What a wonderful moment it is when the whole person is tense and red like a firework, just before it explodes into powder.

  He Le'an was like a little mouse that had just escaped from under the cat's paw, and he hastily retreated to the corner of the bed, trembling with fear as he covered his ears which were on fire, "You...you...you rascal!"

  Xu Xi laughed dangerously, "Perhaps An Er has some misunderstanding about the three words 'playing a rogue', but don't worry, I can explain to you what it means to be a real rogue ——"

  He Lian's neck turned red, then his face turned red, and almost the entire face was dripping with blood. He shook his head like a drum and said: "No, no, don't, I don't want to see what it means to be a real rascal, you're messing around!"

  Xie Ye was amused by her, "Alright, I won't tease you anymore. It's not like I haven't seen you in just your undergarments before..."

  "!!!!" He Le'an stared at him in shock, "When have you ever seen me wear only underwear?!"

  It was during the time when he was recuperating at the Jin Ning Marquis's residence, and although he was still annoyed that she kept clearing him of any wrongdoing, his heart was stirred by her appearance of being bullied. He often went to visit her at night after she fell asleep, but a certain someone who had spoken out of turn simply said calmly: "In my dreams."

  "He spoke very sincerely, but she always felt he was lying, what's going on!!"

  At this time, a little maid rushed in and said: "Miss! Miss Shaoye... she... she killed herself!!"

  He Le'an and Xie Ya both looked at the little maid, who smoothed out her breath and said: "Fortunately, it was discovered in time, but the situation is critical. The Miao Miao of the Zhuo Yi Bo Fu has been invited by Old Zhuo Yi Bo to go over for a visit!"

  She was still hesitating, but Xū Xié instructed first, "Just say that your family's young lady is not feeling well and that Old Lady Hé has strictly ordered her to stay home and rest. We will definitely visit again another day."

  The little maid looked at her own young mistress in a state of bewilderment.

  He Le'an smiled and said: "Let's speak in terms of Master Zhaoyi."

  As the little maid took her leave, she said: "You also think that Shao Yingxiu is not good at heart?"

  "She was definitely up to no good, I just didn't expect Old Zuo Yibo, who has always been impartial and straightforward, to join her in her nonsense."

  He Le'an didn't know what was wrong with this life, even if she tried to persuade the old Zhuo Yibo, he still didn't change his attitude towards her. It seemed that Shao Yingxiu was the eldest granddaughter he had raised since childhood, and compared to He Le'an, she must have a different status. So she smiled and said: "No matter what, I will never accompany Shao Yingxiu in her nonsense again."

  However, the Zhuo Yibo government was unwilling to let her off, and the person who came to invite her became the most powerful Wu Momo.

  Wu Miao's face was pale, and her eyes were filled with worry as she knelt in front of He Le'an, pleading: "Please, Miss He, considering the slight connection between our two families, please help save my elder sister. She has already received her due punishment for ruining her own appearance. You..."

  He Le'an sighed and interrupted: "But I'm not a doctor, nor can I heal her. What virtue do I have to save her?"

  "You can!!" Wu Moumou blurted out, "Just give a little bit of your blood as medicine to make it easier!"

  As soon as her voice fell, Xie Ya sneered: "A little bit of blood as a medicine guide, there are so many people in the Zhuo Yi Bo Fu, one person gives a little, can drown her to death, why do we need An Er to go over and offer that little bit of blood!"

  He Le'an thought it was very reasonable and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

  "No, it's not the same." Wu Momo was stared at by Xi Ye's icy gaze, making his scalp feel numb, and he could only continue: "The doctor said that only using the blood of the person she resents the most as a medicine guide can work, but Master has already tried using his own blood..."

  "I think it's not that the blood isn't working, maybe your manor can try changing doctors to take a look, who knows if they can discover that using blood as medicine is actually an absurd thing. It's clear that Shao Yingxiu resents An Er, but An Er still ran over to donate blood, she's not a Bodhisattva, nor does she have the obligation to save all sentient beings. If others were to find out, they would only think she's trying to curry favor with your manor, and would mock her from head to toe."

