Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how to capture her first impression of Song Liang Zhuo. It was like drinking a cold drink on a hot day or sitting by calm water listening to a flute being played. Song Liang Zhuo gave Qian Xiao Qi a soothing feeling.
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know what kind of soothing feeling Song Liang Zhuo gave her. But Qian Xiao Qi didn’t need to know how much she loved Song Liang Zhuo in the past. Knowing he hit her and caused her to hit head onto table was enough. It was natural for her to be angry. She believed in her intuition. She felt like it was the first time in her life someone hit her, and that she wouldn’t recall all her memories.
Qian Xiao Qi felt uneasy to see Song Liang Zhuo walk into the bedchamber wearing white robes similar to Shang Ruo Pai’s white silk dress. Their matching clothes felt like they were husband and wife. Shouldn’t he wear his uniform coming back from the magistrate court? It was obvious he was provoking her.
Qian Xiao Qi staring at Song Liang Zhuo made him feel embarrassed. He coughed softly. ‘You’re awake. Do you know what you did wrong?’
Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t interested in answering Song Liang Zhuo’s questions.
‘Lady Shang Ruo Pai came to visit me earlier,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘Why?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘No reason,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘Official Song and Lady Ruo Pai have a close relationship. Did you know each other since children?’
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t answer.
‘She’s decent looking,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. She frowned at the red wedding decorations in the bedchamber. ‘Liu Lu said tomorrow we should go to my family home. Do we need to go?’
‘Wife, what do you think?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
Qian Xiao felt goosebumps on her body and she pursed her lips. ‘Official Song, don’t call me wife. I know you don’t love me. You should call me Xiao Qi.’
‘Xiao Qi, what do you think?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘For now, Official Song should send an apology letter to my family for not being able to come visit them tomorrow,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I’ll wait until my head is less swollen then I’ll go home myself.’
Song Liang Zhuo looked at the lump on the side of Qian Xiao Qi’s head and he felt guilty. He didn’t hit women. But he had never seen someone injure another person and deny the truth. He remembered Qian Xiao Qi’s stubbornness, ‘What if I pushed her? Official Song, if you have the strength, you should push me down the well too.’
Song Liang Zhuo knew Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t a gentle bred young mistress, but he didn’t expect her to cry loudly in an unladylike manner. When he was angry he impulsively hit her.
The moment Song Liang Zhuo’s hand hit Qian Xiao Qi, he felt regret. Although he didn’t marry her because he loved her, he knew she truly loved him. She had been a untamed person for years. But no one forced him to marry her. He willingly asked for her father’s blessing to marry her. No matter what, he should give her a comfortable good life.
Qian Xiao Qi used the opportunity while Song Liang Zhuo was in deep thought to look closely at him. She admitted that he was a handsome man, but she didn’t think it was to the point where married women fell under his beauty trance. She narrowed her eyes, and remembered a faint memory.
Qian Xiao Qi recalled a memory of an elderly woman waving a handkerchief and calling Song Liang Zhuo to get his attention, ‘Official Song, look at me. I missed you.’
Song Liang Zhuo had glanced at the elderly woman, and it looked like his soul was frightened away. Qian Xiao Qi remembered gently kicking the elderly woman who was truly under a trance, and she smiled.
Song Liang Zhuo seeing Qian Xiao Qi smiling to herself made him feel awkward and he coughed softly again.
‘Is the remedy you drank any good?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘What… good,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Qian Xiao Qi was deep in thought and forgot to look at the table. She poured a hot cup of tea for Song Liang Zhuo.
Song Liang Zhuo sighed. ‘You can’t drink tea like this.’
‘Oh,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. She blew into the hot cup of tea and sighed. ‘Official Song, you’re indeed a frugal person. You only drink tea if someone blows the tea for you.’
A smiling woman in her forties walked into the bedchamber. Qian Xiao Qi remembered Liu Lu described what Aunty Feng looked like. Aunty Feng had worked in the Song Manor for a long time.
‘Master, Mistress Shang Ruo Pai is feeling ill,’ Aunty Feng said. ‘Master, you should go see her.’
Aunty Feng glanced at Qian Xiao Qi, and Qian Xiao Qi felt goose bumps. Qian Xiao Qi immediately waved a hand in the air.
‘Official Song, you should go see her,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t know what to say because in the past Qian Xiao Qi also called him Official Song.
Song Liang Zhuo nodded apologetically at Qian Xiao Qi and he left the bedchamber.
