Liu Qingping’s whole body was twisted to a side in pain. With a great wrench, he finally freed himself. He rubbed his reddened ear as he grumbled, “You harpy! Couldn’t you be a little gentler?”
“Gentler? It’s thanks to the accumulated fortune of eight generations of your ancestors that I haven’t killed you yet! Liu Qingping, look at yourself! You’re as well fed as these beasts you keep; where do you think all this food comes from?!” Totally disgusted!
Instead of becoming upset, Liu Qingping put on a smile. He swept a gaze up and down her figure before putting on a woeful expression, muttering, “Aren’t you the same?”
However loud the rain was, Madam Liu still heard his words.
Her temper immediately flared up. She rolled up her sleeves and stuck her hands on her ample waist. “How am I the same as you?”
“In every way!”
“You… Liu Qingping let me give you one last warning. If you don’t release those birds immediately, I’ll roast them all.” Madam Liu furiously glared at him with arms akimbo.
In contrast, Liu Qingping put on a pitiful grimace and bowed. If force doesn’t work, appeal to her softer side. “My dear, now that I’m no longer an official, I’m bored to tears all day long. I can only breed some birds to pass the time. If I can’t even do that, wouldn’t I be bored to death?” Crocodile tears!
“Don’t you try this tactic on me. You say the same thing every time I ask you to release the birds! Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!”
Bang! The ladle in her hand landed forcefully on the stone table. Startled, Liu Qingping shrank back. “My dear, look at these birds living in the courtyard. Doesn’t it lift your spirits to hear the birds sing every day? Wouldn’t it be a pity to lose that now?”
“More like a racket every morning. Enough of your nonsense; if you aren’t going to release yourself, I’ll do it for you.” Her hands were already reaching towards the cages as she spoke.
“My dear, don’t do this! My birds, my birds…”
This dispute went on for some time, with Liu Qingping frantically closing each cage as his wife opened them until…
A pageboy ran over frantically. The scene in front of him made him pause for a moment before speaking up. “Old…Old Master, there’s someone looking for you.”
How could Liu Qingping be bothered with this when he couldn’t even stop his own wife?
The pageboy shouted again. “Old Master! There’s someone called Teacher Ji looking for you outside!”
Teacher Ji?
Hearing that, Liu Qingping froze and quickly clarified with the pageboy. “Teacher Ji?”
“It’s someone saying they’re Teacher Ji. He looks very fresh and elegant.”
Liu Qingping’s beady eyes seemed to gleam with renewed life. He suddenly grinned and sprinted towards the front yard, shouting, “Yunshu, my Yunshu is back!”
Madam Liu stared at the plump figure in the distance. Ji Yunshu is back? That painter from the yamen?
The pageboy was still standing in the same spot and actually dared to step forward and ask, “Madam, are you still going to open the birdcages?”
“Open what birdcages?! These birds are Old Master’s treasures. I’ll burn you to a crisp if you dare to lose a single one of them.”
“Madam? But…” A tick developed at the corner of his mouth.
In the front hall.
As Liu Qingping sprinted into the hall, he saw Ji Yunshu sipping tea inside. In that moment, he was so touched that tears welled up in his eyes.
“Yunshu, you’re finally back!” He pounced.
Ji Yunshu immediately stood up and dodged aside.
He could only grasp empty air.
He could only smile awkwardly in response. Unable to hide his overwhelming joy, he shamelessly continued cosying up to Ji Yunshu. “Oh Yunshu, we haven’t seen each other for almost half a year. I missed you so much! I missed you day and night, every single possible moment. What about you? Did you miss me?”
He rubbed his plump hands together with a predatory grin.
Ji Yunshu suppressed a smile and shot back, “Not at all!” How embarrassing!
Liu Qingping didn’t care one whit. He looked her up and down, then frowned with a tinge of worry. “Yunshu, why do you look so much thinner after just a trip to the capital?”
“…”
“Speaking of which, why have you returned? Don’t tell me you came back especially to visit me?”
“No.”
“Then… does the Prince not want you anymore?” he asked gingerly.
“…”
Still suppressing a smile, Ji Yunshu thought to herself, this silly man is still exactly the same!
Liu Qingping sighed. “Oh, Yunshu, you don’t know how stiflingly quiet the whole of Jinjiang has been while you’ve been at the capital for so long. It’s been mind-numbingly boring without you around here.”
Ji Yunshu’s expression suddenly turned chilly. “Alright, no more nonsense from you. Tell me the truth, how did you get dismissed from your official post?”