Chapter 114: Follow-up
Before going to bed at night, Qiu Henian helped Qingyan apply stretch mark prevention oil. Qingyan lay limp on the bed, humming an out-of-tune tune.
As Qiu Henian applied the oil, he could feel occasional tiny movements from the swollen belly, as if the little bean inside had been awakened. His movements became even gentler.
After finishing applying the oil and tucking the blanket, Qingyan got up again and sat opposite Qiu Henian without saying a word. His hand reached towards Qiu Henian’s waistband.
Qiu Henian instinctively raised his hand slightly, then quickly put it down, allowing Qingyan to proceed.
Qingyan lowered his head, and Qiu Henian closed his eyes, letting out a sigh deep in his throat. He reached out and stroked Qingyan’s forehead.
After a while, Qingyan moistened his lips and looked up at him. With his white teeth, red tongue tip, and watery eyes, he complained, “Why are you sitting so stiffly? Lean back so my belly isn’t in the way.”
Qiu Henian’s gaze lingered on his lips. With both hands under his arms, he lifted Qingyan and adjusted their positions while kissing him.
He sat on the edge of the bed, helped Qingyan put on his shoes, and this time Qingyan didn’t object. He squatted down and continued what he was doing earlier.
Qingyan’s endurance wasn’t great now, and after a while, he got tired and couldn’t squat anymore. Qiu Henian lifted him back onto the bed and kissed him, taking care of things himself.
After finishing, Qiu Henian got out of bed to clean himself up, then returned to bed. Qingyan was tired and yawning, leaning over and falling asleep beside him shortly after.
In the middle of the night, Qiu Henian was awakened by gentle sobbing. He opened his eyes and sensed that something was wrong.
He was lying on his side, his nightshirt pulled to one side, revealing most of his back. He was startled and instinctively tried to pull his clothes back, but his wrist was held by a delicate, soft hand.
Qingyan sat behind him, choking back tears, saying, “I knew something was wrong. You were keeping this from me!”
Qiu Henian quickly sat up, adjusted his clothes, but Qingyan stubbornly pulled them open again several times, crying harder.
He said, “Your back is like this, aren’t you in pain? I’m such a fool. In that place, how could I come out without a scratch?”
Qiu Henian wanted to hug him, but Qingyan refused. He firmly pulled Qingyan onto his lap, and Qingyan cautiously wrapped his arms around his neck, leaning close to the back of his collar, gently blowing inside while crying, “It doesn’t hurt.”
Qiu Henian felt a pang in his heart, hugged him, and comforted him for a while until Qingyan gradually calmed down.
Qiu Henian helped him back to bed, wiped away his tears, and assisted him in lying down.
Once Qingyan lay down, he suddenly remembered what he had originally gotten up to do and sat up again.
His cheeks flushed, he said, “I… I still need to use the restroom!”
Qiu Henian chuckled, patted his cheek, and said, “Wait here, I’ll fetch the bucket.”
…
Qiu Yan left, taking Yang Huai and the county magistrate imprisoned in the jail with him.
Usually, even for death row inmates, their sentences would be carried out locally, but Yang Huai’s case involved many victims and had been going on for years.
Many people indirectly related to this incident included members of the Yang family and their servants, not just the magistrate of Muling County.
The entire county was abuzz for quite some time due to the significant impact, which prompted Qiu Yan to bring the prisoners back to the capital.
In addition to these individuals, others like Liu Yongfu and Zhang Ju, who provided false testimony for Yang Huai for personal gain, were dealt with locally.
According to the current laws, they were all sent to exile on the northern border.
This couple had taken a lot of money from Liu Fa. Originally, they could have lived comfortably back in their hometown, but their greed led them back to Muling County, resulting in such an outcome.
Liu Yongfu didn’t directly participate in this matter. Although he had been severely beaten by Yang Huai’s men before, he had recovered by now. However, his parents were exiled, crying and pleading as they were taken away, but he didn’t show any emotion.
When Ren Xiao and his wife came to visit their mother-in-law, they chatted with Qiu Henian for a long time.
Just a few days ago, he had a drink with the county office’s registrar. According to him, when Yang Huai was in the county jail, he was quite unruly.
Initially, he might have been hopeful and arrogant, ignoring the jailers.
