C20

"Mm, you can leave now." Yang Youming nodded slightly when he heard what Ye Zichen said. His tone was rather calm.

Han Shui was a bit surprised. According to the attitude the young master had towards Lady Lin, he should be questioning him about Lady Lin. Why was he so calm? Did he misunderstand?

However, even though Han Shui had the same thought, he still left with a straight face. After all, his master had already spoken.

After hearing the door shut, Yang Youming couldn't help but pause for a moment as he flipped the book in his hands. In his mind, frame after frame, scenes about Lin Xiaoqi surfaced, they were all about Lin Xiaoqi. Although he had only seen Lin Xiaoqi twice, they left a deep impression in his heart.

"Xiaoqi, who was that man just now?" Lin Shaojin looked at Lin Xiaoqi with concern. He naturally had to interrogate Lin Xiaoqi after she was sent back by that man. He was not in a position to ask too much about it just now. Now, there were only the three of them with no outsiders.

"What man?" Mrs Niu was at a loss. After all, she hadn't seen that scene just now, so she naturally didn't understand. She looked at the father and daughter pair with a puzzled expression.

"I was out looking for Xiaoqi just now, but as soon as I went out, I saw Xiaoqi being brought back by a man wearing a long black robe. He looked pretty good, and his body was quite sturdy as well." Lin Shaojin explained to his wife, but did not forget to describe Han Shui. Lin Xiaoqi looked at Lin Shaojin in disbelief. He explained to Mrs Niu that she could understand, but why did he mention Han Shui's appearance? And he has a strong physique? What does that have to do with who Han Shui is?

While Lin Xiaoqi was staring at her father in a daze, Mrs Niu's eyes suddenly lit up, "Xiaoqi, tell mom the truth, who exactly is that man? What does this have to do with you? Why did I send you back so late at night?

Mrs Niu did not stop her questions. Lin Xiaoqi's mouth twitched when she heard him, "His name is Han Shui, he's a guard."

"Guards? Which family did you belong to? " Mrs Niu looked at Lin Xiaoqi curiously. Why would the guards send Xiaoqi home?

"It's like this. Lili and I went to see a play at the Dingyuan Prince's Manor on Sunday, but were lost. We met Fifth Young Master at the Dingyuan Prince's Manor, and he helped Lili and me. He even asked Big Brother Han Shui to send us home." Today I went to the county town to look for my elder sister, and then I met the street bumpkin while walking on the street. Fifth Young Master Yang just happened to pass by and saved me. It was already late, so Fifth Young Master sent big brother Han Shui to bring me back. "

Seeing Mrs Niu's interested expression, Lin Xiaoqi decided to be frank. However, she still hid what happened at the Private Manor at Dingyuan Prince Manor and didn't want to worry the couple.

"Fifth Young Master of Dingyuan Prince's Manor?" Lin Shaojin was a little surprised. Although they were just commoners and could hardly come in contact with a rich and powerful family like Dingyuan Prince's Manor, they had heard of Fifth Young Master of Dingyuan Prince's Manor before. After all, this mansion was in their Qingzhou, and Fifth Young Master Yang had been living here for so many years.

"Yes, that's him." Seeing Lin Shaojin's expression, Lin Xiaoqi knew that he definitely knew about it, so she nodded affirmatively.

"Rumor has it that Fifth Young Master Yang's personality is dark and uncertain, and he is weak and sickly, so he has always lived in seclusion. I never thought that he would actually help you twice. The rumors are indeed wrong." Mrs Niu also couldn't help but sigh. Although she was just a peasant woman, this era didn't have much entertainment, so most of the women gathered to discuss who had the gossip about which family. Whether they were rich or commoner, they were all similar, so these rumors were naturally known.

"Yes, it is indeed a false rumor. Hearing is believing; seeing is believing." Lin Xiaoqi nodded in agreement. Yang Youming didn't look weak at all. Were these doctors just decorations?

"Xiaoqi, this Fifth Young Master Yang saved you twice, could it be that he has fallen for you? Did he have a room? Do you have a concubine? " Mrs Niu's eyes flashed. She looked at Lili anxiously. That burning gaze made Lili's heart skip a beat. At the same time, she was speechless. What was she thinking?

Mother, what are you thinking? Fifth Young Master Yang only saved Baoxue and me out of kindness and righteousness. Although she was born from a bastard, she is still the biological son of Dingyuan Prince. How could she fall for me? Lin Xiaoqi silently rolled her eyes. She was slightly impressed by her mother's ability to confuse love affairs. She had only saved her two times, but she could actually think of Yang Youming to be interested in her …

"Who said that the rich families look down on commoner girls? Didn't you see that Young Master Sheng also took a fancy to Daya?" Mrs Niu was not convinced, and even gave Daya and Lin Xiaoqi as examples.

Mother, it was very clear who Young Master Sheng is when he came back. He's just a playboy, he's almost touched all the maids that are serving by his side. But I didn't see him carry around a few concubines.

Lin Xiaoqi became extremely angry at the mention of Young Master Sheng. She didn't expect Young Master Sheng to be so useless. She really wasn't worthy of being his elder sister.

