The warm water splashed on my face, feeling warm and comfortable.
After Qiao Qixin finished washing, she went back to her room to eat.
The rice porridge is soft and glutinous, and the steamed buns are stuffed with meat, vegetables and mushrooms.
After eating, Qiao Qixin sat in the room and waited for the time for a stick of incense to pass so she could take the medicine.
Birds were chirping outside the window and the sun was shining brightly, but Qiao Qixin was not ready to leave the room.
She knew that the relationship between Liu Zhan and his parents was not very good, and she was afraid that she would run into someone she shouldn't run into when she went out and cause trouble to Liu Zhan.
The time for a stick of incense passes quickly.
After Qiao Qixin drank the medicine, she lay back on the bed.
The wounds on her body no longer hurt much. After two more days of recovery, Qiao Qixin planned to mention to Liu Zhan that she would go elsewhere.
——
"Madam, I have already inquired about this. The one Mr. Liu brought here lives here."
Outside the door, Mrs. Liu walked slowly.
The maid next to her knelt down and pointed the way to Madam Liu.
"Open the door and let me go in to see who this girl is." Mrs. Liu held her chin high and said proudly.
The maid beside him quickly opened the door.
Mother He, who was holding a dish in the distance, saw it and felt bad, so she quickly turned around and went to Mr. Liu's residence.
Qiao Qixin heard the door opening and thought it was Mama He.
Qiao Qixin looked up at the door and saw a richly dressed lady walking in with her maid.
"What's your name?" The lady came to Qiao Qixin's bed and looked at her condescendingly.
Intuition told Qiao Qixin that this was an extraordinary person, so she tried to sit up from the bed and said, "My name is Qiao Qixin."
"Did Liu Zhan bring him in?" Mrs. Liu said bluntly.
Qiao Qixin hesitated and nodded.
"Where are you from and how many people are in your family?" Mrs. Liu asked.
"The folk woman is from the north, and there is only one folk woman in the family." Qiao Qixin replied.
When she said these words, Qiao Qixin felt that her state was calmer than expected.
It was as if he had already accepted Sister Zhang's departure.
Oh, and there is also Sister Zhang’s unborn child.
Mrs. Liu looked Qiao Qixin up and down, "Do you like Liu Zhan?"
Qiao Qixin shook her head, but before she could speak, her hands were held by Mrs. Liu.
I saw that Mrs. Liu, who was originally aloof, was looking at Qiao Qixin with bright eyes, full of expectation.
"You like him? That's great! We will get married tomorrow!" After that, Mrs. Liu waved her hand and ordered, "Go and prepare the betrothal gift immediately! Ask for the most!"
Haha, anyway, this person has no father or mother, so he will end up in my hands.
Mrs. Liu was making calculations in her heart.
Qiao Qixin was confused and quickly explained, "No, no, no, Mr. Liu and I have no intention of being together."
"Oh, why don't you just stay there? Let me tell you, Liu Zhan likes you, and he even got a beating from his father last night because of you." Mrs. Liu said quickly.
"Okay, okay, no more talking, I'm going to prepare things for you to get married."
Mrs. Liu let go of Qiao Qixin's hand, then waved her hand and walked out.
Haha, once these things are ready today, Liu Zhan will have to get married even if he doesn't want to get married.
Mrs. Liu narrowed her eyes and prepared to go out leisurely.
Once Liu Zhan gets married, won't those famous ladies have no choice but to choose my son?
Oh, if you really want to talk about it, my son is the real deal. I don’t know what kind of shit luck Liu Zhan got, to be so lucky.
Mrs. Liu opened the door——
"Huh? Why are you still here?"
Liu Zhan, who was rushing in, happened to bump into Mrs. Liu.
"Madam, you really misunderstood. I have nothing to do with Liu Zhan!"
"Huh? Liu Zhan! Please explain it to her quickly! We are not in love!" Qiao Qixin, who felt something was wrong more and more, ran out of the house.
Just when she saw the male protagonist, Qiao Qixin called out to him.