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how she should react. The way Song Liang Zhuo’s eyes looked at her, felt like she was an inconvenience. She wondered if pig’s fat covered her eyes in the past. How did she persistently pursued a man who didn’t love her? She must have been possessed.
Qian Xiao Qi remembered Liu Lu praised her that she looked beautiful. It shouldn’t be hard for Qian Xiao Qi to find someone who would love her. If Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how to find someone, her big sisters at home would know.
Qian Xiao Qi knocked her forehead. How did she know she had big sisters? Although she lost her memory, she would have spent seventeen years with her family so she should at least remember her family members. She reasoned that she didn’t love Song Liang Zhuo that deeply. If she did love him deeply then she would remember him. She was certain she was possessed in the past.
Later that day, the family dinner consisted of three people. Xiao Qi bit her chopsticks and glanced at Shang Ruo Pai sitting close to Song Liang Zhuo. Xiao Qi was envious of Shang Ruo Pai and Song Liang Zhuo. Xiao Qi wondered when she would find a handsome man like Song Liang Zhuo who matched her the way he and Shang Ruo Pa matched each other. Xiao Qi wanted to become a handsome and beautiful couple with someone soon.
Shang Ruo Pai glanced at Qian Xiao Qi, and triumphantly put food into Song Liang Zhuo’s bowl.
Qian Xiao Qi was heartbroken the scarce food was running into Song Liang Zhuo’s bowl. Qiao Xiao Qi didn’t want to think too much so she lowered her head and ate dinner. Qiao Xiao Qi wanted to take the only plate of grilled pork meat for herself. But the grilled pork meat reminded Qiao Xiao Qi about pork fat covering her eyes in the past so her hand picked up the plate of green vegetables instead.
Qian Xiao Qi’s strange behavior was interpreted differently by Shang Ruo Pai and Song Liang Zhuo.
‘Lady Qian, you know how to eat well,’ Shang Ruo Pai said sarcastically.
Qian Xiao Qi’s confused eyes widened. Qian Xiao Qi didn’t touch the plate of grilled pork meat.
Song Liang Zhuo thought perhaps Qian Xiao Qi remembered him scolding her eating meat by herself. He picked up a piece of grilled pork meat and put it into her bowl out of guilt.
The aroma from the spices used to marinate the grilled pork meat made Qian Xiao Qi feel conflicted. She didn’t know if she should eat the grilled pork meat. If she ate it then more pig fat would cover her eyes, and Shang Ruo Pai would mock her. But she wanted to eat the piece of grilled pork meat.
Qiao Xiao Qi greedily sniffed the piece of grilled pork meat and proudly put it back on the plate of meat. She didn’t need the piece of grilled pork meat. She scrunched her face, and regretted she couldn’t remember her life in the Qian Manor. She shook her head, and continued to eat a bowl of green vegetables.
Song Liang Zhuo purposely asked the head cook to prepare the plate of grilled pork meat to nourish Qian Xiao Qi’s body. But she didn’t even eat one piece of grilled pork meat, and he thought she must still be angry at him.
‘Xiao Qi, don’t you like eating meat?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
Qian Xiao Qi stared at the fragrant plate of grilled pork meat. She nodded and shook her head. ‘Give it to Lady Shang Ruo Pai to eat.’
Song Liang Zhuo smiled at Qian Xiao Qi.
‘In the future, it’s enough if you don’t do anything harmful again,’ Song Liang Zhuo said.
Qian Xiao Qi was in a bad mood. After hearing Song Liang Zhuo’s criticism made her feel worse. She scoffed, gulped down her food and stood. ‘You two should eat at leisure. I’m going outside to take a walk.’
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t know how he should treat Qian Xiao Qi so he initially avoided her. Yesterday’s unexpected incident made Qian Xiao Qi angry. He didn’t know if he should give her advice.
Shang Ruo Pai was happy she was alone with Song Liang Zhuo.
‘Big brother Zhuo, it’s not good to let food turn cold,’ Shang Ruo Pai said and smiled at Song Liang Zhuo.
Song Liang Zhuo smiled politely. He looked at the untouched plate of grilled pork meat and lost his appetite. Since he hit Qian Xiao Qi, he felt like he owed her.
Qian Xiao Qi took a walk around the gardens. When she saw Liu Lu coming out of the kitchen, she followed Liu Lu to Liu Lu’s small bedchamber and suddenly missed home.
‘Mistress, from now on the Song Manor is our home,’ Liu Lu said. ‘Mistress, what’s wrong? In the past, mistress was happy to marry into the Song Household. How can mistress want to go home after being married a couple of days?’
