Chapter 19

Lu Qin had gotten used to Hao Jingshi's passive-aggressive behavior, and treated each day like she was just clocking in for work...

Lu Qin had gotten used to Hao Jingshi's cold violence. Every day, she would act as if she were going to work and giving a speech. She would sit down on a stool as soon as she entered the room and start talking. She even prepared a handful of sunflower seeds for herself.

She scattered the sunflower seeds on the counter, cracking them open as she said, "Brother Jingshi, these sunflower seeds smell amazing. I bought them on the street across the street. Let me peel some kernels for you. Come on, open your mouth—you don't want any? Then I'll eat them."

She added, "Brother Jingshi, aren't you coming home today? If you don't come home soon, I'm going to come to the clinic to keep you company. I can't stay at home anymore. Mother lectures me every day, telling me to persuade you to come home, and she's also urging me to arrange for you to take a concubine. But what can I do? There are so many portraits, and you won't even tell me which one I like... I'm sorry, let's not talk about that."

“Brother Jingshi, the sachet is almost finished. What kind of pattern do you think we should embroider on it? What kind of flower do you like? Or a small animal would be fine too... How about we embroider a scallion leaf? I’ve seen other people’s sachets embroidered with the names of their sweethearts. If you agree, then it’s settled.”

There was still no response.

Lu Qin cracked all the melon seeds with a "pop pop pop" sound, collected the shells, and habitually prepared to leave.

Just as they were about to reach the door, Hao Jingshi suddenly spoke.

"Don't use Scutellaria baicalensis leaves."

"Who said you're my sweetheart?"

Lu Qin was pleasantly surprised, turned around, and ran back: "That's great, husband, you're finally willing to talk to me! I thought I had made you mute!"

"...Well, you're not mute, are you? You come here every day nagging like you're mourning your deceased husband at a tombstone. I'm not dead, and all I hear is your voice. It's so annoying. Don't bother me tomorrow."

After Hao Jingshi finished speaking expressionlessly, he lowered his head to read his book and ignored her.

Lu Qin simply said "Oh," without any further reaction.

No matter what he says, she'll still come the next day. Old Madam Hao nags her every day, so she has to nag Hao Jingshi back.

Besides, pursuing love requires courage and shamelessness.

She turned and left nonchalantly: "My husband doesn't like sunflower seeds, so I'll buy peanuts tomorrow!"

"..."

Hao Jingshi remained silent, scribbling circles on the ledger with his pen. Only when he heard Lu Qin's footsteps as she left did he slowly raise his head and gaze at her retreating figure.

Once she was out of sight from outside the door, he muttered to himself, "Getting more and more shameless, Brother Jingshi. I don't know where he learned that nickname, Xiuqinye. Humph, he even dares to talk about Mother."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Lan couldn't help but say, "Young Master, why are you so angry? Actually, the Young Madam..."

"Don't mention her to me."

"Uh, but young master, about taking a concubine..."

"Get out!"

"...Yes, this servant will leave."

Xuan Lan looked at the flustered young master and helplessly rolled back up the tree to stay there.

The next day.

The clinic was very quiet; you could even hear the wind blowing through it.

Hao Jingshi was engrossed in his book when a corner of it was blown up by the wind. He smoothed it out, and as he continued reading, he suddenly felt something was missing, and subconsciously looked up.

Lu Qin really didn't come today.

Hao Jingshi couldn't help but listen carefully to the noise next door. Soon he heard a commotion, like a noisy argument, just like on the day the store opened, it was extremely chaotic.

A fog settled over his mind.

Is she not coming because he said something harsh to her yesterday that hurt her, or because she's too busy with her clothing shop and has to neglect him?

I only managed to appease him for a few days before he reverted to his true nature.

Seeing Hao Jingshi looking towards the door, Xuan Lan immediately jumped down from the tree and ran to the next room to take a look, preparing to "casually" interrupt and report to him on the young mistress's condition when she returned.

Hao Jingshi didn't notice Xuan Lan leaving. He just glanced absentmindedly at the door. After a while, he suddenly saw a shadow running towards him. He thought it was Lu Qin and quickly pretended to be busy.

