Chapter 13

Why did she change her expression again?

Lu Qin walked away, leaving Hao Jingshi somewhat confused, wondering why she had thrown a tantrum.

Actually, he didn't want to take a concubine. He found it too troublesome to have too many people around him. He deliberately said those words to her.

Since their marriage, Lu Qin has always acted as if she is deeply in love with him, acting cute and charming, and saying sweet words. He has always been skeptical, but after last night, he felt that something was different.

She tugged at his sleeve, so nervous that she accidentally opened her eyes to peek at him, and whispered her thanks to him... It was a very subtle atmosphere, something they had never experienced before.

He gradually guessed that Lu Qin was probably deliberately not asleep, waiting for him to carry her back.

His wavering heart suddenly began to lean towards believing that her feelings were genuine.

but……

Didn't she say she loved him terribly? Shouldn't she be jealous and, as usual, tearfully tell him, "Husband, don't take a concubine"?

Why is it different from what he expected?

As Hao Jingshi stared at the now empty doorway, puzzled, Xuan Lan climbed down from the tree and told him, "Young Madam is probably unhappy and resentful because you are going to take a concubine."

Hao Jingshi pondered these words for a moment and suddenly realized—so being angry is also a sign of jealousy.

He smiled and felt somewhat relieved. He then put the piece of mung bean cake that she hadn't taken into his mouth and ate it.

He wasn't worried that Lu Qin would really be angry, because he felt that sooner or later, when his wife encountered a difficult situation, she would come back to him crying.

...

Lu Qin really wanted to take the quilt away as well, and then separate Chu and Han, but because she didn't have anyone she could trust by her side and was afraid of being harmed, she held back.

She continued to eat and live with Hao Jingshi as usual, putting on a loving act in front of outsiders. When the two were alone, she would take the initiative to speak to him and prevent the atmosphere from becoming too dull.

After that, Hao Jingshi never mentioned taking a concubine again, and she didn't press the matter, thinking that the matter was over.

Unexpectedly, after a few days, I felt better.

After Lu Qin finished copying the Rules for Women, she gave them to Old Madam Hao.

The old lady accepted the things she had copied, kindly inquired about her recent condition, and said she would send a few more dedicated people to take care of her.

Just as she was about to thank her politely, the old lady suddenly changed the subject and began to lecture her on her responsibilities, saying that a wife should be tolerant, considerate of her husband, and not be overly jealous.

She had no choice but to respond politely.

Lu Qin guessed that Hao Jingshi had mentioned taking a concubine to his family, which was why Old Madam Hao had said these things to her as a hint.

Having accepted the reality that men nowadays have multiple wives and concubines, she wasn't particularly angry this time. However, she felt a tightness in her chest, like a lump of cotton wool, neither painful nor itchy, but also uncomfortable.

Taking a concubine? They'd only been married a short time; in modern times, they wouldn't even have finished their honeymoon.

This scheming man! She's quite beautiful, even if she's stunningly gorgeous, he just doesn't like her and insists on adding someone else into the picture.

Lu Qin was displeased, but the cunning Hao Jingshi seemed unaffected, spending his days at the clinic and only returning home for meals and sleep.

When he returned, he would read books and occasionally ask about the clothing shop, but he never mentioned taking a concubine.

Seeing his nonchalant demeanor made her feel itchy inside.

The shop was then renovated, and Lu Qin got busy, so she simply put Hao Jingshi out of her mind and ignored him. Apart from asking him to draw a flyer, she rarely took the initiative to joke with him.

A few days later, Zhilan sent a letter back to let Luqin know she was safe. After reading it, Luqin felt much more at ease and wrote back to tell her to live well.

Although Zhilan is gone, Ling'er is here now, so she won't be bored and have no one to talk to.

Ling'er was very thorough in her work. She not only invited craftsmen, but also inquired about the best tailors within a ten-mile radius and reported to them one by one.

While the shop was being renovated, Lu Qin also visited all the tailor shops that Ling'er had inquired about.

For safety's sake, she took several tall and burly servants with her to escort her to the tailor shop, where she took the clothing designs drawn by Hao Jingshi to have them made.

Her clothing shop is different from others. Other clothing shops require you to choose the fabric or provide the material first, and then make the clothes according to your body size. The workmanship is exquisite and slow, the customization time is long, and the price is also more expensive. Her clothing shop is a rare ready-made clothing shop. The clothes do not seek to be too exquisite and fit well. Instead, they are more convenient and quick. You can buy and take them immediately. They are also good quality and inexpensive.

However, current production technology is limited, making it impossible to produce large quantities of clothing in a short time. Therefore, she needs to order the clothes she wants from the tailor shop several days in advance, which means she bears the waiting time herself to reduce the waiting time for customers.

She had carefully instructed them on the fabric, size, and color, and because the demand was large, she had visited every store. She had been running around for more than ten days in a row. Sometimes she was too busy to go home, so she and Ling'er stayed at an inn and had a servant send a carrier pigeon back to let them know.

After spending several days alone in the empty room, Hao Jingshi suddenly felt something was wrong and sat up in the middle of the night because he couldn't sleep.

He muttered to himself, "That's not right. It's been several days, and he hasn't even come home."

