Prince! The political conspiracy is not a play, the show is real

Chapter 220 Facing the Truth (Part )

Aunt Liu agreed, "Young lady, you're right. It's better to keep this account book in your own hands. I wonder who in Huantao Pavilion can win your favor..."

As Aunt Liu was talking, Tao Yao unconsciously turned her gaze to the aunts and sisters-in-law who were busy in various places in the store. Her eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned to Aunt Liu and asked, "Aunt Liu, what do you think of Aunt Wang in terms of accounting?"

Aunt Liu's face froze. She and Aunt Wang had always been at odds with each other, and now she saw that the hot steamed bun that was about to be in her hands was about to fly into the hands of her old enemy. Of course, she felt bad.

"Oh, young lady, if you give the account book to her, you'd be really foolish." Aunt Liu quickly pulled Tao Yao to her side, cupped her hand to her lips, and whispered, "Aunt Wang came to work at your Huantao Pavilion just to earn some pocket money. Her heart is still focused on her family, and she only thinks about her good-for-nothing son all day long. If you let her manage the accounts, how much of her attention can she really put into it?"

Tao Yao nodded thoughtfully and said calmly, "Well, that's even better. The less careless he is at Huantao Pavilion, the more reassuring it will be. If it were handed over to those with ulterior motives, I'd be worried about them cooking the books."

Tao Yao seemed to be pointing at Aunt Liu in her words. Aunt Liu was quick-witted and could immediately tell that something was wrong with her words, so she immediately fell silent.

Taoyao had announced to his guests early that the Huantao Pavilion warehouse was empty, with nothing left to sell, and had closed early. As the farmhands and servants dispersed in groups of three or five, only Aunt Wang remained beneath the willow tree in front of the door, looking around, wondering who she was waiting for.

Tao Yao half-closed the door, put on her clothes and walked over, sighing, "It's almost night, the wind is picking up, and it's going to be cold again. Aunt Wang, why don't you go home?"

When Aunt Wang heard the voice, she quickly turned around and a warm smile suddenly appeared on her face.

Tao Yao was suddenly dazed for a moment, and felt that Aunt Wang's smile was actually a bit like Wang Tieniu's at first glance, both were equally simple and honest.

"I'm waiting for my Tie Niu—it's so strange. This morning, before I left, I specifically told him to pick me up at Huan Tao Pavilion in the evening so we could go shopping together at the evening market. How come he's still nowhere to be found at this hour? It really makes me worried."

The wind gradually grew stronger. Aunt Wang was wearing thin clothes and she couldn't help shivering when the wind blew.

Aunt Wang was strong-willed and didn't want Tao Yao to see that she was afraid of the cold, so she simply covered her hands in front of her mouth, exhaled a breath of hot air, held the hands in her palms, and then rubbed them quickly to warm them up.

Tao Yao felt a pang of pain in her heart, thinking that Aunt Wang might not be able to wait for Wang Tieniu to pick her up tonight. She couldn't help but pull Aunt Wang's hand and put it into her hand warmer, saying softly, "Aunt Wang, this is warm, keep it for you."

Aunt Wang suddenly showed an embarrassed smile on her face: "How can that be possible!"

Tao Yao took the initiative to grab Aunt Wang's hands and held them in her palms - those were a pair of hands that had been weathered by years of work, rough, cold, and covered with calluses.

Tao Yao placed the rabbit fur muff on the back of Aunt Wang's hand and whispered, "It's still early. Brother Tie Niu probably has something urgent to do and won't be here to pick you up until later. Go back to the shop and sit and wait. It's warm in the shop—which is perfect, I have something to tell you, too."

Aunt Wang's smile froze in place, as if she had anticipated something.

Tao Yao took Aunt Wang back to Huantao Pavilion, went up to the attic on the second floor, heated up tea and wine, and brought a blanket from her bedroom. She and Aunt Wang sat down around the small tea stove, hugging their fur coats.

The aroma of tea filled the room. Outside, the night deepened, and occasionally a breeze blew in through the window, carrying a hint of the smoke from the neighbors' evening cooking.

Tao Yao smiled at Aunt Wang a little embarrassedly and said, "I'm sorry, Aunt Wang, I'm not used to eating dinner, so the cook has gone home and I can't prepare the meal right now."

Aunt Wang smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's okay. I'll go to the evening market with Tie Niu later to eat! Besides, how can I trouble Miss Tao Yao to cook for me? That would be so unreasonable."

Tao Yao brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Aunt Wang. Finally, she made up her mind and said, "Aunt Wang, Brother Tie Niu has already...left Qingshui Town."

As soon as she finished speaking, Aunt Wang's expression froze, and she didn't understand the meaning of her words for a long time.

"Leave...leave Qingshui Town? What does that mean?" Aunt Wang's eyes were a little dazed, her tongue couldn't stretch straight, and she kept stuttering.

"Oh...oh...my melon field...is indeed quite a distance from the town...Tie Niu...he goes to the melon field every day..."

Aunt Wang stutters when she gets nervous, and she and Wang Tieniu are just like two peas in a pod.

Tao Yao shook her head. Although she felt reluctant, she also felt that deceiving Aunt Wang would be even more cruel than confessing the truth to her directly.

"Aunt Wang, Brother Tieniu didn't go to the melon fields. He really left Qingshui Town. He didn't tell you because he was afraid you would be upset. He only told me that he had made up his mind to leave and wanted to see the world outside the town."

As Tao Yao spoke word by word, the light in Aunt Wang's eyes dimmed little by little.

Aunt Wang and Wang Tieniu have lived together for so many years and never thought that her son would leave her and go far away.

"Then...did he tell me...where he was going? What he was going to do? How long would he be gone? When would he be back?"

Aunt Wang seemed to have finally accepted this reality, but she still felt it was unlikely.

Tao Yao still smiled and shook her head, saying calmly: "Brother Tie Niu didn't say anything, he just said that he wanted to join the army to defend his country."

"To be a soldier..." Aunt Wang's face turned pale. "He's going to the war?"

Tao Yao nodded: "Yeah."

Aunt Wang burst into laughter, her whole body swaying back and forth, shaking with laughter, as if she had heard a shocking joke that was unbelievable to her.

"Impossible!" Aunt Wang said flatly. "Tie Niu has been growing melons for half his life, how could he join the army? His hands can only wield a hoe to plow the fields, how can he wield a real sword and spear to fight the enemy?"

Tao Yao didn't know what to say for a moment, so she could only say, "Aunt Wang, it might be hard for you to accept it right now, but that's what Brother Tie Niu really wants to do, so let's..."

"No, it can't be true. Miss Taoyao, please stop kidding me. I'm still waiting for Tieniu to pick me up to go shopping at the evening market."

Aunt Wang stood up from her chair instantly and walked out through the door without looking back.