A stew of the Red Chamber

Chapter 49 Double Yolk

Because of this commotion, Madam Wang forgot to order someone to see Wang Qing off.

Wang Qing was happy to be alone. While keeping an eye on his surroundings, he carried the woolen fabric home.

Just as we reached the front of the abandoned courtyard in the northeast corner, a graceful figure appeared at the gate.

Wang Qingming feigned ignorance and asked, "Sister Ping'er, what are you doing here?"

Ping'er lowered her head and said in a trembling voice, "Grandma...Grandma ordered me to wait for Master here!"

By the light of the snow, Wang Qing glanced at the small courtyard behind Ping'er and tentatively asked, "Sister-in-law, are you planning to discuss this inside?"

"Grandma didn't come!" Ping'er mustered her courage and raised her head slightly. "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to Grandpa's first!"

"This must be the price Wang Xifeng offered," Wang Qing thought to himself.

But he continued to probe, "Sister, coming to my place alone so late at night, wouldn't it be inappropriate if someone saw us?"

Earlier, he had extended an invitation to Wang Xifeng, but now he could only play with words, emphasizing that Ping'er was going alone.

Ping'er felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this. She raised her head and said in a hoarse voice, "No...it's nothing. I brought the key to the back gate of Grandpa's yard..."

At this point, she paused, then quickly asked, "Is no one home in the house, sir?"

"No!"

Wang Qing remained uneasy and added, "Then, sister, please wait for me in the study later."

Ping'er hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded.

As they arrived at the back gate of their small courtyard, Wang Qing watched Ping'er enter the backyard and close the door.

Wang Qing climbed over the opposite courtyard wall, looked down, and observed the surroundings. Finding no movement, he went home through the back door.

As soon as I entered, I saw Sister Liu come to greet me somewhat shyly.

"Grandpa!"

Wang Qing was taken aback at first, then seemed to realize something and asked, "Have they all gone to rest?"

"They've all drunk too much, and Wu'er and the maids have all fallen asleep."

"Okay! Then you should be more careful."

Wang Qing nodded and went straight to the study.

Upon arriving at the study, Wang Qing paused briefly to confirm that there was only one person breathing inside before pushing the door open and entering.

When he entered the room, Ping'er was clearly a little flustered, her hands clasped together and her body swaying slightly involuntarily.

"Why isn't the light on, sister?"

Wang Qing casually tossed the raw material aside, leaned back, closed the door, and took out a tinderbox to light the candlestick on the table.

The dim firelight flickered on, casting a warm yellow glow that illuminated Ping'er's flushed cheeks, making them appear and disappear.

Wang Qing raised an eyebrow, strode to the table, pushed the chair behind Ping'er, and gently pressed his hands on her shoulders. Ping'er obediently sat down.

He then pulled up a chair and sat opposite her, getting straight to the point: "Sister, can you tell me now?"

Ping'er fidgeted with the edge of her dress, pursed her lips, and after a long while spoke in a low voice: "That gold ingot was indeed embezzled by Second Master Lian from the government..."

Instead of following Wang Xifeng's instructions, she recounted how Jia Lian had used the pretense of a thief to falsely report a deficit, and why he had dressed up for Wang Xifeng.

She added at the end, "Grandma was afraid that if things were exposed, she would be suspected of being a conspirator and implicated in the affair."

Although Ping'er was telling the truth, Wang Qing was prejudiced and thought it was just an excuse from Wang Xifeng.

After listening, he pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, why won't you just say it directly, sister-in-law?"

Ping'er sighed heavily, as if she had made a great decision, and said in a deep voice, "Madam doesn't trust Master, so she asked me to lie and say that Master Lian had been sleeping with prostitutes the other day, and that Madam was angry with him. That's why he agreed to make a pair of jewelry as an apology, but he didn't know that it was the lost gold ingot, and... and he asked me to..."

At this point, she seemed like a deflated balloon, slumping back in her chair.

Although Ping'er is loyal, she is not stupid. After tonight, she will most likely be Wang Qing's man.

Wang Xifeng will likely use her position to negotiate, and if she cannot be honest with him at this time, she will eventually lose Wang Qing's favor.

Wang Xifeng truly lives up to her name; even when she fabricates a lie, it's flawless.

Although it couldn't fool himself, it could be used to appease Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang.

This was clearly telling herself that she wasn't without options, and that she should stop now.

Wang Qing thought to himself, but looked at Ping'er with a puzzled expression and asked, "What did you ask me to do?"

Ping'er leaned weakly against the back of the chair, her chest heaving, and said in a trembling voice, "Madam is naturally suspicious, and Master has also fallen out with Second Master Lian. To prevent Master from using this matter against her, she ordered me to hand myself over to Master..."

