Chapter 33: Sister Could Not Possibly Be a Villain

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Almost before the rooster had crowed, Cheng Yuan was already awake.

Her dreams had been a chaotic mess all night. One moment, she dreamed that those wretched members of the Jiang family had stolen the cakes from her backyard; the next, she dreamed that she was trapped inside a sedan chair, unable to escape.

After wiping the cold sweat from her brow, she carried all the cakes from the backyard into the house, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Everything else was false. Only her little sugar-tangerine tree-stump cakes were real.

A noise came from the kitchen doorway. She turned around warily, but relaxed when she saw Xie Changzhi.

“Go bring the basket. I’ll pack the cakes inside.”

She had already portioned the cakes into bowls the night before, which made things much easier now.

After leaving the cakes they had promised in the kitchen, the two of them set out to the sound of the crowing roosters.

Because Xie Tingyun was offering lessons to the village children at a low price, there was usually barely any room left on the ox cart by the time the two reached the village entrance. Yet the married women and their daughters-in-law had squeezed out a large space for them.

Every face was filled with gratitude and ingratiation.

“If you ask me, Miss Yuan truly had foresight. Not only did she find herself a handsome husband, she even gained a scholar! Now Huer won’t have to worry about tuition fees.”

“That’s right. Young Master Xie seems like an honest man too.”

One young wife saw how carefully Xie Changzhi supported Cheng Yuan as she climbed onto the ox cart. The tenderness in his manner stirred envy in her heart.

Cheng Yuan merely smiled at such remarks. “It’s all a matter of fate.”

Sitting close beside her, their shoulders brushing from time to time, Xie Changzhi pressed his lips together, the joy in his heart blooming almost explosively.

It was all fate—the immortal sister he had prayed for over a decade.

When they arrived in the county town, Xie Changzhi was just about to head toward the market when he noticed Cheng Yuan walking in the opposite direction. He hurriedly reminded her, but Cheng Yuan said they were not going the wrong way.

Though puzzled, he followed her for most of the journey.

But when she stopped outside the gate of a grand residence, Xie Changzhi could not help catching hold of her.

“What are you planning to do, Sister Yuan? These wealthy families are not people to provoke.”

Having spent the first dozen years of his life in the back courtyard, he understood better than anyone how servants looked down on others and thought themselves superior.

Cheng Yuan smiled and patted his arm, signaling him to relax.

“I know what I’m doing.”

She stepped forward, and sure enough, the guards at the gate stopped her.

“I’ve come to see your young mistress. I’m from Lianshui Village. Some time ago, your young mistress helped me, so I made some desserts especially for her. I hope to see her and express my gratitude.”

With a smile, Cheng Yuan handed over two small packages of cake and called for Xie Changzhi to help unload the basket.

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The two guards caught the cakes’ delicate, sweet fragrance. After checking that the basket contained only the desserts she had mentioned, they finally nodded.

“Wait here. I’ll go report this, but whether the young mistress agrees to see you is another matter.”

Cheng Yuan repeatedly thanked him, though she was certain the young mistress would invite her inside.

Sure enough, it was not long before a maid in a blue robe came hurrying out. Her cheeks were flushed, clearly from running.

She looked Cheng Yuan over, curiosity in her eyes. “You’re the one who requested an audience? Come with me. But no men are allowed in the rear courtyard.”

Xie Changzhi quickly said that he would wait outside. Cheng Yuan reminded him not to wander off and promised to take him for wonton soup later. Only then did she follow the maid through the gate.

The young maid led her past a waterside pavilion and an orchid pavilion into a courtyard. At a glance, Cheng Yuan spotted a pale-yellow figure pacing beneath a tree.

“Miss, I’ve brought the person you asked for.”

The young mistress turned around, revealing a small, adorable face. Soft pom-poms adorned her hair ornaments, bobbing gently as she moved.

She instantly reminded Cheng Yuan of a little rabbit.