  "Xu Xie's words were pointed, 'It's hard for a concubine-born daughter, so don't pour dirty water on her again. The reputation of being evil or not, my Xu family doesn't care about it. Since the engagement has been settled, there is no reason to back out. Today, you go back and tell everyone in the Zhuo Yi Bo Fu who wants to listen that our An Er can't climb so high, their gate is too noble.'"

  He Le'an gazed adoringly at her own fiancé, their eyes met, and she smiled brightly. She turned to Wu Moumou and said: "Moumou, it's not that I don't want to give you face, but as you've also seen, my shoulder is indeed injured. My grandmother instructed me not to get out of bed until it heals. There are a few doctors from the capital in the other courtyard, if you're not disgusted, take one back and have them examine Shaoyingxiu carefully." After speaking, she called over Xingyu and Lihua, who were waiting at the door, to send Wu Moumou out.

  The spring breeze danced and jumped in from the slightly ajar window, bringing with it the fragrance of fine flowers. He Le'an mysteriously signaled to Xi Ye to turn around, then pulled out a neatly folded light blue silk handkerchief from under his pillow: "You can turn around now."

  She turned around and saw her holding a handkerchief with exquisite embroidery, gazing at herself with eyes like water, smiling: "I flipped through the classics and found that 'Xu Xie' is a fruit tree that only exists in certain tribal nations due to their unique geographical environment. Since it's rarely seen, there aren't many patterns to refer to, so I embroidered two fruits according to the descriptions left behind."

  Before she finished speaking, he had gently hugged her, "Thank you An Er."

  "It's I who should thank you." He Lian smiled softly and said, "Ye Ming."

  **

  It rained lightly that day.

  He LeYuan returned home with a flushed face after attending the banquet.

  He Le'an flipped through the dried peach blossoms and apricot blossoms, laughing and asking her what was wrong.

  He Le'an suddenly stared at his six sisters' face, which was more beautiful than peach blossoms and apricot flowers, and even more stunning than the spring scenery. He slapped the stone table in frustration and resentment, saying: "Indeed, she has grown a good-looking face that easily arouses people's envy, jealousy, and hatred!"

  "...He Le anxiously watched her red palm, just about to ask if it hurt when she slapped the table again in anger:"

  "It's not Sixth Sister's fault that she can be pretty, what nonsense is this about a beautiful woman being a snake spirit? I'd say it's the ugly people who are making trouble!"

  What followed was a torrent of complaints that would not be interrupted, and He Le'an listened to a heap of words that she could recognize one by one but couldn't find any connection between the sentences. So she ordered the maid to serve her tea and pastry, and waited until she had finished venting before asking again what was wrong.

  He Le Yan poured a cup of tea and said, "Now the whole city knows that the relationship between the Jianing Hou Mansion and the Zhuo Yi Bo Mansion is no longer there. Sixth sister doesn't often attend banquets, so she may not know. That Shao Yingxiu from the Zhuo Yi Bo Mansion has found some way to cover up her face, although her makeup looks a bit thick, but if you don't look closely, you can't find any scars. She's been jumping out again, saying that you're heartless and unhelpful, and even saying that you intentionally provoked her parents' relationship and maliciously hurt them!"

  "I really can't bear to argue with her anymore, now she's even pretending to be wronged, crying and sniffling at someone else's banquet, every word and sentence accusing you of being in the wrong. Even though everyone in the city knows that Shao Yingxu is not a good person, there are many people who like to watch this kind of commotion that has nothing to do with them, and as the rumors spread, it will be even more terrifying!"

  "It's detestable that there are still people who think that a slap in the face can't be loud, and that Xiaoyan can be maliciously targeted and treated harshly. Sixth sister, you're not a good person either! My temper flared up and I slapped him, when everyone was stunned, I asked him if this slap was loud or not!"

