Chapter 9

Faced with Master Hao's questioning, Lu Qin knew she couldn't defend herself, since Yu Gui was telling the truth...

Faced with Master Hao's questioning, Lu Qin knew she could not defend herself. After all, Yu Gui was telling the truth. She had indeed bought the shop, paid the deposit, drawn up the land deed, and even arranged to meet Lu Ming at the government office to sign and affix her seal.

If she protests her innocence, Yu Gui will definitely make Master Hao investigate thoroughly. What if Lu Ming causes any more trouble... or even if Aunt Zhao has set up a deeper trap... then she will have even less way to explain herself.

Knowing that she could not escape her fate, Lu Qin thought it best to immediately submit and try to get a lighter punishment, so she kowtowed and prepared to accept her punishment.

Unexpectedly, a voice came from afar outside the hall, clear and bright like jade striking a blue stone wall.

"That shop was bought by my wife."

Upon hearing this, everyone paused for a moment.

That sound...

Lu Qin was incredulous. After a moment of stiffness, she straightened up and slowly turned her head away.

With two quick "whoosh" sounds, Xuan Lan rushed into the hall, bowed to Master Hao and Madam Hao, and then "whoosh" climbed up the tree.

Behind Xuan Lan, a person walked slowly towards them, gradually moving from the sunlight into the shade of the trees.

Although his figure was not yet clear, everyone knew exactly who he was.

That unrestrained gait, that confident voice—who else could it be but Young Master Hao Jingshi?

Seeing Hao Jingshi walking straight towards them, Yu Gui was very surprised, and her face immediately turned ashen.

Lu Qin paused for a moment, then saw Hao Jingshi walk up to her, glance at her, and curl his lips into an ambiguous smile, as if mocking her for being too stupid and having been tricked.

Then, he shook his robes and knelt beside her: "Father, Mother."

Master Hao's expression changed: "Shi'er, what are you doing, fooling around like this?"

“My son isn’t being silly,” Hao Jingshi said. “I’m the one who wanted to buy the shop, the money was given to my wife, and the land deed is in my name. You can check it yourself.”

As he spoke, he raised his eyebrows with great pride: "Besides, how could my wife possibly make decisions for me?"

Upon hearing this, Master Hao frowned. Indeed, given his stubborn nature, he always meant what he said, and Lu Qin could never go against him.

In that sense, his words do have some credibility.

Master Hao asked again, "Why did you buy that shop instead of keeping the clinic running properly?"

Hao Jingshi replied, "Father, you may not know this, but I have always loved designing clothing patterns and wanted to open a clothing shop. I know that you and I would never allow it, so I have to think of another way."

He spread his hands: "Now that my wife is learning to manage the household, I naturally can't miss this good opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Master Hao glared at him, but his expression softened immediately. He gestured for Zhilan to help Luqin up.

"Good daughter-in-law, I have wronged you. Get up now."

"You're so stupid! You believe everything he says and even cover for him. You're about to take charge of the family affairs, how can you let him run wild like this!"

With Zhilan's help, Lu Qin stood up unsteadily. Before she could answer, Hao Jingshi said with a disdainful expression, "She's so cowardly. If I don't let her speak, she naturally won't dare to."

He put his hands together and said, "Anyway, the shop has already been bought, and the money has already been spent. It's gone forever. I knew this would happen. Father, punish me if you want. I'll take responsibility for my actions. There's no need for my wife to take the blame for me."

Seeing his self-righteous manner, Lu Qin silently lowered her head.

Who would have thought that the person who was just glaring and shouting "You still want to drag me down with you?" would now be the one jumping into the water himself.

"Jing Shi, you're becoming more and more unruly. How dare you speak to your father like that? Does the Hao family no longer tolerate you?" Old Madam Hao couldn't help but reprimand him. "Besides, Qin'er is your first wife. How can you speak to her like that?"

"So what if she's my first wife?" Hao Jingshi still crossed his arms, looking defiant, and retorted, "Was it my choice to marry her?"

"You child!" The old lady was furious upon hearing this, her voice trembling. "This is utterly outrageous! Kneel in front of the corridor for two hours, and you're not allowed to have lunch. Reflect on your mistakes! Get out!"

