Su Jiamo was shoved out the door, standing at the bottom of the steps and shouting up at Su Xiaoqi:
"Hey, sister, we're blood siblings, you can't treat a guest like this."
Su Xiaoqi looked around. Seeing no one, she lowered her voice and said:
"Pah, what blood siblings? Save that for deceiving ghosts."
She was just a beggar picked up from the streets by their Su family.
"Sister, weren't you alright earlier? How come now...
Ah, never mind that. Didn't you ask me earlier if I could marry you?
I'm telling you now, if you leave him, I'll take you home." Su Jiamo leaned closer, his eyes darting, and promised through gritted teeth.
Su Xiaoqi laughed, "You truly have no shame when you lie. What would my status mean going back with you?
Do you dare marry me? Your father would break your legs."
Su Jiamo was a coward; Su Xiaoqi had known this for a long time.
If he had even a shred of his own mind, the original owner wouldn't have seduced him for so long only to be married off to the Shen family.
In front of his father, Su Baiwan, Su Jiamo wouldn't even dare to fart without permission.
"I, I've thought it all out. I have some personal savings, and a manor. If you come back with me, I'll take you to live at the manor first.
We'll make it a done deal, and I don't believe my old man won't acknowledge you if he can't acknowledge the mother of his future grandson."
"Pah, get lost..." Su Xiaoqi was furious and couldn't help but curse.
Did he really think she was a naive girl who hadn't seen the world's wickedness?
Go with him first, not daring to bring her home, but keep her at a separate manor. Wasn't that what a mistress was in this era?
Get pregnant and then bring her back?
Dream on.
They had to ensure the child was a son...
This man's intentions were truly wicked.
Su Xiaoqi felt it was unfair to the original owner. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Her anger flared, and she lifted her leg to deliver a kick to his chest.
"Pah, sister isn't lacking in food or clothing to go back with you..."
"Ah, Xiaoqi, you, you really... then you can just be with that unlucky fellow Shen Yun, eating raw black steamed buns and wild vegetables every day.
Just you watch, he won't be able to pass the Xiucai exam in ten years, and he won't even pass the Tong Sheng exam this year, ah..."
Before he finished speaking, Su Xiaoqi pushed him again. He stumbled down the steps and fell face-first onto the ground.
Su Jiamo was also furious. He got up to argue with Su Xiaoqi, but then he heard her say, "Just you watch, Shen Yun will definitely pass the Yuan Shi exam this year."
Su Jiamo was unconvinced. He lowered his head and stepped forward, only to see the rickety wooden door slam shut with a bang.
He was shut out.
"You, you, Su—Xiao—Qi, I swear, I will get you."
Get you, play with you cruelly, and then discard you like a rag!
After issuing his threat, Su Jiamo mounted his horse and rode back. Halfway, he suddenly felt his chest was empty. He touched it, and lo and behold, the purse containing his silver was gone.
He tried to recall, but couldn't remember where the purse fell.
The most likely place was outside the Shen family's home, as he had fallen there.
But when he sent a servant back to search, they reported nothing was found.
"Damn it, damn it..." Su Jiamo was furious. It contained twenty taels of silver, his remaining pocket money for the month. It was all gone.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi was examining the four silver ingots in her hands behind her closed door. Heavens, twenty taels.
She had noticed Su Jiamo's bulging chest earlier, but hadn't intended to act.
But since he was so scummy, and even wanted her to be his mistress, she felt she had to teach him a lesson.
Su Xiaoqi blew on one of the ingots to test its sound, a greedy smile appearing on her face.
She safely stored them in her space. This was what the Su family owed the original owner!
After storing them, she went out and saw Shen Yun returning.
Whether it was Su Xiaoqi's imagination or not, she felt Shen Yun's gaze towards her was unusual.
It was a look of surprise mixed with a bit of confusion, and a hint of knowing everything.
How peculiar.
Su Xiaoqi grumbled inwardly, but smiled charmingly, "You're back. How much did you get for your calligraphy..."
Before she finished speaking, Su Xiaoqi stopped herself, looking at the person behind Shen Yun.
It was Qi Yunwei, the young master she had met once. He was the one Shen Yun had mentioned who wanted to buy his calligraphy and paintings.
With an outsider present, Su Xiaoqi couldn't ask more. She turned and smilingly invited him inside to sit.
She went to the kitchen herself to prepare tea and snacks to entertain the guest.
"Sister-in-law, we don't have any tea." Shen Xiaomei said with a troubled expression.
They could barely afford food, so who had spare money for such things?
Su Xiaoqi thought for a moment, took the ceramic teapot back to her room, fetched boiling water to brew tea, and arranged a plate of chestnut cakes that Shen Yun had brought back.
Soon, the tea and cakes were ready. Su Xiaoqi, with Shen Xiaomei, brought them over.
Qi Yunwei observed Su Xiaoqi. He had heard she was the daughter of the richest man in Mianzhou.
Her features were quite nice, but the skin on her face was somewhat hard to describe.
Thinking about the scene he had just witnessed with Shen Yun at the courtyard gate, where she was arguing fiercely with her own brother, he couldn't help but become interested.
It was a pity they were too far away to hear what they were saying, but he had seen her push someone.
Shen Yun noticed Qi Yunwei staring at Su Xiaoqi thoughtfully and felt a pang in his heart. He raised his teacup and said,
"This is a humble offering from the countryside. Please forgive me, Brother Qi."
Qi Yunwei smiled and raised his hand to drink, "Brother Shen is truly fortunate to have such a beautiful companion. Even coarse tea and simple food taste as delicious as this."
Qi Yunwei's words were casual praise, but as he drank the tea from the coarse porcelain cup, his eyes lit up.
"What tea is this? I've never tasted anything like it."
Shen Yun also took a sip, his eyes narrowing.
He couldn't answer Qi Yunwei's question and could only look at Su Xiaoqi.
He didn't want to tell Qi Yunwei that this was the first time he had tasted this tea as well.
Su Xiaoqi understood Shen Yun's hint and replied with a smile,
"It's buckwheat tea. It's not a precious tea, but it grows in the high mountains. I picked it along with other medicinal herbs."
This was true. She had found this buckwheat by chance when she and Shen Yun were trapped in the mountains during a heavy rain.
Su Xiaoqi hadn't thought much of it then, collecting it as a herb and storing it in her space.
She had only remembered the buckwheat tea she had drunk in modern times when there was no tea for guests today.
She found it strange that they had never tasted it before.
"Herbs can also be made into tea? And the taste is so fresh and fragrant. Excellent, excellent." Qi Yunwei praised as he drank.
Su Xiaoqi, understanding his appreciation, said that she had some more and would give it to him if he liked it.
"This is not very good," Qi Yunwei said, making a token gesture of refusal before accepting. But he didn't take it for free. He took out a silver coin and offered to buy it.
Su Xiaoqi's eyes lit up at the sight of money.
However, considering he was Shen Yun's friend, she glanced at Shen Yun. Seeing he had no objections, she accepted it.
She quickly packed a bag of buckwheat and handed it over.
Qi Yunwei accepted it personally, and then, as if remembering something, had his attendant bring out several beautifully packaged gift boxes.
He took them and personally presented them to Madam Zhao and Old Madam Yu. After paying his respects to the elders, he sat down again and chatted with Shen Yun.
They talked about poetry and paintings over the buckwheat tea, engaging in refined conversation.
Su Xiaoqi had little interest. For the sake of that silver coin, she took Shen Xiaomei and disappeared into the kitchen to prepare food.
This Young Master Qi was a major patron of Shen Yun, and she couldn't afford to neglect him.