“How did you do it?”
Bai You’an’s voice trembled slightly.
He turned his face, staring intently at Song Qingchao.
“Pinhole imaging.”
Song Qingchao leaned back, looking relieved. She formed a circle with her index finger and thumb, holding it before her eyes. “Viewing objects through a small hole narrows the light source, reducing focus blur.”
Seeing Bai You’an’s bewildered expression, she couldn’t help but smile. “This is only temporary.”
“I’m already very satisfied with this,” Bai You’an lowered his eyelids and leaned back lazily.
“That won’t do,” Song Qingchao stepped forward and lifted his chin. “I want you to see me clearly.”
“Alright.”
She couldn’t see his full expression, only the slight upward curve of his lips.
“Heal me, and I belong to you.”
A flush of heat spread across Song Qingchao’s face. “What are you saying? I’m studying medicine.”
“Yes, I know, and I didn’t say anything else, did I?”
Song Qingchao pursed her lips, her earlobes turning a faint red.
She withdrew her hand and steadied herself against the carriage window.
As expected, there would be another jolt.
Indeed, her body swayed with the carriage, hitting the wooden board beside her.
Clinging to the window, she tried to sit upright, maintaining a safe distance from Bai You’an.
She just wanted to survive, not to stir up trouble…
As evening approached,
The convoy began to rest.
The moment the carriage stopped, Song Qingchao dashed out with the speed of a startled deer.
She still held the Xuan paper she’d swiped from the carriage.
There was no helping it; she had to keep it fresh.
She grabbed Liu Zhe’er, who was holding a small basket, “I’ll go with you.”
Liu Zhe’er clapped her hands happily, “Okay, but Sister, you’re not fully recovered yet. Just follow behind me and watch.”
Song Qingchao nodded and readily agreed.
For now, as long as she could get away from Bai You’an’s sight, that was enough!
Carrying the small basket, she followed behind, watching Liu Zhe’er skillfully harvest a large patch of land.
Several ladies couldn’t compete with her.
She, too, was not idle, setting up a small trap to catch rabbits.
Song Qingchao watched as several burly women with grass in their hands approached from a distance.
She subtly blocked Liu Zhe’er’s figure.
“Do you need something?”
Her head was wrapped in white gauze, and a fierce scar marked her face. She looked both fragile and not to be trifled with.
The women sized her up, and finally, one who looked somewhat kind stepped forward.
Song Qingchao raised an eyebrow, shielding Liu Zhe’er even more closely.
The woman peeked at her from under her lowered head and spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “Miss, we’re here to ask Zhe’er girl if these can be eaten.”
“Sister Lin?”
Liu Zhe’er, who had been diligently digging for roots, suddenly spoke. She rolled up her sleeves, wiping the sweat from her face with her arm.
Dirt smudged her nose.
“You know each other?”
Liu Zhe’er and the women accompanying Sister Lin nodded repeatedly.
Song Qingchao touched her nose and took a step back, “I must have misunderstood.”
“No, no,” the women quickly waved their hands.
So, Song Qingchao watched from the side as Liu Zhe’er sorted through the items in their hands. Only a few remained.
She then lowered her head and took out several types of wild vegetables from her own basket, distributing them to the women.
Upon receiving them, the women quickly thanked her and left.
Song Qingchao didn’t pay them much mind.
Some of these people were servants whose masters had made mistakes and were implicated, while others were from collateral branches.
Their characters were mixed, and they posed no threat to her.
As long as they didn’t cause trouble for her like Madam Xiao Hu, she wouldn’t bother them.
Liu Zhe’er trotted happily towards her, carrying the small basket.
Song Qingchao wiped the dirt off her nose and pulled out a gray rabbit. “Let’s go back.”
In the few days before entering the city,
Song Qingchao spent her days in Bai You’an’s carriage, recovering and reading books about spectacle manufacturing.
Bai You’an no longer bothered her, instead studying medical texts and researching herbs.
In the evenings,
She would get off the carriage to dig for wild vegetables and weave rattan with Liu Zhe’er.
She also used her spatial abilities to occasionally improve the meals for Mu Mu and Zhe’er.
When asked, she would use Bai You’an as an excuse.
After all, that generous fool wasn’t around at night.
The day before entering the city.
The convoy was stationed outside the city.
Although they were to enter the city, only the leading constables would escort a few prisoners to purchase supplies.
During this opportunity, the supervising constables would change shifts.
Song Qingchao, as usual, sat with Song Qing Mu and Liu Zhe’er.
She hadn’t even considered entering the city.
Besides, with Bai You’an around, he could purchase what she needed on her behalf.
However, the people around them were not as quiet as usual.
They whispered to each other, stuffing hidden silver into the hands of the constables.
Everyone was in a state of panic.
Only Song Qingchao, with her brother and sister in her arms, slept soundly.
As they didn’t have to travel the next day, it was better to rest.
“Song Qingchao!”
Song Qingchao’s eyes snapped open, and she looked around vigilantly.
Gao Songmo, holding a long spear, strode towards them.
“What important matter does the official have for this humble one?”
She stood up calmly, maintaining her grace.
Gao Songmo sized her up. “Lord Wang wants you to go into the city with them. Pack up and go.”
“Into the city?”
Song Qingchao exclaimed in confusion, simultaneously pressing down on Song Qing Mu, who was about to step forward.
Gao Songmo let out a snort and glanced at Song Qingchao disdainfully, his nose held high. “What? You’re unwilling?”
“How could I be?”
Song Qingchao smiled elegantly and took out a few taels of broken silver from her sleeve. “In that case, I thank the official.”
Gao Songmo weighed the silver in his hand, scoffed, and tucked it into his embrace.
Song Qingchao covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, then took out two gold threads and handed them over.
“I would ask the official to take extra care of my younger siblings.”
“Miss Song is too kind.”
Gao Songmo took the gold threads but then clasped Song Qingchao’s hand.
“Thank you for your concern, sir.”
The smile on Song Qingchao’s lips froze instantly.
Biting her teeth, she tried to pull her hand back with all her might. His grip was so rough it felt like it could tear her skin.
“Then let’s go.”
After Song Qingchao broke free, Gao Songmo turned and left without a word.
She narrowed her eyes, watching his slightly hunched back, feeling a burning hatred.
“Eldest Sister, I’ll go for you.”
“They won’t agree.”
Song Qingchao dipped her handkerchief in water and rubbed her hand, which was red from the scrubbing yet still felt disgusting.
She vowed to chop off Gao Songmo’s hand sooner or later.
“Take good care of Zhe’er. I’m fine.”
“But…” Song Qing Mu frowned, grabbing her arm to stop her.
Song Qingchao sighed helplessly and reached out to tap Song Qing Mu’s forehead. “Frowning again.”
Song Qing Mu directly grabbed her hand and pulled it away. “Sister, stop joking. These people have bad intentions.”
“I know.”
“If you know, why are you still going?”
Song Qingchao patted his shoulder. “I’ve been paying attention to their actions these past few days and can roughly guess what they intend to do. Don’t worry, I’ll be back.”
“But!”
“I’ll be going too.”
The Song siblings turned their heads simultaneously, seeing Bai You’an fanning himself in the distance.
He walked towards them with a smile, his voice gentle, “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of your eldest sister.”