Chapter 40
Mother, I have something I want to say to you alone.
The next morning, the sun shone brightly, and the sky was high and the clouds were light.
The summer heat was suppressed by the morning dew. Pushing open the door, I was greeted by the fresh fragrance of grass and trees.
After having breakfast, the two instructed Ling'er to watch over the clothing shop and had Xuan Lan prepare a carriage to head to Xuande Street.
Xuan Lan brought several bodyguards with him. He sat in front of the carriage watching the road, while his bodyguards practiced their skills by leaping across rooftops and walls as they traveled.
They lightly touched the branches with their toes, causing the tree branches to tremble slightly and shake off some debris.
The carriage on the ground moved forward with a slight jolt. Hao Jingshi put his arm around the dizzy Lu Qin and said, "We can shop all day today. Buy whatever you like."
Hearing this, Lu Qin finally perked up and nodded happily.
She turned her head and blinked: "Can I buy anything?"
Hao Jingshi nodded without thinking much, then immediately realized what he meant and corrected himself, "Some things won't do."
"What things?"
"Well, whatever I say goes."
After the carriage had been traveling for about fifteen minutes, it was getting closer and closer to the street. The sounds outside were gradually becoming noisy, so Lu Qin lifted the curtain to let in some fresh air.
Upon seeing a shop with a "For Rent" sign, she couldn't help but nudge Hao Jingshi with her hand and point it out to him.
Before she could speak, Hao Jingshi said quietly, "We can't buy this."
Lu Qin scoffed and lowered the curtain: "If you won't buy it for me, I'll buy it myself. The clothing shop has made quite a bit of money, and I have some savings of my own."
Hao Jingshi said helplessly, "It's not that I'm stingy. You bought the shop because you want to open a branch, but the two clothing shops are far apart. I'm afraid you won't be able to handle the back-and-forth trips."
Lu Qin continued to speak eloquently: "Then move here. We've been married for a while now, and you'll be twenty in two years. You should have your own place by now, shouldn't you?"
Moreover, this place is close to the capital; we can't miss this opportunity. We can leave the shop back home to Lu Hua and Lu Pan'an.”
Hearing that she had a clear plan, Hao Jingshi slowly recalled that when she came last time, Lu Qin muttered something like, "If only our shop could be opened here, we would definitely make a fortune."
Surprisingly, she had been planning this for quite some time, but he hadn't taken it seriously at all.
Hao Jingshi retorted, "You've thought of everything, wanting to divide the shops and the family property, but haven't you considered your parents' feelings? If they don't agree, how do you plan to handle it?"
“What’s so difficult about that? As long as my husband cooperates, everything will be easy.” Lu Qin smiled sweetly. “Husband, you will definitely agree, right? You must really want to break free from your constraints, have your own little family, and do what you love.”
really.
Hao Jingshi had expected her to say these things, and he was both angry and amused. So he mimicked her words and said, "Alright, as long as Madam is happy, it doesn't matter if I kneel for two days when I go back. I will definitely grant Madam's wish."
"Oh." Lu Qin sensed his reluctance and thought of his predicament, so she had nothing to say and pouted.
After a moment of silence, Hao Jingshi, seeing that she remained silent, began to ponder whether he had said something harsh.
Just then, the carriage seemed to have crossed a bump, lurching and creaking.
Lu Qin cried out "Ouch!" She lost her balance, leaned forward, and fell to the ground, her clothes fluttering in the air.
Just as she was about to crash into the sedan chair, Hao Jingshi quickly reached out and pulled her back.
But the next second, the person in his arms leaned into his arms, wrapped their arms around his waist, and smiled mischievously at him, their face practically screaming "deliberate."
“Husband, it’s their fault for not considering your feelings,” Lu Qin said in a high-pitched voice. “But they just want to buy it. They’ll need some time to prepare before they open for business, so let’s just buy it now.”
As she spoke, she shook Hao Jingshi back and forth with her hand, causing his ponytail to slap against the back of the sedan chair. Then she leaned close to his face and pouted her pretty lips.
Hao Jingshi had no way to deal with her, and could only stare at her blankly while she whine and act spoiled in his ear.
