The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 11

“But Xiao Yu couldn’t say it. Saying it would sound like she was so excited about it. It was clearly Song Luoning who wanted to buy it, and she was just accompanying her.

Yes, that’s it.

She insisted stubbornly, ‘What’s there to be satisfied with? All bathtubs are the same.’

Hearing this, Song Luoning’s eyebrows slightly raised. Seeing her being so contrary, her mood was exceptionally good. ‘My husband is right, it’s Luoning who is short-sighted.’

Xiao Yu choked.

This sentence sounded strange, but she couldn’t find anything wrong with it.

‘Husband, we’ve bought the bathtub. Let’s go buy a carriage now.’

A carriage?

This young lady is indeed rich. The entire county town is filled with ox carts, and there aren’t many carriages to be seen. She didn’t expect the young lady to casually want to buy a carriage.

Xiao Yu was overjoyed. Her butt still hurt from riding that broken ox cart this morning.

If it were a carriage…

She had to stay calm, or Song Luoning would definitely laugh at her for being so uncultured.

Xiao Yu glanced at Song Luoning, pretending to be unwilling. ‘Why are you so troublesome? Why do you need to buy a carriage? Isn’t it good to ride an ox cart? You’re such a young lady.’

Hearing this, Song Luoning was stunned for a moment. She looked up at her, taking in her little thoughts, and understood. ‘Since that’s the case, I’ll listen to my husband.’

‘…’

No, not buying it anymore?

Song Luoning, you need to have your own opinion. How can you listen to my nonsense?

After a little thought, could it be that I spoke too harshly?

Xiao Yu was unsure for a moment. Should she beg her now?

It was a little hard to bring herself to do it.

It’s all because she was so quick to speak, and now she’s suffering the consequences.

To be honest, she was quite envious of the carriage. It was so much better than the hard, bumpy ox cart.

But… she looked at the young lady, Song, and regret was practically written all over her face.

Seeing that the two of them were slow to get on the ox cart, the old man driving the cart couldn’t help but urge, ‘Young Master Xiao, young lady, if we don’t go now, it will be dark soon.’

Song Luoning nodded and smiled slightly. ‘Sir, can you help us deliver this to Chen Family Village? We have something else to do.’ Saying this, she not only paid the fare but also gave him five extra coppers.

Having received the money, the old man driving the ox cart weighed it in his hand and chuckled. ‘Alright, I’ll make sure to deliver it to you two.’ With that, he waved the ox whip and drove the ox cart away without looking back.

You… you two?

Xiao Yu’s pretty face turned red. She turned her face away and muttered under her breath, ‘Who is with her? We are just master and servant.’

Song Luoning chuckled. ‘Husband, let’s go.’

Go?

Wait a minute.

Xiao Yu came back to her senses. Where were they going? Weren’t they going home?

No, the important thing is that she didn’t know the person. How could she so casually let him take the bathtub away?

Even if the young lady was rich, she shouldn’t be so wasteful. And that was her bathtub.

Xiao Yu pointed in the direction where the ox cart disappeared, speechless. ‘Do you know him? You just let him take our stuff away and even paid him in advance.’

Being stupid and rich shouldn’t be played like this.

After all, she was too inexperienced. How could she trust others so easily?

Song Luoning wasn’t angry. She said softly, ‘Husband, you worry too much. This kind of bathtub is not practical for ordinary families, and the old man just now makes a living by driving an ox cart. It’s not worth it for him to ruin his business for such an impractical thing. I believe his family must also live near us, so it won’t be difficult to find him.’

Xiao Yu choked.

That’s true, but there are always exceptions, aren’t there?

‘Ahem… Husband, I’ve thought about it, we should still buy a carriage. Luoning has been weak since she was a child and can’t stand the bumps of the ox cart, and the ox cart is gone now.’ Song Luoning’s voice was very low, and her face was slightly red from coughing. A layer of water mist appeared in her eyes.

She looked so pitiful.

Xiao Yu closed and opened her eyes, feeling a burst of irritation in her heart. She walked ahead with a sullen face. It wasn’t her who was paying anyway, so if she wanted to buy it, she could. ‘Why are you standing there? Aren’t you going to buy a carriage?’

She didn’t seem to have the same joy as when she bought the bathtub. She felt sullen, and all her attention was on the young lady Song behind her.

She had never seen someone so weak and still able to be so troublesome.

‘Husband, can you walk a little slower? Luoning can’t keep up.’ A clear voice came, her breathing slightly heavy, and if you listened carefully, her voice was trembling.

