EBE Chapter 25 Taige'er Gets Beaten
Chapter 25 Taige'er Gets Beaten
Qiao Qingshu said,
"Uncle, don't worry. My mother brought at least eighty or ninety people with her as part of her dowry to the Qiao family. After I've taken stock and sorted them out, I'll send two loyal servants to serve my mother. That way, they'll be more at ease. If that's still not enough, I'll ask you to send more people over."
After Bai Shi died in her previous life, several loyal servants followed their mother. The wet nurse, Gui Mama, fell ill from missing her mother and died within a year or two. Huan'er committed suicide by hitting her head against a pillar in the mourning hall on the day of the funeral. Jiu'er also took medicine and left a will to be buried with her mother, saying that she would serve Bai Shi even after death.
Huan'er, who faked her death, has already come along; the other two can be arranged to be sent over later.
Both Bai Zhining and Madam Bai nodded in satisfaction at Qiao Qingshu's thoughtful and meticulous arrangements.
After returning from the outskirts of Beijing, the group went back to Lingyun Temple first. Qiao Qingshu left first through the main gate in a sedan chair, and the Bai family left through another gate a short while later.
By the time I got home, it was already dark.
Qiao Qingshu had been busy all day and was feeling a bit tired, so she prepared to go back to Zhuqingxuan to rest.
Just as I rounded the flower hall, I heard sharp, abusive shouts.
Qiao Qingshu stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowing slightly. She looked around and immediately recognized the voice as coming from Aunt Chen's Begonia Garden.
With a single glance from Qiao Qingshu, Wanqiu immediately jogged off, and a moment later jogged back to report.
"Girl, Aunt Chen is beating Taige'er again. She's tied him to the ground and whipping him."
Qiao Antai, the eldest son of the Qiao family, was given boundless hope by the Qiao family in the year or two after Qiao Anlan was abducted. However, a high fever made Qiao Antai delirious, and his intelligence remained at the level of a five-year-old child.
For two years, Aunt Chen cursed incessantly every night as if she were insane. She thought her luck had turned around, but unexpectedly, her son became mentally challenged. No mother could bear such a thing.
Later, they sought out famous doctors but to no avail. The Qiao family gave up on Qiao Antai. Even Aunt Chen became neglectful and contemptuous of her biological son, beating and scolding him at the slightest provocation. Qiao Antai often suffered from new injuries before his old ones had healed.
Although Bai Shi didn't manage the household at that time, she still severely criticized Aunt Chen several times for this. Aunt Chen outwardly restrained herself, but secretly continued to beat her.
After Bai's death, Qiao Qingshu married and her half-brother was tortured to death by Aunt Chen. No one in the Qiao family cared, and the funeral was hastily concluded.
Before he became mentally unstable, Qiao Antai was a very honest and kind child. He was also very good to Qiao Qingshu, often helping her climb high to retrieve kites, or going down to the river to pick lotus pods, or chasing after the brats who bullied Qiao Qingshu.
Thinking of this, Qiao Qingshu set off for Haitang Garden.
Before even reaching the door, they heard Qiao Antai's cries.
"Waaaaah... Stop hitting me! It hurts so much, Tai'er!"
Qiao Qingshu took a deep breath and went inside.
"What is Auntie doing?"
Aunt Chen was taken aback, not expecting Qiao Qingshu to come to her courtyard, and was somewhat surprised.
"Young...Young lady, what brings you here?"
Qiao Qingshu waved her finger, and Wanqiu and Lindong immediately stepped forward to help Qiao Antai untie his bonds.
Aunt Chen frowned and muttered in dissatisfaction.
“Young lady, Taige knocked over the flowerpots in my room, and I’m scolding him right now.”
Qiao Qingshu stepped forward to help Qiao Antai up, then shot him a sharp glare.
“You’re just a concubine, who gave you the audacity to hit a young master from the Marquis’s mansion? If I see you doing this again, you can forget about your monthly allowance next month.”
In late autumn and early winter, they helped Taige'er to their own yard to apply medicine.
Aunt Chen tapped the back of her cheek, watched Qiao Qingshu's departing figure, and scoffed.
"Pah! You think you can make a big deal out of nothing? Do you really think the old lady will hand over the reins of the household to you? You can be arrogant for a few more days. After your dead mother's funeral, let's see if you can still deduct my monthly salary!"