Hao Jingshi lazily got up and said, "Yes."

He strode away, but stopped briefly as he passed Yu Gui. He glared at her and said, "You talkative servant, how dare you come here spouting nonsense and ruin my good time. You'd better get out of the Hao mansion, or I'll have to take action against you."

After saying this, he walked to the front of the corridor under everyone's gaze, lifted his robe, and knelt down straight.

Xuan Lan, who had been motionless on the tree, suddenly jumped down and knelt down with his master as punishment.

Yu Gui was well aware of Hao Jingshi's arrogant nature, and was even more frightened by his words. She lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to get up: "Young master, spare my life! Master, spare my life!"

"Look at him, look at him! Threatening people at the drop of a hat, what kind of behavior is he now?" The old lady angrily pointed at Hao Jingshi's shadow and scolded, "You unfilial son, he's gotten too big for his britches!"

"Madam, please don't upset yourself." Seeing this, Master Hao immediately sent Yu Gui away and comforted Madam Hao, trying to smooth things over. "Shi'er is just like that. Besides, that maid did lie and wronged my daughter-in-law. She should be punished."

Upon hearing this, Madam Hao glared at him as well: "It's all because you spoiled him. Now look what's happened, nobody can control him."

Master Hao chuckled apologetically, "It's my fault, my fault. Calm down, I'll teach this unfilial son a lesson later."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qin couldn't help but turn around and look at her "rebellious son." His back was straight, never slackening for a moment, as if he were saying in a huff, "I'm not convinced."

The road in front of the corridor is the main thoroughfare of the Hao family mansion, and servants often pass by. If he were to kneel here, he would be somewhat disrespected.

Lu Qin felt guilty and uncomfortable.

"Qin'er".

After catching her breath, Madam Hao called out to Lu Qin again.

Lu Qin snapped out of her daze and quickly replied, "Mother."

Madam Hao said, "Remember, from now on you don't need to listen to that wicked child or let him do whatever he wants."

Lu Qin replied, "Yes."

"Although you did not do what happened today, as his wife, you failed to dissuade Jingshi in time, so I have to punish you. Otherwise, if everyone follows suit, wouldn't things be chaotic, and you would find it difficult to command respect in the household?"

“What my mother said is true; my daughter-in-law did make a mistake.”

Seeing that she was remorseful, Madam Hao was not too harsh and said calmly, "Then I'll punish you by making you go back and copy the Rules for Women. Bring them to my room tomorrow at noon."

"Yes." Lu Qin nodded obediently, "I will listen to Mother."

She knew that the punishment would definitely be much lighter than before.

Hao Jingshi's appearance successfully diverted her in-laws' dissatisfaction with her.

Although she didn't understand why he did it, she was very touched.

Her husband is truly incredibly loyal and righteous...

After admitting her mistake, Lu Qin took the opportunity to comfort the old lady and then advised Master Hao to take the old lady back to rest.

Although Madam Hao was still furious and punished the two of them, she did not forbid them from continuing to run the shop. It seemed that she did not want to pay attention to this unfilial son and let him run whatever shop he wanted.

So, she didn't lose too much; at least she achieved her goal.

Lu Qin's heart finally settled down. Only after Master Hao and Madam Hao left the main hall did she breathe a sigh of relief and collapse onto the ground.

"Miss." Seeing that everything was alright, Zhilan breathed a sigh of relief and ran over with her umbrella, extending her other hand towards her. "Let's go back too. Miss has been kneeling for so long, and now she has to go back and copy the Rules for Women. I'm afraid her body can't take it."

Lu Qin nodded, took the hand that was offered to her, and used it to stand up from the ground.

After getting up, she turned back to look at the stubborn figure in front of the corridor.

Although she couldn't see his expression, she guessed he must be unhappy at that moment.

No matter what, she was the one who caused this mess, and in the end, he was the one who took the punishment for her, and Xuan Lan was also implicated.

Lu Qin felt a pang of conscience, so she turned around and walked towards Hao Jingshi.

When they were still a few meters apart, she noticed that his back was soaked with sweat, and the dark clothes were visibly darker.

