“We should report this to the authorities.” Qi Yue said, circling around the boxes.

A’Ru was scolding Yuan Bao and the male guards.

“Were you really sleeping so deeply? Thieves could enter the house and carry people away without you knowing?” she said with raised eyebrows.

Yuan Bao and the men hung their heads, not daring to breathe, full of self-reproach.

After so many days, their mistress had finally returned home, only to find the house no different from the street, with people casually throwing money around… ahem… the point wasn’t that, but that people could freely come and go without them noticing at all.

“Master, Master, something’s wrong!”

Hu San’s loud cries came from outside the gate.

Had something happened at the quarantine hospital again?

Qi Yue came to the front, and Hu San had also reached the courtyard.

“Something’s wrong, Master.” he said breathlessly, covered in sweat, clearly having rushed over.

“What happened? Are there new cases?” Qi Yue quickly asked, reaching out, “A’Ru, quick, get my medicine box, let’s go.”

“No… no…” Hu San said, clutching his chest and panting.

“Then what is it? Speak quickly.” A’Ru scolded.

Hu San nodded, looking around before heading into the house.

“What urgent matter is this, you’re even going into the house, waiting for tea?” A’Ru grabbed him and asked.

“No, no.” Hu San quickly waved his hands, smiling, “I’m just afraid of being overheard.”

“What is it?” Qi Yue asked with a smile.

Seeing Hu San’s manner, she knew it wasn’t anything seriously bad and felt relieved.

Hu San looked around, moved closer, covered his mouth with his hand, and said something in a low voice.

A’Ru raised her hand and hit him.

“Speak properly.” she scolded.

Qi Yue laughed heartily.

Hu San also chuckled.

The two of them laughing made A’Ru uncomfortable, and she glared at them.

“Master, money, there’s more.” Hu San quickly stopped laughing and said to Qi Yue in a low voice.

What?

“Money suddenly appeared, quite a bit more.” Hu San said again.

Qi Yue was stunned.

“Your money also increased?” she asked.

Also?

Hu San was also stunned.

“Master, yours increased too?” he asked.

Seeing the two boxes of money in the back courtyard, Hu San’s eyes lit up.

“Indeed, Master is still Master. I only have two bags…” he shook his head in admiration.

“It seems someone deliberately sent us money.” Qi Yue smiled.

“It’s not exactly deliberately sent, this money is still our money.” Hu San took out two money pouches from his chest, “It’s just the wages I gave people.”

Wages?

Everyone’s gaze fell on his hands.

“Those… laborers who delivered lime?” Qi Yue asked.

Hu San nodded.

At this moment, those laborers driving horse carts and donkey carts were running wildly along the road, laughing loudly.

“Going home!”

They waved the whips in their hands, and those without whips slapped open the cart boards, revealing hidden large knives underneath, which they pulled out and waved.

At this moment, where was there any trace of honest laborers? They were honest indeed, but with the word “fierce” added behind.

“Hey, big brother came to pick us up.” someone pointed ahead and shouted.

Ahead on a steep mountain, a group of people was galloping down the mountain path, with four men carrying a sedan chair containing a bearded man.

“Guan Qingniu!” Qi Yue read out this name, but looked confused, “Who’s that?”

“The one whose chest you opened and bound with wire.” Chang Yuncheng said.

Qi Yue frowned and thought for a moment before realizing.

“The one whose subordinates believed instigation and nearly beat you to death. He’s a mountain bandit.” Chang Yuncheng said, while looking at the two boxes of silver still piled in the corner.

So it was this guy’s people…

No wonder he thought those laborers Hu San said were hired from outside to help at the quarantine hospital looked somewhat strange these days. However, being busy and seeing these people were genuinely helping, he didn’t say anything, just had people keep a discreet eye on them.

“Oh, so I’m accepting stolen goods?” Qi Yue said. “Should I turn it in?”

Chang Yuncheng looked at this woman, really unable to figure out what went on in her head.

