Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Slapping the Transmigrated Farming Girl 22
Anning quickly noticed Zhao Sanya.
She began to size up this worldâs heroine.
Zhao Sanya was actually not considered very beautiful.
She wasnât even as pretty as some of the maids in Qi Mansion, at most she could be described as delicate.
However, her temperament was not bad.
At least she didnât hunch over or walk timidly like women from this era.
Zhao Sanyaâs eyes were bright, filled with a love for life, and more importantly, she exuded confidence, possessing a unique charm.
Had Anning not known from her original selfâs memories that Zhao Sanya was her natural enemy and not a good person, she might have actually admired her.
While Anning was observing Zhao Sanya, Zhao Sanya was also sizing up Anning.
If Qi Wenwei hadnât called Anning mother, Zhao Sanya would have thought she was Qi Wenweiâs sister.
Anning looked particularly young, appearing to be in her twenties, and she was very beautiful, an indescribable, intellectual beauty.
It wasnât that Anningâs features were particularly striking, but her aura was simply pleasing to the eye.
Her gaze was clear, she exuded an understanding of the worldâs ways, a touch of vicissitude, and most importantly, when Anning sat there without moving, she resembled a painting, so elegant, beautiful, chaste, and demure.
Upon seeing Anning, Zhao Sanya truly understood what an ancient noble lady was like; the intrinsic elegance that permeated from a scholarly atmosphere could not be emulated by others.
Faced with Anning, Zhao Sanya felt inferior for the first time.
She had traveled to the ancient times, possessing the Golden Finger, and thought of herself as superior to the ignorant ancients.
Yet, facing Anning, a native, she felt she couldnât compare.
This feeling made Zhao Sanya very uncomfortable, and a subtle fear and inexplicable resentment towards Anning began to grow in her heart.
"Who is this?"
Anning pointed at Zhao Sanya and asked with a smile.
Qi Wenwei quickly pulled Zhao Sanya to his side and whispered to her, "This is my mother, you should quickly greet her."
Zhao Sanya paused, then reluctantly made an awkward curtsy.
"I greet you."
Anning frowned: "Is that a proper curtsy... Never mind, first tell me who she is."
Qi Wenweiâs face broke into a smile: "Mother, this is my life-saving benefactor. Last year, when I went hunting in the mountains..."
Qi Wenwei recounted how his horse had been spooked while he was hunting in the mountains, and how he had been thrown by the horse near the village where Zhao Sanya lived. He had fallen and hit his head, suffering serious injuries, and it was Zhao Sanya who picked him up, took careful care of him, summoned a doctor, and obtained medicine for him, ultimately saving his life.
However, he had lost his memory due to the fall and couldnât remember who he was or where his home was, so he stayed with the Zhao Family until recently when he had another fall, which restored his memory.
After remembering who he was, he immediately brought Zhao Sanya back home.
After listening to Qi Wenwei recount the entire incident, Anning smiled warmly at Zhao Sanya: "So you are the benefactor. In that case, we certainly canât mistreat you."
Anning called out to Mrs. Hao: "Sister-in-law Hao, come here for a moment."
Mrs. Hao took a few steps forward.
Anning instructed, "Go to my room and fetch some silver notes, and also bring the deed to that manor I bought just recently."
Without questioning why, Mrs. Hao hurried off to get them.
"What are you doing, Mother?"
Qi Wenwei had an ominous feeling.
Zhao Sanya was also full of tension. She always felt that Anning bore ill intent towards her, and she felt particularly pressured in Anningâs presence. No matter what, she found Anning loathsome and just wanted to stay as far away from her as possible.
After Mrs. Hao brought the silver notes and the deed, Anning called Zhao Sanya over, "Zhao Rong, right? I truly thank you for saving my son. I also know that he has been a trouble to your family lately and must have cost you quite a bit of Silver. Here is a silver note for one thousand taels, and this is the deed to a small manor of three hundred mu. Take them both as my thanks for saving my sonâs life."
Anning handed over the items.
Zhao Sanya looked up at Anning, her eyes brimming with anger.
"What do you mean by this?"
"It means nothing."
Anning was still smiling, "This is a token of thanks, isnât it right? Or are you, Miss Zhao, too noble to accept these things, pretending to extend kindness without expecting anything in return? If thatâs truly the case, I must say I really do admire you."
Before Zhao Sanya could speak, Qi Wenwei grew angry.
"Mother."
His face darkened as he loudly rebuked Anning, "Is this how you treat my savior, to insult the person who saved your son to the extreme?"
Anning snorted in amusement, "Insult? How is giving money and items considered an insult? If giving money is insulting, then countless people on the streets are begging for this kind of insult. Whatâs the matter, I have raised you, and you have spent I donât know how much of my money; is all that an insult to you?"
"No, itâs not like that."
Zhao Sanya quickly took hold of Qi Wenwei, forcibly smiling as she explained to Anning, "You misunderstand. Wenwei is hot-tempered; he...he acted impulsively. He didnât mean it that way. Itâs just... back when he lost his memory, we were together day and night, and over time we grew fond of each other. Now, we are secretly engaged, so... thatâs why he brought me back."
"Secretly engaged?"
Anning looked from Zhao Sanya to Qi Wenwei, her smile full of amusement, "So you are secretly engaged."
She tapped on the table and asked Zhao Sanya, word by word, "Miss Zhao, before you secretly got engaged to him, did you ask if he was already married, who is in his family, or whether he had any prior engagements?"
"This..."
Zhao Sanya found it difficult to respond, and her resentment towards Anning grew even deeper, "As you know, at that time, he didnât even remember who he was."
Anning laughed again, "I really do admire Miss Zhao. What on earth are you thinking? Is it only about love and affection? To the point that youâd entrust your life to someone who doesnât even know who they are, arenât you afraid that he might be a murderer, a fugitive wanted by the court, or, say, a rapist? If he turned out to be such a person, it wouldnât just be bad for you; your family could also be implicated. Donât you think?"
Zhao Sanya realized that Anning was exceptionally adept with words. Each one was like a knife, stabbing right into her heart.
And Anningâs reasoning was sound, leaving her unable to retort.
"Mother."
Qi Wenwei was frantically upset, "You canât talk about Rongâer like that, she... she is a good girl."
"A good girl."
The corners of Anningâs eyes crinkled with a smile, her fingers carelessly fiddling with the teacup on the table, "A woman who secretly gets engaged to a man with an unknown identity, who may or may not have a wife, and then follows him without asking questions after he regains his memoryâindeed, what a good girl she is. Oh, such a good girl. It seems as though there are no bad girls left in the world. Wenwei, I, as your mother, havenât stopped you from talking to girls, and you have met many reputable ladies. Whatâs the matter, has your mind been dulled by pork fat, unable to discern good from bad anymore?"