Page 25

Xiang Changge did have a point. Yu Qing knew everything about the house, and nothing ever changed much. No matter how much she wandered around, there was no fun in it. It was more like going in circles.

In the past, she definitely wouldn't have gone out.

As Xiang Changge had said, she knew every blade of grass in the house. What was there to walk around for?

But she didn't know whether it was because the other woman had tried so hard to persuade her, racking her brains until she even resorted to quoting poetry, or for some other reason. Somehow, Yu Qing had actually agreed to go out for a walk.

But going outside the villa...

Yu Qing's gaze passed over the ornate gate in the distance and landed on the silhouette of the podocarpus beyond it.

She looked away again. "Too far. I'll get tired."

She knew her own stamina. She'd be too lazy to keep going before she even reached the gate.

Xiang Changge pushed the luxurious wheelchair toward Yu Qing. A little cushion had even been thoughtfully placed on the seat. She gestured for Yu Qing to take it.

Yu Qing: "..."

After staring at the wheelchair for a while, Yu Qing looked at Xiang Changge. "I'm not crippled."

Xiang Changge: "Close enough."

Yu Qing: "?"

What kind of housekeeper dared to speak to her employer like that?

Yu Qing couldn't take it anymore. "You'd better believe I'll—"

The word "fire" was right on the tip of her tongue, but then she remembered what had happened last night. She took a deep breath and changed course. "I'll dock your pay."

Xiang Changge: "?!"

They stared at each other. In Xiang Changge's usually calm gray-brown eyes, Yu Qing saw a look of shock.

Her mood suddenly improved.

Yu Qing clasped her hands behind her back and circled halfway around Xiang Changge. The corners of her mouth curved up, like a kitten teasing its prey after catching it. "By the way, Steward Xiang, your salary must be pretty high, right?"

Xiang Changge clenched her fists.

Damn capitalists!

She barely made anything, and Yu Qing still wanted to dock her pay?!

That was right. Yu Qing couldn't fire Xiang Changge, but she could dock her pay. Unless Xiang Changge didn't care about money, it was still anyone's guess who had the upper hand.

Seeing how she'd scared Xiang Changge into silence, Yu Qing went clopping down the path toward the villa's exit.

She was in a good mood today, so she might as well go for a walk.

A person's mind could change in an instant.

Yu Qing had suddenly realized how to get Xiang Changge under her thumb.

Xiang Changge wouldn't let her sleep whenever she wanted?

Then she'd dock her pay.

Xiang Changge made her eat?

Then she'd dock her pay.

Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.

How had she not thought of this yesterday?

Besides, if she went for a walk and got tired, even if she had to sit in a wheelchair, Xiang Changge would be the one pushing her back.

The whole mountain belonged to her anyway. No one else would see them, so what did it matter?

As long as she put her pride aside, Xiang Changge would be the one doing all the work.

Yu Qing thought that tonight's sunset was inexplicably beautiful.

Trailing behind her, Xiang Changge watched the frail figure strolling away in the distance, carefree and unhurried. She blinked.

The shock in her eyes faded, leaving only the slender figure with wind-tossed hair along the stone path through the green lawn, beneath the brilliant sky.

Xiang Changge lifted the wheelchair with one hand, pressed down the corners of her mouth, and strode after her.

The sun was sinking. Crystal-clear droplets still clung to the Chinese tallow leaves, and the asphalt road was damp, but there were no puddles.

The road wound around the summit of Xiushan. With the slightest downward glance, they could see the orderly trees scattered across the mountain and the green leaves on their branches.

Farther away lay the bustling view of City A, silently telling its own story.

Xiang Changge pushed the wheelchair, following close behind Yu Qing.

Yu Qing looked at the mountain, the sky, the clouds, and the trees. Xiang Changge watched the same scenery as she did.

Night was falling, and lights gradually came on in City A's high-rises.

After gazing down at the city for a few moments, Xiang Changge gave an almost imperceptible snort.

It was a whole city, yet whether because the author was lazy or thought "City A" sounded more mysterious, that was all this place had been named.

Yu Qing walked very slowly. She hadn't exercised in a long time, and before she'd gone far from the villa, her legs had started to feel numb and tired.

Xiang Changge had guessed how much stamina she had. When they reached an observation platform on the side of the mountain, where the trees had been deliberately cleared away and the ground leveled, she stopped.

There was a little pavilion nearby to shelter from the rain, but Xiang Changge didn't take Yu Qing inside.

She thought Yu Qing ought to try spending time in places without ceilings.

