Chapter 120.
In the past few days, it has been mostly sunny days, as if the hazy mist and rain of the previous days were just a dream. Now the warm sun is shining brightly, and the clothes have become thinner, which more and more highlights the beauty of her daughter's family. Qiao Ying holds her chin and looks at what is going on over there. Tangli and Qiao Yuan, who were playing with the flower rope, said with envy, "What magic elixir have you taken recently? Why are you becoming more and more hydrated?"
Tangli's jade fingers were slender, and the fingertips were playing with the red thread. There was a sense of flowing grace as they crossed back and forth. Qiao Yuan could see the dexterity of these hands better than anyone else. They were just playing with the rope, but Qiao Yuan's thoughts were wandering, and it was no wonder that she had wild imaginations, because the entanglement brought by Tang Li last night was unforgettable for her. When Leng Buding saw these skillful hands, Qiao Yuan couldn't help but think of last night, so she took back her hand, she blushed and said, "If you stop playing, you will never win against miss."
Tang Li looked at the ball of red thread with a smile on her lips. She untied the knot and wound the red thread around her wrist again and again. She said softly, "Don't lose the red thread."
Qiao Yuan was reluctant, but her right hand was firmly held by Tang Li, letting her wrap the red thread around her wrist.
Her eyes followed Tang Li, and she remembered something. She covered her mouth and snickered.
After Tangli told Qiao Yuan the secret that night, the two of them got along even more intimately and inseparably. Qiao Yuan was slowly accepting the secret. She knew that Tangli would not lie to her, and there were also the Qiao family and others, people's attitudes convinced Qiao Yuan that she was indeed the second daughter of the Qiao family.
Qiao Yuan was satisfied with her current life. She even selfishly fantasized that the Qiao family would never recognize her back. In this way, Tangli could still become the second most beautiful girl of the Qiao family in Yuzhou, and she would not have to leave the Qiao family, and Qiao Yuan can stay by her side and never leave.
But Qiao Yuan knew that she was just thinking. Based on what Tangli said that night, she knew that she would not stay at Qiao's house. In the past, she would stay because she was the second miss, but now everyone knows the secret. So what's the point if Tangli stays?
According to Tangli's concern for Qiao Yuan, it means that she will not continue to stay at Qiao's house. As long as she is there, there will always be someone who is ignored. Therefore, in order to avoid some troubles that could not have happened, Tangli naturally will choose to leave.
Qiao Yuan's laughter made Tangli ask, "What are you so happy about?"
Qiao Yuan pointed at Tangli's knotted knot, "What is this? I have never seen it before."
Tang Li smiled lightly and said, "We are united in the same heart."
[What, isn't it just a bow tie? ]
001 couldn't help but make a sound. It felt that it and Qiao Ying were really boring. It watched the two of them flipping the flower rope for a long time. It was obviously not very fun. It was just a simple little game, but the two of them looked at it, gotta keep it up.
Tang Li plucked the concentric knots and explained to 001, "You can call it a bow tie or a concentric knot, but I just want to say concentric knots to Yuanyuan. What, do you have any objections?"
[How dare I? Look at me, I just raise a little question and you start to be mean to me. Sure enough, I am a little pitiful person. ]
Tang Li said with a smile, "Qiao Ying is a poor girl. You see, Yuanyuan and I didn't answer her words."
[Then why are you ignoring me? ]
001 asked, Tang Li looked sideways at Qiao Ying, and sighed, "Qiao Ying is usually difficult enough to serve, but now... hey, ignoring her is the best treatment for her."
[Understood, Qiao Ying fell in love, so she fell into a state of madness! ]
"...roughly the same."
The warm atmosphere between Tangli and Qiao Yuan deeply hurt Qiao Ying's heart. She clutched her chest and said sadly, "Sister Yuan, even if I die, I won't be able to get a look back from you!"
Tang Li couldn't help laughing and said helplessly, "Qiao Ying, if you have the ability, don't act like a monster in front of me and torment my eldest aunt. Do you dare?"
Qiao Ying's expression changed instantly, and she said sternly, "I don't dare."
