Chapter Eighteen: Wintergreen

  "Ning Er." A soft and gentle call suddenly came from outside the door, and the two people who were infatuated with each other were shocked as if they had been electrocuted, and they both turned their heads to look at the door.

  "Ning Er, how's Seventh Brother? Is he drunk badly?" Lu Qi and Ning Er exchanged a shocked glance before parting to reveal the newcomer, Zhou Yue Er.

  "Master Lao's wife, Master Qi has just lain down." Ning'er said hastily, while adjusting her clothes and gesturing for Lu Qi to go to bed. Lu Qi reluctantly walked towards the bed and lay down, feeling very indignant in his heart.

  Ning'er walked to the door and opened it. Outside stood Zhou Yue'er and a slightly dark-skinned goose-egg-faced maid.

  "Madam is young and inexperienced, Seventh Young Master has had a bit too much to drink, he just lay down." Ning Er repeated respectfully.

  "Ning'er, my wife and I are going to pay respects to my paternal grandmother, and we'll also see Yan'er, your younger sister. My wife wants you to go too, and Seventh Brother has asked Dongqing to take care of you." Ning'er understood, nodded in response, and followed Zhou Yue'er out, while the maid Dongqing took her place and entered the room instead.

  Watching Ning'er leave, Lu Qi's mood suddenly fell and he felt anxious. He knew his mother was going to arrange a blind date for him, but he didn't agree with it in his heart. However, as the saying goes, "parents are in charge of children's marriages", and his mother was a traditional official woman who adhered to traditional rules and wouldn't allow them to be broken. Lu Qi was naturally filial and didn't want to directly disobey his mother's arrangements. He worried that the woman his mother chose for him would not be suitable for him, after all, this was a matter of lifelong companionship.

  He lay silently for a long time before stretching his body uncomfortably. "Young Master Lu, would you like some water?" A soft and gentle female voice sounded in Lu Qi's ear, and he turned to see that it was the maid, Wintergreen. He had forgotten that she was in the room.

  "No, I'm not thirsty, thank you." Lu Qi said with a smile.

  "Master Lu, don't be polite, just give orders directly." Dong Qing said softly.

  Lu Qi's eyes swept over Dong Qing, seeing that he was fourteen or fifteen years old. Although his skin tone was slightly darker, his facial features were regular and handsome. Despite his young age, he gave off a sense of steady elegance. He smiled and said: "You're Dong Qing, I haven't seen you outside before, have I?"

  Dong Xiang nodded and said: "Yes, I was doing chores in the kitchen."

  Lu Qi nodded slightly, thought for a moment and smiled: "Dong Qing, have you seen Miss Zhou Yan'er?"

  Dong Qing smiled sweetly and said: "Young Master Lu wants to know about Miss Yan's situation, right?"

  Lu Qi's face turned red with excitement, and he sat up straight. He reached into his pocket and pulled out ten copper coins, handing them to Dong Qing as he said in a gentle tone: "You're really clever, take this, let's have a chat."

  Dong Qing glanced at the copper coins and shook his head: "This servant cannot accept this money, young master can ask whatever he wants."

  Lu Qi was taken aback, it was the first time he had met a servant who wasn't greedy for money. He felt some respect and goodwill towards Dong Qing in his heart, so he put away the money with a smile and asked: "Dong Qing, how long have you been working at the Zhou's?"

  "It's been over a year."

  Lu Qi and Sheng Dao said: "Is it because your family is poor that you sold yourself into the Zhou household?"

  Dong Qing nodded and said in a low voice, "Yes, my family owed Old Man Zhou five years of rent, but we really couldn't pay it back. Our home had no food, so I asked Old Man Zhou to take me in."

  Lu Qi listened and felt a sour feeling in his heart. He thought of his little sister, who was also sold into servitude at the Xiao estate due to their family's poverty. However, when he went to redeem her, she refused to return home. Did his little sister really not want to go back home?

  "Dong Qing, are you willing to be a slave in the Zhou family or go back home?" Lu Qi asked dejectedly.

  "I am willing to be a slave in the Zhou family, Master Zhou and his wife are very good to me. I had no clothes to wear at home, and could only drink a small bowl of porridge every day. In the Zhou's house, I can eat my fill every day." Dong Qing replied softly.

  Lu Qi listened, feeling dazed and confused. In this chaotic world, poor people would rather be slaves to the rich than free commoners. After a moment of stunned silence, he spoke up: "Dong Qing, I have a younger sister who, when our family was struggling financially, also sold herself into a wealthy official's household as a personal maid to the young mistress. When I returned and tried to buy her back, she refused to leave, saying that the mistress treated her well and she was willing to remain as the mistress' personal attendant even after marriage. Do you think my sister truly didn't want to return home?"

