Chapter 420 No Need to Steal Kisses Anymore
Qi Luquan felt deeply embarrassed. In his old age, he was being forced to leave. But whom could he blame? Only his granddaughter for being so troublesome and doing things that annoyed people.
Qi Luquan sighed. The matter had reached this point; whether he wanted to or not, he had to make a decision.
"I choose to stay in the Bai Rong Brigade, and I hope everyone will give Xuanxuan another chance."
Actually, it would have been less embarrassing for Qi Luquan to take Qi Xuan back to Mi Province. However, given Qi Xuan's foolish nature, she wouldn't be able to manage on her own after he was gone. By staying in the Bai Rong Brigade, the Ye family could at least help Qi Xuan after his death.
"Alright, Uncle Qi can find the village chief to choose a plot of land himself. Once the house is built, you can move then."
Qi Luquan sighed and glanced at Ye Ba. This look brought a pang of sadness to Ye Ba, but he said nothing, only patting Qi Luquan on the shoulder.
"Old Ye, I'm sorry. I didn't raise Xuanxuan well."
"Let's not talk about it. We'll talk to her properly when the child returns."
Qi Xuan had been in a coma for two full days. When she woke up, her first sensation was that she was about to explode from holding it in. However, she didn't even have the strength to get up from the ground. As she leaned against the wall to stand, she nearly stumbled and peed herself.
The person guarding Qi Xuan didn't help her up. They merely gave a few instructions and left, which infuriated Qi Xuan to no end. They told her to hurry back once she woke up. The person she wanted to see was no longer in Zhen City, and they couldn't even be bothered to say an extra word.
Qi Xuan could no longer afford to care about anything else. Leaning against the wall, she found the toilet and relieved herself. When she returned to the courtyard, everyone was indeed gone.
Qi Xuan was now cold, hungry, and weak. She also felt a slight fever. However, thinking of Shang Shaoyan, nothing else mattered. She had to rush back to check on Shang Shaoyan's condition.
Qi Xuan first went to the state-run restaurant and ordered a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach, fearing she wouldn't make it back otherwise.
Qi Xuan couldn't take the train, so she had to hitch rides on buses or cargo trucks. All along the way, she was groggy and was taken advantage of quite a bit. Fortunately, Qi Xuan had a dagger with her, and she even managed to injure one of the drivers, which allowed her to finally return home safely.
Qi Xuan stumbled into the courtyard, managed a weak smile at Ye Shengge, and then collapsed.
"Qi Xuan, quickly help her up."
Qi Luquan also rushed out upon hearing the commotion, but Qi Xuan's eyes were fixed on no one but A Long, who was closest to her, as she asked, "Has Shang Shaoyan returned?"
Qi Luquan slapped her across the face, his old face flushed with anger. "You unfilial wretch! Look at yourself, and you're still thinking about others? Are you trying to anger me to death?"
Qi Xuan reached out and grabbed her grandfather again. A Long seized the opportunity to hand her over to Qi Luquan and quickly extricated himself.
"Grandpa, just tell me how Shang Shaoyan is. I won't rest easy otherwise."
"Thank you for your concern, but I hope you won't show concern for me in the future."
Shang Shaoyan hadn't wanted to come out, but he became extremely agitated upon hearing someone constantly fussing over him. He truly didn't need to be constantly worried about by a woman.
Qi Xuan immediately turned her head upon hearing the familiar voice. When she saw Shang Shaoyan covered in bandages, tears welled up in her eyes. "How did you get so badly injured?"
"Stop! Comrade Qi Xuan, we are not familiar with each other. I don't need your concern, nor do I need you to cry for me. Please do not interfere in my affairs in the future to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings."
Qi Xuan couldn't believe what she was hearing. She choked on her words and fainted.
"Xuanxuan, Xuanxuan, quickly save her!"
Ye Shengge shook her head helplessly. What a mess. Someone was so self-righteous, assuming their efforts would be accepted without question. Now that she's faced with reality, she can't accept it.
However, Shang Shaoyan was right. Since he wasn't interested, he shouldn't give her any hope. Saying the most heartless words was best for her.
But Ye Shengge was truly fed up. She just wished that the Qi and Shang families would leave quickly and return her peaceful home.
After Elder Fan's examination, he discovered it was just a cold, requiring only a few doses of medicine. Everyone stopped worrying. They carried the person back to her room and paid no further attention.
Zi Yisheng patted Shang Shaoyan on the shoulder with a look of sympathy. Shang Shaoyan expressionlessly brushed aside Zi Yisheng's hand and turned back to his room. Did he need sympathy?! If there was a next time, he might actually take action against the woman who pestered him.
