Chapter 164 Passing By
Hearing that Li Du was coming, Mengxi was so frightened that cold sweat oozed from his forehead. Just as he was at a loss, Zhichun saw that the second wife's face was not right and asked:
"Second Grandma, what's wrong with you?"
After hearing Zhichun's words, Xiao Jun and Master Tao looked at Mengxi together.
Seeing the two of them looking over, Meng Xi's heart moved, he raised his hand and gently touched his temple, and said softly:
"Second Master, I think I've been out for too long and I feel dizzy."
"Xi'er, are you tired?"
"I would like to take my leave first. Please forgive me, Master Second and Master Tao."
After Mengxi finished speaking, she bowed towards the two of them. Seeing that Xiao Jun was looking at her, she supported Zhiqiu and slowly walked towards the door without waiting for him to nod. She was really worried that the two would not let her go.
Xiao Jun looked at Mengxi worriedly, it had been a long time since he came out.
Xiao Jun didn't want to see Li Zan. After hearing what Master Tao said, he was thinking about how to refuse. Seeing Meng Xi like this, he hurriedly bowed to Master Tao and said:
"To be honest, my dear brother, my wife has just recovered from a long illness and is still weak. She has been here for a long time and I think she is already exhausted. I appreciate your kindness. We will say goodbye today. We have a long time to live together as brothers."
After hearing what Xiao Jun said, Master Tao was greatly disappointed. He looked at Meng Xi's back. He was shocked by her beauty at first sight, and he also saw that she was well-spoken and talented, so he had long admired her. Seeing her like this, he held back the words he wanted to say to blame Xiao Jun for valuing women over friendship, and nodded helplessly:
"I will let Brother Xiao go for now. We will get drunk together someday."
"good!"
Xiao Jun said hello, turned around and followed Meng Xi's footsteps, and Master Tao also followed him out.
Supporting Zhiqiu, Mengxi and his two servants walked out of the door. They saw from afar that Xiaoxia had prepared a carriage and was waiting on the opposite side of the road. They slowly walked down the steps and walked towards the carriage.
Suddenly, I felt Zhiqiu's hand tighten, and I called out softly:
"Second Madam, Master Li is here, we..."
As Zhiqiu spoke, his face had turned pale. Following Zhiqiu's gaze, he saw Li Zan riding a horse to the pavilion, stopping on the side of the road, dismounting, handing the reins to the servant beside him, straightening his clothes and hat, and walking towards him.
Mengxi patted Zhiqiu's hand gently, signaling her to calm down, straightened her body, supported Zhiqiu, and continued to walk towards the carriage in the direction of Li Zan.
When he was about to pass by Li Zan, he suddenly saw him bowing, and was shocked to know that Qiu's soul flew away. Just as he was about to answer, he heard Li Zan say:
"Brother Xiao, it's been a long time since we last met. It's really better to meet by chance than to invite each other!"
Seeing Li Zan greeting the second master who followed him out, Zhiqiu put his left hand on his chest and secretly let out a sigh. The master and servant slowly passed by Li Zan. The second master's greeting came from behind:
"Brother Li, long time no see ..."
After greeting Xiao Jun, Li Zan suddenly felt that the person he just passed by had a familiar feeling. Looking back suddenly, he saw Mengxi and Zhiqiu had already boarded the carriage and the curtain was slowly falling.
Seeing Li Zan staring at Mengxi's carriage, Xiao Jun felt inexplicably annoyed. He called out to him, exchanged a few words with Master Tao and the other two, and walked towards the carriage.
The car started slowly, Zhiqiu covered his chest and said:
"You scared me to death!"
As the carriage started, Zhiqiu lifted a corner of the curtain, and Mengxi looked out, only to see the Second Master sitting on his horse and bowing to Li Zan. Li Zan was looking thoughtfully at the slowly departing carriage.
The second master rode his horse on the side of the carriage, intentionally or unintentionally blocking the window.
"Second Grandma..."
When Zhiqiu saw Li Zan like this, he called out "Second Madam" worriedly.
"Second Madam and Zhiqiu know this person. By the way, how did Second Madam become sworn brothers with the Crown Prince?"
Mengxi put her hand to her lips and shook her head at her, indicating that they should talk about it later. The two maids tactfully shut their mouths.
The carriage left Jingyun Temple. Mengxi saw Zhiqiu and Zhichun still sitting there with nervous faces. Thinking of the lottery, he asked casually:
"By the way, I've been walking around for quite some time and forgot to ask you guys, how was the signing? Was it good?"
After hearing what Second Mistress said, Zhichun became excited and said:
"If Second Madam hadn't told me, I would have forgotten that I drew a lucky number, which said that as long as I stick to the old ways, I will be safe and sound, and as long as I wait for the right time, everything will be auspicious."
Mengxi frowned after hearing this. How come the words on her fortune were the same, "wait"? Could it be a trick to fool people? Thinking of this, she remained silent.
Zhiqiu was still in shock from the moment he just started, and hadn't come to his senses yet, so he had no intention of responding to Zhichun's words.
Seeing that the two were silent, Zhichun pouted and said unwillingly:
"Zhiqiu drew an upper middle lot, much better than I did."
"By the way, what's the meaning of the phrase 'When a disease is cured, a miraculous medicine will bring it back to health'?"
"Master said that Zhiqiu's fortune was about a spring dream of a hundred flowers and a prosperous family. The last sentence means that everything will be auspicious if you meet a noble person. Second Madam, I think this fortune is quite accurate. Zhiqiu's family encountered misfortune and was forced to sell himself into slavery. Since he met Second Madam, everything has been fine."
After hearing what Zhichun said, Zhiqiu also nodded.
