Xiao Qi, Wait! - Chapter 33

Chapter 33: Official, Too Warmhearted

Xiao Qi obediently took an afternoon nap. Unfortunately, the moment she woke up Song Liang Zhuo sent someone with his message to Qian fu to not let Xiao Qi out of the city.

Xiao Qi wanted to go out and take a look, but the people in the fu suddenly became strict, no matter what she said they wouldn’t let her out.

Song Liang Zhuo did not return to Qian fu that night. But not only Song Liang Zhuo, Lu Liu and Xiao Shan Zi, and even several of the servants from Qian fu that were helping out did not return. Xiao Qi sat next to the table, keeping watch over a small lamp until 10pm, yet she still didn’t see Song Liang Zhuo return.

Xiao Qi was a bit anxious and wanted to run out in the middle of the night to take a look, but at the same time she was worried that she would bring him more trouble like she did last time. She laid on the bed and very unpeacefully slept to the second day. At first light she got up and wanted to head out, but was firmly stopped by the manservant.

Xiao Qi avoided the main courtyard’s path as she returned to her own small courtyard. Hugging a locust tree in the corner, she had just climbed barely a stool’s length when she slid down at Mrs. Mei’s shout.

“What is Xiao Qi climbing the wall so early in the morning for?”

Although Mrs. Mei’s looks were dainty, once she gets fierce it’s not a joke. Xiao Qi saw her eyebrows pinch and that her lips didn’t have their usual curve and timidly blinked: “I want to go out.”
“Go where? Go to cause trouble for your family’s husband?”

Mrs. Mei pulled Xiao Qi and headed towards the house while harshly scolding: “Your family’s husband wasted his time doting on you. Everything he said you’re just treating as gas. Yesterday he repeatedly exhorted that you shouldn’t run around randomly, yet how much time has barely passed before you no longer remembered!?”
“Where’s my Second Brother-in-Law?”

“He’s with Song Liang Zhuo.”

Xiao Qi blinked. Her nose stung as she cried: “What happened to Official Song? Did he get sick?”

Mrs. Mei pressed Xiao Qi to sit on the stool. Her voice was fierce but her movements were gentle as she helped her wipe away the tears: “All right, all right. That’s enough. It’s not like our family lacks pearls, stop dropping anymore. Song Liang Zhuo is fine, in a few days he’ll be back.”

Xiao Qi cired to the point she started hiccuping: “Then why is it that even Second Brother-in-Law isn’t coming back?”

“He’s outside helping your husband ah!”

Xiao Qi wiped at the tears. Blinking and blinking her eyes, she nervously grasped Mrs. Mei’s hand and urgently asked: “Is it the plague? Don’t they say that after a catastrophe there must be a plague? Did he catch it?”

Mrs. Mei lifted her eyebrows: “You guys were apart for barely a night, how can you be this worried? Seriously, you don’t seem like my daughter, the daughter of Tongxu’s most beautiful woman, at all!”

Hearing that, Xiao Qi grinned and laughed again: “He’s fine ah.”

Mrs. Mei poked Xiao Qi’s forehead and said, vexed: “Why don’t you grow a bit better of a memory. How many times have I said this, beautiful ladies must be aloof. Aloof, you understand? You can’t let men look lightly upon us!”

Xiao Qi wrinkled her nose: “Then why won’t you let me out?”

“We suspect there’s malaria, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. Your family’s husband warned that you can’t be allowed out and run around.”

“Then what if he gets infected?” Xiao Qi glared.

“Pei, stinky mouth, stinky mouth!” Mrs. Mei pinched Xiao Qi’s cheeks and said: “Hurry and go ‘pei pei’, spit it out.”

Xiao Qi also didn’t dare not to listen and quickly said ‘pei pei’, then ran to the outside of the door and spat and gave it a stomp before hastily running back in and asking: “What do we do?”

“What can we do? Xiao Qi should just obediently stay still. I’ll let Xiao Shan Zi send letters back everyday. Don’t worry, that section the victims are living in is extremely clean and there’s no stagnant water ravines, so it should be fine.”

Xiao Qi sobbed a few times again, then after staring blankly for a while, she said: “I have to find medicine for him. Yesterday, a doctor asked for me to prepare mugwort.”

Xiao Qi looked towards Mrs. Mei with her eyes wide. She hugged her arm and first swung it for a while, then after whining for another while sweetly called: “Moom~”

Mrs. Mei rubbed her ear: “Speak!”

“I’m not leaving the city, I’m going out to find him medicine.”

Mrs. Mei slanted a gaze at Xiao Qi and sighed: “You seriously are a little idiot. If you want to go, then go. However, if I find out that you sneaked out of the city, humph!”

