by N/A
"Wait." Du Xiao Li called out to Xiao Cui who wanted to turn away, "Where's my father?"
"Master went out with a few sirs. Xiao Cui will withdraw now." This time, without waiting for Du Xiao Li and them to speak, she turned and left.
Not at home? No wonder this madam dared to be this brazen.
They measured up the courtyard. Although it was rather worn-out, it was still relatively clean. Then again, this is the prime minster's residence, how worse can it get?
"Young master, are we going to move our things in?" Xi Gu, who was next to Du Xiu Heng, spoke.
Xi Gu was an eighteen to nineteen year old young man, and just like Xia Yuan and them, was also given to Du Xiu Heng by Luo Qi to protect him. Although in these years, Du Xiu Heng also learned some martial arts, he was still primarily focused on studying after all. The times he practiced were little, so he wasn't all that impressive.
"Let's move in first." Du Xiu Heng said.
"Sigh, you all just move big brother's, no need to move ours." Du Xiao Li said to Xi Gu.
"Miss?" Ying Ge looked to Du Xiao Li in confusion. If they don't move their things in, what are they going to use in a bit?
"When boys reach 10 and girls reach 8, they'll need to live in their own courtyard. Before, when we were in the countryside, we didn't bother with these, but now that we're in the capital, we need to pay attention to these. That's why miss can't live together with young master. Else, tomorrow in the capital, the biggest joke will be young master and miss coming from the village, doesn't understand etiquette, and actually lived together." Xia Yuan said.
"It's still Xia Yuan that understands me." Du Xiao Li said. "Then, when time comes, they'll say to the outside that they'd prepared for us two courtyards. By then, even if we have mouths we won't be able to clear things up. We just arrived here. First, it was the assassination attempt outside of the city, and now, we've just entered the house and they're already scheming against us like this. When the time comes, ruining my reputation will also make big brother become the laughing stock of the capital, affecting big brother's official career."
"Younger sister is right. We can't live in this courtyard at the same time." Du Xiu Heng also thought of this and nodded.
"Then what do we do?" Ying Ge asked.
"What else can we do? I'm already about to starve to death, first let's fill our stomachs, then talk. Ying Ge, I want to eat roast duck." Du Xiao Li eagerly looked to Ying Ge, like as if she was a roast duck.
"Alright, miss, just wait!" Ying Ge had the luggage in hand handed to Xia Yuan and flew to the rooftop in one leap. She looked in all four direction, before flying towards the back. Even the guards of the manor weren't alerted.
Right now, the sky had already turned dark completely. It'd long past the time for noble families to eat. Reasonably speaking, knowing that Du Xiao Li and them would arrive tonight, the manor should've prepared dinner. But judging by the current situation, this dinner naturally didn't exist. That's why, it was still best to rely on themselves!
Xi Gu and the others began moving Du Xiu Heng's things inside. Xia Yuan had managed to find a lantern from who knows where. They found the bedroom and study and had Du Xiu Heng's things moved in. Afterwards, everyone all waited for food to descend from the skies.
T/N: Luo Qi gonna appear next part so I'm gonna try to finish it in next few hours before I go to bed.
Ch. 059.4 – First Time Coming to the Capital (4)
First Time Coming to the Capital (4)
T/N: Chapter (3/4) sponsored by Madam Daim! Thank you for sponsoring!
Du Xiao Li unexpectedly found a rocking chair in the room. Although it wasn't as comfortable as a guifei couch, she still had the rocking chair moved to the courtyard, lying on top, as she gazed up at the sky filled with stars, and humming to herself, "I love roast duck, crispy skin, tender meat, oh oh oh, fragrant and crisp, tasty and addicting, oh oh oh....I love baths, skin so nice, why did I hum to lyrics from the past, I love roast duck, crispy skin, tender meat, oh oh oh........."
(T/N: Trust me those lyrics sound just as cringy in chinese....)
"Miss, what song are you humming?" Xia Yuan came out and arrived at Du Xiao Li's side, asking with a smile.
Du Xiao Li inwardly thought, even if she said this was the 'Bath Song', you wouldn't know anyways, thus said, "Roast Duck Falling From the Sky Song."
