Su Xiaoqi conferred with Shen Mingzhu and returned to her room as dusk was falling.
Lamps had been lit in the courtyard.
Su Xiaoqi saw Shen Yun sitting by the window, reading.
His frame was straight, yet his posture was poor, leaning against a chaise lounge, looking indolent.
Su Xiaoqi walked closer, wanting to see what book he was reading.
To her surprise, as soon as she approached, Shen Yun suddenly put down his book and pulled her into his arms.
Su Xiaoqi protested, "Ah… Husband, you were reading your book so well, why are you hugging me?"
"Wife, it is late, time for bed."
Hearing his ethereal voice and the amorous sentiment in his deep, dark eyes, Su Xiaoqi understood what he meant.
Her heart leaped, and she suddenly felt a little shy.
But Shen Yun gave her no chance to back out. With a tightening of his arms, he shifted from holding her to laying her down on the couch, leaning over her, his forehead touching hers, his voice low and husky, "Wife, I miss you so much."
Each word struck Su Xiaoqi's heart like a pulsating note, compelling her to raise her jade arms to embrace Shen Yun's, her lips parting slightly, "Husband, I miss you too, mmm…"
Having heard what he wanted to hear, Shen Yun wasted no more time. He sealed her lips, then proceeded to tease and torment Su Xiaoqi as he pleased.
The lamplight flickered, figures overlapped, and another night of bliss ensued.
The next day, Su Xiaoqi kept her word and, with Shen Mingzhu, picked up Du Yiyi and went to Liuyuan.
She intended to take them to the West Farm near Liuyuan.
Xiao Xique, having not seen Su Xiaoqi for a long time, was overjoyed upon seeing her. She rushed up from afar and hugged her, calling her "good sister."
Su Xiaoqi noticed that Xiao Xique had changed considerably in just a few days.
Her crimson dress embroidered with lotus patterns greatly complemented her figure. Her hair was styled in a flying moon bun, adorned with the gold hairpin inlaid with pearls that Su Xiaoqi had given her. She looked radiant and beautiful.
If an insider didn't mention it, who would have thought that she used to live in a dilapidated city temple and beg for a living?
Just this time last year, she was a timid little girl who dared not even raise her voice when speaking.
Now, she had grown into a capable head manager.
Su Xiaoqi was genuinely happy for her.
She wanted everyone around her to be well.
Xiao Xique personally welcomed them.
She led them to the backyard to see the orphans they had taken in.
There were thirty in total, ranging from about 5 to 10 years old.
Just like in Mianzhou City, they would hire a few teachers to teach them to read and write.
Su Xiaoqi saw that they were all thin and scrawny, with heads bowed and shoulders slumped, timid and pitiful.
Their clothes were new, likely bought for them by Xiao Xique.
However, due to the haste, most of them didn't fit well and were not tailored.
Afraid of scaring them, Su Xiaoqi first had some food prepared for them.
At first, no one dared to touch it. Su Xiaoqi took a piece of pastry and put it in her mouth, then turned back with a smile and beckoned them to eat together.
They looked at each other. One of the tallest boys tentatively asked, "Do we need to pay for these? We have no money."
Su Xiaoqi deliberately asked, "What is your name?"
"Qi Yuzhang."
Su Xiaoqi mused that his name sounded so refined, not like that of someone from a poor family.
"Do you want to eat?"
Qi Yuzhang nodded, his mouth involuntarily watering.
Su Xiaoqi said, "You want to eat but have no money, so what can we do?"
Upon hearing this, Qi Yuzhang took a step back, blocking the younger children behind him, who lowered their heads and remained silent.
But from behind came sounds of rumbling stomachs; they all wanted to eat.
Qi Yuzhang looked up at Su Xiaoqi, pondered for a moment, and then gritted his teeth, "Whatever you want me to do, I will do. Can they eat?"
His voice was firm as he asked, but also a little hesitant, as if afraid Su Xiaoqi would disagree.
"What can you do?" Su Xiaoqi asked casually.
"Whatever the lady needs me to do, I will do."
Su Xiaoqi said, "Alright, you can eat."
