Chapter 36

I'd rather become clothes.

Wu Family Clothing Shop.

The area in front of the store was like a boiling pot, with people queuing up, holding up their money bags, and standing on tiptoe to look around, as if afraid they wouldn't be able to buy anything.

When Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi arrived, the group had already turned two corners. They had no chance of finding Boss Wu, let alone seeing the shop's sign.

They had no choice but to squeeze into the dense crowd and wait in line. After a while, the line remained just as long, showing no signs of dispersing.

Hao Jingshi was getting impatient: "He dares to flaunt what he stole? I'll expose him right now and teach him a lesson about what happens when you're a thief."

"Husband, don't be hasty." Lu Qin immediately raised her hand to stop her. "We don't have conclusive evidence yet. Let's wait until we meet in person before we talk about it."

Hao Jingshi looked ahead and said, "With so many people, it will be ages before they even have time to care about us."

After hearing this, Lu Qin's eyes darted around, and she quickly came up with an idea.

She took Hao Jingshi's hand and walked towards the front of the group. Hao Jingshi was puzzled, but he followed her anyway.

As they walked, Lu Qin saw a man with a fierce face who looked very intimidating, so she pulled Hao Jingshi and squeezed in front of him.

The man was taken aback, but as expected, he immediately erupted and shoved her violently.

"Don't you know the rules? First come, first served! I've been standing here for an hour, what right do you have to cut in?"

He was incredibly strong, and Lu Qin's petite frame couldn't withstand the blow. She fell backward, but fortunately, Hao Jingshi was behind her and prevented her from hitting the ground.

Before Hao Jingshi could quite understand what was happening, Lu Qin fell heavily into his arms. He quickly caught her, and the two of them stumbled out of the group.

Seeing Lu Qin clutching her shoulder in pain, Hao Jingshi instantly became furious. Without bothering to distinguish right from wrong, he went up and started arguing with the man.

"Can't you speak properly? You just resort to violence?"

The man, naturally, wouldn't back down: "What's your hurry? What's it to you?"

"You pushed my wife, I'm here to settle the score with you!"

"You two clearly cut in line first, and you're still trying to hold me accountable? Don't you have any sense of reason?"

The two argued more and more fiercely, neither willing to give in. Soon, everyone in the queue turned to look. Those nearby began to whisper among themselves, while those further away whispered among themselves, asking what was going on. The news spread like wildfire.

Seeing that the commotion had subsided, Lu Qin quietly tugged at Hao Jingshi from behind.

However, Hao Jingshi had already been provoked into a rage by the man and was out of control: "You think it's right for you to make a move? Do you think everyone is as interested in those clothes as you are?"

"If you don't care, why are you cutting in line?" the man said, getting agitated. "I'll hit you! I won't just push your wife, I'll fucking hit you too!"

He raised his hand to slap Hao Jingshi's face.

As the arm slammed down, Hao Jingshi raised a hand to stop it, and then grabbed the man's wrist tightly.

"So this is how you reason, is that?" Hao Jingshi flipped the man's wrist and twisted it outwards, coldly saying, "Fine, young master..."

"Husband, husband!" Seeing the man's face flushed with pain, Lu Qin rushed over to extinguish the flames. "I'm fine, let go, let go."

She gave him a wink, and Hao Jingshi glanced at it, saw Boss Wu running out of the shop, and vaguely understood her intention. So he irritably let go of the man.

Lu Qin bowed to the man and said, "Brother, I'm so sorry. This garment was designed by my husband. We heard that it was new today, so we squeezed in to see it. We didn't mean to cut in line. I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding."

The man was still angry and wanted to curse a few more times to vent his anger, but in the blink of an eye, Lu Qin grabbed Hao Jingshi and ran away.

...

After attracting Boss Wu's attention, Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi were successfully invited into the store for a short visit.

Hao Jingshi felt angry when he saw Boss Wu. Just as he was about to question him, Lu Qin poked him and he angrily shut his mouth.

Boss Wu instructed his only two employees to watch the shop, and then brought them tea. The calluses on their hands were clearly visible.

He sat down somewhat awkwardly, smoothing out his clothes, which had faded a few times from washing them: "Mr. Lu, it's truly an honor to have you here today. This place is rather simple and humble; I'm sorry to have troubled you."

Lu Qin laughed and said, "Not at all. Boss Wu's business has been doing well lately. It's only a matter of time before he renovates the shop."

