Chapter 12
Lu Mingya is sick, isn't she?
When Lu Qin woke up early the next morning, she found herself in bed, but Hao Jingshi was nowhere to be seen.
Startled, she sat up abruptly and touched her clothes, thankfully they were intact.
What's going on?
Lu Qin found it strange and even wondered if she was sleepwalking.
But she was too embarrassed to ask Hao Jingshi, and simply pretended that nothing had happened.
In the following days, the two slept in the same room "peacefully." Lu Qin continued to sleep on the floor, but every time she woke up, she found herself lying in bed.
After returning from paying her respects that day, she finally couldn't help but ask Hao Jingshi.
"Um, my husband, do I often sleepwalk? I was sleeping on the floor, but when I woke up I was in bed."
Hao Jingshi paused for a moment, touched his nose, and casually replied, "I had someone carry you over. Anyway, I've woken up, and no one's taking up that bed."
Lu Qin gave an "oh" and didn't ask any more questions. She smiled sweetly as usual and saw him out of the mansion.
After turning around, she secretly decided to find out what was going on.
She didn't believe Hao Jingshi's words because she felt that Hao Jingshi, given his personality, couldn't bear to see a patient sleeping on a hard floor all night.
Although she had a rough idea of what was going on, she still wanted to confirm it.
It was confirmed that Hao Jingshi had given her the bed.
It also confirmed that... she really started to understand Hao Jingshi.
That night, the moonlight was hazy. As usual, Lu Qin huddled under the covers on the floor. Hao Jingshi ignored her and went to sleep by himself.
Lu Qin glanced back several times, but found him unmoved and somewhat disappointed, thinking she had guessed wrong.
But not long after, she heard rustling sounds, probably Hao Jingshi getting out of bed.
As Lu Qin heard the approaching footsteps, she suppressed the sound of nervously swallowing.
Hao Jingshi bent down, his shadow enveloping her, and observed her for a moment, seemingly confirming that she was asleep, before picking her up in his arms.
Lu Qin tried to relax, like someone who is asleep and unconscious, letting him do as he pleased, tilting her head and leaning against him.
The moment her ear touched his chest, she clearly heard the strong pounding of his heart.
It was so close, so hot, that she instantly tensed up, nervously clutching the corner of his clothes, her breathing becoming erratic.
Fortunately, Hao Jingshi didn't seem to notice anything and simply gently placed her on the bed.
With her mind blank, and about to face him, Lu Qin maintained her even breathing and adjusted the rise and fall of her chest, forgetting that she was still clutching Hao Jingshi's clothes.
The tautness of the clothes made Hao Jingshi realize something was wrong, and he paused for a moment.
He stood to the side, not leaving immediately, but silently for a while, then pried open her fingers and tugged at the corner of her clothes.
The friction between her fingertips made Lu Qin's heart pound instantly. In her nervousness, her eyelids trembled uncontrollably, and she accidentally opened them a crack.
Hao Jingshi was adjusting the hem of his clothes with his head down, his expression indifferent, indistinct in the darkness, unlike his usual sharp and angular demeanor.
A few strands of his long, loose hair slipped down and draped over her arm, sending a tingling sensation through her. In a daze, she even felt a touch of tenderness.
Seemingly sensing the burning intensity of her gaze, he glanced at her for no apparent reason.
They both froze for a second.
Lu Qin's heart skipped a beat. She quickly pretended to smack her lips, turned over, and pulled the blanket over herself.
She knew her acting was a bit clumsy this time, so she held her breath and dared not move, as if she were feeling guilty.
After a while, Hao Jingshi chuckled, still in his usual arrogant and fearless tone, tucked her in, then moved away and went back to lie down on the floor.
After the clothes and bamboo mat rubbed together for a while, the surroundings became extremely quiet.
I have no idea what he was laughing about.
Lu Qin thought he probably realized she was pretending to be asleep, but just didn't call her out on it.
