Chapter 1006: Chapter 1000: Nemeses (2)
Ruan Jingliu was a bit puzzled, and she asked, "Why do you want this piece of land?"
"It’s a secret, I can’t tell you." He leaned forward and became playful again: "However, if you become Second Madam Qin, I might consider telling you."
"Boring!" Ruan Jingliu turned her head away and ignored him.
Wan’er glanced at the door and secretly sighed with relief. If anyone could change the master’s mind, it would be either Fourth Madam or Mr. Qin... It’s just not noticed by the master himself.
Xiqiu held a medicine bowl, pinched her nose, and drank it in one gulp. Bihuai quickly brought a plum to press on her mouth: "Madam, next time I’ll put some sugar in it for you."
"No need." Xiqiu waved her hand and said: "It’s just bitter for a while." After she finished, she took a handkerchief to wipe the corner of her mouth and asked: "Where’s Zhi, haven’t seen him all morning."
Bihuai replied: "He’s practicing boxing in the backyard."
Just as Xiqiu was about to speak, Lyuzhi laughed and entered the door: "Madam, look who’s here." Xiqiu paused and looked outside the door, seeing Chunyan, Siliu, and Chunliu had arrived.
Siliu was holding her nearly one-year-old daughter, Chunyan was also leading one, Chunliu came in holding her waist, Bihuai quickly went over to help Chunliu sit down. Xiqiu said: "How come you all returned together so coincidentally." Then she looked at Chunliu: "It’s fine for them to come, but you should stay at home honestly, coming out makes others worry."
Chunliu raised her slightly chubby hand after gaining some weight and held her belly, replying: "I’m quite well, walking doesn’t feel troublesome, you can rest assured."
Siliu and Chunyan also sat down, and Xiqiu beckoned to Chunyan’s little girl: "Come over, let me take a look." The little girl was three years old, her stature small like Chunyan’s, but she looked clever and pretty, ran over sweetly calling: "Madam, Happy New Year!"
"So good." Xiqiu picked her up and placed her on her lap: "What’s your name!" She gave her a handful of candy, the little girl replied: "Ya’er."
Xiqiu nodded, patted Ya’er’s head: "What candy do you like? I’ll bring some back for you next time."
Ya’er nodded with her eyes smiling, replied: "Okay." She looked down to eat the candy, while Xiqiu looked at Siliu’s daughter, who had four big teeth and was giggling, seemingly seeing something interesting, looking amused, Xiqiu said: "This girl has a good temperament, she’ll definitely be like Fugui, not like Siliu."
Siliu laughed, protested: "Madam teases me again, my temperament is much better than theirs." After saying this, she looked at Chunliu: "I just have a talkative mouth, some people actually use their hands." She was talking about the past incident in Lady’s room where Chunliu and the maids beside Xu Tianqing had a conflict.
Everyone laughed at the memories of those days.
"Auntie." Ya’er tilted her head to look at Chunliu: "Is it a little brother or little sister in your belly? When will Ya’er be able to see?"
"In a few months, you’ll be able to see." Chunliu smiled: "Then Ya’er must play with him." Ya’er nodded, looked at Chunyan, then spoke to Chunliu: "I’ll ask mom to make porridge for him!"
"This child." Chunyan laughed: "Not something particularly good!"
Chunliu covered her mouth and laughed, nodded: "Okay." Then she spoke to Chunyan: "You think it’s not good because you see it every day, we think it’s great." She also spoke to Xiqiu: "This was Madam’s idea, how could it be bad."
"You’re just good at sweet talking." Siliu glared at her: "You even conveyed my words, what can I say!"
Xiqiu was also amused by them!
At noon, several people accompanied Xiqiu for lunch in the room, and in the afternoon, they dispersed and returned. Xiqiu went to Zhi’s room to stay with him reading, wrote seven or eight calligraphy sheets, Zhi wanted to write a letter to Tong Quanzi, Xiqiu smiled and nodded, saying: "Alright, but you have to write it yourself."
Zhi knows few characters, some he recognizes but can’t write, he replied with a furrowed brow: "...Better mom write, I’ll dictate!"
"You write it." Xiqiu dipped ink: "Write the characters you know, use symbols to replace those you don’t."
Zhi pouted, reluctantly picked up the pen to write on the Xuan paper, racked his brains to think of a sentence: Seventh Uncle, is Liaodong cold...
Xiqiu secretly laughed, but outwardly encouraged: "Very well written, much nicer than Seventh Uncle’s writing." Zhi finally gained some confidence after being praised by Xiqiu, began to write in free and bold strokes... but he knew too few characters, for instance, he couldn’t write the character for ’night’ in ’Yuanxiao’, so he simply drew a bowl with Yuanxiao inside, when writing about practicing, he resorted to drawing a little person, most amusing was he drew a stick of incense at its feet, smoke wafting up...
"Mom." Zhi was a bit worried: "Can Seventh Uncle understand it?"
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Xiqiu looked at the three or four sheets of paper he had scribbled messily on, and nodded seriously, saying, "You can definitely understand." After saying this, she handed him the envelope, "Put it inside, remember to seal it up and later ask Tiancheng to help you send it out."
"Okay!" Zhi nodded his head eagerly, quickly sealed the letter as if it became entertaining, and took out more writing paper, "I still want to write to Seventh Uncle."