Qiao Qingshu personally applied medicine to Qiao Antai's arm, which brought tears to Lin Dong's eyes.
"How could Aunt Chen do such a thing? He's her own son, after all."
Late Autumn handed over the medicine from the side.
"Aunt Chen is taking her anger out on Young Master Tai. She could have risen in status through her son, but her hopes have been dashed, and she has no chance of getting ahead. Now that Aunt Xu is pregnant, how can she not feel resentful? She must have found something to do wrong to Young Master Tai and then beat him."
Qiao Qingshu looked at her younger brother, who was only two years younger than her, covered in bruises, from pinching and twisting to whipping, with new and old wounds overlapping, a shocking sight.
She had protected Qiao Antai in the same way in her previous life, but after she got married, she could no longer manage the affairs of the Qiao family and could only watch helplessly as her half-brother died tragically.
Now that she's taken charge, she'll take care of Qiao Antai for the rest of his life, giving him a peaceful later life.
Qiao Antai just stared at Qiao Qingshu and grinned foolishly, pointing his finger at Qiao Qingshu's nose.
"Sister, why are your eyes red? Did you get sand in them? Let me blow it out for you."
As he spoke, he puffed out his cheeks and blew a mouthful of saliva all over Qiao Qingshu's face.
Qiao Qingshu's back stiffened, and she closed her eyes, held her breath, and slowly said,
"Winter is approaching, why don't you wipe my face?"
Lin Dong hurriedly wrung out a handkerchief and wiped Qiao Qingshu's face clean.
Fearing that Qiao Qingshu would blame Qiao Antai for being a fool, she carefully spoke up for Qiao Antai.
"Young Master Tai has a good heart for you, but he's a bit simple-minded and often makes mistakes. Please don't blame him."
Qiao Qingshu said slowly,
"It would be good if Aunt Chen could take even a little of what you said to heart."
After applying medicine to both Qiao Antai's new and old wounds, they escorted him back.
I only went to sleep after I finished all this.
The next morning, while Qiao Qingshu was still changing her clothes, she heard Wanqiu say that Steward Lai was already waiting at the second gate.
After having breakfast, Qiao Qingshu arrived at the hanging flower gate in a sedan chair. The old woman withdrew, and the servant lifted the sedan chair to continue outwards.
Today, Steward Lai rode his horse alongside Qiao Qingshu's sedan chair along the main street of Lin'an. He spoke loudly,
“Young lady, there are six shops to see today. I have gathered the owners of the six shops at the largest shop, Yongshan Tea House, so that it will be convenient for you to ask questions. If you would like to see any of them in detail, you can drive there to take a look.”
Qiao Qingshu nodded, quite satisfied with Lai Da's style of doing things.
Qiao Qingshu originally had little contact with Steward Lai. If it weren't for the fact that her mother's funeral was entrusted to her, she, as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion, probably wouldn't have even exchanged a few words with Steward Lai.
After spending a few days together, Lai Da handled the affairs of the outer courtyard perfectly and meticulously, making it impossible to tell that the master of the Qiao family was not at home.
Qiao Qingshu only needed to manage the affairs of the inner courtyard, but Lai Da would still come to the inner courtyard every day at noon to report to Qiao Qingshu on the affairs of the outer courtyard in detail, and he handled each matter very well, leaving Qiao Qingshu with no faults.
With such a shrewd and capable steward assisting them, how could the Qiao family have fallen into such a state of decline? It's truly perplexing.
Qiao Qingshu was determined to thoroughly investigate the Qiao family's underground territory to find out exactly where things went wrong.
The sedan chair stopped at Yongshan Tea House, and Qiao Qingshu, wearing a cap, was helped out of the sedan chair.
The six shopkeepers inside had been waiting for a long time, and they all looked a little nervous. Now that the master had come, there was probably going to be some changes.
After entering the room, Qiao Qingshu did not say much, but directly took the six account books and began to read them.
The shopkeepers nearby exchanged glances, and some even whispered among themselves to Steward Lai.
"Mr. Lai, why did the young lady start checking the accounts without saying a word? It's quite intimidating."
Lai Da gestured to the person next to him to shut up, then lowered his eyes and waited quietly.