Qi Yuzhang still stood in front, blocking them.
Seeing this, Su Xiaoqi suspected he was waiting for her to state her conditions.
"What a spirited child," she thought.
She walked closer to Qi Yuzhang and said softly, "What I want you to do is very simple: study, practice calligraphy.
Of course, if you don't like academics, I can also hire a martial arts instructor or someone to teach you trades or accounting. In short, learn a skill.
Can you do it?"
After she finished speaking, the children were somewhat dazed.
Xiao Xique stepped forward and recounted her own experiences and those of Xiao Yi and others.
She told them that she used to be an even worse beggar than them, and that her current situation was all thanks to the help of Sister Xiaoqi.
Xiao Xique's words immediately resonated with everyone. With no further reservations, they rushed forward and devoured the food.
Su Xiaoqi said, "Eat slowly, there's more."
As she spoke, she had Xiao Xique bring more food for them.
The two also discussed arranging a special, nutritionally balanced diet for them to help them grow.
Meanwhile, Su Xiaoqi asked Zhang Yu to note down the matter of asking Shen Yun to help introduce teachers for them.
Afterward, Su Xiaoqi left. As soon as she took a step, Qi Yuzhang, holding a slice of bread, led the group of thirty people and knelt down with a thud from behind.
They thanked her in unison and promised to study diligently and not to let her kindness go to waste.
Su Xiaoqi nodded, saying she looked forward to their performance.
After everything was settled, the group returned to Liuyuan.
Xiao Xique first gave them a taste of all the services Liuyuan offered.
Starting with bathing and changing clothes upon entry.
Then came massages, foot baths, spas, as well as manicures and eating various delicacies, all according to Su Xiaoqi's instructions.
Finally, they gathered in the lounge, which integrated leisure and entertainment.
Here, Su Xiaoqi saw many familiar faces.
Among them was Wen Ruohua, the wife of He Qiumiao.
Today, she was not with her two daughters but with an older woman.
Su Xiaoqi's extraordinary hearing allowed her to fully overhear their conversation.
"Mrs. Li, the fertility secret you told me didn't seem to work."
"Alas, why are you so anxious? This matter of having children cannot be rushed; fate hasn't arrived yet.
Look at me, my first three pregnancies were all daughters. But my later pregnancy produced twin sons." The said Mrs. Li spoke with a proud air.
She was a renowned and auspiciously blessed lady from the capital.
She was also plump and fond of smiling, which made Wen Ruohua's complexion appear even more gloomy, her smile bitter and strained.
Su Xiaoqi sighed softly upon hearing this, realizing this was the sorrow of this era.
Whether in the imperial family or ordinary households, having a son was a source of pride.
Wen Ruohua was not infertile; she had already given birth to two daughters. By all accounts, she was healthy and capable of bearing more children.
Moreover, she was only in her early thirties, and having more children was a matter of time.
Yet, judging by her whispered conversation with Mrs. Li, she was extremely anxious and completely distraught.
Su Xiaoqi originally did not wish to eavesdrop on such private matters, but they were simply too close, and her hearing was so exceptionally acute that she was inadvertently forced to listen.
Mrs. Li's general meaning was that the eldest legitimate daughter-in-law of the Duke of Huangguo's family also had difficulty conceiving when she first married. Later, she learned that there was a highly accomplished monk at Huangjue Temple who was exceptionally skilled at bestowing children.
He could grant the wishes of anyone who sought him.
And more often than not, they would give birth to sons.
Therefore, Mrs. Li advised Wen Ruohua to seek him out.
"That accomplished monk is likely a man. How can such private matters be appropriate…"
"What are you afraid of? When seeking children, you are not alone.
Do you know that tens of thousands of people seek children every year?
However, Master Kongshan has a rule of receiving guests only twice a month.
He only receives ten people at a time, so opportunities are rare."
Upon hearing that so many people sought children together, Wen Ruohua, who had been hesitant, immediately agreed.
As her emotions relaxed, she also had the mind to look around.
She immediately spotted Su Xiaoqi not far away.
The two met gazes across the distance and smiled.