Deep and quiet, bitter and astringent, sorrowful and mournful.

  Let others see her in this state, who knows what rumors will spread.

  She wiped away her tears and found herself standing at the bottom of a passageway like a cave beside the Taihu stone artificial hill next to the Lotus Fragrance Hall.

  The corridor is cold and icy, but because it's winter, there are no footprints.

  Shen Mu Qing curled up in a small recess beside the corridor, staring blankly.

  What should I do next... Should I pretend to be unaware and gloss over it? Or should I have a thorough discussion with Li and make a foolproof plan? Or, should I talk to Shen Zhen again...

  Shen Muqing was hesitant, but knew he couldn't stay here any longer. Firstly, the weather was too cold and he might catch a cold. With one patient already at home, he couldn't afford to fall ill as well; secondly, he feared that Zhu Di wouldn't be able to find him and would end up making a scene in front of everyone.

  She wanted to stand up, but found her legs were a bit stiff.

  After a while, he finally managed to get up with difficulty. Just as he was about to walk out of the depression, his arm suddenly felt hot and his body was pulled out all at once.

  Shen Mu Qing was so frightened that her whole body stiffened, and before she could even let out a scream, she heard someone above her head say with a smirk: "As soon as I saw those big feet, I knew it was you."

  Who speaks to her in this tone?

  "Xiao Xiao!" Shen Mu Qing didn't even think about it, the terror buried in his throat turned into a name that slipped out of his mouth.

  "Tsk tsk tsk, your foot is fine!" The voice was full of laughter.

  Shen Muqing raised her head and saw Xiao Sa repairing her eyebrows slightly, with a hint of a smile in the corner of her mouth as she looked at her.

  Thinking of her own repeated changes in medicine, she couldn't help but blush and say: "It's all healed. Thanks to your medicine."

  Xiao Xiao nodded with a warm smile: "How did you know my name? Have you been asking about me?"

  "There's an inscription on the title page of that book." Shen Muqing suddenly remembered those shoes, "I still owe you a copy of 'The Analects'!"

  "Don't bother with that weird book. I wasn't going to take it anyway..." Xiao Sa said, her smile suddenly freezing on her face.

  He shook off Shen Muqing's hand, his face sinking as he looked her up and down: "On such a cold day, why are you wearing just a thin jacket? Your eyes are red and swollen, like a little peach... Have you been bullied?" The last sentence was an absolute affirmation.

  But, it's like this, and it's also very beautiful... A snow-white little face, pink eyelids... Like a small peach blossom that has just bloomed on the branch, trembling with fear, if the wind blows strong, it will fall to the ground and be trampled into mud, making people feel sorry...

  At this thought, Xiao Xiao's eyebrows were tightly furrowed.

  I should have brought out the sunshade earlier... In this kind of weather, she definitely can't take it...

  Am I so unlucky?

  Shen Mu Qing Fu Yi Zhe.

  The sorrow in her heart was somewhat alleviated by Xiao Xiao's self-righteous attitude.

  "Is this from Lin's wine ceremony?" She thought for a moment and smiled, "Looks like you're doing well!"

  It's even more beautiful when smiling... The dark eyes are shining, like the brightest stars on a summer night, sparkling and a bit cute...

  Xiao Xiao's eyebrows relaxed, and he nodded somewhat absent-mindedly: "Of course. With Shen Da-ren's backing, if I still can't handle him, what's the point of me being here?"

  I don't know where this guy's mind has wandered off to. However, this is indeed typical of Xiao Yao's style and tone.

  Shen Mu Qing couldn't help but laugh and looked him up and down.

  White robe and green shoes, typical attire of a scholar, with a purple-dotted bamboo hairpin inserted on his head, simple to the point of being unadorned.

  Xiao Xiao saw her eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, and for some reason, she put on a humble and gentle appearance: "How is it, not bad, right?"

  "How long can you keep this up?"

  "What's with the 'how long can you keep it up'?" Xiao Sa was greatly annoyed, "Can't I always be like this?"

  Although he said so, his eyes were bright and sparkling with a hint of teasing.

  Shen Mu Qing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  Xiao Xiao's heart skipped a beat, she paused for a moment, and then softly said: "How about I ransom you?"

  Stunned and amazed, with eyes wide open and mouth agape.

  "...I'm studying alone in Kyoto, and my family also lets me buy a few maids... I think you're quite clever... I'll give you the monthly allowance of a senior maid, how about that? Once you become someone in my household, naturally no one will dare to bully you..."

  Shen Muqing's face turned cold: "Am I a courtesan? What are you redeeming me for?"

  Xiao Xiao's face was as black as a pot bottom: "I think you're just destined to be a concubine... not even a bit of brains... it's been almost two months since you came back, has he increased your monthly allowance? Or given you jewelry or silk? Or assigned you some good tasks? None of that, right? Otherwise, on this happy day, you should be serving the young mistress, no need to sneak around crying here..." As she spoke, her eyes involuntarily swept to Xiao Xiao's mouth.

  It's so cold outside, but you're wearing thin clothes and haven't turned pale from the chill. Instead, your face is a lovely rose-purple color, just as beautiful.

  "...How did you grow such a thick skin..."

  What's all this nonsense?

  Shen Mu Qing looked at Xiao Sa with a mixture of sadness and laughter, her thoughts flying around in her mind like shattered fragments.

