Chapter 14: To help Xiao Lian, they decide to make a run for it

  Liu Qingqing returned to the dormitory, and the scene in front of her made her feel both amused and touched. The table was full of dishes, all covered with plates, and Xiao Lian was leaning on her elbow, dozing off. On the high shelf, a red candle was lit, and the wick was burning brightly. Liu Qingqing's mind suddenly flashed with a line of poetry: "Only fear that the flowers will sleep at night, so burn the tall candles to illuminate the red makeup." And the current scene was exactly that - the red candles were shining brightly, and the red makeup was sleeping soundly. After washing her hands in the basin, Liu Qingqing sat down at the table and began her dinner. She had been busy for a while and was very hungry and tired. One by one, she opened the plates covering the delicious dishes, and the fragrance wafted up to her nose, apparently freshly delivered not long ago.

  The aroma wafted over, and Liu Qingqing's taste buds immediately sensed it. She picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and Liu Qingqing wolfed down the food in big mouthfuls, drinking wine while eating dishes, busy with gleeful abandon. The clinking of cups and plates startled Xiaolian awake. Seeing Liu Qingqing devouring her food, she said languidly: "Ninth Lady, why did you take so long? You made me wait until I fell asleep."

  "Sorry about that, Casimodo didn't show up right away, so I waited for him." Liu Qingqing picked up a chicken leg and continued to gnaw on it with big bites, she had always been very fond of food.

  "Oh no, Ninth Madame, didn't you say we can't eat at night if we want to lose weight? Why are you eating such high-fat food again?" Little Lotus hastily interrupted.

  "If you don't want me to eat, why did you bring it over? Isn't this tempting me into sin? This is even more unforgivable!" As she said that, she handed him another chicken leg. "Come on, you have some too. We can get fat together, with you by my side, I won't look fat, right?"

  Xiao Lian made her smile: "Nonsense, the ninth lady will take it as a reason. The old lady has passed on the message that Hu Shao will return here, so the kitchen should prepare more dishes."

  "I thought the old lady loved me so much that she brought good wine and dishes to treat me, but it turned out to be just borrowing my presence. Did he say when he's coming over?" Liu Qing continued eating voraciously.

  "That's not it, but I think he'll definitely come back tonight, because Chen Xixi went to Kyoto and we Hu Shao don't have the habit of sleeping alone." Xiaolian said quietly.

  "Is that so? Then I'll be the host at Hong Ma tonight, and it's likely you'll have to serve me." Liu Qingqing said with a giggle.

  "Mrs. Ji, you're thinking of something indecent, must men and women together necessarily do that?" Xiaolian poured a bowl of mung bean porridge for Liu Qingqing, saying with sarcasm and ridicule.

  "Men and women being together is not necessarily a big deal, but when it comes to husbands and wives, it's hard to say. Ah, Xiaolian, I remember that when I got married, I brought two maids with me as dowry, where are they?!" Qingqing suddenly recalled what Ren Zhonghu told her about the Liu family. Yes, in ancient times, every young lady from a wealthy family would have one or two personal maids accompanying them when they get married. But even if these two people were standing right in front of me, I wouldn't recognize them because all I saw after waking up was Xiaolian.

  "My elder sister, you finally remembered them. Poor things are still eagerly waiting for you to be able to speak up for yourself in your husband's household and avoid suffering at the hands of others." Xiaolian said while serving Liu Qingqing vegetables, "They're actually quite fortunate, Old Madam didn't make things difficult for them, they're still working as servants in your quarters. However, back then Old Madam was angry with you because of your ugly appearance and arrogant behavior, which made Hu Shao dislike you even more. She wanted to teach you a lesson by making you live in the side house, that's why you didn't see them. But tonight is different, Old Madam has invited you to sleep in the main house, so you'll be able to see your two personal maids and also spend a romantic night with Hu Shao."

  "You little devil, watch me unleash my tiger's might! You think I'm a sick cat? Left and right, you're mocking and teasing me, but it's you who's in the wrong!" Liu Qingqing laughed and scolded.

  Xiao Lian suddenly stopped her hands from chopping vegetables. "Yes, in the future, you won't have to listen to my sarcastic words anymore, because Old Madam wants to marry me off to Cousin Young Master as a concubine, and I can no longer be so casual with you!" As she spoke, Xiao Lian burst into loud sobs.

