Chapter 324: Getting Rid of the Old Lady 4
Since Si Jin was standing by the door, it was impossible for Dong Jing and the others to get close. The others could only look at the door to the side hall from afar, making guesses about what wicked ideas the couple had. Dong Jing, on the other hand, was frowning and thinking silently. Just now, they had said she was not their biological daughter. Was there another meaning to that, or had it been literal? Maybe it was neither, and they had only said it to offend Qi Qingyao!
Dong Jing glanced at the old lady subconsciously. The old lady was standing by the garden, looking furious. She was clearly gnas.h.i.+ng her teeth with hatred, but she did not say a word as she sulked by herself.
Everyone waited for a long while before they saw the door to the side hall open. Qi Qingyao pushed the two of them out with a gloomy expression, yelling at them as she walked.
“Why say that nonsense? Don’t you just want the money?!”
Madam Wu gathered all the strength in her throat and hollered, “Since you already know, give us something! If you don’t, we won’t leave!”
Qi Boli was similarly cooperative. He promptly sat himself down on the ground and said in a scoundrel’s tone, “That’s right, we’ll stay in your house and won’t leave, no matter what! We’ll never go, not unless you beat us to death first!”
Qi Qingyao raised her eyebrows. A stream of dark mist appeared within her pure black orbs.
She said casually, “Don’t mess with me, or I’ll kill you both.”
Qi Boli and Madam Wu glared at her but stayed silent.
They were like dead mice who felt no cold.
Qi Qingyao immediately flung a banknote at them, dropping it on the both of them. She cursed loudly.
“You want money, right? Then take the money and get the h.e.l.l out of here! If you ever come bother me again, I’ll drown you both!!”
It seemed that upon hearing the word ‘drown’, Qi Boli and Madam Wu quickly got up. Madam Wu picked up the paper note, looking like a vile woman intoxicated by success, and went over to drag the old lady out. The old lady was a bit reluctant, but Qi Boli and Madam Wu propped the old lady up and hurriedly left the Qi Residence without another pause.
Steward Zhang watched the few uninvited guests leave, heaving a sigh of relief.
Having been made to leave by force, the old lady was very angry. However, she still held back her temper, only swearing and questioning Madam Wu after leaving the Qi Residence.
“Did the two of you really tell her her true background?”
“What background?” Madam Wu played dumb.
“No…” Then what did the two of you just say? The old lady wondered that as she looked at the both of them.
Qi Boli chuckled and said, “We went in just now to try to trick her and get her money.”
The old lady was a lot more relieved when she looked at the paper money in Madam Wu’s hand.
“This is a hundred taels, hurry up and pocket it. Don’t let the others see it.” The old lady had never had a huge sum of money like a hundred taels before in her life, so she was being very careful. She even asked Madam Wu, “Do you want to go to the bank and exchange the banknote for silver when we head back?”
Madam Wu thought for a while, then said, “Mom, let’s just keep it as paper money. We’ll save it up when we go home, and keep it for when your great-grandson gets married.”
“That’s right, keep it. We can’t let the greedy pups at home know!” the old lady said.
The few of them, who were now in tacit understanding, no longer spoke about whether Qi Qingyao was their biological daughter or not.
As for the old lady, she did not think Madam Wu would have told Qi Qingyao about that. In her eyes, Madam Wu was a vitriolic master who despised the poor and liked to curry favor with the rich.
If her son said he had not told her anything, then he surely had not.
She did not know what tricks these two had played, but they had actually managed to swindle a hundred taels out of Qi Qingyao! That was a good thing.
The three of them were thinking very different things on the way back.
Qi Boli looked at the sky, which had a trace of suns.h.i.+ne, and thought to himself that revealing the truth to Qi Qingyao had made him feel much more relaxed. The past version of her might not have been able to face the truth, but now… she should be able to handle it very well. He just did not know when she would be able to find her biological parents. Wait, based on the keepsakes and her guess that her biological parents had been trying to avoid a crisis, he feared her biological parents had already pa.s.sed away…
Madam Wu lowered her eyes and looked at the ground, trudging forward slowly. The one-hundred-tael note in her palm was crushed into a ball at some point.
Before pus.h.i.+ng the door open, Qi Qingyao had given her a look.
She then knew that they were all about to start acting.
The scene was acted out for the stewards and servants in the house, for the old lady, and even more so for Master Lu.
