TSWRLM -Chapter 367 Thank You, Brother, for Taking the Punishment for Me

After sending off the gift, Xiao Yecheng fell back into a state of anxious anticipation.

That box of wooden carvings wasn’t made by a master artisan—it was painstakingly carved bit by bit by him. The wood itself wasn’t precious either, and he wasn’t sure if the young mistress would like it.

Moreover, the carvings depicted the young mistress at the time of her coming-of-age ceremony. Knowing that he had harbored secret feelings for her so early, how would she think of him?

But last night, she had gradually pressed him until he confessed his feelings. He didn’t want to hide anything from her anymore.

Xiao Yecheng couldn’t stop overthinking, but fortunately, Xiao Qinghe arrived soon after.

Her attire was no different than usual, but after last night’s confession, Xiao Yecheng no longer dared meet her gaze directly.

The moment he saw her, he sprang to his feet, stammering: “He’er, you came here yourself?”

He had only sent some small trinkets. Normally, a servant could deliver her response—whether she liked it or not—but her coming personally caught him off guard.

“Brother, did you not want to see me?”

Xiao Qinghe asked in return. Xiao Yecheng hurriedly shook his head: “No, of course, I want to see He’er at all times.”

After saying this, he frowned, realizing he might have sounded a bit too casual.

Xiao Qinghe didn’t seem to mind. She spoke softly: “I received your gift, Brother, and I really like it. I just don’t know which artisan made it. I’d like to have another pair made as a wedding gift for Yue’er.”

Hearing that she liked the gift, Xiao Yecheng felt his heart drop from his throat. His lips curved into a quick smile, though he soon suppressed it: “I carved it myself. He’er, you can draw a design for me, and I’ll carve a pair for Yue’er myself.”

Right now, she had only listed him as a potential suitor. If he wasn’t ultimately chosen, personally carving a wedding gift for Xiao Qingyue might not be appropriate.

And if the young mistress wanted to pay him for the work… should he accept it or not?

Xiao Yecheng immediately had a new dilemma. But before he could dwell on it, Xiao Qinghe said: “Alright, then I’ll trouble you, Brother.”

She didn’t mention payment. Xiao Yecheng’s face lit up, and he quickly said, “Then I’ll go arrange for the best wood right away.”

Wood carving was meticulous work. The sculpture of the young mistress riding the horse had taken him half a year to finish. With less than three months until Xiao Qingyue’s wedding, he had to start immediately to achieve the same level of detail.

Xiao Yecheng was already mentally planning how to carve it when Xiao Qinghe handed him a small jar of ointment.

The ointment came in a porcelain-white bottle, but her fingers looked even whiter than the jar. Soft, tender, well-cared-for fingers with nails of a pretty pink hue.

Xiao Yecheng’s breath caught, and he looked up at her flustered: “He’er, this is…”

“I saw that your hand seemed injured. You should heal it before starting the carvings. Yue’er likes quirky things, so the dolls don’t need to be too detailed—cute and charming is enough. It shouldn’t take too long.”

Taking the ointment, Xiao Yecheng felt his chest flush.

The jar still carried her warmth. Despite the darkness of last night, she had noticed the injury on his hand. And the concern about payment he had been worrying over—she had thought of that too.

The young mistress had truly begun paying attention to him.

The realization made Xiao Yecheng’s heart soar. If he had a tail, it would be wagging so fast it would blur.

Not wanting to lose his composure, he accepted the ointment and said: “Thank you, He’er, for your concern. I’ll go choose the wood right away.”

He turned to leave, but after two steps, Xiao Qinghe’s voice stopped him: “Brother.”

He forced a calm smile and glanced back: “He’er, do you still have something to say?”

“When I had my coming-of-age ceremony, thank you for taking the punishment for me.”

Xiao Yecheng was stunned: “He’er, how did you know?”

That day, when Xiao Qinghe had gone out, Madam Xiao discovered it.

Although the Wei and Xiao families had long planned a betrothal, the marriage date wasn’t set yet. If they had gone out alone, and passion got the better of them, it would have been disastrous.

The young mistress’s maids were punished, and under Xiao Qinghe’s father’s questioning, the culprit—Xiao Yecheng—was naturally found.

He was whipped twenty times, forced to kneel for three days, and fell ill.

However, Madam Xiao had silenced everyone in the family, so the young mistress had never heard of it, and afterward, no one mentioned it again.

In such a short time, she hadn’t investigated—it was simply a test to tease him.

Unexpectedly, she had actually drawn it out of him.

Xiao Qinghe’s heart sank, feeling conflicted.

Hearing that conversation outside her grandmother’s room, she belatedly realized Xiao Yecheng’s feelings. Seeing the wooden sculpture, she recognized that his love for her was far deeper and longer than she had imagined. Standing face to face with him, hearing the confirmation she had longed for, she suddenly understood: while her young heart had adored Wei Lingze wholeheartedly, there had been someone guarding and loving her silently all along.

She and Wei Lingze had grown up as childhood companions, hearts in sync, until life had separated them, yet Xiao Yecheng had remained by her side.

If not for her grandmother helping to expose his feelings, perhaps he would have continued to hide his love, protecting her quietly for a lifetime.

He desired nothing from her—no looks, no status—only her happiness.

How could anyone love another so completely?

Her mind a whirlwind of emotions, Xiao Qinghe kept her expression calm, her eyes curved in a soft smile: “I actually knew nothing, I was just teasing you. Brother, can you tell me what punishment you received back then?”

“It’s been so long, I’ve mostly forgotten. He’er, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Xiao Yecheng shrugged, unwilling to dwell on the topic.

Xiao Qinghe didn’t press further. After he walked a little distance, she called out: “Brother, it seems you’re limping the wrong way.”

Xiao Yecheng froze.

Of course something felt off—he had actually limped in front of the young mistress! How embarrassing!

He wanted to explain, but hearing her laugh behind him, he relaxed.

No matter. As long as He’er was happy, he could be embarrassed.

Xiao Yecheng limped along the road, leaving the Xiao residence.

Just after he left, Xie Zhang brought news of Madam Yu.

Since parting at Yunshan Temple, Madam Yu had returned to recuperate. The Xiao family and the princess’s residence had sent people to investigate and gather evidence, but there was still little. Suddenly, Madam Yu suffered a poison outbreak, vomiting blood, her life hanging by a thread.

Upon receiving the news, Xiao Qinghe first went to discuss matters with Chun Xi.

If Madam Yu was killed by Yu Zhao, finding evidence would be even harder, and even if found, it wouldn’t undo Madam Yu’s tragedy—they had to act faster.