a perfectly good landscape painting. Oh well.
He sighed, put the brush on the inkstone, and strolled over leisurely, saying, "I don't eat roast chicken, you can take it away."
"Would you like some snacks?"
Looking into her bright, expectant eyes, He Lin hesitated to say no, and instead simply hummed in agreement.
Jiang Yi was delighted and pushed the pastries toward He Lin. Then she wrapped up the roast chicken, intending to save it for her and Xia Zhi to eat as a late-night snack.
He Lin took a small bite of plum blossom cake. During this time, Jiang Yi sat opposite him, staring intently at him with a smile. Her whole demeanor exuded a strangeness, and a glance was enough to tell that she was up to something.
"Speak, what is it?"
"What are you saying? Do you think I'm that kind of person? Eat up, eat more."
As Jiang Yi spoke, she poured He Lin another cup of tea. Her attentive manner made him afraid to eat. He looked down at the pastry in his hand, as if she had added laxatives to it.
After a pause, He Lin decided to continue, "The First Madam is only temporarily not pursuing the matter against you, but that doesn't mean it's over for her. If it weren't for He Yu's return, do you think you could have escaped?"
Jiang Yi was stunned for a moment, then belatedly realized that He Lin was explaining the question she had asked at the breakfast table that morning.
"He Yu wouldn't happen to be your older brother, would he?"
"Yes, he went on a trip to the south with the Crown Prince. He should be home in the next couple of days, so..."
"What?"
He Lin looked at her with an ambiguous expression and said helplessly, "So you better behave yourself and don't cause trouble for yourself."
"Hmph, even if I cause trouble in the future, I'll take responsibility for my own actions. I don't need you to save me!"
He Lin raised one eyebrow high, clearly questioning the feasibility of her statement.
"Hey, He Lin, how do you like these pastries? Are they good? I asked the shop owner for some of their most popular items, so they should taste pretty good."
He Lin wiped the crumbs from his mouth, then tossed the handkerchief onto the table, his expression both confident and relaxed. "The taste is so-so. You must have been fooled."
Jiang Yi glanced at the few remaining pastries on the table, then at He Lin. Ha, men's words are deceiving. If you don't like them, don't eat them! What's the point of talking about it now that they're in your stomach?
"Look, you've already eaten, shouldn't you pay the bill?"
"What did you say? Pay?"
Jiang Yi blinked innocently: "Yes, these pastries were all bought with money. How can you eat something and not pay for it? There's no such logic in the world."
He Lin was almost amused by her bunch of twisted and unorthodox theories.
"Besides, I borrowed all the money from Xia Zhi to buy these things, could you..."
Even with her thick skin, Jiang Yi felt a bit shameless at this moment, and she was embarrassed. Asking a man for money was a first for her.
"Could you lend me a little more first? I promise I'll pay you back double when I'm successful. If you don't trust me, I can give you a written IOU. Xia Zhi doesn't have much savings, and her monthly allowance is limited. I can't keep spending her money..."
As she finished speaking, Jiang Yi's voice grew softer and softer, almost like a mosquito's buzz, and she no longer dared to look He Lin in the eye. Her arrogant demeanor slowly faded away.
Sure enough, the rich are always the bosses. I'm going to be rich someday too! Jiang Yi secretly vowed in her heart.
He Lin stared at her silently for a long time, then got up and walked to the back of the desk. On that wall, besides a dense collection of books, there were also several small boxes. He opened one of them and took out a sky-blue brocade pouch.
"This should be enough for you for a while. If it's not enough, come to me."
Jiang Yi took it and felt a sudden weight in her hand. Goodness, it was quite substantial. When she opened it, she found it was filled with gleaming silver coins!
Wow, wow, wow, how much money would that add up to! If there were a way to bring it back, wouldn't she become a little rich woman? Just thinking about it makes her laugh in her sleep.
He Lin saw that the corners of her mouth were turned up to the sky and shook his head slightly.
The Jiang family was, after all, one of the wealthiest families in the capital. Although their social status was lowly and they couldn't be considered respectable, Jiang Yi, as an illegitimate daughter of the Jiang family, couldn't even afford a single penny. If word got out, people would probably laugh their heads off.
"He Lin, I didn't know you were so rich!"
Jiang Yi's eyes and brows were filled with a smile as she tossed the brocade pouch in her hand back and forth a few times.
He Lin glanced at her, and out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly noticed a jade bracelet hanging on Jiang Yi's wrist.
How did you end up with this bracelet?
Jiang Yi followed He Lin's gaze and saw the same pair that Su Tong had given her before.
"Oh, you mean this? My mother gave it to me." Jiang Yi suddenly seemed to remember something and slapped her forehead. "Tsk, I was so busy talking to you that I almost forgot something important."
After saying that, she turned around and ran away quickly, shouting Xia Zhi's name as she ran outside.
"..."
After passing through two or three moon gates, we followed the cobblestone path straight to the courtyard where Su Tong lived, and stopped in front of a wooden door.
Looking at the powerful characters on the plaque, Jiang Yi couldn't help but murmur, "'Qinxiangyuan', hmm, not bad, a good name."
The courtyard gate was not closed, and you could see inside from the doorway.
It must be said that the name 'Qingxiangyuan' is very fitting. Before even stepping into the courtyard, you can smell a refreshing floral fragrance that gently enters your nostrils and leaves you with a pleasant scent. Even after smelling it for a while, it is not cloying. Instead, it makes you feel exceptionally relaxed and peaceful.
Upon entering the courtyard, one is greeted by a view of flowers and plants in full bloom. There are not many varieties that bloom in late autumn, making this place quite rare. It is clear that the owner has put a lot of thought into taking good care of it.
Qinglian was directing the maids to trim the flowers and plants in the courtyard when she looked up and saw two people walking towards her. She quickly went forward to greet them and said, "Young Madam has arrived."
Jiang Yi asked with a smile, "Qinglian, is Madam Tong here?"
"Yes, young mistress, please come with me. Madam will be delighted if she knows you've come to see her."
Following Qinglian to a pavilion, Su Tong was feeding the koi in the pond. The koi were a large, fiery red color, swimming happily with their tails wagging, and they looked very pleasing to the eye.
"mother."
Hearing the voice, Su Tong turned around and immediately beamed with joy, "Yi'er?"
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