Xiao Zhi and Chu Xin have been in Wan County for seven or eight days. On the surface, they seem to have found nothing. No matter what they ask, the county magistrate always answers fluently, and there is no flaw at all.
If he hadn't met Qianqian accidentally, he might have been deceived. After all, no one would tell the truth or dare to tell the truth.
"Should we go back in a few days?"
Xiao Zhi and Chu Xin were sitting in the courtyard, both wrapped in thick cloaks. It was getting colder and colder now.
"Um"
Xiao Zhi nodded lightly.
"It's a bit reluctant to bear it. It's hard to find that it's just the two of us. We have to face those things again after we go back."
Chu Xin's tone was calm, and she looked a little lonely.
Ever since I experienced the feeling of just the two of them together, when I thought about facing Chu Yi again after going back, my whole body became extremely heavy, and I felt that all this was so hard.
I don't want to face Chu Yi's weird taunts, or the way he always deliberately embarrasses me, and I don't want to have to wait seven or eight days to see Xiao Zhi after going back.
Xiao Zhi and Chu Yicai were a legitimate couple, but it seemed that he had become the redundant one...
"If you don't want to go back, we can stay here for a few more days. There's no rush."
Xiao Zhi looked at Chu Xin distressedly and felt the reluctance emanating from him. In fact, it didn't matter if he stayed for a few more days.
"No need, Chu Yi is still waiting for you at the palace. It will be hard for her if she goes back late. What's more, no matter how many days we stay, we will still have to go back, and the people we should face will still have to face us. No matter how long it takes, we will still have to go back. Just kidding yourself."
Chu Xin's eyes were red. With these days as a comparison, she felt that the days in the palace were really difficult.
She felt how happy she and Xiao Zhi were getting along, and no longer had to worry about being disturbed by others.
They have known each other for so many years and are so familiar with each other, but another person squeezed forcefully in the middle.
"Let's go out for a walk tonight, just the two of us!"
Xiao Zhi said guiltily, whose fault is all this actually? Chu Xin doesn't know, is it possible that he doesn't know it yet?
"good."
Chu Xin finally felt better. It would be a few days before she could go back. At least they were still together, and at least they were still living happily.
They should also be grateful that they can still have some undisturbed time.
"Your Highness, Madam Side!"
Mingyu hurried in from outside.
"What's wrong? Is she okay?"
Chu Xin and Xiao Zhi let Qianqian live outside, and asked Mingyu to come over and take a look at them from time to time during the day.
"Don't worry, Your Highness and Mrs. Side, she is fine and everything is fine. She is very well-behaved and obedient and will not run around. She stays in the house every day."
Mingyu nodded quickly and told the truth.
Although I don’t know why His Highness and Madam Side are so attentive to the little girl, since it is an order, I just listen to it.
However, the little girl looked really pitiful. She was quite pretty and had a well-behaved and obedient temperament. She could stay in the house patiently every day.
So every time I go there, I buy some sweet pastries. Don’t you think that little girls and children just like to eat these sweet pastries?
"That's good, we will take her away when we go back, but we have to go a little way first, and then we will bring her here without anyone noticing."
Chu Xin warned carefully that no matter what, it was a good deed to save a little girl. After bringing her back to the palace, she could just stay in her own yard. Chu Yi should not pay attention to this.
"After I go back, I will make it clear to Chu Yi and ask her not to embarrass you again."
This is what Xiao Zhi is worried about. If he doesn't make it clear, Chu Yi may make a big fuss and cause trouble.
Chu Xin didn't speak, but she couldn't help but feel a bit sour. It seemed that no matter what she did, she had to consider the existence of another person. This feeling was really bad.
"Don't be bored here. I'll take you out for a walk. You and I haven't been to the folk market yet. We've seen enough tonight!"
Xiao Zhi directly stretched out his hand to pull Chu Xin up. No matter how many worries he had, they would all happen after he went back, but they hadn't gone back yet. It was just the two of them now.
At this moment, the sky was slowly getting dark, and Chu Xin felt that the sourness in her heart had eased a lot as she felt the excitement around her.
"You have to know that I always favor you in my heart, but she is the princess after all, and she has to give face to many things. Her temper has always been like this, and it is difficult for me to handle her."
Not only did Chu Xin not want to go back and face her, but he himself didn't want to face Chu Yi. He didn't want to be patient and suppress his temper to coax her. Many times he was so angry that he couldn't do anything about it.
I really don't like Chu Yi. I don't like his condescending look, and I don't like her arrogance. I just feel bored, dazzling, and in the way.
"When she was little, she was her father's favorite princess, and her mother was the concubine who managed the harem, so she naturally developed a pampered temperament."
Chu Xin smiled and shook her head. She looked around and saw that these folk gadgets were really pretty, including all kinds of masked candy figures and those hairpins. Xiao Zhi bought a peach blossom hairpin a few days ago. I have been wearing it on my head these days.
Because I know that after returning to the palace, I will definitely not be able to bring these unattractive things. I can only bring gold and jade hairpins, so I can only take them for a few days these days.
"These candy figures look interesting to me. Do you want to eat them?"
Xiao Zhi took Chu Xin to the small vendor making candy figures, paid the money and took two candy figures.
Xiao Zhi took the one that looked like the moon in the Tang Dynasty, and Chu Xin pulled the one that looked like stars. She took a light bite, and her mouth was immediately filled with sweetness.
"Although these things are not as good as the cakes we used to eat in the palace, they still look interesting. The candy figures can be made into various shapes. The stall owner is extremely skilled in his craftsmanship."
