Su Xiaoqi quickly pulled her hand away from Shen Yun upon seeing the situation.
But a gentle pull failed to free her.
She was momentarily stunned, and as she tried to pull away again, Shen Xiaomei spotted her and ran over.
"Big Brother, Sister-in-law." Shen Xiaomei didn't notice their clasped hands.
Even if she had, she wouldn't have thought much of it. Her elder brother had never been discreet in front of her, and she was accustomed to it.
"You're alright, that's good. Sister-in-law, you're not hurt. Last time I heard from Sister Haihua that a maid pushed you into the lake. We wanted to come find you, but Big Brother said he would handle it."
Shen Xiaomei pulled Su Xiaoqi up and down, examining her. Not only were there no injuries, but not even a single blade of dry grass clung to her clothes, indicating she was unharmed.
Su Xiaoqi entered the main hall and tried to shake her hand again, but Shen Yun still had no intention of letting go.
She was slightly taken aback when Shen Yun led her to pay respects to Old Madam Yu and Madam Zhao.
She didn't understand Shen Yun's intentions but didn't dwell on the matter. She followed Shen Yun's lead to bow.
Everyone crowded around, asking what had happened. How could a casual conversation lead to such distant events, with someone falling into the water?
"It's nothing, just some minor matters for her and me to discuss." Su Xiaoqi smiled faintly, reassuring everyone.
As for Xiao Qi falling into the fish pond, Su Xiaoqi attributed it to an accident. She explained that the young lady from the city, wearing soft-soled embroidered shoes, couldn't maintain her balance on the uneven, bumpy field path and accidentally fell in. This explanation convinced everyone.
Shen Yun then opportune-ly brought up the affairs of Zhao Baoren's family. As expected, the matter of sisters sharing a husband quickly shifted everyone's attention.
Su Xiaoqi seized the opportunity to signal to Shen Xiaomei, who immediately understood. She went to the kitchen, retrieved the extra toast made that day, and offered it to everyone with bitter buckwheat tea to tide them over. Meanwhile, she took Zhao Xiaozhu into the kitchen to reheat the leftover dishes from lunch.
"Sister." A voice suddenly sounded in the yard. Su Xiaoqi then noticed that Zhao Ye wasn't the only one in the yard earlier. Su Jiamo was also sitting on a small stool on the ground. She had been busy earlier, and he hadn't spoken up to disturb her. Now that she seemed less busy, he finally spoke.
Seeing him, Su Xiaoqi's delicate willow brows involuntarily furrowed. Frankly, she didn't want to see him in this yard at all. His presence reminded her of the original Su Xiaoqi's regrettable and reckless past with him. Especially in this yard.
Su Xiaoqi frowned, and Su Jiamo felt a pang in his heart. He didn't know when it happened, but he couldn't bear to see her upset or angry anymore. Even when she had knocked him out, leaving him to face the humiliation of being bullied by street thugs, he had chosen to forgive her, only having someone deal with those two ruffians. He thought he must be infatuated. Yet, he couldn't control his own heart. He kept telling himself that Su Xiaoqi was already married, that she had no true feelings for him, and that they were impossible. But he still couldn't stop himself from coming to find her. Even knowing that she had bullied his own sister, he had no intention of confronting her. He was deeply, deeply under her spell.
Su Xiaoqi was unaware of Su Jiamo's thoughts. She assumed the Su siblings were still not giving up. She walked over and said softly, "I've explained things to Su Yurou. I don't know anything about that item, nor did I take it."
Su Jiamo was stunned for a moment before remembering that his father had sent them here today for a reason. Upon seeing her, he had completely forgotten.
"I'm not here to ask about that item, do you believe me?" Su Jiamo said, taking the opportunity as Su Xiaoqi approached him.
Su Xiaoqi looked at him with a confused expression. Honestly, she found the current Su Jiamo a bit strange. Back when she hadn't transmigrated, given their relationship with the original Su Xiaoqi, it made sense for him to seek her out when she sometimes seduced him. Now, she treated him with abuse and insults, so why was he still unable to let go? Was he simply masochistic, finding her indifference more appealing? Su Xiaoqi felt a sense of helplessness.
