Jiang Chun had a bad suspicion in her heart. Could it be that Wang Yin’er is already like this, and yet that grandson of the Liu family’s Second Old Master, Young Master Liu Jiu, still won’t give up and actually chased all the way to Hongye Town?
Reasonably speaking, a noble son like him, his household definitely doesn’t lack maidservants with good looks, and he could also be considered as well-experienced and knowledgeable.
To speak truthfully, Wang Yin’er’s appearance could only be counted as delicate and pretty, with the advantage of having fair skin. In a small place like Hongye Town she could be considered outstanding, but placed in Hongye County, she wouldn’t be worth looking at.
Not really a peerless beauty to the point that this Young Master Liu Jiu would keep thinking about her and unable to forget.
When something goes against common sense, there must be something strange.
Jiang Chun pulled Jiang Liu’s arm and quickened her steps toward the main entrance of the Wang family.
“Stop!”
Just as they were about to reach the main gate, they were stopped by the family retainers guarding the place.
Four retainers sized up Jiang Chun and Jiang Liu from top to bottom. One of them, a square-faced man, opened his mouth and asked, “Who are you people?”
“The madam of this household is our eldest aunt. We came to visit our eldest aunt.” Jiang Chun showed the brown sugar she was carrying in her hand.
Then smiled good-naturedly and said, “If you don’t believe it, you can go ask my aunt. My aunt’s surname is Jiang.”
That square-faced retainer actually went in to ask after hearing her words.
A moment later, he came out, nodded to the others, then said to Jiang Chun, “You may enter.”
Jiang Liu was frightened by this scene and tightly gripped Jiang Chun’s arm, refusing to let go.
After they turned past the screen wall, she glanced back and whispered to Jiang Chun, “Jie, who are those people? So scary!”
Jiang Chun had a cold face and said blandly, “They should be the servants of the household your Cousin Yin was sold into. Once we go in, stand behind me and don’t talk recklessly.”
Jiang Liu hurriedly nodded. “I’ll listen to Jie.”
There were also several retainers standing at the entrance of the main house, but perhaps because word had already been passed, they didn’t stop them.
Once they stepped into the west wing where Wang Yin’er lived, Jiang Chun took one look and saw that every single one of the Wang family members were just like quails, each one shrunk in a corner, the room completely silent.
If someone didn’t know better, they would think the room was empty.
On the empty space in front of the kang, stood a young man wearing a flamboyant eggplant-purple brocade robe.
This man wasn’t tall, at a glance he seemed even shorter than Jiang Chun. His facial features were actually proper and upright, but his eyes lacked clarity, carried an evil glint — just one look and you could tell he was a lecher.
Jiang Chun placed the brown sugar in her hand on the table and signaled to Jiang Liu to also put down the eggs.
Then she played dumb and feigned ignorance, saying to Wang Yin’er, “Cousin, is this the young master from your previous master’s household? Came to visit you while you’re sick? Aiya aiya, the people from your previous master’s family are quite good indeed. You made a mistake and got beaten and thrown out, yet he still came all this way to visit you — so full of human sentiment!”
The Liu Qitan who was being praised as a good person was currently filled with a bellyful of anger.
On his grandfather’s orders, he had traveled a long distance from Suzhou by boat to this shabby little place called Hongye County to visit his grand-uncle. As a result, that grand-uncle and grand-aunt were just too ungrateful.
The disciples of their main household all relied on his grandfather’s support, but now that he, a legitimate son of the second branch, had come, they ought to receive him with great respect.
And yet?
Not only did they not receive him properly, they even restricted him here and there — not allowed to go here, not allowed to go there. Even when he tried to ask them for a maidservant, they refused to give one, using an excuse to drive the person out.
This was simply slapping his own face, slapping his grandfather’s face.
So after finding out where that maid named Wang Yin’er’s family lived in Hongye Town, he immediately brought his retainers and rushed over.
Isn’t it just a maid?
Since Grand-Uncle and Grand-Aunt could drive her out, he could also take her back and fiercely slap their faces!
Let’s see whether those two old things still dare to meddle in other people’s business!
When Liu Qitan arrived, it just happened to be when Granny Li Wen came to change Wang Yin’er’s medicine. From Granny Li Wen, he learned about Wang Yin’er’s condition, and his face instantly turned dark as iron.
Those two old things actually acted so ruthlessly, directly beating someone until crippled—how was he supposed to take her back now to slap their faces?
This trip today was essentially for nothing.
If those two old things found out, they might even laugh at him behind his back, laugh that he drew water with a bamboo basket [an idiom meaning “all efforts were in vain”].
Just as he was about to fling his sleeves and leave, he saw two young little ladies walk in. The one behind had very ordinary looks, with small eyes that looked about the same open or closed.
But the one in front made his eyes shine, his whole spirit revived.
This little lady had apricot eyes, peach cheeks, a melon-seed face, and red lips. Although her skin wasn’t very fair, it had a unique charm to it.