Qiao Yuan immediately laughed out loud, and then thought of Qiao Ying's temper and quickly covered her mouth, as if nothing happened just now.
Their actions made Qiao Ying complain aggrievedly, "Sister Yuan, you have brought the maids around you into trouble. Forget it, I don't share your common knowledge. I will help you two until the end of sending buddha to the west. I have concealed it, and I don't care about your indifference today, who makes me, Qiao Ying, the most loyal."
Tang Li nodded in agreement and echoed, "It's true that there is loyalty. Who in Yuzhou doesn't know about Qiao Er crying bitterly on the carriage? I should thank sister Ying more."
As soon as she said this, Qiao Ying's cheeks were stained with rouge in shame and anger. She pointed at Tang Li and cursed, "Isn't it agreed that this matter is not allowed to be mentioned again?"
At Wen Xiu's birthday party a few days ago, Tangli heard Lu Mingzhi's words, used the topic as appropriate, and successfully made the matter of breaking off the engagement clear, and she would not have any fault to blame. We can only blame Lu Mingzhi for speaking out.
After this incident, Qiao Ying also woke up from Wang Yun. She was really interested in Wang Yun, so she couldn't help crying. By mistake, the news spread throughout Yuzhou, and everyone thought that Tangli was heartbroken. Everyone criticized her, leaving no one in the Lu family able to argue. Even if Lu Mingzhi knelt down and begged Tangli for forgiveness, it would be absolutely impossible to be any room for maneuver in the marriage to happen.
The cancelation of marriage was carried out without any effort, and the engagement token was taken back from the Lu family. From then on, the Qiao and Lu families had no relationship with each other. As for Qiao Zhenshan's opinion, Mrs. Qiao said it herself. He has no shit. Yes, this marriage must be canceled! Therefore, the Lu family could only return the engagement token in despair.
There were no twists and turns in the marriage. Speaking of which, I have to thank Qiao Ying. She indirectly helped a lot. But Qiao Ying didn't want Tangli's gift of thanks. Now she just thought about her crying being known to everyone in Yuzhou, and she felt her back was sweating. Fortunately... that person didn't see her face. He thought it was the second miss of the Qiao family, which was a blessing in misfortune.
Tangli laughed loudly and leaned on Qiao Yuan's shoulder, squinting and teasing, "Are you afraid? We are the only ones who know you are crying. On the contrary, Qiao Er's name has been mentioned a lot recently. I don't care at all. Not afraid."
Qiao Yuan glanced at her silently and smacked her lips.
[Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! You are not Qiao Er, but Qiao Er is sitting next to you. ]
[Let me translate the round eyes for Tangtang! Let me find an adjective. By the way, it's the king's contempt! ]
Tangli laughed so hard that her body trembled. She didn't expect that her words would offend two people at the same time, so she couldn't help laughing.
There was a burst of laughter and chatter in the room, but Lu Mingzhi, who was in Xiangcheng, was lying on the bed with a pale face and losing his temper. Several maids were kneeling there shivering, with whip marks on their bodies, and the hand of the servant Yuan Bao did not stop holding the whip. Next, the harder he beat them, the happier Lu Mingzhi felt.
"They are all a bunch of despicable things! Yuanbao, beat them hard until they die!"
"Qiao Er, when I get better, I will do something to you sooner or later, making you cry to me for your father and mother. Hahahaha!"
Yuan Bao's eyes twitched. The force he used with his hand was not heavy, but even so, the whip still caused a trail of blood. Yuan Bao didn't want to beat the maid who was also a servant, so he just wanted to show off.
He is the person who has spent the longest time with Lu Mingzhi. If Lu Mingzhi used to have a sinister character, now Lu Mingzhi has fallen into madness. It seems that without that marriage, all his humanity has been taken away.
Yuan Bao began to be afraid of Lu Mingzhi, worried that one day the maid's fate would be his fate.
But there was nothing he could do. He had no other choice but to obey.
"Come."
"The slave is here."
Lu Mingzhi's eyes were cloudy without a trace of clarity. He pointed at the ingot and said, "Go and get Qiao Er's engagement token for me."
