At the thought that she was going to attend Jian Qingyou's wedding tomorrow and would leave this place the day after tomorrow, Mo Qianxue felt a little reluctant to say goodbye and at the same time at sea about the future, turning and tossing in bed, unable to fall asleep.
In the dark, Ning Shaoqing stretched out his arms to hold her, his starry eyes twinkling, "My Qianxue doesn't sleep at night. I guess…probably she wants to do something?"
Mo Qianxue bit her lip, turned around and left him a back.
To be honest, she did want to.
At this special place and moment, it'd be better that he stopped teasing her. It wouldn't be fun if a spark turned into real fire.
Ning Shaoqing turned her to face him, fingers gently stroking her cheek, hesitated for a second, and then as the fingers rubbed her lips, they instantly became heated.
Mo Qianxue wanted to turn away again, when Ning Shaoqing suddenly took a deep breath and kissed her.
In fact, he was also restless at the thought of going back to the heartless indifferent place.
He only wanted to stay with her for a lifetime. Although in the capital there were conjunct gold houses and pavilions, they were in fact dens of monsters and demons, containing in them money, murder, temptation, jealousy and even suspicion between fathers and sons…
Mo Qianxue half understood and half confused about his hesitation on the lips and the sudden change. At once, her body fell subjected to it and suddenly became soft and light, as if flying for one moment and falling down for the next moment in the air.
Now, everything seemed to have vanished. Only his lips, hands, body, burning like a flame, were so real. The real fire burnt down the reluctance on her mind. She wanted that burning fire…
Faint sound of cuckoo birds was heard from outside. Mo Qianxue gradually woke up from her heavy-headed and light-body dream.
She opened her intoxicated eyes and found Ning Shaoqing was working on the two clouds before her chest. She didn't hesitate.
Seven days had passed since the removal of his poison. Now they could do it.
However, they were going back to the capital soon, with numerous unpredictable incidents to tackle with. What if she got pregnant at this time?
The jade-like foot stuck out and kicked Ning Shaoqing off the bed.
Ning Shaoqing, falling on the floor, didn't hurry to get up but lay down where he was. Certainly, he knew what Mo Qianxue meant. He was willing to be kicked by her.
He wanted her, but now it wasn't the right time. He'd better lie on the floor and get sober.
He wasn't afraid of making love. He feared that once it started, he couldn't stop. Now he needed to maintain strength so as to tackle with all kinds of unexpected situations waiting for them.
The making out, as a way to vent out, had already made him feel better and at rest.
**
Ning Shaoyu received a letter by the pigeon and laughed hideously to the sky.
Afterwards, it was his sullen murmuring. Where could you escape this time?
"Pass down my order. Be quick and gather all the available people near Tianxiang; catch that village woman as soon as possible." They must be quick, because that man was terribly cunning and insightful. If they didn't act quick and alerted him, then the next to figure out his whereabouts would be unknown.
"Yes." The messenger was waiting for his lord to specify a deadline.
"What are you doing here? Go. Be quick."
"Yes."
That man valued relations, previously with him and his mother, and now with that village woman.
That woman had married him as a luck wife and saved him. As long as she was caught, they would just wait for him to give in and walk into the trap willingly.
Who would have thought that the eldest young lord Ning should hide in a village, be a school teacher there, deal with the mud-legged children every day and even get married with a village woman? What a shame!
He would dislike that kind of vulgar woman to be a servant of heavy labor.
Where was his pride? Where was that arrogance that disdained the whole world?
It seemed that the poison had not only harmed his body but also his brain.
**
In the early morning, Mo Qianxue was already sitting in the comfortable horse carriage on the way to Tianxiang. Sitting next to her was nanny Mo and Chuyi. The driver was still Awu.
Originally, she had planned to take with her Chuyi and Shiwu, but nanny Mo, having just arrived, missing her and having much to say with her since they hadn't met for so long, insisted to go with her, so Mo Qianxue, unable to talk her out of it, had to agree.
Shiwu wanted to follow lady too, but, fearing that the carriage couldn't fit all of them, voluntarily asked to stay at home.
The carriage jolted on, and Mo Qianxue closed her eyes to maintain her strength.
"Lady, don't blame me for talking too much," Nanny Mo carried a smile and said softly, in a good sense of propriety, "Lord is nice indeed, standing like an erected tree and smiling like a moon. Sure he is a unique good man in the world."
The nice words were said first, but then she proposed a warning, looking worried, "However, his identity is special. Lady, I think it'd be better to reconsider your future…"
"Nothing to reconsider." Mo Qianxue replied directly. That warm silhouette reading a book by candlelight, that elegant figure waiting for her to go back home, that permanent curve of the calm lips…
There was nothing to reconsider! Mo Qianxue couldn't be surer. She was thinking of their relationship, while nanny Mo thought she was worrying about her lose of chastity and tried to persuaded her, "Lady, you also have a noble identity, even if something happened, other don't dare to discuss."
