Chapter 134

  "And you, get out too!"

  All of a sudden, there was a loud thud, as if someone had been kicked heavily in the chest. A thin man in his twenties stumbled out and fell towards Qing Xia and the others. The man came crashing down, and Uncle Xiang and the others cried out in surprise, scattering in all directions. Just as he was about to hit the ground, the back of his head was heading straight for a large rock protruding from the side of the road.

  Suddenly, Qing Xia's hand shot out like lightning, grasping the man's neck, her body as still as a mountain, her face as calm as water, her eyebrows and eyes sharp, the long wind blowing in, Qing Xia's robes fluttering, her black hair flying, her face icy cold, like an ice sculpture.

  Be careful.

  A low, gentle female voice slowly rose, carrying a hint of icy coldness, and sounded particularly loud in the dead silence of the courtyard. The man, who had narrowly escaped death, was trembling with fear, and suddenly knelt down on the ground with a thud, shaking as he called out: "Thank you, miss, thank you, miss."

  People who came after hearing the news gathered in every corner of the front yard, peeping from the walls and door gaps, quietly waiting for the arrival of a storm.

  "Who is it?" A slightly raised voice came from the account room, but there was no intention of coming out to take a look.

  The mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain. Qing Xia coldly laughed and raised an eyebrow, then turned around and stepped into the accounting room.

  Mu Lian wore a long black robe, her skin as white as snow, sitting upright in the soft chair of the accounting room. More than 20 shopkeepers from various businesses affiliated with Xuan Wang Fu sat on either side of her, each holding an account book, seemingly waiting for her to review them. She had already heard Qing Xia's voice, but Mu Lian still kept her head buried in the account book, only slowly raising it after a while, with a faint smile at the corner of her mouth and a look of disdain in her eyes as she swept over Qing Xia, saying to a servant beside her: "I thought it was someone else who came, turns out it's the famous Southern Chu Empress, please sit down, have some tea."

  Qing Xia's movements were as still as a mountain, her back straight and her neck slightly raised. She gazed down at Mu Lian with an air of superiority, a faint smile on her lips. "No need," she said calmly. "I never drink tea offered by those who are neither friends nor foes. You may dispense with the courtesy, Miss Mu."

  "Oh, really?" Mu Lian's eyebrows rose slightly, her snow-white skin and bright red lips curved into a faint smile as she said calmly: "In that case, I apologize for not being hospitable enough. I still have things to attend to, so Princess Chu can leave now."

  On that day, the news of Qin Zhiyan's narrow escape from death at the hands of Qing Xia had already spread throughout the land. In this mansion, who did not know and who was not aware? With Qin Zhiyan's personality, he could be so impulsive, and after offending the King of Qin, he would bring Qing Xia back to the mansion and hand over all the power of the palace to her. The implication is obvious, but she still insisted on calling Qing Xia "Princess Chu" again and again, revealing her true intentions.

  Qing Xia didn't say a word and wasn't angry either. He walked slowly forward, took something out from his waist, and gently placed it on the desk.

  Everyone lowered their heads and looked over, only to see that on the desk was a string of keys to the various warehouses of the Wang estate. These things had always been managed by the Wang estate's steward, Xiang Shu. When Qing Xia entered the estate, Xiang Shu handed these things over to her. At the time, everyone in the Wang estate knew about it, but these outside servants who managed affairs did not know. Now that they saw these things were actually in this woman's hands, who wouldn't understand what it represented? One by one, they hastily stood up and paid their respects to Qing Xia.

  Qing Xia didn't even glance at the various family managers around him, his eyes were tightly fixed on Mu Lian's eyes, and he smiled faintly as he said: "If the name is not correct, then the words will not be smooth, if the words are not smooth, then the actions will not be stable. Miss Mu Lian, having experienced two countries and three generations, with a clever and agile brain that has been tempered by more than 20 years of military life and bloodshed, you should understand what the most intelligent course of action is now, shouldn't you?"

  Mu Lian's eyes were cold and calm, gazing at the woman in front of her with a slow-burning flame of anger rising in her eyes. She slowly stood up and said in a low voice: "Well said, if the name is not correct then the words are not smooth, but I don't know what the great queen of Southern Chu is doing every day in the palace of King Xuan of Great Qin."