Yuan Bao respectfully found the sandalwood box containing the engagement token, knelt on the ground and presented it with both hands.
Lu Mingzhi reached out and took it over, stroking the engagement jade pendant while coughing.
The jade pendant was tied with a vermilion wishful knot and contained a faint fragrance. There were many orioles and swallows around Lu Mingzhi, and he realized that the smell seemed to be rouge, he sneered and took a deep breath of the fragrance, as if his eyes had glimpsed Tang Li's stunning face. For some reason, he suddenly felt refreshed, which made Lu Mingzhi feel much more comfortable.
He hummed a few times and suddenly fell asleep with the engagement jade pendant in his hand.
The vermilion knot resembles blood. Before Yupei returned, it was soaked in the poison specially prepared by Tangli for Lu Mingzhi every day. Now it has come into use.
Go to sleep, there will come a day when you will never wake up.
*
On this day, a group of people stopped outside the gate of Qiao's Mansion. The man got off his horse. After patting the door, he was quickly welcomed into the house by the guard.
Riding on the horse was Qiao Zhenshan's eldest son, Qiao Tong. He did not rush in, but considerately helped Zhengshan and his wife Huang in the carriage get out of the carriage. He said, "Slow down."
His wife, Mrs. Huang, smiled meekly. It was her first time to come to Yuzhou, and Qiao Tong didn't want her to suffer due to the long journey, but Ms. Huang thought it was a big deal. As her sister-in-law, there was no reason why she shouldn't come. Therefore, the fatigue of traveling along the way made Huang haggard and lose weight a lot.
She looked at the Qiao Mansion. The gardens were elegant and beautiful, which was different from the grandeur of Mobei. After a few glances, Huang quickly averted her eyes. She didn't want to be reprimanded by her mother-in-law, or she would say she was short-sighted.
But her mother-in-law, Mrs. Zheng, burst into tears as soon as she saw Mrs. Qiao. She knelt beside Mrs. Qiao's legs and shed tears.
Mrs. Qiao looked at the embarrassed Qiao Zhenshan coldly, patted the table hard, and sneered, "You unfilial son, why don't you kneel down when you see your mother."
Qiao Zhenshan lifted his robe and knelt down, while Qiao Tong and Huang also knelt down behind them in a decent manner.
Mrs. Qiao scolded Qiao Zhenshan resentfully and said, "I have been holding back some words for more than ten years. I don't want to say it out loud. Qiao Tong is your son, and Qiao Yuan is also your daughter. Your son's marriage is a hundred times more careful, for fear that he can't get a good wife, but what about Qiao Yuan? You casually promised her to a sick man. Do you know that Lu Mingzhi is paralyzed on the bed and can't even move? I'm really lucky I broke off the engagement with him a month ago, otherwise my Yuanmie should be married or not! After a lifetime of hard work, if you don't get married, you will end up complaining and your reputation will be ruined. So your heart is almost biased!"
Qiao Zhenshan said in panic, "Mom, your son didn't expect that Ming Zhi would be so miserable. I thought he would be as upright as Brother Lu. Mom, I know I was wrong about this matter. You should take care of your body and don't be angry with me."
His worries were met with another sneer from Mrs. Qiao, "Zhenshan, the palms and backs of your hands are all flesh. Even if you are partial, you have to have a way."
Mrs. Qiao's reproach made Qiao Tong's face heat up. How could he not hear the implication of Mrs. Qiao's words? He and the others did not treat Tangli well as their biological daughter, let alone the daughter they suddenly found, so Mrs. Qiao must give a serious warning, otherwise there will be trouble again.
Qiao Tong complained in his heart that his parents were biased. He had said in the early years that this marriage would do more harm than good and would not bring any benefits to the Qiao family. However, Qiao Zhenshan wanted to save face and refused to withdraw from this marriage. He has a close relationship with the Lu family and he doesn't want to have a grudge because of this incident. Qiao Zhenshan arrogantly believed that Lu Mingzhi was a man worthy of his daughter marrying him. He believed that his best friend's son would not become a scum, but he almost did so.
