Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
When Duan Yue arrived, Heng Yi was washing Han Qiaoâs feet.
Han Qiao sat on the chair while Heng Yi squatted in front of her.
âThis slave, Duan Yue, greets the lord-like, Madam.â
Han Qiao glanced at Duan Yue, âGo boil water.â
Out of the three girls who served her tonight, the one in front of her was the most pleasing to the eye.
Jianing was arrogant, and Wanwen didnât know what to say.
The person standing in front of her was quite beautiful.
âYes.â
Duan Yue went to the back room to boil water and quickly brought half a bucket over.
Seeing that the water was still there, she immediately went to pour it out, rinsed the basin, and put it back under the sink.
In the bedroom, Heng Yi was rubbing Han Qiaoâs arm.
Han Qiao whispered to Heng Yi.
Duan Yue stood outside and waited, a little distracted.
She thought of many things. She thought of her fiance, who had broken off the engagement as soon as he found out that her old masterâs family had failed.
She thought of the guilty look in Young Masterâs eyes when he looked at the maids.
She knew that if it was possible, Young Master would not sell them. They were sold willingly.
It was difficult to move forward. He needed money to survive.
Han Qiao came out of the washroom. She originally thought that Duan Yue had already gone to bed, but she didnât expect her to still be there.
She stood at the door like a wooden stake, looking a little pitiful.
âWhatâs your name again?â Han Qiao asked.
âDuan Yue.â
Han Qiao thought for a moment and asked, âDoes your name mean the first month?â
âYes.â
âWhat a good name,â Han Qiao looked at Duan Yue and asked, âWhat did you do as the head of the household before?â
âThe First Lordâs old master was an official in the court, and the First Lord was managing the family business. He was accidentally schemed against and lost all his wealth. He had no choice but to sell his property and servants to pay off his debts.â
When a tall building rises, its fall will be great.
Han Qiao understood.
She couldnât help but think of Young Master Zhong. Before the Zhong family was defeated, he was a noble young master who didnât have to worry about anything. He only cared about reading and reciting poems.
âWas your previous master surnamed Zhong?â Han Qiao suddenly asked.
Duan Yueâs calm eyes were suddenly filled with shock.
Shock, astonishment, and hope.
âYes, could it be that Madam knows about the Zhong family?â
âI donât know him personally, but Iâve met Master Zhong once. Thereâs a village outside our city that used to be owned by the Zhong family. Last year, the Zhong family urgently needed silver, so my Father bought it.â
Duan Yue instantly burst into tears.
âMadam, my Young Masterâ¦â She quickly changed her words, âIs the Young Master Zhong alright?â
âIt looks like he has survived. We only met once and he said that he was going to the north.â
Duan Yue heaved a sigh of relief.
She was afraid that the Young Master would never recover.
Now that she knew that he had pulled himself together and headed north, her heart slowly calmed down.
The Young Master is a talented person. As long as he wants to, he can be on the Golden Roll.
The Zhong clan could also be revived.
Han Qiao did not tell Duan Yue that she had placed a hundred taels of silver in Zhong Yurongâs basket of oranges in order to have more options in the future.
If Zhong Yurong went out and threw himself on the ground, with his gentle personality, he would remember her timely help that day.
If she and Heng Yi met with any trouble in the future, he wouldnât just stand by and watch. If he chose to turn a blind eye, she would just treat it as a hundred taels of silver going down the drain.
She had chosen to invest and could not blame anyone else for making a mistake.
Han Qiao glanced at Duan Yue, âGo to sleep. You donât have to wait on me here. Just wake up early tomorrow to boil water for Master.â
âYes, thank you for your concern, Madam.â
Han Qiao smiled and went to the clean room.
Duan Yue went to the back room to rest.
The back room was a little far from the main house, so she couldnât hear anything from the main house.
Han Qiao came back from the clean room, nestled in Heng Yiâs arms, and told him about the arrangements for the Han family next year.
âIn any case, using others also has its use. Using them is more reassuring for the time being.â
âWill you bring the children of the Han family over?â Heng Yi asked.
âNo, they have their own parents. What happens to them in the future is their parentsâ responsibility, not mine.â Han Qiaozao thought about this clearly.
âBesides, I donât have the time or energy to care about them.â
âIf it wasnât for the fear that He Hong would bring him into trouble, I wouldnât have taken him in.â
Han Qiao was kind, but she had her own limits.
He Cheng could be considered orphaned and homeless. After all, she just had to provide him with a bowl of rice to eat. Teaching was also a matter of convenience since her children were also learning. If one sheep was released, the others would follow. However, the children of the Han family had parents and families. She would never take on such a thankless task.
Everyone would laugh and giggle when she taught their children well.
However, if something happened, they would complain. If their children were taught badly, they would say mean things behind and to her face.
It was even possible for them to turn against each other.
Han Qiao told Heng Yi this, and he quickly understood.
âCircumstances like He Chengâs will never happen again,â Heng Yi said.
âI know that you value relationships. Itâs a good thing. At least I know that I married a kind-hearted person.â
âItâs said that the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh, but who can say that every time you clench your fist, you can turn it around?â
âYou can discipline and scold your own children if they donât listen, but you canât do so with other peopleâs childrenâ¦â
Han Qiao didnât want to talk to Heng Yi about this, as it would make him feel that she was too narrow-minded to accept.
When Heng Yi had a child of his own, he would understand the difference between his and other peopleâs children.
To treat as oneâs own was never just a word, but it was filled with a lot of sacrifice and tolerance.
âHeng Yi, we will reserve a private room for you in our restaurant. You can bring the people from the government office over for a meal.â
Heng Yi knew nothing about business.
âThen when I retire, 1 will go hunting in the mountains.â
âWhy do you want to go into the mountains to hunt? You can find a master to learn martial arts. It takes time to read and practice. These were not things that could be done overnight. You could go hunting once in a while, and you couldnât go alone. You could go twice a month, once with Constable Wangâs people, and once with Constable Qinâs people. You wouldnât offend anyone, but you would also benefit from both sides.â
Heng Yi thought carefully.
âThen you also need money to buy prey from others.â
âSilly, you can earn back all that money from the food, but the skills youâve learned are much more valuable than those three melons and two dates.â
âSometimes, capable people are popular and valued wherever they go. How much money can they earn from hunting? When you stand on high ground, you will find that money is easy to get.â
Han Qiao was afraid that Heng Yi didnât understand, so she gave him an example of a poor scholar who had been promoted to the top of the Golden Roll. From then on, not only the scholar himself but also the people around him had also been promoted to the top.
Heng Yi knew all this, but he liked to hear Han Qiao talk to him.
It hadnât been long since Han Qiao got pregnant, and she was getting thirsty after talking for a while.
Heng Yi got up and poured her some water. After drinking it, she wanted to go to the washroom.
âDonât go there. 1â11 go get the bucket.â
Han Qiao thought about how she was pregnant now. If she caught a cold and had a fever, it would be detrimental to the child.
âYes.â
She didnât have to be pretentious.
The husband and wife snuggled up to each other and had endless things to say to each other.
They talked and talked until Han Qiao said she was tired and didnât want to say anything more. She covered Heng Yiâs mouth and didnât let him make a sound.
Heng Yi smiled and kissed her hand, âGet some sleep,â
Gentle and affectionate. That was the kind of man he was.
Her heart was filled with love and infatuation, all of which were contained in these two words..