Qian Xiao Qi took off her shoes, walked toward Liu Lu’s bed and scoffed. ‘You know I’ve forgotten everything. How can I feel relaxed if I’ve forgotten everything?’
‘Mistress, did master and Lady Shang Ruo Pai do something to upset you?’ Liu Lu asked. ‘Mistress, don’t forget that you’re master’s wife. No one can change your status. I heard from the head cook that master is a frugal person. Master asked the head cook to prepare a plate of grilled pork meat to nourish your body. Mistress, are you going to eat it?’
‘Of course I’m going to eat it,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Liu Lu looked at Qian Xiao Qi’s serious facial expression and secretly smiled.
‘Mistress believe me,’ Liu Lu said. ‘I think that master does care about mistress. Mistress, don’t be sad, everything in the future will be smoother.’
Qian Xiao Qi hugged a pillow, laid on the bed and looked suspiciously at Liu Lu. ‘Liu Lu, did my father make a deal with Official Song? Is that why my father sold me to Official Song?’
‘Mistress, how can you think your father sold you?’ Liu Lu asked. ‘Mistress’ father saw how you struggled to pursue master. It was mistress’ father who helped you marry into the Song Household.’
Qian Xiao Qi hugged the pillow tighter. ‘Ha Da and I are similar.’
Liu Lu began embroidering and hid her smile. ‘Mistress, it’s hard for me to believe you lost your memory when you can remember Xiao Ha Da. Ha Da is mistress’ darling treasure. Even if there is only a bit of food, mistress would give it to Ha Da.’
‘Oh?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked and sat up on the bed. ‘What does Ha Da look like?’
‘Round, white hair and anyone who meets Ha Da will love Ha Da,’ Liu Lu said.
Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t satisfied with only Liu Lu’s description of Ha Da. A round and white hair dog sounded like a hairy round white bun. Qian Xiao Qi reasoned she would be home soon, and seeing Ha Da would finally give her something to be happy about.
‘Can I stay here with you?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked and smiled at Liu Lu.
Liu Lu put down the embroidery on the table, stood and opened the door. ‘Mistress, go back to your bedchamber.’
***
End of Chapter Two
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how to capture her first impression of Song Liang Zhuo. It was like drinking a cold drink on a hot day or sitting by calm water listening to a flute being played. Song Liang Zhuo gave Qian Xiao Qi a soothing feeling.
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know what kind of soothing feeling Song Liang Zhuo gave her. But Qian Xiao Qi didn’t need to know how much she loved Song Liang Zhuo in the past. Knowing he hit her and caused her to hit head onto table was enough. It was natural for her to be angry. She believed in her intuition. She felt like it was the first time in her life someone hit her, and that she wouldn’t recall all her memories.
Qian Xiao Qi felt uneasy to see Song Liang Zhuo walk into the bedchamber wearing white robes similar to Shang Ruo Pai’s white silk dress. Their matching clothes felt like they were husband and wife. Shouldn’t he wear his uniform coming back from the magistrate court? It was obvious he was provoking her.
Qian Xiao Qi staring at Song Liang Zhuo made him feel embarrassed. He coughed softly. ‘You’re awake. Do you know what you did wrong?’
Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t interested in answering Song Liang Zhuo’s questions.
‘Lady Shang Ruo Pai came to visit me earlier,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
‘Why?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘No reason,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘Official Song and Lady Ruo Pai have a close relationship. Did you know each other since children?’
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t answer.
‘She’s decent looking,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. She frowned at the red wedding decorations in the bedchamber. ‘Liu Lu said tomorrow we should go to my family home. Do we need to go?’
‘Wife, what do you think?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
Qian Xiao felt goosebumps on her body and she pursed her lips. ‘Official Song, don’t call me wife. I know you don’t love me. You should call me Xiao Qi.’
‘Xiao Qi, what do you think?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘For now, Official Song should send an apology letter to my family for not being able to come visit them tomorrow,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. ‘I’ll wait until my head is less swollen then I’ll go home myself.’
Song Liang Zhuo looked at the lump on the side of Qian Xiao Qi’s head and he felt guilty. He didn’t hit women. But he had never seen someone injure another person and deny the truth. He remembered Qian Xiao Qi’s stubbornness, ‘What if I pushed her? Official Song, if you have the strength, you should push me down the well too.’
Song Liang Zhuo knew Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t a gentle bred young mistress, but he didn’t expect her to cry loudly in an unladylike manner. When he was angry he impulsively hit her.
