Chapter Five: The Struggle in the Room

  Liu Qingqing returned to her residence and saw Xiaolian arranging bowls and chopsticks, four dishes and one soup, which wasn't bad for Liu Qingqing. She quietly came up behind Xiaolian, gently covered her eyes, and softly asked in her ear, "Guess who I am?" Her voice was filled with joy. It felt wonderful to finally be able to speak again, it was refreshing from head to toe.

  Xiao Lian heard the voice was unfamiliar, but it was as gentle as a swallow leaving its nest, tender and delicate. She touched the other person's hand with her own, soft and boneless, definitely a woman's hand. She couldn't guess who it was, could it be Madame Jiuxi? But she shouldn't be able to speak, should she?

  Liu Qingqing herself revealed the answer: "I suppose you can't guess, it's me, Liu Qingqing." As she said that, she let go of her hand.

  Xiao Lian saw it was Liu Qingqing, and she was also delighted. "Young Madam, where have you been? You're really lucky! Old Madam had a bad fortune-telling sign at the temple and is very unhappy. She came over to look for you. Fortunately, you weren't here."

  Liu Qingqing was confused, the old lady asked for a lower sign, what does it have to do with me? Does my presence or absence make a difference? Can I change the lower sign into an upper sign, or are they trying to use me as a scapegoat? Looking at Xiaolian's expression, she probably thought of using herself as a scapegoat. In the old society, mothers-in-law were indeed evil. Daughters-in-law had to suffer in silence. Liu Qingqing's big eyes sparkled with thoughts. She pondered for a moment before asking: "Is it because that Xixi girl said I have a thin fate and no good fortune, harming my husband and mother?"

  Xiao Lian immediately showed an expression of infinite admiration, thinking to herself that although their young mistress was ugly, she was extremely intelligent and had guessed it so accurately without seeing the situation. She then replied: "Yes, that's what Chen Xixi said, did you hear it, madam?"

  Liu Qingqing thought to herself, what she had just seen was because her own grandmother was a fortune teller, always muttering these superstitious things in her ear, and besides, following her grandmother around for so many years, she had heard it all before.

  "I went out to play outside the wall, I didn't know they would come. It's just that Chen Xixi has been pestering your young master for a long time, and I can probably guess what she would say." After hearing Liu Qingqing's words, Xiao Lian hurriedly asked: "Young Madam, how could you go to that place? Didn't I tell you that it's a forbidden area, none of us are allowed to go there?" She paused for a moment, "Did you meet anyone there?" Liu Qingqing picked up a piece of meat from the plate and put it in her mouth. "I met a man who is even uglier than me..."

  "Is he ugly? No, that's not right, he's clearly not ugly!" Just as Xiaolian was about to ask again, a voice stopped her. "Xiaolian, go tell the old madam that I'll be dining with my wife today, so I won't be going over to keep her company for dinner."

  The one who spoke was Hu Zhongren, looking good. He walked into the hall with a limp and sat down on the chair, with an air of majesty, as if facing countless people. Liu Qingqing secretly despised him, thinking that eating didn't require such a show. Xiao Lian quickly served him a bowl of white rice, then also served Liu Qingqing a bowl of rice, and retreated from the hall. Hu Zhongren didn't say a word either, rapidly attacking the dishes on the table. Liu Qingqing watched for a while, understanding that if she didn't eat, she would probably only be able to lick the plate clean. She picked up her chopsticks, with one foot propped against the chair, and wolfed down her food in a flurry of activity, finishing her meal in an instant. The two words "ladylike" had nothing to do with her. After eating, Liu Qingqing took the lead and walked into the inner room, lying down on the bed, taking the initiative.

  Hu Zhongren, who had one leg disabled, was not as agile as Liu Qingqing. Seeing her occupying more than half of the bed, he became very angry. "Ugly woman, get up and move to the side, I want to rest."

  Liu Qingqing looked at Hu Zhongren and thought to herself, "Who do you think you are? How can you be so unreasonable?" She said, "Tieguai Li, how can you be so overbearing? I've been living here for four days, and now that you're here, I have to leave. Doesn't that make me look too inferior?"

  Hu Zhongren didn't understand the meaning of "too inferior" and let out a sound of surprise. Liu Qingqing suddenly remembered that he was an ancient person and wouldn't understand her modern language.

  Moreover, it was already noon, and causing a commotion would only attract onlookers. She decided to take a step back and said, "Let's make peace, each of us will retreat a step, one person will get half, and let's hurry up and rest."