"Everyone all say meat pies fall from the sky, yet with you, it becomes roast duck falling from the sky." A voice came from the rooftop in a fully playful manner.
Du Xiao Li immediately got up from the rocking chair and looked to the figure on the roof, happily shouting: "Big brother Luo Qi, why are you here?"
"I heard someone singing 'Roast Duck Falling From the Sky', and thus came to deliver a roast duck." Luo Qi landed in the courtyard and looked to Du Xiao Li amused, even carrying a case in his hands.
"Big brother Luo Qi." Du Xiu Heng heard the voice and came out from inside, also with a happy look.
Luo Qi nodded at Du Xiu Heng and said, "Come, try this roast duck from the skies, and see how it tastes."
"Big brother Luo Qi always laughs at my words every time, not fun at all." Du Xiao Li pouted. However, she still accepted the case from his hands and opened it up before her for a smell, "Smells really nice. I'm going to go wash my hands, don't secretly eat on your own."
She had the case handed to Xia Yuan and went to go wash her hands. When she returned, she saw several figures leaping down from the roof, each one carrying a food container in their hands. Ying Ge was also among them.
Food Container
Those people entered the room, had the food containers placed onto the table, then swiftly leapt onto the roof and disappeared. The last person to leave turned towards Luo Qi and Du Xiao Li, and said, "Young master, miss, we'll later come again to get the containers."
Luo Qi waved his hand, and that person very quickly disappeared from the prime minister's residence too. If there was a local of the capital present, then they would definitely recognize, this last person to leave was the capital's most prestigious restaurant's shopkeeper, Fu Wan San.
Du Xiao Li watch this dish serving spectacle. This kind of operation for a meal, afraid even the great ministers all wouldn't be able to enjoy.
"Heard you all haven't eaten anything good all day, so I specially had the kitchen make some of your favorite dishes. Quickly go eat." Luo Qi said.
"Okay, I'm really starving to death!" Du Xiao Li came into the room. Xia Yuan and Ying Ge already had the dishes all set. After she sat down, she picked up the chopsticks and clamped a piece of roast duck. She dipped it in the sauce and downed it in one bite.
"How's the taste?" Luo Qi asked.
"Although compared to my cooking, it's just that tiny bit inferior, the flavor is still not bad." Du Xiao Li said.
(T/N: It's 3AM and I really want to eat roast duck too ;v;)
"I also want to eat the roast duck you make, roast one for me sometime." Luo Qi said.
"Alright. Anytime you want." Du Xiao Li said, "That's right, big brother Luo Qi, are you going to be staying in the capital?"
"I came to take care of some matters. Knowing you all were about to arrive, thus waited to come see you all before leaving." Luo Qi said, "If you all didn't come, I would still have to leave tomorrow."
"Is that so, then you need to thank me." Du Xiao Li said.
"Why?"
"Because I let them hasten the speed. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been able to see big brother and I, then wouldn't you have waited these days for nothing." Du Xiao Li said, and then looked to Du Xiu Heng and said, "Right, big brother?"
"En, yes, right." Du Xiu Heng looked to Du Xiao Li's appearance and replied with a laugh.
"Big brother Luo Qi, I need to go stay at your Laifu Inn for some time, can you give me a discount?" Du Xiao Li asked.
"You want to go stay at an inn?" Luo Qi asked.
"Yes, that madam just prepared for us one courtyard, so I can only go stay at an inn.
" Du Xiao Li said.
"Then just go stay at Suiyuan." Luo Qi said.
"Don't wanna, Suiyuan is too high-end. Right now, I'm just a country girl who'd just entered the capital, how can I go live there. Staying at Laifu is enough." Du Xiao Li said.
(T/N: The names of these places are so....auspicious; Laifu = 'fortune come'; Suiyuan = 'follow fate')
"Then do as you please, you also have share of Laifu anyways, it's your own place too." Luo Qi said.
"Then I won't pay." Du Xiao Li said.
"Fine." Luo Qi flatly agreed
While this side was happily eating dinner, the other side, after Xiao Cui returned to the main courtyard, she had Du Xiao Li's situation reported to Zhong Mei Qing.
"Did they say anything?" Zhong Mei Qing asked.
