Chapter 172: Chapter 171: The Seeds of Rebellion

Liu Ji heard the commotion and hurriedly came out of the room, wrapped in a thick coat, surprised to see the dark mound like a small mountain.

Qin Yao had stayed up all night but was full of energy, not the least bit tired, and gave a nod to Liu Ji.

“Come over and tidy up, I’m going to change my clothes. Harness the carriage, load the hares and deer onto the cart, and we’ll head over to the Ding Family’s old house together in a bit.”

Ding Xiang said her grandmother only valued scholars and disliked speaking with village women.

Liu Ji, being such a handsome, young, ’aspiring’ scholar, had a more persuasive voice.

Yawning, Liu Ji agreed, and as he watched Qin Yao enter the bedroom, he asked diligently, “Do you need hot water for washing up?”

“Yes.” She replied concisely.

Liu Ji: “Got it!”

He first went into the living room, stoked the embers buried from the previous night to get the fire going, placed the kettle on, and only then did he begin to tidy up the prey in the yard.

The wild goat seemed to have woken up. Liu Ji thought they’d have fresh meat for the New Year, so he led it to the side of the stable, tied it up, and gave it a handful of grass, hoping it could survive another day.

Old Huang wasn’t too pleased with the new roommate, stamping its hooves irritably. Liu Ji hurriedly led it away, brought out the wagon from the back yard, and harnessed it.

Afraid of dirtying the wagon, he first laid a layer of straw inside, then loaded the game to be taken to the Ding Family.

With all this done, he could already hear the sound of washing from the shower area, so Liu Ji seized the time and quickly prepared breakfast.

There wasn’t enough time to leaven dough to make flatbreads, so he mixed all the leftover dishes from yesterday with rice, covered the pot, and steamed it.

After completing her wash, Qin Yao came out of the shower room, passed by the kitchen, and was enchanted by the aroma!

It had been too long since she’d had something good to eat. This morning’s pot of steamed rice made Qin Yao look at Liu Ji more favorably.

Liu Ji: So easy to please?

But secretly, he breathed a sigh of relief; living in fear was entirely different from living uprightly.

After finishing breakfast and cleaning up the dishes, Liu Ji finally dared to straighten his back.

Qin Yao informed the four Da Lang siblings that she and Liu Ji needed to go out. Second Lang’s eyes twinkled as he cautiously asked:

“Are you going to the town?”

Sanlang licked the corner of his mouth. Every time Mother went to town or the county seat, she would bring back lots of delicious food.

Qin Yao nodded, not mentioning she was going to the Ding Family in case negotiations didn’t go well, and the children’s hopes were dashed. She only said they were visiting friends.

Da Lang and Second Lang immediately guessed something and their eyes brightened.

Si Niang tugged at Mother’s clothes, pouting, “Si Niang wants to go too.”

As she spoke, Sanlang, the tag-along, also clung to her. Qin Yao playfully tapped them on the head and refused very firmly, “No.”

Saying so, she ignored their disappointed pouts, pushed them into the living room, and closed the door.

Si Niang could only mumble, “Alright then~”

Sanlang followed suit, saying, “Alright then.”

With the door closed, Qin Yao got onto the carriage, climbed into the wagon, and sat down. Liu Ji jumped onto the driver’s seat, flicked the reins, and Old Huang started moving, pulling them away.

The road was soaked with melted snow, and as the heavy vehicle moved over it, it left deep rut marks behind.

Fortunately, the load wasn’t heavy, and Old Huang’s speed was somewhat slow, but the journey was fairly smooth.

The couple arrived in Jinshi Town just as the Ding Mansion had finished breakfast and was resting. When Qin Yao passed by Mr. Ding’s house, she went up, knocked on the door, and met Miss Ding.

The last time she delivered four bars of soap, Ding Xiang kept two for herself and gave the other two to her grandmother, casually mentioning Qin Yao’s children’s plans to attend school.

Mrs. Ding curiously scrutinized her granddaughter for a moment, perhaps not expecting her to speak on behalf of a non-related village woman.

Everyone in Ding Family Manor already knew about Ding Xiang learning archery, and Mrs. Ding wasn’t happy about it. Upon hearing that this village woman was Qin Yao, she pulled a long face.