Her daughter said that since they had to pretend not to know each other, they would have to play their roles well.
The paper note had not been part of the plan, but she had given it to them anyway… They had to pick up the paper money if they wanted to continue the scene.
The old man picked up the paper money.
Their story seemed to have come to an end and they should head home…
Madam Wu thought about the future, and she was afraid it would be really hard to see Qi Qingyao again.
When she thought about this, a lump formed in her throat and something welled up in her eyes. It was a little painful.
Madam Wu breathed in through her nose with all her might, swallowing down her rising emotions.
…
After Qi Boli and the others had been sent off, Dong Jing quickly went back to the courtyard. He knocked on the door and waited for Lu Yan to answer before entering the house.
He bowed slightly and said, “Master…
“The few uninvited guests have left.”
Lu Yan nodded, motioning him to continue.
Dong Jing said, “But there’s something I have to tell you.”
Then, Dong Jing recounted the words Qi Boli had said. ‘You’re not our biological daughter.’
He also briefly described the scene of the three of them talking privately in the side hall before the guests were cursed away and chased off the premises.
Lu Yan’s eyes dimmed. “In the end, she cursed the both of them out?”
Dong Jing nodded and said, “So, I think the couple maybe wanted to pull out some dirty tricks to coax money out of her.” Their words had seemed very shocking at the time, but now that he thought about it more, it was probably fake.
Lu Yan lowered his eyes and said nothing. “…”
Not their biological daughter.
Was that possible?
It seemed impossible, but nothing was impossible.
Qi Qingyao looked… rather delicate and n.o.ble. Her way of doing things was also different from the rest of the Qi Family. Perhaps it was really possible?
If those words were true, however, there was no reason for them to part ways unhappily. Qi Qingyao would have had no reason to curse the two of them out. The actual events that had transpired proved that Qi Boli’s words had just been to coax money out of her.
…
Qi Qingyao could not sit still because Qi Boli and Madam Wu had told her that the keepsakes were with Qingzhu. She immediately said to the children, “I’m heading out now. The three of you better stay at home obediently.”
The children were a little confused. Why did their mother want to head out again when she had just come back?
However, they did not ask her that.
Xiaobao only asked her when she would be back.
Qi Qingyao answered that she would be back before noon.
Xiaobao then told their mother to come back quickly.
Qi Qingyao caressed the little child’s head and let the three of them play in the room on their own. If they felt bored, they could find a maid to play hide and seek with!
After the children had settled down, Qi Qingyao ordered Si Jin, “Si Jin, follow me out.”
Dong Jing found out that Qi Qingyao was heading out and quickly told Lu Yan. Before Qi Qingyao left, Dong Jing came forward. “Young mistress, the master asked me to ask you if you need me to follow you.”
Qi Qingyao’s eyes were clear. “I’m just going to the Jiang Residence. Why do you want to tag along?”
Dong Jing, “…”
Ah!
To the Jiang Residence?
Why was she going to the Jiang Residence at this time?
She had already thrashed Jiang Siliu and made her leave Qingzhou City with her tail between her legs. Could it be that she wanted to head over now and kick her while she was down?
Dong Jing quickly reported the matter to Lu Yan.
“Master, she—She said she’s going to the Jiang Residence.”
“…”
Lu Yan was also stunned for a moment.
“Master, aren’t you going to tag along and have a look?” Dong Jing asked anxiously.
“What is there to see if I tag along?” Lu Yan asked.
“Just…” What was there to see? Dong Jing was also stumped.
Strictly speaking, Lady Qi was just his master’s private physician. Master could not always follow her all the time; they did not have a special relations.h.i.+p. They could not control everything Lady Qi wanted to do.
“But what if—What if Lady Qi goes to the Jiang Residence on her own and gets bullied?” Dong Jing still could not help but ask.
Lu Yan pondered for a moment in silence.
Would that woman get bullied?
Maybe…
She had already driven Jiang Siliu out of Qingzhou City.
If she went to kick Jiang Suliu more while she was already down, she might not even… walk out of the Jiang Residence’s main door.
What would he do… if she happened to get caught?
His illness still required her treatment!
No, he should go with her!
Lu Yan instructed, “Dong Jing, prepare the carriage.”
“Yes, master!” Dong Jing held back his smile. He thought to himself, the master has definitely taken a fancy to Lady Qi! This was great! His matchmaking efforts had not been in vain!