Chapter 93: Crying and Laughing
“Fourth Sister?” Mei Jie’s timid voice sounded at the door.
Li Xiaonan turned her head to look at the door.
“Third Sister said you walked a long way, so I’ll boil some hot water to soak your feet?”
“Okay.” Li Xiaonan pushed herself up with her hands and sat up.
Her feet were burning, and her calves felt sore and uncomfortable.
“You sit still, I’ll bring it over!” Mei Jie turned around and quickly returned with a foot basin, half-filled with steaming hot water.
“Don’t move, I’ll do it.” Mei Jie placed the foot basin down, squatted, and very efficiently removed Li Xiaonan’s shoes, then carefully removed her socks. Seeing the blisters on her feet, she let out a soft, pained sigh.
“It’s hot!” Li Xiaonan’s toes touched the water, and she immediately pulled them back.
The water was too hot.
“It needs to be hot. Don’t move, I’ll massage them for you.” Mei Jie squatted by the foot basin, took one of Li Xiaonan’s feet, poured some hot water over it, massaged it a few times, poured more hot water, and massaged it until her foot was slightly red, then placed her foot in the hot water.
“Not hot anymore, right?” Mei Jie let out a sigh of relief when Li Xiaonan didn’t pull her foot back again, then proceeded to massage the other foot.
Li Xiaonan looked at Mei Jie, who was carefully massaging and soaking her feet, and her nose stung. She burst into tears.
“Mei Jie~ *sob sob* ~Mei Jie~”
Li Yin Zhu, who was spinning thread in the main hall, heard the crying and rushed in. Seeing Li Xiaonan hugging Mei Jie and crying uncontrollably, she was startled.
“What’s wrong? What happened to you?” Li Yin Zhu rushed forward and gently brushed away the messy hair from Li Xiaonan’s face.
“It hurts~ my feet, my feet hurt~ *hic*!” Li Xiaonan hiccuped.
“It’s just your feet hurting? Nothing else?” Li Yin Zhu asked.
“Mm, my feet~ hurt!” Li Xiaonan nodded while crying.
Li Yin Zhu breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s just a few blisters, how much can it hurt! I thought you were heartbroken about something else!”
Li Yin Zhu impatiently let go of Li Xiaonan’s hair.
Thinking of those two hundred copper coins, her heart ached!
“Mei Jie, you’re still washing her feet! You’re spoiling her too much, let her wash them herself!” Li Yin Zhu reached out to pull Mei Jie.
“She can’t bend over to massage them. I’m free right now, and I’m doing nothing anyway.” Mei Jie dodged Li Yin Zhu’s hand. “Look, Nian’s feet are all blistered. After soaking and washing them, I’ll need to heat a needle to prick them open. Nian is different from us; she’s studied since she was young and hasn’t done manual labor. Her hands and feet are tender. Nian has suffered.”
Li Yin Zhu looked at Mei Jie, who was speaking at length, in surprise.
Mei Jie usually just nodded and stayed silent, and would never say more than necessary. This was the first time Li Yin Zhu had heard Mei Jie speak so much in one go!
“She brought it upon herself… she’s fine.” Li Yin Zhu was stunned by Mei Jie’s long speech and almost blurted out the truth.
“Mei~Mei Jie, my legs hurt too.” Li Xiaonan continued to cry and hiccup.
“Good Nian, don’t cry, Mei Jie will massage them for you!” Mei Jie quickly wiped her hands, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to massage Li Xiaonan’s legs.
Li Yin Zhu glared at Mei Jie massaging Li Xiaonan’s legs, then looked at Li Xiaonan, who was hugging Mei Jie’s arm and still crying. Angrily, she put her hands on her hips, let out a huff, and turned to leave.
………………………………
Around the time of *weizheng* (around 1-3 PM) the next day, Wan Jing called Li Xiaonan out.
Seeing Li Xiaonan hobbling out step by step, and then seeing her slowly descend the steps, Wan Jing, holding up her skirt, rushed down the steps in a few strides. She bent down slightly and looked from Li Xiaonan’s calves to her feet.