  Qing Xia smiled faintly and said indifferently, "I once lived in the north and heard a proverb of the Xiongnu people: The deer lowers its head to eat grass, the eagle looks up at the north, only those with shallow vision will be obsessed with things in front of them. I haven't even bothered to settle accounts with you for your great achievements of betraying your lord and surrendering to the enemy, yet you come to me with more accusations - don't you think it's laughable?"

  Mu Lian burst into anger and shouted: "What qualifications do you have..."

  "I have the qualification to stand here today!" Qing Xia suddenly raised her eyebrows, and angrily said: "A person is valuable for having self-awareness, don't try to meddle in things that don't belong to you. If you're not capable, then admit defeat. When your schemes are exposed, you should concede. A short-term dispute of words, taking advantage of someone's unpreparedness and ordering some underlings to do your bidding can't demonstrate your worth. One mountain can't have two tigers, the sun and moon can't shine on the same day. Moreover, in my eyes, you've never been a worthy opponent."

  Mu Lian's face was stern, her fists clenched tightly as she shouted in anger: "Zhuang Qing Xia."

  "Is this name 'Zhuang Qing Xia' also what you called?" Qing Xia said coldly: "You, a traitor and a slave, were once a military prostitute for the Great Qin. Now, you are still in someone else's household, what qualifications do you have to stand here? What right do you have to show off your power and prestige to the officials of the Xuan Wang Fu? You rely on being the servant of the Southern Territory Witch Doctor's elder, taking advantage of the opportunity to frequently deliver medicine and letters to the palace, to interfere with the major and minor affairs of the royal family. Not only do you not recognize reality, but also cannot position yourself correctly! A lowly and inferior commoner, yet wanting to climb onto the master's head, relying on favoritism to be arrogant and domineering, cruel and ruthless in your actions. According to the Great Qin's laws, you should have your eyes dug out, tongue cut off, hands and feet chopped off, and left to die in the wilderness with no intact corpse."

  "And you all!" Qing Xia suddenly turned his head, looking at the group of managers outside the Xuan Wang Fu, and said in a cold and angry tone: "You are unworthy of Xuan Wang's trust, and yet you are still serving as the outer courtyard managers of the Xuan Wang Fu. You are being ordered around by a lowly person, called here and there! Can't you distinguish between right and wrong, can't you tell black from white, yin from yang? Are your eyes both blind?"

  With a crisp crack, Mu Lian's anger reached its peak, and she actually broke the brush in her hand. Qing Xia adjusted her expression, turned around with a cold smile, and said in a chilly tone: "The affairs of the world are most afraid of being greedy and insatiable, getting to the top and still wanting more. You were once cursed by everyone, forced into prostitution, and had no way out when His Highness lent you a helping hand. Having received his kindness, you should be grateful from the bottom of your heart. I don't expect someone who betrays their own nation to be grateful, but at least don't repay kindness with ingratitude. My words end here; consider carefully what to do next. If I see you interfering in the affairs of the palace again, don't blame me for being ruthless and merciless."

  "Bring along the account books of each of your families and follow me to the main hall."

  Qing Xia turned around, her yellow dress shining with a dazzling light in the morning sun. A group of managers and accountants from various families followed behind her, their ledgers in hand, walking in an orderly line towards the main hall of the Wang Fu.

  The birds outside the window chirped and tweeted, which made the desolation of the accounting house even more pronounced. Song Quan, who was walking at the end, hugged his account book, looked at the accounting house with hatred, spat a mouthful of saliva, turned around and followed the people in front.

  Mu Lian's eyes blazed with fury, and she finally let out a mad roar, sweeping all the books and inkstones off the desk onto the floor with a loud crash.

  Xiang Shu saw that all the main officials had followed Qing Xia into the main hall, so he hastily found his own son, Li Zhen Tuo, who was the outer manager of Xuan Wang Fu. These things were originally handled by him. However, he often traveled to various parts of the country to collect and check accounts, and was often not in the mansion. Although Xiang Shu was the chief manager, because he was the husband of a wet nurse, he was gentle and did not understand accounting. Mu Lian often came and went from Xuan Wang Fu, and under Xiang Shu's tacit consent, gradually became familiar with things here. But this woman had come from among the common people, had experienced many hardships, and easily picked up on many things.