"I dare not accept such praise. This is all thanks to your kindness." Boss Wu clasped his hands in a polite gesture. "If it weren't for your secret help, sending me the latest clothing designs, I wouldn't be where I am today. I was just thinking of thanking Boss Lu when I had some free time, but I didn't expect you to come by yourself."

Secret help?

Upon hearing this, Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi exchanged a glance.

Things didn't seem to go as expected.

Hao Jingshi asked directly, "Who delivered it?"

Boss Wu hadn't yet realized anything was wrong and replied, "It's that guy Boss Lu sent, the tall and thin one. I don't quite remember what he looks like."

He added, "I know Mr. Lu is a kind-hearted person, so I didn't dare to make a fuss. But these clothes are really too popular, and I'm really sorry to have caused you trouble."

After Boss Wu finished speaking, he got up, rummaged through the box, pulled out a money bag, and then turned back to stuff the bag into Lu Qin's hand.

While Lu Qin was still processing his words, her hand suddenly felt heavy, and then she saw the bulging bag right in front of her.

"Boss Lu, you've done me a great favor. This is just a small token of my appreciation; please accept it."

Boss Wu smiled honestly and spoke sincerely, seemingly a little uneasy, which didn't seem like he was lying, making Lu Qin even more confused.

She pushed the bag back: "No, no, no, Mr. Wu, you take it. This is what you earned through your own hard work."

"Boss Lu, you mustn't refuse, or I'll feel bad." Boss Wu hurriedly stuffed it back to her. "To tell you the truth, my daughter is getting married soon, and I'm worried about not being able to provide her with the best dowry. I even asked Young Master Lu for help in private."

“Young Master Lu said he was bound by a contract and could not help me. If it weren’t for you sending this garment manuscript in time, I really wouldn’t know where to raise so much money. I know that you two had good intentions and were afraid of hurting my pride, so you came up with this plan. I am truly grateful.”

"..."

These words left Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi looking at each other in bewilderment.

The two blinked in surprise, both speechless.

Seeing that the two people opposite him remained silent, Boss Wu sensed something was wrong and cautiously asked, "Boss Lu, is there something amiss?"

"No, no." Lu Qin quickly thought of what was going on, smiled, and replied, "Boss Wu, I can't accept this money. Actually, I have my own selfish reasons, it's not just about helping you."

She pushed the money bag aside: "I've decided to design a unique signature garment for each store. I only gave it to you first, to see how profitable it is. I should thank you for helping me test the waters. Consider this money as your commission."

"I see."

Mr. Wu suddenly realized what was going on and decided not to press the matter further. He could only accept the money bag and say, "Mr. Lu is not only kind-hearted but also very shrewd. He is truly admirable."

“No, this is also thanks to my husband.”

Lu Qin casually complimented Hao Jingshi, then touched her clothes and finally took off the jade bracelet she was wearing.

“Mr. Wu, I didn’t bring much with me when I went out. Please take this as a gift for your daughter.”

Boss Wu shook his head vigorously, waving his hands: "No, no, no, this is too valuable..."

Lu Qin insisted on giving it to him, saying, "Take it, take it!"

"No, no, no..."

"Take it, take it!"

"No, no, no..."

"Take it quickly!"

Lu Qin pushed with both hands, while Boss Wu blocked with both hands. After a long while, there was no result, as if they were having a martial arts contest and neither side could gain the upper hand.

After the two went back and forth several times, Hao Jingshi got tired of watching, got up quietly, snatched the bracelet from between them, and casually stuffed it into the box where Boss Wu had just taken the money bag.

"..."

The two people who were pushing and shoving each other paused for a moment.

While Boss Wu was dumbfounded, Hao Jingshi deftly led Lu Qin away.

"Boss Wu, no one has ever dared to refuse a gift from me. You should think it over carefully."

He strode away without looking back, and by the time Lu Qin realized what was happening, her legs were already twitching.

She turned around, grinned at Boss Wu, and waved.

"this……"

Boss Wu was caught in a dilemma. In the end, he sighed and thanked them as he watched their backs as they walked away.

He sighed, "I only hope that my daughter can be as intelligent and capable as Boss Lu, and marry a good husband. That would be true happiness."

...

After leaving Wu's clothing shop, Lu Qin lowered her head and pondered for a while.

What Boss Wu said seemed to make sense, but she couldn't understand it.

If it were truly a servant who noticed Boss Wu's predicament and wanted to help out out of kindness, they could have simply asked her and taken the money openly and honestly. Why would they resort to theft?

