TSWPF -Chapter 420 Kind-Heartedness

Liu Zhimou glanced at Diandian, who was delightfully entertained by Li Qingling, and smiled indulgently. He reached out and ruffled the little creature sitting in his lap. Ever since this little one had joined the family, the house had been filled with much more laughter.

This little guy was essentially the family’s Bundle of joy, capable of making everyone laugh out loud with just a casual act.

Diandian lifted its gaze at Liu Zhimou and placed its two chubby little paws on the chair. Its round eyes looked at Li Qingling excitedly, asking her when it could go out shopping.

It really wanted to go out and see what the world outside was like.

Since its birth, it had only been to Ninghua Mountain; it hadn’t visited anywhere else.

So naturally, it was eager to explore beyond the familiar.

Li Qingling looked at the adorable Diandian, worry flickering in her eyes. She frowned slightly and said it couldn’t go out on its own—it might be captured by bad people.

She genuinely feared that the little one, being bold and headstrong, might ignore her warnings and run off by itself.

If misfortune struck and it was taken by villains, how could they ever retrieve it?

To her, Diandian was family, and she couldn’t imagine life without it.

Seeing Li Qingling so concerned, Diandian obediently nodded, promising that it wouldn’t wander off and would follow its father instead.

Although it really wanted to go out, it didn’t want to worry its mistress, so it obediently decided to go along with its dad.

Li Qingling’s lips curved into a smile as she patted its little head and said, “Good.”

Diandian happily let out a couple of cheerful sounds and then asked when its dad would go out to play.

Li Qingling told it to be patient and not to rush.

Diandian suppressed its eagerness and replied, “Okay.”

“Good, wait a little longer!” Li Qingling gently patted its head again. “You don’t have to stay here with me. Go find Ningning and the others to play!”

Diandian missed Ningning and the others too. It gave a nod, jumped off Liu Zhimou’s lap, and dashed away like a little streak.

Watching Diandian’s retreating figure, Li Qingling shook her head with a smile. “This little one…”

“Has gotten heavier,” Liu Zhimou added softly. “Wife, don’t you think Diandian needs to lose a little weight?” Who knew how many treats it had snuck, turning into a round little chubby ball.

Compared to his and his wife’s fit physiques, its plump little body was almost painful to look at.

Li Qingling stifled a laugh and shot Liu Zhimou a side glance. She told him not to say that in front of Diandian—it would puff up in anger.

The little one always thought it was strong and healthy! If it heard someone call it fat, it would surely get offended.

Besides, it was still young, and its round little body was undeniably cute.

When it grows up…

Li Qingling couldn’t help but imagine the scene, but quickly shook her head. The image was too much; she dared not think further.

Liu Zhimou chuckled, promising he’d be careful not to discourage the little one.

After all, since Diandian was the family’s little source of joy, he would do his best not to hurt its feelings.

Li Qingling smiled and shifted the topic to other matters.

At that moment, Xichun came in and said, “Madam Hu is here.”

Upon hearing this, Li Qingling’s eyes brightened, and she glanced at Liu Zhimou.

Liu Zhimou pinched her cheek helplessly. “Alright, alright. I’ll head to the study and let you two chat.” His wife didn’t need him for a moment—poor guy.

Li Qingling smiled and thanked him.

Liu Zhimou quickly stood up, kissed her forehead, then left satisfied.

Li Qingling touched her forehead, smiling.

Hu Juanjuan entered and saw Li Qingling grinning. “Madam, what’s made you so happy?”

Seeing Hu Juanjuan looking so dark and thin, Li Qingling’s heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly invited her to sit.

Hu Juanjuan thanked her, sat down confidently beside Li Qingling, and scrutinized her carefully before asking, worriedly, if she had been frightened.

She had been extremely anxious after hearing about the county magistrate’s house being attacked.

Once she received a letter from her husband, she hurried back with her four sons.

After arriving home and putting down their luggage, she immediately came to check on Li Qingling.

Thankfully, Li Qingling was unharmed.

Li Qingling shook her head. “I’m fine.” Then she asked how Hu Juanjuan had become so dark and thin in just a few days.

Previously, they had planned to have Hu Juanjuan and her family stay at Niutou Village for a while, but she didn’t want to trouble them, so she returned to her parents’ home with her four sons.

It was fortunate she had gone back to her parents’ home; otherwise, who knew what might have happened?

“I was helping out at my parents’ place, working under the sun,” Hu Juanjuan waved it off, then held Li Qingling’s hand and said with lingering anxiety, “Madam, you don’t know how worried I was when I heard the news. Luckily, heaven watched over us, and the rebels didn’t succeed.” If her parents hadn’t stopped her, she would have rushed back immediately.

She felt quite guilty for not being able to return immediately to help Li Qingling.