"Buy it, buy it, my husband. If you don't agree, I'll do it secretly by myself. Don't say I kept it from you later."
The carriage was already moving rather unsteadily, and with her swaying like that, Hao Jingshi was a little confused. He managed to hold her down and get a moment of peace.
"Fine, fine, buy it then," he blurted out. "Whatever you're going to do, I can't stop you."
Done.
Lu Qin smiled triumphantly and leaned over to leave two sweet kisses on his cheek.
"Young master, I have no way to repay your kindness, so I will offer myself to you."
Hao Jingshi: "…………"
Breaking news! He's getting married again.
As soon as she got off the carriage, Lu Qin rushed to the clothing shop she had sublet, with Hao Jingshi following behind. The shopkeeper recognized him and invited the two of them to have a cup of tea, and readily told the waiter to write the land deed.
I thought I'd just be buying ordinary clothes and food while shopping, but I never expected my wife to take a fancy to something that would bankrupt her.
Hao Jingshi didn't bring that much silver with him, so he made an appointment with the shopkeeper to go to the government office and only paid half of the deposit.
Although it was only half, it was still a considerable sum. The money earned that year was spent like water flowing away.
The shopkeeper counted the bag of silver in the corner, beaming with joy, and ran outside to take down the "For Rent" sign.
Just then, Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi finished their tea and got up, not intending to stay any longer, so he took the opportunity to see them out as well.
Unexpectedly, when they reached the door, Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi heard a familiar voice and both paused for a moment.
"You came today without sending anyone to inform me in advance. I'm afraid I won't be able to entertain you properly since I'm in such a hurry."
"Don't mention it. We've known each other for over twenty years. Do we need to be so polite? I'm the easiest to please. Just buy me a drink, and I'll let you off the hook."
Two hearty laughs overlapped, and then two middle-aged men in brocade robes and jade belts came towards us. Their steps were unhurried, and it was clear that they had been influenced by good family etiquette. Their speech and manners were very polite.
As they were chatting and laughing, the two caught sight of Hao Jingshi and Lu Qin walking out, and were taken aback.
After their eyes met, Hao Jingshi spoke first: "Father."
"...Shi'er?" Master Hao asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"I had some free time today, so I brought my wife here for a stroll."
After speaking, Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi both felt a little guilty, afraid that he would notice something was wrong.
After all, there was a "For Rent" sign hanging outside, so no matter how much they wandered around, there was no reason for them to end up here.
However, Mr. Hao didn't think too much about it for the time being, and simply introduced it to his friends.
The friends looked the two children up and down, lamenting how quickly time flies. Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi responded politely, and everyone at the door exchanged pleasantries.
When they finally ran out of things to say, the shopkeeper clapped his hands and laughed, saying, "What a coincidence!" He then warmly invited them inside to sit down.
“No need, it’s nothing serious.” Mr. Hao glanced at his friend before revealing the purpose of his visit. “My friend plans to stay here long-term to do business, and he’s just short of a place to stay…”
Hearing this, Lu Qin sensed something was wrong and immediately nudged Hao Jingshi's back, wanting to slip away.
Sure enough, Master Hao added, "...Seeing that your shop is being sublet, I wanted to come and take a look."
Lu Qin coughed and her mind raced like a tornado as she tried to think of a solution.
But before he could come up with an excuse, the shopkeeper said with difficulty, "This... Master Hao, you'd better look for another place."
Lu Qin thought to herself, "Oh no, how could I be so unlucky as to be exposed right here and now?"
Master Hao asked, puzzled, "Why? Just name your price, there's no need to worry."
"No, this shop... was just bought by the young master, and I'm just about to take down the sign." The shopkeeper said with a smile, "You see, you and the young master are really on the same page. Why don't you two discuss it yourselves?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Master Hao's expression subtly darkened, and he subconsciously glanced at the two people opposite him.
Lu Qin smiled obediently, not daring to say anything more, displaying a weak and helpless demeanor.
Seeing Lu Qin's timid, dry laugh, Master Hao guessed that this was another of his good son's ideas, and then glanced at Hao Jingshi.