Third Master Shang and Second Master Shang listened from inside the room, both feeling helpless.
"Miss Qi is truly sincere towards Shaoyan, but it's a bit pathological."
"Pathological? Just because she likes him, she expects Shaoyan to like her back? There are many people who like Shaoyan; if he had to respond to each one, he'd be exhausted. Stop worrying about it. Your son is destined to be a bachelor."
"You! How can you be an uncle like that?"
Qi Luquan looked at his unconscious granddaughter on the bed, his heart bleeding. If he had more grandchildren, he wouldn't tolerate Qi Xuan like this. She had disgraced him completely in his lifetime.
Elder Fan, after brewing the medicine, brought it over. Seeing Qi Luquan's dark expression, he sighed helplessly. "Old Qi, everyone has their own way of living. This is fate. Look at it with an open mind. You can't protect her forever. Let her suffer some losses while you're alive, and perhaps she'll come to her senses later."
"I understand. I can't watch over her for a lifetime. Fine, let her do whatever she wants from now on. Anyway, no one will manage her anymore."
Qi Luquan decided to entrust all the money he had to Ye Huaijin. After he was gone, if Qi Xuan couldn't make ends meet, he would give her some, just enough to keep her from starving. If Qi Xuan had children in the future, the money could be left to them.
With these thoughts, Qi Luquan couldn't sit still. Qi Xuan's current reliance was on money and him, her grandfather. Now, he had to deal with the money and stop indulging her.
Ye Ba felt a headache coming on upon hearing Qi Luquan's words. They would eventually return to Ming City. He couldn't possibly find someone to watch over Qi Xuan constantly; that would be creating trouble for himself.
"Old Qi, you're in good health now. These thoughts are unnecessary."
"Old Ye, I have no one else to turn to but you. My decision is to make Xuanxuan lose everything, to leave her no capital for her whims. Otherwise, I truly won't be able to rest in peace."
Ye Ba dared not accept this task. He just wanted to discuss it with his daughter first, especially since his daughter had strongly resisted Qi Xuan this time.
Ye Shengge was chatting with Zi Yisheng at his home. After being apart for a few days, their relationship had heated up rapidly, and they wanted to spend time together.
Zi Yisheng secretly rolled his eyes upon seeing his father-in-law enter. These people were all obstacles to him and the little girl developing their relationship. When they returned to Ming City, he would live far away, or they would visit his home every day.
Ye Shengge was unhappy upon hearing her father's account. Who had the time to help manage someone else's money? Any shortage or surplus would become trouble.
"Dad, it's better to have one less trouble than one more. Look at Qi Xuan; she'll definitely be a troublemaker in the future. Since we've already fallen out, there's no need to get involved anymore. Sometimes, softness of heart can kill. I just want our family to be safe and sound and don't want to meddle in other people's business."
Ye Ba sighed. They had lived together for over a year. Even without deep affection, reaching this point was still difficult. Fine, his daughter came first. Otherwise, his wife wouldn't let him sleep in their room.
"Actually, Qi Luquan is just afraid he can't protect all that gold. It's the same if he exchanges it for cash and deposits it in the bank, as long as Qi Xuan doesn't know."
"Yes, why don't we exchange it for him?"
Ye Ba's first thought was that his daughter had cash, even more cash than the county bank. It was better to exchange it with his daughter than the bank.
Ye Shengge wasn't interested. She was truly afraid of Qi Xuan. Qi Xuan was fine as a friend, but when it came to matters of the heart, she became irrational. It was perfectly normal for Qi Xuan to betray friendship for love. Such a person could only be cut off.
How could Qi Luquan disagree? He wanted everything done before Qi Xuan woke up. After giving Qi Xuan her medicine, he opened the secret passage in the room, not forgetting to pull Ye Ba in with him.
Counting, there were twenty-seven boxes of gold remaining. Qi Luquan waved his hand, telling Ye Ba to find someone to take them away. The money could be given at any time.
Zi Yisheng arrived with his men. They counted each box clearly, even calculating the total amount for Qi Luquan based on the current market price of gold, as the cash still needed to come from his wife.
Ye Shengge smiled wryly, looking at the slip of paper in her hand with the calculated amount. "You say you don't want to be entangled with Qi Xuan, yet you're making money from someone else. It's a bit unscrupulous."
"How is it unscrupulous? Perhaps in the future, Qi Xuan will find a gigolo to scam money from, and none of this gold will be left. We are doing a good deed."
Ye Shengge liked money and gold, but she didn't need to be tempted by twenty-odd boxes of gold. The black market regularly supplied a lot of gold. Now, many people were exchanging gold for food.
