Full House Spring

Chapter 49 Hit it off

Lu Lingchuan shook his head, with a bitter smile on his face, and asked:
"Do you think Qing He will not make trouble during this period, given her temper?"

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, then said seriously, "The eldest lady asked me to make the Tongcao peony to present to the Empress Shufei just to please her. I heard that the Empress was very happy, so I'm sure she will continue to do so."

Lu Lingchuan looked up at the night sky, he sighed softly, and said in a low voice:
"It's not easy to enter the palace. I'm just worried that she might do something stupid to the Third Prince, and then it won't be easy to deal with."

With Lu Zhiyao's previous experience as a lesson, Lu Lingchuan's worries were not without reason. Xia Li said in a tactful tone:
"The girl still knows her limits. The harder you suppress her, the more she will resist. It would be better to let things take their own course and let her figure it out on her own."

Xia Li always felt that although Lu Qinghe was ambitious, he had a simple mind and was not an ungrateful person.

Lu Lingchuan turned his head to look at Xia Li. His eyes were like the deep water of a lake, serious and clear, as if he could see through people's hearts.

Xia Li subconsciously raised his hand and touched his hair bun, wondering: "What's wrong, is my hair bun loose?"

Lu Lingchuan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and chuckled, "No, I'm just a little surprised that you would care so much about Qing He."

Xia Li showed a faint smile on her face, and she said gently:
"We are both women, so it's inevitable that we sympathize with each other. I have seen the resistance and struggle of older girls, but the general environment is like this, and we are powerless to change it. As long as our hearts are free, no matter what situation we are in, we can live a good life."

Lu Lingchuan looked at Xia Li with burning eyes. He pursed his lips and said in a dry voice, "You must have a very smart mind, otherwise how could you be so clear-headed?"

Xia Li was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. She looked frank and sincere and said:
"I am just trying to find joy in misery. People have to find some reasons and fun to live. Men can build careers, but women can only be trapped in the inner house. What can we do about this unfair world?"

Xia Li suddenly missed the days of traveling around the world and shooting videos. Her latest video has not been released yet and the balance in her bank card has not been used up. It's a pity that she will never have the chance to make up for these regrets.

Lu Lingchuan thought she was depressed because she couldn't be free, so he said softly, "If I have the chance in the future, I will definitely help you get rid of your slavery."

Xia Li was a little surprised, but didn't think much about it. She smiled gratefully.

"I do yearn for freedom, but I don't plan to rely on others. The old lady is kind-hearted. As long as I serve you attentively, I will be able to beg for grace and be freed from slavery sooner or later. There is no need to rush."

Lu Lingchuan hesitated and said, "If I remember correctly, you will be sixteen after the New Year. Aren't you afraid of missing the flowering season?"

Xia Li chuckled and shook her head nonchalantly, saying, "I am still young, so I won't consider marriage for now. It won't be too late to consider it when I want to get married or when I meet someone I like."

Lu Lingchuan felt a sense of loss in his heart, but he didn't show any of it on his face. He didn't know what to say and remained silent for a while.

In the light of the lanterns, the two people standing together looked like an ink painting, and even time seemed to have stood still.

There was a breeze blowing gently under the eaves, bringing a hint of coolness. Xiangru just stood in front of the window and looked at the two of them.

Her eyes flashed with anger and resentment, as if they wanted to devour everything. The handkerchief in her hand was slightly cracked from being pulled so hard. She didn't walk towards the bed until she saw Xia Li turned around and went back to the room.

After a while, the door creaked open, and Xia Li walked into the room quietly. She walked to the bedside with a normal expression, and saw that the old lady was sleeping soundly with steady breathing, so she whispered:
"Why don't you go back to sleep first. The old lady's condition has stabilized. There shouldn't be any problems at night. I can arrange it."

Xiangru raised his chin slightly, his eyes twinkling as he said, "No need for that. I'm here to take up my post, so how can I just leave? If the nanny finds out, I'll be punished."

Xiangru realized that his tone was wrong and said:

"I mean, you've worked hard all day, there's no reason to make you work so hard at night. Either you go and take a rest or I'll watch over you."

Although she tried her best to suppress it, the jealousy in her eyes still remained. Xia Li couldn't figure it out, so he said in a gentle voice: "Forget it, let's just guard the old lady together."

Xiangru nodded gently and lowered her eyes so as not to let Xia Li see the expression on her face. In the past, she would have said a few words unintentionally, but after seeing the Prince's indifferent look at Xia Li, she felt it was completely unnecessary.