  He Le Ying hastily poured another cup of tea, his face swallowing a fly-like expression. "As a result, a group of old men came in, and my father was among them. The leading old man stroked his beard and said 'very loud', I only then realized that it was Yu Xunfu, and the one I hit was Yu Xunfu's only son. My father's face turned black."

  The scenery is quite good.

  He Le'an couldn't help but burst out laughing, and seeing He Le'yan staring at her with big, round eyes looking wronged, she forced herself to hold back her smile and said, "So how was the matter finally settled..."

  "What else can I do? Father said it's not my fault, let me apologize." She thought of something and showed the first smile after coming back. "However, that old man, Yu Xunfu, is a reasonable person, didn't make me apologize, but his only son was shouting loudly, then Yu Xunfu frowned and said 'It's your honor to be taught by Miss He, it's not right for you to talk back', also said the phrase 'one hand can't clap' was originally his fault."

  "That's good." He Lian said.

  He Le Yan's face turned sour again: "Father wants me to copy 'The Book of Rites' a hundred times, and I'm not allowed out for a month."

  "I'll help you copy it," said He Le'an. "Just remember, Ninth Sister, don't be impulsive next time. If we had a different circuit inspector, even if you were to get a beating, let alone Third Uncle as the prefect, those rumors spread by Shao Yingxiu would not end well for me and the Xi family. To us, it's just a joke, there's no need for you to be angry on her account, she doesn't care about face, but we do!"

  He Le Yan felt wronged for her sister who was not competitive and was entangled in endless misunderstandings, saying: "Sixth sister is so good, yet those people still misunderstood you, it's really annoying."

  "Your six sisters, no matter how good they are, aren't made of gold or silver, so it's impossible for everyone to like them." He Le'an said with a smile, "You, stop thinking about those annoying things. Come and make some pastry with your sixth sister, grandma loves fresh peach cake."

  **

  After finishing the cake, He Le'an and He Le'yan carried it over to find Old Lady He.

  The old lady was currently looking at several scrolls with a puzzled expression, seeing them, she smiled and said: "Come, you guys also take a look, especially Yinger, if you can pick one that suits your eyes, it's good——" They followed the sound and looked over, they were some matchmaking introduction letters.

  He Le'an and He Le'yan only knew that these three scrolls were picked out by He San Shu from a pile of introduction letters, and finally, after weighing the pros and cons, He Lao Tai Tai chose one with a slap on the table to be married as his successor, but she was attracted by a woman named Xiao.

  "I also think that Sixth Sister's view of Xiao Niangzi is quite good." He Le Yuan pointed with a smile.

  He Le'an hadn't even had time to say that he was just taking a casual look, when Old Lady He happily smiled and said: "Actually, I also like her. Although our family has been merchants for generations, her late mother came from a scholarly family in the Jiangnan region, and she herself has some talent too. I suppose later on, she'll get along even better with your father. Because both of her parents passed away early, she's been delayed until now at the age of twenty-five, worrying about her young siblings."

  He Le'an felt that his phrase "just take a look" was no longer suitable to say, more importantly, Old Lady He and He Le'yan happily made their decision, then rolled up the scroll and comfortably started eating pastries, and changed the subject.

  The patter of the small rain stopped, and the cool night color fluttered in.

  He Le'an put on men's clothes and went out to the Rich and Noble Wine House, where she learned that Xiong Shu had changed shifts with another chef and returned home. She then bought some small items and went to his house. After being frightened, Xiong Lin fell seriously ill. For these days, Xiong Shu took every opportunity to return home early to accompany her, but the situation was still not good. When the doctor came to take her pulse, he would shake his head in dismay and say that heart disease requires heart medicine to cure.

  It just so happens that He Lian An said to Xiong Shu, "Xiong Shu, why not change Lin's living environment? Maybe her illness will improve. I have a vacant house here -" She took out the deed and said, "My master didn't want it after all, and he sold it cheaply to me. With my job covering food and lodging, I still can't live in that house."

