Xiao Qi, Wait!

Qian Xiao Qi woke up to a body of pain. Like usual she opened her eyes and rolled her shoulders. She stared at the beaded curtains for a long time and realised she wasn’t sleeping on the table. Why was she lying on a bed? Didn’t she sleep on the table? She didn’t have a habit of finding a man in the middle of the night. She looked left and right. Why did her body ache? She didn’t know what happened last night, and didn’t know what to do except cry.
Qian Xiao Qi cursed the bandit. The opportunist Song Liang Zhuo must have took advantage of her while she was sleeping to have a wedding night. Why else would her whole body ache? A wild beast was indeed a wild beast.
The sounds of Liu Lu’s footsteps interrupted Qian Xiao Qi self-pity tears.
‘Mistress, you’re awake,’ Liu Lu said. ‘Master is at the magistrate court. Mistress, don’t be disheartened. Every woman has to go through this in their life.’
Liu Lu did her best to suppress her happiness for Qian Xiao Qi. ‘Now Lady Shang Ruo Pai knows the truth. Mistress, didn’t I tell you that it’s you who master cares about?’
Liu Lu wanted to pull the blanket off Qian Xiao Qi’s body so Qian Xiao Qi’s life would be smoother at the Song Manor after members of the Song Household saw proof that Qian Xiao Qi was no longer a maiden. But Qian Xiao Qi held onto the blanket. Liu Lu took Qian Xiao Qi by surprise by pulling the blanket off Qian Xiao Qi’s feet first. It was Liu Lu who was surprised, because Qian Xiao Qi was wearing the same dress from a day ago.
‘Mistress, did you sleep with your dress on?’ Liu Lu asked.
Qian Xiao Qi rejoiced she was still wearing the same dress before she slept. She was happy her body was whole.
‘Does this mean nothing happened?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked.
A disappointed Liu Lu let go of the blanket. ‘Mistress, how can you be this happy?’
‘Of course I can be this happy,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘Now I’m hungry.’
Qian Xiao Qi jumped out of bed and accepted the wash cloth from Liu Lu.
A jealous Shang Ruo Pai walked into Qian Xiao Qi’s bedchamber uninvited.
‘What did you and big brother Zhuo do last night?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked.
‘What else can master and mistress do at night in their bedchamber?’ Liu Lu asked. ‘Lady Shang Ruo Pai, you shouldn’t ask ridiculous questions.’
Shang Ruo Pai’s face turned angry red and accused Qian Xiao Qi.
‘You!’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘You forced him! You don’t know how to feel shame.’
‘It’s you who doesn’t know how to feel shame!’ Qian Xiao Qi said angrily.
‘It’s you who should feel shame, you forced big brother Zhuo to do that last night with you,’ Shang Ruo Pai said.
‘Lady Shang Ruo Pai, you’re mistaken,’ Liu Lu said. ‘Master and mistress happily spent last night together.’
‘What is there for me to misunderstand?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked resentfully.
‘Why are you two being noisy even before my meal?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked. ‘You two should wait until after eating a meal.’
Shang Ruo Pai and Liu Lu humphed at each other.
Qiao Xiao Qi rubbed her stomach, and happily washed her face and brushed her teeth. Then she sat at the table and waited for Liu Lu to serve her meal.
Liu Lu was still angry at Shang Ruo Pai’s haughtiness, and grudgingly walked to the kitchen.
Shang Ruo Pai sat arrogantly opposite Qian Xiao Qi.
‘You shouldn’t be smug,’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘Even if you and big brother Zhuo did that last night, it doesn’t mean anything. Because it doesn’t mean that Aunty Song will let you through the threshold!’
Qian Xiao Qi was in an extraordinary good mood, and nodded her head merrily. ‘Lady Shang Ruo Pai, how long are you planning to stay here?’
‘Don’t think you can chase me away,’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘This is big brother Zhuo’s home. Big brother Zhuo won’t let me leave.’
Qian Xiao Qi waved her hands. ‘I don’t want to chase you away. In a couple of days, I’m going home to talk to my family about the situation. I won’t be an obstacle for you and Song Liang Zhuo to be together. You can keep him.’
‘What?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked. ‘Are you saying the truth?’
‘Yes!’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Qian Xiao Qi believed a man who hit woman wasn’t a good man. She couldn’t rely on a man like Song Liang Zhuo for the rest of her life. She wondered who taught her about the difference between a good and a bad man.
‘In the past, didn’t you deeply love big brother Zhuo?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked suspiciously.
‘He doesn’t love me,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘He hit me because of you. It’s best if I go back home.’
Shang Ruo Pai felt guilty. ‘About that day… I had trouble breathing. Won’t you injured too? Big brother Zhuo asked someone to find soothing cream for you.’
‘Didn’t you say you want to be together with your big brother Zhuo?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked. ‘If I leave, you should be happy.’
‘I am happy,’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘You should leave now.’
‘Come find me after I leave and I’ll take you sightseeing,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘Tong Hua Province has many beautiful sceneries.’