  Everyone knew about Qing Xia's background, and with her identity, how could she be proficient in accounting and business? Li Zhen Tao, who was afraid of being embarrassed by her, rushed to the scene under his father's urging. However, when he arrived at the main hall, he saw that all the accountants were staring blankly, listening to Qing Xia's questions, without any hint of mockery or ridicule.

  The green summer scolded the Huns' pastoral lotus, and each household was overjoyed to the point of almost flying. In recent years, this woman has been yelling at them, and she is also very cunning, making it difficult to fool her. Once caught in a mistake, the punishment is almost cruel. Seeing her being punished and deprived of power, everyone is relieved. Same as Uncle Xiang thought, who would have guessed that Miss Qingsha, the young lady of this wealthy family, would not be calculating accounts? After all, in this era, merchants are at the bottom of the social hierarchy, which young lady from a wealthy family would bother with accounting?

  Then, the accountants from each household came forward one by one to report their accounts. Qing Xia sat quietly, listening attentively without asking a single question. The accountants were almost jumping for joy, eager to applaud. However, after everyone had finished reporting, the quiet and elegant woman suddenly became like a sharp dagger, her words piercing and cutting to the heart of the matter. Without even looking at the account books, she pointed out the loopholes and inefficiencies in each household's management based solely on what they had just said. Everyone was shocked from start to finish, their eyes wide with amazement, almost disbelieving their own ears.

  Qing Xia indeed wouldn't bother with an abacus, but her mental calculation skills had been rigorously trained. After listening just once, she could already integrate the accounts of each household and compare them to determine who was honest, who was dishonest, and who was perfunctory.

  The elegant woman picked up her teacup, took a sip, cleared her throat and said in a low voice: "Next stop, Lushan Coal Mine."

  "Miss." Before she could finish, the boss of Lushan Coal Mine thudded to his knees and said with a sweat-drenched face: "You don't need to say any more, I know my mistake."

  Qing Xia smiled slightly at the corner of his mouth and said in a low voice, "You ranked behind, seeing that I didn't care about the accounts of the people in front, so you had a greedy idea, wanting to collude with me, cheating me for not understanding accounting, right?"

  "Belonging to, belonging to..."

  "Listen up, all of you," Qing Xia said sternly, her eyes gleaming with intensity. "Today is my second time reviewing the outer manor's accounts. Everyone has their own private interests, and where there are loopholes to be exploited, people will naturally flock to them. I won't hold today's events against you, but I must warn you: when it comes to falsifying accounts, embezzlement, and corruption, I am more familiar with the tricks of the trade than any one of you. If I discover anyone trying to deceive me again in the future, don't say I didn't warn you. My methods for punishing people may differ from Pastor Lian's, but they will be unforgettable, and you will never have a chance to turn things around."

  Everyone's forehead was covered in cold sweat as they respectfully said: "Thank you, miss. We will definitely do our best to serve the king."

  Qing Xia smiled slightly, and her face suddenly became warm and gentle like a spring breeze. She said: "Everyone please sit down, I'm just saying some ugly words in advance to prevent any accidents. As a newcomer, I still need everyone's help and support. The prince is kind and generous, and treats his subordinates with kindness and tolerance. Everyone here is a pillar of the Wang Fu, an old and experienced person. We can only consolidate the foundation of the Xuan Wang Fu if we work together in harmony. What am I saying? Everyone should understand."

  Everyone responded in unison, and then one by one they reported again. This time, however, no one dared to cheat or be dishonest, and everyone was honest. As the sun gradually set in the west, after all these people had left, the sky had already darkened. Big Yellow suddenly appeared from somewhere, biting Qing Xia's skirt hem and wagging its tail, with a pitiful look as if it were starving to death. It wasn't until then that Qing Xia realized she had been busy with these people for a whole day, and it was time to eat dinner.

  At this time, Bi'er suddenly ran in and called out with a slightly panicked face: "Miss, the king, the king is back."

  Qing Xia took one look at her face and knew things were bad, furrowed his brow, and hastily went out to meet her, only to see the carriage curtains tightly closed, the eight medicine boys all standing outside the carriage, and the Imperial Guard of Yanzi Camp surrounding the perimeter. When they saw Qing Xia approaching, they parted to let him through.

  Since meeting in Penglai Valley, Qin Zhiyan has been in good spirits and showed no signs of serious illness. This morning when he left, everything seemed normal too. How could he return in this state? Just looking at him, it's clear that he needs to be treated by the eight witches in the horse carriage, which shows just how severe his condition is.

