While they were chatting and laughing, several maids came over carrying tea and pastries. Xiao Jinglin thought Xiao Jingxi had sent them and didn’t pay much attention.
Silly Girl, having been repeatedly pushed down by Xiao Jinglin, persistently got back up, her paws still stubbornly clinging to the Songjiang cloth on the bamboo basket, biting it with great delight.
Xiao Jingxi picked up Silly Girl and placed her back into the bamboo basket, handing it to the stewardess of the garden. "Take her away and feed her until she’s full."
The stewardess immediately took the basket and was about to leave when Xiao Jinglin said, "Bring the food here to feed her."
The stewardess quickly agreed and instructed the maids standing outside the pavilion.
The maids entered the pavilion, taking out the pastries from the food box one by one and replacing the tea bowls in front of Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jinglin.
Xiao Jinglin found it strange. "Why are there only two bowls of tea?" There were clearly three people here.
The maids exchanged glances, and one of the quick-witted ones immediately replied, "Miss Yun asked us to bring some tea and pastries for the Commandery Princess and the Fifth Miss Ren. We didn’t know the Second Young Master was here. Please forgive us, masters. We’ll go fetch another bowl right away."
Hearing that it was Yun Qiuchen who had sent them, Xiao Jinglin said nothing more. Xiao Jingxi must have entered the garden without alerting anyone.
"Here, you can have mine. I’m not thirsty," Xiao Jinglin said, pushing her tea bowl toward Xiao Jingxi. Seeing the maid bring over the food for the little tiger, she was about to get up to take a look.
Ren Yaoqi hadn’t drunk much of her tea earlier and was now genuinely thirsty. Since the maid had gone to fetch more tea, she didn’t hesitate and picked up her own teacup.
As she lifted the lid, Ren Yaoqi felt something was off—the tea didn’t seem very hot—but she didn’t pay it much mind. However, when she opened the lid, she was startled to see something crawling out of the teacup. Before she could even make out what it was, instinctive fear and alertness made her gasp softly. She immediately threw the teacup onto the stone table and stood up, stepping away. But as the creatures inside the teacup scattered, one of them quickly leaped onto the front of her robe.
Xiao Jingxi had also been about to drink his tea, but as soon as he picked up the bowl, he sensed something was wrong. Just as he was about to warn Ren Yaoqi, he heard a clatter as she threw her teacup and stood up.
"Don’t move!" Xiao Jingxi’s expression changed as soon as he saw what was crawling on Ren Yaoqi’s robe, and he immediately stopped her from trying to swat it away.
It was a black spider the size of a longan, and Xiao Jingxi recognized it at a glance as a highly venomous spider.
Ren Yaoqi forced herself to stay still, though her face was pale and she couldn’t help trembling slightly.
But her stillness didn’t stop the spider from moving. The venomous spider was quickly crawling along the front of her robe. That day, she was wearing a peach-red short jacket with white trim and a pattern of peach blossoms, with a crossed collar. Just as the spider was about to crawl inside her robe, Xiao Jingxi moved like lightning, pinching the spider and throwing it to the ground.
Xiao Jinglin immediately stepped forward and crushed the spider to death. There had been three spiders crawling out of the teacup. The other two had scurried toward Xiao Jinglin’s side and were quickly killed by her and Hongying.
Ren Yaoqi had always been afraid of multi-legged creatures—it was an instinct, unrelated to her experience—and this spider was clearly venomous.Her mind went blank for a moment, unsure how to react.
Xiao Jingxi quickly glanced over Ren Yaoqi, relieved to see she hadn’t been bitten.
“It’s all right now, don’t be afraid.” His voice was softer than ever, carrying a soothing power.
After all, Ren Yaoqi wasn’t a child anymore, and her ability to control her emotions was quite good. She immediately tried to relax her body. Though her complexion was still somewhat pale, she managed to give Xiao Jingxi a smile. “I’m fine, thank you.”
If Xiao Jingxi hadn’t risked catching that venomous spider for her just now, it would have crawled into her collar. To find it, she would have had to take off her clothes immediately, but they were outdoors. If word got out that she had undressed in public, her reputation would be ruined. Yet if she waited until she returned indoors to search for it, she wasn’t sure she would still be alive.
Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was unharmed, Xiao Jinglin sighed in relief but immediately frowned and turned to Xiao Jingxi. “Let me see your hand.”
Xiao Jingxi paused, then smiled at Xiao Jinglin. “I’m fine.”
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi also looked nervously at Xiao Jingxi. After all, Xiao Jingxi had caught that venomous spider barehanded. But his hand was covered by his sleeve, making it impossible to tell if he had been injured.
Xiao Jinglin stared unblinkingly at Xiao Jingxi and repeated, “Let me see your hand.”
Xiao Jingxi was about to say something, but Xiao Jinglin had already impatiently darted forward to take action.
Xiao Jingxi tried to avoid her but immediately stopped, looking somewhat helplessly at Xiao Jinglin. “All right, don’t act rashly. I’ll let you see.”
Xiao Jinglin stopped but continued to stare intently at Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi sighed with a smile and extended his right hand, speaking gently, “This type of spider is specially bred for raising gu, so its entire body is poisonous. But don’t be afraid—it won’t kill me.”
