Chapter 28: Chapter 28 Part 1

Day after day, Ming Rou and Zhong Tiantian busied themselves with things related to lip rouge. Zhong Tiantian usually had to go to the fields with her parents to work. Ming Rou, with nothing much to occupy her for the time being, simply moved some of their supplies home and tinkered by herself indoors.

In order to make their lip rouge more perfect, Zhong Tiantian even specially took out the pocket money she had saved over many years and went to town to buy several different kinds of rouge for comparison. She also inquired around in all sorts of ways and discovered that many merchants added animal fats, like beef tallow or beef marrow, into the production process of lip rouge.

A Tao, naturally, was accommodating to all their requests and found ways to procure these things for them to experiment with. After more than a month, the two young girls had actually managed to create a lip rouge with excellent color, sufficient moisture, and ease of preservation. The two little friends were overjoyed.

Seeing the successful outcome of the lip rouge, the idea that had always lingered in the depths of Ming Rou’s heart began to sprout. Yet, looking at their current penniless household, she secretly mulled over other plans in her heart.

Ye Qiuniang continued her daily bustle, balancing affairs at home and on the estate. Sometimes she returned early, sometimes late. Seeing her come back weary, Ming Rou’s heart ached terribly, wishing she could take her place and suffer for her.

One morning, Ming Rou woke up as usual. The moment she stepped into the courtyard, she heard the sound of water being drawn. Looking up, it was actually Ye Qiuniang.

“Jiujiu, you don’t have to go to the estate today?”

“Today, the manager gave everyone a day of rest.”

“Really?” Ming Rou’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her. “Then Jiujiu can stay with me the whole day.”

Ye Qiuniang smiled. “Staying with you is staying with you, but we can’t be idle. Today we need to open up a small plot of land to plant vegetables. I’ve nearly picked all the wild greens by the roadside. If we don’t plant some soon, we won’t have any vegetables to eat later.”

“As long as I’m with Jiujiu, I’ll do anything. I can help you plant vegetables too.”

“Good, then today we’ll plant vegetables together.” Speaking, Ye Qiuniang deftly scrubbed the clothes in her hands, then said to her, “Go wash up and drink your porridge.”

Rarely having a day when Ye Qiuniang could stay home with her, Ming Rou eagerly dashed off to draw water, rinse her mouth, and wash her face. She ladled her porridge, pulled up her little stool, and sat beside her to watch Ye Qiuniang do the laundry.

“Jiujiu, were the clothes I washed before clean?”

Ye Qiuniang paused at the question, blinked slightly, but didn’t speak.

Seeing her reaction, Ming Rou’s lips immediately pouted high.

Ye Qiuniang, seeing her expression, decided to tease her a little.

“Of course Rourou’s washed clothes are clean. Even cleaner than what I wash.”

Hearing Ye Qiuniang finally call her Rourou in private, Ming Rou was thrilled. Instantly forgetting all about whether the laundry was clean or not, she set her bowl down with a clatter. Standing up, she hugged Ye Qiuniang from behind, rubbing her cheek against the crown of her head. With a coy, wriggling motion, she said, “Not Rourou. Call me Rou’er.”

The moment that the warmth of the young girl’s tender body pressed against her back, Ye Qiuniang’s hands scrubbing the clothes froze. Hearing her warm, playful voice in her ear, coquettishly asking to be called Rou’er, her heart skipped a beat, completely beyond her control. After a very brief pause, she continued her work expressionlessly.

“Jiujiu, say it.”

“Eldest Miss, stop fooling around. Get down quickly; I need to get up and draw water.”

Though unhappy, Ming Rou dared not keep messing around with Ye Qiuniang. She reluctantly climbed off her back and sat there huffily, unwilling to speak to anyone.

Not until the laundry was hung and they finished breakfast, and Ye Qiuniang shouldered the hoe and headed toward the plot of land near their home, did Ming Rou finally calm down a little. Then she scampered after her once more.

When they reached the field and Ye Qiuniang began hoeing, Ming Rou, not knowing what to do, finally pouted and asked, “Jiujiu, then what am I supposed to do?”

“How about you just watch from the side?”

“No, I want to work too.”

“Then pull the weeds,” Ye Qiuniang instructed.

Ming Rou realized she truly couldn’t do much else, but pulling weeds was something almost anyone could do. She happily agreed, crouching on the ground and pulling weeds with great gusto.

Unfortunately, her hands were still far too delicate. After pulling weeds for only a short while, several red welts appeared on her palms. Ye Qiuniang’s heart ached at the sight and quickly made her stop.

Just then, a clamor arose in the distance. Looking up, they saw a group of people heading their way. Ming Rou, thoroughly enjoying her weed-pulling, paid no attention to these people and kept her head down, continuing her task.