  Qing Xia stood in the cold wind, her face pale and bloodless. Time passed bit by bit, and the night wind grew colder. Bi'er took out a piece of brocade cloak and wrapped it over Qing Xia's shoulders, but she seemed to feel nothing, standing still and staring at the carriage curtain.

  It wasn't long before the Imperial Guard of the Flame Character Camp blocked off the streets in front and back, not even allowing the night watchman to pass through. Finally, a hand reached out from the carriage, and Bai Shi Wu Yi got down first, followed by the Imperial Guard of the Flame Character Camp hastily bringing over a soft sedan chair, inside which Nan Jiang Wu Yi slowly lifted Qin Zhi Yan out.

  Qin's face was pale, like a sheet of white paper, his eyes were also weak and powerless, wearing a black and gold changshan, which made his face even paler than snow.

  Qing Xia's heart felt like it had been brutally smashed by a giant axe, the pain was bearable, but when she saw him, she could finally breathe normally. She walked stiffly towards him, stretched out her hand to comfort Qin Zhiyan, forced a smile to reassure him, but couldn't manage to curve up the corners of her mouth.

  Qin's weak smile, he stretched out his hand with effort, grasped the hand that Fang Qing Xia handed over, and softly said: "It's alright, don't worry."

  Qing Xia pursed the corner of her mouth and nodded desperately. Qin Zhiyan's hand was very cold, even colder than her own which had been standing outside the carriage all along. The guards lifted up the soft sedan chair, Qing Xia followed closely behind, running quickly back to her bedroom. The maidservants went in and out, setting up the brazier and hot water for bathing, making the entire room feel like it was inside a giant steamer.

  The eight witches of Nanjiang looked ugly and explained two sentences before leaving. Qingxia drove all the maids out, took off Qin Zhiyan's clothes that had been soaked with cold sweat, and personally wiped him clean. She knelt beside a large wooden bucket, scooping up black medicinal liquid with a small ladle and pouring it on Qin Zhiyan's back. Her small face was pale and still had no blood color to this day.

  Qin's flame leaned against the wooden barrel and said apologetically: "Sorry, I scared you today."

  Qing Xia rubbed her nose and shook her head, saying: "I'm not that timid, don't talk, take a rest for a while."

  Qin's flames gently looked at her, stretched out his hand, and lightly stroked her cheek, the tip of his finger with a strong medicinal smell, his voice clear and calm said: "Yimaer, yesterday in the palace, you were wronged."

  Qing Xia knew he would find out sooner or later, and didn't try to hide it. She smiled nonchalantly and said: "It doesn't matter, a group of old hags, what can they do to me? I'm in a good mood, so I won't hit them."

  Qin's flames bitterly smiled and shook his head, softly saying "It was my consideration that wasn't thorough, I said I wouldn't let others bully you again but didn't make it happen. Yima, I owe you an apology."

  Qing Xia's eyes stung, her dark eyes fixed on Qin Zhiyan. She reached out and tightly grasped his palm, which was warm from soaking in hot water. Qing Xia smiled lightly and said softly: "Zhiyan, no one can bully me as long as you're happy. I'm delighted to do anything. Thinking that every night, I can fall asleep listening to your breathing, and every morning when I wake up, the first thing I see is your face, it's an indescribable joy. In my life, I've never had such a warm and peaceful day. So don't say sorry to me, it makes me uneasy, as if you're about to leave. Zhiyan, we promised each other to be together forever, supporting and trusting each other. Therefore, no matter what happens, you can't abandon me, okay?"

  Qin's gaze was like layered waves, he smiled comfortably and held Fang Qingxia's hand, saying with a smile: "Yima, I love you very much, I've never been as happy as I am now."

  Qing Xia smiled warmly and nodded, saying: "Me too."

  In the greenhouse, incense wafted gently, several heaters emitted steam, and the air was filled with a strong medicinal scent. Qing Xia picked up a white cotton shirt and put it on Qin Zhiyan's body, then helped him sit down on the couch. She thought for a moment, suddenly took off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, knelt behind Qin Zhiyan, and picked up a comb to tidy his raven-black long hair.

  "Hasn't I told you before, men on our side don't keep long hair." Qing Xia suddenly asked.

