Chapter 64 - Darling

Xie Niushan was a crude hunk. He did not think too much about it.

He was going to give Xie Qiao those taels of silvers anyway. Moreover, she was his direct eldest daughter. She was 16 now, so it did not make sense not to have any silvers with her.

Although 5,000 taels of silver were quite a lot, she had just arrived in the Imperial City. There would not be much left after buying some clothes and accessories.

"Sure, take it!" Xie Niushan spoke proudly as if he was wealthy.

Ms. Lu felt like a piece of her flesh was being taken away!

Xie Niushan had been drinking earlier, so he felt a little tired after chatting a little bit, "You girls talk, I'll rest."

Ms. Lu's unwillingness was getting more obvious as soon as Xie Niushan left.

"Qiao'er, you're taking so many taels of silver when you don't have to pay for the gift… What are you going to use them for?" asked Ms. Lu.

Xie Qiao's tone was calm as she smilingly said, "You don't need to care, Mother,"

Ms. Lu said, "It's not that I care. It's just that this amount is considerable. Look, our family isn't doing well. Your sister is going to the academy as well. We should save whatever we can, right?"

Xie Qiao was not angry upon hearing that.

She had spent years at the Taoist temple and experienced the warmth of humans' kindness, as well as how selfish one could be.

Xie Qiao said slowly, "I'm calling you Mother to be nice and out of respect. However, please remember this. I'm the Xie family's eldest lady. I can refuse the money, but nobody can plot against me and take it away from me. Do you understand?"

Her voice was not exactly cold, but it gave out a sense of heartlessness.

"Who is taking your money from you!?" Ms. Lu was angry.

"It's hurtful to say some things too clearly. Your dignity is precious, Mother. Please savor it," Xie Qiao revealed a seemingly smiling expression. She turned around to leave with her painting as soon as she was done speaking.

She was so straightforward that Ms. Lu failed to react.

Ever since Ms. Lu had met Xie Qiao, the latter had been… pretty nice to her. She would call her 'Mother' whenever they met, and she would bow when she had to. She had not even complained to Xie Niushan that Ms. Lu had lost her jade.

However, her straightforwardness that came out of nowhere shocked Ms. Lu!

If she was speaking from her heart, she would definitely not treat Xie Qiao like this if she did not bring her daughter along at the same time…

Ms. Lu had a complicated feeling. She turned her head to glance at Pei Wanyue and felt a little sorry for her.

Her daughter had been living a poor life before. She was by her side now, but she had to watch someone else calling her 'Mother'. It made sense that Pei Wanyue felt hurt inside.

"Ah, we're not even sure if she's Master's biological daughter." Ms. Lu sighed and held Pei Wanyue's hands. "But you, you're my darling!"

Pei Wanyue was stunned. She then held her head slightly low.

When Xie Qiao returned to her courtyard, she found out that it remained the same as before. Nothing had changed.

"Nobody came to dig the well today?" Xie Qiao asked.

Granny Wan sighed. "That's right. I waited all day here. I realized that nobody was coming in the afternoon, so I urged them again. The management said that the person who is capable of digging the well happened to take a work leave today, so we need to wait."

"How many times have you spoken to them?" asked Xie Qiao.

"Three times, I think?" replied Granny Wan.

"I'll ask around and see when my eldest brother is coming home. I'll get him over to dig it for me," said Xie Qiao.

Granny Wan was not surprised when she heard that, so she nodded immediately.

The courtyard was too remote, causing the maids not to take the lady seriously.

Fortunately, the lady cooked her own food in the courtyard, or she would not have anything to eat.

It was not Xie Pinggang's rest day today, so he only returned two hours later. He saw Granny Wan as soon as he stepped in.

Xie Pinggang had a faint impression of Granny Wan. He knew that she was the granny serving Xie Qiao.

Xie Pinggang was straightforward and asked directly, "Are you looking for me?"