Could it be that Boss Wu orchestrated this whole thing, deliberately putting on an act to try and get away with it?

But he is reserved and doesn't seem like it at all.

They probably really needed the money urgently, which is why they had no choice but to do this, and then felt bad about it afterwards.

Lu Qin became increasingly confused by what she was thinking and wanted to discuss it with Hao Jingshi: "Husband, what do you think..."

When she looked up again, she realized that Hao Jingshi was not leading her back the way she came.

The shops around were all unfamiliar, but each one was spacious and bright. The further we walked, the more open and lively it felt.

She paused, then asked, "Where are we going?"

“We’re almost at Xuande Street. I remember there’s a jewelry shop there.” Hao Jingshi said, tilting his head as he walked ahead. “You just gave the jade bracelet to Boss Wu, so your own hand is bare. I’ll buy you some new ones.”

Xuande Street? I think I've heard Ling'er mention it before. It's a street close to the imperial city, and it's considered one of the most prosperous places among the common people.

Lu Qin looked around curiously, and then noticed a few passersby wearing clothes with her own pattern. Suddenly, she felt relieved.

Although the thief has not been caught, no one has suffered any loss. It's better to let it go and be lenient when possible.

She raised her hand and hugged Hao Jingshi's arm tightly, saying, "No need, there are still plenty at home. I appreciate your concern, my husband."

"I'm tired of everything at home." Hao Jingshi quickened his pace without pausing, and said, "Choose one. I don't want others to see this and think I'm mistreating you."

Without saying a word, he led her to the shop.

At first glance, Lu Qin was dazzled by the dazzling array of items inside. Rows of wooden shelves stood against the wall, displaying a wide variety of headdresses, combs, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and ornaments.

She dropped the pretense and dashed into the shop like a whirlwind: "Thank you, my husband, then I won't be polite."

The words had barely left his mouth when...

Lu Qin happily picked out a whole bunch of hairpins, hair ornaments, and rings, turning her head to ask if each one looked good.

Hao Jingshi stood to the side with his arms crossed, nodding frequently, indicating that she could take it if she liked.

This lady may sound virtuous, but she's ruthless when it comes to taking advantage of people.

After filling a large bag, Lu Qin finally stopped, trotting back contentedly, thinking she had returned with a full load.

Little did she know that after paying the money and leaving this shop, there was another shop to tempt her. After walking only a few steps, she saw many more strange and wonderful things.

Lu Qin's eyes lit up, and she could hardly move: "Xuande Street is so lively, it has everything, it's broadened my horizons."

Hao Jingshi said, "If you like it, we can come again another day."

Lu Qin nodded happily, but couldn't resist sneaking into another shop. In the end, Hao Jingshi had to carry her away, saying that the shop was too far away and they would be late if they didn't hurry back.

The two found an inn and hired a carriage to go back. On the way, Lu Qin muttered regretfully, "If I wasn't worried that Young Master Lu would be getting impatient, I really would like to explore a little longer."

Hao Jingshi immediately retorted jealously, "You're actually thinking about him."

"My husband is getting more and more petty, finding fault with this too," Lu Qin complained. "It's almost closing time, we can't expect them to stay up until midnight while we relax here."

"Hmph." Hao Jingshi knew she had a point, but he was always stubborn even when he was in the wrong. "You're just defending him."

Lu Qin tugged at his sleeve and said sweetly, "Husband, you're not petty. You're the most magnanimous man in the world. You're a hundred times more handsome than Young Master Lu. I love you, I love you. I'll be with you for the rest of my life."

"...Don't give me that." Hao Jingshi stood up straight, but turned his head away in embarrassment. "Talking nonsense in public, what kind of behavior is this?"

"What about the next two lifetimes?"

"..."

"Three lifetimes! My husband~"

Lu Qin shook Hao Jingshi's arm, and only then did Hao Jingshi glance at her.

"So, who would you like to be with in your fourth life?"

"With you, with you."

Lu Qin spoke patiently, when she caught a glimpse of a clothing shop out of the corner of her eye and couldn't help but turn her head to take a closer look.

The clothes were still the same as before, it seems that their clothes have not yet become popular in this area, no wonder there are not many people wearing them on the street.

She casually remarked, "Husband, if only our shop could be opened here, we'd definitely make a fortune."

Hao Jingshi didn't take it seriously, thinking that the lady was implying that in this fourth life, she would live with the clothing shop.

Then perhaps... only by being reborn as a garment can I stay with my wife for the fourth time.