Having confirmed her suspicions, Wei Shuwan hurriedly jumped off the carriage, lifted her skirt, and quickly chased after him, calling out, "My benefactor!"
"My benefactor, please wait!"
Ziqiao and Miaoxiang followed behind, each carrying a gift of thanks. Miaoxiang was carrying a food box, which was fine, but Ziqiao was carrying a box of silver, a full thousand taels! If she hadn't practiced martial arts with her father and brothers when she was young and built up a foundation, she definitely wouldn't have been able to carry it.
Seeing that the fisherman was getting further and further away by water, Ziqiao couldn't help but wonder, "Could he not only be mute, but also deaf?"
Wei Shuwan glanced back at her with displeasure, and Zi Qiao immediately realized her mistake, raising her voice to apologize, "My benefactor, I know I was wrong, please, please wait for my young lady~"
To everyone's surprise, the words actually worked. The fisherman looked back and began to moor his boat on the shore.
Wei Shuwan, who was already struggling to keep up, was immediately energized when she saw that he had finally heard her and continued to chase after him.
Standing on the shore where the small boat had docked, she was already out of breath. Looking at the man a few steps away, whose face was half-hidden by a bamboo hat, she said, "My benefactor... I've finally found you..."
Li Qingchen remained silent, waiting for her to get to the point. Wei Shuwan took a few breaths and then pointed to the silver box in Zi Qiao's hand, saying, "I have no way to repay your life-saving grace, so please accept this small token of my gratitude."
Zi Qiao respectfully handed over the box with both hands, but Li Qingchen stopped her with his oar. He shook his head and refused to accept it, making a move to leave.
"My benefactor, please wait!" In a moment of urgency, Wei Shuwan jumped onto the boat.
Li Qingchen frowned slightly, while Wei Shuwan said cautiously, "Since our benefactor does not like gold and silver, I will not force him. But if he refuses even fruit, wouldn't that be a bit too distant?"
As she spoke, she turned around and took the food box from Miaoxiang's hands, smiling slyly: "These are lychees that were recently sent from Lingnan, they are very sweet."
Lychees are a rare treat in the eyes of others, but they are nothing special in Li Qingchen's eyes. However, the young lady in front of him is determined to bribe him with something to repay his kindness. If he doesn't accept it, she might pester him endlessly.
After a moment's hesitation, Li Qingchen finally raised his hand and took it.
After accepting the gift, he casually made a "please" gesture, which was his way of telling the guest to leave.
Seeing his indifference, Wei Shuwan didn't want to bother him any longer. She nodded and turned to walk towards the stern of the boat.
The fishing boat was small and dilapidated, and water was slowly seeping from somewhere, soaking Wei Shuwan's skirt. She tried to step ashore, but tripped over the wet fabric wrapped around her ankles, cried out in surprise, and instantly fell into the pond to her right!
"girl!"
The shore was high and the boat was low. Even though Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang were quick-witted and reached out their hands in time, Wei Shuwan tried desperately to grab it, but still failed.
Just as most of her body had leaned out of the boat and her long hair was splashing into the water, a strong hand suddenly grabbed her waist, lifted her up, and the next moment she was back on the boat.
Wei Shuwan gripped the shoulders of the person in front of her tightly, as if grasping at a lifeline. This feeling overlapped with her memory of falling into the water in her previous life... It was these same hands that pulled her away from the icy suffocation and saved her life.
"Th...thank you..." She was trembling violently from shock and her wet hair.
Li Qingchen raised his hand, took off his bamboo hat, and put it on her head. Then he gave the two maids a look, signaling them to take her back quickly.
Ziqiao and Miaoxiang originally wanted to get off the boat to pick up the people, but as soon as they took one step, they found that the dilapidated boat could not support three people, so they had to go back.
"Please help my daughter over, my benefactor."
Li Qingchen had no choice but to help Wei Shuwan to the shore, but as soon as she took a step, she suddenly slumped down and realized that she had twisted her ankle.
Wei Shuwan groaned softly in pain, her brows furrowed, and she turned to look at him with a wronged expression: "I can't walk anymore... If you're going to help someone, why don't you row me across?"
Li Qingchen glanced at her speechlessly, then at the carriage moored on the opposite bank, and finally nodded reluctantly.
Zi Qiao and Miao Xiang then returned along the same route, while Wei Shuwan took a small boat back by water. Li Qingchen stood at the stern rowing, while Wei Shuwan sat on a bench in the middle, resting her chin on her hand and watching him.
The young man, having removed his straw hat, had a distinct face with sharp, angular eyebrows and clear, bright eyes. Even his rough straw raincoat could not conceal his sharp features.
Wei Shuwan was completely absorbed in watching until he cleared his throat to remind her, which brought her back to her senses and made her realize that she should say something to ease the awkwardness.
"Is our benefactor a local?"
Li Qingchen initially didn't want to pay attention, but thinking that if he didn't speak up, she might go around asking around again, he had no choice but to compromise and shook his head to give her an answer.
"Does our benefactor still have any family members here?"
Li Qingchen shook his head again.
Wei Shuwan hesitated for a moment before asking the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "How is your voice, my benefactor...?"
Li Qingchen was probably annoyed, so he simply turned around and rowed the oar with his back to her.
Wei Shuwan assumed she had touched a raw nerve and quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just thinking that maybe there's a good doctor who can cure it."
Li Qingchen paused slightly before continuing to splash water.
Seeing that he was ignoring her, Wei Shuwan muttered to herself, "Fine, since you don't like it, I won't bring it up again. But you were able to save me in time at the stern just now, so you must know some martial arts, right?"
"It's a waste of your talents to spend all your time fishing. If you're willing, our Wei family is in dire need of a head instructor..."
Unable to bear it any longer, Li Qingchen deliberately stepped on the boat, causing it to rock violently. Wei Shuwan hurriedly looked after herself and finally shut up.
However, the good times didn't last long. When the small boat reached the center of the pond, Wei Shuwan stared at the shimmering water and pondered again: "Why are there so many boxes sinking in this water?"
Li Qingchen's brow twitched, and he turned to look at her. Wei Shuwan rarely noticed his interest in something, so she said excitedly, "Before you rescued me last time, I saw many large boxes at the bottom of the water! I just don't know what's inside."
Li Qingchen turned around and continued rowing, as if he had returned to the time when he had no interest in what she said, but the seriousness between his brows had not been relieved.
After the boat docked, Wei Shuwan was helped into the carriage by two maids. Before leaving, she leaned out of the window and shouted to the boat, "If my benefactor needs any help in the future, please come to the Wei family mansion at the north end of Gongchen Street and I will not refuse!"
Once the carriage had traveled a distance, Yuan Que, who had been hiding behind a tree, emerged and asked, "Young Prince, do you have any orders?"
Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment, gently rubbing his fingertips which still seemed to retain a lingering fragrance, before finally making his decision:
"Kill her."
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