“Sure, you turn it in. While you’re at it, let the authorities charge you with colluding with bandits. Maybe Guan Qingniu will even bring people to break you out of jail to repay the favor.” he said.

Qi Yue glared at him and spat.

“What are you doing here today? I heard you got sick from being caught in the rain?” she looked him over and asked.

Speaking of this, Chang Yuncheng felt somewhat embarrassed.

He had originally been filial to his father, going along with his father’s wishes to feign illness and such, but he hadn’t expected that before they could invite this physician over, the incident with Concubine Zhou happened.

Now Marquis Dingxi had no heart to see anyone, hiding at home not wanting to think about anything.

Look at what kind of people were in this household – a mother-in-law bent on divorcing her daughter-in-law, a concubine bent on murder. What face did such a family have to ask someone to return? Return for what? To be embarrassed together?

Seeing Chang Yuncheng fall silent, Qi Yue naturally understood what Marquis Dingxi was thinking now and smiled.

“So, is that because deep love turned to madness?” Chang Yuncheng suddenly asked.

Qi Yue was stunned.

“You mean Concubine Zhou?” she asked.

Chang Yuncheng didn’t deny it.

Qi Yue reached out and patted his arm.

“No, that’s obsession turning demonic.” she said.

Chang Yuncheng looked at her and smiled.

Qi Yue pursed her lips.

Chang Yuncheng couldn’t bear to look away.

“You’re saying it was Guan Qingniu’s people who saved that family?” Qi Yue asked again.

“Yes, Concubine Zhou hired killers, and it happened to be on Guan Qingniu’s territory. Guan Qingniu’s people had already scouted the location and saw this family had quite a bit of money. Before they could act, Concubine Zhou’s hired killers struck first. At first they thought it was some blind fool breaking the rules, so naturally they wanted to teach them a good lesson. They didn’t expect to hear them mention Marquis Dingxi’s residence and Qi Yueniang. Guan Qingniu had told all his subordinates to respect you, so they kept someone alive for questioning and only then learned the truth.” Chang Yuncheng said.

Hearing this, Qi Yue laughed heartily.

“Me?” she pointed at her own nose, “I’ve become the boss of the bandit boss?”

At this moment they sat in the courtyard, sunlight filtering through tree branches casting dappled shadows on the ground, the woman’s smile bright amid the scattered light and shadow.

Chang Yuncheng watched and felt his heart beating violently, momentarily dazed.

“Then they questioned them and found out, so they kept the people, waiting for an opportunity to send me a big gift?” Qi Yue continued, smiling, “This person is really interesting.”

As she smiled, she noticed Chang Yuncheng wasn’t speaking. Looking up to see him staring at her in a daze, she stopped smiling.

“Hey.” she lifted her chin.

Chang Yuncheng came to his senses, blushed, and turned his head away.

“Finished talking?” Qi Yue asked.

Chang Yuncheng made a sound of acknowledgment.

“Finished, finished talking.” he said.

“Is there anything else?” Qi Yue asked.

Actually this didn’t really count as business, it was just… taking the opportunity to come see…

Chang Yuncheng’s gaze wandered around the small courtyard, not even as large as his own courtyard at the residence…

“Nothing else.” he said quietly.

Qi Yue looked at him without speaking.

Chang Yuncheng felt very uncomfortable under her gaze, his ears burning hot. So he lowered his head and stepped on ants on the ground.

Qi Yue found this amusing and simply picked up a book nearby to read. She wanted to see how long this boy could keep stepping on ants.

When it grew dim, Qi Yue came out of the house and saw Chang Yuncheng still in the courtyard with his head down. She found it both funny and exasperating.

“Hey.” she knocked on the stone table, “You’ve stepped on more than half the ants to death, and the survivors have all gone home. You’re not planning to dig up the ant holes to eliminate them completely, are you?”

Only then did Chang Yuncheng stand up.

“Then, then I’ll go.” he said, keeping his head down as he walked.