She was extremely tall, with a body that curved in the front and back. She wore only a skirt reaching to the knees around her waist, exposing two legs that were long and slender.
Liu Qitan rubbed his chin, imagining the scene of those long legs wrapped around his own waist—he almost drooled from the craving.
He turned his head to look at Wang Yin’er, speaking gently and kindly: “Yin’er, who are these two little ladies? Why haven’t you introduced them? If you neglect them, wouldn’t it make this young master seem rude?”
Wang Yin’er, lying on the kang recovering from injury, felt her heart thud at these words. This shameless fellow—could it be that he saw older cousin has good looks and wants to hit on her?
She hurriedly opened her mouth and said, “This is my cousin Madam Jiang and younger cousin Second Lady Jiang.”
Before Liu Qitan could respond, she raised her eyes and looked at Jiang Chun, winking and making faces: “Cousin, how come it’s just the two of you who came? Didn’t my cousin-brother-in-law come?”
She deliberately pointed out that Jiang Chun was a married woman, just so that Liu Qitan would drop any ideas.
Only then did Liu Qitan notice that this Madam Jiang had her hair coiled in a married woman’s bun — she was a woman already married.
He immediately felt greatly disappointed.
He originally wanted to turn and leave, and had already walked a few steps, but then turned his head back again and scanned Jiang Chun up and down once more, the corners of his mouth curling into a lewd smile.
So what if she’s a married woman?
Such peerless beauty — if he could get her and play with her for a night, it would surely be extremely satisfying.
Moreover, married women have their own advantages — one can play as openly as desired, not like virgins who fear pain.
And once played with, she could be discarded — someone with a husband’s family surely wouldn’t dare speak out.
But in this room was the entire Wang family, and it was broad daylight, so he couldn’t just snatch someone away outright — he could only find another opportunity.
Thinking of this, he took twenty taels of silver from his personal attendant Qingsong and personally placed it on the kang, saying to Wang Yin’er: “Grand-Uncle and Grand-Aunt were ruthless and beat you crippled, but this young master is soft-hearted. I now reward you with twenty taels of silver — take it to treat your injuries.”
Wang Yin’er felt that this was a weasel paying New Year’s greetings to a chicken — harboring no good intentions [idiom: pretending to be kind but with bad motives].
She opened her mouth to immediately refuse: “I don’t—”
“Young Master Liu is truly such a kind-hearted and great person!”
She had only just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by Jiang Chun’s loud voice.
Jiang Chun gave Wang Yin’er a look, telling her not to be foolish — twenty taels of silver, for an ordinary small household, was not a small sum. Only a fool would push it away.
Besides, Wang Yin’er had originally suffered this unprovoked disaster because of him — so what if she took some of his silver?
If Jiang Chun were to say it, twenty taels was still too little. A young master from a dignified official family, shouldn’t he be giving at least a hundred or eighty taels to start?
However, she only muttered this in her heart, not daring to use provocation tactics. If she angered this dog thing and he ended up not giving even the twenty taels, then it would be a case of stealing a chicken but losing the rice [idiom: trying to gain petty advantages and ending up worse off].
Wang Yin’er received her cousin’s signal. Though she was a bit unwilling inside, she still accepted the silver.
“Yin’er, take good care of yourself. This young master is leaving now.” Liu Qitan changed his previous demeanor and said his goodbye to Wang Yin’er in a gentle and kind tone, then brought his group of retainers and left.
As he passed by Jiang Chun’s side, he stopped his steps, smiled and said, “Madam Jiang, until next time.”
Before Jiang Chun could respond, he lifted his foot and left.
Until next time? Jiang Chun found his words inexplicable. Could it be that he would still come to visit Wang Yin’er later?
Based on what Wang Yin’er had previously said about his so-called “glorious deeds,” combined with what she had witnessed today, he did not seem like the kind of person who would do such a thing.
Wang Yin’er was already beaten half-crippled. Even if he came, it would be useless — there’d be no benefit to gain.
Unless… he had another motive.
Could it be that he had taken a liking to her?
Jiang Chun furrowed her brows in thought. The more she thought about it, the more possible it seemed, because the way that dog thing looked at her really did seem a little off.
Sure enough, after Wang Yin’er sent the Wang family members out, she immediately reminded her: “Jie, I think that Liu Qitan fellow’s gaze toward you wasn’t right. I guess he’s thinking of hitting on you. You better be careful.”
Jiang Liu widened her eyes and said in disbelief: “But Jie isn’t a maid from his household, and is already married — would he really dare to forcibly seize a common woman?”
Wang Yin’er sneered: “Those noble-born official sons — what wouldn’t they dare to do? Even if trouble comes of it, their family will clean it up for them.”
Jiang Chun’s face sank.
She had never imagined that this dog thing Liu Qitan would be so undiscerning, to the point that he wouldn’t even let off a married woman with a wife’s hair bun.