Discuss what? Adultery? How did she think of that? Nanny Mo didn't make it too vague, so Mo Qianxue easily understood her meaning and, eyes squinting, face pulling, looked angry.
"I don't mean other things," Seeing Mo Qianxue's expression, nanny Mo pulled back the tone, "I'm just worrying that by lord's identity, if lady goes back with him like this, he will make you a concubine, so I suggest lady to think twice."
Mo Qianxue figured out the kindness in her words and softened. Leaning back, she smiled, eyes relaxed, "Nanny, you're thinking too much. When we return to the capital, of course I'll go back to our mansion and he'll go to his Ning mansion. Then, he'll send a large sedan chair carried by eight people (used in an official wedding to marry a wife) to bring me to the Ning mansion."
Nanny Mo was surprised, "Lord… has promised?"
"Of course."
"That's good." Nanny Mo finally rested assured and relieved. But before she sat back, another thought occurred to her and made her brow leaping again.
Hence, she asked again, "But…what if…" What if lord didn't keep his words?
The thought made Nanny Mo more and more anxious. What if lady got pregnant before they went back to the capital and lord Ning didn't throw an official wedding? Then wouldn't lady become a laughing stock in the capital and have no way out?
"What if what?" Mo Qianxue'e eyes were closed, so she didn't see nanny Mo's gaze at her belly.
But Chuyi saw it clearly and cut in, with a smiling, "Nanny, lady is still a virgin." Upon hearing this, Mo Qianxue understood nanny Mo's worry. During those days, Chuyi had been helping her with bathing, so it wasn't strange that she knew it.
Mo Qianxue didn't talk, which in the eyes of nanny Mo was admission, and she asked joyfully, "How do you know?"
Chuyi took a glance at Mo Qianxue, seeing her calm expression, and said in a low voice, "Last time when I cleared her would, I saw her virgin cinnabar was still there." "Having slept in the same bed for almost a year and lord can still stick to courtesy. What a great man!" Nanny Mo couldn't help giving a thumb. Mo Qianxue smiled and said nothing.
Of course she wouldn't tell them the reason.
The Jian mansion, decorated with red lanterns and streamers everywhere, was in such a clamor. As soon as Mo Qianxue arrived, there were servants led her to the room of Jian Qingyou.
She was supposed to come here yesterday but detained by other staff and later by nanny Mo's showing up. Hence, today she got up early to witness Jian Qingyou in her beautiful bride look.
Since Jian Qingyou was the bride, it wasn't convenient for Mo Qianxue to stay long, so she gave her the wedding presents and a letter that she had written yesterday, expressed her congratulations and left. The wedding presents were shares of the vinegar factory in the valley. She gave two shares to Tong Zijing and another two to Jian Qingyou as her dowry.
Once leaving this place, she must find people to prop up for the factory. Otherwise, one day she would even had no idea why it disappeared.
The valley was located exactly before the Tong mansion, so certainly she should divide the cake and give a share of it to Tong Zijing. She knew Tong Zijing wouldn't do harm to her, but this was to prevent old Tong from acting crazily.
Giving two shares to Jian Qingyou was a to build a bridge to the Jian family so that in the future, nobody dared to stir up troubles with the factory.
The shares of the sculpture workshop were also arranged, two shares given to the Wang village, two given to Xin Yiming as wedding gifts, based no the same logic of the factory.
As for the tofu workshop, two shares were given to sister Fang and two the Wang village.
As soon as she left, the news of her using shares as wedding gifts were known to nanny Liang.
"I heard that the wedding gifts Mrs. Ning gave to lady was the shares of the hot vinegar factory." Nanny Liang gossiped to old madam Jian while presenting her tea.
Old madam Jian half-closed her eyes and sipped the tea, "She's a smart girl, but nowadays there are few clever people with big visions like her."
"Right!" Nanny Liang massaged old madam Jian's back and replied.
Old madam Jian said, "I heard that the next batch of vinegar isn't produced yet but already booked. For sure, there will be people casting greedy eyes on this prosperous business. With two big families, Jian and Xin, protecting her factory, she can rest easy."
"The nanny around her has a different bearing. She must have been trained in a big family. What do you think is Mrs. Ning's identity?"
"No matter who she is, now that she has shown her goodwill to us and treated Jian Qingyou as her own sister, we should give her a hand when she needs."
"…"
It was still early, so Mo Qianxue lingered in the city for a while to purchase some food and necessities before asking Awu to drive back home.