After a series of frantic footsteps, Hao Jingshi thought to himself, "Even if you're in such a hurry, I won't pay any attention to you."

He looked up with a cold expression, only to find that the person who came was not Lu Qin, but Xuan Lan.

"Young Master, Young Master!" Xuan Lan stumbled and ran to him. "Young Master, you should go to the clothing shop quickly!"

Hao Jingshi glanced at him, uninterested: "What's so interesting about a clothing shop? I'm not going."

"Clothing shop! Something terrible has happened! A group of people have come to the clothing shop and are causing trouble. They say there's something wrong with the clothes, and they're currently surrounding the young mistress inside, preventing her from leaving. They're saying they want to settle accounts with her and make her pay back the money!"

make trouble?

Let them make a scene then. Maybe before long, Lu Qin will come crying to him for help.

"Oh," Hao Jingshi said indifferently, "That's her business, I don't care."

"Young Master!" Xuan Lan was frantic. "There are too many of them! They knocked out all the servants! No matter how the young mistress explains, these people won't listen. They keep pushing and shoving her, and they even want to smash the shop! What if she gets hurt or something serious happens to her?!"

Smash it? Then smash it. After that, Lu Qin will definitely come crying to him.

"Don't you understand? I said I don't care."

"..."

Seeing that the young master was determined to be stubborn, Xuan Lan had no choice but to stomp her foot and raise her voice, saying, "If you won't go, this servant will! There are some people in that group who are carrying kitchen knives. If the young mistress is really injured, how will we explain to the old lady and the Lu family? This servant can't afford to suffer the consequences!"

Xuan Lan ran away without looking back after she finished speaking. Hao Jingshi snorted and remained unmoved.

Chop? Go ahead and chop, once you've chopped all the deer antlers, they'll definitely be...

Wait a moment.

Who are you going to chop with a kitchen knife?

Hao Jingshi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and stood up abruptly.

...

Clothing shop.

A group of people were shouting and blocking the entrance completely.

"Give me my money back! You heartless merchants! Because of your clothes, my son has developed a rash all over his body and has a persistent high fever!"

"You big liar! You dare to close the store? My clothes came ripped, and you just ran off with the money! Is there no justice in this world?!"

"Exactly! Pay up!!"

As they spoke, the group rushed into the clothing shop, knocked out several servants, and forced Ling'er and Lu Qin to retreat repeatedly, shrinking into a corner, like a group of monsters with gaping mouths approaching two unarmed mortals.

Looking at the swarming crowd, listening to the chaotic curses, and smelling the stench of sweat emanating from the group, Lu Qin felt her head was about to explode.

An unexpected disaster!

She was surprised to find so many people at the clothing store today, even more than when it opened. It turned out they were all here to collect debts!

"Everyone! Calm down!" Seeing that there was no way to retreat, she stood on tiptoe and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Our clothes are made of the finest materials, there's absolutely no problem with them, is there some misunderstanding?"

"There's no misunderstanding! I bought this dress from your store!"

"That's right!"

The crowd started shouting again, waving their cheap clothes like waves crashing in the air.

"Everyone, don't panic! Listen to me!" Lu Qin quickly tore off a few pieces of clothing and turned up the collars of each one to show everyone. "The clothes in our Little Deer Clothing Shop all have patterns. Each piece of clothing has a pair of small deer antlers embroidered on the collar. You can check if your clothes are from our shop! If they are, we will take full responsibility and will never shirk our responsibility!"

After hearing this, everyone looked down and checked their collars, and indeed there were no small deer antlers.

After realizing it was a misunderstanding, most of the people lost their momentum, muttered a few curses, accepted their loss in silence, and left sheepishly.

The clothing store was no longer crowded, and the air was circulating. Lu Qin and Ling'er were freed from the cramped space and took a breath.

However, the relaxation lasts only a second.

Some people disagreed and angrily threw their clothes aside.

"You think you can just say whatever you want? Don't play the good guy! Do you dare say that shop wasn't owned by you? Everyone knows Lu Ming is your older brother! He brags about your close sibling relationship every day, maybe it's all part of a scheme between you two to scam money!"

