Chapter 167 What are you thinking?
Another day passed, and Yuheng was inside.
Ling'er has been feeling weak all over these past few days, as if all her strength has been drained away.
These days, the young lady has kept her confined to the small courtyard in the back, wanting her to recover her health.
Although she felt she was already better, the young lady still wanted her to rest for a few more days.
She hadn't seen her mistress for a long time, so she came to the front of the courtyard to look for Shen Qingnian today.
But after searching both inside and outside the house, they still couldn't find Shen Qingnian.
She circled around and finally saw the Solomon's Seal by the flowerbed.
"Sister Yuzhu, where is my young lady?" Ling'er walked up to Yuzhu and asked softly.
Yu Zhu was watering several crabapple trees when she heard Ling'er's voice. She turned around and wiped the sweat from her forehead: "Auntie and Sister Hongyu went to the lotus pond together."
These past few days, the weather has been getting hotter and hotter, so Shen Qingnian wanted to pick some lotus seeds to cook lotus seed porridge for the maids at Yuheng Residence to help them cool off.
Upon hearing this, Ling'er immediately perked up.
Picking lotus pods was her favorite thing to do in Jiangnan, and she naturally didn't want to miss it now.
So she walked briskly along the corridor toward the lotus pond.
Shen Qingnian was standing under a willow tree by the lotus pond.
Hongyu was worried about her safety, so she told her to stay on the shore while she and Yuanqing rowed a boat in the pond to pick lotus pods.
"Hongyu, that lotus seedpod over there looks plump, let's go pick that one," Shen Qingnian said with a smile, pointing to a large lotus seedpod not far away.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Qing immediately rowed the boat over, and Hong Yu reached out and took it, waving it at Shen Qingnian.
Suddenly, Hongyu's pupils dilated.
He shouted, "Auntie, watch out!"
She saw a masked maid behind Shen Qingnian, sneaking out her hand as if to push Shen Qingnian into the water.
At this moment, another figure swiftly pulled Shen Qingnian away, but lost their footing and fell into the lotus pond.
"Ling'er!"
Shen Qingnian and Yuan Qing exclaimed almost simultaneously.
Seeing the twin buns struggling violently in the water, Yuan Qing jumped into the water with a splash.
The masked girl tried to push Shen Qingnian again.
Seeing this, Hongyu shouted, "Help! Help!" She was on the boat and could only shout for help, hoping to scare the girl away.
Hearing Hongyu shout and seeing Yuanqing jump into the water, the girl swam quickly over.
She panicked and had no choice but to abandon the idea of pushing Shen Qingnian into the water. She immediately turned around and ran away along the side path.
"Yuan Qing, save Ling'er!" Shen Qingnian stood on the shore and saw Yuan Qing swimming over, so she called out anxiously.
Ling'er struggled in the water for a few moments, but her strength waned and her body gradually sank.
Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she suddenly felt someone tightly embrace her waist.
Immediately afterwards, she was brought to the surface of the water, and the fresh air rushed into her nasal cavity, making her cough involuntarily.
Ling'er slowly opened her eyes and saw Yuan Qing holding her as they struggled to swim towards the shore.
His hair was soaked and stuck to his forehead, and his face was still wet with water droplets, with a look of anxiety on his face.
For some reason, seeing his face made Ling'er's nose tingle and tears fall.
It seems that every time she encounters danger, Yuan Qing always appears in time to protect her.
Yuan Qing glanced at her and saw that her eyes were red and her brows were tightly furrowed: "Are you scared? Don't be afraid, I'm here."
Soon, Yuan Qing brought Ling'er to the shore.
Shen Qingnian quickly reached out and pulled Ling'er up.
Yuan Qing then climbed ashore, not bothering to dry himself, and squatted down next to Ling'er, grabbing her hands and feet to examine her carefully: "Where are you hurt?" His tone was full of anxiety.
Ling'er shook her head, her voice trembling with tears: "I'm not hurt."
But tears fell like beads from a broken string, unstoppable.
Yuan Qing frowned even more: "You're not injured, why are you crying?" He had worried about you for so long.
“Yuan Qing, your hand…” Ling’er’s eyes were fixed on Yuan Qing’s arm, where there was some blood on the sleeve.
She quickly grabbed his arm and carefully rolled up his sleeve, revealing two teeth marks on his arm.
Just now, while they were swimming in the water, a water snake suddenly lunged at Ling'er.
Without thinking, Yuan Qing reached out and blocked her. When Ling'er opened her eyes, the snake was gone.
Yuan Qing looked at the wound and said nonchalantly, "It's nothing, the snake wasn't poisonous, it'll be fine in a few days."
Seeing Ling'er's tears streaming down her face, Yuan Qing suddenly realized something and asked with a hint of uncertainty, "Lingjiao, are you crying because you're worried about me?"
Upon hearing this, Ling'er looked up at Yuan Qing.
Seeing his bright, expectant eyes, her face instantly flushed.
Ling'er turned her face away and said irritably, "That's not true."
Shen Qingnian watched the two of them from the side, and suddenly remembered something, and couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, get up quickly, let's go back first, don't catch a cold." She said, reaching out to help Ling'er up.
Yuan Qing and Ling'er exchanged a glance. Ling'er suddenly realized what was happening and hugged herself tightly.
“You…” Ling’er was both ashamed and angry.
Her clothes were soaked through and clung tightly to her body, revealing her curves.
Yuan Qing's cheeks flushed instantly. He quickly turned around and ran away as if fleeing.
Shen Qingnian watched his flustered back and found it somewhat amusing.
I never expected that the usually composed Yuan Qing would be so shy.
Hongyu struggled to row the boat to the shore. Just as she tied the rope, she saw Yuanqing running back, carrying a blue bundle in his hand.
He shielded his eyes with one hand and handed over the bundle with the other, his voice tinged with unease: "Give it to... give it to Lingjiao, so she can wear it."
Hongyu quickly took the bundle, but before she could say anything, Yuanqing turned and ran away again.
Ling'er opened the bundle and saw that it contained a cloak.
She looked up in the direction Yuan Qing had left, a strange ripple stirring in her heart.
"Hurry up and put it on, otherwise it won't look good if someone sees you like this."
Hongyu smiled and reached out to help Ling'er put on her cloak. The three of them returned to Yuheng Residence together.
Upon returning to Guanlan Residence, Yuan Qing immediately reported the events that had occurred by the lotus pond to Xie Yanzhi.
"Have you found out who that masked maid is?"
Yuan Qing lowered his head and said, "We found out. That maid was a beggar from a dilapidated temple outside the city. When we found her, she was already lying on the ground, dead."
"It looks like they were silenced."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yanzhi rubbed his temples, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
The person behind this is clearly targeting Shen Qingnian. Who could it be?
"Continue the investigation!"
"Yes!" Yuan Qing received the order and left the room.
Inside Yuheng Residence, Shen Qingnian had hot water boiled for Ling'er to take a hot bath, and then found her a clean set of clothes to change into.
Ling'er sat in front of the dressing table, the blush on her face still lingering.
Looking at her, Shen Qingnian tentatively asked, "Ling'er, what are your thoughts on what happened between you and Yuan Qing by the lotus pond today?"
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