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墨書 Inktalez
Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua heard a scream coming from the overturned cart nearby. Curious, they went over to take a look and found that the jar in Xiao Lihua's basket had rolled out and cracked against a sharp stone, breaking several eggs inside, while the others rolled everywhere. The jar in Xie Youshun's basket also rolled out but remained intact, lying askew on the ground.
Xiao Lihua frowned slightly, thinking it was unfortunate that they hadn't even reached Xiao Family Village before breaking a jar. However, this was not the time to lament over the jar and eggs; there were still people screaming not far away, and saving them was more important.
The two of them simply tossed their baskets aside and hurried towards the cart.
The horse had fallen to the ground and was struggling to get up, shaking the overturned cart violently. Inside the cart, someone was trying to pull themselves out through the window but was being jostled back by the swaying cart. Occasionally, a man's voice could be heard complaining.
"What bad luck! Why did this horse get spooked? If I had known it would be this chaotic riding out, I wouldn't have done it. Ouch, it hurts so much!"
The speaker was a young man.
"Hold on tight! Don't go out; be careful not to get hurt by the horse!" another calm male voice came from inside.
Hearing their loud voices reassured Xiao Lihua that they were not seriously injured. Her gaze shifted to the coachman on the ground nearby, who seemed to be in the most pain, groaning as if he had injured his leg.
At that moment, Xie Youshun picked up the coachman's whip and approached the horse, cracking it sharply while shouting a few commands. Miraculously, the horse stopped thrashing about and began whinnying softly. Xie Youshun then patted its neck and called to the people inside the cart, urging them to come out.
The people inside quickly crawled out; they were two young men dressed like wealthy gentlemen in fine silk fabrics with gold hairpins adorning their heads. Although they appeared somewhat disheveled as they emerged from the cart, once standing, they looked like refined young lords.
Xiao Lihua glanced at them briefly before focusing her attention back on Xie Youshun. At that moment, he was the most captivating man in her eyes. She thought it was impressive how he managed to calm the horse with just a few cracks of the whip and some shouts.
Seeing the two young men emerge from the cart made Xie Youshun involuntarily glance at his wife. He couldn't help but feel nervous; after all, his wife had once dreamed of marrying into wealth and would sometimes argue with him about how she deserved a handsome young gentleman rather than a poor villager like him. Now that two such men stood before them, he couldn't shake off his anxiety about how she might perceive him. However, when he noticed that Xiao Lihua only glanced at those two handsome men before her eyes lit up upon looking at him again, his mood lifted significantly; he felt as if he stood taller.
"Wife, I'm fine. You weren't scared, were you?" Xie Youshun walked over to Xiao Lihua and smiled when he saw her still looking at him.
Xiao Lihua shook her head, thinking how good-looking Xie Youshun was when he smiled. She felt a bit embarrassed for seemingly acting like a lovesick fool but reminded herself that he was her husband now, which gave her confidence to gaze at him openly.
"I'm fine too. You were really impressive just now! With just a couple of cracks of your whip and some shouts, you calmed that horse down. How did you do it?" Xiao Lihua asked humbly, hoping to learn how to handle a wild horse in case she encountered such a situation again in the future.
Xie Youshun thinks that his current wife is really adorable. In the past, the not-so-good Xiao Lihua looked down on him, but later, after she improved, she seemed too capable for him. Now, Xiao Lihua satisfies his big man mentality. He laughs and says that he used to drive horse-drawn carriages, and that any animal would listen to him.
The couple stands together warmly, making the two men nearby exchange glances, thinking that this couple seems to have a good relationship. However, in this situation, how could they forget about them? So one of the men in a light blue robe goes to check on the injured coachman, while the one in a blue robe coughs and thanks Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua.
"No need to thank us. But why did your horse get startled? Luckily this is on the main road; what if someone got hurt in a crowded place?" Xiao Lihua says, recognizing that the young man's voice was the one who complained earlier. Remembering how she and her husband were doing fine until they got scraped and even dropped Pickled Egg, her mood isn't great. There’s not much of a smile on her face.
"My name is Zhao Linting. I'm not sure why the horse got startled. Thanks to your kind help, I hope we didn't hurt you earlier. Don't worry; if you were injured, we will definitely cover your medical expenses."
Seeing that both of them were covered in dirt, Zhao Linting recalls seeing them get scraped by the carriage earlier. It's impressive that they still came to help despite that. Especially this woman in front of him; her cold gaze and slight displeasure are quite unexpected.
This woman used to be someone who aimed high; even after getting married, she would usually take the chance to extract some benefits from well-dressed people like them.
