Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 540 - 338

Chapter 540: 338

"Let’s eat first. The food has gone cold. I’m so hungry, my stomach’s about to shrink onto my back," said Xiao’er, noticing that she had not started eating and the food in her bowl had gone cold.

Everyone heard this and concurred. They were all famished indeed.

As Shangguan Xuanyi had predicted, the food on the table quickly disappeared like leaves swept up by an autumn breeze.

Shangguan Wanru patted her slightly bulging stomach, feeling as though she could eat more, "It would have been nice if the soup and the remaining two vegetables had not been spoiled."

What a pity. She had worked hard tending to the cooking fire.

No one uttered a word. They were relieved that everyone was safe, but she was still concerned about the soup.

After dinner, the girls had to return home. Xiao’er reminded Shangguan Wanru to get plenty of rest in bed over the next few days, and to avoid moving around too much; otherwise, her injury might start swelling or break open again.

"Don’t worry, I’ll definitely be obedient. Once we’re all better, we’re going to participate in the dragon boat race!"

Shangguan Xuanhao expressed shock, "You’re still thinking of the dragon boat race? Just stay at home and don’t scare me. The chill that my Six Prince is giving off is freezing me to death." He just wanted to enjoy Xiao’er’s homemade food, not stage murder or arson!

"It would be better for you to simply go paddle boating on the lake at home," Shangguan Ruixi advised, having lost her patience with her sister’s nonsense.

"I won’t give up halfway! What about you, the Countess of Rui’an?" Shangguan Wanru hurriedly formed an alliance.

"Of course... I won’t." Facing the nearly desperate gazes of Fu Ranhui and the others, Xiao’er couldn’t maintain her composure while replying.

To the ladies, I’m genuinely sorry. In fact, exercising a bit could be beneficial. The process might be tough, but I believe this dragon boat race will one day become a cherished memory on your long journey of life—proving that you were once young and lived a life filled with excitement.

Although the sentiment might be a bit too cheesy, Xiao’er thought, it would certainly be an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

Shangguan Xuanyi took Xiao’er back to the Marquis Shengping mansion and stayed for dinner before returning home.

Upon seeing Xiao’er’s hand wrapped up like a rice dumpling, everyone at home anxiously asked her how she had gotten injured.

The fire had destroyed the kitchen in the backyard of Mrs. Lu’s shop, so Xiao’er couldn’t hide it. She simply explained the situation briefly, minimizing the severity as much as possible.

Relieved, Mrs. Liu sighed, "As long as you’re okay it’s fine. We’ll hire someone to repair the kitchen for your Auntie."

"Are your burn injuries serious? Will they leave a scar?" Mrs. Tan asked worriedly.

"Don’t worry about it, they’re not serious. It’s just a little red. Yang Liu was simply making a mountain out of a molehill, that’s why my hand was wrapped up like a dumpling. It won’t leave a scar."

Hearing this, Shangguan Xuanyi looked at Xiao’er knowingly. This girl had indeed improved her skill in spinning tales.

Facing Shangguan Xuanyi’s stare, Xiao’er smiled and blinked deliberately at him.

Shangguan Xuanyi glared fiercely back at her: Don’t you dare lie to me in the future.

Xiao’er blinked again.

Yang Liu and Yang Mei lowered their heads to stifle their laughter.

Being able to take shortcuts well within her reach, Xiao’er would never choose to struggle. So that night, she stepped into the space realm and consumed a piece of Worryfree Leaf. Before long, both her hand and foot injuries had completely healed.

After stepping into the space realm and completing her daily lessons, Xiao’er found herself missing the snake and the two geese that accompanied Xiao Tian into the deep mountains.

Without them, each time she entered the space realm it would be lonely and boring. The harvesting and sowing tasks were also strenuous.

Diligent Xiao Tian and Tian Bai were not around, causing her supply in the storage to increase at a much slower rate.

After finishing her work, Xiao’er lay on the bed in the space realm and thought of all things possible before drifting off to sleep.

The next day, when Mrs. Liu saw that Xiao’er’s hand was completely healed, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Shangguan Xuanyi returned to Marquis Shengping oblige just before dinner.

After dinner, Xiao’er saw Shangguan Xuanyi off.

"The wild cat from yesterday has been found." In the shroud of night, Shangguan Xuanyi took Xiao’er’s previously injured hand and rubbed it gently back and forth with his thumb.

Xiao’er looked at Shangguan Xuanyi, waiting for him to continue.

"The cat had been wounded by a hidden weapon and is now dead."

As expected, was it man-made? Xiao’er smiled bitterly. How infuriatingly annoying must she be to attract such calamities?!

"Who did it? The person must be quite skilled in martial arts, huh?" Xiao’er was recalling the situation from that day. Shangguan Wanru was injured and the kitchen fire was gradually intensifying. She didn’t manage to notice if there was anyone hiding in the shadows.

"The weapon used to harm the cat was an ordinary blade. But if I am not mistaken, it should have been Li Mingjun."

Li Mingjun was a martial arts prodigy, only keeping his true abilities hidden from the public. Xiao’er had indeed heard about him from Yang Liu.

Xiao’er knew that Li Mingjun was at the restaurant that day, and if it was him, she thought it was highly plausible.

"Such a vengeful person, wasting the talent given to him by god!" Xiao’er couldn’t help but snipe.

Xiao’er didn’t ask what Shangguan Xuanyi would do, because she knew Shangguan Xuanyi wouldn’t let this insult to her go unpunished.

"You just need to be aware of this. In the future, be careful whenever you see someone from the Li family. I will make him pay the price." Shangguan Xuanyi asserted.

Xiao’er nodded. Having a boyfriend who took care of everything for her was wonderful! Xiao’er appreciated the feeling of someone taking care of everything for her. It brought her great joy and felt different than solving the problems herself.

After a few days, Shangguan Wanru, quite cheerfully, invited the Fifth Princess and Fu Ranhui to meet Xiao’er again for dragon boat practice.

Xiao’er filled them in on what happened with the cat.

Shangguan Wanru was furious, "It was certainly him. I never had a good impression of him. He just always seems so shady, without a trace of warmth or righteousness."

Xiao’er replied, "Princess Wanru, your description is absolutely spot on! I also sensed an eerie aura from him."

"But without any evidence, and no one saw him do it, we can’t do anything to him!" Gu Qiqi frowned.

"What evidence do we need! As long as we know it’s him, we can teach him a lesson. If we can’t do it overtly, we can do it covertly. Don’t you believe that the Sixth Prince has countless ways to deal with him secretly? We don’t need evidence. This is our world and we make the rules,\" argued Shangguan Wanru.

Xiao’er nodded. This wasn’t a society with a solid rule of law; it was a society where power was the law. Knowing who the wrongdoer was enough; there was no necessity for evidence.

Once again appearing at the riverside, they drew the crowd’s attention.

Those unaware of their injuries laughed at their audacity, mocking them for thinking they could win a place in the competition by merely practicing a few days.

When Shangguan Wanru couldn’t hold back anymore, she retaliated with a few sharp words.

They spent half a month amid laughter and banter. As the mockery gradually died down and their speed improved, some people even started to admire the girls.

Every day, Xiao’er would use ingredients from the space realm to cook meals for them, thereby improving their physique on the side. The results were, of course, evident in a short time.