Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Madam Xu Part I

Old Li and Mrs. Li were stunned. Fury raged across his face.

"That conniving little foxfoxes are cunning, and if women are cunning or seductive, they're considered foxes! How dare she!"

"Qin'er, Ying'er, did Shan'er look alright?" Mrs. Li asked softly.

Li Yingqin replied with disdain, "She's still in a wheelchair. That maid of hers was with them also."

Li Yingying muttered, "I don't get why she'd even bother coming back. She's just a useless person. What can she do for Hero Xu?"

Old Li suddenly stood up. "Let's go. I want to see how that fox bewitched Xiao Xu!"

He stormed out with his two sons and wife scurrying after him.

∇

Back at Xu Haoran's manor, Qiu Ling wheeled Li Yingshan inside. They looked around at the cherry blossom trees, the gravel pathways, and the bamboo boardwalks that connected the eight different buildings.

Off to the side, maids and servants whispered and gossiped.

"How could Young Master bring such a disgrace into the residence?"

"Who does she think she is?"

"She must be a gold-digger trying to ride off of his fortune!"

"She has to be up to no good!"

Qiu Ling's hands clenched into fists. She was ready to go teach those disrespectful maids and servants a lesson when Li Yingshan just shook her head.

"Don't. We shouldn't play all our cards at once. Let them hate me for now. That way, they'll stay away from us for the most part. We have to lay low, remember?"

Qiu Ling's eyes widened as she gaped at her Lady. "Is that why you agreed to leave Luoyang so easily?"

Li Yingshan chuckled. "Partly, yes. If we're here when everything goes down, who will tie us to the Seventh Prince if something goes wrong?"

"Will something go wrong?"

"I sincerely hope not. For all of our sakes."

"Hope what?"

Qiu Ling turned Li Yingshan around as Xu Haoran approached.

"That no one tries to kill me now that I'm back in Longxin City. My father must've found out by now. You made quite the stir when you entered, Hero Xu."

He blushed and ran a hand through his hair, chuckling nervously. "I just did a small deed, and then everything got blown out of proportions."

Just a small deed? You saved an entire city from a torrential flood. That's not just a small deed.

But Li Yingshan didn't voice her argument. Instead, she only commented, "I see."

He cleared his throat. "Umm, I have some business to deal with. You can settle in on your own. A maid will show you both to Cherry Blossom Hall."

Xu Haoran excused himself and walked away. Li Yingshan watched his silhouette grow smaller and smaller.

"My Lady?"

"It's curious, isn't it, Qiu Ling? He treats me well one seconds and then is cold in the next. I can't read him, which scares me. If he does have ulterior motives, then I might not be able to anticipate it. I've already stared death in the face once with the Fury Black Poison. I have no desire to do so again any time soon."

"I'll keep an eye out, my Lady."

Li Yingshan nodded. "Very well. I don't mind going to Cherry Blossom Hall alone. I want you to sneak out and go to Ten Thousand Ways Restaurant. Pass on a message to Han Shaolei that we've made it to Longxin City without any troubles and let him know where we're now residing."

"Yes, my Lady."

Qiu Ling turned and left, just as one of the gossiping maids came over. There was scorn evident all over her face, but Li Yingshan didn't care to rebuke her for it. She rolled herself along behind the maid. When they came upon Cherry Blossom Hall, she saw that a ramp had been built for her.

"Here's Cherry Blossom Hall," the maid said begrudgingly.

"Thank you, you can go. I'll be fine."

Li Yingshan wheeled herself up the ramp and slid open the bamboo doors. She rolled inside the residence and turned before closing the doors with a snap. Gazing at the interior, she saw that the residence had been decorated nicely. A round table with six chairs was sitting in the center of the room. On the table was a tray with a white porcelain teapot and four matching . Off to the right side was a bookshelf and a desk while off to the left was the dresser and closet. Back behind an elaborate partition of nightingales and cherry blossoms was the bed. The covers were a royal purple, and the silk canopy matched. Candlesticks were set up on the desk, waiting to be lit. An inkwell, an ink stone, and some paper was also set out on the desk.