"Heh heh, doing a good deed is great. I hope Qi Xuan never finds out that I exchanged her family's gold in this lifetime."
Ye Shengge used her mind to produce several sacks of cash and placed them on the ground, also storing the gold in her spatial dimension. "Send it over. Have Uncle Qi write me a receipt. I don't want any trouble later. Also, include the details you wrote down on the receipt."
Zi Yisheng liked his little girl's cautiousness. She was smart and rational. How did he meet her? Zi Yisheng quickly leaned in and kissed the little girl's rosy lips while they were alone in the room. Ye Shengge looked at the man like a cat caught stealing fish and took the initiative to wrap her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. "Next time you want to kiss, you don't have to act like a thief."
They were getting married in less than a year. In their previous lives, weren't hugging and kissing a normal part of dating? A superficial peck wasn't satisfying.
Zi Yisheng's heart trembled with excitement. He felt that his efforts had made the little girl love him more. The kissing didn't stop.
While the two were immersed in their sweet affection, the stumbling block appeared again.
"What are you doing with the door closed in broad daylight?"
Ye Mu'en knocked heavily on the door, feeling that Zi Yisheng was up to no good.
Zi Yisheng helplessly hugged the little girl to calm some of his physiological reactions, and he didn't forget to complain in her ear. "Shengge, aren't they too annoying?"
"Pfft, I think they're okay."
"I feel very bad."
"Bang bang bang, open the door quickly, or I'll kick it down!"
Zi Yisheng reluctantly let go of the little girl, touching her slightly swollen red lips with his hand. "Looks like I'll get beaten again."
Ye Shengge laughed even more happily, not forgetting to signal her boyfriend to open the door quickly.
Ye Mu'en's eyes widened. He pushed Zi Yisheng away impatiently upon seeing him and, upon entering the room, immediately saw his sister's slightly swollen lips. "I knew you wouldn't be doing anything good."
Actually, Ye Mu'en wasn't a prude. He just couldn't stand seeing his sister being taken advantage of. This was probably the mindset of all brothers with sisters.
Ye Mu'en didn't want his sister to lose face, so he didn't bring it up again. Seeing the money on the ground, he picked up a sack at a time and left. "I've been assigned to help Old Qi store money. They're always looking for things to do."
Ye Shengge also stood up, deliberately teasing Zi Yisheng. "Always looking for things to do, hahahaha!"
Zi Yisheng was in a good mood. From now on, with his little girl's permission, he could kiss whenever he wanted. Even Ouyang, who was getting married soon, didn't have this "honor."
After the fever subsided, Qi Xuan also regained consciousness. Perhaps she had been delirious earlier, but her first question was still about Shang Shaoyan's condition. Qi Luquan was too angry to have any energy left and spoke in a very detached tone. "I don't know. You can ask yourself."
Even in her confusion, Qi Xuan could sense her grandfather's displeasure. "Grandpa, what's wrong? I know I shouldn't have run away, but I'm back safely now, aren't I?"
"Heh heh, yes. You're so capable, always returning safely. I hope you'll have such luck next time."
Qi Xuan reached out to grab her grandfather's sleeve but was dodged. "Grandpa, I won't do this again, and I won't like Shang Shaoyan anymore. I will be obedient."
"Don't! Please don't make any promises to me. Do whatever you want from now on, but one thing I'll inform you of first: don't ask me for money anymore. I've already transferred the gold in the secret passage to plan for my old age."
Qi Xuan didn't know if she truly didn't care about the money or didn't believe her grandfather, but she didn't seem to care at all that her grandfather said he wouldn't give her money.
"Oh, right. We'll be moving out soon. You'll have to learn to cook and wash clothes, and go to the fields to earn work points. I can't possibly serve you and support you for a lifetime, can I?"
"What? Why do we have to move? Aren't we living here well? We still have our rooms here, and there's enough space."
"Heh heh, why? Because of you, because you disregarded everything for a man, because your repeated stubbornness has annoyed others, because you are a big trouble, is that enough? Is that enough!"
Qi Xuan was stunned. How had she become a big trouble? How had she become someone who annoyed others? Was it just because she went to save Shang Shaoyan?
"But."
"Stop. No 'buts.' I don't want to hear it, and others don't want to hear it either. You should rest and recover first. I'm going to find the village chief to approve a plot of land, and we need to hurry to build the house."
Qi Xuan watched her grandfather leave. She quickly put on her shoes, got out of bed, and ran to the courtyard. She found no one in the house. Hearing sounds from Second Master Shang's room next door, she couldn't help but walk over.