With her burden lifted, she breathed a sigh of relief, quietly wiped the sweat from her forehead with the blanket, and carefully shifted into a more comfortable position.
Suddenly, Hao Jingshi said, "From now on, you'll sleep in the bed, so I don't have to carry you. You're too heavy."
Lu Qin's throat tightened, but she didn't make a sound.
She quietly turned her head and looked at the figure on the ground. He was leaning to one side, using his arm to support his head, and the blanket was not properly covering him, but just piled up at his waist.
Although those words were a bit infuriating, she didn't feel angry at all; instead, she felt a strange flutter in her heart.
After a while, she whispered to the figure, "Thank you, my husband."
...
The next day.
The floor was already empty. Lu Qin had only been up for a short while, staring blankly at the beams, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.
"Young Madam, the young master instructed me to bring you your meal."
Lu Qin snapped out of her daze: "Come in."
"Why."
The door was pushed open, and a maidservant entered with the sound. She was dressed in plain clothes, with her hair styled in the same bun as the other maidservants, and had two sweet dimples on her face.
She bowed respectfully, her movements revealing a clever and quick-witted air: "Greetings to the young mistress. My name is Ling'er. From now on, I will serve the young mistress. If the young mistress has any instructions, please just tell Ling'er."
Ling'er, as her name suggests, seems more clever than Zhilan, but it's unknown whether she can match Zhilan's loyalty.
Lu Qin nodded, gesturing for her to stand up, and began to probe her background: "Ling'er, what a beautiful name. Where are you from?"
Ling'er said, "My home is in a remote water town. My mother likes to eat water chestnuts, so she gave me the nickname Ling'er."
"Then how did you get here?"
"I was sold here by human traffickers, but fortunately I was sold to the Hao family and was not mistreated."
As Ling'er spoke with a smile, she deftly set the food on the table. Upon hearing this, Lu Qin couldn't help but slap her lips a few times.
Ugh, that's terrible.
She got off the ground and sat down in front of Ling'er, eating with her to ease her guilt: "How long have you been serving at the Hao residence?"
“It’s been five or six years. I’ve been serving the old lady. I heard that your dowry is no longer with you, so the old lady sent me to serve you personally.”
As Ling'er spoke, she diligently served her food, "This bowl of bird's nest was brought back by the master when he was out doing business. I heard it's the most precious variety. The young master said to heat it up for you so it can nourish your body. Please have a few more bites."
The young master gave the order, saying, "I don't know why, but I never felt this way before. Now, whenever I hear those two words, I always feel a bit agitated."
Lu Qin paused for a moment: "Where is my husband? I haven't seen him. Has he eaten?"
Ling'er smiled and said, "I've already eaten. Young Madam forgot, Young Master had to go to the government office to get the land deed today, so he left early this morning."
Lu Qin nodded, scooping up spoonfuls of bird's nest to eat, thinking that Ling'er didn't seem to have any bad intentions and should be reliable.
Whether it is truly reliable or not remains to be seen and will only be known through practice.
She put down her chopsticks and said seriously, "Ling'er, do me a favor."
Ling'er replied, "It is my good fortune to be favored by the young mistress. Please give me your instructions and I will do my best to fulfill them."
“Go to West City Street and find a craftsman surnamed Zhao. Make an appointment with him to come and renovate our new shop,” Lu Qin said with a smile. “Then go to the Lu residence and send a letter to my father. Tell him that I am feeling much better and he doesn’t need to worry about me. I’m busy with some things these days and it’s inconvenient for me to come back to see him. Please don’t blame me.”
"yes."
After saying that, Ling'er readily withdrew.
After Ling'er left, looking at the delicious food in front of her, Lu Qin couldn't help but pick up her chopsticks. But then she thought about it and took a silver needle from the box, and pricked each dish with it.
It hasn't turned black, so it's edible.
Only then did Lu Qin feel relieved and enjoy her meal.
There's just too much going on lately; I'm starting to have paranoia.