  Liu Qingqing suddenly felt a complete loss of appetite. "Why didn't you say so earlier? What's the point of not telling me? And what's with the nonsense?" She walked over and took hold of Xiaolian's hand, "Xiaolian, don't cry for now, tell me carefully what happened? How can I help you?"

  Xiao Lian stopped crying: "Who can resist the old lady's words, even if you go to plead, it's probably useless. The young master is the old lady's nephew, she must be biased towards him. If someone really needs to persuade her, I'm afraid only Hu Shao can help. But, I'm just a maid, how could he bear to hurt his cousin's heart for me?"

  "That's to say, you don't want to marry Yang Liuqing? But he's handsome and elegant, with a good head for economics, and comes from a good family, isn't that great?" Liu Qingqing thought Yang Liuqing was really a scoundrel, and just seeing him made her heart skip a beat.

  "He was a man who had never been kind to women, and not only did he seduce several of Hu Shao's wives, causing them to be ashamed and humiliated, but also treated his own wife with great cruelty." Xiaolian wiped away her tears.

  "Does he have a wife?" What's wrong with you, having a daughter-in-law and still being so arrogant. After the anger subsided, I felt relieved. In ancient times, men were superior to women, and it was natural for men to have three wives and four concubines; people got married very early, and it was normal for them to have wives, but I had been here for such a long time without ever seeing his wife. Liu Qingqing couldn't help but ask the question.

  "He got married immediately after Hu Shao and Xiulian's wedding, but he divorced his wife soon after Xiulian's death. Now, his wife and son live in the old house in Yangtuanbao, but he never goes back, and even when he does, he ignores his legitimate wife and often brings home women of ill repute. As a result, Master Yang forbids him from entering the house, so he goes back even less."

  "It turns out to be like this. What can we do then?" Liu Qingqing walked back and forth in the room, at a loss for what to do. Finally, she thought of a good idea, took out the 500 taels of white silver and silver bills from the pawnshop, along with the receipt, and put them away properly. "We'll escape to Kyoto tonight, what do you think?"

  Xiao Lian's eyes welled up with tears: "How can that be possible? I am a household slave raised by the Hu family, and if caught, I will face punishment. Besides, this would also implicate you, why must you suffer hardships for me?"

  "It won't implicate me, because I also want to escape. Casimodo gave me an idea, telling me to redeem the pawned jewelry, so that our troubles with the Hu family will be lessened. Now that you've encountered this situation, let's take these silver notes and go to Beijing. They can be cashed nationwide, and it'll be enough for us to live on for a while. Hurry up and pack, we're leaving immediately."

  The two of them started to gather their clothes, and in the midst of their busyness, a faint cough was heard from outside. As the footsteps approached, they pricked up their ears to listen, and it was Hu Zhongren who had arrived. Xiaolian glanced at Liu Qingqing and asked with her eyes: "What should we do?"

  Liu Qingqing mouthed, "Knock him out." The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Liu Qingqing picked up a large bottle, held it high, and as soon as Hu Zhongren appeared, she smashed it against his head, knocking him unconscious to the ground. Xiao Lian felt for a pulse, "He's not breathing." Her voice was trembling with tears.

  Liu Qingqing waved her hand, "Nothing's wrong, I just fainted." She signaled to Xiaolian to walk ahead with the luggage, while she herself quietly stepped over Hu Zhongren and followed behind. Xiaolian tiptoed out of the bedroom, when suddenly she heard a "thud" from behind, and quickly turned around to see that Hu Zhongren had grabbed Liu Qingqing's ankle, causing her to fall to the ground. Liu Qingqing propped herself up with both hands, pulled her body back, and kicked Hu Zhongren's head with one foot. Hu Zhongren hastily let go and retreated into the bedroom, rubbing his head. Liu Qingqing took off the luggage and threw it at Xiaolian, "You go first, don't worry about me." The two stood together.