“Are you sick?” Wan Jing stood up straight, concerned.
“I’m not sick, I just walked too much.” Li Xiaonan didn’t stop walking, moving forward as inconspicuously as possible.
“Just the day before yesterday, yesterday, and this morning, how far did you walk? Where did you go?” Wan Jing was puzzled.
“We’re at the alley entrance, you should be on duty.” Li Xiaonan reminded Wan Jing.
“What’s wrong with you?” Wan Jing glanced at the alley entrance; it was still far away.
“Didn’t I already say? I walked too much.” Li Xiaonan didn’t look at Wan Jing.
“Why did you walk so much? Where did you go?” Wan Jing frowned.
“I went for a walk.” Li Xiaonan looked at the alley entrance, her expressionless face and dignified gait.
“Are you angry with me?” Wan Jing leaned in to look at Li Xiaonan’s face.
“Why would I be angry with you? Look at me like this, it’s obvious, isn’t it? It means you’re bringing up what shouldn’t be brought up!” Li Xiaonan gave Wan Jing a roll of her eyes.
“Oh!” Wan Jing pouted. “You call this obvious? Your obviousness is as obvious as Shi Gun’s words!”
“What did Shi Gun say?” Li Xiaonan stopped.
“He lectured me for a long time, from how serving Young Lord requires undivided attention and not to waver, to being cautious in actions and conduct, and then he went on about how brilliant and magnanimous our Young Lord is, and asked if I understood. Do you understand?” Wan Jing thrust her face in front of Li Xiaonan’s and asked.
“If you didn’t understand, and you’re relaying it to me, how could I understand?” Li Xiaonan gave Wan Jing a disdainful sideways glance.
“I asked him, what exactly do you mean, can’t you just say it directly?” Wan Jing ignored Li Xiaonan’s disdain and continued.
“Right! Just ask directly, isn’t that enough!”
“Shi Gun said it’s nothing, and told me to take care.” Wan Jing’s expression was serious. “Tell me, did I offend our Young Lord somehow?”
Li Xiaonan pinched her chin with two fingers, knitted her brows, and looked at Wan Jing.
Wan Jing was such a cautious person. If she had offended someone, it must have been that time when they were talking and her Young Lord overheard them. What had they said then?
Li Xiaonan chuckled, “I think, you just watch Shi Gun. As long as Shi Gun is fine, you’ll definitely be fine.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” Wan Jing knitted her brows.
“First, this is just my guess. Second, it’s better for you not to know than to know. We’re really at the alley entrance now, hurry up and get to your duty.” Li Xiaonan lifted her foot and moved forward.
Gu Yan sat by the window, one arm resting on the table, twirling a folding fan in his other hand, looking at Li Xiaonan with a smile.
“In such a good mood today!” Li Xiaonan sat opposite Gu Yan. A cup of tea had already been poured in front of her.
“Thank you.” Li Xiaonan picked up the cup and raised it to Gu Yan.
“How is your business going?” Gu Yan moved his chair closer and asked Li Xiaonan with a smile.
“You sent people to spy on me?” Li Xiaonan raised her eyebrows.
“No!” Gu Yan denied it very quickly, twirling the fan in his hand. “Look, I only have so many people, and they’re barely enough to serve me. How could I have people to spy on you?”
Seeing Li Xiaonan’s expression of disbelief, Gu Yan tapped the folding fan in front of her. “Really, no. It was just a coincidence. A steward was going to Linhai Town, passed by Guo Lane, and happened to see you. It was truly just a coincidence!”
“Do you take me for a child?” Li Xiaonan pressed her hands on the edge of the table and leaned forward to glare at Gu Yan.
“You’re not a child, you’re Xiaonan. Pfft hahahaha!” Gu Yan burst into laughter, slapping the table with his folding fan as he laughed, then pointing at Li Xiaonan. “Xiaonan! Where are your elders? Ah hahahaha!”