"I also think this fortune is right. My father and brother are living a happy life now, all thanks to Second Madam. My father always said that we in the Li family will never forget your kindness, and we will repay you in our next life. By the way, how do you interpret Second Madam's fortune?"
"My draw was also in the middle, similar to Zhichun's. The master warned me not to rush into anything, and that success will come when the time is right."
"Master Jingyun means that we should not rush to leave the Xiao Mansion?"
Zhichun said. Mengxi rolled her eyes at her.
"Master, how did you know that we were going to leave the Xiao Mansion? Who said that this fortune was about this?"
"Didn't grandma draw the lot just for this?"
Mengxi was stunned. She really couldn't explain why she drew the lot, and she fell into deep thought for a while.
Speaking of the Xiao Mansion, the three people's relaxed mood became heavy again. The carriage fell silent for a moment, and only the sound of horses' hooves stepping on the bluestone road and the occasional shouting of the coachman could be heard.
In the silence, the carriage stopped. Zhiqiu gently lifted a corner of the curtain and looked out. It turned out that she had returned to the Xiao Mansion without realizing it and had entered the Chuihua Gate. The Second Master had already got off the horse and was talking to Baozhu.
Seeing the Second Master looking back at the carriage, Zhiqiu casually lowered the curtain. After a while, he heard Xiao Xia come to the front of the carriage and reply through the curtain:
"Replying to Second Madam, the First Madam has something to ask Second Master to go to Yangxin Garden. Second Master has asked me to send Second Madam back to Xiaoxiang Courtyard first."
The three people in the car looked at each other for a few seconds. Zhiqiu and Zhichun blushed. Just as they were about to speak, Mengxi put her hand to her lips, signaling them to shut up, and said to the outside of the car:
"Got it, let's go."
As Mengxi finished speaking, the coachman shouted, and the carriage started slowly again, all the way back to Xiaoxiangyuan.
Mengxi leaned against the soft step, exhausted. She was really tired. She took the tea from Zhixia and took a sip. Then she breathed a sigh of relief. She had been busy all morning and was really hungry. Just as she was about to ask for food, she heard Zhichun say:
"This Xiu girl is getting more and more outrageous. She doesn't even have the modesty of a lady from a wealthy family. Before the Second Mistress... before she did anything, she came to bully the Second Mistress and kidnapped her in front of all the servants."
Zhichun wanted to say that the Second Mistress had not yet left the family, but Miss Xiu had already bullied them. However, he felt guilty and changed his words. He had been holding it in all the way, but now he could not help but complain like a machine gun. Zhiqiu also echoed him:
"That's right, Second Madam and Second Master were burning incense together. Second Master should have sent it back to you. If you want to invite someone, you should go to Xiaoxiang Courtyard. It's not a big deal like your mother died. How can you invite someone at the Second Gate in front of so many servants? It's so embarrassing for Second Madam. What's the difference between this and highway robbery! Let the old lady judge, is this reasonable?"
The relationship between the Second Master and the Second Madam was unexpectedly eased when they went to burn incense, which made Zhichun very happy. She had always believed that the Second Madam and the Second Master were both young and hot-tempered, and neither of them was willing to give in, which was why the situation became so tense. Now that they had a good start, there was no worry that the situation would slowly get better . However, as soon as the Second Master entered the Xiao Mansion, he was called away by the First Madam.
If you say something happened, everyone knows what's going on. It's unbelievable that the eldest wife, as the mistress of the family, would do such a thing!
It was like a bucket of cold water poured on Zhichun's head, making his heart, which had just warmed up, turn cold again. He thought to himself, not to mention the women in the Second Master's yard, with Miss Guangxiu causing such trouble, there is no hope that the Second Wife and the Second Master will be able to reconcile in this lifetime!
"There are many people in this mansion who are gossipy. Don't say anything nonsense in the future. The Second Master was sent by the First Madam. Filial piety comes first in everything. We can't stop this. The servants are all watching. If they make a fuss, we will only lose face!"
Mengxi didn't take it seriously at all. After listening to the two people's complaints, although she knew that she was well-intentioned, she was also afraid that the two people would turn resentment towards Xiu'er and speak without restraint, which would bring disaster.
Given her situation in the Xiao residence, if these two girls got into trouble, she might not be able to protect them, so she stopped the two of them from speaking in a serious manner.
Zhichun and Zhiqiu saw that the Second Mistress looked solemn. Although they were upset, they did not dare to say anything. They hurriedly responded in a low voice:
"I understand."
Seeing the two maids standing there silently, Mengxi knew that what she had said just now was too harsh. She felt a little reluctant and thought of the matter at the medicine hall. She changed the subject and said:
"By the way, listening to the conversation between Master Tao and Second Master today, I discovered that Yichun Hall is quite famous in Pingyang City. Has it attracted Second Master's attention?"
"Of course. I heard from my brother that Yichuntang has the support of the crown prince, and with the pills specially prepared by the second wife, it has become the largest pharmacy in Pingcheng. Even those high-ranking officials often ask my brother for help."
When Zhiqiu heard the second wife mention Yichuntang, he suddenly became energetic, had forgotten what happened just now, and started talking excitedly.
Seeing Zhiqiu mention the prince, Mengxi glanced at Zhichun. Fearing that this girl might feel resentful, she simply told her about her sworn brotherhood with the prince. Finally, she sighed and said:
"As the saying goes, fortune and misfortune go hand in hand. It's good that Yichun Hall has a great reputation, but a tall tree attracts the wind. I'm afraid it won't be a good place to settle down in the future?"
"Second Grandma!"
After hearing what Second Grandma said, Zhiqiu screamed. She was really afraid that Second Grandma would close Yichuntang because of this. That was the hard work of her brother and father!
