CH 69

Shen Zhonghua didn’t touch her. Not knowing how long it was, Shen Qi thought the time was very long. When she was really sleepy, Shen Zhonghua slowly moved away from her, climbed down from the bed with very light movements, and left with extremely light footsteps.

He left easily. Shen Qi got sleepy with great difficulty, but now she couldn’t sleep again.

The next day, Shen Qi accompanied mother Su in the courtyard. Mother Su first came to teach her how to arrange flowers and suddenly asked her: “Little Seven, do you like Prince Xuan?”

Shen Qi’s little hand trembled and the flower’s branch was cut a bit more by the scissors.

Shen Qi didn’t know whether she liked him or not. In her previous life, she loved Shen Zhonghua for a lifetime. That kind of humble love and persistence. She loved him until she offered her heart in front of him and let him mercilessly and brutally cut it a thousand cuts. Her love was so unconditional and even despair in the end. In the end, she could only give up such a way by ending her own life.

Shen Qi was dazed. Her original eyes which were as warm and damp as water in front of mother Su were intertwined with dark and gloom.

The back of Shen Qi’s hand was gently covered by mother Su’s warm and soft hands. The relationship between Shen Qi and Shen Zhonghua couldn’t be said. However, she knew more or less, let alone the sensitive nature of women. Mother Su didn’t know what happened between them and didn’t want her own daughter to be embarrassed. She said softly to her: “Little Seven doesn’t know how to answer then she doesn’t need to answer. In front of your mother, you don’t need to think twice about what you do or say.”

Father Su heard it, he snorted and said in a loud voice: “My Su Hongwei daughter, the general’s young miss, doesn’t need to think twice about what she says or does at any time, anywhere, or act cautiously! Not to mention Little Seven is docile, cute, clever, and quick-witted. She won’t make mistakes at all. If her tongue is loose and causes trouble, there’s also her own father and brothers to solve it for her!”

Mother Su laughed tenderly and gave father Su a glance then lowered her head to peel lychee for Shen Qi.

These lychees were the evergreen of the Lingnan Tribute. It was very precious and expensive. It was harvested every year. His majesty and the empress held a lychee banquet in the palace and invited a group of ministers and concubines to taste together. The empress and empress dowager obtained the most, the favored concubines obtained some, the princes obtained some, and the important ministers in the court also obtained some.

(T/N: Lingnan (an old term for south China, esp. Guangdong and Guangxi) literally means: ‘South of the Nanling Mountains’ is a geographic area referring to the lands in the south of the Nanling Mountains.)

The Su family obtained sixty-eight. Father Su gave all his share to mother Su. Coincidentally, several older brothers kept three or two to themselves and gave the rest of the evergreen to Shen Qi like their parents. Mother Su saw it. Although her mouth said: “You’re not afraid of Little Seven eating too many and having a fever?” Her face was actually very happy. She quickly called the servant girl to bring the ice container to cool the lychee and she personally peeled one by one for her daughter to eat.

(T/N: although I called it an ice container, but I don’t think it is. A picture is below.)

Don’t just mention evergreen, Shen Qi had rarely eaten lychee before. Lychee wasn’t easy to survive and even more, it wasn’t easy to transport. It also couldn’t be kept for long. It could be described as a very precious fruit. Prior to the two lives, Shen Qi had only eaten two or three, and these two or three were still eaten when Shen Zhonghua wanted to “play a game” with her.

Therefore, when Shen Qi was eating lychee, her eyes were wet. She wasn’t greedy and also wasn’t because this lychee was delicious, but there were parents who loved and the feeling of father and older brothers really loved her dearly was so good. Such a scene, she once thought, was a fantasy and an extravagant hope.

Shen Qi thought to herself that the flowers she inserted weren’t good-looking and stood out amongst those of mother Su’s. However, mother Su really was full of praise for her works. It was exaggerated like encouraging a child, but it was also the praise from the bottom of her heart: “Our Little Seven is really clever.”

Shen Qi was a little embarrassed.

It was said that the lychee that was rewarded by His Majesty among the ministers, the young prime minister Bai Jue in white robes, and the Su family obtained the most. Of the few sons of His Majesty, Prince Xuan obtained the most.

Shen Qi didn’t know at the time. This matter was also a branching point that was different from the previous life.

At this time in the previous life, there were only eight lychees obtained by Shen Zhonghua which wasn’t as good as a Grand Scribe.

(T/N: Tai Shiling. When searching Taishiling, there are so many meanings so I simply put wiki here^^.)

In this life, there were actually fifty lychees obtained by Shen Zhonghua.

How did Shen Qi know?

Because in the evening, when she was going to fall asleep, Shen Zhonghua came again and also brought the lychees he was rewarded in the palace today.

There were fifty in total. It was just like they were just taken out of the ice container. They were slightly cold and many with water droplets.