Chu Xin praised it while eating. Her candy figure was in the shape of a star, and she had just bitten off a corner. She saw that the candy figures made by the stall owner had various shapes, and they were really amazing.
"yes."
Xiao Zhi smiled and said, sweet, indeed very sweet.
The two of them walked around for a long time and bought many things, including a beautiful hairpin or a delicately embroidered sachet.
"Why don't you buy some food and I'll go see Qianqian?"
Chu Xin also looked around. It was very close to the inn where Qianqian lived. She was already here, so he might as well go and see her.
"Okay, you go over and see her, I'll wait for you outside."
Xiao Zhi said softly.
Qianqian stayed in this inn alone for a few days. She was very scared at first, but then she gradually became familiar with it. Every day, the waiter would deliver the food outside, so she would open the door and bring the food in.
He will listen to his brothers and sisters and stay here all day and will never go out and run around.
The sky was gradually getting dark, and Qianqian was startled when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.
Even if the waiter wanted to deliver food, he would only knock on the door once, but now that the sound was knocking several times, it must not be the waiter.
But her brothers and sisters had all warned her not to open the door, let alone go out, no matter who it was.
"Qianqian, it's me."
As soon as she heard a familiar voice coming from outside, Qianqian quickly ran over and opened the door. Sure enough, she saw the person she had been thinking about for several days.
"elder sister."
Qianqian's eyes immediately turned red, Chu Xin couldn't help but smile, walked in and closed the door, took her hand and sat on the bed, touched her head and comforted her gently.
"I have my own things to deal with these days, so I didn't come to see you. I have free time today, so I came here. Don't worry, we will stay here for another three or two days at most, and then we will take you back."
Chu Xin knew that children at this age were sensitive and fragile, not to mention that Qianqian had experienced such a terrible thing, so she definitely had no sense of security.
So she has made up her mind to let Qianqian live with her in Qixia Courtyard, and she will be the one in her own yard from now on.
"Thank you, sister, for taking me with you. Thank you, sister, for not abandoning me."
Qianqian cried and choked. In fact, during the past few days living here, her heart has never been able to settle down. She is always looking forward to something and afraid of something.
I'm so afraid that this sentence of taking her back is just an empty word, I'm so afraid that I'll just leave her here and then no one will be seen.
I finally felt relieved when I saw my sister coming over today.
"Okay, don't cry. I brought you some cakes. Do you like them if you try them?"
Chu Xin touched Qianqian's head distressedly, put the cakes she brought on the table, opened the paper, picked up a piece of candy cake, and gave it to Qianqian's hands.
Qianqian ate it one bite at a time, maybe because she tasted the sweetness, she felt less sour in her heart.
"Where is my sister's home?"
I asked while eating, wanting to know where I was going in the future.
"It's in the prosperous capital of the capital. After we go there, you will live in the same courtyard with me, but you must be obedient. You can only stay with me. You are safest by my side."
Chu Xin smiled softly and saw Qianqian suddenly seeing her younger self. She seemed to be so insecure when she was a child.
"Can we only stay in the yard? Isn't my sister my brother's wife? Why can't I only stay in the yard and can't go anywhere else?"
Qianqian tilted her head, somewhat confused.
It can be seen that the brother and sister who saved him are not ordinary people, they must be rich and powerful people. Could it be that they can't afford a bigger house and can only live in the yard?
Chu Xin was silent for a while suddenly. It didn't matter. He had to say it sooner or later. It was good to make it clear to Qianqian now.
"I'm just the side wife. I'm not the owner of the whole house, so you have to be careful when you're with me. Don't offend her, otherwise I won't be able to do anything about it. Do you understand?"
Chu Xin went to pinch Qianqian's face. Both she and Xiao Zhi paid enough money to have the waiter deliver the best food with meat and fish, and Mingyu came to keep an eye on it.
Qianqian has finally put on some flesh, and is no longer as skinny as when she first met her. Her face is not so pointed, and gradually becomes rounder.
"I see that the elder brother likes the elder sister very much. Why not let you be the eldest lady? Is the eldest lady in the house very cruel and bad? Will the elder sister be bullied by her on weekdays?"
Qianqian grabbed Chu Xin's hand with some fear. She grew up among the people and had never seen what happened in the backyards of these wealthy people, but she had heard about some things.
When I was a child, I heard how the eldest wife of the King treated her concubine and tortured her so cruelly that she was worse than dead.
But she really liked the sister in front of her, and she didn't want her to be wronged, let alone be tortured by the eldest lady like that concubine.
"It's okay, you don't have to be afraid, you are with me, just live your own life in our own yard, and don't run out randomly on weekdays.
The brother you mentioned also likes me very much, but there are a lot of complicated things happening and he has no way to make the decision. "
Thinking of those things in the past, Chu's heart ached. If Chu Yi hadn't forcefully squeezed in, he and Xiao Zhi would be as happy as they are now every day, and there would no longer be those messy worries.
Even if you take Qianqian back, you don't have to think about Chu Yi all the time, and you don't have to think about how to deal with it or look at her face.
Forget it, forget it, I can't think about this anymore, the more I think about it, the more unhappy I feel.
Things have reached this point, and there is no room for her to regret it.
"I see."
Qianqian nodded with a vague understanding, knowing that it was a great blessing to be taken back, so she also knew that she should listen to her sister obediently and not run around as she said.
Chu Xin squeezed out a smile. They would be setting off in three days at most. If Chu Yi was kept waiting for a long time, there was no telling what kind of trouble would be caused when they returned.
Only her time with Xiao Zhi will eventually end, and she will always have to face the existence of another person.
