bayedsolid Chapter 208 Letter
Chapter 208 Letter
In the end, Qingning couldn't resist Prince Jing's insistence and obediently rode in his carriage. She had originally planned to speak privately with Li Xiaonuan first, but Wei Yu strongly objected, citing Li Xiaonuan's need for rest.
Qingning had suffered at Wei Yu's hands since childhood, so she didn't argue with him. She sensed a hint of gossip in Wei Yu's words and actions. She planned to observe him closely and dig out all the gossip about him so she could use it as leverage.
As Li Xiaonuan herself said, she wanted to take a nap first. Therefore, after exchanging a few words with Zhou Liufeng and Sang Moyun, she climbed into the carriage and lay down. This time, she quickly fell asleep.
Li Xiaonuan was awakened by the jolting of the carriage. The first thing she did upon waking was to call for the carriage to stop, then jumped off and vomited violently. Zhou Liufeng supported her and patted her back.
After finally stopping vomiting, Li Xiaonuan vomited up everything in her stomach. She rinsed her mouth with the bowl of water held in front of her, and then stood up with teary eyes.
After standing up, Li Xiaonuan realized that the person who handed her the water was Wei Yu. The worry on his face was so obvious that Li Xiaonuan couldn't pretend not to see it. At that moment, Li Xiaonuan felt utterly powerless.
"Thank you!" That was all Li Xiaonuan could say.
Wei Yu handed the bowl to the servant behind him and took out a handkerchief to wipe Li Xiaonuan's tears. He ignored Li Xiaonuan's aloofness. Because he knew what he wanted.
Li Xiaonuan frantically dodged Wei Yu's movements, hastily wiping her face with her sleeve. She thought Wei Yu had gone mad, behaving intimately with her in front of so many people.
"Brother Liu Fei, I want to eat some Imperata cylindrica root." Li Xiaonuan grabbed Zhou Liu Fei's sleeve and said urgently.
Zhou Liufei nodded and turned to walk towards the barren hillside by the roadside.
“No need to go and collect cogon grass roots, I’ve already prepared them.” As he spoke, Wei Yu stretched out his other hand in front of Li Xiaonuan.
In her hand was a plain handkerchief. Inside the handkerchief was a small handful of tender, neatly arranged cogon grass roots.
Seeing this, Zhou Liufeng stood still. He looked at Li Xiaonuan, wanting to know how she would react.
At this moment, Li Xiaonuan deeply regretted her impulsive decision. If she hadn't sought cooperation with Wei Yu, she wouldn't be in this predicament. However, Li Xiaonuan hadn't forgotten that it was precisely because she went to Wei Yu that her father and second uncle, Li Dagong, were able to survive and live healthy lives.
Thinking of Li's father, Li Xiaonuan also thought of Old Song. The night before she was to leave, Old Song brought Da Bao and Er Bao to her door, begging Li's father to buy him and the two brothers.
Li Xiaonuan immediately agreed. She knew that if her family didn't help Old Song, Da Bao and his brother might be sold to who-knows-where.
But her purchase of Old Song and his two grandchildren was not without reason.
First of all, Old Song was a scholar, a former county-level official. And then there's Brother Da Bao, who, despite his young age, is already literate. Da Bao's handwriting is even far superior to Xiao Yang's.
She wanted Old Song to give Xiao Yang more guidance in the future. That way, Xiao Yang could learn something even if he didn't go to a private school.
Secondly, after the Li family bought Old Song and his two grandsons, they had a contract of servitude for the three of them. When Song Dalang and his wife came back to cause trouble for Old Song and his family, the Li family could then legitimately intervene to stop the couple from exploiting Old Song.
Finally, Li Xiaonuan wants to help Dabao and Erbao so that they can also have a good life in the future, with access to education, food, and clothing.
That night, before Old Song and his two grandsons left, they gave Li Xiaonuan a package. Because it was late and Li Xiaonuan had to travel the next day, she didn't take it out to look at it. At the time, Erbao seemed to be smiling and saying to her:
"Little Nuan, those are all good things. My brother and I have been looking for them for a long time. I heard from Grandpa that you feel uncomfortable after sitting in a carriage for a long time. If you can eat some of those things, you will feel refreshed immediately."
Thinking of this, Li Xiaonuan finally decided to ignore Wei Yu and the tempting cogon grass in his hand. Anyway, with the things Da Bao and Er Bao had prepared for her, she could survive without the cogon grass.
“Brother Liu Fei, I remember there’s something on the carriage that’s even better at relieving fatigue than Imperata cylindrica. Let’s go back and look for it. Thank you for your trouble, Young Master Wei, but I don’t want to chew on Imperata cylindrica anymore.”
After quickly finishing her conversation with the two men, Li Xiaonuan turned around and rushed back into the carriage. Even as she leaned against the carriage wall, Li Xiaonuan could still feel that intense gaze that seemed to see right into her heart.
Li Xiaonuan fled. After burying the mess, Zhou Liufeng also headed towards the carriage. Wei Yu gripped the thatch in his hand tightly, staring intently at Li Xiaonuan's carriage without blinking. If they didn't have to continue their journey, Wei Yu might have stood there forever.
The carriage started moving again, and Li Xiaonuan finally came to her senses and looked for the large bundle that Da Bao and the others had given her. Only after finding the bundle did Li Xiaonuan's smile return.
Inside the bundle were three small packages: one of green olives, one of candied olives, and one of green tangerines. Seeing these little things warmed Li Xiaonuan's heart.
Li Xiaonuan knew there were olive trees in the mountains. But those trees were mostly located deep in the mountains. Judging from what Erbao said, these green olives and green oranges must have been picked by him and Dabao.
These two children always moved her so deeply. They learned that Li Xiaonuan was going to Beijing the day before she was to leave.
After biting into a green olive and peeling a green tangerine, Li Xiaonuan felt much better. Compared to ginger and Imperata cylindrica root, these two were much more effective in relieving motion sickness.
Feeling much better, Li Xiaonuan began rummaging through the large package. It was a very exquisite cloth wrapping, though somewhat worn. But that didn't stop the intricate hand-embroidered details from attracting attention.
Li Xiaonuan took out the small bag made of green olives and looked at the equally delicate and exquisite embroidery on it. At this moment, she suddenly became very curious about what kind of meticulous person the owner of these embroidered items was.
After Li Xiaonuan rummaged through the three small packages, she was surprised to find a neatly folded letter at the bottom. She unfolded it and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The childish handwriting on the letter was clearly that of a child, and two children at that. The content of the letter was also quite remarkable.
"Sister Xiaonuan, I've never been to the capital. When you come back from the capital, remember to tell me what the children there play. I heard from my brother that they all love to play with gold marbles, not the kind of old-fashioned marbles we play with."
"Also, my brother said that people in the capital use gold plates to serve their food. Sister Xiaonuan, why don't you try the pickled vegetables on those gold plates? Don't you think they taste better than the ones served in our coarse bowls?"
The above was written by Erbao.
"Sister Xiaonuan, I know you're going to the capital on important business. If you're busy, you don't need to help Erbao see what beads those children are playing with. But you'll definitely get to taste the food served on that golden plate. Just tell us what it tastes like when you come back."
"Also, I think that everyone in the capital is a high-ranking official or nobleman, and their clothes must be inlaid with gold. I wonder if Sister Xiaonuan could buy a set too. Oh, and if Sister Xiaonuan can find any discarded gold books or pens on the street, please bring some back for me and Erbao."
Finally, Da Bao and Er Bao also wrote cute messages wishing Li Xiaonuan a safe journey and all her wishes come true.