Chapter 27: Official, Too Warmhearted
Song Liang Zhuo placed Xiao Qi onto the bed and knitted his brows as he looked at the snot that dripped out from her nose. Then he lifted his hand and directly wiped it off on Xiao Qi’s sleeve. Xiao Qi trembled at this action of Song Liang Zhuo. When she saw his action clearly, she glared with wide eyes and suddenly lifted her head to shout: “What do you think you’re doing?”
“When you get back make sure to warm yourself up. If you can’t then call for a doctor. I have to go.” Song Liang Zhuo paused for a moment, then said: “And, don’t ask anymore dumb questions like that.”
“Huh?” Before Xiao Qi could even ask her question, Song Liang Zhuo had already hurriedly stepped into the rain.
“Humph, I’m not dumb!” Xiao Qi rubbed her lips, recalling that beautiful dizzying feeling just now with confusion, she poked her tongue out to lick a bit. It was a good while before she remembered to be embarra.s.sed and covered her face and moaned, then kicking her legs she whispered: “Always taking advantage of me, stinky official, bad official!”
Cai Yun came in carrying hot water. Upon seeing Xiao Qi cover her face moaning like that also blushed red. Cai Yun gave a light cough: “Madam, have some hot tea to warm your body.”
Xiao Qi put down her hand, sniffled, jumped off the bed and cupped her hands around the bowl Cai Yun pa.s.sed over, warming her hands. Xiao Qi looked at the steam rising out of the bowl and dim-wittedly gave a few giggles, then frowned again in the next second with an expression of deeply ingrained resentment.
Cai Yun also did not ask and started to swiftly pack the things in her home. Xiao Qi sat foolishly for a long time. Turning her head, she seemed to have thought of something as she saw Cai Yun packing and asked: “Are you moving? Why don’t you live at my house, the people at my house are very nice.”
Cai Yun secretly rejoiced and with a flushed face, said: “Cai Yun thanks Madam.”
Xiao Qi smiled as she shook her head: “I’ll help you pack. Oh, that’s right. Where’s your family?”
Cai Yun pa.s.sed over two garments. While putting the folded clothes into the cabinet, she said: “My father and big brother went to the governor’s house. My mother at Aunt w.a.n.g’s house helping with sewing sacks.”
Cai Yun lifted her hand to smooth her hair, then peeked at Xiao Qi who was struggling to fold the clothes and asked softly: “Madam, could, could you allow Cai Yun to stay at da ren‘s side and serve him?”
Xiao Qi looked over, puzzled. She blinked, then shook her head.
Cai Yun’s heart sunk and she hurriedly said: “Cai Yun doesn’t ask for a status. Cai Yun understands her own status. It’s just, it’s just that I wish to stay at da ren‘s side and serve him. Cai Yun will definitely not compete with Madam for favor.”
Xiao Qi glanced at Cai Yun whose brows were slightly knitted as she waited eagerly. The unexplained delight in her heart just now dissipated and a sense of unclear fidgety nervousness. .h.i.t instead. Xiao Qi couldn’t help but frown.
Seeing Xiao Qi like this, Cai Yun lowered her head and mumbled: “Madam, please don’t be angry. It was Cai Yun that was too greedy.”
Xiao Qi also hung her head. She clenched her fist tightly a few times before she could say: “You should ask Official Song. I’m not in charge of his matters. If he wishes to marry you, I, I won’t mind.”
Cai Yun lifted her head in pleasant surprise, then, seeming to feel that she shouldn’t express this joy so blatantly, pressed her chest and took a couple deep breaths. Cai Yun ran to a cupboard in the corner of the room and dug through it for a long time, digging out something that was wrapped with a brocade cloth.
Cai Yun carefully unwrapped the brocade cloth and inside was a pair of high quality jade mandarin duck thumb rings. Cai Yun cupped the cloth and handed it over: “Madam, do you like it? This was pa.s.sed down by my grandma, it’s should be good jade. If Madam likes it you should keep it to wear.”
A pair of mandarin ducks refers to lovers.
Xiao Qi moved back a step and shook her head: “I don’t want it.”
“Could it be that Madam dislikes it?” A slight bitterness appeared on Cai Yun’s face again.
Xiao Qi turned her back, continuing to fold the clothes. She feigned lightheartedness and said: “Your grandma definitely leave it for you to use when you get married. You should keep it for yourself. And I, it’s not like I lack that sort of item. It’s enough that I know your good intentions.”