The moment Song Liang Zhuo’s hand hit Qian Xiao Qi, he felt regret. Although he didn’t marry her because he loved her, he knew she truly loved him. She had been a untamed person for years. But no one forced him to marry her. He willingly asked for her father’s blessing to marry her. No matter what, he should give her a comfortable good life.
Qian Xiao Qi used the opportunity while Song Liang Zhuo was in deep thought to look closely at him. She admitted that he was a handsome man, but she didn’t think it was to the point where married women fell under his beauty trance. She narrowed her eyes, and remembered a faint memory.
Qian Xiao Qi recalled a memory of an elderly woman waving a handkerchief and calling Song Liang Zhuo to get his attention, ‘Official Song, look at me. I missed you.’
Song Liang Zhuo had glanced at the elderly woman, and it looked like his soul was frightened away. Qian Xiao Qi remembered gently kicking the elderly woman who was truly under a trance, and she smiled.
Song Liang Zhuo seeing Qian Xiao Qi smiling to herself made him feel awkward and he coughed softly again.
‘Is the remedy you drank any good?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
‘What… good,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Qian Xiao Qi was deep in thought and forgot to look at the table. She poured a hot cup of tea for Song Liang Zhuo.
Song Liang Zhuo sighed. ‘You can’t drink tea like this.’
‘Oh,’ Qian Xiao Qi said. She blew into the hot cup of tea and sighed. ‘Official Song, you’re indeed a frugal person. You only drink tea if someone blows the tea for you.’
A smiling woman in her forties walked into the bedchamber. Qian Xiao Qi remembered Liu Lu described what Aunty Feng looked like. Aunty Feng had worked in the Song Manor for a long time.
‘Master, Mistress Shang Ruo Pai is feeling ill,’ Aunty Feng said. ‘Master, you should go see her.’
Aunty Feng glanced at Qian Xiao Qi, and Qian Xiao Qi felt goose bumps. Qian Xiao Qi immediately waved a hand in the air.
‘Official Song, you should go see her,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t know what to say because in the past Qian Xiao Qi also called him Official Song.
Song Liang Zhuo nodded apologetically at Qian Xiao Qi and he left the bedchamber.
Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how she should react. The way Song Liang Zhuo’s eyes looked at her, felt like she was an inconvenience. She wondered if pig’s fat covered her eyes in the past. How did she persistently pursued a man who didn’t love her? She must have been possessed.
Qian Xiao Qi remembered Liu Lu praised her that she looked beautiful. It shouldn’t be hard for Qian Xiao Qi to find someone who would love her. If Qian Xiao Qi didn’t know how to find someone, her big sisters at home would know.
Qian Xiao Qi knocked her forehead. How did she know she had big sisters? Although she lost her memory, she would have spent seventeen years with her family so she should at least remember her family members. She reasoned that she didn’t love Song Liang Zhuo that deeply. If she did love him deeply then she would remember him. She was certain she was possessed in the past.
Later that day, the family dinner consisted of three people. Xiao Qi bit her chopsticks and glanced at Shang Ruo Pai sitting close to Song Liang Zhuo. Xiao Qi was envious of Shang Ruo Pai and Song Liang Zhuo. Xiao Qi wondered when she would find a handsome man like Song Liang Zhuo who matched her the way he and Shang Ruo Pa matched each other. Xiao Qi wanted to become a handsome and beautiful couple with someone soon.
Shang Ruo Pai glanced at Qian Xiao Qi, and triumphantly put food into Song Liang Zhuo’s bowl.
Qian Xiao Qi was heartbroken the scarce food was running into Song Liang Zhuo’s bowl. Qiao Xiao Qi didn’t want to think too much so she lowered her head and ate dinner. Qiao Xiao Qi wanted to take the only plate of grilled pork meat for herself. But the grilled pork meat reminded Qiao Xiao Qi about pork fat covering her eyes in the past so her hand picked up the plate of green vegetables instead.
Qian Xiao Qi’s strange behavior was interpreted differently by Shang Ruo Pai and Song Liang Zhuo.
‘Lady Qian, you know how to eat well,’ Shang Ruo Pai said sarcastically.
Qian Xiao Qi’s confused eyes widened. Qian Xiao Qi didn’t touch the plate of grilled pork meat.
Song Liang Zhuo thought perhaps Qian Xiao Qi remembered him scolding her eating meat by herself. He picked up a piece of grilled pork meat and put it into her bowl out of guilt.
The aroma from the spices used to marinate the grilled pork meat made Qian Xiao Qi feel conflicted. She didn’t know if she should eat the grilled pork meat. If she ate it then more pig fat would cover her eyes, and Shang Ruo Pai would mock her. But she wanted to eat the piece of grilled pork meat.
