Chapter 28
Confess honestly
As Lu Qin was lost in thought, Hao Jingshi suddenly pinched her chubby cheeks.
He wasn't initially interested in Lu Pan'an's passing by, but seeing her startled and unusual behavior, and her staring intently at him, he became somewhat reluctant.
"What's so interesting about it?" Hao Jingshi said sourly. "Can anyone be as handsome as me?"
"Shove two more bites into your mouth, and once you choke to death, I'll leave you here as payment for your meal."
Lu Qin sensed the jealousy in her voice and chewed more vigorously. After swallowing the pastry in her mouth, she said sweetly, "I won't choke. My husband is a miracle worker and will surely pull me back from the brink of death."
As she spoke, she broke off a piece of the most delicious pastry and fed it to him, giving him a meaningful wink: "This pastry is so exquisite and delicious, just like you, my husband, it's a feast for the eyes. Husband, have some."
"..." Hao Jingshi smiled helplessly and silently ate the pastry.
After a while, he couldn't help but add, "From now on, you can only look at me, you're not allowed to look at anyone else."
Lu Qin nodded: "Then my husband is too."
Hao Jingshi snorted and muttered, "If you dare to do it again, I'll let you go hungry and I won't come with you anymore."
Lu Qin continued nodding, secretly amused. What a feeble threat.
After a hearty meal, the number of guests at the table dwindled, and the waiters began clearing away the leftovers.
Lu Qin patted her bulging belly, wiped her mouth contentedly with a handkerchief, and prepared to leave with Hao Jingshi.
Just then, Lu Ping slowly walked over and called out, "Elder sister."
Lu Qin paused for a moment, too lazy to deal with it, and just smiled and nodded at her before pulling Hao Jingshi away.
But as soon as she took Hao Jingshi's hand, Lu Ping seemed to have wings on her feet, and in the blink of an eye, she stood in front of them with a grin.
"Elder sister, it really is you! What a coincidence!" Lu Ping looked her up and down and smiled. "I heard that you are pregnant, and I am so happy for you. I haven't had a chance to congratulate you yet, so I'd like to congratulate you and your husband in advance."
After speaking, she curtsied in a proper manner, inadvertently revealing a gold hairpin with a ruby embedded in her hair.
Lu Qin took a closer look. She had seen this hairpin before. It was Aunt Zhao's favorite item, which she usually kept in her jewelry box and was reluctant to wear. But today she was willing to give it to Lu Ping.
She knew that Lu Ping was up to no good, so she flung the handkerchief in her hand and said rudely, "Thank you, sister. You're with your friends, why bother coming all the way here to congratulate me? You can congratulate me at the family dinner in a couple of days."
Lu Ping said insincerely, "It's a family banquet, but now that I've met my elder sister, as her younger sister, I should naturally show my appreciation."
Lu Qin said "Oh," and her eyes lit up with anticipation: "Since you say so, little sister... you must have prepared a congratulatory gift for me and can't wait to present it to me?"
"..."
Lu Ping originally wanted to get closer to Hao Jingshi and take the opportunity to get some information about Lu Ming from them, but she didn't expect that Hao Jingshi would directly ask for a congratulatory gift.
She gave an awkward laugh: "My sister is not well-off, unlike my sister who married into a good family and lives a comfortable life. We are all family, so let's skip the gift."
Lu Qin also revealed a harmless smile.
You think you can just run away after bothering me? There's no such thing as a free lunch.
Since the prey has come to her, why not use a straw boat to borrow arrows?
She said, "It's alright, I was just saying it casually. How could I, as a sister, ask for any grand gift from my younger sister?"
Lu Ping was about to nod when Lu Qin suddenly changed the subject and said with a smile, "Actually, the gemstone hairpin in your hair is quite nice, why don't you give it to your older sister?"
"..."
"As the saying goes, a small gift carries great meaning. Although it is not an expensive item, it can still be a keepsake for my sister."
"..."
As Lu Qin spoke, she gently raised her hand and stroked the hairpin in her hair, clicking her tongue in appreciation.
Seeing this, Hao Jingshi glanced away disdainfully, but didn't say anything, just stood there like a pillar waiting.
Lu Ping's smile froze, clearly losing her composure, but with Hao Jingshi present, she wanted to leave a good impression on him and dared not show her reluctance too directly.
Her lips tightened.
It's one thing to ask for her hairpin, but to actually dare to mock her for wearing a cheap trinket!
This is Mother's most beloved possession!
Seeing that Lu Ping's molars seemed to be starting to work, Lu Qin pressed on while the iron was hot, saying, "Fine, since you're reluctant, I can't force you."
As she spoke, she gradually became engrossed in the scene, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, and said with deep emotion, "But when I got married, my sister didn't give me anything to remember me by. Now, we sisters only see each other once in a lifetime, and I can't even bear to look at things to remember her..."
“…How could that be?” Lu Ping looked at her exaggerated appearance and was at a loss for what to do. She could only force a smile, pretend to be generous, take the hairpin off her head, and hand it to her.
"Elder sister, please don't misunderstand. It's not that I'm reluctant to part with it, but I just feel that this little thing is not worthy of you. If you like it, please take it."
"Thank you, little sister!" Lu Qin immediately accepted it with great joy and showed it off to Hao Jingshi, "Husband, look, isn't it beautiful?"
Hao Jingshi twitched his lips and gave a disdainful "hmm".
Lu Qin patted her belly again: "Child, look, this is a gift from your aunt to your mother, isn't it beautiful?"
