Liu Qinting's eyes glinted, and the jealousy in her heart reached a new height. But now, no matter how she wanted to deal with Gu Liyue, she was helpless. After all, she couldn't even get close to her.
After seeing her mother off, she turned back towards the house. In this three - courtyard residence with so many people living in it, any little stir would spread quickly. She was extremely vexed.
She had only taken a couple of steps when she saw Xiaolan, the chambermaid, dressed seductively, holding a handkerchief. The gauzy dress on her was almost indecent, truly immoral.
Liu Qinting frowned but didn't scold her in the end. She just rolled her eyes and was about to go inside. As they passed by, Xiaolan let out a soft cry and fell to the ground, tears welling up in her eyes.
Feng Lanqing strode over from the doorway and helped Xiaolan up. "Liu Qinting, what are you doing? Xiaolan is my chambermaid. Do you look down on her too? Do you really think you're the mistress here, ordering people around? Take a look at your face. It makes me sick!"
Liu Qinting was already numb. She stood still and looked at the man in front of her intently. In her previous life, this cousin - in - law was so gentle and elegant, with a wealth of knowledge that was captivating. Even though she was nearly thirty at that time and no longer a young girl full of romantic fancies, she still fell for him.
But the Feng Lanqing in front of her was not the same person from her previous life. She herself didn't know why. This man was cold - hearted, selfish, promiscuous, and heartless. And although he was indeed talented - in her previous life, he was a second - class Jinshi, entered the Hanlin Academy, and reached the fourth - rank official position in just six years. But now? He was a Tongjinshi, a low - ranking ninth - grade official, yet he acted so high - and - mighty.
Liu Qinting made an excuse that she was not feeling well and didn't go to her mother - in - law's room to keep watch at night. Early the next morning, she got up and said she was going back to her natal home.
When Feng Lanqing was having breakfast, he was very surprised to hear that Liu Qinting had gone back to her natal home. "Back to her natal home? She's never liked her family. Why is she going back on her own initiative?"
Mrs. Feng shook her head. "I don't know. She said she was sick and wouldn't attend to me last night, and now she's leaving. Humph, she doesn't look sick at all! Don't worry about her. Just focus on your duties."
Feng Lanqing didn't think much about it. The department was extremely busy, and as a low - ranking ninth - grade official, he couldn't afford to make any mistakes. But today's errand required him to go out. He had to brave the sun and head towards the vegetable market with two junior officials.
After walking for a short distance, he heard Liu Qinting's voice coming from an alley, along with a man's voice.
Feng Lanqing's eyes widened. He thought that since Liu Qinting had been neglected by him, she had done something disgraceful. Without caring about his errand, he turned and walked into the alley. The two junior officials, who were familiar with Liu Qinting's voice, stopped in their tracks.
"My lord, I have a stomachache. I need to relieve myself."
"My lord, there are fresh lotus pods over there. I haven't eaten them for a long time and I'm craving them. I'll go buy some."
The two of them ran away quickly. Feng Lanqing didn't care. He entered the alley. As he got closer, he found that the man talking was Liu Zhenghui.
Feng Lanqing felt a slight sense of relief but was even more curious. Liu Qinting didn't like her natal family, especially hated this elder brother. She had said many times in front of him that this elder brother was good - for - nothing, lazy, and a parasite. Why was she talking to her brother on her own initiative now?
Thinking of this, he paused and hid in a corner, keeping silent.
"Are you really willing to slink back to Quzhou like this? You've sold the house and have nowhere to live. Do you want to go back to the countryside?"
Liu Zhenghui was extremely annoyed. "Do you have any money? So what if Feng Lanqing passed the imperial examination? He's just a low - ranking official and hasn't given you a single cent. He's useless!"
Liu Qinting didn't argue with him. She just said, "Lanqing just has a low - ranking official position for now, and the family expenses are high. But brother, you have to think about it. We're different from before. We have a rich cousin."
Liu Zhenghui's eyes darted, but he just shook his head. "You mean Gu Liyue? You don't know. That woman is not the same as before. Now that she's the daughter of the Gu family, she's so proud. She even sent someone to give our parents a stern warning yesterday, forcing us to leave."
Liu Qinting smiled slightly. "Such a rich young lady, don't you really want her, brother?"
Liu Zhenghui just pretended to be in a difficult position on the surface, but his eyes were fixed on Liu Qinting.
Liu Qinting continued, "She left our family unhappily back then. She hates me for trying to harm her, but she doesn't have any hatred for you. After all, you're her cousin. Think about it. She was willing to give our family five taels of silver. What does that mean? It means she still cares about family ties. Father is stupid, always being instigated by mother, but you're not stupid."
Liu Zhenghui shook his head. "But even if she doesn't hate me, we didn't have much contact when we were kids, and our relationship is not deep. Even if I manage to make her feel soft - hearted for a while, at most, it will just be a little money. And you don't know how fierce and scheming the Gu family is. How could I be a match for them?"
Liu Qinting raised her eyebrows. "Brother, you're almost twenty, right? In the past, when father was a constable in the town, it was still possible to arrange an ordinary marriage for you. But now that father is no longer a constable and the only house we have in the countryside is a dilapidated one in disrepair, which good - family girl would marry you?"
"You mean... But how could Gu Liyue marry me?"
Liu Qinting didn't answer. She just turned around and was about to leave.
Liu Zhenghui quickly grabbed her and whispered, "Good sister, I'm your elder brother. If we can really get on good terms with the Gu family, as my sister, you won't have to worry about a good life. If she really marries me, in the future, we can do whatever we want with her. The Gu family can't interfere too much."
Liu Qinting looked back with a half - smile. "Really?"
Liu Zhenghui nodded repeatedly. "Of course. How could there be an overnight feud between siblings? In the future, we'll still have to support each other, right?"
Liu Qinting turned sideways and lowered her eyes. Her eyes were filled with coldness. Liu Zhenghui, in her previous life, you were so cold - blooded and shameless. Do you think I'll still believe you? But if you can get the daughter of the Gu family, you'll still be a bit useful.
She waved and motioned for Liu Zhenghui to come closer and discussed the following things.
Feng Lanqing, who was hiding around the corner, had a gloomy look in his eyes. After hearing everything, he quietly left the alley.
The junior official saw him come out calmly and didn't dare to ask. He quickly presented the fresh lotus pods. "My lord, would you like to try some?"
Feng Lanqing took the lotus pods and nodded. "Let's go. Buy some more with me. My wife likes these."
He then casually explained, "My wife had a dispute with her elder brother. They're reconciling in the alley. I won't go and disturb them. I don't want to make them feel embarrassed."
The junior official didn't dare to say much. After buying the lotus pods, they saw the wife and her elder brother come out of the alley one after another. They looked at each other and let out a sigh of relief at the same time.