Had Ding Xiang not quickly mentioned that Qin Yao’s family had a scholar, Mrs. Ding wouldn’t have even agreed to reconsider.

Ding Xiang, seeing her grandmother’s attitude, dared not mention her prepared arguments, such as Qin Yao being a heroine who fought bandits.

Anyway, she secured a meeting opportunity, so her task was deemed accomplished.

Just two bars of soap were enough to show her goodwill!

Even so, when Qin Yao visited her, she grinned almost to her ears.

“Did you really go into the mountains to get deer skin for my grandmother?” Ding Xiang was both happy that Qin Yao came to see her and surprised at how fast she acted.

The matter of her grandmother needing kneepads was only entrusted to Manager Wu to tell Qin Yao a couple of days ago, and now she had gathered all the materials.

Ding Shi wasn’t at home, having gone to the city with the housekeeper early in the morning, taking New Year gifts for everyone.

Ding Xiang grew bold, running to the gate to see the deer Qin Yao had hunted.

Seeing Liu Ji sitting on the driver’s seat gave her a small shock. Facing Qin Yao, she exchanged a knowing look, as if asking: Your husband survived and came back?

Qin Yao gave a slight nod, revealing a helpless expression.

Though they were only six years apart, Ding Xiang didn’t want to address Qin Yao as master, nor did she want to call her Miss Qin according to Liu Ji’s seniority.

She grouped Qin Yao into the elder sister category among her peers, knowing quite well about Liu Ji’s situation at the academy.

Ding Shi had said that Fan Xiucai was nothing good, and for a long time, Ding Xiang had secretly nursed a grudge against Liu Ji for Qin Yao.

Now, seeing Liu Ji smiling and cupping his hands at her in greeting, she managed to tug the corners of her lips in response and then let Qin Yao lift the car curtain to show her the mountain deer.

She occasionally sneaked into the mountains, but only lingered around the periphery, retreating whenever encountering others, not daring to be discovered.

Thus, she only managed to hunt small animals and hadn’t even seen big ones like mountain deer, making her especially eager.

Seeing the mountain deer with black holes on its eyes from where it was shot, Ding Xiang glanced at Qin Yao in amazement, thoroughly impressed.

It was shot through both eyes with a single arrow, so its fur wasn’t damaged at all, not even stained with blood, perfectly preserved.

“If you could take me into the mountains someday, that would be great.” Ding Xiang said wistfully after putting down the carriage curtain.

Qin Yao noticed the increasingly bright look in her eyes, filled with a longing for freedom so intense that it seemed ready to break free from its shell to explore the vast mountains.

Unfortunately, outside the shell was a rope called ’propriety’ that pulled her spirit back.

Yet the seeds of rebellion had long been planted. Ding Xiang raised her eyebrows defiantly at Qin Yao,

“If Grandma won’t let your Da Lang and Second Lang into the family school, I’ll write to Father, ensuring their entry!”

As for the time wasted writing letters back and forth, she could ignore it for now, pretend that her father agreed, and deal with the consequences later.

Qin Yao felt a warm glow from her words, but she spoke sternly, “You’ve already done plenty to help. I can handle the rest. If Grandmother finds out, your good days will be over.”

Her mother had passed, and before a new stepmother entered the house, it was proper by etiquette for a kin’s matron, grandmother, or aunt to oversee her upbringing.

The fact that Ding Xiang could stay at home alone was because her father and brothers loved and favored her.

But now that Mr. Ding was in the Capital City, if Ding Xiang were caught in a big mistake, Qin Yao feared Ding Shi, the brother, couldn’t stop Grandmother.

After all, before Grandmother, he was just a grandson who had to respect her and obey without condition.

After explaining the risks to Ding Xiang, the young girl let out a sigh, “Well, best of luck then.”

Qin Yao smiled confidently and magically produced a bamboo dragonfly, handing it to Ding Xiang, “It’s cold outside, hurry back in. We’re leaving.”

Still a child at heart, her happiness was evident when receiving the toy. Ding Xiang nodded firmly, “Alright!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep