Chapter 36 Spring Ploughing

Zhang Wenchi spent eight out of ten days in a restaurant near Qi's residence, and every day he asked his servants to stay at the residence and monitor Qi Sui's actions. Today, he finally saw something unusual happening in the Qi Mansion. He filled the cup with wine, offered it with both hands, and said, "Please enjoy, sir."

The fourth master looked at him and felt that he looked familiar. He took the cup and asked, "Have I seen you before?"

Zhang Wenchi did not deny it, he admitted generously: "When Master Qi was here, I went to visit him. Maybe you met me at that time."

"That's it." The fourth master felt relieved to drink and said: "Your eyes are very strange, I won't be mistaken. You are the second son of the Zhang family, right?" He tried his best to recall, and remembered that when Qi Dalang was in power, a young man came to the mansion, and said: "You are... Zhang Wenchi."

Zhang Wenchi smiled. He nodded and clinked the cup against his.

"You didn't come to me just to have a drink." The fourth master wasn't stupid. He knew that someone he had never talked to before suddenly invited him out. It couldn't be that he was a rare friend. He was probably asking for something else.

Zhang Wenchi wasn't afraid that he could see through his thoughts. It was such a person who was the best to negotiate terms with. He said softly, "What you can't get from Qi Sui, I can give you."

"What do you want?" asked the fourth master.

"Of course I can't give it away for free."

Qi Sui returned to Yunyan Village. While she was making a fire and cooking, Changsheng in the cowshed kept calling out. She stood up, dusted off the ashes, lifted the curtain and went out, and saw Shen Yu standing in front of Changsheng.

Shen Yu turned around, pointed at Changsheng and said, "I didn't expect him to keep calling you."

Qi Sui drew a basin of water from the well and asked, "Why did you come back?"

"It seems I disturbed you." Shen Yu lowered her eyebrows , she felt that she wasn't very happy, and said: "Then I will come another day."

Qi Sui washed her hands and smelled them carefully to see if there's any peculiar smell. once she's satisfied only then she dared to hold Shen Yu's hand and said: "I have been looking forward to your coming back day and night. How could you disturbing me?"

Shen Yu raised her eyes and asked, "Really?"

"Really." She nodded vigorously.

"Today I have persuaded my father and brother that i will stay here and not go to the capital."

Qi Sui felt shocked and said, "Ah? That is the capital."

Shen Yu looked at her and said, "I have made up my mind to teach children to read and write in the school. I will not change my mind."

Qi Sui felt a little distressed, but seeing her determined eyes, she said: "Since this is what you want to do, I will support you."

"That's good." Shen Yu chuckled.

At this time, a strange smell came from the kitchen. Qi Sui sniffed it several times and exclaimed,

"My dinner!"

After the beginning of spring, Qi Sui officially started spring ploughing. She first bought a large number of super hybrid rice seeds, and then planted them according to the size of the fields. then Distribute it to each farmer and sow together. As for Cheng An's farm, he planted various fruits and crops in spring according to Qi Sui's arrangement. After working from early morning to afternoon, Qi Sui finished work early, went home to change clothes, and took Changsheng to Qi Mansion.

Today is Shen Yu's first day of classes in the school. Although there are only five girls, Qi Sui is still nervous until she sees Shen Yu's confident and generous appearance in the school. She finally felt relieved.

She waited for a long time behind the stone in the yard, and heard a little girl say, "Sister Yu, I'm hungry."

Shen Yu then noticed that the sun was about to set, and said apologetically, "I was negligent, today's learning ends here, we'll continue tomorrow again."

Mother Song brought several maids with her, and they walked into the yard carrying several bowls of noodles. She saw Qi Sui hiding, and asked with concern: "Miss, why are you standing in the wind?"

Qi Sui was startled and stammered: "I...I thought...the flowers were in full bloom, so I took a look at ......".

The maids were amused by the tone of her words, Shen Yu also noticed this side of the movement, so she moved over.

"Qi Sui..." Realizing that Mother Song and others were also here, Shen Yu quickly changed the topic: "Madam Qi."

Qi Sui asked knowingly: "Is the class over?"

Shen Yu nodded. Both of them were very reserved. Mother Song didn't notice anything unusual between them. She just said, "I asked the kitchen to cook a few bowls of noodles. Madam Shen has been teaching since the afternoon. Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first. I also told the children not to go home hungry."

Qi Sui came up to her and said coquettishly, "I wonder if Mother Song has prepared any for me? I am also very hungry."

Mother Song asked the maids to send some to the children first, without giving her any face, and said "No."

Shen Yu suddenly said, "If not, Madam Qi can eat with me."

Qi Sui looked at Shen Yu with emotion. It turned out that a friend in need is a friend indeed. She said, "I will definitely accept Madam Shen's kindness."

How could Song's mother really let her share the meal with Shen Yu? She said frankly, "The miss's portion is being heated in the kitchen. I'm afraid it will be cold when you return home."

Qi Sui smiled innocently, "I knew Mother Song's couldn't bear to see me hungry."

After Mother Song left, she saw Shen Yu lowering her head, not knowing what she was thinking. After making sure that there was no one around the yard, she dared to hook her fingers and said to her, "Thank you for your hard work today. You spoke very well."

Qi Sui took advantage of the fact that no one was around and tapped on her forehead in a quick motion. "Reward a small red flower."