Later, after the county magistrate was also arrested and brought in, Yang Huai realized he might really be in trouble this time.
He began cursing wildly every day, cursing his parents, cursing the people he had harmed, cursing the county magistrate, and even cursing Qiu Henian.
It was said that the Yang family spent a lot of money trying to save him, running around and seeking help.
However, unlike before, this time the case was overseen by a senior official appointed directly by the emperor. Anyone who dared to intervene would be asking for trouble and likely lose their heads.
Therefore, except for those who took advantage of the situation to extort money, the Yang family couldn’t even send out their silver, let alone find someone to help.
However, not everything was bad.
With the prisoners taken away, the Yang family couldn’t manipulate everything anymore. The tea house in the county, previously known as “Huaiyangji,” was directly renamed “Yang Huaiji” and became a bustling place once again.
The tea house was full every day, and the owner and storytellers took advantage of the situation to make a profit.
It was truly a case of some mourning and some rejoicing.
……
Qingyan’s body had recovered almost completely, so he busied himself daily as usual in the Fragrant Melody Pavillion.
During his absence, although Aunt Li and Qiuniang were a bit frantic initially, Qingyan had arranged everything properly beforehand.
He had completed all the tasks that could be done in advance, and the processes were clear. As a result, they managed everything smoothly and efficiently.
Upon returning to the shop, Qingyan discussed hiring someone with them.
After reaching an agreement, the next day Qingyan didn’t rush to town but instead went to the fields.
The fields of the villagers in Liuxi Village were distributed around the foothills of the village, in patches.
At this season, the crops in the fields were thriving and lush green everywhere you looked.
Qingyan walked into a field of corn. The corn stalks were not very tall yet, and he spotted someone busy among them.
Qingyan called out, “Big Sister.”
The bright sun made it hard to open one’s eyes, and Shen Min raised his head, squinting to see. When he saw it was Qingyan, he joyfully walked through the corn stalks to him.
As he approached, he looked at Qingyan and said, “You look much better. How have you been these days? Is your health fully recovered?”
Qingyan nodded, “I’m fine now. Thanks to you for accompanying me back and forth to the capital. Otherwise, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made it. Thank you.”
Shen Min waved his hand and said, “You and Second Brother have taken care of me a lot in the past. I’ve always felt indebted and couldn’t repay it. This time, I can help a bit, and I feel much more at ease in my heart. You don’t need to be polite.”
Qingyan smiled and looked towards the fields behind his, “Are all the crops planted this year corn?”
Shen Min also turned to look and replied, “Most of it is corn, and we also planted some vegetables. We won’t need to buy vegetables from others from summer to autumn.”
Qingyan calculated for a moment and said, “After working hard all year round, you should have enough for your own food and drink.”
Shen Min smiled bitterly, “That’s about it. And in winter, I can add another piece of warm clothing. I can only do so much by myself, and if I hire someone due to the small amount of land, there won’t be much left.”
Qingyan looked at him and asked tentatively, “Fragrant Melody Pavillion is currently short of someone to watch over the shop. You won’t earn as much as from your land, but it’s still considerably more than here. Plus, it’s not as hard work. Would you be willing to come?”
Shen Min widened his eyes in surprise, looked down at himself, and murmured, “Could I… could I do it?”
Qingyan chuckled, “Of course you can. I’ll teach you, and you’ll get the hang of it in a few days. You’re good-looking. Once you dress up in the shop’s clothes and jewelry, you can help me with sales too!”
Shen Min rubbed his hands awkwardly, blushed, and smiled with his head bowed. However, he seemed to think of something and her expression tensed again.
He looked at Qingyan and said, “You’re asking this to me because I accompanied you to the capital this time, right? I still won’t go to the shop. I can manage on my own, and I don’t want to trouble you again.”
Qingyan held her hand sincerely and said, “That’s part of the reason, but the shop really does need help.”
Shen Min looked at him, hesitated for a while, then gritted his teeth and said, “If I don’t do well, you can fire me directly.”
Qingyan nodded in agreement.
Shen Min said, “Alright, I’ll go with you.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
Qingyan squirmed ticklishly but obediently buried his face in Qiu Henian’s shoulder, exposing his neck to the man, letting him imprint delicate kisses all over it.
