I'll secretly tell Sister Xiao Qing the news now, and she'll definitely come back. With her proud and aloof nature, and her unwavering resolve, she'll probably break that wretched boy's legs the moment she sees him! That'll be revenge for me!
Poor Xiao Que'er didn't know that Xiao Qing had indeed refused to get married back then.
But now... I'm afraid that if Chen Xiao really agrees to marry her, Miss Xiao Qing will probably be too busy nodding in agreement! Let alone breaking Chen Xiao's legs, Xiao Qing would want to break the legs of anyone who dares to harm Chen Xiao!
But how could Xiao Que'er know about these things?
On the seventh day, she could no longer bear it. After contemplating suicide for half a day, she finally mustered up her courage: In the past, when she caused trouble, the old man would always raise the rod high and bring it down gently, never truly punishing her. Besides, this time she had only exchanged a few words with that boy, and he hadn't even been scratched, while she had lost two leopards. By any measure, she was the one who suffered a great loss.
Even if he's locked up for seven days, that's about enough... If I sneak out to play, even if the old man finds out, he'll probably just laugh it off as usual.
Having mustered her courage, Miss Xiao Que'er decided to slip away.
This wasn't the first time she'd experienced the punishment of being confined to her room to reflect on her mistakes. She was quite adept at escaping. After the person delivering lunch left, she calculated that there were still several hours until the person delivering dinner would arrive in the evening. So she secretly opened the window, climbed over the wall, and ran out. She was quite familiar with the routine.
Little did she know, her every move had been observed by someone with ulterior motives. She had barely stepped out the door when someone went to inform the old master. It was because Xiao Que'er's father's position was truly enviable; if they could subtly sabotage Xiao Que'er's affairs this time, making her less favored by the old master in the future, it would satisfy many people's desires.
Therefore, during the days that Xiao Que'er had been secluded, someone had been secretly watching her. Everyone knew her personality and knew that, given Xiao Que'er's style, she would never actually stay locked up for the full ten days. Sure enough, it was already quite remarkable that she had managed to endure until the seventh day.
Not to mention that someone immediately reported her behind her back, even though Miss Xiao Que'er escaped, she originally wanted to go and cause trouble for Chen Xiao again, but after thinking about it, she finally didn't dare to.
Anyway, Sister Xiao Qing is coming back soon. When she gets back, I'll kick that bastard to death! Hmph!
Xiao Que'er secretly slipped out of the Xiao family's house and quickly ran to the town.
This town is called "Xiao Family Town," and almost a third of the people in the town have the surname Xiao.
Xiao Que'er ran into the town and immediately felt the unusual liveliness.
In the town square, rows of colorful stages and pavilions had been set up. Under the canopies adorned with red ribbons and colorful embroidered balls, young men were rehearsing lion dances. The drums and gongs resounded, and the lions leaped up and down, attracting many children of all ages to watch and laugh.
On several decorated platforms, some of the young boys from the Xiao family, practicing martial arts, were indulging in childlike games, playing various martial arts duels. Groups of three or five turned the platforms into fighting arenas, practicing their skills in pairs, the sounds of their blows echoing as they imagined themselves as legendary heroes. The street vendors were more numerous than usual, and shops lined both sides of the street, displaying a variety of delicious snacks from all over the country.
Xiao Que'er has had a gluttonous habit since she was a child, otherwise she wouldn't have been so chubby. As soon as she sees something delicious, she can't move away. She takes out the small purse she always carries, pulls out a few bills, and quickly exchanges them for several colorful little paper bags. She fills them with all kinds of snacks, such as fried dough sticks, fried dough twists, and candied fruits. Holding a full arm of these bags, she strolls slowly down the street, her eyes constantly looking around.
Finally, I skipped and hopped to the end of the street, and couldn't resist buying a big, golden-brown fried chicken leg—supposedly, it tasted better than any KFC in the city. I took a few big bites before heading back, completely satisfied. Back in the square, I stopped to watch the "martial arts masters" fighting on the "ring" for a while.
Most of the children playing around here were from outside the Xiao family, while Xiao Que'er was a true member of the Xiao family and practiced the authentic Xiao family kung fu. After watching for a while, she looked down on these grassroots children's "knock-off" Xiao family boxing. She was eager to try it out and show off her skills, but she couldn't bear to part with the chicken leg she had only eaten a third of. Her eyes darted around, looking for any familiar Xiao family playmates she could call over to be her follower and help her carry her things, so she could free up her hands and have some fun.
Upon seeing this, Xiao Que'er suddenly froze, forgetting to bite the chicken leg that was in her mouth, and stared wide-eyed at a figure flashing past from the alley in the corner of the square.
"Sister Xiao Qing?!"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Que'er was overjoyed. She even threw away the chicken leg and hurried after him.
At the alley entrance, a figure was walking briskly into the alley—it was none other than Xiao Qing!
But at this moment, Xiao Qing was quite stunning to Xiao Que'er!
Back when she was at home, Sister Xiao Qing always wore her training clothes all year round.
