I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xu Qing opened his mouth.

Song Yao took a step forward, her chest heaving with rapid breathing...

The plain-colored new dress she had hastily made last night clung tightly to her body, and her full breasts trembled as her emotions surged.

Like two fruits tied to a bowstring, they could break free of their restraints at any moment.

But her waist was extremely thin, making her appear even more frail and fragile as she stood there.

"You've finally earned some money, please don't go!" Her voice trembled, and her eyes reddened.

"Last time you went, I waited for you outside the gambling den for two hours in the middle of the night. You gambled inside until dawn... and almost drowned when you came out... What will I do if something happens to you?"

Her tears finally fell, rolling down her pale cheeks, one drop after another, soaking into her clothes and leaving small, dark watermarks.

She didn't wipe it, but just stared straight at Xu Qing, her lips pressed together, growing even paler.

Its appearance was like a slender bamboo that had been battered by wind and rain.

The branches were laden with heavy fruit, and the whole tree was swaying precariously, yet it was still desperately trying to stay upright.

Xu Qing's heart tightened. "This time is different. I'm going to show you something."

After saying that, he turned and went into the study, opened the wooden box, and took out five taels of silver from the thirty taels neatly arranged inside.

After thinking about it again, he simply took the whole box out.

He walked up to Song Yao and opened the box: "Look."

Song Yao was stunned after seeing it clearly.

Broken silver pieces and small silver ingots were neatly stacked inside, their white surface gleaming softly in the morning light.

"Here, take this." Xu Qing handed the box to her.

Looking at the box full of silver, Song Yao's eyes were filled with confusion, which then turned into a sense of unease.

"Where did this come from? Could it be... gone astray? That won't do..."

"Sister-in-law, you don't know this," Xiao Mingyuan poked his head out of the study, "It was Xu Qing selling... oh... no, it was spring poems, bah, still no, it was Miss Su from Zhuangyuanlou who gave them to Xu Qing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Song Yao's expression not only did not improve, but worsened.

She looked at Xu Qing, a hint of wariness in her eyes.

Xu Qing closed her eyes, raised her hand to cover her face, and said, "Young Master Xiao, if you can't say it, you don't have to."

Xiao Mingyuan looked aggrieved: "I...I just wanted to explain for you..."

"That's not how you explain it." Xu Qing lowered her hand and sighed.

He turned around and took Song Yao's hand...

Xu Qing looked into her eyes and spoke, word by word.

"Yaoyao, let me finish. Since I made a vow, I will definitely change. I'm going with Xu Danian today not so he can scheme against me, but so I can make him come back to me with all the old and new grievances."

Song Yao still had tears on her eyelashes, her lips moved slightly, and her voice was much weaker than before.

"Really...really? But how are you going to get them to vomit it up?"

"Really, as for how to make them spit it out... Hmph, when the time comes, Young Master Xiao and I will put on an act. I'll pretend to be desperate after losing, and they should take the bait..."

Xu Qing handed the box to her, saying, "Keep this money; you'll be in charge of the household finances from now on."

"I...but I'm not married yet..."

"It's only a matter of time!" Xu Qing stuffed it in forcefully.

Song Yao took the box, looked down at the silver, and her eyes reddened again, but this time, she didn't shed any more tears.

She nodded gently, her voice even softer: "Okay. Then... be careful."

Xu Qing then took the opportunity to hug her.

Song Yao's body was still trembling and she was still a little cold.

However, the round and full feel of it was quite alluring...

Xiao Mingyuan silently mouthed "Awesome" in the study, then withdrew his head, pretending he hadn't seen anything.

……

……

At noon, in the gambling den in the backyard of Chunhong Courtyard.

As Xu Qing and Xu Danian stepped through the door, dozens of eyes swept over them...

Most of them were gloating.

Everyone in the gambling den knows that Xu Qing fell into the water after gambling that day and almost died on the way. Now he's back again.

Before people could even begin to discuss it, Xiao Mingyuan came in again, fanning himself with a folding fan.

Immediately, people began to whisper among themselves.

"What brings Young Master Xiao here?"

"Yes, he rarely comes to the gambling den."

"I heard his father said that if he lost money at the gambling den, he would cut off his allowance."

"Oh! Young Master Xiao!" A middle-aged woman with a warm smile rushed over.

Xu Qing pretended not to know Xiao Mingyuan and sat down at a gambling table with Xu Danian.

The old woman followed Xiao Mingyuan, saying, "Young Master Xiao, what are you planning to do today? I'll serve you personally."

Xiao Mingyuan pretended to look around, and then, as if by accident, spotted Xu Qing's gambling table.

"My dad won't let me play big games, so I'll just play small games here, which is fine."

When others saw that Xiao Mingyuan had chosen the lowest-stakes tables on the outermost edge, they immediately lost interest.

"Alright, you go ahead and have fun. I won't bother you. Let me know if you need anything."

Seeing this, the old woman also lost interest and took the opportunity to leave.

Upon seeing this, Xu Danian visibly trembled and shifted his buttocks.

He seemed about to get up, but after exchanging glances with the two people at the gambling table and the dealer, they all shook their heads, so Xu Danian had no choice but to sit back down.

Xu Danian forced a smile, "Greetings, Young Master Xiao. My brother said he just wants to recoup his losses today. It's a small bet, please don't laugh."

Xiao Mingyuan pointed with his fan, "Yes, I like small ones."

Xu Danian's smile froze for a moment, then returned to normal: "Young Master Xiao is too kind. If you like it, then let's begin."

"Let's begin," Xu Danian gestured to the dealer.

The dealer picked up the dice cup and shook it back and forth, creating a very dynamic rhythm.

"Snapped!"

The dice cup was placed face down on the table.

"Place your bet and you're done..."

Xu Qing didn't even lift his eyelids, casually tossing out a tael of silver, "Big."

"One tael?" one of the gamblers scoffed. "Young master, are you begging?"

"I'll buy what I want, what's the rush?" Xu Qing snorted.

Xiao Mingyuan also tossed over two ounces, saying, "I'll join in for a bit."

Open the points, three, five, six, fourteen points.

"Not bad, you won money right away!" Xiao Mingyuan slapped the table.

Subsequently, Xu Qing won three consecutive games, each with a hand size of one or two.

Xiao Mingyuan chuckled, "Young Master Xu, you're having some good luck. I'll go big with you next time."

Xu Danian's face darkened, and he gave the croupier a wink.

The dice have landed.

However, Xu Qing noticed that the dealer's hand reached under the table and made a subtle movement...

"I'll bet big." Xu Qing pulled out five taels of silver.

"I'll buy it too, fifty taels!" Xiao Mingyuan followed suit.

The dealer and Xu Danian exchanged a glance and revealed smug smiles.

The dice are rolled.

"One, two, three, little one!"

"We lost..." Xu Qing stomped her foot.

"Ouch!" Xiao Mingyuan rubbed his leg.

Xu Danian pretended to advise, "Brother Qing, luck only comes in waves."

Xu Qing didn't speak, but instead paid attention to the dealer's hands under the table.

Clearly, she's tampering with things.

In the next three games, Xu Qing was plagued by bad luck.

Five taels, ten taels, ten taels... After losing three rounds in a row, he lost twenty-five taels in the blink of an eye.

Xiao Mingyuan lost 250 taels!

Xu Danian feigned kindness and suggested, "Brother Qing, Young Master Xiao, why don't we play again next time?"

Xu Qing's face contorted with rage, veins bulging, breathing quickening, and fingers trembling.

He looked completely desperate after losing.

"No, I'll gamble again. I refuse to believe my luck is this bad!"