“I won’t go out. Official Song will be angry.”

“En, if you know then that’s good.”

But when Xiao Qi left the fu she still headed directly to the city gates. The city gates were not sealed, it was just that the inspection for people entering and leaving the city was more strict. If it wasn’t an urgent matter, most of them were sent back with one excuse or another. Xiao Qi thought, it’s probably because they’re afraid of the citizens panicking. At the same time, she felt much more relieved. Since they didn’t seal the city gates, then it definitely hasn’t be confirmed to be malaria.

Xiao Qi stood at the entrance of the city gate looking at that road for a long time, then lowered her head to look at the safety talisman Pan Di had her bring to Meng Yun Fei and obediently ran back.

Xiao Qi went through all the pharmacies in the city, large and small, and completely brought out all the mugwort. And she pretended to be simply curious as she asked several doctors about the symptoms of malaria, then asked several other doctors about what kind of medicine could cure this sorts of symptoms and also brought some Chinese thorowax, kudzu vine tuber, cinnamon, dwarf lilyturf, black atractylodes rhizome, packing the entire carriage with an assortment.

Xiao Qi had the servant rush the carriage back to the city gates and waited there for someone familiar to come along.

Though the weather was stifling hot, there was no sun. Xiao Qi waited for an entire hour but still didn’t spot a single familiar face. The guard saw Xiao Qi stand dazedly for some long but didn’t say anything about leaving the city so he politely walked over and asked: “Madam, this is?”

“I’m waiting for Official Song.”

“Da ren might not come.”

“I’ll wait a little more.”

The guard awkwardly fiddled with the sword at his waist. Seeing the carriage that was stopped in the middle of the road, he said: “How about this, Madam should find some place to rest for a while first? If da ren passes by I’ll just notify Madam!”

“No.” Xiao Qi looked at the carriage and had the servant move the carriage near the city wall, but still stood facing the city gates.

The guard was helpless so he could only return to the city gate entrance.

Xiao Qi restlessly rushed down like this and simply hadn’t cared to spare time for lunch. She had also waited quite a long time and was a bit tired. After looking around, she sat down on a tree stump to the side and propped up her chin, continuing to stare towards the city gates.

Xiao Qi was staring at the city gates watching, not far away Chen Zi Gong was staring at Xiao Qi watching. At first he wanted to see what Xiao Qi was doing, but later he faintly came to feel that she was waiting for someone. Then he wanted to see who she was waiting for, but now he just purely wanted to see how long she could dumbly sit by herself like that.

Another pot of tea went down his stomach. Glancing at Xiao Qi who switched to propping up her chin, he gave a light laugh. She was already married. Looking at her, she seemed only fifteen or sixteen, it really is unexpected. What a pity! Chen Zi Gong bit his tongue.

Time passed really fast. Chen Zi Gong looked at the sun that was inclining to the west, shook his head, sighed and walked over.

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“Xiao Qi, haha, what a coincidence ah!”

Xiao Qi rubbed her sore neck and lifted her head in order to see the person in front of her clearly. Then she asked, puzzled: “How did you get back to the city? Weren’t you also there yesterday?”

“I came back right after.”

Chen Zi Gong looked towards the city gates. Because the guards were meticulously blocking people there were already no more pedestrians. Chen Zi Gong retrieved his gaze and asked: “Is Xiao Qi waiting for someone?”

Xiao Qi nodded and her line of sight returned to the city gates again.

“Has Xiao Qi ate yet?”

People are afraid of being spoiled, bellies are afraid of calling out. It was originally fine but after Chen Zi Gong gave this reminder, it rumbled “gululu”, causing Xiao Qi to be very embarrassed.

Xiao Qi covered her burning face and rubbed it, speaking haltingly: “I’m waiting for someone. I’ll go back home and eat a little later.”

Chen Zi Gong smiled: “Why don’t we have a meal at the small restaurant over there? You can also see the city gates from there so Xiao Qi won’t miss the person you’re waiting for.”

Xiao Qi was really extremely hungry. Being invited by someone like this, her stomach was hungry to the point it started thrashing. Xiao Qi thought, she wasn’t able to wait until his arrival today. Tomorrow she must bring a large flat bread with her.

Chen Zi Gong pointed to a little noodles shop not far away and said: “A bowl of noodles also won’t interfere with any efforts.”

After thinking about it, Xiao Qi quickly ran over, choosing a seat that faced the city gates and sat down. Then she first ordered the shopkeeper to send a large bowl of noodles over to the servant that’s watching the carriage next to the city gates, meanwhile, she had her chopsticks ready and held back her saliva as she waited.