They walked to the edge of the mountain, where the view grew even more beautiful and expansive. A mountain breeze swept over them, bringing the dampness left behind by the rain.

The sun had already set, leaving only its glow to brighten the clouds along the horizon.

Seeing that Yu Qing's face had gone a little pale, Xiang Changge asked her to sit in the wheelchair.

This time, Yu Qing didn't say anything.

She nestled lazily into the chair and let Xiang Changge take out mosquito repellent and spray her and the area around them. Her gaze rested on the night view in the distance below as she slowly drifted off into thought.

It had been such a long, long time since she'd gone outside.

The city not far away was so close, and yet it felt so unfamiliar to Yu Qing.

When she was young, her health had kept her from traveling everywhere.

When she grew up, she could do whatever she wanted, but by then she'd lost interest in the world.

Really, every place was the same. What made a difference was your mood, and who was there beside you.

She had only herself. So no matter where she went, it was all the same to her.

City A was so prosperous, and its nightscape so beautiful.

But among all the people there, how many truly felt happy? How many had someone by their side?

Everyone's ending was the same, no matter how different their lives might be.

If the result was always the same, then why keep struggling in this painful world?

Yu Qing's thoughts raced. A melancholy feeling knotted in her chest as she stared into the distance, the gloom on her face growing heavier and deeper—

"Miss, want something to eat?"

"..."

Like a balloon being squeezed tighter and tighter, Yu Qing's thoughts suddenly tumbled back down as if a gust of wind had sent it rolling. She followed the voice with her eyes and looked at what was in front of her.

Wait, what had happened? She'd only been lost in thought for a little while. Where had the table, food, fruit, and little bread rolls in front of her come from?

While Yu Qing had been spacing out, Xiang Changge had efficiently pulled a box out of the space beneath the wheelchair.

When she opened it, Yu Qing saw insulated lunch boxes, fruit, yogurt, little bread rolls... There were even two bags of nuts.

Xiang Changge turned the box upside down beside Yu Qing to use as a little table, then used the lid as a mat and plopped down on the ground without a second thought. Their picnic could begin.

When she asked Yu Qing, Xiang Changge was holding a large bowl of fruit salad topped with yogurt, taro balls, and brown sugar pearls.

Yu Qing pressed her lips together.

She understood now. This was just another way for Xiang Changge to coax her into eating.

So all that talk about going for a walk was really just to get her to eat in a different setting?

Xiang Changge really had gone to a lot of trouble.

Unfortunately, Yu Qing didn't have much of an appetite right now.

She licked her lips. "I don't want to eat. Just give me a yogurt."

Xiang Changge didn't try to persuade her. She simply handed Yu Qing a bottle of red-date yogurt and a straw, then picked up her fork and started eating her fruit salad.

A bite of watermelon: juicy and sweet. A bite of green grape: juicy and sweet. A bite of blueberry: juicy and tart. A bite of taro ball: soft, chewy, and springy.

Xiang Changge savored every bite, her eyes half-closed with pleasure. As she enjoyed the mountain breeze and the beautiful scenery, she felt that she couldn't possibly be any happier.

After a filling meal, she'd gone for a walk and found a lovely place to enjoy a bowl of fruit salad. It was no different from stopping to admire the maple woods. How refined. Truly refined.

Yu Qing, sipping her yogurt: "..."

Wait, Xiang Changge wasn't going to encourage her to eat something too? She was just going to sit there and eat by herself?

For some reason, Yu Qing's eyes kept drifting toward the figure beside her, who sat on the ground and was a head shorter than she was.

The woman said nothing and just kept eating, one bite after another. For a moment, Yu Qing couldn't tell whether all this food had been brought for her or for Xiang Changge.

Yu Qing had thought she wasn't hungry, but suddenly she felt ravenous.

Should she eat a little too?

Fine. She'd have some. But it would be a little embarrassing to ask for it herself. She'd wait until Xiang Changge asked again if she wanted something, then nod.

Thanks to the mosquito repellent, neither of them got bitten while they sat there.

The mountaintop wasn't stuffy in the evening. If she hadn't been feeling a little hungry, the moment would have been quite pleasant.

Sipping her yogurt, Yu Qing watched helplessly as Xiang Changge finished a whole bowl of fruit salad and then picked up a little bread roll and took two bites.

Smelling the bread's sweet aroma while watching a live broadcast of a "foodie streamer," Yu Qing couldn't help swallowing.

That little bread roll looked delicious.

The little rolls had been baked in the kitchen, and there was a layer of cheese on top.