"Replying to madam, that Du Xiao Li asked for master. I said master went out with some sirs." Xiao Cui replied.
"I understand, you can withdraw." Zhong Mei Qing waved her hand and said, "That's right, order the kitchen to prepare a sobering soup. Tonight, master will come back dead drunk."
"Yes, madam." Xiao Li bowed and left.
"Mother, do you really have a way to let those two lowly bastards leave the capital on their own?" Du Ke Xin who was sitting in the room said.
Speaking of which, this Du Yun Han's genes were quite good. His sons and daughters, each and every one, all good-looking and beautiful, very much visually pleasing to the eyes. Du Ke Xin, who was about the same age as Du Xiu Heng, appeared flawlessly beautiful, like an immortal fairy descending down into the mortal world, inheriting both her parent's best genes.
"Don't worry, mother won't let them block your path!" Zhong Mei Qing comforted her own daughter.
"But as soon as they came back, they had the di daughter and di son status snatched away!" Du Ke Xin resentfully said.
"We can just snatch it back. Just this bit of problem and already losing your patiences, in the future, how can you still accomplish big things!" Zhong Mei Qing said.
"But I'm just unbearably angry! Du Manor's di miss has always been me. This is also something the entire capital all knows. But now, as soon as they came back, it became that slut's. I feel so bitter inside!" Du Ke Xin said.
"You still need to endure. Before stealing back your status, you need to let others know, even if she has the di daughter status, she is still a brat from the countryside, someone too inferior to be seen in public! You have to let people know, you are better and more outstanding than her in all aspects of the four arts! You are actually the true di daughter of the prime minister manor! And not disgracefully getting angry here, understand!"
"I understand mother." Du Ke Xin lowered her head and replied, yet another kind of light flashed by in her eyes.
"Xing Gu, the matters I let you take care of, how are they?" Zhong Mei Qing, seeing that her daughter already realized her mistake, asked a old mama to her side.
"Replying to madam, the news has already been spread a few days ago. Right now, in the capital, from the official family's misses, to the ordinary commoners, in fact even the beggars all know that the Du family's new miss had grown up in a village, not a dot of ink on her chest*, no talent, no virtue."
(*T/N: Meaning she's illiterate.)
"En, good."
"That's right madam, how come the people we sent today failed?" Xing Gu skeptically said. She'd gone out during the day and didn't see Liu Da return.
"Liu Da returned and said that those two lowly brats actually traveled with someone else on the road, and the other party's guards were very strong." Zhong Mei Qing said, "Xin'er, her reputation has already been spread out. In the future, when you go out, you need to display yourself better. Who is the true young lady of the prime minister manor, everyone will understand at a glance. It's very late now, you go back and rest first."
"Yes, mother." Du Ke Xin got up, bowed, and lead her servant girls away.
T/N: Tbh all these bullying antics of villains in cnovels make me cringe so much. It's so uncomfortable for me to sit through them, thank god there's not too much in this novel. I'm fairly neutral to their father, he comes back next part. I don't think he's an irredeemable ahole compared to most cnovel fathers, but he is pretty stupid sometimes. I find him to be that 'wants to be caring father but is bad at it' type, guess I do pity him. Tho in the parts where he goes full on shameless for MC are pretty hilarious. As someone with a chinese father, for him to throw his face out the window for his daughter, I'd say is quite praiseworthy.
Ch. 059.5 – First Time Coming to the Capital (5)
First Time Coming to the Capital (5)
T/N: Chapter (4/4) sponsored by Madam Daim! Thank you for sponsoring!
Du Xiao Li had a little more than half the roast duck finished, before finally putting down her chopsticks contently. A while later, those people from before came again to take the containers away. Fu Wan San said to Du Xiao Li, "Miss, this humble one will be awaiting your visit."
"Hehe, when I have time, I'll definitely go." Du Xiao Li said.
After Fu Wan San and them left, Du Xiao Li said a few words to Du Xiu Heng, before leaving the Du Manor together with Luo Qi. At the time when they left, the dead drunk Du Yun Han was supported back to the manor by someone and directly sent to Zhong Mei Qing's courtyard.
"Wu, today is the day, Xiu Heng and them came back, I need, I need to go see how they're doing right now?" Du Yun Han was completely drunk, and when he finished saying this, he immediately collapsed onto the bed and passed out.