  Qin Zhiyan was holding a small bowl, inside which was the Qingxia simmered Cordyceps sinensis lotus seed snow pear soup, and he was drinking it elegantly spoon by spoon. Upon hearing this, he slightly paused and said: "Those who don't keep long hair are all bald?"

  Qing Xia smiled and said, "No, it's just that they all have short hair, very spirited. If you also cut your hair short, wear a suit, and tie a tie, you'll definitely look handsome." Qin Zhiyan laughed and shook his head, looking at the long hair on his shoulder with a smile, saying, "I really can't imagine what I'd look like with short hair."

  "That's easy!" Qing Xia said with a smile: "Tomorrow when you're free, I'll draw a sketch for you. I'm very good at drawing."

  "Sketch?"

  "Yes," Qing Xia said: "Unlike your ink painting, sketching is realistic, the painted one is almost like a real person, I just don't know if you can make this kind of pen here, Ah, I should have asked Zhu Yuanqing to help me make one earlier."

  "Yima, I don't want to be this king anymore. Let's travel together to famous mountains and great rivers, or set sail across the seas. Wherever you want to go, I'll accompany you, okay?"

  Qing Xia was taken aback, the unease in her heart growing heavier. She put down the comb in her hand and wrapped her arms around Qin Zhiyan's waist from behind, pressing her face against his back. A tear rolled down and wetted his crisp white shirt, spreading into a large water stain.

  "Alright, once you've recovered from your illness, we'll travel the world and see all its beauty. We'll stay wherever we like, and when we get bored, we'll move on to somewhere else."

  Qin's voice was very soft, seemingly weak and powerless. Qing Xia couldn't see his face, but could only feel the vibrations of his back and hear him say: "I used to think that for the sake of Qin, it would be fine to die without any regrets. But now, if I were to die without having gone anywhere with you, without having seen anything with you, I would definitely have no peace."

  "What nonsense are you talking about?" Qing Xia shouted, releasing Qin Zhiyan's body and standing in front of him. "Who said you would die? You can eat and sleep, don't know how good it is, how could anything be wrong? Zhuo Yuanqing is contacting the seven departments of Qingpeng for me, you know they are all extraordinary people, there will definitely be a way to cure your illness."

  Qin smiled warmly and made no comment.

  Qing Xia grasped his hand tightly, her eyes wide with excitement, and said loudly: "Qin Zhiyan, do you believe me?"

  Qin's flames smiled and nodded, Qing Xia said firmly: "When I was beheaded by the military department at the beginning, I didn't give up my desire to survive. Look, I can live without a head, why can't you? As long as we have hope, there will definitely be miracles. You won't get into trouble and can't get into trouble. If you leave me behind alone, I'll hate you."

  Qin Zhiyan nodded and smiled: "Good."

  "What's so good?" Qing Xia said angrily: "Not even a bit of sincerity!"

  Qin's flames smiled and patted her head, coaxing the child to say: "Okay, I won't die, I'll always be with Yima'er until you don't want to stay by my side."

  "There won't be a day like that." Qing Xia suddenly stretched out her hand and hugged Qin Zhiyan, burying her head in his chest, saying with a slightly trembling voice: "We will always be together, this is our home, I will always cling to you, until we are old and can't walk, until our teeth fall out, until we become bald, and won't let go of you. We will have our own children, and the children will have their own children, then we'll watch a group of little rascals running around us, happily drinking sweet soup. We will travel to every corner of the world, I'll play the flute for you, and you can paint for me, when we're old, we'll move to the Qingmu Hall in the Imperial Mausoleum to live, the fruit there is delicious, and the hot springs are warm, Qin Zhiyan, it was you who gave me hope, gave me a home, you can't take back your words."

  Qin's flames slowly smiled, slightly closed his eyes, hugged Qing Xia's waist, warm breath sprayed on her head, everything was like a big dream.

  "Yima'er, no matter what happens, I will always be by your side."

  In a low, husky voice, he slowly spoke out, and Qing Xia's tears slid out in an instant. Qin Zhiyan smiled warmly and shook his head, saying: "Foolish, what are you crying for?"

  The pale woman looked up with her small pointed face and pouted: "Qin Zhiyan, a man's word is his bond. A real man must keep his promises."

  "En." Qin Zhiyan smiled and nodded, then slowly lowered his head and kissed Qing Xia's lips.

  If all of this is just a fleeting dream in life, then please never wake me up.

