111, Questioning (2 more)
Yuanbao was shocked by the question from Xie Zhinuan.
If someone had schemed against him like this, he would have eliminated them straightaway; staying calm and peaceful was not an option!
“You can’t do it, can you!” Xie Zhinuan finished speaking, huffed, and left with a smile.
Dahuang and Routuan immediately followed.
As they were leaving, Routuan gave Yuanbao another look and quickly caught up with Xie Zhinuan.
“Yuanbao!” Grandma Chen called softly.
“…”
Taking a deep breath, Yuanbao said, “Pack your things; we’ll talk back home!”
Grandma Chen, Aunt Chen, and the silly girl were reluctant to leave and didn’t want to; but now they had to. Seeing that Zhinuan seemed very angry, staying would only further provoke her wrath.
They had brought few belongings with them, but they were leaving with quite a few more items.
Several sets of summer clothes, a few pairs of shoes, everyday toiletries…
When it truly came to leaving, they only took the clothes they had worn when they first arrived, hoping in their hearts that they could come back.
After her anger subsided, Xie Zhinuan stood at the crossroads, gazing at her home and then across at the house opposite, and took a deep breath.
Having been schemed against and bullied like this, aside from speaking some harsh words, she felt powerless to do anything.
She still had to worry about retaliation, about being oppressed…
“Huu!”
She exhaled a soft breath of turbid air.
She understood more than ever that if she did not grow stronger, future bullying would continue unabated because of her appearance, and those with wicked thoughts and malice towards her would only increase.
Only by becoming strong enough could she protect herself.
When she arrived at the carpenter Yuan’s house, Xie Zhinuan explained her purpose, “I need five tables and a long cabinet; it’s for setting up a shop in town with space to display items on top and drawers below…”
“Miss Xie, do you think this would work?” A countertop that most families used as a long cabinet to place boxes or belongings on top, supported underneath by drawers sturdy enough to hold heavy items.
“…”
After thinking, Xie Zhinuan said, “I’ll take two of these, and the tables, as well as the counter and the wine cabinet…”
She bought quite a few things, arranging for them to be delivered to the town the next day.
“I’ll go with you when the time comes, to show you the way there. Get everything else ready early and send them over!”
Carpenter Yuan kept nodding.
Xie Zhinuan had bought quite a bit from him, and she was straightforward; knowing that she was in a hurry, he crafted with precision, “I’ll go see if my fellow apprentices can help bring it over!”
“Good!”
Xie Zhinuan called for Dahuang and Routuan and left.
Carpenter Yuan watched, envying how Zhinuan could keep such a smart mule. He had never seen anyone keep a mule quite like Zhinuan did, letting it roam free without fear of it getting lost.
When Xie Zhinuan got home, it was eerily quiet.
“…”
Standing at the door.
Xie Zhinuan momentarily felt disoriented.
She was used to returning to a lively home, cheerful and joyful. Now, the sudden quiet made Zhinuan lower her eyes.
Her previous anger was long gone, and now she was calm, thinking about the last month or two they had spent together, whether it was Grandma Chen, Aunt Chen, or the silly girl, they had all treated her incredibly well.
She went to open the door to the room they had stayed in. The beds were neat and tidy, the floor scrubbed clean. Opening the wardrobe, she found the clothes folded neatly inside, with towels hanging on the washstand, and their usual footwear placed tidily on the rack.
“…”
Xie Zhinuan stepped out of the room and sat on the steps under the eaves, releasing a slight sigh.
Driving them away in her anger, upon reflection, she felt regret.
Encounters are precious, and getting along well is even harder.
A rush of fury feels good for a moment, but regret is now pointless. And for her to go and ask them to come back was simply not possible.
“Sigh!”
A sigh escaped her.
Xie Zhinuan thought about cooking all the crabs to prevent them from dying and wasting money.
And she also thought that today would be the last day the children worked for now; the crabs would be a sort of thanks.
Chapter 113