Li Qingling sensed Hu Juanjuan’s guilt, and smiled, patting her hand. “It’s okay. It’s all in the past now.”

“I couldn’t stay by Madam’s side and face danger together…”

Her words were cut off by Li Qingling. “Luckily you weren’t here. Otherwise, we’d have to spend troops protecting you, wasting my time to escape, right?” She winked playfully at Hu Juanjuan.

Seeing Li Qingling’s mischievous expression, Hu Juanjuan pursed her lips in a smile, her guilt easing. Since Madam didn’t want to discuss it, she wouldn’t bring it up again.

“On my way, I heard the villagers talking about Ah Huang, saying he’s a great hero. Madam, do you know what that’s about?” Curious, Hu Juanjuan asked.

What had Ah Huang done to become Ninghua County’s hero?

She noticed that when villagers mentioned Ah Huang, they weren’t afraid at all but looked at him with admiration.

This amazed her.

Li Qingling saw Hu Juanjuan’s curiosity and briefly recounted Ah Huang’s deeds.

After listening, Hu Juanjuan praised him. Ah Huang deserved the title of a great hero.

Who would’ve thought the county magistrate’s tiger could not only hunt but also fight villains—truly impressive.

If Ah Huang heard Hu Juanjuan’s praise, its tail would probably curl up in pride.

As a family member, she also thought Ah Huang was amazing.

However, humility was still needed at times.

“It’s nothing; it’s just for show,” Li Qingling said modestly.

“Madam, that’s not right! Ah Huang…” Hu Juanjuan rattled off more praise, making Li Qingling want to pat her forehead.

Great, another die-hard fan of Ah Huang.

Li Qingling dared not be modest further, lest she be lectured.

Once Hu Juanjuan finished, Li Qingling smiled and offered her a sip of tea to soothe her throat.

Hu Juanjuan took it eagerly and drank it all in one go.

“….”

Li Qingling twitched at her boldness. She wondered if Hu Juanjuan even noticed the delicate flavor of her Biluochun tea.

Deciding to ensure it, she poured another cup herself.

After a few sips, Hu Juanjuan, feeling refreshed, looked at Li Qingling with a secretive expression. “Madam, do you know about the He, Zhao, Wang, and Lin families?” She had overheard a lot of gossip along the way.

Li Qingling raised an eyebrow. “What about them?”

Being home all the time, she hadn’t heard any gossip.

Hu Juanjuan chuckled twice. Coupled with her dark, thin face, Li Qingling couldn’t help but avert her eyes—she couldn’t bear to look at that mischievous grin.

Is it really okay to smile so slyly?

She pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. It wasn’t mockery—just that the expression was funny.

“I heard the wives of the He, Zhao, Wang, and Lin families demanded divorces from their heads. Birds of a feather, in times of disaster, they each fly away separately. I find it ironic.”

Li Qingling wondered how the four men would feel when they found out.

Despite the curiosity, she couldn’t sympathize with the He, Zhao, Wang, and Lin families—they were rebels against the court, almost endangering the county magistrate.

Her husband had said that if the men in black hadn’t arrived in time, the county magistrate’s situation…

She couldn’t even imagine what would have happened if the county magistrate had been harmed.

Hearing this, Li Qingling sneered coldly, “After causing trouble at the government office, they realized they couldn’t escape punishment. Afraid of implicating themselves, they thought about divorcing. Before the incident, they didn’t. Afterward, they try to divorce to escape responsibility? Impossible.”

“Madam, what punishment will they face?”

Li Qingling shook her head. “I don’t know. Everything depends on the imperial edict. This isn’t an ordinary case. It’s beyond Liu Zhimou’s authority—it’s the emperor’s decision.”

The edict was probably already on its way; soon, the outcome would be known.

According to Liu Zhimou, he hoped to plead for the families’ relatives, asking the emperor not to punish them severely—they were innocent and shouldn’t be implicated.

It was uncertain whether the emperor would grant Liu Zhimou’s request.

Hu Juanjuan, not cruel by nature, sighed at the thought of hundreds of innocent family members of the He, Zhao, Wang, and Lin families.

She truly wondered how those four men could have become rebels against the court.

Being a rebel was no easy feat—a single misstep could lead to extermination of the clan.

Just looking at the consequences for those four families was enough to see the danger.

“How pitiful for the innocent families,” Hu Juanjuan muttered.

Li Qingling glanced at her and smiled, telling her about Liu Zhimou’s decision.

Despite her tough words, Hu Juanjuan had a soft heart—a classic case of a sharp tongue with a tender heart.

Hu Juanjuan, hearing Li Qingling’s explanation, praised the county magistrate again. She couldn’t have forgiven someone trying to kill her like he did.

Li Qingling smiled again. “Liu Zhimou was just doing what he ought to do.”