Xiqiu sat on one side nodding, "Alright." Having just met Seventh Uncle, she asked, "Have you thought about what you want to write?"
Zhi tilted his head and thought for a moment, then picked up the pen to write. Xiqiu leaned over to see, and found he had written: I want to go to the temple fair, but Mom won’t let me. If you come, she’ll agree... there were even two or three words replaced by symbols.
Xiqiu finally couldn’t help but laugh, tapping Zhi’s head, and said, "When have I ever stopped you from going to the temple fair? Wasn’t it your father who agreed to take you?"
"You don’t understand." Zhi waved his ink-stained black hands, pouting, "Seventh Uncle spends all day reading. If I don’t make it sound more pitiful, he definitely won’t come."
Xiqiu burst into laughter, pinching her son’s nose, and said, "You’re full of bad ideas. If Seventh Uncle knows you tricked him, he’ll definitely be angry." Seeing Xiqiu amused, Zhi immediately dropped the pen, stood on the chair, and pounced into her arms, "If Mom doesn’t tell, I won’t tell, how would Seventh Uncle know I tricked him?"
Xiqiu hugged him and laughed heartily, and Zhi snuggled up, rarely acting spoiled, "Mom is the best." Then he cupped his mother’s face and gave her a loud kiss on the cheek. After kissing, he realized the ink on his hand had smeared on her face, and he immediately widened his eyes and shrank guiltily, "Mom, I need to pee!" He quickly let go of Xiqiu, jumped down, and ran into the bathroom.
Xiqiu was momentarily stunned, then looked at Dongling and Mrs. Zhou standing to the side. Mrs. Zhou hung her head, trying not to laugh, while Dongling’s face was red from stifling her laughter, her shoulders shaking. Xiqiu raised an eyebrow, touched her face, and walked over to the mirror to look, unable to help but laugh as well, as she saw four clear, black little fingerprints on her cheek.
"Madam, let me help you wipe it off." Dongling wrung a wet cloth to help Xiqiu clean up, while Xiqiu turned to look at the bathroom, where Zhi hid inside, not daring to come out.
Xiqiu laughed and walked over, "Come out quickly." There was no movement inside. Xiqiu continued, "I don’t blame you."
"Really?" A small head peeked out, long eyelashes fluttering. Xiqiu walked over with a smiling face and waved him over, "Come!"
Zhi, with a look of half-belief, covered his butt with his hand. When Mom was angry, she would spank him, so now he had to protect his backside first. Zhi walked over slowly, "...Mom...I didn’t mean to." He finished with his head down, unable to stop laughing himself, never having seen Mom look so funny before.
"Hmm?" Xiqiu bent down to look at him, and Zhi nodded innocently. He saw a hand flash in front and felt Xiqiu make a mark under his nose, then grabbed him and made another one on his face while he was still reacting.
"Mom’s being naughty." Zhi laughed out loud, nestled in Xiqiu’s arms, "Mom’s going back on her word!"
Xiqiu giggled as well, seeing that Zhi had two small mustaches drawn on his face, looking adorable and amusing, she laughed and said, "Mom didn’t say anything." Then she tickled him, "You say you didn’t mean it, but I see you clearly did it on purpose."
Zhi collapsed in her arms, loudly pleading for mercy!
Mrs. Zhou and Dongling covered their mouths, laughing, as Bihuai lifted the curtain and came in from outside, seeing the pair of mother and son playing around, she smiled and stood waiting on the side...
The letter was sent out, and sure enough, two days later, Tong Minzhi came by, promising Zhi, "On Lantern Festival, your Seventh Uncle will come over, and then I’ll tell your mom and will take you to the temple fair." Zhi’s eyes sparkled, and he smiled, "Great, it would be best if my mom could go, too. Mom hasn’t been to a temple fair yet."
With so many people at the temple fair, it wasn’t surprising Xiqiu hadn’t been. Tong Minzhi said, "If your mom wants to go, it might need careful planning. How about the two of us carefully discuss it?"
Zhi nodded excitedly, "Great!" So the two of them got their heads together, conspiring for a long time, then felt it was inappropriate and started over again, going through considerable twists and turns.
On the day of the Lantern Festival, Tong Minzhi and Zhi fidgeted for a long time, not knowing how to ask Xiqiu to join them. Fourth Master Xiao put down his teacup, glanced at the hour, and said to Xiqiu, "It’s not good to be late, let’s go."
Xiqiu had already dressed up, and upon hearing this, Bihuai picked up the veil for her...
Zhi and Tong Minzhi stared and asked, "Go where?" Xiqiu looked at them and answered, "To the temple fair."
The two looked at each other... Zhi spread his hands, feeling weary, "We worried for nothing." They had been thinking for a long time about how to persuade Xiqiu to go to the temple fair with them, but it seems it was all wasted effort, as she had already decided to go.
Tong Minzhi pursed his lips and laughed.
The family went out and got into the carriage, with Fourth Master Xiao and Tong Minzhi riding alongside on horses, while Zhi couldn’t hold back and joined Fourth Master Xiao on a horse. In the carriage, Xiqiu lifted the curtain a little, watching the bustling streets and dazzling lights, her mouth also turning up into a slight smile...