But unexpectedly, someone in that approaching group called out to her from afar, “Rourou—Rourou—”

Ming Rou found the voice somewhat familiar. Squinting, she stood up and looked. She never imagined it would be Xu Qionghua, who had actually found her way here.

Watching her distant figure, Ming Rou felt a complex mix of emotions. The day she went to the Xu Residence, she had been told Xu Qionghua had gone with her parents to her maternal grandfather’s home. Ming Rou didn’t know if it was a coincidence, but she wasn’t willing to suspect malice in this childhood friend she had been closest to.

Especially after coming to Paulownia Village, with A Tao and Tiantian to play with her, her resentment toward Xu Qionghua had gradually faded. Still, the sudden severance of a nearly ten-year friendship had been painful.

She never expected the girl would actually come looking for her.

But the question was, how did she know she was in Paulownia Village?

Despite her many doubts, seeing Xu Qionghua find her stirred up all sorts of emotions in Ming Rou’s heart. She stood rooted to the spot, watching blankly as the other’s lively figure drew nearer and nearer.

“Rourou, how could you come here without even sending me a message? You don’t know how much effort it took to find out you’re staying here now.” Xu Qionghua pinched her little arm with a tone of grievance.

Not knowing what intentions lurked in the other’s heart, Ming Rou was momentarily stunned. It took her a moment before she managed to speak. “What are you doing here?”

Xu Qionghua had already felt a bit resentful seeing her expressionless face. Now, being questioned like this, she felt even more wronged.

“Rourou, how can you question me like this? After I came back from my grandfather’s house, I went to your home to find you. But your new steward said you’d been driven out by your father, and your whereabouts were unknown. I turned the county seat and outskirts of Pingle upside down but couldn’t find a trace of you.”

“Then how did you finally find this place?”

Ming Rou’s voice was somewhat restrained, a far cry from the way they used to chatter together the moment they met. This doused Xu Qionghua’s initially excited mood like a bucket of cold water.

“When I couldn’t find you no matter what, I went straight to your father to ask. I’m still the Second Miss of the Xu Family, after all. No matter what, your father has to show me some face, right?”

“And then? Did Du Xian tell you I was here? How could he possibly know I’m here?” The thought of that man tracking her movements made Ming Rou furious.

“No, your… ahem, Du Xian said he didn’t know. The second time I asked and got no news, I went back. When I heard your mother didn’t leave with you, I refused to give up and went to your house again, hoping to see your mother and ask her for details. Who knew those people in your house wouldn’t even let me into the rear courtyard.”

“What? My mother has been placed under house arrest by that scumbag Du?”

The moment Ming Rou heard this news, she instantly became frantic. The reason she had left her mother behind at first was mainly because Ming Yulan simply didn’t want to leave Du Xian. Secondly, although the Ming Family had changed hands, the clan elders were still there. Even if they had accepted Du Xian’s bribes, they wouldn’t just stand by and let Du Xian do anything terrible to Madam Ming.

Now hearing that her mother was under house arrest, a rush of fury surged through her.

Seeing this little calf, eyes reddening as if ready to charge off and fight someone, Ye Qiuniang at the side quickly grabbed hold of her. “Don’t panic. Listen to Second Miss finish first.”

Soothed by Ye Qiuniang, Ming Rou threw a brief tantrum and then finally quieted down to let Xu Qionghua continue.

“That day, on my third visit to your house, your father… I mean Du Xian wasn’t there. I said I was looking for your mother, so the servants led me to the entrance of your mother’s courtyard. But right then, a shrewish woman with a pointed chin and monkey-like cheeks, her belly big, came out and ordered people to stop me from going in. I had no choice but to come back home.”

“And then?” Ming Rou couldn’t help her urgency.

“Then I had no choice but to leave. But just halfway down the road, I saw your family’s new steward chasing after me. He was a man in his twenties. He gave me a bundle and told me you were here in Paulownia Village. He asked me to secretly pass on a message to you: that your mother is fine, and for you to take good care of yourself.”

The moment Xu Qionghua finished speaking, Ming Rou’s eyes instantly reddened.

This mother of hers, who had also been a pampered young lady since childhood, never needing to bother with household chores. From the time she fell in love at first sight with Du Xian in her youth, through marriage, her world had mostly revolved around her husband. Yet even so, as a mother, she still loved her daughter. When Ming Rou was very young and tormented by illness, she too had stayed awake through countless nights, beseeching the heavens for mercy on her child.

As her daughter, Ming Rou had naturally felt all these small moments.

Especially that day when she was driven from the Ming Residence. Although her mother couldn’t sever ties with the Ming Family and Du Xian, in the end she had still decided to leave with Ming Rou. It was Ming Rou who had sent her back.