There were some things she could only hint at and couldn't keep dwelling on, otherwise, it would become even more unclear. Thus, she quickly dismissed Su Jiamo.
"Xiaoqi, I, you, when will you return to your maiden home?" Su Jiamo asked urgently.
Su Xiaoqi suddenly smiled, a cold smile. "Su Jiamo, if others don't know, don't you know?" Wasn't he the one who knew best whether she was the eldest daughter of the Su family? Return to her maiden home? What a joke.
She drove Su Jiamo out and turned to leave. Su Jiamo tried to step forward again. Zhao Ye, who had been standing guard nearby, hissed and blocked him, raising his fist. The intention was clear: if he dared to take another step, he would be beaten. Originally, he thought that guests should not be casually turned away. But seeing Su Xiaoqi's poor attitude towards him, Zhao Ye had no psychological burden.
Su Jiamo still wanted to say something through the door panel, but Su Yurou's carriage had arrived. She was here to call him back to the city. It had taken her a great deal of effort to retrieve Xiao Qi. She was drenched and covered in mud, utterly filthy. But considering that Xiao Qi was pushed by her, she had no choice but to endure it, holding her nose. She only hated Su Xiaoqi for playing a trick on her. This trip was a waste, and she was not finished with Su Xiaoqi!
As the Su family's carriage left, the county magistrate Huang Liangsheng and the two Zhao sisters also departed in their carriages. Su Xiaoqi stood on the steps in front of the door, watching the two carriages leave one after another. Her pink lips curved involuntarily. She knew that although people had left for the day, the matters were far from over. However, thinking about Su Yurou pushing the maid she had personally raised into the fish pond, getting covered in mud and looking so pathetic. Even if Xiao Qi outwardly maintained respect for her mistress, she would surely not feel as unreservedly towards Su Yurou as before. Su Xiaoqi smiled. And Zhao Haihua, after all her schemes and calculations, had ultimately ended up harming her own sister who harbored ill intentions towards her. This was also a cause for great joy.
What puzzled Su Xiaoqi was how Huang Liangsheng had taken a liking to Zhao Hai'e. After all, compared to her sister Zhao Haihua, Zhao Hai'e's looks were far from comparable. One could still be called a simple village beauty, while the other was rather too rounded. Moreover, Zhao Hai'e clearly hadn't paid much attention to skincare. Moving about in the fields and villages daily, her skin had become dark and rough, not very attractive.
After asking this question, Su Xiaoqi didn't expect Shen Yun to provide an answer. After all, he didn't seem like someone who would care about such matters. But after a few moments, she heard Shen Yun say, "Perhaps after eating too much fine white rice, one occasionally wants to change their taste and eat coarse grains."
"Pfft..." This analogy was so apt that Su Xiaoqi laughed without hesitation. Meeting Shen Yun's inquiring gaze, he seemed not to understand why such an ordinary sentence would make her laugh. Su Xiaoqi's scalp tingled under his intense gaze, and she unconsciously touched her nose, tilting her head to ask him, "And you?"
Shen Yun did not answer. Su Xiaoqi, not giving up, continued, "Are all men in this world like this, always seeking the new and despising the old?" Just as Su Xiaoqi thought she would be performing a solo act again, Shen Yun suddenly nodded. But then, he added with a serious expression, "I will not." His heart was too small, only able to hold one person. His heart was too large, encompassing the entire world within his plans.
Su Xiaoqi smiled again and leaned conspiratorially closer to Shen Yun, "You, not, you are not what?" Not a man? Su Xiaoqi said this while laughing. However, Shen Yun placed his hand on her waist, knowing all her little thoughts clearly. He tightened his arm, pulling her closer, and whispered softly into her ear, "Am I a man… why don't we try tonight."
Su Xiaoqi's heart trembled. Her pink lips parted slightly, her face flushed with nervousness. Oh no, oh no, what had she just said?