Cui Yun had always been indulgent when it came to taking care of Cui Rong, not to mention that Shen Hua's request was not too much. The boxes had been moved, so these expensive flowers were not a problem.
Thus, Ji Qing received another gaze.
Okay! He was going to pluck them now!
Ji Qing had a bad premonition. With Mistress Shen around, the journey back to Shengjing would not be peaceful.
Shen Hua saw him plucking the flowers and walked away with satisfaction. However, after a few steps, she stopped.
"Remember to be careful when you pluck it. The petals must be in whole pieces," she warned worriedly.
"Mistress Shen, what will happen if I tear it?"
"It's not pleasing to the eye."
"This will only be used to make tea."
"But I won't be happy drinking it, then."
Jiqing was speechless. Great!
He was a person who wielded a sword and a knife. How could he know how to do this? He pondered for a moment, but before he could speak, he heard Cui Yun say indifferently, "Hurry up!"
"Master," replied Ji Qing hastily, "you can rest assured that this subordinate will handle things."
Shen Hua walked very slowly down the winding corridor.
She had grown up in the Shen residence ever since she was young. Every flower, tree, and blade of grass in this place carried all a memory with it. Her thoughts went blank. It was as if a distant and ethereal conversation was ringing in his ears.
'Yangyang, you're one year older, so why haven't you grown up yet? Don't wait a few more years, or Zhui Jie will catch up to you.'
'If you say I'm short again, I'll tell Mother that you beat me up and make her beat you up with a wooden stick!'
'Hey, you heartless person! When have I ever beaten you up? How dare you say such words? Why do you want to make a fuss?'
'Not only will I complain, but I will also tell Mother that you like Sister Xiao. Hmph, just wait and see. I will make her my sister-in-law!'
Shen Hua's face turned green and red with anger.
Good memories, bad memories... They were all clouds of the past.
However, these memories were deeply rooted in her bones.
Shen Hua's dark and bright eyes dimmed a little. She lowered her head and rubbed her clothes hard with her fingertips. Her eyes were a little red.
She really hated Shen Zhi.
She wanted to cry whenever she thought of him.
Cui Yun walked beside her, but he followed the rules. He kept a distance of one foot between them.
Behind them, Steward Wu and the old woman begged for mercy.
"Young Master, this old servant has informed you beforehand. The butler said that you are not seeing guests."
Steward Wu was kneeling on the ground in a comical manner with his exposed scalp.
"If you tell me the identity of the person who came, would I say that I still didn't want to see him?"
"This old servant also wants to, but isn't it too late?" That young master was very polite, but who knew that he would barge in just like that?"
Shen Qu did not want to listen to these arguments anymore.
His head was about to explode.
"Shut up!"
He roared.
It was one after another. He was mentally and physically exhausted.
However, he could only watch as Shen Hua was taken away. He was glad that Cui Yun did not punish him.
Indeed, power was a good thing.
Shen Hua could no longer hear what he said after that. However, it was also because of this that she suddenly became happy again.
The little girl tilted her head and looked at Cui Yun, who was silent and self-restrained.
"Since you can break through, why didn't you report it earlier?"
Shen Hua was polite, but not much.
To someone like Shen Qu, Cui Yun's status was noble, so why should he give him face?
Cui Yun accepted her scrutiny, but the words he said were old-fashioned. "There are no rules on it."
Shen Hua was speechless. 'Your subordinate is even more arrogant than me!'
If it wasn't for Cui Yun's instigation, would he dare to do this?
Shen Hua looked at Cui Yun with a strange expression.
The Marquis of Shengjing was a big shot that she had never seen before. Could he be more terrifying than Shen Qu?
However, Cui Yun was more pleasing to the eye than Shen Qu, so he should not be a sinister and cunning person.
That's right. He had even saved her several times.
Shen Hua let out an 'oh' as if she understood something. Her words could anger people to death, but they could also praise Cui Yun to the heavens.
"Lord Marquis is wise. You should be polite before resorting to force. If this continues, the fault will definitely not be yours."
Cui Yun was speechless.
No, he was just used to pretending to be a gentleman.
There were many onlookers in front of the Shen residence.
"What happened to the Shen family again?"
"This Shen Qu just went to the court and was immediately removed as the Shen family head?"
They could not be blamed for being suspicious. The servants at the door were carrying too many boxes.
"Young Master Shen is really unkind. A stepson is actually so arrogant?"
Not a single person spoke up for Shen Xueshi.
They also had children. Their families were slightly richer, so they wanted to have good food and drinks to raise them. If they were really poor, they would tighten their belts to feed their children. The Shen Xueshi who framed her stepdaughter was really shameless.
It would be too simple to say that she was heartless.
Someone laughed out loud. "The Dong couple won't be able to escape from prison, but the coffin in front of the door is still there."
While they were talking and laughing, they saw Shen Hua, who was usually coquettish and unruly, appear in front of them with a face that had dried blood on it.
Her white and expensive mink fur was now dirty and stained with dust. Even the front of her shirt was stained with blood.
The little girl swayed with every step she took. Soon, Yi Cui, who was dressed as a servant girl, ran forward to support her.
Everyone looked at Shen Hua, who seemed to have escaped from famine.
If she remembered correctly, she was still calmly shining in the court a few minutes ago. Was she beaten up by her stepbrother just because she was righteous and just?
They looked at Shen Hua with eyes full of anger and compassion.
The arrogant Shen Hua thought, 'No, no, no! It's not what you think!'
Just as she was about to explain, she heard a sobbing voice behind her. "My lady."
Aunt Liu quickly caught up. Her trembling fingertips covered Shen Hua's miserable face.
Shen Hua loved beauty the most. Even her diary knew about it, as one out of every ten sentences in there mentioned it.
'Dear diary, today I secretly saw my sister holding a bronze mirror in her hand and admiring herself. Don't tell anyone, or she'll be angry!'
"Young Master actually injured you to this extent? What a ruthless heart! He wants to destroy the Shen household's true bloodline. In the past, Old Master and Madam couldn't bear to part with my lady."
The Madam she was referring to was naturally Shen Hua's birth mother, Shen Chunshi.
Aunt Liu fell to her knees and sobbed. "It's all thanks to my lady that Zhui'er is okay."
Cui Yun was most impatient with the crying scene. He frowned and was about to get into the carriage, but at this moment, Shen Hua, who was ten feet away, was so weak that she seemed like she was about to faint.
Shen Hua, who had forgotten to wash her face, prepared to give Shen Qu another big gift.
She choked.
"I know my stepbrother won't tolerate me."
Cui Yun stopped in his tracks and looked at Shen Hua expressionlessly.
The eyes of the passers-by surrounding him were like torches.
"Mistress Shen, are you being bullied, so you want to run away from home?"
Shen Hua's wet eyes were red and her nose was red. She looked extremely pitiful. Her voice was innocent yet desolate.
"I was kicked out because I angered my stepbrother."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone exploded in anger. Feeling indignant for Shen Hua, Shen Hua heard a chuckle from Cui Yun's mouth.
She was speechless.