Xiao Yu: ‘…’

She really is a young lady. She complained in her heart, but her body was very obedient, and her steps gradually slowed down.

Song Luoning smiled gently. ‘Thank you, husband, for your consideration.’

‘…’

What consideration?

Xiao Yu turned her head, revealing a slightly red ear tip.

She was angry at herself for being so weak. The person just praised her, and why was she blushing?

She cursed under her breath: ‘Xiao Yu, you’re too spineless.’

She pursed her lips, and the faint fragrance from the wooden basin last night seemed to still linger in her nostrils.

It was the scent of Song Luoning, like a valley orchid, serene and elegant, like a cat’s claw scratching her heart.

She must be crazy.

Xiao Yu took a deep breath. Was she so bold as to be attracted to a black-hearted woman like Song Luoning?

Besides her beauty, which aligned with her taste…

Suddenly, a burst of cheers from ahead interrupted her thoughts.

Following the sound, she saw a teahouse with a crowd gathered in front of the door.

Xiao Yu asked in confusion, ‘What are they doing?’

Song Luoning frowned.

She didn’t know?

The people of Baisheng love to drink tea. Teahouses can be seen everywhere. For ten coppers, you can enter the teahouse to listen to stories, and the tea is an extra cost.

Song Luoning: ‘The storyteller’s story must be exciting.’

Storytelling?

She had seen this kind of scene many times in TV shows, but this was the first time she had seen it in real life.

Her heart moved. She might as well go and see.

Xiao Yu: ‘Wife, why don’t we go and join the fun?’ Her tone was cheerful.

Song Luoning clearly felt the expectation in the other person’s tone.

She used to occasionally go to teahouses to listen to stories in the capital, but the stories were mostly the same, with not much new content.

Gradually, she stopped going, partly because it was boring, and partly because she had been sick for months at a time and couldn’t go out and play like a normal person.

Since this philanderer wanted to go, she might as well listen. It was only ten coppers after all.

The first floor was packed. Some people were squatting under the stage, and some were leaning against the wall. The waiter had to squeeze through the crowd to serve tea.

Xiao Yu observed that most of the people in the teahouse were scholars in blue robes and long gowns. There were not many people in short outfits.

There were some women on the second floor, each with a maid following her. They were likely young ladies from wealthy families.

She estimated that there were still seats available. A young lady like Song Luoning shouldn’t be squeezing through the crowd.

‘Let’s go to the second floor,’ Xiao Yu said.

Song Luoning’s eyes scanned the stage, and she nodded, following Xiao Yu to the second floor. The two of them found a seat.

On the stage, there was a desk, and a middle-aged man in a gray robe was sitting in front of it, holding a folding fan. When he got to an exciting part, he would close the fan with a ‘pop’ and hit the desk with it.

There was a burst of cheers from the audience.

After listening for a while, Xiao Yu finally understood the main story. It was about a scholar who studied hard for twenty years, passed the imperial examination, and then had many wives.

It was a product of a feudal patriarchal society, made up to cater to these scholars.

‘What’s this? People still listen to this kind of story?’ Xiao Yu’s lips twitched. Listening to the cheers from the audience, she felt speechless.

Song Luoning looked up. ‘Oh? My husband doesn’t like it?’

As a modern woman who believes in gender equality and monogamy, who could accept this?

She didn’t know what Song Luoning, as a person from ancient times, was thinking, but she was getting more and more annoyed as she listened.

‘The idea of a man having multiple wives is wrong. Why should women be subordinate to men? Who said women are not as good as men?’ Xiao Yu said indignantly.

Song Luoning was stunned for a moment. Her eyes fell on her, and after a while, she pursed her lips. Although she was surprised, she didn’t show it.

After a moment of thought, she said softly, ‘My husband is right.’

Xiao Yu: ‘I knew it. As a normal woman, who could listen to this kind of story and not get angry? Besides, this old man’s storytelling isn’t good. I can do better.’

Song Luoning chuckled. Thinking about her recent comments, she just took it as a joke and went along with her. ‘Yes, my husband is right.’

‘…’

Could her expression be any more fake? Can this conversation continue?

Xiao Yu felt a wave of anger suffocating her. After a long time, she finally calmed down.

She said discontentedly, ‘Song Luoning, do you think I’m lying to you?’

It’s just storytelling.

Who are you looking down on?

She had read at least a thousand novels, and stories just came out of her mouth.

Don’t look at this woman agreeing on the surface; she probably has a different idea in her heart.

So, she had to prove her ability to this woman so she wouldn’t think she was just bragging.”

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