  At this moment, I don't want to think about anything anymore. The ups and downs of the Qin state, the cold blade in the corner, and the face sealed in my heart, I don't want to think about them anymore.

  I have walked alone all my life, through trials and tribulations. Now let me stake my own life on loving someone with all my heart, even if the waters of the underworld overflow and destroy the world, even if the mountains of the nine continents collapse and crumble, even if the icy snows of the northern abyss sweep away all things, I will not waver or turn back. Since I have chosen to walk side by side, I will never look back.

  The next day, Qin Zhiyan claimed to be ill and stayed in the mansion. Qing Xia was excited all day. She arranged for someone to tidy up a corner of the northwest courtyard and plant flowers and build a pavilion. She accompanied Qin Zhiyan inside to drink tea and taste tea. The craftsmen of Xuanwang Fu were indeed not simple. Qing Xia just gave a slight hint, and in the afternoon, dozens of pencils were made. Although they were slightly different from modern ones, they still delighted her for a long time. After laying out the white paper and setting up the easel, Qing Xia sat down and began to paint in a similar manner.

  Qin's flames smiled faintly and lay on the soft chair, covered with a white blanket, leisurely looking at a volume of miscellaneous notes, occasionally raising his head to take a look at Qing Xia's serious appearance, every time he wanted to laugh, he would be forced back by her angry eyes.

  Compared to the people of this era, Qing Xia's painting is indeed a realist one. Two days later, it has already taken shape, with a canvas as long as a person is tall dragging on the ground. The man in the painting is handsome and elegant, dressed in a suit and tie, holding a high-heeled cup in his hand, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. That face is surprisingly Qin Zhiyan's.

  The servants of the Wang family came to the pavilion in batches, watching and sighing in unison. Qin Zhiyan looked at Qing Xia's complacent expression and couldn't help but laugh silently.

  This afternoon, Qing Xia was directing several kitchen maids to make cakes according to her requirements. Unfortunately, this super agent who mastered various assassination skills and had knowledge of all industries couldn't make desserts herself. Qin Zhiyan was recovering from an illness and was forbidden from eating spicy or salty foods. After understanding his preferences, Qing Xia spent several days studying the methods for making various desserts and taught them to the kitchen maids. Fortunately, she was eloquent and the kitchen maids were extremely talented, so most of the desserts they made were similar to the originals, except for today's.

  "Failed again," Qīng Xià said gloomily. "It seems that not having an oven is really not feasible, the fire timing is hard to grasp, I'll think about it carefully again."

  At this time, Bi'er suddenly ran into the kitchen and said to Qing Xia: "Miss, an official from the inner court has come, bringing many clothes for you."

  "Is the eunuch of the inner court sending me clothes?" Qing Xia was taken aback, her eyebrows slightly raised, and she asked in a low voice. "Yes," said Bi'er: "Many people have come, including the imperial physician from the inner palace."

  "Let's go and see what they're up to?" Qing Xia wiped the flour off her hands and ran towards the main hall of the Wang Manor.

  Just after turning a corner of the corridor, I saw a group of eunuchs from the inner court respectfully retreating from the main hall and walking away.

  Qin Zhiyan stood in front of the main hall, wearing a light purple long gown, looking particularly elegant and refined. Seeing Qing Xia, he smiled and walked up to her, gently wiping her left cheek with his hand, his eyes narrowing into a handsome arc as he said with a smile: "Look at you, your face is covered in flour."

  "What did they come here for?"

  Qin's flames shook his head and said, "Nothing, you don't have to worry."

  "Deceiver." Qing Xia grabbed Qin Zhiyan's clothes and said stubbornly: "No matter how hard you try to curry favor, you're either a cheat or a thief. Bi'er told me that she even returned the clothes I sent her and told me about it."

  Qin's flames thought for a moment and said in a low voice: "Tonight, Father Emperor's family banquet, wants to let you sit."

  "Me?" Qing Xia was taken aback, pointing at her own nose, her eyes wide with surprise.

  Qin's flames smiled and said: "Well, if you don't want to go, it doesn't matter. I'll help you get rid of it."

  Qing Xia shook her head and said, "You can't hide from the beginning of the month but you can't escape the fifteenth, go if you must."

  Qin Zhiyan grasped her small hand and comfortingly squeezed it: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

  The sun at noon shines brightly in the sky, casting down warm and gentle spring light.