Liu Wan asked, "What happened?"
"Didn't you punish Concubine Xu today by making her take the child back to the Fourth Master? She took the child over and stayed all day!"
"The heir went looking for Concubine Xu this afternoon and couldn't find her. Instead, he frightened the old madam into fainting. The Residence Physician is treating her now. Concubine Xu came back smiling with Young Master Huai Shan in her arms. The heir was already in a bad mood, so he asked how she could still smile when the old madam was in such a state!"
"Concubine Xu refused to attend to the heir, and he suspected something was going on between her and the Fourth Master. They argued until the old madam woke up. She cried, 'Lord Thunder, I was wrong!' and fainted again! Then they argued even more fiercely!"
Liu Wan sighed. "Didn't Concubine Xu say I told her to take the child to see the Fourth Master?"
Pan Chun looked conflicted. "She did. Mainly, the heir was angry because Concubine Xu refused to attend to him, but also because..."
"Because of what?"
"Because the Fourth Master seems very fond of Young Master Huai Shan too. He told Concubine Xu to bring him over often."
So Xie Jin'an was jealous!
His younger brother had his eye on his child and concubine, and Xu Rourou had returned with spring breezes written all over her face. Naturally, he grew suspicious!
Xu Rourou was only happy because she thought Madam Li had put Liu Wan in her place.
And so the suspicious Xie Jin'an had thrown a tantrum!
Having worked it out, Liu Wan shook her head without a word and continued playing with Wanwan. "For the next while, no matter which of them comes looking for me, tell them I'm ill!"
"Yes, madam. I'm waiting to watch their little show too." Pan Chun's eyes gleamed with excitement.
The baby still playing on the bed opened her mouth in surprise as she digested this juicy gossip!
[Wow! That's my mother for you! She's amazing! A few casual arrangements, and she drove a wedge between my scumbag dad and his mistress, making them suspect each other.]
[But that mistress is all about looks, so it's only natural she'd reject my scumbag dad. Who'd want a pitch-black man lying beside her? If she woke up in the middle of the night, she wouldn't even be able to see him!]
[They're doomed! Tonight, that mistress won't be able to find my scumbag dad without a lantern! Hehe!]
Little Wanwan looked thoroughly satisfied with the gossip. Even the gold in her hand had lost its appeal, and she sat on the bed clapping in delight.
Much later, the older servant keeping watch at the Charity Hall hurried back again!
"First Young Madam, there's more!"
"Madam heard they were arguing and personally took Concubine Xu's elder brother over to break it up. The Residence Physician had finally managed to revive the old madam..."
"But when she saw three blackened people breaking up the fight, she fainted from fright again, crying out, 'Why are there three Lord Thunders?'"
"The Residence Physician said the old madam is getting harder and harder to treat. If she doesn't wake up soon, they'll have to summon an imperial physician from the palace!"
Pan Chun was utterly stunned!
Even Liu Wan froze for quite a while.
She asked, "And how did it end?"
The older servant slapped her thigh. "Oh, Madam has driven them all out of the Charity Hall now. The heir took Concubine Xu back to his own courtyard."
"That ink won't wash off for ten days or half a month. It looks like they'll settle down for a few days."
Liu Wan pressed her lips together in a smile.
Early the next morning, the steward assigned Qing Da's daughter to Liu Wan's Courtyard.
She was a shy, delicate-looking girl of eighteen who did not even dare lift her face when she saw Liu Wan.
"First Young Madam, my name is Qing Sheng. I... I can do any kind of work."
Qing Sheng bit her lip, her hands nervously clutching the hem of her clothes.
She seemed rather reluctant to deal with people.
[Oh, my goodness! With a body blessed with superhuman strength, she's actually shy around people!]
[There was a scene in the book where she bashfully hoisted up two men and threw them out the window. If that lecherous third uncle of mine hadn't drugged her, he would never have gotten his hands on Qing Sheng. How pitiful.]
Little Wanwan babbled a sigh and clutched her mother's lapel again.
