Madam Lin frowned, casting a cold glance at Concubine Qiu.
Indeed, the old lady would occasionally call Concubine Qiu over for a chat or to participate in gardening, as she, too, was once a village girl.
"Since the old lady instructed you to bring soup to the master, you should have left after delivering it. Yet you—were you waiting for the master to finish before leaving?"
That was indeed Concubine Qiu's secret hope. She wished that Lin Xingyi would take pity on her for bringing him soup so late in the day and allow her to stay longer, which was why she lingered.
As it happened, Lin Xingyi did keep her afterwards and they spent a steamy interlude together, bringing her joy all night long.
Upon dawn, fearing Madam Lin's tactics, she wanted to leave sneakily, but to her dismay, she still got caught.
Concubine Qiu, now a sobbing mess, could only say, "Madam, I dare not do it again; it was just this once, please spare me!"
