Ugly girl only wants to farm

Chapter 329 The Calm Lake (69)

Upon hearing that familiar voice, Qi Niang's body trembled involuntarily; the slightly familiar voice seemed to unlock a long-forgotten memory.

The man became increasingly agitated: "Wanyu, it really is you! More than twenty years have passed, and I actually see you. Am I dreaming?"

A servant standing nearby asked somewhat uncertainly, "Master, are you sure this old woman is the person you're looking for?"

The man stammered with excitement, “Yes, yes, I’m sure I’m not mistaken. I can recognize her just from her back. I must have seen correctly last time. Persistence pays off, and I’ve finally found you.”

It took Aunt Qi a while to react. She forcefully broke free from his hands, her tone calm and unwavering.

"Sir, you must have mistaken me for someone else. The old woman is not Wanyu as you say."

The man quickly took another step forward, startling her so much that she took several steps back, her face showing a hint of anger: "What's wrong with you? I told you you've mistaken me for someone else. You're still not letting it go. In broad daylight, what do you want to do? If you come any closer, I'll call for help."

Seeing her terrified expression, Li Guangshuo quickly stopped talking and softened his tone.

“Wanyu, look closely, it really is me, it’s Guangshuo. I know I wronged you back then, and you’ve held a grudge ever since. You’re unwilling to acknowledge me, but I’ve already made amends. I searched your hometown many times afterward, but I couldn’t find you. I never imagined you were not far from me. We’ve missed each other for twenty years.”

Aunt Qi gave him a proper look. Although the man in front of her was middle-aged, he still had that gentle and refined demeanor, but he looked like a beast in human clothing. Her tone was still cold and disgusted.

"Sir, I want to reiterate that you have mistaken me for someone else. My surname is Qi, and I am not Wan Yu as you say. Please move aside. My child is sick and I am very anxious. I dare not delay you."

Li Guangshuo became somewhat anxious after hearing her say that. However, his hopeful eyes still wanted to hear her explanation.

"But a family member is sick. How about I take you to the clinic? How have you been these past few years?"

Aunt Qi was too worried about Ya Ya's health to pay attention to this person. She turned around and jogged towards the alley entrance.

Seeing the man's panicked expression, Li Guangshuo's steps became even more unsteady. He kept shouting from behind.

"Wanyu, Wanyu, slow down and be careful not to fall."

He dared not get too close, as the person was now somewhat averse to him and disliked him even more, so he could only follow cautiously from a distance.

He wasn't very familiar with the terrain, and in the blink of an eye, he saw a figure disappear into an alley.

The servant, panting heavily, said, "Master, how about I find a few more people to find that woman and bring her to you personally? She runs as fast as a rabbit; she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Despite her advanced age, she's still quite agile."

Li Guangshuo glanced at the last glimpse of clothing disappearing ahead and muttered to himself, "Forget it, she probably won't accept it if I chase after her like this. We need to take things slowly. You should have someone inquire about it. Anyway, we'll be staying here for the next few days, so there's no rush."

The servant nodded, then asked somewhat uneasily, "Master, we've been here too long. Will this displease Madam and cause her to lose her temper with you again?"

Li Guangshuo snorted several times: "I didn't hold her accountable for what she did back then; I just let it slide. What does she want now? Now that her family's power has waned, what can she do to me?"

The servant nodded: "Master is right. I'll have someone investigate. Would you like to rest in the carriage for a while, or I'll take you to the inn?"

Li Guangshuo waved his hand and looked around: "Li Si, you drive the carriage back first, and then take care of the things I asked you to do. I want to walk around here for a while. After all, this is the place where she lived for more than twenty years. I want to feel it properly and walk the same paths she walked."

Li Si stood aside without moving, but added a few more words of advice: "Master, you caught a cold the other day and haven't fully recovered yet. Why don't you go back and rest first? I'll get you a few more doses of medicine. There's plenty of time in the future, no need to rush. She's right here, she can't run away."

Li Guangshuo stared at the alleyway ahead, lost in thought for a moment before finally replying, "Never mind."

Aunt Qi ran hurriedly, her forehead and body covered in sweat. She kept glancing back to see if anyone was chasing after her. Fortunately, she knew the terrain well, turning left and right until she finally shook off the person.

Just as she was resting there for a moment, Xu Chaoyan came running up from behind, panting heavily.

"Aunt Qi, why are you running? I just saw you running in a panic. I kept calling you from behind, but you couldn't hear me at all, it was like you were being chased by someone. Oh, by the way, just now not far away, I saw a master and servant chasing something?"

Before Xu Chaoyan could finish speaking, Aunt Qi quickly interrupted her.

"I don't know any master or servant. I'm in a hurry to find a doctor."

"What's wrong? Did something happen at home, or is something wrong with Qi Yu?"

Seeing that Xu Chaoyan had finally stopped pressing for details, she quickly said, "Yaya had a stomachache, so I rushed over to get her some medicine to brew. By the way, why didn't I see Yueniang with you?"

“My younger sister and older sister went to the shop to put their things away. Just as I was about to buy some snacks for Yaya to take back, I saw you rushing over like a rabbit. Since Yaya is sick, we need to hurry up and get the medicine. We can’t delay.”

As the two walked toward the pharmacy, Aunt Qi would occasionally look back to see if anyone was following them, which puzzled Xu Chaoyan.

Aunt Qi, who is usually a very steady person, seemed absent-minded today, as if she was hiding something.

Qi Niang and Li Guangshuo were entangled outside for a while, wasting a lot of time. When they finally got the medicine and went back, they ran into Qi Yu carrying Ya Ya and the three of them met.

"Mother, you're back! Ya Ya's stomach is really hurting terribly. She's been to the toilet so many times that her legs are weak. I was just about to take her to the doctor since you haven't been back for so long, but I didn't expect to run into you here."

The old woman was also surprised that her son would be home at this hour. She looked puzzled and asked, "Yu'er, why are you back at this hour? Aren't you at school watching over those boys?"

Qi Yu took the medicine bag from Ya Ya's hand while holding her in his arms.

"Those kids are really naughty. Today is the day to worship the God of Chariots, right? A lot of families took their children to school, so there were only a few kids left. That's why we were dismissed early. We came back to see if we could help with some chores. We've run out of firewood, so I'll chop some more."

Aunt Qi was following closely behind her son when suddenly a book fell down beside him, but he didn't even notice.

She picked up the book carefully and shook off the dust. The book was remarkably well-preserved. She randomly flipped to a page and saw many of her son's annotations. His neat handwriting showed he had worked hard.

Suddenly, her nose stung with tears. Although her son outwardly said he wouldn't study anymore and didn't care about failing the exam, she still longed for it. He too wanted to succeed, having studied diligently for decades. He didn't want to be a useless person; she blamed her own weak body for holding him back.

Seeing that her eyes were slightly red, Xu Chaoyan quickly comforted her, "Auntie, don't be like this. If Qi Yu sees this, he'll feel even worse."

"Little Meng's wife, do you think I've dragged him down?"

Suddenly Qi Yu's voice came over: "Mother, come quickly and give me a hand."

Xu Chaoyan helped the old woman inside, saying, "Everyone has their own destiny. There are top performers in every profession. We don't rely on this as our only path, so don't think too much about it, Auntie."

Looking at her son not far away, Aunt Qi asked again, "Wouldn't he be happy if Yu'er were to take the imperial examination again?"

Xu Chaoyan thought she was joking and just said it casually, so in order to change the subject, she casually replied, "Maybe?"