"This... So you're saying Fifth Young Master Yang doesn't have a concubine? Where was the room? Do you have a room? " Mrs Niu was shocked by Lin Xiaoqi's words and didn't know what to say. But then she shifted her focus to Lin Xiaoqi. From Xiaoqi's words, it seemed like Fifth Young Master Yang didn't have a concubine?

"How would I know? I've only met Fifth Young Master twice, how would he tell me these things? Besides, he's Dingyuan Prince's Fifth Young Master, he's so high up there, the difference between us is like the difference between clouds and mud. How could I talk to him?" Lin Xiaoqi felt that it was necessary to explain this matter to Mrs Niu. She spent all her time thinking about those useless thoughts.

The moment Mrs Niu heard what Lin Xiaoqi said, her bright eyes dimmed. She looked defeated, but then she became excited again. This caused Lin Xiaoqi to be confused. What did she think of?

Lin Xiaoqi turned her head towards Lin Shaojin in shock. She looked at Lin Shaojin to understand what Mrs Niu was thinking, but Lin Shaojin didn't know either. He looked at Lin Xiaoqi blankly and shook his head. This action made Lin Xiaoqi feel completely helpless.

"Mom, what happened to you?" Lin Xiaoqi asked tentatively.

"Nothing, nothing. You're right, the Wu Steel Manor is a rich and powerful family, even their Sheng Mansion cannot compare to them. From what you said, this Fifth Young Master Yang isn't a casual person. He should be alright too. We are just commoners, don't think too much about the son of the Prince's Mansion. However, the guard who accompanied you back today is not bad. Although he is just a guard, he is still a personal bodyguard of the young master of the Wang Mansion. If Xiaoqi is able to be together with the bodyguard Han Shui, then you will have some face. "

Mrs Niu's scheming was very clear in her heart. Fifth Young Master Yang was the son of the Wang Mansion, so they couldn't get close to him. In that case, they would at least be able to think about his bodyguards. Being able to go to someone else's house and be their guard was probably not a good thing, but the salary was definitely not low. If Xiaoqi could be with him, she would also have some face.

When Lin Xiaoqi heard the first half of the sentence, she had thought that her mother had thought it through, and she was somewhat gratified, but after hearing the latter half, her face was filled with black lines, "Mother, isn't your thinking too long? How old am I? Are you in such a hurry to marry me? Furthermore, Big Brother Han Shui and I have only met twice, how can we have so much interaction? "

"Cough cough. My wife, you …" Lin Shaojin couldn't help but cough and was just about to say something when Mrs Niu stopped him.

"You are already fourteen years old this year, and you will be a teenager in less than a year." You are already fourteen years old this year, and you will be a young man in less than a year.

The daughters of other families have already started to look at each other slowly. Our family still hasn't been prepared for you because of your grandparents, so Mom already feels very sorry for you. Now that you have such good conditions, of course you have to grasp them. Mrs Niu refuted Lin Xiaoqi with a look of disapproval. In the end, she felt a little guilty because she hadn't been able to protect her daughter well all these years, to the point that she couldn't even prepare for her daughter's marriage.

Lin Shaojin, who originally wanted to persuade Mrs Niu not to think so much, became silent when he heard this. He was too weak. He should bear all the responsibility for turning his family into what they were today.

"Mother …" Lin Xiaoqi didn't expect Mrs Niu to bring this up, and for a moment she didn't know what to say.

"Xiaoqi, mother didn't want to tell you this, but since she said it today, she should just say it. "Our big house has always been suppressed by the second and third houses. Because your grandparents liked your third uncle more, because your Second Aunt family has two sons, but our family doesn't have a single male." She couldn't help but feel dejected when she mentioned her son. She had given birth to so many children, yet no boy was born. Even she felt a little hopeless. Could it be that she was destined to be childless? Thinking this way, Mrs Niu couldn't help but rub her stomach. There was a tiny life being born here, it was unknown if it was a boy or a girl …

"Mother, don't worry. Whether it's a boy or a girl, we'll all love him." "When Lin Xiaoqi noticed Mrs Niu's gaze, her heart tightened as she hurriedly said," She wouldn't look at this either. It's fated for a man to have a daughter. They can't just call him a boy, right?

"He hasn't been formed yet. Although Mother hopes that he is a boy, but if he isn't, then it's nothing. It's the flesh that fell from my body, so my heart naturally hurts." However, if it's a boy, then even if you two sisters marry someone, you can still have someone to rely on, right? " Mrs Niu shook her head with a bitter smile. Although she hoped to have a son, it didn't matter if it wasn't.

"Mother …" Lin Xiaoqi called out to Mrs Niu in a low voice, not knowing what to say.

"Why does your grandma keep suppressing us? It's because your parents are too cowardly, and also because you sisters don't have good in-laws, that's why she dared to ask your Eldest Uncle to sell you sisters to a rich family as maids. But now, Daya has been disgraced by Young Master Sheng. Although we haven't brought her into the room yet, but our few words have intimidated her. It hasn't been hard on our family for the past few days, is it still because of Young Master Sheng? Your grandmother, she's a bully, too. "

Even though Mrs Niu was cowardly, she still understood what was going on. She pulled Lin Xiaoqi's hand and sighed, tears still glistening in her eyes.

