C55

Prime Minister's Estate.

Bing-Er hit her back and waist in pain and walked to where she lived.

It had already been a few days since she came here, and the only person she came in contact with was Lian'er. Ever since that elder sister Fang had sent her to that small dilapidated courtyard, she had never appeared again. She thought that after she got to know Lian'er, she would get some information about Xiu-Er from Lian's mouth. However, Lian'er didn't like to talk, so no matter what Bing-Er said to her, she wouldn't care about her. He just kept his head down and kept washing his clothes. She couldn't get any information about Xiu-Er from Lian.

Sigh! Bing-Er sighed. She actually washed clothes like Lian'er did. All she could see were clothes. If this went on, she would never be able to find out who killed Xiu-Er!

When she passed Lian'er's room, she could not help but feel a little puzzled. If she remembered correctly, last night when she woke up, Lian'er's room seemed to be lit up with candles. It was already very late in the night, so logically, Lian'er should have already been asleep. Was there something wrong with this Lian?

Just as she passed by Lian'er's room, the candle in Lian'er's room suddenly went out.

Bing-Er twitched her mouth. 'Did she think too much?'

She pushed open her door gently and entered the room under the moonlight. She went to the window and lit up the candle on the windowsill. The weak light from the candle lit up the whole room as if it was daytime.

Bing'er took the candle and walked to the bed. Just as she was about to take off her clothes and go to bed, someone knocked on her door. "Bing'er, are you inside?" Outside the door, Lian's anxious and frightened voice entered Bing'er's ears.

Bing'er couldn't help but wonder, why would Lian'er come looking for her at this time?

"I'm here." Although she was confused, Bing-Er went to the door and opened it.

As soon as Bing-Er opened the door, Lian'er rushed into Bing-Er's room. When she went in, she nearly knocked Bing-Er over.

Bing-Er held Lian'er's shoulder in pain. She looked at Lian'er, who was wearing a suit. Her face was pale. Her hands kept moving, and her shoulders kept shaking. She looked down at her toes, as if she were afraid of something.

Bing-Er walked slowly to Lian'er and asked with concern, "Lian'er, what's wrong?"

Lian'er suddenly raised her head and looked at Bing'er. Her pretty eyes were full of fear. She held Bing'er's hand tightly and begged, "Bing'er, can you let me stay here for the night?"

Lian'er's small hands were cold, and there was no warmth in them at all. Her eyes were blurry, and she didn't dare to look Bing-Er in the eye. Bing-Er knew that something must have happened to Lian'er. However, she didn't ask anything, only nodding at Lian'er. "Okay, you can stay here tonight."

Lian'er obviously did not expect Bing'er to agree so easily. She looked at Bing'er with gratitude, "Bing'er, thank you."

Bing-Er patted the back of Lian'er's hand gently and said, "You're welcome. It's getting late. Let's go to bed."

The next day.

When Bing'er woke up, Lian'er was still sleeping. She slept very soundly, as if she had never slept so peacefully before.

Bing-Er sat up from the bed. Looking at Lian'er's sleeping face, she couldn't help wondering why Lian'er seemed so afraid of the dark.

Seeing that Lian'er was sleeping so soundly, Bing'er didn't wake him up. She quietly got up from the bed, put on her dress and walked to where she worked.

Just as she entered the small dilapidated courtyard, she saw a few young maidservants dressed in pink throw a big bundle of clothes into the basin and then clap their hands as they prepared to leave.

Bing-Er saw with her sharp eyes that one of the maidservants threw some of the maidservants' dresses into Lian'er's wooden basin. The little girl was instantly enraged. She stretched out her hands to block in front of the maidservants and coldly said, "You are not allowed to leave!" They were both maidservants, why would they let Lian'er wash their clothes?

The maids looked at Bing-Er contemptuously, humphed and left the yard.

Bing-Er turned around angrily and stared at the backs of the maidservants. When the maidservants had disappeared from her sight, she turned around and walked to the well, throwing some maidservants' clothes and dresses behind a big rock at the side. She stomped on the dresses, wanting them to wash the maidservants' dresses.

Seeing that the sky was bright and Lian'er still hadn't gotten up, Bing'er got some water from the well and then squatted down to wash the clothes in the wooden tub.

It wasn't until then that Lian-er came running to the small courtyard.

When she saw that the bamboo sticks in the yard were all dried up with clothes, and her small hands were nervously intertwined together, she walked to Bing-Er timidly, lowered her head as if she had done something wrong, looked at her with guilt and fear, and said, "Bing-Er, I'm sorry, I got up too late."

Bing-Er looked up at Lian'er, puzzled. She could understand the guilt in Lian'er's eyes, but Lian'er was looking at her with fear, which confused her. Although she was confused about Lian's scared eyes, Bing'er still smiled at Lian. "It's okay. I don't have much clothes today. I can do it by myself."

Lian'er looked at Bing'er in surprise, "You don't blame me?"

"No offense, it's fine to sleep in once or twice now and then." Bing-Er said to Lian'er softly.

"Bing'er, you won't complain to Sister Fang, right?" Lian'er stepped forward and squatted down. She looked at Bing-Er nervously and fearfully.

Bing-Er patted on Lian'er's cold hands with her hand that was covered in soap and said, "No, don't worry."

"Really?" Lian'er raised her pale face and looked at Bing'er in disbelief.

Bing'er took back her hands and tied the bowl again, "Don't worry, I will keep my promise. I won't tell Sister Fang."

Lian'er's pale face immediately showed a happy smile. She looked at Bing'er gratefully and said, "Thank you, Bing'er." She didn't think that Bing'er, who had only been with her for a few days, would not tell Sister Fang that she had woken up late.

"Let's wash the clothes together." Bing-Er said to Lian'er while she was washing her clothes.

Lian'er stood up from the ground, rolled up her sleeves and walked to the big wooden tub opposite Bing'er. She squatted down and began to wash the clothes.

Bing-Er and Lian'er finished washing the whole wooden tub because they didn't have much clothes on today.

When the two of them had finished drying up all of their laundry on the bamboo pole, Lian'er went to the wooden basin and sat on the wooden bench to rest for a while.

Bing-Er saw Lian'er sitting by the basin in silence. She put down her rolled up sleeves, walked up to Lian'er, squatted down on the ground and looked at Lian'er with a smile. "We already finished today's work. Can we go somewhere else to rest?"

Lian'er turned around and nodded to Bing'er, "Sure." Although they were servants, they could still rest after doing the work on their hands.

Bing'er smiled and stood up from the ground. "Lian'er, why don't you come with me and bring me around? I've been here for so long, I haven't had a good look at the Prime Minister's Mansion." In fact, she was afraid of getting lost.

Lian looked up at Bing'er and slowly said, "Aren't you afraid of being laughed at by others when you are with me?"

Lian'er's words made Bing'er stunned for a while. She suddenly understood why Lian'er didn't like to talk to her. It turned out that Lian'er was afraid. Afraid of being mocked.

Bing-Er smiled at Lian'er and held Lian'er's hand, "Come with me. Otherwise, I will get lost." She, Liu Bing'er, always acted like she wasn't afraid of being mocked by others.

Lian'er withdrew her hand without looking at Bing'er, "Forget it, it's better if you go by yourself. I don't want to leave this place. The scenery here is very nice and the sunlight is gentle. I want to stay here and bask in the sunlight."

Bing-Er saw Lian'er take her hand away and smiled embarrassedly, "Okay, then I will go out and play for a while. I will be back soon."

Lian'er turned her back to Bing-Er and said blandly, "Ok." And then he just ignored Bing-Er.