‘Who needs you to take me sightseeing?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked. ‘Have you thought about what will happen after big brother Zhuo divorces you? You won’t be able to marry another man.’
‘Nothing happened between me and him,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I’m curious, can you give me a reason why can’t I marry another man?’
Shang Ruo Pai deluded herself that no one forced Qian Xiao Qi to leave. Shang Ruo Pai thought that Qian Xiao Qi couldn’t blame her if she stole Song Liang Zhuo.
In the afternoon, Qian Xiao Qi ate everything except her enemy the plate of grilled pork meat.
‘Aren’t you from a rich family?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked. ‘Why don’t you have any ladylike traits? Your family must have spoiled you. Big brother Zhuo avoided a bad fate.’
After Qian Xiao Qi generously gave up Song Liang Zhuo, Shang Ruo Pai stopped bullying Qian Xiao Qi and they got along better.
‘My future husband will have a good fate,’ Shang Ruo Pai said and talked about the past.
Shang Ruo Pai liked talking to Qian Xiao Qi about Song Liang Zhuo’s childhood.
‘What happened next?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked while chomping on watermelon seeds.
‘Big brother Zhuo often took me out to play,’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘Big brother Zhuo took me horse riding. He’s good at improvising poetry. Aunty Song is proud of him. The truth is big brother Zhuo didn’t need to take the imperial examination to be a small magistrate here. But he wanted to rely on his own strengths to build his future. I always knew big brother Zhuo would become a first rank scholar. Big brother Zhuo is an impressive person.’
Qian Xiao Qi smiled at Shang Ruo Pai and continued to chomp on watermelon seeds.
‘The truth is big brother Zhuo likes women who are gentle and improvise poetry with him,’ Shang Ruo Pai said. ‘Someone who is like a gentle breeze or warm sunlight in the sky.’
Shang Ruo Pai looked up dreamily out at the sky. ‘I wonder if a celestial woman exists. Someone who has a snow white complexion, at once glance will give off a feminine aura and is educated too. Someone who is a shy beauty but can move a gentleman’s heart.’
Shang Ruo Pai shook her head, and looked closely at Qian Xiao Qi. Shang Ruo Pai thought Qian Xiao Qi was the opposite of Song Liang Zhuo’s ideal woman. Qian Xiao Qi was a weakling, had a slow mind and had a wide smile.
Qian Xiao Qi heard about Song Liang Zhuo’s ideal woman, and she couldn’t help spitting out watermelon seeds.
‘You don’t have beauty,’ Shang Ruo Pai said.
Qian Xiao Qi poked out her tongue. ‘A celestial woman doesn’t exist in the world. Even if a celestial woman existed, she wouldn’t bother to glance at a small magistrate like Official Song.’
Qian Xiao Qi held up her pinky finger. ‘A small official is like a small mung bean.’
‘Who cares about power?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked defensively.
Qian Xiao Qi carefully wrapped the leftover watermelon seeds in a handkerchief and put it in her dress sleeve.
‘Why are you acting like there are scarce watermelon seeds?’ Shang Ruo Pai asked.
‘If I don’t take ownership of watermelon seeds that doesn’t belong to me, I won’t know how many people have drooled on them,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Shang Ruo Pai had trouble swallowing the watermelon seed in her mouth, and she put the watermelon seeds in her hand back on the table.
Qian Xiao Qi felt like the day past quickly when she had someone to talk to during the day.
In the evening, the family dinner consisted of three people like usual.
‘Meat shouldn’t be reheated and eaten because it’ll make someone ill,’ Qiao Xiao Qi said.
‘This is leftover meat from the afternoon,’ Song Liang Zhuo said. ‘Not wasting food is a rule in the Song Manor.’
‘Oh,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I’m only worried everyone will have diarrhea.’
Shang Ruo Pai lost her appetite.
Qian Xiao Qi thought Shang Ruo Pai looked ill. But Qian Xiao Qi reasoned Shang Ruo Pai had Song Liang Zhuo to care about Shang Ruo Pai so Qian Xiao Qi didn’t need to worry about Shang Ruo Pai.
Qian Xiao Qi focused on eating dinner comfortably.
Song Liang Zhuo’s chopsticks circled the table. Like Shang Ruo Pai, he lost his appetite too, and watched Qian Xiao Qi eat.
Qian Xiao Qi felt uncomfortable eating while Song Liang Zhuo and Shang Ruo Pai held their chopsticks and watched her eat.
‘Official Song, I want to go home tomorrow,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Shang Ruo Pai said.
‘Official Song, you don’t need to come home with me,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘You’re busy at the magistrate court. I can go home on my own.’
‘It’s no trouble,’ Song Liang Zhuo said.
Qian Xiao Qi felt like she was in the presence of a demon while looking at Song Liang Zhuo.
‘I have something I need to discuss with father-in-law,’ Song Liang Zhuo said.
‘Oh,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Qian Xiao Qi thought Song Liang Zhuo was a cunning fox. He had his own agenda to see her family, but he acted like he was a good husband by escorting her home to see her family. A cunning fox like him was untrustworthy. She wondered who taught her about untrustworthy men.
***
End of Chapter Four