On the way, nanny Mo was telling stories about her father and mother when they were young, when the carriage suddenly speeded up and Awu's voice sent over, "Lady, sit still."
Nanny Mo frowned, placing her hand on the sword handle.
Chuyi was also poised for enemies and shielded before Mo Qianxue.
Mo Qianxue had heard the rustling outside. It wasn't the clanking horse hoops like last time, but sound of wind and strictly constrained sound in the wind.
From the forests on both sides of the road, birds flapped up, alerted, and soared into the sky.
Mo Qianxue's heart tightened. She lifted a corner of the curtain and found a huge batch of people rushing over.
They didn't make any noise, obviously not interested in the game of chase and run.
At this moment, two people flew to Awu and attacked, followed by another man raising palm at the horse.
Awu raised his arms to deal with the two men while the latter man had already killed the horse in a blink.
The hoofs flustered, and with a painful groan, the horse died at once! Yet, the carriage still ran forward by inertia. If it didn't stop in time and bumped into the dead horse, then it was less important that the carriage would be destroyed, but it was vital if people in it fell off as the carriage tripped over the horse.
Judging the situation, Awu instantly forced the two men back with his sword, flipping off the carriage and grabbing it by the rafter.
At this moment, the two men came up again. Awu had no time to escape and had to received the attack with his body. The carriage was stopped, but his body flew out.
Just in an instant, people dashed over from both sides of the road and quickly besieged the carriage.
They didn't come to hack the carriage with their swords but gradually formed a circle to separate Awu and the carriage. Awu quickly got up, but the previous three men rushed to him again…
This time there weren't many people as the last assassination. They didn't wear masks, but worked well in collaboration without making loud noise. Evidently, they were more experienced and better trained than the last group of useless riders.
As the carriage stopped, nanny Mo, ears slightly moved, was clear about the situation outside.
She drew out the sword at her waist and whispered to Chuyi, "Chuyi, I help Awu and make a way out. You take lady to rush back to the village to find lord."
"Yes." Chuyi nodded, held Mo Qianxue by the arm and was ready.
Mo Qianxue's expression changed slightly and said in a low voice, "Nanny…"
Nanny Mo took a glance at Mo Qianxue, frowned and scolded, "We have no time to argue. Lady, go with Chuyi…"
Afterwards, nanny Mo's long sword cut through the carriage roof and shattered it into two.
The next moment, she already flew into the air, waving sword at one side.
The encircling people obviously had expected that the village women in the carriage were untouchable ones. A seemingly fragile woman should have such strength. Caught unprepared, several of them were hurt by nanny Mo's sword, and a narrow way to get out of the encircling was made.
Coming into Mo Qianxue's sight was blood frog, and sneaking into her nose was moist and slightly smelly blood.
In a daze, Chuyi carried her to march outwards through the narrow split. In a flash, they were meters away from the circle.
The group of assassins realized what was happening, a few of them sprinting to nanny Mo, most of them chasing after Mo Qianxue and Chuyi.
At this point, from the dark, two hidden guards appeared to take Mo Qianxue back.
However, the chasing assassins quickly divided into two groups, one dealing with the two hidden guards, and the other almost caught up again.
As they ran, Chuyi pondered. It wasn't difficult for her alone to escape, but now she was carrying lady, which was impossible for her to speed up.
Immediately, she put Mo Qianxue down and said in a hurry, "Lady, I'm fighting with them here. You go first."
Mo Qianxue, heart plunging, shook her head violently, "No…we should go together."
She didn't know how nanny Mo and Awu were. She shouldn't be a coward and run away alone. If in the end, nanny Mo, Chuyi and Awu all died, her conscience would be panged forever.
"Lady, they're not killing us. They want to catch us alive."
"Chuyi…"
Looking over, the men were getting nearer. Chuyi pushed Mo Qianxue away and stopped her, "It's not far from the village; try your best and run. I can fight for a while. I'm waiting for you to take over lord to save us."
Here was at least ten miles away from the Wang village. Wasn't it far? It would be a marathon!
Seeing Mo Qianxue stood still, Chuyi put her sword against her own neck, "If you don't go, I'll kill myself right before you."
"No…" Mo Qianxue ran away at once. At this time, whatever she said would be useless. She shouldn't fail Chuyi's kindness and sacrifice.
Chuyi, take care…and wait for me…
She ran and ran, and unconsciously took a glance back. The people had caught up with Chuyi. Mo Qianxue's heart sank!
Chuyi…nanny Mo…Awu…
Please… She wished that those men only wanted to catch them alive…
Mo Qianxue seemed to be running in wind. She never knew that she could run so fast.
She didn't dare to take a breath or know how long she could maintain this speed, but she knew the faster she ran, the nearer she was to the Wang village, and the bigger chance there was to save them.