  Dong Qing was taken aback, and said in a low voice: "This slave doesn't dare to speak nonsense. I think the young master's sister must be a beautiful girl. Most of the personal maidservants who serve as attendants for the daughters of high-ranking officials are very fortunate. After the daughter gets married, the maidservant who accompanies her to her husband's household becomes an upper house maid. If she serves the male master well, she will also become a concubine with a recognized status. Because she followed the young lady, her status as a concubine is also superior to others. Perhaps it was because of this that the young master's sister didn't want to be ransomed back home."

  Lu Qi nodded thoughtfully, thinking to herself that her younger sister Xiaoyan was still young and didn't want to go home, probably because she was influenced by Cheng Yiniang. If they weren't struggling to make ends meet at home, who would be willing to be a servant driven by others?

  He sank into thought for a moment, then looked up and said in a low voice: "Dong Qing, thank you."

  Dong Qing said in a soft voice: "Please don't thank me, young master. I dare not accept it."

  Lu Qi smiled and said, "Dong Qing, do you have something to say?" Dong Qing looked at Lu Qi with a hesitant expression, as if he wanted to say something.

  Dong Qing's face changed slightly and she looked a bit flustered, bowing her head and speaking in a soft voice: "Young Master Lu, I want to ask you something, does your family want me?"

  Lu Qi was taken aback and smiled: "Do you want to go to my home?"

  "Dong Qing said in a soft voice: 'Yes, Master Zhou and his wife are kind people, very tolerant of tenant farmers and also very good to our slave family. However, the Zhou family is also facing some difficulties, having raised ten slaves, most of whom were taken in by the master and mistress out of kindness. There are too many people, if your household lacks slaves, I beg you to buy me, I am willing to go to your household to serve Miss Yue.'"

  Lu Qi listened and was moved in his heart. This is a kind girl who knows how to repay kindness. He smiled and said, "I can buy you back to my home, but are you willing to serve only my sister?"

  Dong Qing was taken aback and hastily said: "No, I can also serve Mrs. Lu."

  Lu Qi smiled and said: "Don't you want to serve me?"

  Dong Qing was taken aback, her coarse and dark goose-egg face immediately turned crimson, she lowered her head in shame and whispered: "I'm ugly, I don't deserve to serve the young master."

  Lu Qi was taken aback, realizing that Dong Qing had misunderstood. He thought to himself that this young girl already knew about the relationship between men and women, and he didn't want to hurt her self-esteem. So he said gently: "You look very pretty, not ugly at all."

  The two hands clasped together in front of her body, and after a while, she whispered: "I am willing to serve the young master."

  Lu Qi smiled and said seriously, "Dong Qing, I bought you, the Zhou family will accept my silver. If my mother or sister-in-law bought you, the Zhou family would only give you away for free, they wouldn't accept any silver. The Zhou family is not wealthy now either. When my family buys you, we must give the Zhou family silver. After you go to my house, you can then serve my sister-in-law again. Do you understand?"

  Dong Qing listened and suddenly felt enlightened, her shame and embarrassment greatly reduced. She quickly knelt down and said in a soft voice: "I understand, thank you, young master, for helping me out. You are also a kind-hearted good person."

  Lu Qi heard and smiled bitterly in his heart, the two words "good person" were truly ashamed to say that he had done nothing bad in his five years of military career, the pure and simple heart of his youth had long since become numb, and now he just pretended to be a good person at home.

  "Get up, don't kneel when you see me from now on." Lu Qi said softly, he had a warm and affectionate feeling towards Dong Qing, perhaps it was his sister's departure that left him heartbroken.

  Dong Qing got up and said in a low voice: "Young Master, are you thinking of asking about Miss Yan's affairs?"

  Lu Qi truly liked this delicate and lovely girl in his heart, and smiled faintly: "I want to know, my sister-in-law wants to be a matchmaker for me, can you tell me the truth about Miss Yan's situation?"

  Dong Qing hesitated for a moment and said in a soft voice: "I'm telling you the truth, sir. Can you really not get angry?"

  Lu Qiyan was taken aback and smiled: "Tell me honestly what I'm angry about, go ahead."

  "Dong Qing said in a soft voice: 'Young master, according to what I've seen, Miss Yan is as beautiful as an immortal fairy, and she's also good at literature and poetry. Her zither playing sounds wonderful too. I heard that Miss Yan doesn't like martial artists, but rather appreciates refined scholars. I know you're a martial artist, so even if we bring it up, it won't work.'"

  Lu Qi nodded, before joining the army, he was also a scholar and martial artist, but his literary inclination was towards miscellaneous studies. His literary and poetic skills were far inferior to those of his elder brother. He also liked music, especially playing the sheng, but it had been three years since he last touched one. After hearing Dong Qing's words, he felt a little disappointed, but also relieved. It was good that the marriage didn't work out, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future to find a suitable partner.