"Madam, if master learns of it tomorrow, will he blame madam?" Xiao Cui said.
"What's there to blame? Those courtyards are all still being rebuilt right now, who knew they would encounter a rainy season, delaying the construction. How can this be pinned on me? This is also something the old madam previously agreed on." Zhong Mei Qing said, "Alright, go to bed then."
"Yes."
The servant girls went forward and served Zhong Mei Qing in changing, attending her for bed.
The next day, Du Xiao Li woke up early and strolled around Laifu Inn. Although this was her first time coming to the capital, she was still very familiar with this Laifu Inn, because she'd also participated in the construction of this in the beginning. However, she'd only designed it, and Luo Qi invested the manpower, material resources, and money. Unlike Suiyuan, which was her independent establishment.
"Miss." When Du Xiao Li returned, Xia Yuan was waiting for her.
"How was it?" Du Xiao Li asked after entering.
"The prime minister had indeed been called out by a few officials near evening. It wasn't anything important either, just went to a restaurant and ate a big meal, even got forced completely drunk. He'd returned to the manor, when we were leaving." Xia Yuan replied, "Those few were all Assistant Minister Zhong's good friends."
Assistant Minister of War, Zhong Yi was precisely Zhong Mei Qing's nephew, this bit of help, he would still help.
"I understand." Du Xiao Li said.
"Also, miss, when I went out in the morning, I heard some rumors outside regarding miss." Xia Yuan somewhat hesitantly spoke.
"What rumors about me? Seeing your hesitant look, it's definitely not anything good." Du Xiao Li guessed.
"En." Xia Yuan said, "Right now, the outside all say you're a wild village girl, unlearned, with no talent, no virtue. Everyone all say that you're not fit to be the prime minister manor's di daughter."
"Looks like their movements were quite fast." Du Xiao Li wasn't angry and lightly laughed, "Mouths all grow on other people's faces. We have no control over that, so you don't need to be that angry either!"
"But things are clearly not like that!" Ying Ge angrily said to the side.
"En, this Zhong-shi is indeed a little hateful." Du Xiao Li narrowed her two eyes and said, "Then we'll just return her the favor."
"Miss, what are you going to do?" As soon as Ying Ge saw Du Xiao Li's look, she just knew she had a plan, and curiously asked.
"This, you'll know in a bit. Ri
ght now, I'm hungry. Can we go eat breakfast now? If no mishaps occur, then during breakfast, there'll be a good play to watch."
"Really? Miss, let's quickly go eat then." Ying Ge impatiently said.
Du Xiao Li ordered three bowls of porridge, a steamer of buns, and a few side dishes, and began eating together with Xia Yuan and them. Every Laifu Inn's chefs were meticulously picked and all had a specialty skill. The normal guests that come to stay at Laifu Inn, if there's no special circumstances, all won't chose to eat outside.
"This steam bun tastes quite good. Ying Ge, you went to gather information this morning, you've worked hard, eat some more." Du Xiao Li put a steam bun onto the empty bowl in front of Ying Ge.
"Thank you miss." Ying Ge said, afterwards lowered her voice again, "Miss, just earlier you said you were going to return her the favor, just what was that all about?"
"In a bit, you'll know. You also don't need to do anything. Just watch from the sidelines. Xia Yuan, in a bit, act according to my signals." Du Xiao Li said.
"Alright miss." Xia Yuan replied.
Just when Ying Ge planned on asking again, a loud disturbance suddenly sounded outside the door. The people that were having breakfast in the hall all looked out. Turns out it was a luxurious sedan stopped at the entrance.
Du Yun Han got down from the sedan and immediately saw Du Xiao Li who was having breakfast in the hall.
"Xiao Li, what are you doing here? Quickly, come home with father." As soon as Du Yun Han entered, he bolted towards Du Xiao Li, saying as he looked to her.
Du Xiao Li swept Du Yun Han a glance; those eyes contained bare accusation. Then, her nose turned sour, and two streams of tears fell, as she said, "I won't go back, there isn't even a place for me to stay there. Why would I go back? Later, I'll just return to Du village, never coming back to the capital ever again."