When Ren Yaoqi saw Xiao Jingxi’s hand, she gasped in shock. The index finger and thumb of his right hand were already swollen, and upon closer inspection, his face also looked somewhat pale.
Xiao Jinglin grabbed Xiao Jingxi’s hand, examined it with a deep frown, then looked up at him and sneered, “It won’t kill you! At most, you’ll just lose your right hand!”
Ren Yaoqi was startled and, forgetting about propriety, took Xiao Jingxi’s hand to examine it while calling to Hongying nearby, “Quickly prepare some indigo leaves, realgar, alum, and vinegar. Although I’ve never seen that type of venomous spider before, this kind of antidote recipe should still be somewhat useful.”
As she carefully examined Xiao Jingxi’s injury, she racked her brain to recall if there were any other antidote formulas in the medical books she had read.
Xiao Jingxi’s hand had been hurting, but now, held in Ren Yaoqi’s hand, it felt somewhat itchy and numb. He wasn’t sure if this was a sign of poisoning, but he didn’t pull his hand away.
Still, the tips of Xiao Jingxi’s ears turned red uncontrollably. Nevertheless, he maintained a calm expression and smiled reassuringly at Ren Yaoqi. “I’m really fine. The medicine I take daily has detoxifying properties. That spider’s venom might be unbearable for ordinary people, but it’s not a big deal for me. The swelling on my hand will go down in a few hours. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you then.”Upon hearing this, Ren Yaoqi was taken aback. Was the medicine Xiao Jingxi drank daily meant to detoxify poison? Could it be that Xiao Jingxi’s poor health was not due to a congenital weakness but rather because he had been poisoned?
Although Ren Yaoqi was still very worried, she sensed that it would be better not to pursue this topic further.
Xiao Jinglin gave Xiao Jingxi a meaningful look upon hearing this.
Xiao Jinglin knew that Xiao Jingxi had never spoken to outsiders about being poisoned. Everyone believed Xiao Jingxi was naturally frail.
Ren Yaoqi glanced at Xiao Jinglin and noticed that although her brows were still furrowed, she did not seem overly concerned. She hadn’t even rushed to call for a doctor. The maids and matrons Xiao Jinglin had brought along were not panicking either. The head matron was directing people to carefully put away the teacup Xiao Jingxi had not uncovered and collect the dead spiders on the ground, which were now beyond recognition.
The maids who had just served tea and snacks had long been driven out of the pavilion by Hongxiao. The four maids were trembling as they prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to make a sound, let alone beg for mercy.
Only Xiao Jinglin’s trusted maids and the head matron remained in the pavilion.
Ren Yaoqi’s concern had clouded her judgment. She hadn’t noticed these details earlier, but as soon as Xiao Jinglin mentioned that Xiao Jingxi’s right hand might be lost, she had focused solely on worrying about his injury.
However, Ren Yaoqi felt it would be best to have a doctor examine Xiao Jingxi’s hand. Just as she was about to voice her suggestion, she suddenly heard a man’s angry voice shout, “What are you doing!”
Ren Yaoqi turned and saw Yun Wenfang, who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, staring at her… or rather, at her hand, with shock and fury.
Looking down, Ren Yaoqi realized that in her worry over Xiao Jingxi’s injury, she was still holding his hand and hadn’t let go.
Her face flushed uncontrollably, but she tried to remain composed as she released his hand.
Yun Wenfang strode over quickly. Hongying stepped forward to block him, but Yun Wenfang, his eyes blazing with fury, sidestepped, blocked Hongying’s arm, and pushed her back with a forceful shove, sending her stumbling.
Xiao Jinglin frowned, wanting to throw this arrogant fellow out, but as she took a step forward, she suddenly seemed to remember something. She glanced at Xiao Jingxi, then silently retracted her step and even subtly retreated a little, allowing Yun Wenfang to approach unimpeded.
Hongying, Hongxiao, and the other maids had served Xiao Jinglin for many years and naturally noticed her actions. Though puzzled, they all refrained from moving.
“Ren Yaoqi! Get over here!”
Yun Wenfang reached out to grab Ren Yaoqi, but Xiao Jingxi shifted to block him, raising his hand to stop Yun Wenfang’s advance. He smiled faintly. “Zishu, what are you doing?”
Yun Wenfang’s gaze toward Xiao Jingxi was sharp as knives. “Xiao Jingxi, step aside.”
Yun Wenfang still retained some semblance of reason. Though his attitude was terrible, he restrained himself from laying hands on Xiao Jingxi.
Xiao Jingxi’s smile remained unchanged, and he did not move an inch. “I just injured my hand, so I asked Miss Ren to take a look at it.”
Xiao Jingxi’s words served as an explanation. He did not want Ren Yaoqi’s reputation to suffer. Unfortunately, Yun Wenfang’s mind was filled only with the glaring image of Ren Yaoqi holding Xiao Jingxi’s hand, and he was in no mood to listen."I'll say it one more time, get out of my way!" Yun Wenfang stared coldly at Xiao Jingxi, his hands clenched tightly into fists. Those present could hear the cracking sounds of his knuckles, combined with his fierce, almost demonic expression, making the threat palpable and causing people to feel an involuntary sense of fear.
Ren Yaoqi’s expression was also far from pleasant. Yun Wenfang’s behavior made it seem as if there was some illicit affair between them, which would be quite the spectacle if others saw it.
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