Lu Qin felt uneasy and gestured to Zhilan to hold an umbrella over Hao Jingshi to shield him from the scorching sun, while she quickly walked around to stand in front of him.

She crouched down, her gaze level with his, and noticed that large beads of sweat had also fallen on his forehead. A few strands of hair were stuck together by the sweat, forming a small clump that lay flat on his forehead.

"what?"

Seeing her staring at him, Hao Jingshi awkwardly turned his head away, not wanting her to see him in such a disheveled state.

Lu Qin sighed, took out a handkerchief, squatted down, and wiped his sweat.

His forehead was warm, warming her fingertips.

“Husband, we already agreed that if you want to punish someone, then punish me. It has nothing to do with you. Why did you have to rush back?”

To be honest, besides feeling guilty, she was also a little worried that Hao Jingshi might run away from home in a fit of anger, or secretly poison her medicine and kill her.

After all, he's so arrogant. Being forced to kneel in a busy corridor like this, it's no wonder he's miserable.

Upon hearing this, Hao Jingshi snorted. To her surprise, he didn't seem angry at all; on the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood.

In fact, he was already used to being forced to kneel as punishment, and the servants of the Hao family didn't find it strange at all—the eldest young master had been rebellious since he was a child, and he was forced to kneel here every now and then, which had almost become a beautiful sight.

From childhood, he was strictly taught by his family and had to follow the rules in everything he did. His elders weighed him down with the responsibility of being the eldest son, and his parents placed all their hopes on him. No one cared about his thoughts.

Only Lu Qin saw his interests, appreciated his abilities, and foolishly and stubbornly did so many things for him, supporting what he liked.

Although the method was a bit clumsy and even a little mischievous, he was still moved by her sincerity.

When Xuan Lan rushed back to tell him that the young mistress had been summoned away by the old lady, he guessed that she was going to be punished.

He couldn't bear to do it, both emotionally and rationally.

So he rushed back and took all the responsibility.

“If I hadn’t come back, you would be the one kneeling now,” he said. “With your body, you would have fallen apart after kneeling for an hour. I’ve already healed you, I’m too lazy to do it again.”

Seeing that he could still make light of things, Lu Qin felt even more guilty: "In the end, it was I who dragged you into this, my husband. I'm so sorry. I'll come and apply the medicine for you after the time has passed."

"Are you feeling sorry for me?" Hao Jingshi looked up at her after hearing this, and raised his chin.

"No need. Even if it's a dog being punished today, I'll still help. Go back and copy your Women's Rules. Don't come crying to me when you can't finish copying them, then I won't be able to do anything about it."

"..."

Lu Qin was initially feeling both guilty and touched, but after hearing his words, she instantly wanted to roll her eyes a thousand times.

Okay, this shameless person wasn't just pretending to be nonchalant; he genuinely didn't take it seriously.

"No." She couldn't keep up the act of being all lovey-dovey anymore, so she threw the handkerchief in his face, stood up, put her hands on her hips, and demanded, "Who's been crying to you?"

Hao Jingshi pulled off the handkerchief and smiled mischievously, as if provoking her was exactly what he wanted: "Look, why are you in such a hurry? You were just saying sorry to me, and now you're turning on me like this."

The dam is in urgent need of repairs!

Seeing Xuan Lan's lips twitch as if he wanted to laugh but dared not, Lu Qin angrily snatched the umbrella from Zhi Lan's hand, turned it into a stick, and hit him on the head.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh! What's so funny!"

Xuan Lan covered her head, no longer daring to laugh, and let her lips droop.

Lu Qin was furious and punched Hao Jingshi twice more, hitting his shoulder and back with her umbrella.

Hao Jingshi winced in pain, unable to resist wanting to retort, "Hey, how can you be so ungrateful..."

Before he could finish the second half of his sentence, the entire umbrella came crashing down on him.

Hao Jingshi quickly dodged his head, swiftly grabbed the umbrella handle, and let the umbrella fall into his arms, saving him from being hit and getting a black eye and a swollen face.

“Yi…” He looked up again, but Lu Qin had already walked away.

A sarcastic remark drifted over from behind, "You might as well die from the sun."