Qiao Xiao Qi greedily sniffed the piece of grilled pork meat and proudly put it back on the plate of meat. She didn’t need the piece of grilled pork meat. She scrunched her face, and regretted she couldn’t remember her life in the Qian Manor. She shook her head, and continued to eat a bowl of green vegetables.
Song Liang Zhuo purposely asked the head cook to prepare the plate of grilled pork meat to nourish Qian Xiao Qi’s body. But she didn’t even eat one piece of grilled pork meat, and he thought she must still be angry at him.
‘Xiao Qi, don’t you like eating meat?’ Song Liang Zhuo asked.
Qian Xiao Qi stared at the fragrant plate of grilled pork meat. She nodded and shook her head. ‘Give it to Lady Shang Ruo Pai to eat.’
Song Liang Zhuo smiled at Qian Xiao Qi.
‘In the future, it’s enough if you don’t do anything harmful again,’ Song Liang Zhuo said.
Qian Xiao Qi was in a bad mood. After hearing Song Liang Zhuo’s criticism made her feel worse. She scoffed, gulped down her food and stood. ‘You two should eat at leisure. I’m going outside to take a walk.’
Song Liang Zhuo didn’t know how he should treat Qian Xiao Qi so he initially avoided her. Yesterday’s unexpected incident made Qian Xiao Qi angry. He didn’t know if he should give her advice.
Shang Ruo Pai was happy she was alone with Song Liang Zhuo.
‘Big brother Zhuo, it’s not good to let food turn cold,’ Shang Ruo Pai said and smiled at Song Liang Zhuo.
Song Liang Zhuo smiled politely. He looked at the untouched plate of grilled pork meat and lost his appetite. Since he hit Qian Xiao Qi, he felt like he owed her.
Qian Xiao Qi took a walk around the gardens. When she saw Liu Lu coming out of the kitchen, she followed Liu Lu to Liu Lu’s small bedchamber and suddenly missed home.
‘Mistress, from now on the Song Manor is our home,’ Liu Lu said. ‘Mistress, what’s wrong? In the past, mistress was happy to marry into the Song Household. How can mistress want to go home after being married a couple of days?’
Qian Xiao Qi took off her shoes, walked toward Liu Lu’s bed and scoffed. ‘You know I’ve forgotten everything. How can I feel relaxed if I’ve forgotten everything?’
‘Mistress, did master and Lady Shang Ruo Pai do something to upset you?’ Liu Lu asked. ‘Mistress, don’t forget that you’re master’s wife. No one can change your status. I heard from the head cook that master is a frugal person. Master asked the head cook to prepare a plate of grilled pork meat to nourish your body. Mistress, are you going to eat it?’
‘Of course I’m going to eat it,’ Qian Xiao Qi said.
Liu Lu looked at Qian Xiao Qi’s serious facial expression and secretly smiled.
‘Mistress believe me,’ Liu Lu said. ‘I think that master does care about mistress. Mistress, don’t be sad, everything in the future will be smoother.’
Qian Xiao Qi hugged a pillow, laid on the bed and looked suspiciously at Liu Lu. ‘Liu Lu, did my father make a deal with Official Song? Is that why my father sold me to Official Song?’
‘Mistress, how can you think your father sold you?’ Liu Lu asked. ‘Mistress’ father saw how you struggled to pursue master. It was mistress’ father who helped you marry into the Song Household.’
Qian Xiao Qi hugged the pillow tighter. ‘Ha Da and I are similar.’
Liu Lu began embroidering and hid her smile. ‘Mistress, it’s hard for me to believe you lost your memory when you can remember Xiao Ha Da. Ha Da is mistress’ darling treasure. Even if there is only a bit of food, mistress would give it to Ha Da.’
‘Oh?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked and sat up on the bed. ‘What does Ha Da look like?’
‘Round, white hair and anyone who meets Ha Da will love Ha Da,’ Liu Lu said.
Qian Xiao Qi wasn’t satisfied with only Liu Lu’s description of Ha Da. A round and white hair dog sounded like a hairy round white bun. Qian Xiao Qi reasoned she would be home soon, and seeing Ha Da would finally give her something to be happy about.
‘Can I stay here with you?’ Qian Xiao Qi asked and smiled at Liu Lu.
Liu Lu put down the embroidery on the table, stood and opened the door. ‘Mistress, go back to your bedchamber.’
***
End of Chapter Two