Liu Zhan immediately understood Mrs. Liu's purpose and stopped her immediately, "Mom, it's better not to get involved in the younger generation's affairs."
Mrs. Liu turned around and glared at Qiao Qixin, then looked at Liu Zhan with a motherly expression.
"Didn't I arrange your marriage? You look down on Lin Mo, and now you have brought a girl back. I, a mother-in-law, can't do it..." Mrs. Liu said with a smile.
Liu Zhan bowed his head and said, "The son has his own plans and doesn't need to worry about the mother."
Madam Liu gritted her teeth and flicked her handkerchief, "Yes, yes, your wings are stiff, I can't control you."
"As for you, marry whomever you want, and I won't get involved. Are you satisfied? Bang!" Mrs. Liu raised her head and left with her maid.
Qiao Qixin, who felt that she had discovered something terrible, said silently, "How come your mother seems..."
"She is not my mother, I don't have a mother." Liu Zhan said coldly.
"She has never regarded me as a son. In her eyes, I am just a stumbling block that prevents her son from developing."
Qiao Qixin, who had expected it, nodded in agreement, then changed the subject and asked, "By the way, shouldn't you be in Dali Temple now? Why are you here?"
"I have a rest today. Mother He called me here," Liu Zhan looked at Qiao Qixin, "Are you okay?"
Qiao Qixin shook her head, "I'm fine. By the way, my health is almost recovered. I plan to leave the day after tomorrow."
"Leave? Where to go?" Liu Zhan didn't know why, but when he heard Qiao Qixin say that she was leaving, his body trembled.
"I plan to work in the capital first and save money," Qiao Qixin said, "and then settle somewhere else."
Liu Zhan lowered his eyes and asked tentatively, "Do you want to come to Dali Temple?"
Qiao Qixin was stunned.
Dali Temple? She doesn’t know how to solve crimes. What can she do in Dali Temple?
"That's it. I saw you were very good at painting in Bianliang City. It happened that Dali Temple was short of a painter, so..." Liu Zhan said.
Qiao Qixin thought for a moment, "How much money can that painter earn in a month?"
"You mean monthly salary? Fifty taels of silver a month." Liu Zhan said.
Qiao Qixin was shocked.
Fifty taels! It’s almost the same as when she opened the shop during its most prosperous period!
Qiao Qixin's eyes were full of stars, and she immediately agreed to the job with her chest beat high.
Liu Zhan smiled and said, "Then you rest for a few more days, and I will take you to Dali Temple in two days."
"Okay!" Qiao Qixin was excited, and then seemed to remember something, "By the way, can you bring me some pen and ink? I want to practice it first."
Liu Zhan looked at Qiao Qixin making gestures in the air and smiled, saying, "Of course, I'll show you."
"Okay!" Qiao Qixin looked excited, "By the way, there is one more thing."
Qiao Qixin clasped her hands behind her back and poked the ground with her toes.
"What?" Liu Zhan asked.
"It's... my sister and eldest brother's, um, remains. How did you deal with them?" Qiao Qixin whispered.
In fact, she wanted to ask yesterday, but Liu Zhan didn't give her a chance to speak.
Liu Zhan was silent for a moment and said, "I sent people to put them in the coffin. Now the coffin is in Dali Temple. Where are you going to bury them?"
Qiao Qixin pondered for a moment, "Can you bury me in your hometown?"
Over there in his hometown, Brother Zhang has a younger sister, so he needs to tell her.
Qiao Qixin sighed.
It's because she didn't take good care of Sister Zhang and Brother Zhang...
"Then we can leave tomorrow, okay?" Liu Zhan said.
"Okay." Qiao Qixin nodded, showing an unsmiling smile.
Liu Zhan was silent for a moment, then gently put his hand on Qiao Qixin's head, "It's not your fault."
Qiao Qixin was shocked, then looked up at Liu Zhan and said with a smile, "Thank you."
"Um."
The two looked at each other speechlessly.
"I, I'm going back to Dali Temple first. If mother comes to trouble you again, just pretend to be unwell and tell me when I come back." Liu Zhan warned.
