Chapter 51: Chapter 53: Caught Her Eye Chapter 51: Chapter 53: Caught Her Eye Mrs. Gu still accepted Qin Liuxi’s kindness; after all, with the children’s father on the path of exile, if anything should happen, her two sons would be the foundation of their third branch.
Mrs. Gu gritted her teeth and selfishly said, looking at Qin Liuxi: “Xixi, for Third Aunt to say she’ll pay you back later, it’s undoubtedly like promising you pie in the sky, so I won’t mention it. Third Aunt just wants to say one thing, your kindness, we will engrave it in our hearts in the third branch.”
A small favor garners a spring-like response; this is what the third branch should remember since her son was safely born.
Qin Liuxi smiled: “Third Aunt, rest well, your good fortune is yet to come.”
Mrs. Gu’s heart stirred, her brows suddenly clear, good fortune to come?
She didn’t overthink it and let the wet nurse bring over her two sons to pay respects to Qin Liuxi.
Qin Liuxi was tolerant toward the two newborns, seeing that they were both awake at the time, hands not swaddled, but next to their mouths, she couldn’t help but smile.
She picked up one child’s hand, resting a finger on the tiny wrist for a long while before releasing it and switching to the other.
“If the children feel unwell, go find Qi Huang. She has been by my side for many years and is somewhat proficient in the Qihuang Technique,” Qin Liuxi said to Mrs. Gu.
“Of course.” Mrs. Gu nodded with a smile.
Qin Liuxi then stroked the little heads of the two little ones and then took her leave.
“Bao’er, see your elder sister out,” Mrs. Gu said to her daughter hiding by the door.
Qin Mingbao came out, timidly looking at Qin Liuxi, performed a gesture of respect, and said with a soft voice: “Elder sister, Bao’er will see you out.”
Qin Liuxi went out, followed by Qin Mingbao, and after they left the room, in the courtyard, her skirt was tugged. She couldn’t help but look down.
Qin Mingbao released her hand, looking up at this tall figure who seemed both sister and brother, blinking, her round face turning red with effort.
Before the Qin family’s incident, she had never seen Qin Liuxi, only hearing vaguely from her mother about an elder sister who due to poor health from a young age was fostered at the old house.
But having met her, this elder sister was very powerful, having saved not only her mother but also her two brothers; she must be an Immortal sent by the Gods.
Qin Mingbao knelt down suddenly, properly kowtowing and offering a grand gesture of respect to Qin Liuxi.
This unexpected gesture caught her completely off guard.
She helped the little girl up, asking, “What are you kneeling for, all of a sudden?”
With admiration and gratitude in her eyes, Qin Mingbao said in a babyish tone: “Elder sister saved my mother and brothers, I can’t repay you enough, so I can only offer you a grand gesture of respect. But when I’m able to, I will surely repay elder sister, I swear!”
Hearing this, Qin Liuxi’s smile deepened with genuine warmth. Looking at the little girl’s big eyes, round face, chubby chin, and her hair tied up in a pair of red ribbons, wearing coarse cloth with a cloth belt around her waist, she resembled a child from a farming household, her innocence intact.
She pinched her cheek, thought for a moment, and took out a silver note from her sleeve, handing it to her, “This is a meeting gift from your elder sister, keep it for yourself, and buy snacks in the future.”
Qin Mingbao was surprised, glanced at the denomination on the silver note, eyes widening, and when she looked up again, that elder sister’s skirt had already disappeared through the courtyard door.
Qin Mingbao took a few steps to chase, but upon losing sight of her, she ran back into Mrs. Gu’s room, handed over the silver note and told her about the event with a bit of unease: “Mother, should I return this to elder sister?”
Mrs. Gu, looking at the silver note worth a hundred taels, patted her daughter’s head, sighed, and said: “You too have good fortune. Since elder sister gave it to you, keep it for yourself, but you must remember this kindness and repay it a thousandfold in the future.”
Without that good fortune, how could you have caught Qin Liuxi’s eye?
Qin Mingbao looked at the silver note, only half understanding.