Chapter 20: Chapter 22: The Noble Guest from Whose Family
Mrs. Wang walked out of Qin Liuxi's courtyard, her head slightly lowered, gazing at the item she held in her hands, her thoughts momentarily adrift. She had come to deliver the belated coming-of-age hairpin to Qin Liuxi, but Qin Liuxi had returned to her a Jade hairpin. Etched with a Ruyi knot on the moon-white Jade hairpin, its quality could not compare to the various jade pieces she had owned before, but when held in hand, it was moist and vibrant, definitely not something a silver hairpin could match. "Ruyi hairpin, be at ease, may all be as you wish," Qin Liuxi had said at the time. A hint of sorrow appeared in Mrs. Wang's eyes: "This girl..." She pressed her hand against her chest, took off the cloth band used to tie her hair, and fastened her hair with the Jade hairpin before leaving at a measured pace.
Inside the room, Qi Huang looked at the silver hairpin in Qin Liuxi's hand and muttered, "Miss, that Jade hairpin could buy many such silver hairpins, you really are generous with it." That Jade hairpin might not look the best, but it was a Magic Artifact nurtured by Qin Liuxi, attracting auspice and warding off misfortune, not at all comparable to an ordinary Jade hairpin. Qin Liuxi toyed with the silver hairpin in her hand, "It's just a Jade hairpin, worth your protection. You said they didn't even send a coming-of-age gift; look, isn't this a blessing from an elder." Qi Huang replied with disdain, "You actually value such a silver hairpin?" Qin Liuxi, with a nonchalant voice, said, "The Qin family has been plundered, has to take care of matters in the northwest, and has a whole family to support, so every Silver Coin must be carefully spent. The heartless ones wouldn't remember I didn't even have a hairpin for my coming-of-age, while the caring ones, even a silver hairpin represents their sentiment."
Qi Huang said, "You have a broad and kind heart." Qin Liuxi smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, saying, "Let's see if wearing that hairpin can change her Qi Fortune. If fate is Heartless, then our family should prepare for a funeral." Qi Huang was taken aback and asked, "You mean?" Qin Liuxi's expression was inscrutable, "Whether my brother can meet a benefactor, it's all up to destiny!" While they were talking, Uncle Li's request to see her was heard from outside, and Qi Huang instantly showed an expression eager for drama. Qin Liuxi felt a bit numb. Poverty, it's a bit of trouble!
...
On the road to exile in the northwest, nearing August, the nighttime temperature was already ice-cold, let alone for the thinly dressed individuals, who felt the bone-chilling cold even more. "Yan'er, Yan'er," a harrowing cry echoed through the official road. The official guards exchanged glances and went over to ask, "What happened?" The middle-aged man holding his son, dishevelled and wearing only an undergarment, looking haggard, turned to the guards with a pained expression, pleading, "Sir, my son has a high fever that won't subside, and he has fainted. I implore you to take my son to see a doctor." As he spoke, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed several times.
"Sir," an old man with white hair and a shaky stance was also helped over by another son, kneeling down, "Sir, have mercy, my Qin family will be forever grateful." The official guard looked at the frail child and then at the old man, saying to another guard, "There's a station not far ahead, I'll take him on horseback first to see if there's a doctor, and what can be done, it's all up to heaven." "Thank you, sir," was the reply. The guard picked up the child and mounted his horse, and with a flick of the reins, he was off in a cloud of dust.
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At the station, a caravan was approaching, and seeing the guard galloping over, they all moved aside. A Steward came out from the station towards the carriage and said, "My lord, you can get out of the carriage now." "I heard some commotion just now, what's the matter?" a slightly hoarse voice sounded from inside the carriage as the curtain was drawn aside. "A child has developed a high fever, and the guard is looking for a doctor. It seems to be a prisoner's child being exiled to the northwest." The man with the aquiline nose in the carriage responded with an "Oh" and was unconcerned. Seeing the exiled to the northwest was common. "By the way, it was said that the child's family name is Qin, seemingly from the capital!" The man's steps paused, the Qin family?