Although it was breakfast, Ling'er brought quite a few dishes, and Lu Qin loved them all, so she couldn't finish them all.
She was enjoying her meal, nodding and swaying her head, when suddenly someone tapped her on the head from behind.
"What are you shaking for? Is there poison in the food?"
Lu Qin could guess who posed that witty rhetorical question even with her toes.
"My husband is back so soon." She puffed out her cheeks, didn't even look at him, and quickly ate a few more bites.
Hao Jingshi slammed the land deed onto the table, picked up a piece of bean cake from the plate, and took a bite: "If it weren't for your endless nonsense, I could have come back even earlier in the time it takes to sign and put my fingerprint on a document."
Upon hearing this assessment, Lu Qin nodded in deep agreement.
"That's just how he is. He always brags about his shady dealings at Chang Le Fang whenever he meets someone."
Hao Jingshi reached for the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and brought it to his lips: "That's not what I was talking about."
"Then what should we say?"
Lu Qin buried her head in her food while giving him perfunctory replies. In truth, she didn't care what Lu Ming said; she just wanted to listen to it for amusement and to have something to talk about with her meal.
Seeing that she didn't seem too concerned, Hao Jingshi put down his teacup with some effort and said with a half-smile, "He said he has a younger sister who is also of marriageable age, and asked if I would be willing to take her in, so that we could have a double marriage."
"Oh." Lu Qin only half-listened, then suddenly choked, before realizing what he meant. "Huh?!"
Let her arrogant half-sister Lu Ping, who only likes to associate with high-ranking officials and nobles, become her concubine.
Why did she have to become Hao Jingshi's concubine to disgust him, no matter who she married?
Lu Ming is insane!
She finally had a few days of peace!
Lu Qin couldn't quite describe her feelings, but she suddenly lost her appetite. She could guess that Lu Ming couldn't make the decision either, and it was probably Aunt Zhao's idea again.
This isn't just meant to disgust her; it's more likely a different way to kill her.
She couldn't help but ask, "You...you didn't agree, did you?"
"How can you take such a joke seriously?" Seeing her suddenly lose interest, Hao Jingshi narrowed his eyes as if he had succeeded in his scheme. "But if it were true, I would have to consider it. Life is boring, it would be good to take a charming concubine to serve me."
Lu Qin rolled her eyes after hearing this. Taking a concubine with such charm means he thinks she lacks charm herself.
That jerk! She's completely blinded by love. She only thinks he's loyal and righteous, but she forgets he might also be a womanizer!
As Lu Qin thought about it, she became increasingly angry. She originally wanted to curse Hao Jingshi as a scumbag, but then she thought that it was normal for men in ancient times to have multiple wives and concubines, so he didn't seem to have done anything wrong.
So she could only put down her chopsticks in frustration and reply expressionlessly, "Then hurry up and go get married. Pick an auspicious day and don't run away on your wedding night."
Upon hearing this, Hao Jingshi noticed that she was a little annoyed, so he glanced at her, didn't dare to reply, and continued eating the remaining bean cake in his hand, chewing away.
He rarely remained silent during arguments, so Lu Qin assumed he was secretly determined to take a concubine. She stopped talking, picked up her chopsticks, grabbed some food, and put it in her mouth, chewing it.
The once delicious food now tasted bland. She swallowed a bite, not really wanting to eat anymore, and couldn't help but glance at Hao Jingshi again.
Hao Jingshi hadn't finished the piece of bean cake in his hand yet; he was still chewing it. When he saw her looking at him, he paused for a moment, thinking she wanted some too, so he took another piece from the plate and handed it to her.
Lu Qin looked at the slightly greenish bean cake he handed her and felt inexplicably angry, but had nowhere to vent her anger. Unable to bear it any longer, she simply grabbed the land deed and left the table in a huff.
Where are you going?
Hao Jingshi was still holding a bean cake in his hand. Seeing that she was about to leave, he quickly called out to her from behind.
However, Lu Qin ignored him and strode straight out the door.
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