"Qiuli." Zhu Changle rode her horse closer, lowering her head to look up at Qiuli with a fawning smile.
Qiuli raised an eyebrow, pretending not to know what she was up to.
"Didn't you say you knew a little bit about Yunbei?" Zhu Changle mimicked Qiuli's gesture of indicating a tiny amount with her pinky finger. "So tell me a little bit, won't you?"
Qiuli ignored her and spurred his horse to go faster.
Zhu Changle chased after him, shouting, "Qiuli, Qiuli, I'll have Dingding make you some beggar's chicken, how about that?"
Qiuli didn't look at her, and Dingding rolled his eyes.
"I'll give you first place in tonight's competition."
Qiuli rode even faster.
"Qiuli, Qiuli, I'll cook fish for you. Even monkeys fight over my fish dishes."
Qiuli gave her a skeptical look.
"Really, really, I know a hundred ways to cook fish..." Under Qiuli's amused gaze, Zhu Changle reduced the number a bit, "Ninety-nine ways."
Just as the onlookers were waiting to see what else Zhu Changle would come up with, Qiuli pointed to his throat.
"I've got it, I've got it." Zhu Changle immediately took out paper and pen, respectfully offering them with both hands, looking as subservient as possible.
Qiuli didn't take them, instead spurring his horse to continue forward.
Zhu Changle was stunned. Had she misunderstood? But hadn't Qiuli said he couldn't speak? So writing would be the solution, right?
Wait a minute, could he speak after all?!
"Qiuli, it's not right to keep secrets to yourself. I'm willing to sacrifice and share with you." Zhu Changle said nonsensically while her mind raced. Suddenly, she thought of something and leaned in to ask, "Are you going to share with me when we reach the county office?"
Qiuli actually nodded.
"Haha, I knew you weren't a stingy person, Qiuli." Zhu Changle waved at Xu Zheng who was coming to meet them. "How much further?"
"Not far now, Fourth Miss. It's at the end of this road."
"Has a doctor been called?"
"Yes, they're waiting at the residence."
Zhu Changle looked back, her excitement diminishing a little. Ah, what had she done to make her second sister-in-law dislike her so much? This was the first time in her life she had been so rejected and disliked by someone.
The sudden silence around her caught Qiuli's attention. He turned to look, noticing her momentary dejection. He tugged on his reins, letting his horse's head bump against her leg.
Zhu Changle looked down and burst into laughter. "Qiuli, what's your horse's name? I feel like it really likes my Little Tail. It's a pity yours isn't a mare."
He was more concerned that Little Tail wasn't a mare, Qiuli thought to himself. Besides, what need did a horse have for a name? It wouldn't respond when called anyway. But since he had been asked, he couldn't say it didn't have one, so he casually came up with, "Xiao Yi."
"Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi." Zhu Changle poked Xiao Yi with her riding crop, calling its name several times. Xiao Yi... ignored her.
"Neigh!" Little Tail trotted forward.
"Are you really becoming a spirit?" Zhu Changle looked at Little Tail, exasperated by its apparent jealousy, and perfunctorily patted its neck to comfort it.
Amidst their banter, they arrived at the county office.
The staff at the government office, having received word of their arrival, were already waiting outside. They exchanged glances at the sight of the grand procession of people and carriages, thinking that this new county magistrate was certainly making quite an entrance.
Family members couldn't enter through the main gate. Zhu Maonian got out of the carriage to exchange greetings with the welcoming party, while Xu Zheng led the procession through a side entrance.
Zhu Changle looked up at the Yunbei County Government Office. It was slightly taller than other buildings, but it was very old. If not for the sign hanging above, one might have mistaken it for the home of a wealthy family.
Following the others through the side entrance, they were surprised to find themselves surrounded by lush greenery. The grass and leaves were covered in raindrops, presenting a stark contrast to the desolation outside with their vibrant vitality.
This impression only grew stronger as they went further in. While there were no elaborate pavilions or towers, the winding paths led to a small peach grove in one direction and a bamboo forest in another. It seemed to have been left untended for some time and looked a bit overgrown, but the underlying beauty was still evident. One wondered which previous magistrate had had the leisure to create such a scene.
"It's quite different from what I imagined," Lady Zhang said, secretly relieved. It was always good to have a comfortable place to live.
Zhu Changle nodded vigorously in agreement. "It's different from what I imagined too."
Lady Zhang poked her forehead. Someone who could build her own house to live in wouldn't be picky about accommodations. She was probably the least concerned about this in the family.
Seeing Xu Zheng approaching quickly with a man carrying a wooden box on his back, Zhu Changle stuck out her tongue and ran to her grandmother's side. The old lady was showing signs of fatigue, and Zhu Changle supported her as they walked inside, thinking that she should have the doctor examine several people. She was worried that once the elderly lost their momentum, they might fall ill.
Along the way, she pointed out various spots, suggesting how they could be improved or redesigned. The old lady listened attentively, occasionally offering her own opinions. The two of them discussed and planned as if they were ready to start work immediately.
"Alright, go change your clothes quickly. Grandmother has people to attend to her here," the old lady said, touching her granddaughter's damp hair. "Once we're settled, we'll go out and work on the courtyard. We'll make it look however you want."
"Mother will scold me."
"I'll say it was Grandmother's idea. She wouldn't dare."
The old lady's brazenness made Zhu Changle laugh out loud, but then she quickly covered her mouth, realizing she was being too noisy.
It was a great relief that Grandmother still had such high spirits. Zhu Changle skipped off to find her mother. Spotting Lady Li from afar, she tossed a small pebble her way and waved her over.
Lady Li covered her mouth and smiled. "Fourth Miss, do you have any instructions?"
"Is the doctor still with Anan?"
"He's already seen the young master. The doctor said the young master has caught a chill and shows signs of shock. He needs to be carefully looked after for the next few days and can't be neglected."
Zhu Changle patted her chest in relief. Thank goodness, it wasn't a major problem.
"Go tell my mother to keep the doctor here to examine Grandmother and Big Brother as well."
Lady Li smiled. "Yes, the madam has already spoken to the doctor about that. He'll go see them after writing a prescription for the young master."
Zhu Changle nodded repeatedly. "I knew Mother would have thought of that. It's all taken care of then. You can go about your business."
Lady Li indeed had many tasks to attend to. She curtsied and hurried away.
Zhu Changle spun around in place, surveying this new residence where they would be staying for some time.
"Chasing your own tail?" Dingding hung upside down from the roof, his arms crossed as he teased his friend. Lan Ping stood beside him.
Zhu Changle bent down to pick up some small stones. Knowing she was up to no good, Dingding immediately tried to pull himself back up. Lan Ping extended a foot to block him, causing him to fall back down just as the stone reached him.
Rubbing his chest where the stone had hit, Dingding dropped down, only to be caught by Zhu Changle who began hitting him with her scabbard.
"Zhu Changle, I'm going to hit back!"
"Bring it on!" Zhu Changle struck his leg once more, then nimbly jumped onto the roof as he reached for his staff.
"Oh, Qiuli, you're here too."
The roof was a bit wet, covered in green moss that made it slippery. As Zhu Changle ran towards Qiuli, she lost her footing and stumbled forward.