  Uncle Bear looked at the deed in disbelief and hastily pushed it back to her, saying: "No way, no way, how can I——"

  "What's wrong with that? Didn't I say I'd help take care of Lin Mei? The house is empty anyway, so you might as well go live there. I've been working since I was young and have saved some money, buying a servant to take care of Lin Mei isn't a big problem."

  He Le'an said, "You have a proper job and no large expenses on ordinary days. Asking Zhang Dama to take care of something and asking for maid's wages are not much different. We can all afford it, and later we won't have to worry about anyone taking advantage of Zhang Dama's busy schedule with malicious intentions towards Lin Mei. This house is in the city, it's not worth much money, you can take it."

  She spent a lot of effort to persuade Uncle Bear to move, and although the neighbors were reluctant to see them go, they all sincerely wished them well. However, when Peng found out that they were leaving the village, he came to make trouble, shouting loudly: "Xiong Lin is already mine, she can't leave!" with a ruffian's attitude.

  He Le'an sneered coldly before Xiong Shu furiously rolled up his sleeves to fight, "I said your life belongs to Yanluo Wang, have you died already? Don't think we don't know that you lost money at the gambling den and now you're just looking for a money bag to repay those debts. I'm telling you, you've found the wrong person! Even if my master's brain is filled with water, he wouldn't let you into the Xiong family. And I can squeeze out the water from his brain!"

  Uncle Xiong thought her words sounded strange, but this wasn't the time to pursue it. He solemnly echoed: "Peng Xiaogui, don't be too impatient, even the most honest person will bite when forced to, I let you off last time as a small favor for your deceased grandmother, if you deliberately stir up trouble again, don't blame me for being ruthless!" His years of chopping pig heads hadn't been in vain.

  "You still have the face to come from the Xiong family, my daughter was tainted by me, and you still want to marry someone else!" Peng Xiaohuo shouted. "I'm telling you, don't even think about it, wherever you move, I'll make sure everyone knows about the dirty things your family has done!"

  There are really a lot of shameless people in this world, fortunately, He Le An is not the first time dealing with shameless people. She coldly sneered: "You have no money and still owe debts to the casino, the people from the casino won't let you have such leisure time, the whole village knows that you once plotted evil, if we report to the authorities, at least you'll have to spend a few months in prison!"

  "When the time comes, interest will be added to interest, and you won't even be able to pay back the money you owe the casino. Even if you try to shift the debt onto us, others aren't stupid. You don't have any formal relationship with us, so what's the point of using these empty words to threaten us? It's laughable!"

  Peng Xiao was completely disregarded by He Le'an, and the contemptuous gaze that looked at him like an idiot stimulated him to say fiercely: "Look at how powerful you are, I can't kill you even if I want to, but I can make you disabled, there are many people who will give me money, I'm barefooted, what am I afraid of you wearing shoes? You can't keep that cripple no matter what, if I find a weakness. Not only did I make her stronger, but also..."

  The unbearable words made Xiong Shu lose his temper and he rushed over, punching and kicking.

  He Le'an furrowed her brow, looking suspicious, as she thought about what Peng Xiao had said earlier. Half a moment later, amidst the villagers' shocked cries, she saw Xiong Shu beating the man until he spat out blood repeatedly. She then hastily said, "Xiong Shu, that's enough! Don't dirty your hands for this scum!"

  Just then, Uncle Xiong had just put away his hands, and Peng Xiao had changed his trick to fight back, spitting blood while shouting like a pig being slaughtered: "Ahh! He's killed me, you all saw it, he hit me, my bones are broken, it can't be solved with just a few hundred taels of silver, if you don't compensate me, don't blame me for reporting to the authorities, ahh!"

  He Lan restrained the urge to give him a kick and send him to the Western Heaven, only to hear the villagers around him advising: "Peng Xiaogui, don't do this, Uncle Xiong has taken care of you since you were young, why must you repay kindness with enmity?"

  "Ugh, what's with the 'raising me up' nonsense? Don't make it sound so nice. He only gives us a few taels of silver each month. What kind of nourishing food does he give his daughter to eat? And what about me? I get to eat dry rice cakes and mantou. You're all just pretending to be saints, treating me like some beggar you're doing a favor for. Do you think I should be grateful to you? Dream on! Now look at how he's beaten me up..."

