Chapter Fifteen: What come back? She can't come back...
Ling'er returned to Qianyue Residence, but still did not see her mistress. She sat at the entrance of Qianyue Residence, tears welling up in her eyes, and buried her face in her knees, crying.
What should we do? She lost the young lady.
Just as she was feeling sad, she saw the young lady enter the courtyard, completely wrapped up in a cloak.
"Miss! You're finally back!" Ling'er wiped away her tears and quickly stood up to welcome her mistress into the house.
Shen Qingnian's face turned pale, and her fingers trembled as she untied her cloak, revealing a long dress underneath with its sash torn open.
"Miss...!" Ling'er covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes.
It's all her fault for not protecting the young lady!
Shen Qingnian now felt a chill of fear; such an ordinary day could have ruined her life.
Lin's sudden show of goodwill was unusual, and she knew that. But she never expected that Lin would actually try to ruin her reputation right here in the Marquis's mansion.
This was something Shen Qingnian had never imagined. She thought that even if Lin Shi disliked her, she could simply kick her out. How could she have come up with such a vicious method?
However, she could not report Lin's actions to anyone.
Who would believe her if she told anyone? There's no evidence! And that Second Master Lu is from the Marquis of Guangde's mansion; she can't afford to offend him. If she told anyone, people would just think she seduced him.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingnian felt extremely powerless, and she buried her face in her pillow and sobbed softly.
Ling'er was also crying beside her young mistress. What could she do? She was just a little maid, there was nothing she could do!
All she could do was curse, curse that Lin family for being so heartless!
Shen Qingnian cried for a short while, then sat up again.
She suddenly realized that now that she had broken ties with the Lin family, they would definitely not let her go, and might even give her away to someone else as a favor.
And that Second Master Lu, he won't let her get away with hitting him on the head today.
What to do? Auntie can't be relied on; she's just a concubine, and she's struggling to make ends meet. If it weren't for Cousin Zhao's help, Lin might have ruined Auntie's life too.
What should I do? Is there any way to save myself?
Seeing her mistress frowning, Ling'er cautiously called out, "Miss?"
Shen Qingnian looked at Ling'er's swollen eyes and took her hand: "It's okay, they didn't succeed."
"It's just that our days ahead will be a bit tough."
After hearing Shen Qingnian recount what had happened, Ling'er thought of the injustice her young mistress had suffered and burst out cursing, "That second madam is truly a heartless wretch! She doesn't deserve to be the lady of the Marquis's mansion at all! Even the beggars on the street are kinder than her!"
Shen Qingnian quickly covered Ling'er's mouth. If outsiders heard Ling'er cursing the second wife of the Marquis's mansion for no reason, what trouble would that cause?
Shen Qingnian looked at Ling'er: "The most important thing now is to find a way to stop the Second Madam from giving me away."
Ling'er thought for a moment and said, "Then let's go find Auntie and ask her to find a way to protect Miss."
Shen Qingnian shook her head: "No, I'm afraid even my aunt can't protect me."
Not only that, she also had a vague feeling that her aunt was hiding something from her, perhaps something similar to what Lin Shi was planning. However, she couldn't tell Ling'er any of this, because Ling'er was young and everything was written on her face, making it easy for others to see through her.
Ling'er lowered her head, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "Then let's move out of the Marquis's mansion and stop being humiliated by that second madam here."
Shen Qingnian had also considered this path: saving up money and moving out of the Marquis's mansion.
But I haven't saved up any money yet, so it's impossible for me to move out.
Moreover, once outside the Marquis's residence, she and Ling'er, both women, would be in even greater danger without any male servants to protect them.
Male?
Shen Qingnian said calmly, "Right now, marriage is the only option."
Ling'er's eyes widened: "Get married? Marry the prince?" If Miss marries the prince and becomes the prince's wife, no one will dare to bully Miss.
Shen Qingnian gently tapped Ling'er's head: "How could I marry the prince?" She had said long ago that she would not marry him.
"I need to find a simple family, and most importantly, we need to be far away from the capital so that no one can find us."
The Lin family has their eyes on her now, so she has to be careful and not let any word get out.
Ling'er nodded: "But Miss, where should we look for them?"
Shen Qingnian thought for a moment: "There must be a way." She was determined to find a way out for herself.
The room was quite cool at night, and Shen Qingnian called Ling'er twice. Ling'er rubbed her eyes and got up from the couch: "Miss, what's wrong?"
Shen Qingnian, wrapped in the blanket, asked, "Is there no charcoal fire tonight? It's a bit cold in the room."
Ling'er bit her lip: "There's no more charcoal."
At noon, while Shen Qingnian was taking a nap in the house, two old women came to deliver charcoal.
When Ling'er looked, she realized that what had been delivered was not the usual silver frost charcoal, but black charcoal.
This kind of charcoal produces a lot of blue smoke when burned, which is very choking, and it doesn't burn very well; ten pieces of black charcoal are not as good as one piece of silver frost charcoal.
Ling'er frowned and went up to one of the old women to ask, "Why is it black today? Isn't it usually silver charcoal?"
The old woman curled her lip: "Does she really think she's a young lady from a noble family? She even wants silver frost charcoal!"
Ling'er got angry when she heard this: "What do you mean? My young lady isn't a young lady, so are you the young lady?"
