Do Not Offend the Reborn Wicked Wife-Chapter 87: The Old Servant
The next morning, Long Yue suddenly opened her eyes from sleep. Last night’s storm seemed to have unlocked some nerve in her, and she happily clapped her hands, exclaiming: "I’ve got it, I’ve got it, hahaha!"
Li Qingmu was still asleep, but her commotion completely woke him. With bleary eyes, he curiously asked: "What did you think of?"
"A Mu, I’ve found the key point. That Qin Xiu can be done!"
Li Qingmu was now fully awake, his eyes shining brightly as he said: "Really?"
"Of course!" Long Yue had a look of pride on her face. At this moment, her mind was filled with thoughts of Qin Xiu, and she couldn’t sleep, so she got up to work on it.
Two days later, a Qin Xiu swaddle was completed.
Xiang Yin, for ruining a piece of Qin Xiu, was beaten by Old Sir Xiang. With bruised eyes, he came to Long Yue, looking at the swaddle with a face of shock.
"Did you... actually make it?"
"Of course, what was so difficult about it?" Long Yue was a bit proud, but she immediately restrained herself and sternly warned him, "Don’t tell anyone I recreated Qin Xiu."
"For..."
"Don’t ask why. This matter must not be known to anyone, otherwise... if we fail, and I am declared a traitor later, your Xiang family kept me for a few days and may also be considered an accomplice, facing a bad end!" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
Xiang Yin looked displeased. Li Qingmu was ruthless when determined, recognizing no familial ties. With such words spoken, he definitely meant them.
"I understand. I will keep this secret and won’t even tell my parents!"
"Good. Brother Xiang, do you know if there are descendants of the Qin family? As long as they are related to the Qin family, even if they are maids or servants, it will do!"
"There are! Although the Qin family members were murdered by mountain bandits and the household servants have all left, there is still an old servant who has stayed at the old Qin residence, claiming he needs to care for the estate for Mr. Qin. He has been guarding that empty house for eighteen years now, which is truly remarkable."
"Take us to see that old servant."
...
The old Qin Residence.
"Swish, swish, swish!"
The sun was high in the sky. Another batch of light snow fell last night, covering the previously cleared paths with ice and snow again. An old servant, with a stooped figure and greying hair, dressed in worn clothes, held a bamboo broom and was earnestly sweeping the snow.
The thick snow was pushed to one side, but perhaps he exerted too much force as the old servant leaned against the gate, gasping for breath. His old eyes were clouded as he stared at the white snow on the ground, lost in thought.
Ever since the master and family met their mishap, this mansion has been deserted. Some left and others ran away, leaving only him behind.
Many have advised him to leave, claiming he has fulfilled his duty to the utmost by staying for so many years, but the old servant remains day in and day out, accompanying this old mansion.
"Master..."
He sighed deeply, wiping away the tears at the corner of his eyes. As he lamented, he suddenly saw several young people approaching.
He quickly straightened his back. Even though there were no more Qin family members, he couldn’t bring shame to his master!
"Elder Qin."
Xiang Yin approached the old servant, greeting him and introducing each other.
"This is the old servant of the Qin family. He has been guarding this mansion all these years. A Mu, sister-in-law, the person you’re looking for is him."
"Elder Qin?" Long Yue saw the old servant with cloudy eyes and felt a bit worried, "Elder, do you still remember what Qin Xiu looks like?"
If the elder had failing eyesight and did not recognize Qin Xiu, the matter would be much more challenging.
Fortunately, Long Yue’s worry was unnecessary. The moment Elder Qin heard "Qin Xiu," his cloudy eyes instantly sparkled. He looked up at the three with a sincere and confident smile on his face.
"I remember, I remember! That’s the hallmark of the Qin family, how could I forget?"
Elder Qin said, tossed the broom to the side, and turned to open the door, "Do you want to see Qin Xiu? Our mansion has plenty; I’ll take you to see them right now!"
Seeing Elder Qin’s enthusiastic and excited expression, Long Yue knew this was an utmost display of loyalty, and thinking of claiming this identity made her feel guilty.
Yet, the hint of guilt faded when she saw the elder’s radiant smile.
Perhaps, this was a kind of salvation for him!
"Elder, um... we’re not here to see Qin Xiu..."
"What?"
Elder Qin turned around, the radiant gleam in his eyes extinguished instantly, and even his body seemed to hunch over again, "If you’re not here to see Qin Xiu, then what is your business here?"
"Elder, we wanted you to authenticate a piece of embroidery, to see if it’s Qin Xiu."
Long Yue didn’t directly mention the swaddle, opting for him to authenticate it instead, so it wouldn’t arouse the elder’s suspicion.
Upon hearing it was authentication, Elder Qin, though not as excited as before, regained some of his spirit: "Alright, alright, you can bring it over and let this old servant take a look. Hehe, at my age, I’m not good for much, but identifying whether something is Qin Xiu, I have a top-notch eye for that..."
Oh...
Long Yue, feeling a bit uneasy, handed over the swaddle. Elder Qin boasted so much that it left her unsure whether her imitation could meet his standards.
But thinking that embroidery is handcrafted, it shouldn’t be much different.
While Long Yue was nervous, Elder Qin’s body shuddered upon seeing the swaddle. His gaze instantly became sharp, and his breath quickened.
His hands trembled slightly as he took the swaddle, carefully inspecting it, even lightly touching it.
Long Yue felt her own breath quicken; this swaddle was something she hastily made. Most affluent families used red fabric with peony embroidery for swaddles, which wasn’t problematic, but its newness...
It was supposed to look new since it was freshly made. Anyone with an eye could spot it. But she had Xiang Yin find some old fabric pressed at the bottom of a warehouse for years, and after it was done, she rubbed the embroidery surface with a knife back to give it a worn look, as if it had been left for years.
She didn’t know whether the elder could see through this aging treatment?
Just when Long Yue was fretting, the swaddle slipped from Elder Qin’s hand. He looked up, ignoring Long Yue, directly gazing at Li Qingmu.
His lips trembled, his body shook, and his breaths sounded like bellows, wheezing loudly.
He pointed at the swaddle, his voice quivered: "Where did this... come from?"
Though having some guesses in his heart, he needed to confirm, for the sake of his master and madam!
Li Qingmu took a deep breath and slowly said: "It’s mine!"
Elder Qin was briefly stunned. Li Qingmu continued, "I’m originally from the Li family in Qingshui Village. On my way back from the exams, I was injured by mountain bandits and needed a year’s worth of medicine. My parents considered me a burden and drove me out, giving me this thing..."
Before Li Qingmu finished his words, Elder Qin already "thumped" to the ground, kneeling and bowing fervently toward Li Qingmu!
"Young Master! Young Master—"
