The Fourth Lady novel Chapter 150

Early morning of the next day, when Su Qingyan woke up, she found that the sun was already past the third pole*. After she put on her outer clothing and pulled open the door, she saw Zizhu and the others currently busying themselves in the courtyard. Looks like the once in a year Laba rice porridge festival was almost here.

(*T/N: This is converted to around 9am in modern time; it's also considered to be waking up very late at this time, since ancient people wake up at the crack of dawn, so this phrase both has a figurative and literal meaning in this context.)

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Zizhu opened her mouth with a smile, "Miss, you're awake. This servant saw you were sleeping soundly early, so didn't wake you."

Qingyan smiled, seeing them being busy in the courtyard, "No matter. Besides, I haven't rested like this in a very long time either."

"Miss, quickly go in. Look at this sky, maybe it'll be snowing soon." Baizhi said as she pushed Qingyan into the room. "Miss don't catch a cold."

Qingyan looked to Baizhi and patted her head, "No harm, this Miss's body is very healthy."

"Miss, today the young master even ordered us to make sure Miss keeps warm." Huangcen said as she took down the things hanging from the clothes line. "Young master said, there might even be a huge snowstorm today."

The sky was getting more and more dark, as if it was precisely the calm before the storm. And shortly after, fluttering snowflakes floated about the sky. Afterwards, the snow got heavier and heavier, and in the short time to burn an incense, the ground was already covered in a layer of silver.

"Wah, it really did snow. Thinking about it, the snow this year, seemed to have fallen early." Huangcen stood under the eaves watching the ground get covered in snow, "This servant remembers that Miss used to hate snow the most in the past."

"Qingyan was afraid of the cold, so naturally hated snow very much. But the her now, quite liked the snow, because she once heard her father say that she was born during a snowy day. And that snowy day was exceptionally cold. She survived, but her mother wasn't able to pull through that coldest winter.

"Miss, what are you thinking about?" Zizhu said while she placed a cloak onto Qingyan's shoulders. "If you feel it's cold outside, this servant will go prepare a hand furnace for you right away."

Qingyan looked to Zizhu and shook her head, "No need, I'm fine." She still stood in that spot, absentmindedly gazing out into the scenery in the distance.

She thought of what she promised Yaochi yesterday and looked to Zizhu with a smile. "Zizhu, in a moment, go prepare some things, we're going to go out and look around in the streets."

Zizhu looked to Qingyan in confusion, "Miss, such a cold day, what are you going out for?"

"See if the commoners are starving or freezing. See if those commoners need our help, and give our humble effort." Qingyan said still with a smile on her face. Last night, she'd already used a pigeon to inform them on how she was going to let them enter the General's manor. And now, she naturally needs to go search for her bodyguards.

"Miss really has a kind heart." After glancing at Qingyan, Zizhu pulled along Qingdai and Chishao to go prepare things with her.

Qingyan, along with her servant girls, didn't chose to ride the horse carriage, but instead chose to go on foot. Although the General's manor already had people sweep away the snow at the entrance, it was still a bad idea to ride the horse carriage in this kind of weather.

"Miss, look, those commoners look like they're having a hard time."

When Qingyan followed Qingdai's line of sight and gazed over, she saw a bunch of beggars in tattered clothes sitting in front of a tavern's door, under the eaves, shivering.

"Qingdai, you go share with them the food we brought. We didn't bring much, but help however few we can." Qingyan looked to those people and plainly spoke.

"Yes." Qingdai said as she walked over with the bag and handed them the steaming hot buns in the bag for them to eat. Those beggars, when they saw the buns, without even thinking, all went up to pillage. How could they still bother with whether it was clean or not.

Qingdai saw them like that and could only throw away the bag in her hand. Those people simply were just a bunch that couldn't tell good from bad. In a few steps, she returned to Qingyan's side, "Miss, look at them, really can't tell good from bad."

Qingyan looked to Qingdai, shaking her head, "Forget it, why trouble yourself with getting angry with a bunch of beggars."

Qingyan ordered Chishao to bring some buns over again. This time, the place she was heading to was the infamous slum area of Diqiu. That place, aside from the poor, basically no one else would enter. Even the authorities didn't bother with this place. Reportedly, the mortality of the people here was simply too high to look after, there are some that even starve to death.

Qingyan knew, the entirety Diqiu, wasn't as flourishing as it appeared on the surface. And behind this prosperity, hid many secrets not known to anyone.

"Miss, what did we come to the slums for? There's only a bunch of refugees here." Qingdai looked to Qingyan in a perplexed manner, "If the young master found out..."

Qingyan looked to the people behind her and shook her head, "No worries, to have come here, I naturally have things I need to do."

"I beg of you, give me something to eat. Our family's son is about to starve to death. I'm begging you." A woman grabbed onto Qingyan's sleeve and immediately knelt down.

She knew this girl before her most definitely wasn't an ordinary girl. Else, ordinarily, what wealthy family's miss would be willing to come to this kind of place. Her son had already not eaten anything for days. Seeing someone come, naturally she'd be the first to rush up to them.

Qingyan looked to the woman pulling on her sleeves and kneeling before her. From the bag, she took out a few buns and placed them in her hand, "I want to ask you something. I heard there's three brothers here. The eldest is a habitual thief, the second has a weak body, and the third is a doctor. Do you know where they live?"

The woman looked to the buns in her hand and told everything she knew to Su Qingyan. Su Qingyan went according to her words and found those three brothers. The eldest of those three brothers was precisely the one Qingyan met yesterday, Yaochi.

"Miss, who are they!?" Qingdai covered her nose and looked to them with a disdainful look, "Miss, let's just go back."

"Qingdai, Chishao, you two go back first." Qingyan turned around and looked to them with a serious expression.

Although Qingdai and Chishao were from the Seven Star Hall, and towards this kind of situation, were also able to keep calm at the unexpected, it was really still their first coming to the slums of Diqiu.

Hearing Qingyan's words, they turned and left without a second thought. Anyways, based on Qingyan's martial art skills, dealing with these people, they were still very confident in.

Seeing Qingdai and Chishao have already gone far, the three of them knelt down before Qingyan at once, "This subordinate greets Miss."

Qingyan looked to their appearance and helplessly shook her head, "Just call me master, what Miss, it's not like I care about those things."

"It really is master!" Yanmei looked to Qingyan with a happy expression, "Master, it's been five years. We haven't seen master in five years."

Qingyan looked to Yanmei and smiled, "Five years, and you're still like before, so improper.

Yaochi looked to Yanmei also with a sneering expression, "That's right, still so improper."

"Master, this time, we'll definitely protect you properly." Anying stood to the side and looked to Qingyan, scratching his head with a serious expression, "I'd never expect that I could meet master again under these circumstances."

"Right." Qingyan turned her head to look out the window, slowly opening her mouth, "I didn't think I would be using this body to reunite with all you either."