He was murdered after his family was wiped out and left with no descendants; his whole family knelt

Chapter 220 Staying Up All Night

Without An'er these days, Qiu Rui felt as if a piece of her heart was empty, and she always felt listless and uneasy when doing things.

She was naturally happy to see Qiao Anlan again, and she was full of anticipation.

The carriage stopped in front of the Qiao family's gate, and Qiao Qingshu gently helped Qiu Rui down.

Looking at the imposing gate plaque and the magnificent and exquisite Qiao Family Compound, Qiu Rui felt a surge of joy.

She was happy for An'er. After suffering for half her life, An'er was now back in the Qiao family, and she would surely live a good life.

As soon as I stepped off the carriage, a man in a lake-blue brocade robe hurriedly walked out from inside, followed by several servants.

The man walked quickly, and in a few steps he was right in front of her. Qiu Rui thought he was the young master of the Qiao family, so she lowered her head and didn't dare to look at him too much.

Then a strange voice called out.

"Rui'er!"

Qiu Rui suddenly looked up and saw the young man in the lake-blue robe smiling at her. Qiu Rui almost gasped in surprise.

"It's An'er! It really is you!"

Qiao Anlan's transformation is remarkable. Before, Qiao Anlan was so thin that he looked like he would fall over with a gust of wind. His face was also pale and he looked very frail. Now, his face has become fair, rosy and full, and he is full of energy. He looks even more handsome than before.

The most noticeable difference is in her feet. She used to walk with a limp, which was quite obvious, but today, despite running over so quickly, there wasn't a trace of it. This is truly a wonderful surprise.

Qiu Rui couldn't help but look down at his feet and saw that Qiao Anlan was wearing the shoes she had made for him.

"I've always worn the shoes you made."

Qiu Rui looked down at the shoes and her face froze instantly. Only after hearing this did she belatedly realize that Qiao Anlan was actually talking to her!

She looked up incredulously, wanting to confirm if those words had really come from his mouth, and her lips trembled as she spoke.

"What did you say? I didn't hear you..."

Her eyes remained fixed on Qiao Anlan, who slowly parted her lips and repeated herself.

"I've been wearing the shoes you made, and now I can walk very steadily."

The voice was so unfamiliar, yet so familiar—a deep, magnetic voice.

Qiu Rui burst into tears, covered her face tightly with her hands, squatted on the ground, and wailed loudly.

Her son, An'er, could talk and walk; she was so excited she almost cried.

She was so happy, she was practically going crazy with joy.

Seeing her cry, Qiao Anlan panicked and quickly squatted down to pat her back and comfort her.

"It's good news, don't cry, Ruier..."

He hadn't spoken for a long time, and when he did, he mostly spoke in short sentences. He didn't know how to coax a girl, and he became somewhat at a loss.

Qiu Rui looked up at Qiao Qingshu with a hint of help in her eyes. Qiao Qingshu smiled and stepped forward to help Qiu Rui up.

He wiped away her tears and comforted her.

"You cried tears of joy, didn't you? Your An'er is getting better and better thanks to you. We should be smiling."

Qiu Rui then looked at Qiao Anlan and laughed.

Qiao Qingshu led Qiu Rui inside and settled her and her brother in the pavilion in the small garden, letting them talk on their own.

He then sought out Steward Lai to speak with him and inquire about some matters that had occurred at the manor that day.

Butler Lai's complexion was actually much better than before. He had been working under Old Madam Qiao, doing all sorts of unethical and difficult tasks, and he had no way to express his suffering.

Now that the Qiao family has been ransacked, things are much cleaner now. All those old troubles and problems are gone, and they can get things done much more easily.

Therefore, Butler Lai always has a smile on his face now.

I heard from Butler Lai that my brother's daily diet at home is normal, he is taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor properly, and he has even started to look at the account books to learn how to manage a household.

Everything about it is great, except for one thing: I love staying up late.

Speaking of this, Butler Lai looked somewhat troubled. He frowned and said,

"Young Master stays up late every night to study, and this old servant can't persuade him to stop. He stays up late every day, which is really heartbreaking."

Qiao Qingshu was taken aback. Staying up all night reading?

What book are you reading?

Qiao Anlan spent so many years in the Xiao family's library, hadn't she read enough books there?

She couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Do you know what books they've read?

Butler Lai pulled out a piece of scrap paper from his pocket. The paper had been crumpled into a ball and then neatly arranged; it turned out to be a policy essay.

This is the content of the imperial examination!

Qiao Qingshu glanced at it briefly and was shocked. Such writing style and such viewpoints were actually written by her brother?

You should know that in her previous life she was an empress, and she had helped Xiao Chengyan review memorials and read countless examination papers of the newly appointed top scholars.

Her brother's essay, which he casually tossed aside, turned out to be more brilliant than the essays of several top scholars that year.

Qiao Qingshu couldn't help but get excited. If her brother participated in the imperial examination, wouldn't he definitely pass with flying colors?

She tucked the discarded piece of paper into her bosom and headed to the small garden to find her brother and Qiu Rui.

The two sat properly on the stone bench and talked, both of them extremely shy.

Qiao Anlan was speaking at this moment.

"Rui'er, I don't know...would you...would you..."

A blush rose on Qiu Rui's face. She lowered her head. She knew what Qiao Anlan meant, but she had said she wouldn't try to climb the social ladder.

She just bit her lip and refused.

"I am not worthy of you, An'er."

Qiu Rui spoke with difficulty, but Qiao Anlan looked up in surprise upon hearing this, for this was exactly what he wanted to say.

He felt he wasn't good enough for Qiu Rui, while Qiu Rui actually felt she wasn't good enough for him!?

This was utterly absurd to Qiao Anlan, and he quickly waved his hand, saying...

"No, no, I'm not worthy..."

Qiao Qingshu stood under a crabapple tree not far away, her eyebrows furrowed, wondering what it meant to be a good match.

You two are a perfect match.

Unable to bear their stalling and non-negotiable behavior, she stepped forward and shouted,

"Qiu Rui, my brother is proposing to you. He wants you to marry him."

Then, looking at Qiu Rui, he said,

“Miss Qiu Rui is also deeply in love with my brother, so it is a mutual affection. I think we should settle this marriage. Tomorrow I will ask the Second Madam for Qiu Rui’s indenture.”

Upon hearing this, Qiu Rui lowered her head even further in embarrassment, but did not utter a word in rebuttal.

Qiao Anlan blushed and, somewhat embarrassed, stepped forward to tug at Qiao Qingshu's arm.

"Shu'er, please don't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Qiao Qingshu pulled the paper out of her pocket and looked at her brother with a happy expression.

"Brother, did you write this?"

Qiao Anlan took a look and found it was her own practice paper, so she crumpled it up again and threw it away.

"Don't read this rubbish!"

Qiao Qingshu excitedly grabbed her brother's arm and shook it repeatedly.

"Brother! Take the imperial examination! The spring examination is in a month, and you're sure to pass!"

Upon hearing Qiao Qingshu's words, Qiu Rui also looked up in surprise, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Qiao Anlan.