PFC Chapter 159 Accusation
Chapter 159 Accusation
During this period, An'er kept dreaming about Qiao Qingshu and a familiar woman's face.
When these two women appeared in her dreams, An'er would always uncontrollably rush towards them, hug them, and cry bitterly.
It was as if she had countless grievances to tell these two people.
He was happy to see Qiao Qingshu again, and felt a greater sense of familiarity.
He took out the two small golden fish that the old lady had given him on New Year's Eve from his pocket and happily stuffed them into Qiao Qingshu's arms.
Qiao Qingshu was somewhat surprised and tried to decline after a moment, but An'er insisted on giving the goldfish to Qiao Qingshu.
He even frowned and gestured, as if to say, "I'll be unhappy if you don't accept it."
Seeing his insistence, Qiao Qingshu nodded and put the small yellow croaker away.
She smiled sweetly at An'er, who felt a little embarrassed for some reason, scratched the back of her head, and started flipping through the books on the table.
Qiao Qingshu then gave An'er detailed instructions on keeping warm, and An'er nodded slowly.
The two exchanged ideas using pen and paper for a while before Qiao Qingshu reluctantly left.
Following the same route back, Qiao Qingshu walked behind Xiao Zhijie.
Suddenly, Xiao Zhijie in front stopped walking.
Qiao Qingshu, who was lost in thought, didn't notice and bumped into Xiao Zhijie's back.
She let out a muffled groan, rubbed her temples, and looked up, saying...
"Why have you stopped?"
Xiao Zhijie frowned slightly and pointed to Liu Wan'er, who was blocking his way.
"Why is she here?"
Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie both looked somewhat nervous, worried that Liu Wan'er had found out about An'er's situation.
Although Qiao Qingshu's expression remained unchanged, her heart was in her throat.
Although they had arrived at the Xiao family garden, who knew if Liu Wan'er had been following them all the way here?
Since Liu Wan'er married into the Xiao family as a concubine, Qiao Qingshu has not seen her for a long time.
Seeing that Liu Wan'er's face looked like it had been hit and that there was blood at the corner of her mouth, she couldn't help but guess that it was Madam Xing who did it.
She squinted at Liu Wan'er's expression and tentatively spoke.
"Liu Wan'er? You're with me?"
Liu Wan'er's face remained filled with resentment and anger as she slowly walked forward.
"Did you deliberately withhold the walnut charcoal from the eldest son's family? You just wanted to see me get beaten up, didn't you?!"
Judging from Liu Wan'er's expression and attitude, she didn't seem to know about An'er's matter.
Realizing that Liu Wan'er wasn't threatening her with An'er's matter, Qiao Qingshu immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
She felt relieved, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
"Is this why you're here, to question me?"
A venomous hatred flashed in Liu Wan'er's eyes.
"Yes! Just tell me if you admit it or not!"
Qiao Qingshu smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, I just want to see you get your comeuppance."
After circling Liu Wan'er twice, Qiao Qingshu clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"But I think Madam Xing didn't hit hard enough, how come you still have the energy to run around and cause trouble?"
Liu Wan'er was so angry that she kept breathing heavily. She said coldly,
"Qiao Qingshu, don't be so smug! Do you think the other branches will remember your kindness now that you're targeting our eldest branch like this? No way. The eldest branch will always be the most powerful and influential branch of the Xiao family. You won't gain anything by doing this today; it will only create obstacles for your future marriage into the Xiao family. If you were really smart, you should have sent two large boxes of walnut charcoal to the eldest branch as well."
Qiao Qingshu didn't bother to talk to her and walked straight ahead.
But Liu Wan'er grabbed her arm and threatened her.
"If you don't give it to me, I'll go to the authorities and report your father's actions!"
Qiao Qingshu turned her head, raised an eyebrow with a smile, and looked Liu Wan'er up and down.
"Are you referring to the time my father and your father smuggled government-owned salt?"
Liu Wan'er was so frightened that she took a step back. She had originally wanted to tell Qiao Qingshu this secret herself. She had even imagined Qiao Qingshu being distraught upon hearing the truth and begging her to keep it a secret and not to expose her father's shameful behavior.
Liu Wan'er had imagined a hundred different reactions from Qiao Qingshu, but this was definitely not the one she was seeing now.
She didn't expect that Qiao Qingshu already knew the inside story.
Moreover, he maintained a flippant and indifferent attitude.
She was so bewildered that she couldn't speak.
Qiao Qingshu, however, slowly approached, getting close to Liu Wan'er, and said softly,
"Go ahead and sue me if you dare. Don't forget you also escaped from the place of exile after your home was confiscated."
"If you sue, you won't be able to escape either. Have you had enough of living a good life?"
Liu Wan'er was surprised that Qiao Qingshu even knew about this, and she couldn't help but take two steps back.
She pointed at Qiao Qingshu and stammered.
"You...how do you know all this?"
Qiao Qingshu shrugged and smiled.
"I know a lot more than you can imagine."
Liu Wan'er's pretty face scrunched up, and she shouted in a very contorted way,
"Qiao Qingshu, don't even think about harming me! Your father, that criminal who's been hiding for years, will finally be severely punished! Your Qiao family will definitely be raided! But I... I'm now a member of the Xiao family of the Duke's Mansion, and Second Master Xiao will definitely save me! I'll be alright!"
Qiao Qingshu curled her lip in disdain.
"Really? You think you're that valuable? That Xiao Chengyan would face so much pressure to save a fugitive like you?"
Liu Wan'er was startled, but still raised her voice and said,
"Qiao Qingshu! Don't try to scare me. My crimes are nothing compared to the heinous crimes your father committed! You should be worried about him! If he's arrested, your Qiao family will be ruined, your property confiscated, and you exiled! Do you think it's worth ruining your family for two boxes of walnut charcoal?"
Liu Wan'er's goal was to threaten Qiao Qingshu into giving their eldest son's family two boxes of walnut charcoal for free, so that she could regain some face with Madam Xing.
She didn't really want to report Qiao Jizhou, nor did she want to get herself involved.
Qiao Qingshu squinted and smiled leisurely.
"Go ahead and sue. If you don't, you're a coward. I'll send you to sue."
As he spoke, he grabbed Liu Wan'er's sleeve and dragged her toward the gate.
When Liu Wan'er saw that Qiao Qingshu was actually serious, she was so scared that she refused to leave and kept shouting.
Seeing the two arguing, Xiao Zhijie, who had been watching from the sidelines, quickly whispered a reminder to Qiao Qingshu.
"Don't argue with her. Be careful of what people say. If things get out of hand, the news will spread everywhere, and that won't be good."
Xiao Zhijie overheard their conversation and, although unaware of the details, managed to glean the general idea.
If this matter gets out today, it will definitely be detrimental to the Qiao family.
But Qiao Qingshu laughed freely.
"Make a scene! That's right! The bigger the scene, the better!"
She would never be so fierce in the past, but today she actually grabbed Liu Wan'er's sleeve and started making a scene in the Xiao family.
This attracted a large number of servants and maids from the Xiao family to watch.
A few quick-witted ones left to call their master.
When Old Madam Xiao and the fourth wife of the Xiao family arrived, Liu Wan'er was almost dragged to the Xiao family gate by Qiao Qingshu.
Liu Wan'er clung tightly to a doorpost to catch her breath.
Madam Xiao was furious. She had only asked Qing Shu and Zhi Jie to stroll around the garden and cultivate their relationship, but somehow it all ended up with Liu Wan'er.