Chen Zi Gong smiled as he walked over. Looking at the greasy table, his brows slightly knitted. That teashop just then was already unclean, this place was even more impressive.

Chen Zi Gong picked a slightly cleaner stool and sat and watched at the shopkeeper finished preparing the noodles and ran over to the city gates to hand one to that servant, then carry another bowl to Xiao Qi. He waited for half the day yet he didn’t have anything to eat. Slightly displeased, he asked: “What, there’s no noodles for me?”

The shopkeeper looked at Xiao Qi and asked, puzzled: “This gongzi also wants to eat noodles? Aiyo, why didn’t you say anything? I saw gongzi was at the neighboring tea shop drinking tea and eating dishes just now so I thought you were sitting here as a rest stop.”

Chen Zi Gong glanced at Xiao Qi. Seeing her digging through the plain water noodles with large mouthfuls without uttering a sound, it turns out she didn’t have any intentions of treating him to noodles at all. Chen Zi Gong also didn’t have a favorable impression of those white noodles, so in the end, he frowned while swallowing his saliva and said: “Forget it, just bring a cup of tea.”

“Here we only have big bowls of tea, will gongzi drink that?”

“Just bring it up.”

Xiao Qi also did not pay attention to Chen Zi Gong, only taking care to eat the noodles while looking at the city gates.

“Who is Xiao Qi waiting for?”

“Song……” Xiao Qi looked at Chen Zi Gong and changed her words: “I’m waiting for my family’s husband.”

“Official Song?”

Xiao Qi nodded.

“Is there a reason Xiao Qi is waiting for him?”

Xiao Qi frowned as she shot a glance at Chen Zi Gong: “Wang gongzi is really strange, can’t I miss my family’s husband?!”

Chen Zi Gong was a bit embarrassed and gave a light cough. Shifting his gaze he saw the shopkeeper carry a large coarse porcelain bowl over and his expression became a bit cramped.

The shopkeeper placed the large bowl in front of Chen Zi Gong and said with a smile: “The tea’s not high quality, it’s willow leaf tea that I personally picked, gongzi please don’t despise. Since you are with the Official’s wife, this tea is free. Hehe, gongzi, please take your time.”

Chen Zi Gong looked at the few large leaves in the bottom of the coarse bowl and asked with knitted brows: “What tea is this?”

Xiao Qi stretched out her neck to take a look: “Didn’t he just say it, it’s willow leaf tea.”

“What kind of tea is willow leaf tea?” Chen Zi Gong asked dubiously.

“In the spring you pick willow leaves to reduce internal heat in the summer. It can be treated as tea leaves and steeped to drink. How does Wang gongzi not even know this?”

Chen Zi Gong rubbed his chin, embarrassed and nodded: “Leaves of the willow tree, huh, leaves of the willow tree ah.”

Xiao Qi drank the soup clean and used her hand to wipe her mouth. Chen Zi Gong saw that even though she ate a large bowl of noodles, the way she raised her finger and smoothed her lips still presented the appearance of a large family’s miss, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit curious.

Xiao Qi handed over some pieces of silver and got up to go squat for a while near the tree stumps when Chen Zi Gong hurriedly interjected: “Wouldn’t it be the same if Xiao Qi sat here?”

Xiao Qi looked at the city gates and paused for a moment.

Chen Zi Gong then spoke again: “Xiao Qi, I’ll bring that red horse for you some other day.”

Xiao Qi shook her head: “I really don’t want it anymore. My husband brought me one.”

Xiao Qi proudly patted her chest and straightened her back as she said: “I’m wearing it.”

Chen Zi Gong looked at her small chest and awkwardly glance to the side, muttering: “Wearing such a big clay toy, as expected compared to everyone, really different, ah!”

Xiao Qi looked down at her chest and instantly blushed and curved her back again.

Xiao Qi didn’t really have anything to say to Chen Zi Gong. Chen Zi Gong then started to carefully scrutinize the tea, steeped with willow leaves that were long as a finger.

Xiao Qi kept sitting until the sun went down. Chen Zi Gong also accompanied her and sat until the sun went down.

Chen Zi Gong shook his sore shoulder and ask: “Is Xiao Qi not going back?”

“I’m waiting for someone.”

“Ah.” Chen Zi Gong lightly smiled and got up, saying:. “Then I’m heading back.”

Xiao Qi nodded and also got up. Without particularly saying anything, she went to the city gates entrance.

Chen Zi Gong looked at Xiao Qi who ran to the city gates, slightly shook his head and turned to leave. Xiao Qi sat of the tree stump and saw a carriage slowly enter in the twilight. Stopping not far away outside the city gates, a person came out. Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up and she ran over.

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