Chapter 11 011 You Got Lucky

Chapter 11: Lucky You

Spring had quietly slipped by, and it was now May, the beginning of summer. This season was the most comfortable, with pleasant temperatures and a gentle breeze brushing against the face, soft as silk, bringing ease to both body and mind.

Unfortunately, Qiao Wanyue was confined to the mansion, unable to go anywhere. She counted on her fingers—it had been about ten days now, she sighed. A few days ago, she wrote to Su Su, asking how she was doing.

Su Su was in an even worse state than she; not only was she locked up, but she also had to practice calligraphy and needlework every day. Su Su said that Lord Lin had even hired a governess to teach her etiquette, and now she couldn't do anything without being watched, so she couldn't leave the mansion anytime soon.

Qiao Wanyue sympathized with her. Luckily, she only had to copy the family rules and didn't have to learn needlework or etiquette—otherwise, she would go crazy. During these days of confinement, Wang Shi came to see her every day, and before leaving, she would always give a few reminders, the same ones over and over, until Qiao Wanyue could recite them by heart.

Qiao Zhuofan also came twice, his purpose being to pry from her about Qin Yan's attitude toward her—he still hadn't given up. Because her elder sister had recovered from her illness and was secretly meeting Ding Chengyou again, which made Qiao Zhuofan so furious his face turned pale, yet he had no way to stop it. He had wanted to put pressure on Ding Chengyou, but Ding was currently in the Hanlin Academy and couldn't be easily touched.

The engagement with Qin Yan's family was urgent. If the Qiao family still didn't respond in a few more days, Qin Yan might personally come to call off the engagement.

If Qin Yan came to break off the engagement, the Qiao family's reputation would suffer.

Qiao Wanyue thought, maybe she should ask her mother to finalize her own marriage before Qin Yan withdrew, so she wouldn't have trouble getting married later. Today, when Wang Shi came, she brought it up, but Wang Shi frowned and told her to stop.

"Your father has been troubled lately. It's not appropriate to bring up your marriage now." Besides, Qiao Zhuofan still wanted her to take her sister's place, so how could he agree to arrange her marriage?

Qiao Wanyue was also upset. Being confined already put her in a bad mood. If she ended up unable to marry because of her elder sister's mess, who would she complain to? The young girl angrily slapped her hand on the table, then winced and withdrew it, rubbing it.

She looked at Wang Shi pitifully and said, "Fine, I won't bring it up. But let me go out, that should be okay. I don't want to copy the family rules anymore. My hand hurts, look."

She showed Wang Shi the hand she had slapped the table with. The palm was red, but nothing else. Wang Shi glanced at it and pushed her hand away. "Don't be so delicate. It's just a little red. Keep copying properly. Last time you ended up at the Shuntian Prefecture, so you need to remember the lesson."

Sigh, she knew it would be like this. Qiao Wanyue said nothing more, tracing circles on the table with her finger, bored out of her mind.

Wang Shi was about to leave, but then she sat down again. "Qin Yan really won't agree to your father's proposal?"

She knew what her mother was worried about and shook her head directly. "No, he has too many demands and high standards. He finds me annoying. He won't marry me."

Judging from Qin Yan's attitude toward her, he only treated her as a stranger, with no romantic feelings.

After repeated confirmation, Wang Shi slowly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Qin Yan didn't give in, Qiao Zhuofan couldn't force him, and this marriage arrangement would fall through.

After Wang Shi left, Qiao Wanyue started copying the family rules again. Once a day, and her wrist felt like it would break. She held the brush in both hands, moving back and forth across the paper.

Seeing this, Zhu Qing asked curiously, "Miss, what are you doing?"

"Copying the family rules. I'm writing with both hands so it goes faster."

Zhu Qing covered her mouth and giggled. "Will that work? The characters are all crooked."

"As long as I write them, that's enough. My handwriting was never good to begin with."

Qiao Wanyue said indifferently. Writing with both hands was exhausting; after a while, she had to stop and rest. She rubbed her hands and said to Zhu Qing, "Go get some melon seeds. I'm done writing. I'll read a book instead."

Whenever she read, she needed to eat something; otherwise, she felt uncomfortable and couldn't concentrate. This was a habit Qiao Wanyue had developed since childhood. Wang Shi said it was a bad habit and wanted her to change, but after eight years of trying, Qiao Wanyue still hadn't broken it.

Wang Shi turned a blind eye and let it go.

"I can't get any. The steward won't give us any snacks, saying it's the madam's orders."

She lay down on the daybed. "If they won't give, then go buy some."

Zhu Qing shook her head again, helpless. "Now even the gatekeepers won't let us leave. They said it's the madam's orders."

She and Hong Mei were purely being dragged into this.

Hearing this, Qiao Wanyue sat up from the daybed, thought about it, then lay back down, completely giving up.

"Forget it. If I can't go out, I can't go out. They can't keep me locked up for much longer."