Cai Yun smoothed her lips into a smile and put away the jade thumb ring again, then solemnly said: “Cai Yun will treat Madam well.”
Xiao Qi’s heart felt uncomfortable. She wanted to turn around and smile, but she couldn’t smile, so she could only lower her head and silently pack the things.
“Xiao Qi, it’s about time to go.” Lu Li Cheng held and umbrella at the door but didn’t walk in. He turned and said to Cai Yun: “Lady Cai Yun as well, bring some clothes to change into and your valuables, as for the rest we’ll talk about when we come back.”
Xiao Qi was relieved. She ran to the door and got under the umbrella, muttering through her nose: “Let’s go. I want to go back.”
Lu Li Cheng nodded, then said to Cai Yun: “Lady, please hurry up a little. We’ll be together with everyone, we’ll wait for you at the entrance.”
Xiao Qi pulled Lu Li Cheng’s sleeve and headed out. Li Lu Cheng’s expression was grave. Xiao Qi knitted her brows and asked: “It’s bad?”
“I’m afraid it’s bad.” Lu Li Cheng smoothly tilted the umbrella towards Xiao Qi and explained: “The water level is rising too quickly. In a bit, Xiao Qi must help lead the people out of here. I have to go back to help da ren.”
“Why don’t they evacuate? It’s going to flood anyways!”
Lu Li Cheng smiled bitterly: “Sometimes, convincing them to abandon their village is not an easy task. Don’t worry, Xiao Qi. The topography of the northern side of the village is high. Even if the water overflows, we can hide out there for a while first.”
Xiao Qi hung her head. Only when she left the yard did she see that the rainwater on the road had already converged into a small shallow river. Xiao Qi knows, rain this heavy really isn’t good.
Of the crowd of people on the road, much of them were married women and children. In the back were even a few flatbed carts, sitting on them were probably the elderly.
Lu Li Cheng beckoned a guy at the side, and shouted: “This is the Official’s wife. You protect her safety, she’ll bring you guys into the city.”
The man was very tall, wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat. Separated by a curtain of rain in addition to the dusky weather made Xiao Qi unable to see clearly.
“Xiao Qi, follow w.a.n.g Zhi!” Lu Li Cheng fished out a command tablet and pa.s.sed it to Xiao Qi, exhorting: “Be careful on the road. Follow Lao w.a.n.g Zhi and get out as soon as possible.”
Command tablets are usually given out by wealthy families, schools, and the imperial family, basically large organizations with power. Having the command tablet implied that you are a representative of that organization and has the right to wield their influence.
Before Xiao Qi could nod, her head already had an additional bamboo hat and next a raincoat covered her. Lu Li Cheng shouted: “Everyone, walk a bit faster. Don’t worry about the village, we’ll do our best to preserve it.”
Xiao Qi wanted to tell Lu Li Cheng to be careful but when she turned around he had already walked into the stream of people.
“Madam, be careful. Let’s walk in front.” w.a.n.g Zhi said.
Xiao Qi nodded. She took a look at this procession then walked to the side of an elderly grandma and supported her with her arm, and said to w.a.n.g Zhi: “You can go, you don’t need to specially look after me.”
w.a.n.g Zhi nodded and said something to a person at the head of the procession, then with quick steps ran towards the back.
The rain fell harder and harder. Xiao Qi felt that it was not rain at all but water poured down from the skies. Rushing streams of water pounded the bamboo hat, to the point that her neck even felt sore.
After walking for an undetermined length of time, the raincoat on her body became heavier and heavier. The good thing was that they had already reached the wide road that leads to the inside of the city. The road was extremely st.u.r.dy and there would be no more instances of taking a step and not being to lift that leg out for a long time. Xiao Qi who was supporting that grandma had already fallen to the very back of the crowd.
Though the rain lightened a bit, but the sky was still pitch-black as ink, with only a few weak lights between the head and the tail of the procession. Xiao Qi’s nose was stuffy and as she walked it became more and more uncomfortable. She handed the grandma to a married lady and walked slower, later she just sat in the rain next to the road.
w.a.n.g Zhi helped her up while holding a lantern. Looking at the procession that had already moved a bit away in front of them, he crouched down and said: “Madam, get on. I’ll carry Madam into the city.”
Xiao Qi shook her head and pa.s.sed the command tablet to him, gasping: “Don’t delay the task. You should hurry and bring them there. Have the city guards bring you to find Master Qian, Qian w.a.n.g Jin. He’ll arrange a place for you guys to stay.”