"Yes, grandma is like that. She's strong on the outside but weak on the inside. She's afraid of bullying the weak." Lin Xiaoqi nodded her head in agreement with Mrs Niu's words.

"That's why mom hopes that you can find a good wife. Look at the matter of them asking you to marry Xiaoba previously, and this time, Mom really doesn't want to lose you two." "If you sisters can get married well, mother would be relieved. At least your grandmother won't dare to bully you, and she can't make things too difficult for our family."

"Although this Han Shui is just a guard, he is Fifth Young Master Yang's personal guard after all. If you really can be with him, Fifth Young Master Yang would probably look after you for the sake of master and servant." As she spoke, Mrs Niu circled around to Han Shui. She was now treating Han Shui as her own family. She couldn't wait for Lin Xiaoqi to grab onto this life-saving straw.

"Mom, I know what you're talking about, but don't think about it anymore. I've only met Brother Han Shui twice and I don't know much about him, so don't mess around with me anymore. I know what kind of person I want to marry, but now isn't the time to think about it." "Now, I just want to work hard to earn money and then save my sisters. Believe me, even if I don't marry anyone, I can still make our family better."

Lin Xiaoqi sighed as she tried to persuade Mrs Niu. She knew Mrs Niu was doing this for her own good, but she really couldn't agree with her thoughts. She could only try to convince her with her own thoughts.

"You've grown up and have your own ideas. That's a good thing, but how can a girl not marry …" Mrs Niu frowned, dissatisfied with Lin Xiaoqi's words.

"Mother, I didn't say that I'm not going to marry, I just don't want to think about this before saving my sisters. I hope that we can reunite, do you understand?" Lin Xiaoqi interrupted Mrs Niu as she stared at Mrs Niu with a clear look in her eyes. Since she had already said so much, if Mrs Niu still didn't understand, then there was nothing she could do about it.

"My wife, I know that you're doing this for the good of this family, but Xiaoqi has grown up and has her own thoughts, so we'll respect her decision. Don't worry about it so much." Seeing this, Lin Shaojin didn't keep silent. He reached out his hand and patted Mrs Niu's shoulder gently. His voice was deep and powerful.

Lin Xiaoqi looked gratefully at Lin Shaojin. Lin Shaojin saw his daughter's expression changed slightly and his lips moved, but he didn't say anything in the end.

"Alright, but Xiaoqi, you have to remember that everything Mom did was for the sake of you sisters. But Mom and Dad aren't capable and couldn't protect you." Mrs Niu saw that her family's Hubby had said that, so she didn't say anything more.

"Mother, I understand. We understand. It's getting late, you and dad should get some rest. " Lin Xiaoqi stood up and gently hugged Mrs Niu. Her eyes were a little sore.

"Mm, you should go to bed early as well."

Lin Xiaoqi sat at the table looking at the silhouette on the window in a daze. Although she didn't want to agree with what Mrs Niu said to the couple in their room, she had to admit that what Mrs Niu said was true.

"Sigh, it's too difficult." Lin Xiaoqi sighed. Her heart felt heavy as she thought about the situation she was in. So many things had already happened not long after she came here. She had to hurry up and implement her plan.

As the sky gradually grew dark, Lin Xiaoqi could not help but to yawn. After walking for such a long time, she was indeed a little tired. She casually put out the candle and turned around to walk to the bed.

The next day …

A young girl was picking up conch from the river with her legs and sleeves rolled up. There was already half a bucket of conch in the bucket beside her, a result of her early morning battle.

Lin Xiaoqi looked at the hill-like conch in the barrel with satisfaction. She got up early and worked for such a long time. She was covered in sweat, but she felt that it was worth it when she looked at these conch.

Previously, when she came to the riverside, she discovered that the aquaculture here was actually very rich, but because there were too few seasonings in this era, plus the farmers' conditions were not very good, and they didn't even use much oil, let alone sell spices, the aquarium made from the water wasn't very tasty.

Lin Xiaoqi was from the modern era, so she was very familiar with cooking. She had long since prepared to make money from the business, and thinking about it, she saved the cost of a small restaurant. As long as there were a few small tables, along with some basic dishes and chopsticks, everything would be fine.

This morning, she just wanted to pick up some conch shells and go home to cook some dishes. She wanted to see what taste everyone had. If the effect wasn't bad, then she decided to sell this. At least it was a profitable business.

"What took you so long? Where did you go?" Mrs Niu felt a little strange when she saw Lin Xiaoqi carrying a small wooden bucket. She hadn't seen Lin Xiaoqi since the morning, so why did she come back from outside? What was that thing in her hand?

"Mom, I'm going to the river to pick up the conch. I'll make you something delicious later." Lin Xiaoqi smiled mischievously at Mrs Niu as she showed the conch in her hand to Mrs Niu.