You are reading story 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance at novel35.com

Not bad, not bad at all.

Li Yingshan made her way over to the desk and pulled up to it. The chair had already been missing, so obviously this residence had been furnished for her. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Madam?"

Being called Madam for the first time threw her for a loop. When she recovered, she called out, "Yes?"

"I have your luggage here."

"Come in. I'll direct you to where everything can go."

Xu Haoran's manservant entered with their things. Glancing at him, Li Yingshan inferred that he couldn't be beyond his second zodiacChinese zodiac cycles every 12 years, so he can't be older than 24. He was good-looking with a sharp jawline and kind eyes. His physique was normal, but she could see the muscles in his arms.

"What's in where? I can unpack them for you?"

"Uh, in that brown bag are my books. You can unload those. The two black bags are my maid's, she'll take care of those. The other brown bag has my clothes in it, so I won't bother with unpacking that. Just the books is fine."

"Yes, Madam."

He opened the bags and set up the Buddhist scriptures on one shelf, according to her instructions. On the left were ones she finished, and further right were ones she hadn't read yet. When he set up the sutras, they were organized in the same way.

"Thank you..."

He smiled and bowed slightly. "Zhang Fangong张范功 zhāng fàngōng - given name meaning "Model Achievement", Madam."

Why is he so nice to me when the other servants hate my existence? Is he just pretending? I'd rather he be honest in his feelings than cover them up.

She nodded. "Thank you, Zhang Fangong."

"If you ever need anything, Madam, and Young Master is busy, don't hesitate to call for me. I'll do my best."

Li Yingshan eyed him carefully. "Are you loyal to Hero Xu?"

"Yes, we grew up together."

Like me and Qiu Ling, hmm.

"ZHANG FANGONG!" the disdainful maid from before screamed outside.

He grimaced. "I apologize, I have to go see what Ye Guang叶光 yè guāng - given name meaning "Light" wants."

She waved it off. "Don't worry about it."

Just as Zhang Fangong exited the residence, Ye Guang ranted, "That woman is nothing but trouble! Even now her family is demanding to see Young Master and get an explanation! She's not worth Young Master's time!"

Zhang Fangong's eyes blazed as he warned, "Don't let Young Master hear you say these words or else he'll punish you. He chose Madam and knows the struggles that will come with it. I'll go deal with Madam's family. Stay here, Ye Guang, and don't make things hard for her."

He ran off towards the front of the residence, leaving Ye Guang sputtering.

Inside Cherry Blossom Hall, Li Yingshan heard everything. Her mind began to race. I knew it. My father hasn't lost his touch after all these years. I just feel bad that Hero Xu, or I guess Zhang Fangong, now has to deal with my father's fury.

Making up her mind, she rolled herself out of her residence started off towards the entrance. As she approached, she saw Zhang Fangong trying to placate her father. Her brothers and mother stood behind Old Li. Qiu Ling suddenly appeared at the front gates, freezing when she saw the Li family.

"Where is she? Where is that traitorous girl? Does she think she can get away with undermining us?!" Old Li roared.

Qiu Ling's face twisted. Anger filled her eyes. She was just about to step forward and say something when she caught Li Yingshan's eye. Li Yingshan shook her head and wheeled herself forward.

"Father."

Zhang Fangong turned and bowed. "Madam Xu."

Giving her the proper respect, he left an underlying warning to Old Li who remained fuming. Li Yingshan smiled. "Sorry to trouble you, Zhang Fangong."

Her gaze returned to her father. "You asked for me?"

"You nasty fox! How dare you show your face here?" he hissed. "You're nothing but trash! Useless! And you even dared to seduce Xiao Xu and forced him to marry you!"

Zhang Fangong and Qiu Ling were ready to explode. But Li Yingshan calmly replied, "So what if I did?"

You can find story with these keywords: 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance, Read 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance, 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance novel, 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance book, 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance story, 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance full, 爱与坚持 Love and Perseverance Latest Chapter