70, Doubts About the Truth (6th Update)
Xie Zhinuan mixed the yolk with rice for Routuan, who was so delighted that it wagged its tail nonstop.
It even licked the bowl clean.
She chuckled as she went to draw water for a bath, while Aunt Chen took her clothes away to wash.
With someone taking care of these trifles, Xie Zhinuan waited for her hair to dry as she embroidered a pouch.
“Miss, your embroidery is really beautiful!” Grandma Chen praised.
She had some experience, and such beautiful embroidery was rare to see.
“I embroider to earn some pocket money. Grandma, if you’re interested, you can embroider too!”
Grandma Chen shook her head with a smile, “I’m old, and I don’t want to trouble myself with that. Silly Girl’s mother knows a bit, but can’t embroider as well as you. As for Silly Girl, there’s no need to mention her – she can handle a spear and a stick but has no clue about needlework!”
Silly Girl was playing with Routuan in the yard, looking carefree and innocent.
Aunt Chen, who was washing clothes nearby, reminded her not to dirty her clothes since she had just taken a bath.
Xie Zhinuan bowed her head to focus on the flowers she was embroidering, feeling a sense of tranquil contentment.
The Mansion
Li Hengyi put down his chopsticks and couldn’t help burping.
The porridge tasted very good, the cold cucumber salad was also flavorful, and even the eggs seemed to have less of a fishy smell.
It had been a long time since he had eaten to fullness.
“Master!” Yuanbao called out softly, glancing at the remaining vegetable porridge in the clay pot.
“Take it down and eat it!” Li Hengyi smiled lightly.
He stood up and walked slowly in the courtyard to aid digestion.
He thought that not using his power to bully others or force someone into his mansion to cook for him had been the right choice.
After all, with reluctant cooks, the slightest tampering could be life-threatening.
And he wouldn’t get to drink that well water.
As for Miss Xie…
Yuanbao had said she was extremely beautiful, with a gentle nature, seemingly uncompetitive with the world, and viewed money as dirt, without greed.
He was somewhat tempted to meet her, but realizing his own frail health and not wanting to frighten the young lady with his pale demeanor, he dismissed the thought.
At that time, Li Hengyi didn’t know that he had taken a great liking to Xie Zhinuan from the start, or that he had shown her too much kindness and consideration. If he had known, perhaps he wouldn’t have made so many mistakes and caused so many laughingstocks later on…
When night fell and turned blurry, Xie Zhinuan put away her sewing, called Silly Girl to carry water to water the vegetables in the backyard.
She didn’t know if it was her illusion, but she felt that the vegetables planted yesterday had already sprouted, poking through the soil.
But it was dark and hard to see clearly.
She planned to take a closer look the next morning.
As she lay in bed at night, she couldn’t help thinking about whether to pour another bucket of Spiritual Spring Water into the well, or maybe just half a bucket would suffice.
After all, the water in that well had already been replaced once.
From the room across, coughing sounds came from Grandma Chen, severe as if she were coughing up her lungs. Xie Zhinuan thought it over and made up her mind.
When it was the dead of night and all was silent, Zhinuan tiptoed out of bed, opened the door, went to the kitchen to get a wooden bucket, entered her room, closed the door tightly, secured the latch, and then, carrying the bucket, entered the space, brought out a bucketful, and went out to pour it into the well.
Sitting with the bucket by the well platform, Xie Zhinuan gazed at the stars and the moon in the sky.
She still had a sense of unreality about the whole situation – was this time travel real or not? If it wasn’t real, then why were her bodily pains so acute, memories so vivid, and her sensory experiences so clear? And if it was real…
She exhaled softly; if it was real, she couldn’t afford to be indifferent because there were several rooms to fill with many good things.
Covering her eyes with her hand, she then opened a small sliver between her fingers, noting that the stars in the sky seemed brighter than before.
Chapter 72