Hao Jingshi was as straightforward as ever, putting his hands on his hips and nodding without ceremony: "The matter is urgent, and I haven't had time to explain it to you yet. Since you are accompanying the distinguished guests, I will go back to the manor and tell you in detail."
Others might not see anything wrong with these words, but to Mr. Hao, the father, it meant, "Yes, I was knowingly doing the wrong thing."
There's truly no discipline in the family anymore. He secretly spent a considerable sum of money behind his family's back, and dared to make the same mistake a second time.
Master Hao was displeased, but he forced a smile and refrained from making a scene.
A friend noticed something was wrong, offered a few words of regret to defuse the situation, and then praised the well-matched young couple in front of them.
Finally, Mr. Hao's expression returned to normal, and he said calmly, "Alright, let's go take a look elsewhere."
...
After leaving the shop, the two knew they would inevitably be scolded when they returned home that night, so they casually found a teahouse to sit down and discuss their next move.
After discussing for a long time, they still couldn't come up with a good solution. They were convinced that at this moment, nothing could quell Master Hao's anger.
After all, this wasn't their first offense, and they had already tried the method of faking pregnancy to solve their immediate problem.
After much deliberation, Lu Qin decided to go all out and try to turn the tide with her quick wit.
She found a painting studio, borrowed brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, and asked Hao Jingshi to design a dress for Old Madam Hao before dark.
Hao Jingshi lived up to expectations and finished the painting in no time. He even left an hour for her to enjoy the calm before the storm.
The two strolled hand in hand down the street. Since they had just paid the deposit for the shop and were short of money, Xuan Lan scoured the secret stash of the guards and lent it to Hao Jingshi.
Just as the guards were secretly grieving, they heard Hao Jingshi say that he would reward them three times the amount upon returning to the manor, and they immediately perked up like flowers that had just drunk their fill of water.
After buying many bags and packages, the group hurried back to their residence.
The clatter of horses' hooves echoed in the afterglow of the setting sun. Lu Qin lifted the curtain, gazing longingly at the bustling street.
After a long while, she pulled her head back and leaned against Hao Jingshi, saying, "Husband, what do you think Father will do to punish us?"
Hao Jingshi thought for a moment and said, "Father will most likely listen to Mother. Mother might just scold him a few times, make him kneel for two hours, or, if things get worse, force me to hand over the shop to Father."
Lu Qin was a little disappointed when she heard that the plan might fall through.
I should have checked the almanac before going out.
"Don't look so down." Seeing her head drooping, Hao Jingshi suddenly reached out and patted her head, awkwardly comforting her, "What's the big deal? I'll take care of this myself, it won't drag you down with me."
These words moved Lu Qin. She raised her head slightly, looked at Hao Jingshi's heroic appearance, and added a string of compliments and flattery: "Husband, being able to marry you is the blessing I have accumulated over three lifetimes. I will never be willful again in the future, and I will listen to everything you say."
Hao Jingshi: "Yes, I'll remember that."
"..." Lu Qin had a bad feeling.
The two returned to the Hao residence as dusk fell. The servants at the gate greeted them and told them to go to the main hall.
Before leaving, Lu Qin specifically instructed Hao Jingshi not to confront him head-on, but to bow his head and submit. Hao Jingshi reluctantly listened and reluctantly did as she said.
Seeing their son, whose mouth was harder than granite, being so obedient, Mr. and Mrs. Hao were dumbfounded. Their anger subsided instantly, and in the end, they only scolded him and asked him to hand over the shop to Mr. Hao, without punishing him by making him kneel.
Hao Jingshi knew that Lu Qin cared about this shop and couldn't help but want to argue his case, but he was interrupted by the look Lu Qin gave him.
He obediently shut up, bowed, took his leave, and went away alone.
"This child seems to have taken the wrong medicine." Mr. and Mrs. Hao shook their heads helplessly, then told Lu Qin to go back and rest as well.
Seeing the two get up and leave their seats, Lu Qin mustered her courage and called out to Old Madam Hao.
"Mother, I have something I want to say to you alone."
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