He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 158 A Warm Current Flows By

Looking at this scene, Xiao Chengyan couldn't help but feel a stinging pain in his eyes.

When Xiao Chengyan entered the room, bringing with him a chill, everyone looked towards the doorway.

When Madam Xiao saw him arrive, she hurriedly called him in, then ordered someone to bring him a stool and serve him tea and water.

However, Xiao Chengyan still felt neglected.

In the past, whenever I came to the old lady's room, I would always sit next to her.

He was very dissatisfied that this position had now been taken by Qiao Qingshu and Xiao Zhijie.

But it wasn't appropriate to show it at this moment, so he just sat quietly to the side.

The crowd had lost their former enthusiasm for Xiao Chengyan and were now fawning over Qiao Qingshu.

The wives of the third and fourth wives took turns pouring tea and serving snacks to Qiao Qingshu, practically revolving around her.

Xiao Chengyan finally couldn't help but speak up.

"Shu'er, I heard that you sent our family four boxes of walnut charcoal. You know, the price of ordinary charcoal in the capital has skyrocketed and it's hard to buy these days. How did you manage to get so much walnut charcoal all at once?"

The lively room suddenly fell silent.

Xiao Chengyan shouldn't call her Shu'er anymore, since their engagement has been dissolved. He should call her Miss Qiao.

But Xiao Chengyan had this ulterior motive: he wanted to show off in front of Xiao Zhijie how close he and Qiao Qingshu had been back then.

Secondly, Xiao Chengyan's question really hit the nail on the head. The third and fourth wives had been rambling on and on, trying to extract information from Qiao Qingshu in a roundabout way so that they could buy more.

But after all that talk, Qiao Qingshu's answers were watertight, and not a single useful piece of information could be extracted from her.

Now that Xiao Chengyan has asked such a direct question, everyone is very curious about how Qiao Qingshu will answer.

Their gazes involuntarily turned to Qiao Qingshu.

Qiao Qingshu simply smiled faintly and first corrected his form of address.

"Young Master Xiao, our engagement has long been dissolved. Do you think it's appropriate for you to still call me by my maiden name in front of my fiancé?"

The words were spoken softly, yet they completely revealed Xiao Chengyan's shameful and scheming thoughts.

Xiao Chengyan was surprised that Qiao Qingshu would point it out like that, which made him feel a little embarrassed.

He coughed a few times, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

"Oh, I'm used to calling you that, so I guess I didn't think of that just now."

Madam Gu from the third branch of the family also spoke in Qiao Qingshu's favor, teasing Xiao Chengyan.

"Yan-ge'er should be more careful in the future. Besides, Jie-ge'er is here today. Fortunately, Jie-ge'er is easygoing. If he had encountered someone petty, he might have been secretly jealous, which would not be a good thing for a young lady."

Xiao Chengyan disliked his third aunt for being so talkative, but he could only reluctantly nod.

"It won't happen again next time."

Qiao Qingshu then said,

"Young Master Xiao just asked me about the origin of the walnut charcoal. These things were originally from the family storeroom. When my mother was alive, she was extremely sensitive to the cold. In spring and autumn, there was always a charcoal brazier in the house, so naturally, we had a lot of walnut charcoal at home. I used to complain that these things took up space. But now, looking at them, it's like a blessing from the Bodhisattva. Luckily, we didn't clean them out in time."

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement, no longer doubting it.

Bai was indeed afraid of the cold, and the women of the Xiao family had heard of this, so this reason was very convincing.

Everyone no longer doubted him, but Xiao Chengyan remained unconvinced and continued to press him relentlessly.

“These days, charcoal is incredibly expensive. You’re willing to give so much to my old lady? You must have ulterior motives.”

These words were very rude, and even the old lady Xiao, who hadn't opened her eyes the whole time, got angry when she heard them.

She suppressed her anger and said,

"Your mother just got yelled at and left, and now you're coming here to get yelled at again?!"

He waved his sleeve and chased them away.

Go back to your room, don't annoy me here!

Xiao Chengyan clenched his fists tightly in anger; this was the first time he had ever been chased away by his grandmother.

His grandmother used to treat him like her own flesh and blood, but ever since he broke off his engagement with Qiao Qingshu, he has always received a cold shoulder from her.

And now they're actually chasing him away like this in front of everyone.

Xiao Chengyan was furious and was about to argue when he was dragged out by the Third Madam and the Fourth Madam.

They escorted Xiao Chengyan all the way to the outside of the courtyard.

The third wife then shoved him and said...

"Yan-ge'er is getting more and more irritable these days. The old lady was finally in a better mood, and you're adding fuel to the fire. Do you think you've already asked for a beating?"

The fourth wife also said.

"Instead of getting angry, Brother Yan would be better off thinking of a way to get some charcoal. I heard the temperature tonight is several degrees lower than yesterday."

These words stunned Xiao Chengyan, and he suddenly realized that it was indeed true.

Throwing a tantrum now is pointless; it's better to think about how to get through the night.

Thinking back to the several basins of walnut charcoal that he and Liu Wan'er had wasted, Xiao Chengyan finally realized his wastefulness.

But it's too late to regret it now!

He lifted his robe and strode out of the Xiao residence, intending to fetch some charcoal.

Qiao Qingshu originally intended to stay for a while and then leave, but the Xiao family was so hospitable that she stayed for a meal.

After the meal, Madam Xiao thoughtfully asked Xiao Zhijie to accompany Qiao Qingshu for a walk in the garden.

Qiao Qingshu readily accepted, wondering if she could take this opportunity to see her brother one more time.

Walking along the path, Xiao Zhijie spoke softly to Qiao Qingshu.

“I have been doing what you asked me to do to take care of your brother. A few days ago, I even gave him some walnut charcoal. Now that you have sent two more boxes, I will give him some more land.”

Qiao Qingshu nodded and asked for more details.

Is An'er eating well? Is her blanket thick enough? Has she caught a cold these past few days?

Xiao Zhijie told her everything in detail, and as they talked, they walked to the wall of the abandoned courtyard again.

Xiao Zhijie wrapped his arm around her waist, and in an instant they landed on the second floor of the library.

Just like last time, Xiao Zhijie wisely stood guard at the door, letting Qiao Qingshu go in to see An'er.

Qiao Qingshu pushed open the door and entered, only to see An'er sitting in the sunlight, dressed in very thick clothes, reading a book.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, he slowly looked up and saw Qiao Qingshu's face.

He stood up, inexplicably excited, and began to babble.

"Aaaaaah..."

It means you've finally arrived.

Qiao Qingshu stepped forward and grabbed An'er's hand, her eyes welling up with tears.

She touched An'er's hand, and only then did she feel relieved.

She asked with concern,

"Are you cold while sleeping these days? Are you suffering from the cold?"

An'er shook her head excitedly, pointed to the thick clothes she was wearing, and then took out a piece of paper from her bosom and stuffed it into her hand.

Qiao Qingshu slowly opened it and saw that it said,

"Thank you, I am very warm, not cold at all. Thank you for the warm clothes and charcoal."

Qiao Qingshu looked up and saw An'er smiling and giving her a thank you gesture.

A warm current suddenly flowed through Qiao Qingshu's heart.