Shen Yu raised her finger, touched it lightly, and asked with a hint of expectation in her eyes: "Will there be one tomorrow?"

"There will be one every day."

As long as it is what she wants, Qi Sui will try her best to give it to her.

After eating the noodles, the two rushed back to Yunyan Village before the sun set completely. There were several farmers standing at the entrance of the village, all of whom were the girl's parents. The girls gripped the cart window and poked out their bodies, waving to them. The farmers also smiled, and when Qi Sui came to them, they took their daughters and said to her, "Thank you Sister Sui for sending them to the school in the mansion in the morning and bringing them back in the afternoon."

"I don't work hard." Qi Sui waved her hand and pointed to Shen Yu behind her, saying, "The one who teaches is Madam Shen, she works hard."

Shen Yu didn't want to be known, but Qi Sui seemed to have to let people know about her and approached her. The farmers turned to Shen Yu and said, "Thank you, Madam Chen. My daughter couldn't afford to go to school because of us. Thank you so much."

Shen Yu hurriedly "I'm glad I can help you all."

A little girl held the hand of an adult and said, "Mother, Sister Yu taught me a lot of words today. She is so amazing." The farmers laughed even more happily.

A few days later, The news that Shen Yu opened a school spread throughout Yunyan Village. There were a few more girls in the Qi Mansion's private school, and the sound of reading aloud could be heard every day. The empty huge house became lively, and Mother Song feel happy to prepare food and snacks for the children. So the news spread in the town that the Qi Mansion was opening a free private school, and this news naturally reached Zhang Wenchi's ears.

He pushed open the window, leaving a crack through which he could see Qi Sui leading a cow and talking to a servant outside the gate.

Zhang Wenchi tilted his head and asked the servant beside him: "Is she like this every day?"

"Yes, I asked the servants in the Qi Mansion, and they said that the child was raised by Madam Qi and his name is Changsheng."

"Changsheng." Zhang Wenchi said then laughed softly, his eyes following Qi Sui: "Who do you want to let live forever?" He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and asked: "How is the master practicing?"

The servant said: "The technique is very good. "He is very skilled and seems to have basic skills."

"Let him practice more to avoid mistakes."

Zhang Wenchi was about to get up and leave when he saw Qi Sui holding a pair of hands, but he couldn't see it clearly. When he opened the window, the person had already walked into the carriage and he could only catch a glimpse of a piece of her clothes.

Zhang Wenchi grabbed the servant's hand and asked, "Who has been in Qi's house these days?"

The servant thought for a while and said, "There is indeed a young lady who walks with Madam Qi every day. It's said that she is a teacher, but she's wearing a curtain, so I did not get a good look."

His face darkened, and the servant's voice became smaller and smaller, looking at him timidly. The servant who usually followed him last time said something wrong and never appeared again. Now it was his turn to follow Zhang Wenchi.

"Idiot." Zhang Wenchi glanced at him and said in a cold voice: "What's the big deal about a curtain? You can open it by any means you can think of."

The servant lowered his head, clenched his fingers, and didn't dared to breathe.

Shen Yu suddenly felt uneasy and subconsciously talked to Qi Sui, "Did you leave anything behind?"

"No." Qi Sui sat beside her, noticed the uneasiness on her face, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, I just feel uneasy."

Qi Sui pressed the back of her hand against her forehead, her free hand also tested her own forehead and said, "Same, no problem."

Shen Yu chuckled, "I was overthinking."

She looked distressed and said, "You haven't had a good rest these days, maybe you're tired."

Shen Yu shook her head and said, "It doesn't matter. If the children are happy, I am happy too."

A few days later, Qi Sui planted several pear trees in the orchard in the village. She wiped her sweat and said, "I have to learn how to make pear soup."

Changsheng was eating grass by the field, watching her silently. Qi Sui touched his head and said, "Eat more."

After a spring rain, Qi Sui held up an umbrella to cover her and Changsheng's head walked through the muddy country road before they arrived at the Qi Mansion. Qi Sui's clothes were mostly wet, so she went to change first. The servant took Changsheng to the stable as usual. After a while, Qi Sui heard someone whispering outside the house, pushed open the door and asked, "What happened?"

The maid said, "The miss's cow is missing."

"Changsheng is missing?" she asked anxiously,

"wasn't he dragged to the stable by the servant?"

The maid said, "The servant is missing too."

"Tell the steward to check who is absent from the mansion." Qi Sui stabilizes her mind and tries to calm herself, "Summon the mansion servants first."

She looked at the servants standing in the outer courtyard, and the steward said: "Miss, the servant who usually takes care of Changsheng is also here."

"What's his name?"

"Miss, it's Chen Yun."

Qi Sui looked at him and asked, "Did you take Changsheng to the stable today?"

Chen Yun told her, "No, I was only on duty in the morning, and I went back home in the afternoon and just arrived at the mansion."

Others also testified for him. Qi Sui was at a loss for a moment. Her umbrella just happened to block her view. See the appearance of the servant who came to greet her. The gatekeeper was sleepy and didn't notice what was happening outside.

Just when Qi Sui was at a loss, the steward came running over and said, "Miss!"

She thought he had found Changsheng, but she saw him holding a bag, with blood soaking the fabric and dripping onto the ground. Qi Sui's fingers trembled as she lifted the dirty cloth, revealing a pile of bones.