If we're not going to look for him, fine, but how come he's completely disappeared?

Xuan Lan had very sharp ears; upon hearing his mutterings, she immediately jumped down from the tree.

"Young Master has been having a poor appetite and sleeping poorly lately. Shall I go and fetch a doctor?"

Hao Jingshi waved his hand: "What do you mean by 'please'? I'm not sick. If I were, I would treat myself."

Xuan Lan glanced at him and said quietly, "Young Master, don't worry, the servants are all with you, nothing will happen to the young mistress..."

"Who, who asked you?"

"...She's probably not coming back because she's angry with you."

Even though Hao Jingshi interrupted, Xuan Lan still finished speaking clearly and precisely, because he knew his young master's temperament well. Whenever he felt guilty or shy, he would stutter a few times and then stubbornly argue his way out of it.

However, the young master is stubborn but open-minded; he will still take what he should listen to to heart.

Sure enough, Hao Jingshi was stunned for a moment, then listened and pondered, "You mean, she deliberately didn't come back to spite me?"

Xuan Lan: "Yes, this servant thinks so."

"Tch." Hao Jingshi lay back down. "I'm not angry. I'm not that petty."

Anyway... as long as he didn't run off with someone else.

Hao Jingshi didn't sleep well that night, thinking that things couldn't go on like this and he had to go and bring Lu Qin back.

Even if he doesn't mind, she hasn't paid her respects to her parents for several days. If this continues, her parents will probably be dissatisfied.

However, without his intervention, Lu Qin returned early the next morning with her servants, looking travel-worn, and brought back a bundle.

Seeing Lu Qin return, Hao Jingshi finally felt at ease.

He got out of bed, put his arms around himself, and began to interrogate him rather unhappily: "You still know how to come back? You're away from home day and night, what kind of behavior is that?"

Knowing she was in the wrong, and with the shop going well and her mood recently improving, Lu Qin was too lazy to argue with him: "I've been really busy these past few days, running around to many clothing shops to make clothes. Please don't blame me, my husband."

She smiled good-naturedly and placed the large bundle on the table. "Here, this is specially for my husband. Husband, please try it on."

Seeing her gently unpack the bundle, Hao Jingshi's anger subsided, but he still gritted his teeth and muttered, "Bringing gifts doesn't work, young master..."

"Hmm, isn't my husband going to take a concubine? I noticed that your clothes are always so dark and serious. Don't scare the girls."

Ignoring his anger, Lu Qin muttered to herself, picked up an apricot-colored robe and held it up to him, "Look, this color is so festive, the girls will definitely like it."

"...?" Hao Jingshi's arms, which were clasped together, stiffened for a moment, and he looked down at his clothes.

Lu Qin had removed the apricot-colored one at some point and picked up the indigo one, gesturing in front of her. "Look, this color is even more handsome. It's eye-catching and suits my husband's temperament perfectly."

She picked up the cyan one again: "This is refreshing, it makes my husband look lively, cheerful and young. No, my husband is already young."

Then she picked up the purple one again: "Hmm, not bad, not bad. This one has more charm. My husband will look very noble in it. Of course, my husband is noble to begin with."

Then she picked up the red one again: "Wow, this one..."

"It looks good, it looks good, don't try it on." Hao Jingshi couldn't help himself anymore, snatched the clothes away and threw them on the bed. "Don't you have anything to explain to me?"

"What's wrong? What's there to explain?" Lu Qin laughed. "Husband, don't look so serious. Do you not like these clothes?"

Hao Jingshi bluntly asked, "You've been gone for several days without returning. Is it because you're dissatisfied with me?"

Lu Qin tidied her clothes and replied understandingly, "How could I be dissatisfied with my husband? He has treated me well, so naturally I will put him first in everything. Oh, by the way, I passed through the Nanshan area and found many charming beauties, which are just what my husband wants. You can go there and take a look another day."

"..." Hao Jingshi felt like he had punched cotton. Seeing her calm and composed, he couldn't tell whether she was truly magnanimous or just pretending to be calm.

Although he married her under pressure from his parents, it was a natural progression based on social status and circumstances, and it wasn't exactly a case of mutual affection.

But after spending these days together, he realized that she was actually... quite cute, at least she understood him better than anyone else in his family.

Anyway, well, taking a concubine wasn't his intention, and he didn't want the two of them to really develop a grudge because of it.

After thinking for a moment, Hao Jingshi, suppressing his frustration, said helplessly, "You don't need to worry too much about taking a concubine, young master..."

"Who cares?"

Lu Qin's words left him speechless.

Hao Jingshi paused for a moment, and then Lu Qin spread her hands: "Whatever my husband wants. It's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. As his legal wife, I should naturally be magnanimous and tolerant. If my husband takes a fancy to someone, just tell me, and I'll make preparations for you."

As she spoke, she took a step forward, patted Hao Jingshi on the shoulder, and turned her head to say something.

"But my husband, don't be too greedy for beautiful women. Take care of your health, or I'll be heartbroken."

After saying that, she strode past him and went out.

"?"

Hao Jingshi stood there blankly, feeling more and more confused the more he thought about it.

What's the meaning?

Why...did she change her expression again?