  She grasped Xiao Sa's sleeve: "Wait, wait......" and looked at him pleadingly, "If your daughter were in such a situation, what would you do?"

  Xiao Xiao saw that Shen Mu's calm and serene expression had revealed a few hints of fear, knowing that she was intimidated by her own words. Although her face was slightly cloudy, she was even more determined to give her a dose of medicine, so as not to be completely timid in her actions, standing out like a crane among chickens, attracting people's attention: "Of course, I'll just beat them all to death with my stick..."

  "Why?" Shen Muqing's heart was racing with a hint of luck as he asked.

  "After something like this happened, we can't openly find someone from the Yuan family to settle the score, but we also can't just let it go. Otherwise, what will we use to intimidate those servants around us in the future..."

  She shares the same idea with her.

  "Is there really no exception...?"

  Xiao Xiao looked at her with a gaze full of sympathy: "Silly girl, how can the master be wrong, it's all the fault of those below..."

  "She couldn't help but mutter to herself: 'So that's how it is...'"

  "How old were you when you entered the Shen family, how can you not understand anything?!" Xiao Sa said impatiently: "Why are you crying anyway?!" With a tone of resentful frustration.

  Shen Muqing only felt a pang of sadness in her heart and had no words to refute him. Xiao Xiao's words made her realize that it was easy to paint dragons and tigers, but hard to paint bones; no matter how well she adapted, she was still just a sheep wearing wolf skin... Although she had such an awakening, she couldn't bring herself to take such drastic action.

  Xiao Xiao saw Shen Mu Qing's sorrowful expression and couldn't help but slow down her voice: "Tell me, two people always have more ideas than one!"

  Chen Muqing was still immersed in his self-pitying thoughts and upon hearing this, he couldn't help but be taken aback: "What did you say?"

  Xiao Xiao suddenly became furious: "I told you two sentences and you're already daydreaming, what are you thinking about?"

  He was also comforting himself... No wonder he got angry with his own absent-mindedness.

  "Sorry, I was just thinking about something and didn't hear clearly!"

  Her voice was crisp and pleasant, yet carried a hint of apology. Xiao Xiao's heart softened as he listened, and he asked softly, "Why are you crying here?"

  She was taken aback by the words. She stared blankly at the snowflakes falling outside the window of Tai Shi Lake, and suddenly had an urge to speak out: "Madam, it's not going well!"

  "Ah!" Xiao Xiao listened with an expression of disbelief, "Is it Mrs. Shen? I heard she's been ill for many years, you should all have mentally prepared yourselves already!"

  The doctor said, more than half a year, less than two months... Perhaps because Xiao Xiao was a familiar stranger, perhaps because she really couldn't find anyone to talk to, or perhaps it was the dim light of the passageway on this snowy day that made her feel at ease, the words in her heart poured out like flowing water. "The old master is hiding from his wife, but now I already know, and I think the madam must have known before me... I don't know what to do... Want to talk it over with her... But what if she really doesn't know, and I'm just blindly guessing? Not talking it over with her, there are so many things at home, we need to make some arrangements... Anyway, my heart is a mess right now..."

  Shen Muqing's words were jumbled and confusing, but Xiao Sa still understood them.

  "You're crazy!" He glared at him with wide eyes, scolding him severely, "Others would have run away in a hurry when they encountered this, but you actually rushed forward. I'm telling you, this is just within the palace, if it were to be taken to the imperial court, that would be considered spying on the emperor's will, plotting treason, and would be punishable by death... You shouldn't think that having chivalrous guts is enough, that's just deceiving people... Stop crying quickly... Your crying is making me feel embarrassed for you... What are you crying about? Crying over this..."

  Shen Mu Qing gazed at Xiao Xiao's face with an "angrily unconcerned" expression, and her heart warmed up.

  The Da Zhou Dynasty had a distinction between the legitimate and illegitimate, let alone between masters and servants... Xiao Sa misunderstood her, but he never looked down on her because of her identity. Such a relationship makes people feel even more precious!

  She was somewhat moved.

  It's necessary to tell him your true identity.

  Xiao Xiao's temperament is proud, if she misunderstands herself hiding her identity, turning around and leaving is a small matter, but she fears that from now on it will become a thorn in her heart... She doesn't want to make Xiao Xiao resent her for this.

  Shen Mu Qing Zheng was thinking about how to speak, when Xiao Sa had already said: "It's better to rely on oneself than to ask others. You're so clever and quick-witted, I won't say much more, just reminding you to be a bit tougher in the face of things..." Then he looked at her, with her eyes shining like a white peony flower after the rain, and his heart felt an inexplicable tenderness and love, and he couldn't help but speak softly and gently: "If something happens to the Shen family and your life becomes difficult, take some silver and ask those small servants from the outer courtyard who are fond of gambling or drinking to go to the Xiangfa silk fabric store in the Jin Cheng Fang Wu Yi Ku Hutong and find Bao Liang. He will bring me a message, and I'll think of a way to buy you out... Do you have any silver on hand? If not, take this bamboo hairpin from my head... Although it's made of bamboo, it's an antique from the previous dynasty, and most people can't tell. You keep it with you, and even if your family is confiscated, it will still be worth over a hundred taels of silver at the pawnshop..." As he spoke, he reached up to remove the hairpin from his head.

  Wow, just 8 votes away from an update... Now Qidian's Female Web is doing a vote-gifting activity again... Sisters, please give Squeak a chance to update more... Thank you everyone!