Nothing happened that night until the next morning, when Nanny Xie and Shi Mi came. Then the two left the main room and went back to rest.

Xiangru had endured for so long, and finally when she returned to the house she didn't have to pretend nothing had happened. She didn't have the strength to do anything, and she fell on the bed, feeling pain in her heart.

She didn't know when she had developed special feelings for the Young Master, but ever since she had this idea, she had been restraining herself and never revealed it to anyone, not even Mai Dong.

But the prince never had her in his eyes, he could only see Xia Li. Why Xia Li? Xiangru clenched her teeth, she was afraid that she would howl hysterically.

Xia Li has already won the favor of the old lady, and even the Duke thinks highly of her. Why should she want to attract the attention of the Crown Prince? Originally, people thought she was a good person, but she flirted with the Crown Prince so blatantly last night, and Xiangru really couldn't stand it.

She said with a gloomy look in her eyes: "Since you want to compete with me, let's fight to the death and see who is more powerful or I am more difficult to deal with..."

Xiangru was worried and tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. Suddenly, she heard a noise outside, which sounded like it came from Chanyi's room next door. She got along well with the other sisters in the courtyard, so she was worried that something had happened to Xiangru, so she put on her clothes and went out to check.

As soon as she showed up, she saw Chan Yi and Zhao Xiao Hui pushing and shoving each other. She said in a bad tone:

"You bitch, why don't you go out and ask around? Do you really think I'm easy to fool? I don't even want to bother with you, but you still dare to come here and spew shit."

Zhao Xiaohui said angrily, "You are not worthy of a good heart. Just wait and see. The vacancy left by Bai Shao will still not be yours."

Chan Yi spat at her fiercely, and said with a fierce look in her eyes: "It's none of your business. You won't give up until you reach the Yellow River. I will tear your mouth apart today."

Seeing Chan Yi rushing towards her, Zhao Xiaohui was so scared that she stepped back repeatedly, and Xiangru hurried forward to separate them.

"Sister Chan Yi, don't be angry. We used to work together. It would be too ugly to fight..."

Chan Yi was stopped by Xiang Ru. She pinched her waist and yelled, "Stay away from me in the future. Don't even think about instigating me to deal with Xia Li. If you have the guts, go and settle the score with her yourself. If you don't have the guts, just keep your tail between your legs and behave yourself."

Xiangru was slightly stunned when she heard this, and subconsciously looked at Zhao Xiaohui. Her eyes wandered, and she said in a bluffing tone: "You are talking nonsense. I am only giving you advice because of our past friendship. You are really ungrateful."

How could Chan Yi bear such a bad temper? She jumped up and wanted to fight with her. Xiangru almost couldn't hold her back. After finally pushing her away, she turned around and pulled Zhao Xiaohui away, saying, "Just say less. Do you think it would be satisfying if both of you get hurt?" When Chan Yi saw Xiangru dragging Zhao Xiaohui away while scolding her, she didn't go any further. She patted the dust off her body and turned back to the house without much care.

Xiangru pushed Zhao Xiaohui to a hidden corner. Zhao Xiaohui's saliva was almost dry from what she had just said. She looked at Xiangru and said dryly:

"I'm not trying to sow discord on purpose. I just can't bear to see Xia Li taking all the good things. I really can't bear to see Sister Chan Yi continue to suffer..."

Xiangru loosened his grip on her hand and said indifferently:

"I understand! Anyone who is with Xia Li will always be shrouded in her shadow. She gets all the benefits, but she still acts arrogant and indifferent to fame and fortune..."

Zhao Xiaohui looked surprised and squinted her eyes and said, "You and Maidong are best friends with Xiali, why do you miss her so much? Did you have a falling out?"

Elsholtzia's face turned pale, she suppressed her anger and said:
"Close? She just thinks Mai Dong and I are her followers. She appears to be close to us, but in reality, we are not close friends at all. She has always been like this. There is no such thing as a falling out."

Zhao Xiaohui's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she leaned close to her ear and whispered, "It seems like you want to see her in trouble, too?"

Xiangru laughed sarcastically and said in a slightly cold voice: "You are wrong, I don't just want to see her suffer, I also want her to be ruined and ruined forever~"

Zhao Xiaohui looked at Xiangru's pretty face and felt a little scared when she heard such vicious words. She asked tentatively, "So what do you want to do?"

The two of them looked at each other and they had a tacit understanding. Xiangru leaned down slightly and whispered the plan he had thought of.

