The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 64

“Alright, alright, Mother, let’s talk about it later. Liang and I have something to take care of.” With that, Xiao Yu ignores whatever Jiang Wanrou is saying and pulls Liang Chengqiu through the archway and out of the courtyard.

“Sigh…” What is this about? So secretive. I don’t know what that troublesome child is up to again, but with Liang, I feel at ease.

Xiao Yu pulls Liang Chengqiu behind the rockery, scanning the surroundings to make sure no one is there before urgently asking, “How did it go?”

Liang Chengqiu frowns and takes a piece of paper from her sleeve, handing it over. “Miss Li’s recent schedule.”

Xiao Yu’s eyes light up, and she’s about to reach for it, but Liang pulls it back.

“……” Xiao Yu looks at her in confusion.

“Three taels of silver.”

?!

“I bought this information from a servant in the Li family for silver.”

“……” Xiao Yu looks at Liang Chengqiu. She’d never noticed how much this person loves money before. She purses her lips, expressionlessly counts out three taels of silver, and puts them into Liang’s hand. She eagerly takes the paper and opens it. She hasn’t earned much silver herself, but it’s flowing out of her hands like water.

“Are you sure Miss Li is going to the temple for blessings?”

“That’s what the Li family servant said.”

“…….” She’s not even sure about the accuracy of the information, yet she asks for three taels of silver?

Xiao Yu holds her forehead. Fine, having some news is better than none. Xiao Yu begins to think about how to befriend Miss Li when she hears Liang Chengqiu’s cool voice, tinged with hesitation, “You shouldn’t do this. Even though you and Miss Song had a little disagreement, you shouldn’t be so fickle.”

“……” Xiao Yu’s mouth twitches. Am I that kind of person? As expected, the person my cheap mother values has an unreliable way of thinking, just like her.

So jumpy.

Xiao Yu glances at her, puts the paper away, and says, “What are you thinking? I’m not that kind of person.”

Liang Chengqiu looks at her, her expression solemn, and says nothing.

She doesn’t believe me?

Xiao Yu also says nothing, tucks the paper away, and returns to Song Luoning’s courtyard. Cui Zhu comes out of the room, sees her, and bows respectfully. Xiao Yu doesn’t have time to pay attention and steps inside, closing the door behind her.

Is something wrong? Cui Zhu’s heart tightens. She remembers the scene in the study this morning, and her heart clenches. Will the mistress and master argue again? She looks at the tightly shut door and paces anxiously in the courtyard.

“Sister Cui Zhu, the mistress’s lotus seed paste is ready.”

Cui Zhu is deep in thought when a young maidservant walks in with a tray. The maidservant curtsies, her face full of smiles, and teases, “Did you upset the mistress, Sister Cui Zhu?” The maidservants often joke around with each other when they are alone.

Cui Zhu is not in the mood for jokes. She takes the tray from her, her face stern. “Go and stand guard outside. Don’t let anyone in, especially from the Frostfall Courtyard. If anyone comes, send them away directly. Don’t let anyone disturb the mistress.”

“Sister Cui Zhu…”

“Hurry up, what are you standing there for?” Cui Zhu urges.

What’s wrong with the young maidservants these days? They have no situational awareness. How can they serve their masters well? It seems I need to find time to teach them the rules properly.

“Oh, okay, I’ll go right away.” Although she doesn’t know what’s happening, the young maidservant runs out of the courtyard in a panic, turning her head to look at Cui Zhu with a worried expression.

Cui Zhu takes a deep breath and walks to the door, knocking.

“Hmm?” Just as Xiao Yu hands the paper to Song Luoning, she hears a knock on the door from outside. She’s surprised. “Who is it?”

Hearing the calm voice from inside, Cui Zhu replies, “The mistress’s lotus seed paste is ready.”

“My wife…” Xiao Yu squeezes the mistress’s hand.

Song Luoning pulls her hand back and glares at her. “Stop fooling around. Let her in first.”

Knowing she’s easily shy, Xiao Yu doesn’t bother her. She nods, stands up, and walks to the other end of the couch. “Come in.”

After getting permission, Cui Zhu enters and first glances at Xiao Yu, seeing her sitting casually on the couch while her mistress is drinking tea. She breathes a sigh of relief. It seems the couple has made up. She puts down the lotus seed paste and quietly backs out of the room.

“Are you hungry, my wife?” Xiao Yu looks at the lotus seed paste, feeling confused. It’s still an hour until noon. Did the mistress have a small breakfast and is now hungry?

She can’t help but ask with concern, “Is one bowl of porridge enough? Should I ask the kitchen to make a couple of dishes? It’s almost noon anyway. We can eat together.”

Song Luoning shakes her head. She was about to refuse but then remembers that the person in front of her didn’t have breakfast. She clenches her fingers, and the words of refusal don’t come out. She purses her lips and says, “As my husband wishes.”

“Then wait for me, my wife. I’ll be right back.” With that, she stands up, opens the door, gives Cui Zhu a couple of instructions, closes the door, and returns to the couch.

“My wife.”

“Hmm?” Song Luoning unfolds the paper in her hand and looks up at her, her amorous peach blossom eyes clear and bright, with a hint of a smile, as if they hold starlight.

Song Luoning’s breath catches, and the corners of her lips curve slightly. “What are your plans now, my husband?”

Xiao Yu knows she’s talking about Miss Li’s matter. She straightens her expression. “The paper says Miss Li is going to the temple in the suburbs tomorrow for blessings. How about we go too? Maybe we can find a chance to talk to her.”