None of the people kneeling in the hall were sympathized with by them. Mrs, Meng was drinking tea comfortably, while Qiao Zhentao frowned and echoed Mrs. Qiao's words from time to time.
Mrs. Meng glanced mockingly at Zheng, who was crying, and then looked at the others. She covered her eyes that were watching the show and continued to sip her tea calmly.
What she hates most is the person whose bowl of water is uneven.
Mrs. Zheng choked with sobs and said, "Mom, where is the child?"
Mrs. Qiao nodded to Nanny Zhang. After receiving the instructions, Nanny Zhang went to the side room to bring Qiao Yuan, along with Tangli and Qiao Ying.
Tangli looked calm and Qiao Yuan's eyes were calm. Speaking of which, Qiao Ying was the most flustered. Those who didn't know thought she was the newly recognized Qiao Yuan.
Qiao Ying looked left and right, her head almost turning into a mess.
Today, she just came to see her grandma to act coquettishly and get some money. However, her grandma asked her to stay after she disagreed, saying that she had something important to tell her.
At first, she didn't take it seriously, thinking that if she could tell her something important, would it still be important if she told her something important?
Qiao Ying listened to Mrs. Qiao's words with such confusion. She was stunned and couldn't say a word.
The "Sister Yuan" she had called for sixteen years was not Qiao Yuan, but the round-faced maid was Qiao Yuan, her own cousin.
Qiao Ying swallowed. When she saw Qiao Yuan standing with the crying Zheng, she finally understood why she recognized Qiao Yuan.
She couldn't help but care about Tangli and whispered, "Sister."
Tangli smiled gently, calmly and elegantly, shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
"Don't lie to me, I won't laugh at you."
Tangli tilted her head and said, "I thought you would laugh at me."
Qiao Ying immediately objected to her, "Do I look like that kind of heartless guy?"
"Of course you are not, so even if I lose my identity as Qiao Er, aren't we still friends? So I'm really fine."
Qiao Ying looked over there and cried. Qiao Yuan, who had turned into her own cousin in a blink of an eye, frowned. There was helplessness in her eyes without any intimacy. Qiao Ying looked at the woman who was smiling quietly. She smiled and said, "You are right, people who really care about you will not change their attitude because of your identity."
At this time, Mrs. Qiao looked at Tangli and said tremblingly, "Come here."
Tangli sat next to her as usual. Mrs. Qiao said, "From today on, you will be called Tangli. The second daughter of the Qiao family will die of illness soon. I originally wanted to keep you in the Qiao family and tell the outside world that you are twin daughters. But you kid is too stubborn and doesn't want this arrangement, so your face has been seen by too many people, and grandma has no choice but to let Qiao Er die of illness."
Tang Li firmly held Mrs. Qiao's trembling palm and said, "I listen to my grandmother."
"Okay, good girl."
Mrs. Qiao waved to Qiao Yuan again and asked her to come to her side. Mrs. Qiao touched Qiao Yuan's face and said lovingly, "It's wrong to give you this identity, Qiao Er, because you are Qiao Yuan. If you are Qiao Er, it will definitely make rumors and you will be wronged. Your parents have been in Mobei all year round, and not many people in Yuzhou are familiar with them. It is reasonable for you to have a little daughter with you when they come back from visiting relatives this time."
Qiao Yuan smiled shyly, looked at Mrs. Qiao respectfully, and said, "I also listen to my grandmother."
"Good girl."
She handled the matter of Qiao Yuan and Tang Li vigorously and resolutely, without giving Qiao Zhenshan a chance to change his tune. Mrs. Qiao ordered Qiao Zhentao, "Open the ancestral hall another day and cross out Qiao Er in the genealogy and add the third girl of the Qiao family."
"Okay, your son will remember it."
Seeing this, Qiao Zhenshan let out a long sigh of frustration. He knew that he had no face to refute this decision. The marriage had already caused great loss to his face. It was not that he didn't feel sorry for his daughter, so in order not to be insulted by Mrs. Qiao again, he agreed to this arrangement.
Mrs. Zheng looked at Tang Li with red eyes, she hesitated to speak, and finally her thousands of words turned into a sigh.