This man is the same slender-eyed man who spoke at the tavern when Xiao Lihua saw Xiao Ziyi arguing with Su Yuanchun. The man in white robes is another one.
Zhao Linting thinks it’s quite a coincidence to encounter this couple here.
Xie Youshun says, "I'm fine; are you okay, wife? If anything hurts, just tell me. We should see a Physician, especially since you recently hurt your head."
Xiao Lihua shakes her head and says, "I'm fine. However, our jar is broken, and several eggs inside are ruined. Since they have money, let them compensate us."
Xiao Lihua thinks that jar of eggs was meant for her to sell; it broke before reaching Xiao Ziyi, which is really unfortunate. Moreover, a jar costs money, and those eggs cost money too. These two men look wealthy; they should pay for their rescue as well as for the jar and eggs.
Xie Youshun laughs and says, "A jar costs twenty coins; let's say those few eggs are worth ten coins. Adding in the saltwater and the basket that got crushed, let's settle on fifty coins."
Xiao Lihua nods, thinking that Xie Youshun's calculations are pretty accurate. Then the couple looks at Zhao Linting, implying that he should hurry up and pay.
Zhao Linting blinks and thinks it's quite surprising how this couple behaves. He expected them either to ask for a lot of money or nothing at all; instead, they only asked for fifty coins. He bursts into laughter, realizing that these Villagers are completely different from what Hua Heng described about a maid trying to climb up socially by seducing masters. He reaches into his money pouch and pulls out a piece of Silver, handing it over while saying it's compensation for them and doesn't require change—just to calm their nerves.
Xie Youshun takes it and hands it to Xiao Lihua. She accepts it; since they are willing to give it to them, she will take it. They were indeed startled, and this piece of Silver looks like four or five taels—an unexpected windfall that lifts her spirits.
At this moment, the man in white approaches them again to thank them and mentions that the coachman's leg is broken.
Xiao Lihua thinks that this man named Hua Heng really has an air about him. If Zhao Linting seems like a playful young master, he appears to be someone who has already taken charge of his family business. His gaze feels pressuring as if he could see right through someone. However, Xiao Lihua isn’t afraid of him; after all, she’s from modern times where company bosses can be just as imposing. Now she isn’t his subordinate anymore; having helped him makes him less intimidating.
Zhao Linting said, "It looks like this cart can't be lifted. We don't know if the horse is injured, so it's best not to ride it. Fortunately, Xiao Family Village isn't far away. Hurry and go call someone. You can move quickly, so you go get help while I stay here."
When Xiao Lihua heard that they were also going to Xiao Family Village, she didn't say anything. After Hua Heng left, she walked back to where the broken jar was and picked up the unbroken eggs from the shattered jar. She placed them in a basket lined with straw. She also put another jar in a different basket.
Zhao Linting walked over at some point and looked at the soup and eggs in the jar, asking what it was and why the eggs were placed there.
Xie Youshun remained silent, but Xiao Lihua glanced at him and said, "My family's eggs are too dirty, so I'm soaking them here. When it's time to eat, I'll take them out clean and just throw them into the pot. That's all there is to it." Hearing this, Xie Youshun's lips curled into a slight smile.
Zhao Linting realized he was being deceived and seemed impatient with the question, as if he had asked something he shouldn't have. He rubbed his nose, wondering how this villager had stopped trying to please wealthy people after getting married. Was it that he lacked charm? Those girls he had seen in the morning had looked at him with sparkling eyes. Little did he know that Xiao Lihua was thinking about making money from these eggs and didn't want to tell Zhao Linting that he was the one who broke her golden egg.
Once Xiao Lihua finished tidying up, she called Xie Youshun and they left, leaving Zhao Linting watching their backs.
After Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua had walked for a while and were nearing Xiao Family Village, they saw someone driving a cart and riding a horse coming towards them, presumably to help Zhao Linting. They continued on until they reached Xiao Family Village and told the gatekeeper that they wanted to see Miss Xiao; as long as they mentioned they were from Xiaqiao Village, Miss Xiao would agree to meet them.
The gatekeeper recognized them immediately, went to report their arrival, and then let them in.
This time they were not taken to the back courtyard by a maid but instead arrived at what seemed like a garden. On the way, they encountered Hua Heng, who was standing in front of a maid with an expression of difficulty. Hua Heng was surprised to see Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua there.
"Is your young lady only willing to see them and not me?" Hua Heng asked the maid. Hearing this, Xiao Lihua thought that this dynasty was quite lenient; women could freely go out on the streets, and men could meet young ladies in gardens.
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