“Hmm.” Song Luoning’s expression falters, and she looks worried. “Aren’t you afraid of danger, my husband? Xiao Chengze is just looking for an opportunity. If we leave the capital now…”

It would be good if they can befriend her, but if they can’t and run into danger, it wouldn’t be worth the loss.

Song Luoning looks at her.

Knowing she’s worried about her, Xiao Yu smiles, stands up, walks around the low table, and sits beside Song Luoning. She takes her hand, places it against her cheek, and says sincerely, “How about we disguise ourselves and quietly leave from the back gate? We can also bring more skilled guards with us. Besides, we haven’t gone out to have fun together since we got married. We can take this opportunity to go for a stroll.”

Song Luoning’s heart softens. After a moment of silence, she nods. “I’ll have Butler Zhang make the arrangements.”

The two of them are sitting close together, and the faint, pleasant scent of the mistress lingers. Xiao Yu’s heart is moved. She leans in, pressing her forehead against Song Luoning’s, and her voice becomes seductive. “I’ll go. The fewer people who know about this, the better.”

“My husband, you should go arrange it first.” Song Luoning leans back slightly, pulling away, and puts her hands on Xiao Yu’s shoulders. “Don’t be so foolish.”

Xiao Yu looks at her and laughs. “It’s not too late after we finish our meal together.”

Song Luoning nods hesitantly and pushes her away. “Go sit back down.”

This time, Xiao Yu doesn’t continue to bother her and obediently returns to the other side, propping her face on one hand, staring at her with a foolish smile.

Song Luoning sips her tea, her face flushed. She looks up at her in annoyance. This lecherous person is so improper. She holds back her shyness and stands up, heading into the inner room.

Xiao Yu glances at the untouched lotus seed paste and calls out to the inner room, “My wife, do you want to have some porridge first to fill up?”

“No need.”

“Oh.”

Xiao Yu lifts the curtain, her gaze falling on the screen. She can faintly hear rustling sounds. She purses her lips, puts down the curtain, and suppresses her restlessness, returning to the outer room and sitting at the round table.

Not long after, the food is served. Xiao Yu doesn’t keep the maidservants to serve her. She’s been transmigrated for a while now and still hasn’t fully accepted being served for everything. In comparison, she prefers to do things herself.

The maidservants have all left. Xiao Yu looks toward the inner room. “My wife, are you ready?”

“Hmm.” The mistress’s faint voice comes from the inner room. “I’m hungry, my husband, you can eat first.”

Xiao Yu glances at the food. What’s the point of eating alone? She purses her lips. “I’ll wait for you.”

Song Luoning comes out wearing a middle garment. Although her body is much better than before, with a lot of things to deal with these days, she still feels a bit tired. She plans to take a nap after eating.

When she sits down, Xiao Yu sees her changed clothes. Usually, the mistress only wears a middle garment when she’s resting. It’s still a while until nap time, so she immediately thinks of that bowl of lotus seed paste. Otherwise, why would she be hungry so early and sleepy so early? She says with unease, “My wife, are you not feeling well again?”

“Hmm?” Song Luoning is stunned for a moment, then shakes her head. Besides feeling a bit tired, she doesn’t feel unwell like before. She says honestly, “I’m just a little tired.”

Is that all? Xiao Yu’s hanging heart doesn’t calm down. She looks at her with worry, her heart clenched tightly. The system hasn’t given any more rewards during this time, and the mistress’s vital energy pills should be almost gone.

If this continues, what will they do when the medicine runs out?

Xiao Yu says, “If you still don’t feel well tomorrow, I can go by myself. You can rest well at home.”

Song Luoning frowns, gazes at her, and after a moment of contemplation, she says, “It’s nothing serious. I’ll be fine after a rest.”

Even so, Xiao Yu is still not at ease. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. After we finish our meal, you should obediently go to bed.”

Without waiting for Song Luoning’s response, Xiao Yu starts serving her food.

The kitchen sent up light-flavored dishes. Song Luoning purses her lips. She knows that the person in front of her prefers meat. If the kitchen had sent the food, there would have been a mix of meat and vegetables. However, there are only vegetarian dishes now. It must be this person who instructed the kitchen. She quietly lowers her eyes, which are slightly moist.

“Next time, have the kitchen make some meat dishes.” Song Luoning says.

“What do you want to eat, my wife?” Xiao Yu is surprised and looks at her in confusion. Doesn’t the mistress usually dislike eating meat? Why…

Is it because of me? Xiao Yu blinks. It seems that’s the only plausible explanation. She’s instantly overjoyed, and the smile on her face is impossible to suppress.

Song Luoning curls her lips, and a faint smile appears in her eyes. “It’s fine to eat a little occasionally.”

She doesn’t know if things will go smoothly tomorrow. She has heard from her father more than once about Prince Chang’s ruthless actions. She just didn’t expect that the son of Prince Chang would completely inherit his father’s cruelty. If they can successfully befriend Miss Li, this foolish person’s future path might be smoother. However, it would also mean a complete fallout with Xiao Chengze.

But that’s okay. Without breaking, there’s no standing. Perhaps it’s a turning point.

Xiao Yu smiles and serves her food, happier than when she’s eating herself. Just the thought that the mistress is secretly caring for her makes her mouth unable to stop smiling. “My wife, eat more. I can’t accompany you later because you’ll be resting.”

Song Luoning gives a faint “Hmm,” and a hint of disappointment appears in her heart.

After the meal, Xiao Yu leaves in a hurry.

The next day, Xiao Yu first confirms that Song Luoning is fine. Seeing that she is, she disguises herself and quietly goes to the back gate with her.

To avoid attracting attention, they only bring two guards this time. The butler carefully selected them from the guards, and their skills are no less than those of the royal secret guards. Liang Chengqiu naturally comes along as well.

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