What a pity that she was involved with that hypocrite, Lu Bai.

“It’s you? What, what do you want?” Qi Yun Yue stared at her nervously with round eyes.

At that, Cheng Yuan could barely contain her amusement, and she felt much more at ease.

So the county magistrate’s daughter was a sweet, innocent fool.

Even so, to guard against the unexpected, she still needed to deliver a powerful shock.

Cheng Yuan took out the handkerchief she had first lifted from Lu Bai. Panic visibly flooded Qi Yun Yue’s eyes.

“This is the handkerchief you dropped in our village, isn’t it, Miss? I picked it up and brought it back to you.”

Cheng Yuan watched her with a broad smile. Qi Yun Yue froze, but fortunately, she was no child. She immediately understood the hidden meaning in those words.

“Do you… want money?”

Qi Yun Yue removed a brocade pouch from her waist and held it out to her.

Cheng Yuan shook her head.

She did not want money? Qi Yun Yue instantly grew frantic, her eyes reddening at the corners.

Cheng Yuan nearly laughed. No longer wishing to frighten her, she set down the basket and lifted the cloth covering it. Qi Yun Yue’s attention was immediately captured by the yellow-and-white cakes.

“I don’t want money. I want to sell desserts.”

“Sell desserts? I—I don’t know how to do business. Why did you come to me?”

A trace of bewilderment appeared in Qi Yun Yue’s eyes.

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Cheng Yuan picked up a bowl and held it out, but the maid beside Qi Yun Yue warily blocked her.

“These desserts are so pretty. They even have tangerines in them.” Qi Yun Yue could not help praising them.

“I’ll sell the desserts to you. If you enjoy them, you can recommend them to your relatives and friends.”

Cheng Yuan finally revealed her true purpose.

The young maid had already brought over a spoon and a silver needle. After testing the cake and confirming that it contained no poison, she handed it to Qi Yun Yue.

“Then I’ll try it.”

Simple-minded as she was, Qi Yun Yue had completely fallen into Cheng Yuan’s way of thinking. She scooped up a small spoonful and placed it in her mouth, savoring it slowly.

Cheng Yuan did not miss the glimmer in her eyes. Yet perhaps because of the manners she had been taught, Qi Yun Yue put down the spoon reluctantly after eating only one bite.

“It’s delicious. I’ll recommend it to my parents and my friends.”

Her expression was sincere yet uneasy. After staring at Cheng Yuan for a long while, she timidly added, “Will that be enough? You won’t expose me and Lu—”

“Miss!” The maid hurriedly stopped her, frantically signaling with her eyes.

Qi Yun Yue quickly covered her mouth, her anxious eyes darting about.

Cheng Yuan exerted tremendous effort not to burst out laughing on the spot.

“Yes, that will be enough. Thank you for your trouble, Miss.”

Qi Yun Yue waved her hands repeatedly. “It’s no trouble. I’ll take all these desserts today. Oh, and my name is Qi Yun Yue. You can just call me Yun Yue.”

The maid beside her looked furious enough to spit fire.

“Miss! She’s nothing but a country girl! She’s even threatening you!”

“It’s all right. I trust her. Anyone capable of making such delicious little desserts cannot be a bad person. She’s merely driven to this by necessity.”

Qi Yun Yue smiled with her lips pressed together.

“Then I shall accept your kindness.” The gloom in Cheng Yuan’s heart lifted, and she gave a genuinely warm smile. “Because of the limitations of my tools, each portion serves two people. One portion costs four taels of silver. There are six portions in all, making twenty-four taels.”

Qi Yun Yue agreed almost without hesitation.

Although the price was slightly higher than the desserts she usually ate, they were novel and delicious enough to be worth it.

Her grandmother had not been in good health lately. She could take some home for her to try.

At the thought of making that person who was always “hopping around” before her so furious that she fell ill, Qi Yun Yue felt an incomparable surge of satisfaction.

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