  The villagers were all furious with his attitude, a complete and utter ingrate. Zhang's wife said: "You have hands and feet, can't you go out and work to earn money to support yourself? We're helping you out of kindness, not because we owe it to you. You speak as if we've taken advantage of you in some way, without even considering that we've been supporting you for years. No one's money comes from heaven, every family has to prioritize their own children first. And yet you have the nerve to complain that we're treating you unfairly!"

  For a moment, the villagers who had been fed by Peng Xiaohuo for many years were unwilling to admit it and started arguing with him. However, no matter how they argued, Peng Xiaohuo still didn't know how to write the word "shame". He felt that the whole village was ganging up on him, a lone orphan. He Lian couldn't be bothered to continue the endless argument, so he just smiled and said:

  "Alright, let's report to the authorities then. When the time comes, please ask our neighbors to testify for us. He not only had ill intentions towards our young daughter, but also plotted to harm our family's wealth and lives. Our young daughter's illness still hasn't improved until now. If anything happens to her, you with the surname Peng, will be waiting to spend a lifetime in prison!"

  "You, you!" Peng Xiao said in a flustered tone, "Don't try to intimidate me, I, I also know the law..."

  "You know the law!" He Lan interrupted, "You had ulterior motives just a few days ago and today you're trying to do it again. We only fought back in self-defense, so don't try to exaggerate your injuries. The yamen has medical examiners who can verify the extent of your wounds. Let's see if the officials believe you, a scoundrel of a gambler, or us, people who have never committed any wrongdoing!"

  Peng Xiaohuo also didn't know where he found this apprentice. With a tongue so sharp, he tried to speak several times but couldn't refute him, and only heard He Le'an say: "Now I give you two options, one is to report to the authorities, and the other is that my apprentice's saliva may not be able to drown you, but it can definitely seriously injure you. Two, don't appear in front of us again, otherwise, Uncle Xiong will spare your life once more, and this apprentice won't let up either. I'll see who exhausts whom first!"

  Her gaze suddenly turned sinister and cold, as if he was her prey. With just a slight shake of his head, she could have killed him with one swipe of her paw in full view of everyone, and before he could speak, she added, "Who sent you to cause trouble? You go back and find them, the other party is not easy to mess with, it doesn't mean I'm easy to mess with." Her voice was icy cold, like a bone-chilling wind on a winter's day.

  Peng Xiaohuo shuddered and scurried away in a hurry under her intense stare.

  He Le'an let out a sigh of relief, composed himself and turned to face Xiong Shu with a smile: "To avoid him causing more trouble tomorrow, let's move tonight instead. It won't take long to pack up here, and I've already organized the other place, buying new essentials."

  Uncle Xiong was so grateful that he didn't know what to say, perhaps because of the recent troubles and frustrations that had weighed him down, an honest man who had been worn out for half his life. In the midst of the villagers' voices offering help, he couldn't hold back tears, "Thank you, thank you so much, little Ke, and everyone else, I'm really too grateful!"

  "Hey, we're all from the same village. We've been neighbors for many years, and yet you still say such polite words!" The villagers couldn't help but smile, thinking that this old father who carried his disabled daughter on his back was really having a tough time, and before leaving, they each gave them many things.

  **

  The night is getting deeper.

  He Lezhi finished and Uncle Xiong's daughter went to the yamen early in the morning.

  It was still that back door, and as soon as she pushed it open, he appeared.

  Looking at her pitiful appearance with her head hung low in dejection, his heart ached, "Who bullied you?"

  "Ugh, I've never intentionally provoked anyone or caused any trouble, so why won't they just leave me alone...?" He Lian complained miserably. "If they have a problem with me, then come at me directly! Why do they have to go and bother the people around me who are even more innocent than I am? I haven't killed their ancestors for eighteen generations, stolen their gold and silver treasures, or cut off their hands and feet and forced them to beg on the streets..."