Zhao Xiaohui took a deep breath after hearing this and said in disbelief, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Xiangru raised her eyebrows frivolously and said with contempt, "Why, are you scared? You don't dare to touch her?"

Zhao Xiaohui's eyes wandered, and she stammered, "It's not that I'm afraid, I just feel that doing this might be too cruel. If she finds out later that it was you and I who did it, then..."

Xiangru glanced at her and said coldly, "If you don't tell me and I don't tell her, how can she know? When she is ruined, what can she do even if she knows? Will the old lady still keep her by her side?"

Zhao Xiaohui shook her head subconsciously, thinking about her past with Xia Li, and finally gritted her teeth and said fiercely: "Then do as you say. I will arrange the warehouse and Zhu Da's place, and you will be responsible for leading the people over."

Xiangru showed an extremely brilliant smile on her face, and she said calmly: "It's settled, you have to tell Zhu Da not to be too lenient with women..."

Zhao Xiaohui clicked her tongue twice, and said with a complicated look in her eyes: "Women are indeed the most vicious. Just wait and see, I will definitely not let you down."

The two agreed on a specific time and then left. The world is unpredictable, people's hearts are changeable, like flowing water, it is hard to predict where they will go...

The old lady took several days of recuperation before her body gradually regained strength. As the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month passed and the New Year was approaching, everyone in the mansion was busy.

Xia Li finished making the old lady's new clothes for the New Year. He just stood under the eaves to take a breath when he saw Xiangru walking towards him lightly. She smiled and seemed very happy. She raised her voice and said, "Xia Li, have you finished your work?"

Xia Li nodded slightly and said in a low voice: "I just finished it and haven't had time to eat dinner yet. What's the matter?"

Xiangru walked up to her, took her arm and said:

"You were busy in the house earlier, so I didn't let anyone in to disturb you. The first wife sent someone to say that the peonies in the warehouse were not moved carefully, so some of the petals faded and broke, and you need to repair them."

Xia Li frowned upon hearing this and said, "How could I be so careless? Fortunately, I still have some petals left. I'll have someone bring the Tongcao peony over. I'll have dinner and go back to repair it."

Elsholtzia said in embarrassment: "The eldest lady's people said that moving the flowers here and there will easily damage them again. I hope you can go to the warehouse to fix them. There are only two pots that are damaged, so it won't take too long to repair them."

Xia Li sighed softly and said helplessly: "Okay, I'll go have dinner first and come back later."

Xiangru smiled brightly upon hearing this, and hurriedly took out a brass key from his purse, saying briskly, "This is the key to the warehouse. Don't worry, when you're done, Maidong and I will come to pick you up."

Xia Li took the key and shook his head, "No need to trouble you, I can come back by myself."

Xiangru refused to give in. She said firmly, "The warehouse is a little far from here. It's safer for Maidong and I to go with lanterns to get it. You just wait. If the Tongcao Mudan is not going to be sent away tomorrow, there is no need to be so anxious."

Xia Li didn't think too much about it and said casually, "It's okay, it will be done in a while. I should go to have dinner now, so I won't tell you."

Xiangru nodded gently and said considerately: "Don't worry, eat slowly, go to the warehouse and put on a cloak, it's cold at night."

Xia Li agreed, then turned and left. Xiangru stood there for a long time, unable to calm down, watching Xia Li's back as he left...

Xia Li went to Qiao He's house for dinner. She had lost a lot of weight in the past few days, so Qiao He specially cooked some soup for her to nourish her. She went too late, and the maids had all left after dinner. The two of them simply sat in the kitchen and ate by the fire. No one disturbed them, which was a special experience.

If Xia Li hadn't had to go to the warehouse to repair the Tongcao peony, she would have had to stay a little longer. She would have gone there early before it got completely dark.

The warehouse was at the westernmost end of the front yard, a sparsely populated area, and most of the items stored in it were not often used, so there was no one guarding it.

When Xia Li walked over, the warehouse was brightly lit. It might be the eldest lady's order. Xia Li did not think too much about it. She used the key to open the heavy copper lock and pushed the door open.

The storeroom door is usually locked and one can smell a musty odor as soon as one enters. The defective peonies are placed on a shabby antique display shelf on the north side.

Xia Li brought a full set of tools with her. She took off her cloak and took down the pot with the most obvious petals first.

She was concentrating on the Tongcao Peony, thinking quickly about how to repair it perfectly. She didn't notice that the door of the warehouse was quietly closed, and the copper lock was quietly locked...

(End of this chapter)