"Okay." Qiao Qixin nodded, and then watched Liu Zhan leave.
She turned back to the room and lay down quietly on the bed.
Physically and mentally exhausted.
Mrs. Liu did not come to see Qiao Qixin again, and Qiao Qixin did not drag Mother He to find Liu Zhan.
Another sleepless night passed.
"Miss Qiao, wake up, Mr. Liu is looking for you."
Qiao Qixin, who had fallen asleep until early in the morning, was woken up by Mother He.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up from the bed.
"What's wrong? Mother He?" Because she was in another house, Qiao Qixin couldn't make any mistakes, so she forced herself to wake up quickly.
"In reply to Miss Qiao, Mr. Liu is waiting for you." As she said that, Mother He pushed the hot water that had been prepared to Qiao Qixin, "Miss, hurry up and wash up, Mr. Liu has been waiting for a long time."
Qiao Qixin nodded and finished washing up as quickly as possible.
When he went out, Liu Zhan was already standing at the door.
"Wake up." Liu Zhan said.
Qiao Qixin nodded, "Are we going to Dali Temple now?"
"No, I'll take you out of the city. I've already hired the funeral procession." Liu Zhan led Qiao Qixin out of the Liu Mansion.
In front of the house, a sleek horse was tied to a tree trunk on one side.
Liu Zhan took off the reins and flew onto the horse.
"Hold my hand." Liu Zhan stretched out his hand to Qiao Qixin who was underneath.
"Wait, wait a minute, we two ride a horse?" Qiao Qixin looked at Liu Zhan's extended hand and hesitated.
Liu Zhan was confused, "What's wrong?"
Qiao Qixin reminded in a low voice, "This is on the street, people will see you. You are the son of the Liu family, and I am just a civilian girl."
Liu Zhan understood, he smiled and said, "I don't care about that."
Anyway, Mrs. Liu won't let herself marry a girl from a famous family, and she doesn't need to care about etiquette.
Seeing what Liu Zhan said, Qiao Qixin shrugged her shoulders and pulled Liu Zhan's hand in response to the surprised looks of passers-by.
She is now a loner and doesn't care about her reputation.
"drive!"
Liu Zhan dismounted his horse, and the horse began to run, and the two of them left the city in a short while.
After leaving the city, they turned a corner and a group of people wearing white clothes and hats appeared in their sight.
"Is that the funeral procession?" Qiao Qixin asked.
Liu Zhan nodded.
Qiao Qixin looked at the team carefully.
There were two black coffins placed in the center of the queue, inside which lay Sister Zhang and Brother Zhang, as well as their children.
Qiao Qixin subconsciously grabbed the hem of Liu Zhan's clothes.
"It's okay, I've hired someone to do the work. Your eldest brother and eldest sister will ascend to heaven." Liu Zhan comforted him.
Qiao Qixin covered her mouth and shook her head vigorously, "No... there are three people lying inside..."
"My sister, she is pregnant..."
Liu Zhan was silent for a long time, "I promise, I will eradicate the Jia family."
Qiao Qixin gritted her teeth, tears constantly overflowing from her closed eyes.
The emotions that had been suppressed for several days burst out when he saw the coffins of his sister and brother.
Liu Zhan patted Qiao Qixin's hand holding the hem of his clothes to express comfort, and then said sternly, "Get up - the coffin!"
The funeral procession immediately lifted the coffin, and the people inside who were responsible for playing the funeral music also played the suona.
For a moment, the suonas sounded in unison and yellow paper filled the sky.
The two of them rode horses and followed the funeral procession. Qiao Qixin covered her mouth and cried behind Liu Zhan, sobbing uncontrollably.
Qiao Qixin cried for as long as she walked on this road.
When she got off the horse, her eyes were already red and swollen.
Qiao Qixin couldn't bear to swallow more and tugged on Liu Zhan's sleeve, "Can I go find Brother Zhang's biological sister? She doesn't know about this yet."
"Do you need me to accompany you?" Liu Zhan said.
Qiao Qixin shook her head and gave Liu Zhan a forced smile, "No need, I can just go by myself."