  Don't look at Hu Zhongren, one leg is already lame, but his movements are still agile. Liu Qingqing's moves were vicious, yet she couldn't get close to Hu Zhongren. The room was in disarray, with cups and plates flying everywhere. Xiaolian felt like her eyes couldn't keep up, and her heart was racing with excitement, secretly cheering for Young Master and Madam.

  Liu Qingqing, under the guidance of her grandmother, thought that her martial arts skills were unparalleled, and she could say that she had no match in the world. But today, she was secretly shocked to find out that ancient times indeed had such formidable martial arts. In a flash, Liu Qingqing's throat was locked by Hu Zhongren, with one hand also pinned behind her back.

  Xiaolian saw this and knelt down to beg for mercy: "Young Master, spare your life! Young Master, quickly let go, Madam is almost out of breath!" Liu Qingqing's face turned pale, and she had difficulty breathing. Hu Zhongren slightly loosened his grip, but Liu Qingqing tried to escape again. Hu Zhongren then locked her neck with his arm, and with the other hand, he pulled down the red cord from the bed and tied Liu Qingqing up tightly.

  He threw her onto the bed.

  Liu Qingqing burst into a loud scolding, and Hu Zhongren casually pulled off his own headscarf and stuffed it into Liu Qingqing's mouth. All that could be seen was Liu Qingqing making "wah wah ah" sounds, unable to speak.

  Xiao Lian knelt down and begged for mercy, "Hú Shǎo, spare my life."

  He had long hair that fell to his shoulders, and a handsome face with a hint of redness from the intense battle earlier, making him look like he was wearing makeup. His lips were as red as if they were painted with vermilion. He looked just like Jia Baoyu reborn. "Tell me, why did you have to escape in the middle of the night?"

  Xiao Lian kept kowtowing, her forehead was covered in blood. She wouldn't say anything else, just shouting "spare my life" from her mouth.

  "Don't kneel, I won't punish you. Tell me, what's going on that you want to run away overnight?" Hu Zhong thought to himself, "Good grief, luckily I arrived in time, or these two would have been running for their lives! What happened, anyway?"

  "The old lady wants to marry me off to my cousin as a concubine, but the ninth lady wants to save me and plans to take me to Kyoto. It's all my fault, I shouldn't blame the ninth lady." Xiaolian thought to herself, maybe she could tell the truth and Hu Shao might be able to help her too. Besides, the ninth lady had been tied up for her sake, so even if she ended up marrying her cousin, she would never dare implicate the ninth lady.

  "Is that so? Didn't Ninth Madame herself run away like an escapee?" Hu Zhongren's eyes were cold and piercing as he stared at Xiaolian. Xiaolian kowtowed repeatedly, "No, absolutely not! Just now, Ninth Madame was telling me that tomorrow she would go to the pawnshop to redeem the jewelry and silverware that are being held there. From now on, she will live a good life with Hu Shao."

  A faint smile flashed across Hu's face, "You really don't want to marry Yang Liuqing?"

  "I am unwilling, I am willing to serve Ninth Lady until old age and death." Xiao Lian made a heavy oath.

  "It's just that Young Master Bai might not be willing to give up. How about this, you make a choice: either marry Young Master Bai or marry me, what do you think?"

  Xiao Lian looked at Liu Qingqing, hoping she would give her an idea. Liu Qingqing shouted "Wah lah!" and Hu Zhongren walked over to take out the handkerchief stuffed in her mouth. Liu Qingqing coughed dryly, "What are you looking at me for? You make your own decisions! Listen to your own heart's voice!"

  Xiao Lian lowered her head: "I am willing to serve Master Hu and Madam Ji."

  Hu Zhongren burst out laughing, "No wonder the Ninth Lady likes you, you're indeed eloquent and capable! You've been following us, tonight, I'll take you to our bridal chamber." After saying that, without even giving Liu Qingqing a chance to react, he wrapped a large red cloak around her body, one hand supporting her back and the other holding her legs, and strode out of the bedroom. Seeing the servants outside, "Hu Sheng, go tell Old Lady that tonight I'll be consummating my marriage with both Ninth Lady Xiaolian and Liu Qingqing at the same time. Tell Young Master to find another suitable match for himself. Also, leave a few people behind to clean up the bedroom thoroughly. If I see even a single shard of porcelain tomorrow, I'll have your skin torn apart."