In the end, his voice was barely audible, and he lowered his head deeply.

Wang Xifeng wanted to use Ping'er to lure Wang Qing, and Wang Qing was happy to insert a wedge into Wang Xifeng's side.

Although he still held back some of his words to Ping'er, he was bound to develop feelings for her over time.

He made up his mind, but said aloud, "I have long admired you, sister, but I regret that we are not destined to be together in this life. It is rare that you do not trust me. I hope you will not resent me for taking advantage of you! In the future, I will definitely bring you to my side and make it up to you."

Upon hearing this, Ping'er was already too ashamed to utter a sound.

Seeing this, Wang Qing no longer hesitated and suddenly got up from the chair, picked up the woolen cloth on the ground, placed it behind Ping'er, and then bent down to hold Ping'er's knees and put them on the armrest of the chair.

Ping'er felt a sudden dizziness, and she was confused. Then, when she felt a chill beneath her, she was startled and stammered, "Master...Master, this...this servant..."

Are you scared? Are you that naive?

Wang Qing thought Ping'er was just putting on an act.

Unexpectedly, she pulled a handkerchief from her bosom with an embarrassed expression, and said shyly, "Grandma...Grandma will examine it later..."

This……

Wang Qing was suddenly taken aback. Could it be that he could hit the nail on the head?

……

whimper……

The cold wind howled, swirling up the snowflakes piled on the ground. The grayish-white fragments, like torn letters, rolled back and forth on the ground, like waves, tirelessly splashing against the earth.

With a thermos filled with hot water in one hand and a copper basin on her other arm, Sister Liu crept furtively into the backyard, her back bent low.

Despite her young age, Wang Qing understood that there would be cleanup to do later, so she boiled water and made all the necessary preparations before rushing over.

Just as I was about to head to the main room, I suddenly caught a glimpse of the dim light in the study.

Sister Liu hesitated for a moment, then quickly turned to the study. When she reached the door, before she could even call out, she heard a plaintive sobbing sound coming from inside, accompanied by the call of "Sister Ping'er".

Sister Liu was suddenly startled, her scalp tingling. She instinctively wanted to run away, but her feet seemed to be rooted to the ground.

Wang Qing's slightly low groan, like a spell that had frozen her, not only stiffened her body but also stirred up a storm in her heart.

She dared not breathe and stood quietly at the doorway.

After an unknown amount of time, accompanied by a suppressed yet incredibly satisfying cry: "Grandpa!" the room returned to silence.

Sister Liu was startled and was about to turn around and run away.

I don't know if it was because I stood for too long or because it was too cold outside, but my limbs became stiff and I couldn't move.

Just when she feared most, the door suddenly opened before she could even catch her breath. Wang Qing, wearing an outer robe with his chest open, appeared in the doorway in a nonchalant manner.

The clearly defined muscles, the pervasive atmosphere in the room, and the heat emanating from Wang Qing's body rushed towards her, leaving Sister Liu's mind blank.

Wang Qing was observant and attentive to his surroundings. He could hear Liu Saozi's footsteps, but not Ping'er.

It was initially thought that Sister Liu was keeping watch outside and monitoring things, and that deliberately opening the door was also a way of planting a seed of suspicion between Ping'er and Wang Xifeng.

He glanced at the thermos and copper basin in Sister Liu's hands, and asked knowingly, "Sister Liu? What are you doing here?"

Wang Qing's question was like a bolt from the blue. Liu's sister-in-law was jolted awake, swallowed hard, and was speechless.

Sister Liu was speechless, but Ping'er inside the room was terrified.

Just as Wang Qing was wondering whether Sister Liu was acting on orders to keep watch or had come to clean up the mess out of kindness, he heard Ping'er say in a muffled voice, "If you don't drag her into this, sir, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep it a secret..."

Got it!

It turned out that Wang Xifeng was worried that she didn't have enough chips.

Without further hesitation, Wang Qing pulled Sister Liu into the house, still putting on airs as he said, "Since you've caught us, how about we offer a token of our loyalty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Sister Liu seemed to suddenly come to life. She hurriedly bent down, dropped the thermos and copper basin she was holding, and said repeatedly, "I...I'm willing to go into the water..."

Well, they're not even going to act anymore!

Without waiting for her to get up, Wang Qing went around behind Sister Liu, grabbed her lower abdomen, and squeezed her down to his chair, then turned her upside down on the chair.

Immediately, he reached out and pressed, grabbed, and pulled on Sister Liu's round waist, and her rounded figure sprang out from behind.

……