  Liu Qingqing had the habit of taking a nap after eating her fill. If she couldn't sleep soundly, she would be like a chicken that hadn't eaten its fill - irritable and cold.

  After speaking, she didn't care whether Hu Zhongren agreed or not, and rolled onto the bed, leaving a large space for him. She patted the bed with her hand, indicating that side was for Hu Zhongren. And just like a child sleeping, she soon started snoring.

  Hu Zhongren sat on the edge of the bed, gazing at him for a long time, feeling that although he was ugly, he had a lovable expression, and his heart felt a warm and fuzzy sensation. He lay down beside her, sleeping soundly.

  Xiaolian led a group of people to the new wife's inner chamber, and everyone was shocked by what they saw. They quickly stopped the crowd: "The young master and his wife are taking a nap, please go back first!" In fact, everyone had already seen their appearance.

  Hu Zhongren hugged Liu Qingqing tightly, with one foot still pressed on her body. Liu Qingqing rested her head on Hu Zhongren's arm, which was wrapped around her chest. The couple was resting, and this was nothing to be ashamed of. However, it made Old Lady Hu overjoyed to see her son and daughter-in-law getting along so well.

  But it infuriated Yang Liuchun and Chen Xixi, who had come together. First, let's talk about Chen Xixi. She had thought that the young master would hate the Liu family for deceiving him and had decided to return to Kyoto with her. But in just one day, everything changed, and she didn't know what kind of trick this ugly woman had used to win over Hu Zhongren's heart.

  Yang Liuchun felt the same way. He had feelings for Xiaolian, and he thought that his brother would leave with Xixi, giving him plenty of time to seduce Xiaolian. But now it seemed that his hopes were dashed.

  The two people didn't have any ulterior motives, and they left in anger. To say that Liu Qingqing woke up to find herself sleeping in Hu Zhongren's arms was a huge shock. She looked at her clothes and saw that they were still intact, thinking that nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them. However, Hu Zhongren's legs were tightly pressed against her body, making it impossible for her to move. Unconsciously, she grabbed his hand and bit down on it with a loud "chomp". Hu Zhongren was sleeping soundly and felt a sudden pain, opening his eyes to see Liu Qingqing biting down on his hand. He cried out in pain, using his other hand to pinch her chin. "You crazy woman, why did you bite me?" Liu Qingqing couldn't speak with him pinching her chin, so she lifted one leg and kicked Hu Zhongren's vital spot. Hu Zhongren quickly let go of her chin and dodged backwards, falling to the ground with a thud. The pain was so intense that his face contorted in agony. Liu Qingqing couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight.

  Hu Zhongren suddenly jumped up, like a carp leaping out of the water, and then he was like an onion being pulled out of the dry earth, landing on top of Liu Qingqing, pinning her down. His mouth was pressed against hers, and with one swift motion, they shared a passionate kiss. "You ugly woman, see how I'll deal with you!" Liu Qingqing struggled desperately to push him away, but to an outsider, it looked like the two were passionately entwined.

  Chen Xixi thought so. She walked back and forth in the front yard, feeling anxious and uneasy, deciding to take a look at the two of them. Unexpectedly, she caught them red-handed. At that moment, she pointed her finger and scolded: "You ugly woman, how dare you seduce our Hu Shao! Have you forgotten what I said?" Hu Zhongren and Liu Qingqing were originally still entangled, but when they heard Chen Xixi's words, they sat up on the bed. They saw that Liu Qingqing's hair was disheveled, her face was red, and she looked like a newly awakened beauty. Chen Xixi was furious, while Hu Zhongren was itching with desire. Liu Qingqing smiled and said: "I'm being intimate with my husband, what business is it of yours? You're just a loose woman who dares to flirt with my husband!" While speaking, she hugged Hu Zhongren's face, pouted, and gave him a passionate French kiss. Hu Zhongren let Liu Qingqing do as she pleased, seemingly fully cooperating. Chen Xixi cried: "Hu Shao, look at her! You said we'd return to Kyoto together. Let's leave this ugly woman behind!" After Liu Qingqing finished kissing Hu Zhongren, he felt that Chen Xixi's behavior was very annoying and angrily said: "Who are you calling an ugly woman? Don't forget your own identity! She is the mistress of the Hu family, what are you? You should apologize to Madame Hu immediately!" Chen Xixi was both ashamed and angry, and she ran out of the room in a huff. Liu Qingqing watched the good show, raised her hand in a "V" shape, indicating victory, and said: "Ha! You're still so naive," then turned to Hu Zhongren and said: "Hu Dage, let's make a deal, how about it?"