There was a lot going on at the mansion lately, and she didn't want to be in the line of fire. It was better to behave.

At least she could still walk in the back garden of the mansion. The weather was pleasant now, so it was comfortable to go out. Qiao Wanyue freshened up and headed out, thinking about fishing in the pond in the back garden. If she caught any, they could be cooked for dinner. If not, no harm done.

It was just for fun and relaxation.

With that in mind, she turned and told Hong Mei to fetch a fishing rod. She waited in the pavilion. Soon, Hong Mei brought the rod. She baited the hook, set the rod, and waited for a bite.

She told Hong Mei to watch the line while she sat in the pavilion. After a while, chin in hand, she stared into space. Not a single fish bit the hook. Tired, she rested her head on her arms and dozed off.

The wind was so gentle that it lulled her to sleep.

After a moment, someone shook her awake. Qiao Wanyue thought it was Hong Mei and muttered a few words, not bothering to respond. But the person was rough, slapping her hard twice on the back. The pain numbed her back, and Qiao Wanyue immediately woke up.

Her face scrunched up, she covered her back with her hand and opened her eyes to see who it was. It wasn't Hong Mei, but Qiao Yingxin. No wonder the slaps were so hard.

Suddenly hit twice, even a clay figure would lose its temper, let alone her.

Qiao Wanyue looked at her angrily. "Elder Sister, what are you doing?"

Having finished punishing her, Qiao Yingxin had recovered from her illness and returned to her usual arrogant demeanor. She stood in front of her, looking down at her, and laughed. "What are you doing here? Can't go out, huh?"

Others might not know about the Shuntian Prefecture incident, but Qiao Yingxin did. She was making fun of her now. Qiao Wanyue pretended not to understand and asked directly, "I'm fishing. Are you going out, Elder Sister?"

She must be going to see Ding Chengyou again. She had no scruples now, completely disregarding the Qin family's honor.

Qiao Wanyue's eyes darted around, looking clever and lively.

"Mind your own business." Qiao Yingxin looked her up and down. "I heard Father wants you to marry Qin Yan. Lucky you. Make the most of it."

"Marrying into the Marquis's estate is a blessing earned over several lifetimes. But then again, Qin Yan has to agree."

Ignoring the stiff smile on her face, Qiao Yingxin grew more excited. "With Qin Yan's family background and power, he probably looks down on you. Still, little sister, you're pretty. You could at least be a concubine."

Qiao Wanyue's face paled a little, but she forced a smile. "Elder Sister, I don't want to take your chance. You should marry Qin Yan instead."

"I have Ding Lang. Why would I marry him? He's cursed to outlive his wives, destined to be a loner." Qiao Yingxin flicked her hair. "You're getting off easy."

Qiao Wanyue didn't like what she said. She usually put up with it, but this time she really couldn't take it anymore.

She looked up and said casually, "Qin Yan is a marquis, holding high office. If he hears you talking about him like this, who knows how he'll suppress Father in the court."

Qiao Yingxin was taken aback. She had only wanted to mock Qiao Wanyue and hadn't thought further. Now that she mentioned Qiao Zhuofan, Qiao Yingxin immediately shut her mouth and shot her a vicious glare.

After a moment, Qiao Yingxin gritted her teeth and stormed off, flinging her sleeves. Watching her angry retreat, Qiao Wanyue couldn't help thinking: with her own marriage still unsettled, she was in a hurry to see Ding Chengyou, as if afraid no one would know.

She couldn't do anything about it. She just hoped Qiao Zhuofan would quickly break off this engagement. And Qin Yan—his fiancée had a lover already, so what was he waiting for? Why not pressure Qiao Zhuofan and get it over with?

She calmly looked away and turned to ask Hong Mei, "Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

She got slapped twice for nothing, and her back still burned with pain. Qiao Yingxin had struck hard.

"I called you several times, Miss, but you didn't hear."

The girl's red lips parted slightly, but she couldn't say a word. Oh well, it was her own fault for falling asleep.

Her good mood for fishing was ruined. Qiao Wanyue couldn't be bothered to stay any longer. She instructed Hongmei to put away the fishing rods, and the two of them returned now.

-

Just as Qiao Wanyue was cooped up in the mansion with nothing to do, Qiao Zhuofan received an invitation from the Qin Mansion.

He had worried and lost sleep for several nights, but what was destined would come—the marriage agreement between the two families had to reach a conclusion. Thinking of this, he mentally scolded Qiao Yingxin several times again.

On the day of the meeting, Qiao Zhuofan went to the Qin Mansion with a heavy, anxious heart. He had no hope for the marriage, only hoping that Qin Yan would not hold a grudge and would not cause him trouble in the future.

His mood was heavy, and seeing Qin Yan only made him more stifled. Whatever Qin Yan said, he just nodded with his head lowered, until Qin Yan spoke in a cold, hard tone. "Let the engagement with the second young lady be settled."