As for Qiao Tong and Huang, they had no right to speak. They looked at each other silently and shook their heads helplessly.
More than a month later, the Qiao family hung up white lanterns and held a funeral ceremony.
The sky was foggy and it was raining again.
Tangli knelt in front of Mrs. Qiao, kowtowed, "Grandma, I will come to visit you often in the future."
Mrs. Qiao bent down to help her up, brushed the broken hair around her ears, "This will always be your home. It doesn't matter, come back often."
Before leaving, Mrs. Qiao couldn't help but ask the doubts that had been hidden in her heart, "Why did you cancel the slave status for Yuanyuan so early?"
Qiao Zhentao had said before that Tangli did this because she discovered the secret of her life experience, but Mrs. Qiao wanted to hear her explanation even more.
Tangli pursed her lips, her eyes full of tenderness, "Grandma, do you know why I am called Tangli?"
"Didn't you take it yourself?"
She said, "The word means "pear", it was chosen by "Yuanyuan".
Because when she saw her for the first time, she thought of the pear tree at the entrance of the village.
The pear blossoms in full bloom amazed her, and the sight of each other also amazed her again.
So when Tang Li asked Qiao Yuan, she gave the word "pear".
Coincidentally, this was her original name.
Mrs. Qiao seemed to understand. Looking at her leaving back, she suddenly figured out something.
No wonder this child doesn't want to stay at home and be twin sisters with Yuanyuan. It turns out... that's what she has in mind.
Mrs. Qiao finally smiled freely.
Let them be.
*
Two years later in october, the fragrance of sweet-scented osmanthus was wafting in the air, but it was soon driven away by the firecrackers of Qiao Mansion. Just because someone was getting married today, gongs, drums and firecrackers were beating outside the house, making it very lively.
The people were crowded, craning their necks just to see the eldest miss from the Qiao family get married.
"Who is this Miss Qiao marrying?"
"I heard that he seems to be the most beautiful man this year. Anyway, he looks very handsome!"
When some people talk about Qiao Ying's marriage, they inevitably think of the death of the second daughter of the Qiao family two years ago.
At that time, the salesman who often passed by the door of Qiao's house couldn't help but sigh, "If Miss Qiao is still alive, she should be married."
"Hey, who can say it's not the case? I'm so jealous of beauty. I must say it has something to do with the person surnamed Lu. It's possible that the disease was passed on to Miss Qiao Er."
"It's so good. Why did people leave just as soon as they said they were going to leave?"
The salesman forced a smile, interrupted the others, "This is a happy event for Miss Qiao. You guys should be happy."
As for Miss Qiao Er, whom I had the honor to meet once, the beauty has passed away, so there is no need to mention the sad things again.
At this time, among the guests standing at the gate of the mansion watching the red sedan go away, there was a woman wearing a veil. Her beautiful eyes were bright and full of hope, and the slightly upturned eyes had a glamorous charm, and beside her stood a pretty woman with almond-shaped eyes and a round face. The two looked at each other and smiled, holding hands firmly with the wide sleeves.
"Xiao Li."
Tangli held Qiao Yuan's hand. The sound of firecrackers made Tangli unable to hear clearly. She could only turn her ear over and ask, "What?"
Qiao Yuan stood on tiptoe slightly and said in her ear, "It's nothing, I just want to call your name."
Tang Li touched her face affectionately with her fingers, "Silly girl."
When Qiao Yuan saw that the housekeeper was about to set off firecrackers again, she hurriedly said, "Hurry and cover your ears!"
The red firecrackers were crackling, and the sedan chair was gradually moving away. Qiao Yuan's eyes were moist. As soon as she left, she missed Qiao Ying a little.
There are many difficult things in this world, such as why women must get married; such as why the day is sunny and cloudy; and the voice she heard a few years ago was very similar to my own, and it has never appeared again since then.
Even though all these strange things happened, they did not change the relationship between her and Tangli.
She doesn't need to understand too much, as long as she can understand Tang Li, it's enough.
"Suddenly I want to eat the red bean glutinous rice cake from Guo's family in the south of the city."
"Then I'll go with you later."
"OK!"