“It’s still best, Madam, if we go together. This is desolate countryside.”
Xiao Qi tilted her head to look at the dark sky, then waved her hand: “Hurry and go. This rain is about to stop. I’ll catch up in a little while.”
w.a.n.g Zhi saw that Xiao Qi refused to be carried, and he already couldn’t really force it so he could only leave behind the lantern and hurry to catch up with the procession.
Xiao Qi’s entire body ached and her nose was extremely stuffed up. Staring at the weak bit of light beneath the lampshade, for some reason her nose felt extremely sour and her eyes also could not hold back the tears as they dripped down. Xiao Qi cried for half the day, pulled out the little red horse that was hanging in front of her chest and blew it, then wiped it on her clothes as she sniffled before putting it back in her clothes.
Xiao Qi, in a very unladylike way, wiped her snot on her sleeve and then boldly pinched her nose and with a “chichi”, cleared up her stuffy nose neatly. As Xiao Qi lifted her sleeve and wipes, the melancholy in her heart seemed to have been blown out like her snot, and loosened up a lot.
Xiao Qi sat for another while, before discovering that sitting alone in the dark like this truly was a bit scary. Xiao Qi shivered, picked up the lantern as she got up and and started running forward with large steps. She had only ran a few steps before hearing a sound from the back and Xiao Qi’s entire body turned rigid as she stood there.
Xiao Qi turned back. In this pitch-black night she couldn’t see a thing but that sound reverberated in this s.p.a.cious night for a long time. That isn’t thunder. Xiao Qi looked at the rain that had lightened up a lot and stood dead still for a long time, before faintly hearing another sound.
It’s the sound of water!
Xiao Qi’s lips trembled, she threw away her heavy raincoat and ran forward. The lantern in her hand was jolted back and forth, flipping and tumbling, so in only a few moments it became extinguished. Xiao Qi threw away the lantern and continued running. She didn’t know where she got the strength, she just ran extremely quickly, with a deep steps and shallow steps. Her head only faintly cleared up when she slipped and fell in a puddle.
She shouldn’t go back to cause trouble, she should be good and return. Xiao Qi lifted her head to look at the night sky that had already cleared up a bit. She climbed up from the puddle, her entire body filthy, and stood there dumbly for a while before continuing to run towards the village.
She hasn’t told him that she doesn’t like him yet! What will she do if he dies? Then she’s become a widow. She’ll even be the widow of a 7th ranked official, will the higher up big officials let her remarry? Build another chast.i.ty arch? Ah, then her remarriage plans will be spoiled. As powerful as the fat old man is, he’s still not more powerful than the big officials yah!
Xiao Qi’s head was buzzing as she thought. She was a bit panicky as she looked down at the water that had already reached her knees. The sky lightened slightly. Xiao Qi looked at the village that was already a vast body of water. She wanted to retreat, but discovered that she couldn’t find her original path at all.
Xiao Qi tried walking forward, but one leg stepped into a pit and she almost fell in. Xiao Qi stood in the water looking at the houses in the village and the trees near the road, then carefully picked her way and walked forward a bit. At the end, she made her way to that big tree and stood underneath it, shouting out in panic. Xiao Qi’s voice was hoa.r.s.e as she continuously shouted Official Song.
Xiao Qi wasn’t worried that Song Liang Zhuo would die anymore. This water was so shallow, clearly indicating that it hadn’t truly overflowed. What she was worried about was whether she would be drowned alive here. Xiao Qi’s throat was already hoa.r.s.e to the point that she couldn’t make a sound anymore. Xiao Qi lowered her head to look at the water that had already reached the base of her leg and drew back her lips as she began to cry.
Xiao Qi hugged the tree and tried climbing up, but because there were no branches and because it had been soaked with water for half the night, she tried several times but still slipped down. Xiao Qi lifted her head to look at the overcast sky as she cried: “Official Song, I’m about to die. I hate you, everyone wants to marry you. Go ahead and marry, I don’t care. Wuuwuu, only a ghost would care!”
Xiao Qi’s entire body felt freezing cold. She hugged that coa.r.s.e poplar tree and hopelessly cried for a long time. Her hand came across that little red horse in her chest and she held it with her trembling lips as she blew with all her strength. She hopes that someone would hear, hear that whistle and come save her. Xiao Q thought vaguely, it doesn’t matter who. She’s willing to go with whoever that rescues her, going anywhere is fine. As long as she doesn’t have to see Official Song again, anywhere is fine!