Lu Qing Shui nodded heavily, "Go, I'll go. Don't worry, I'm quick with my work and won't slack off."
Lu Qing Shui's mother also gratefully took Qi Zhen Zhen's hand, "Miss, thank you so much. If you hadn't woken me up, I, Shui'er's old mother, would have been blind. You are a benefactor to our Lu family."
"Auntie, please don't say that. My intention wasn't purely to help you. I, I also don't want my relatives to be bullied by the Xun family like this. It was the Xun family who colluded with the matchmaker back then, praising the Xun family's young lady as if she were a celestial being. I figured they were describing Shui'er's appearance. At that time, my elder brother secretly went to the county town to see her, and when he returned, he absolutely refused this marriage, saying that the Xun family's young lady was no celestial being, but the maid beside her was worthy of such praise." Qi Zhen Zhen's eyes darted around, "Alas, it's also a tribulation in my brother's fate. I don't know if heaven will allow him to overcome it."
This wasn't entirely fabricated. Song Ming Yue had mentioned that Song Ming Ze had gone to see her himself and said that the person serving the Xun family's young lady was much like what the matchmaker had described.
"You won't bully my sister like the Xun family's young lady, will you?" Lu Qing Shi asked.
"I won't sign a contract of servitude with Qing Shui. If I really wanted to bully her, she could just come back, couldn't she?"
"That's true," Lu Qing Shi smiled foolishly. "Then thank you. My sister has suffered a lot for this family since she was young. I hope she meets a good employer when she works, so she can have an easier time. Shui'er, don't worry, I'm planning to join a merchant caravan to trade. This will surely earn money, and I'll save up a generous dowry for you."
Lu Qing Shui's brow furrowed slightly, "Brother, you and Shan Xing Jie are just giving up like this? Are you willing?"
"I'm not willing, but what's the use of not being willing? Shan Xing's mother just looks down on our family. She knows how our family is. Shan Xing might have a hard time in the first two years after coming to our home, but my mother, my father, and I will treat her well. Your brother isn't one to slack off, and life will always have hope." Lu Qing Shi's face was firm. "Shan Xing left with her mother, which means she agreed to her mother's choice. Brother will put this matter aside, and from now on, our family will have no further dealings with the Chen family."
Being able to pick things up and put them down, there was a certain nonchalance about him.
Qi Zhen Zhen smiled and said, "A person's fate is already arranged by heaven. What is yours will be yours, and what is not yours cannot be forced."
Lu Qing Shi nodded, "Miss Qi is right. I won't think too much about anything else; I'll just do what I should do honestly."
Lu Qing Shui escorted Qi Zhen Zhen to the village entrance and thanked her earnestly again. They agreed that after the Song family's lawsuit with the Xun family was settled, Lu Qing Shui would return to Xing Hua Village with Qi Zhen Zhen.
After arriving in the county town, Qi Zhen Zhen first went to find Wen Cen and informed him of Lu Qing Shui's decision. Wen Cen breathed a sigh of relief, "As long as the Xun family doesn't make Miss Lu take the blame, the Xun family won't get away with it when this goes to court."
"It's also because the Xun family was too overbearing, otherwise it wouldn't have escalated to this point," Qi Zhen Zhen said. "I need to go back to the noodle shop to let them know. I have to hurry back, so Auntie and the others don't worry at home."
"Please send my regards. Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll bring Ming Zhu and the children back," Wen Cen said as he saw Qi Zhen Zhen out.
"No problem."
After informing Lin Rui Xue and the others at the noodle shop, Qi Zhen Zhen rode back at full speed. She arrived at her doorstep as dusk fell. The Qi family's gate was already closed. Qi Zhen Zhen knocked, and after a moment, Da Jiang's voice came from inside, "Who is it?"
"Da Jiang, it's me."
The door opened quickly. Da Jiang took the reins from Qi Zhen Zhen's hand and led the horse to the backyard.
Yun Shi and Yu Shi heard the commotion and stood at the doorway, their clothes draped over them.
"Mother, quickly go inside. It's windy at the door," Qi Zhen Zhen said, ushering Yun Shi and Yu Shi into the house.
Yu Shi eagerly took Qi Zhen Zhen's hand, "How did it go, Zhen Zhen?"
"It was just as I suspected. The Xun family wanted Qing Shui to take the blame. The Xun family told Lu Qing Shui that they would give their family a sum of money. Coincidentally, Qing Shui's brother was about to get married, so they agreed. However, the Lu family thought Qing Shui would at most be imprisoned for a period and then released. I went to the Lu family with Magistrate Wen. Magistrate Wen spoke up and said that taking the blame would result in exile to a harsh and cold region. This is not a joke. Firstly, it's a long journey, and it's uncertain if she, as a young lady, could even reach the place of exile. Even if she did, unless there was a general amnesty from the Emperor, she would never return to reunite with her family. The Lu family was stunned when they heard this and finally decided not to take the blame."
Yu Shi's grip on Qi Zhen Zhen's hand loosened slightly, "That's good, that's good. Then, will the Lu family's young lady go back on her word?"
"It doesn't seem like that kind of family. They probably agreed back then because they were deceived by the Xun family," Qi Zhen Zhen said. "Qing Shui signed a contract of temporary servitude with the Xun family, not permanent. The Xun family can't force her. If they break the contract, they only need to compensate the Xun family with one tael of silver. At that time, the Xun family must have thought that the Lu family's conditions were poor and that they wouldn't break the contract, hence their carelessness. I gave Lu Qing Shui one tael of silver. Once this matter is resolved, she will leave the Xun family. I've arranged with her that our family needs someone to mend and tidy things up, and she will come to work."
"You can't pay this one tael of silver."
"Auntie, with the relationship between our two families, are we still going to quibble over this?"
Yu Shi said as she put on her clothes, "Ming Yue is probably fast asleep in your room, so I won't sleep here. I'll go back quickly to tell my family so they can also be at ease."
"Have my eldest and second uncles returned?" Qi Zhen Zhen asked.
Yu Shi sighed, "There's no news yet."
"Auntie, don't worry. At this time, no news is good news. Think about it, if there were no treatment, eldest and second uncles wouldn't delay. If they haven't returned, it's possible they've found a famous doctor and have a way to treat Song Ming Ze?" Qi Zhen Zhen comforted her.
Yu Shi thought along Qi Zhen Zhen's lines, and indeed, it was like that. Her worried frown immediately disappeared. "I need to go back and tell them."
Qi Zhen Zhen called Da Jiang and Xiao He to accompany Yu Shi back. It was dark now, and although they were all from the same village, it was better to be safe.
Song Ming Yue was already asleep in her room, so Qi Zhen Zhen didn't return to her room and slept in Yun Shi's room.
In the morning, Qi Zhen Zhen, uncharacteristically, did not wake up very early. After the sky was bright, she opened her eyes.
Yun Shi was not in the room. She touched the place where she had slept; it was no longer warm, meaning she had likely been up for a while.
Qi Zhen Zhen slowly put on her clothes and walked out of the room.
"Breakfast is kept warm in the pot. Hurry and wash up to eat. Ming Yue went home early this morning, and Master Gu, Da Jiang, and Xiao He have all gone to work," Yun Shi said.