"That's right, even the styles are exactly the same! You're the ones who ruined my son! He's still bedridden and can't get out of bed! You're the kind of people who do business like this, you're utterly heartless!"

The first to shout was a burly man, followed by a group of his brothers and others who were still determined to seek compensation.

"..." Lu Qin's vision went black, and she felt that she couldn't clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

She was still careless. Aunt Zhao really came for a reason. She not only sowed discord but also learned her design drafts and caused her a great loss.

I should have struck first and left them no room to maneuver. Now look what happened, my mercy to the idiots has turned into cruelty to myself.

Seeing that the big man was determined to cause trouble and had even grabbed a kitchen knife, Lu Qin had no choice but to put down her clothes and try to calm them down with kind words.

"Please don't worry, everyone. Give me a few days, and I will find Lu Ming and get justice for everyone!"

"What justice are you asking for!" the burly man shouted, unmoved. "I think you're just stalling for time! Who knows if you're going to run away too! My son's illness can't wait! Pay up! Pay up!"

A group of people pushed their way over without saying a word, shouting for compensation and waving their weapons. Seeing this, Ling'er quickly shielded Lu Qin behind her.

In the midst of the chaos, Xuan Lan suddenly flew in through the door, brandishing his sword wildly: "What are you doing! Get out of the way!"

Xuan Lan's appearance successfully intimidated everyone. However, he only used feints and did not dare to actually hurt anyone. Therefore, he was pushed aside after only three seconds on the scene.

Seeing Xuan Lan crash into the wall hard, with half her face stuck to it, Ling'er closed her eyes briefly and quickly protected Lu Qin again.

Lu Qin shrank back, almost drowning in the spittle.

Paying money could indeed settle things peacefully, but if she actually paid money, wouldn't that indirectly acknowledge the "brother-sister relationship" that Lu Ming mentioned, make her seem guilty, and ruin the reputation of the clothing shop?

She knew that the person in front of her was extremely anxious and wouldn't listen to explanations or reason, so she quickly came up with a solution.

She plopped down on the ground and started crying and shouting.

"Waaaaah, my brother is a big liar! He's drowning in gambling debts and came to me for money. I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted and lent him the money! Waaaaah!"

"Not only did he open a shop behind my back, but he also stole my design drafts and then tried to shift the blame onto me. What kind of older brother is he?!"

She cried and pounded the ground, just like a child throwing a tantrum, leaving everyone stunned.

Taking advantage of their quiet moment, Lu Qin quickly stood up and knelt down in front of the burly man holding the kitchen knife.

“Brother, I’ve done something terrible, I’m too ashamed to face anyone! As parents, how can we not be anxious when our son is sick? When I was nearly dying, Father was just as anxious to find a doctor for me, I understand your feelings so well! But I really have no other choice. How about this, my husband works at the clinic next door, he’s a very skilled doctor, let him…”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered that Hao Jingshi was still angry with her and might not help her, so she became less and less confident.

In the past, whenever she had a mess, she would just dump it on Hao Jingshi to save herself the trouble. As long as she gave him a starry-eyed look, Hao Jingshi would always turn into a chivalrous hero and clean it up for her. She was used to it.

That's it, she's out of support now!

Her career and love life have both collapsed. God, can't you please stop bullying her alone?

What was supposed to be acting was suddenly triggered by Lu Qin's emotions. All the pent-up feelings from the past few days burst forth, and she covered her face and burst into real tears.

"Waaaaaahh ...

The group looked at each other in bewilderment. They had come to demand an explanation, but now they looked like a group of robbers who had robbed a young girl in broad daylight.

"Waaaaah..."

As Lu Qin sobbed, she suddenly realized that it was deathly silent all around her. So she pried open her fingers, opened her eyes, and looked outside.

A group of people stood there watching her. The burly man with the cleaver seemed to waver for a moment when he saw her crying so hard, and his face showed reluctance.

Just as he was about to believe her innocence, she waved her hand and said she would settle the score later, promising to let her husband treat their son's illness.

The next second, a furious shout came from the doorway: "Get out of here, all of you!"