Liu Wan gave her little finger to the baby to play with, then looked at Qing Sheng. It was hard to connect the Pretty Girl before her with a warrior who could send an ox flying.
She asked no further questions and told Pan Chun to bring some Silver Melon Seeds as a reward. "Since you've just arrived in my courtyard, start with some heavy chores. Pan Chun will arrange your lodging."
Qing Sheng raised her head slightly, then quickly lowered it again. "Yes..."
"Oh, one more thing!" Liu Wan stopped her and continued, "Don't casually eat anything other people give you, and don't go to the Third Master's courtyard again."
"Yes, I'll do as you say, First Young Madam." Qing Sheng nodded, then hurried off after Pan Chun with her head lowered.
Pan Chun arranged a room for her, then assigned her to carry water.
A maid was drawing water by the well. Qing Sheng thought carrying it back and forth was too much trouble, so she moved the water vat beside the well!
The maid had just hauled up a bucket. Looking up, she stared in bewilderment at the water vat that had appeared out of nowhere.
Then she saw Qing Sheng's bashful, apologetic face and snapped, "You brought the vat over here, but we'll still have to move it back later! What's the point of that? Is something wrong with your head?"
Qing Sheng said timidly, "D-don't shout at me. Fill it first. I... I'll carry it back myself..."
The maid rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Fine. Let's see how you carry it back!"
She hauled bucket after bucket up from the well. After finally filling the vat, she sat beside the well, panting, and scoffed, "Well, go on. Carry the vat back!"
Qing Sheng nervously stepped forward and rolled up her sleeves, revealing bulging arm muscles!
The maid stared, dumbstruck!
Qing Sheng let out an angry roar: "Raaah!"
Then she bent into a half squat, heaved with both hands, and lifted the vat full of water!
She had actually!
Lifted the water vat!
Heavens!
That vat was almost as tall as she was!
The maid's heart churned like raging seas, unable to settle for a long time!
She wondered if she had seen a ghost in broad daylight!
Ahead of her, Qing Sheng called in a shy, timid voice, "Sister... hurry and follow me!"
The maid was scared senseless. She clutched her face and let out a piercing shriek!
She ran off to tell Liu Wan!
Liu Wan, normally calm and self-possessed, leaned against the window to watch Qing Sheng work as though she had seen a ghost!
With a flick of one hand, she sent the millstone spinning several times before it stopped!
When an older servant ordered her around, she hoisted the woman up, spun her until she was dizzy, then put her back down.
All the heavy, rough work that would have taken several people days to finish, she completed in half a day!
Looking at the full water vat, the neatly arranged flour, the clothes hung out to dry, and the repaired buildings,
Liu Wan felt she had stumbled upon a real talent!
That day, people from the Liu Minister's Residence distributed free porridge to the refugees outside the city, drawing praise from the common people!
Two more days passed. Heavy rains flooded many parts of a neighboring county, and refugees flocked to the outskirts of the Capital. Fortunately, their numbers were still manageable, and the Liu Minister's Residence had prepared in advance, so the refugees were settled in an orderly manner.
The Capital was spared chaos.
Xie Jin'an heard from somewhere that this flood disaster would be easy to resolve, so he submitted a memorial volunteering to provide disaster relief.
However, he was on leave and did not go in person. In his current state, he could hardly show his face.
Xu Rourou came over and saw the refined man's back. She stepped forward and embraced Xie Jin'an. "An Lang, I was thoughtless two days ago. I knew you were still angry, and I should have explained things properly. Please don't shut me out, all right?"
Actually, after their argument, Xie Jin'an had calmed down and spoken to her.
She had also explained what happened that day, but she still had not attended to Xie Jin'an. Looking at that head of his, like a black soy-braised egg, she simply could not bring herself to kiss him!
So Xie Jin'an had been lukewarm toward her these past two days.
Now, she had heard from Madam Li that Xie Jin'an had volunteered for disaster relief. Once he succeeded and was promoted, he could give her a better status, so she kept persuading herself that he was still the same refined gentleman he had been before.
She hugged him from behind, hoping he would not turn around!
But.
Before you continue