Chapter 50 : A woman’s fate is never limited to worldly prejudices

Perhaps because he was too absorbed in watching, Su Yanqing didn’t notice that, unlike Mr. Zeng’s usual impetuous style, his footsteps this time were very light.

However, he soon smelled the fragrance of the food. The Xiao family’s cooking had a unique flavor. It wasn’t just delicious, but it also carried a special warmth that felt like home.

“Uncle, what delicious food do you have today? With so many people coming, given Madam Xiao’s enthusiasm, she must have prepared a lavish meal, right?”

He thought it was Mr. Zeng, so he started speaking to him naturally.

Xiao Lanlan couldn’t help but smile when she heard him say that. She placed the food on the table, looked back, and saw his fair, slender neck and collarbone.

The two locked eyes. When Su Yanqing saw it was her, his heart skipped a beat. But then he reacted quickly, straightening his clothes.

Two faint traces of red quickly appeared on his face, but his ears were already so red they looked like they might bleed. He was too embarrassed to look directly at Xiao Lanlan, and he became tense.

“I’m sorry, Miss Xiao, I didn’t realize it was you. I was rude.”

Xiao Lanlan was just as flustered as him, her face also flushed, and she didn’t dare look him in the eye.

“No… it’s okay. I came here suddenly, I don’t blame you.”

To ease the awkwardness, she served him some chicken soup.

“I’m here to bring you food. Have a bowl of chicken soup first. It’s very delicious today.”

Su Yanqing had only one usable hand, the other was wrapped in gauze. He took the chicken soup, which was a little hot, but because it was his left hand, he had difficulty moving it, and it was strenuous.

Normally, Mr. Zeng would feed him, but at that moment, Mr. Zeng was outside, happily eating and chatting with his fellow apprentices, having temporarily forgotten about him.

Xiao Lanlan saw how hard it was for him, and after thinking for a while, she spoke up.

“Mr. Su, if you don’t mind, let me feed you!”

Su Yanqing was stunned when he heard this and looked up at her. The girl’s eyes were as clear as a deer’s, her face as radiant as a peach, and she seemed very clever.

He felt as if his heart was struck by something once again.

Normally, if a woman spoke to him like this, he would definitely reject her harshly, saying something like, “Men and women should not be too intimate.”

But at that moment, facing Xiao Lanlan, he didn’t want to say those words. He remained silent for a while. Xiao Lanlan thought he wanted to refuse but didn’t know how, and she silently blamed herself for being too forward. Just as she was about to apologize and explain that it was fine, she heard him speak, his voice as gentle as ever.

“Then… I’ll have to trouble you, Miss Xiao!” There was a smile at the corner of his eyes, which made Xiao Lanlan’s heart warm, and she couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Thus, the scene unfolded: Xiao Lanlan held the chicken soup, blowing gently after each spoonful, and then brought it to Su Yanqing’s lips.

Su Yanqing drank it all, until the bowl was empty.

“Very fresh and sweet. Madam Xiao’s cooking skills are as good as ever.”

After drinking the soup, Su Yanqing looked at Xiao Lanlan with a smile. Mother Xiao had specially made the chicken soup with red dates, and Xiao Lanlan even skimmed off the oil foam before serving it to him.

She had noticed that Mr. Zeng always did this, so she guessed that Su Yanqing didn’t like greasy food.

In fact, making chicken soup didn’t require much skill, just control the heat. The longer you cooked it, the softer the chicken would become, and the soup would naturally become more fragrant and sweet.

Afterwards, Xiao Lanlan fed him again. The room was quiet, with only the occasional sound of chopsticks tapping the edge of the bowl, creating an ambiguous atmosphere.

Just as Xiao Lanlan wondered if she should say something to ease the tension, Su Yanqing spoke again.

“I…I will be leaving the day after tomorrow.”

Xiao Lanlan paused when she heard this. A slight bitterness filled her heart, but she managed to put on a bright smile.

“Well, we haven’t treated you well enough during this time. It’s better for you to go home and rest than to stay with us. That would be best. I wish Mr. Su a speedy recovery.”

Eventually, they had to leave. Xiao Lanlan understood that the difference in status between her and him was significant, he was like a cloud in the sky, far away and unreachable. If it weren’t for this accident, perhaps they would never have met in this life.

But why does it feel so sad?

“Then when my leg is healed, I will come to thank you in person.”

Su Yanqing actually didn’t want to leave. He felt that the Xiao family gave him a rare peace. Every morning when he woke up, the barking of dogs and the crowing of chickens felt surprisingly comforting.

The wildflowers here looked more beautiful than those specially planted and pruned in houses…

“You can come anytime. We welcome you anytime,” Xiao Lanlan said politely, but she couldn’t help feeling happy.

Really, her emotions had been up and down…

Since he said he would come again, they would definitely meet again.

After saying a few more words, there was a period of silence. When the bowl of rice was finished, Xiao Lanlan seemed to feel there was no reason to stay any longer. She poured him a cup of hot tea to rinse his mouth, cleaned up the dishes, and prepared to leave.

Just as she turned around and raised her foot, she heard Su Yanqing’s gentle voice.

“Miss Xiao, you are fine. You don’t need to worry about those rumors. Those strange and supernatural stories are just the prejudices of pedantic people against women. I believes that a woman’s fate should never be limited by worldly prejudices. As long as you don’t care, those rumors will not harm you.”

His words were meaningful. Although he didn’t say it directly, Xiao Lanlan understood what he meant.

Mr. Zeng had investigated the Xiao family, so Su Yanqing naturally knew that Xiao Lanlan had been subjected to rumors and prejudice because of the fate that had been attributed to her, the belief that she had killed her husband.

So, he was guiding her.

Xiao Lanlan was deeply moved again. She couldn’t help but smile, but she didn’t turn around to face him, worried that he might see through her feelings.

“Does Mr. Su care?”

Su Yanqing heard this and laughed a few times, which sounded very pleasant.

“If I cared, why would I say this to you?”

He definitely didn’t care. Fate was just nonsense from charlatans, a lie. It was shameful that a single sentence could ruin a girl’s life.

Xiao Lanlan was comforted, and the smile on her face became even more charming.

“Mr. Su is a good man, and good people live peaceful lives.” Xiao Lanlan said, then hurried out of the yard with the plate.

After she left for a long time, Su Yanqing was still a little dazed, the hot tea in his hand still steaming.

He drank it all in one gulp. The temperature was just right, exactly to his liking.

Of course, people are also…

After lunch, several doctors asked Mother Xiao to call Xiao Hechuan and Zhou to come so they could begin feeling their pulses and diagnosing them.

Xiao Hechuan sat there, letting the two gentlemen take his pulse in turn and check his pupils.

Jiang Sui stayed beside him, holding his hand tightly in hers, and his hand was already sweating.

In the first year, doctors would come to treat his dementia from time to time, pricking his head with needles and giving him very bitter medicine to drink.

After so many times, he, with his childlike heart, developed a fear of these doctors.