And now? Before her stood Xiao Qing, her long, straight hair cascading down like a waterfall. Her features were still exquisitely beautiful, but her feet were no longer the cloth shoes she used for martial arts practice. Instead, she wore the kind of high-heeled leather boots that only city dwellers wore on television, clinging to her slender legs and exuding an extraordinary sexiness. (Of course, Xiao Que'er didn't know the word "sexy"; she simply instinctively thought it looked good.) She wore a pleated skirt, paired with a cute and bright light purple short-sleeved jacket, underneath which was surprisingly a pale yellow sexy camisole. Her lips were painted a crystal-like color.
The Xiao Qing standing before me now is ten times more beautiful than any of the pretty actresses in movies!
What truly captivated Xiao Que'er were the sparkling crystal pendants around Xiao Qing's neck and wrists, and the large sailboat-shaped handbag slung over her left arm. Xiao Que'er, of course, didn't recognize the "LV" logo. —If Champagne were here, her eyes would probably have turned into hearts as she rushed over, shouting, "LV!! And a limited edition!!"
Xiao Que'er chased after him for a few steps and ran into the alley. Xiao Qing, who was in front of her, stopped and stood there, looking at her with a half-smile on his face.
Xiao Que'er didn't think much of it and quickly walked over, her face beaming with joy. She almost threw herself into the other person's arms in a few steps, exclaiming in surprise, "Sister Xiao Qing, you're back!!"
Upon hearing Xiao Que'er's words, a strange glint flashed in the other person's eyes, which were more captivating than autumn water. Then, a smile appeared on their face, and their tone was very composed: "What did you call me?"
"Ah!" Xiao Que'er immediately covered her mouth, then stuck out her tongue and giggled, "Ah, I almost forgot, at home I can't call you Sister Xiao Qing, I have to call you Aunt Xiao Jiu."
In fact, although Xiao Que'er and Xiao Qing are not much different in age, they are a generation apart. According to the family genealogy, Xiao Qing should be of the same generation as Xiao Que'er's parents. It's just that she calls Xiao Que'er "Auntie" in public, but in private everyone calls her "sister" or "brother".
The other person simply nodded casually, a hint of a smile creeping into their eyes.
Xiao Que'er, the silly girl, was still confused. She simply grabbed "Xiao Qing's" hand and shook it affectionately: "You're finally back! That boy drove me crazy... Ah, Sister Xiao Qing, you look so beautiful now! Your clothes are even prettier than those in the movies! Huh? Those shoes have such high heels, won't your feet hurt when you walk? Oh, and you smell so good! Do you wear perfume like Uncle Si's city wife? I think it's something like 'fragrant'?"
Xiao Qing smiled slightly and nodded: "Yes, it's Chanel."
A hint of friendliness appeared in her eyes as she reached out and patted the head of the round-faced little girl with the endearing smile.
Xiao Que'er sighed, "Why did you come back? Why didn't you go home?"
Before the other person could speak, Xiao Que'er had already come up with an answer in her own clever way! She slapped her thigh: "Ah! That's it! You're afraid that if you go back, the old master will force you to marry that wretched boy? Humph! That boy surnamed Chen, I don't know where the old master picked him up from! With his looks, a toad wants to eat swan meat! Now that you're back, we'll find a chance to teach him a lesson! Let him be smug again! Humph!"
Xiao Que'er spoke for a while, but found that Xiao Qing did not say anything. She looked up and saw that Xiao Qing had a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something.
Xiao Que'er was suddenly startled, a sense of unease creeping over her: "Huh? What's wrong, Sister Xiao Qing? You...you didn't give in, did you? Ah! Heavens! You didn't really give in to the old master and plan to marry yourself off to that wild boy named Chen Xiao, did you?!"
When Xiao Que'er uttered the words "that wild boy named Chen Xiao," the "Xiao Qing" in front of her suddenly trembled, as if burned by something. Her expression changed abruptly, and she stared at Xiao Que'er in surprise: "You, what did you say?! Chen, Chen Xiao?!"
Seeing the other person's strong reaction, Xiao Que'er felt relieved: "Yes! Ah, I was overthinking it. Judging from your expression, you definitely won't agree. Haha...! Let's go back together and give that awful guy a good beating, okay?!"
Xiao Qing's fingers were trembling: "You, you said, Chen Xiao is right here, right here..."
"He's in the inner courtyard." Xiao Que'er sighed. "The old master gave orders that no one is allowed to disturb him. I really don't know why this guy has managed to get the old master to dote on him so much!"
Xiao Qing took a deep breath, as if trying to calm herself down. When she looked at Xiao Que'er again, a sly glint flashed across her face. With a bright smile, she gently tugged at Xiao Que'er's hand and said, "Hmm, shall we go and sneak a peek at that boy?"
"Great! Let's go together!" Xiao Que'er clapped her hands and laughed, "That guy is no good! He came here to marry you, but he brought a girl with him! Humph! They were holding hands and flirting when they arrived! It's infuriating! Humph, even if you don't marry him, a guy like him, having the chance to marry someone like you, would he dare to have any other thoughts! Let's go kick him!!"
"What?!"
Xiao Qing, who was holding Xiao Que'er's hand and about to leave, suddenly changed her expression upon hearing this: "You mean... Chen Xiao brought another girl with him?"