Upon hearing this, the old woman burst out laughing: "I'd rather not be a charcoal burner!"
"The Second Madam has instructed that from now on, only black charcoal will be delivered to Qianyue Residence, one basket every half month."
Ling'er was anxious. How could one basket of black charcoal be enough for half a month? In the past, they always had two baskets of silver frost charcoal for half a month. The young lady and she only lit charcoal fires at night, and even then, it was barely enough.
"You're bullying us!"
"If you don't want it, we'll move it back. We're still short of supplies in our servants' quarters." With that, the two old women carried the charcoal away.
Ling'er stepped forward to stop them, but the two old women immediately dumped all the charcoal into the snow and spat it on the ground, shouting, "Pah!"
By the time Ling'er retrieved the charcoal, it had already been soaked by snowmelt and couldn't be lit.
Ling'er started sobbing, "Miss, it's all my fault!"
Shen Qingnian took out a handkerchief and wiped away Ling'er's tears: "It's not your fault. This was the Second Madam's wish. It's my fault for ruining her plans."
If they skimp on charcoal today, they might skimp on food tomorrow.
"I have now broken ties with the second wife, and there will be many more similar incidents in the future. Don't be so reckless next time."
Ling'er nodded, rubbed her mistress's hands again, and then went back to bed to sleep.
The next day, Shen Qingnian also claimed to be ill and did not go to Lin's courtyard to pay her respects, and Lin did not cause her any trouble. The days passed peacefully for a few more days.
That day, Shen Qingnian followed Aunt Su to pay her respects to the old lady.
Shen Qingnian learned that the old lady often suffered from headaches and had trouble sleeping at night, so she made a fragrant bead for her.
Shen Qingnian respectfully handed over the incense beads and said, "Madam, this string of incense beads is called Tranquilizing Incense. Wearing it on your body every day will have the wonderful effect of calming the mind and helping you sleep."
The old lady smiled and took the string of beads in her hand to examine them. Each bead was round and full, and upon closer inspection, each bead was engraved with Bodhisattva scriptures, totaling one hundred and eight beads.
The beads exuded the fragrance of agarwood, which she liked, mixed with a hint of sandalwood.
The rustic brown color gives this string of beads a Zen-like feel.
The old lady leaned closer to smell it, and as if she had discovered something, she exclaimed with delight, "There's even clove in these beads?"
Shen Qingnian nodded and said, "I added agarwood, sandalwood, cloves, jujube seeds, and lavender to this calming incense."
These are all precious herbs and spices.
“When the old lady recites scriptures every day, she can use this string of incense beads instead of Buddhist prayer beads. The medicinal aroma will penetrate her body and be of great benefit,” Shen Qingnian added.
The old lady glanced at Momo beside her and said, "Qing'er has such a kind heart, she should be rewarded."
He then rewarded Shen Qingnian with a clear water jade bracelet. Shen Qingnian took the bracelet and glanced at it. The material wasn't very good, but it was clear and had no obvious flaws.
I estimate it's only three or four taels of silver.
It's definitely enough to tip someone like her who's from the countryside.
Shen Qingnian quickly curtsied and said, "Thank you, Madam."
Aunt Su watched Shen Qingnian standing there obediently, feeling very satisfied.
Shen Qingnian's features are somewhat similar to her older sister Su Wanyun's, and every time she sees her, she feels a sense of familiarity.
In her memory, her sister was also a gentle, quiet, and honest woman.
Over the years, Aunt Su often thought of her sister.
Su's mother passed away early, and her older sister cared for her like a mother as she grew up.
Whenever it's time to cook or do laundry, my older sister does it all by herself, while I let her sit on a small stool and play nearby.
If her sister hadn't helped her escape back then, she would surely be living peacefully and happily in her own courtyard with her beloved, devoted to her husband and children.
Who would dare to mess with that bastard surnamed Shen!
Nian'er is truly a wonderful woman, and she genuinely loves Shen Qingnian. It would be even better if Zhao-ge'er didn't have those feelings for Nian'er.
As Aunt Su pondered, the old lady looked at Madam Lin and said, "Tomorrow is the Snow Day Banquet. Let's bring Qing'er along. She's come of age now; let's see if she can find a good match."
Lin had been thinking about how to take this brat with her these past few days, and the old lady's words were exactly what she wanted. She nodded to the old lady and said, "That's perfect. I was also thinking of taking Qingnian with me so that Min'er can keep her company."
Shen Qingnian didn't want to go in the first place, but she needed to find a family to marry into as soon as possible. She was locked up in this mansion all day long, so how could she see anyone?
Since it was the old lady who personally invited her, Shen Qingnian couldn't refuse her, so she nodded and agreed.
The next day, Aunt Su held Shen Qingnian's hand in front of the mansion gate: "Nian'er, be careful in everything you do when you get to the Guangde Marquis's mansion, and don't be impolite. If you see a young master you like, come back and tell your aunt, and your aunt will ask the old lady for help."
Shen Qingnian looked at Aunt Su and nodded obediently, "Mm."
Watching Shen Qingnian get into the carriage, Aunt Su added, "Come back soon."
Lin stared at the figure from the side, and sneered: "Come back? She's not coming back..."
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