“You’ve been sitting for half a day. Leaving at dinnertime – would people say I’m stingy and won’t spare a meal?” Qi Yue called out to stop him, glaring.

Ah? Chang Yuncheng’s mind was somewhat muddled and he didn’t react immediately.

“Young Master, dinner is ready, please come in.” A’Ru lifted the curtain at the dining room and said.

Chang Yuncheng became even more hesitant.

“This, this isn’t proper. If people knew I was eating at your place…” he stammered.

Qi Yue smiled and punched his shoulder.

“Now you’re concerned about being alone together?” she smiled. “Hurry up and go in. Am I afraid of gossip? Haven’t I been talked about enough?”

Yes, from initially entering the Marquis Dingxi’s residence as a beggar, to the imperial decree of separation, which time hadn’t caused the whole city to buzz with discussion?

Chang Yuncheng lowered his head and went in.

The small room was lit with four lamps, and the dining table was set with a simple four dishes and one soup.

“It can’t compare to what you eat at home, we keep things simple here.” Qi Yue smiled, sitting down first herself.

Chang Yuncheng hesitated before sitting across from her.

“Young Master, this was made by our mistress’s own hands.” A’Hao handed him chopsticks with a smile.

Chang Yuncheng couldn’t help but brighten up.

“While you were watching ants, our mistress went to cook.” A’Hao added with a grin.

Chang Yuncheng immediately blushed again, busying himself arranging his bowl and dishes with his head down to hide his embarrassment, but the smile at the corners of his mouth became harder to suppress the more he tried.

Qi Yue personally ladled a bowl of soup for him.

“These days I’ve been having too much internal heat, so I made it light. I don’t dare eat meat either, so it’s tofu soup. Don’t mind it.” she said.

Chang Yuncheng quickly received it with both hands.

“How could I mind,” he said quietly, hesitating before boldly adding, “It’s exactly what I hoped for.”

Qi Yue smiled with pursed lips and sat down.

Seeing she wasn’t displeased, Chang Yuncheng felt overjoyed and couldn’t help wanting to smile, but also felt somewhat embarrassed.

Chang Yuncheng looked down at the soup in his bowl, remembering the first time Qi Yue made him a late-night snack was also tofu soup. She often made it afterward, but he always sent it to his mother, only tasting it himself once or twice, thinking there would be plenty of opportunities to eat it in the future. He never expected that when he ate it again, it would already be…

“What are you thinking about now?”

Qi Yue’s voice rang in his ears. Chang Yuncheng quickly put away his bitterness, looked up and smiled at her, then lowered his head to eat his rice.

Here Qi Yue ate slowly, occasionally picking up a chopstick of food for him.

“Try this.” she said.

Chang Yuncheng gradually calmed down, the bitterness around his mouth faded and turned sweet again. He ate with his head down in big mouthfuls, then thinking that finishing so quickly would leave no excuse to stay longer, he hurried to slow down, eating grain by grain. But then he worried this would make the woman think he disliked the food, so he sped up again.

Qi Yue watched this man alternately fast, then slow, then fast again as he tormented that bowl of rice. First she found it funny, then felt somewhat heartbroken.

“Eat properly, in the future…” she began to say.

In the future? Chang Yuncheng stopped his chopsticks, looking at her somewhat nervously. In the future… would there be no more opportunities?

Knocking sounds rang out at the door.

Qi Yue stopped speaking and looked outside.

“Mistress, it’s Young Master Huang.” A’Ru came in to say.

Little Qiao? What was he doing here at this time?

“Please invite him in.” Qi Yue stood up and said.

A’Ru smiled somewhat helplessly.

“The child refuses to come in, he’s at the gate.” she said.

Qi Yue shook her head.

“Fine, I’ll go invite this old gentleman.” she smiled, telling Chang Yuncheng to wait a moment before walking out.

Chang Yuncheng put down his bowl and chopsticks, feeling his heartbeat return to normal, somewhat relieved but also somewhat regretful.