Lu Qin's actions left Lu Ping speechless, unsure whether she was genuinely happy or just experiencing the "pregnancy brain" phenomenon.
She remained silent for a moment, just as she was about to bring up Lu Ming, when Hao Jingshi suddenly spoke up: "Let's go, Madam, go back and drink your medicine to prevent miscarriage. We've already been delayed for quite a while. We can catch up with your sister another day when we have time."
"Oh right, right, look at my memory."
Lu Qin immediately went down the steps and, with lightning speed, pulled Hao Jingshi out, leaving Lu Ping no chance to interrupt.
"Little sister, let's get together another day! Bye-bye!"
She waved to Lu Ping, who was frozen in place and hadn't had a chance to speak, then rolled her eyes as she turned her head, her smile vanishing completely.
After leaving the restaurant, Lu Qin linked arms with Hao Jingshi with one arm and held the hairpin in the other, examining it over and over.
Seeing that she had been examining the hairpin all the way and almost bumped into pedestrians, Hao Jingshi offered to carry her on his back.
Lu Qin happily climbed onto his shoulder and hugged him, thinking that her husband was becoming more and more enlightened.
She rested her chin on Hao Jingshi's head, still fiddling with the hairpin in her hands, and even held it up to the sunlight to examine it.
The color is perfect, and it doesn't seem to be a cheap item. I imagine Lu Ping's heart must be bleeding profusely right now.
"Don't wander around." Hao Jingshi pulled her up a bit. "What's the point of having this piece of junk? If you like it, I'll buy you a new one."
"This is a good thing." Lu Qin casually stuck the hairpin into her hair bun, then used both hands to hug Hao Jingshi tightly. "It will be very useful later."
Hao Jingshi didn't understand: "What wonderful use?"
Lu Qin gave a mischievous grin.
Of course, it was a clever use to bring down Aunt Zhao.
Although she didn't understand the intrigues of family power struggles, nor did she have as many schemes as Aunt Zhao, she had watched palace dramas.
It's like traveling back to the day of the college entrance exam with a reference list; how could she not learn by copying?
This tactic is called "killing someone with a hairpin"!
Of course, she wasn't as vicious as Aunt Zhao; she wouldn't take anyone's life. All she wanted was to get Aunt Zhao out of the Lu family.
Just thinking about that scene made Lu Qin feel relaxed and happy, and she couldn't help but grin.
Although she didn't answer directly, Hao Jingshi guessed from her scheming laugh that she had come up with a new trick.
He snorted and said, "You're full of bad intentions, don't drag me down with you again."
Lu Qin leaned down and said, "Husband, we're in the same boat, how can you say we're implicated?"
Hao Jingshi looked up at the sky and said, "I only said I would help you cover up the false pregnancy, I didn't say I would harm people with you."
"Huh?" Lu Qin scolded playfully, "Who harmed anyone? I'm just a gentleman taking revenge, it's never too late."
"oh?"
As they approached the clinic, Hao Jingshi slowly squatted down, gesturing for her to get down.
"Don't I know you well enough?"
Lu Qin thought he was going to renege on his promise, so she quickly hugged him and shook him vigorously: "Hey, husband, you don't keep your word! The other day you said you'd twist off Aunt Zhao's head and let me kick it like a ball, and now you're going back on your word!"
Hao Jingshi was dizzy from being shaken by her. Seeing that she wouldn't let go, he steadied himself and turned around to pick her up in his arms.
"Alright, alright, I never said she counted as a person."
...
The two chatted for a while and soon returned to the clinic. Lu Hua was sitting in front of the door, guarding it like a stone lion.
Upon seeing Lu Qin, he immediately stood up and said that he had taken his brothers to Shouzhuo Mountain, where her mother had been murdered, found a group of bandits, and even kidnapped two of them, which they then dumped in the open space behind the clinic.
He led Lu Qin and Hao Jingshi over, patted his chest, and said, "Brother, I've done everything you asked! These two bandits have come to confess the truth to you willingly. The murderer from back then won't be able to keep jumping around for long!"
Seeing the two bandits hunched over, trembling with fear, Lu Qin was both amused and exasperated.
How could such tyrannical mountain bandits be so frightened?
Was this truly voluntary?
Could it be that Lu Hua threatened someone with a big cleaver?
"Thank you for your hard work," Lu Qin said. "Go inside and rest for a while. I need to ask them some questions."
"Alright." Lu Hua turned back and glared at him before leaving. "Behave yourselves!"
The bandit nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Lu Hua left gracefully, leaving behind the words, "Call me if you need anything, Big Brother." Lu Qin watched his retreating figure, wanting to laugh but holding it back.
She then looked at the two bandits.
The bandit looked guilty.
Their leader sends people out every day to buy supplies and inquire, so their information network is quite efficient.
They recognized the man from before as Lu Hua, the toughest man in the city, and the two people in front of them as the notoriously difficult-to-touch young master of the Hao family and his newlywed wife.
This new lady looked unfamiliar, probably because she rarely went out, but since Lu Hua called her "Big Brother," she must be someone not to be trifled with.
The more they thought about it, the more terrified they became, and their legs trembled uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Hao Jingshi took two steps forward to question them, but the bandits both scrambled backward, rubbing their buttocks.
He said coldly, "Come back, what are you trembling about?"
"Spare us! Spare us!" The bandit blurted out as soon as he finished speaking. "Please, we're just lowly soldiers following orders..."
"take it easy."
Lu Qin patted Hao Jingshi, gesturing for him to step back slightly, then squatted down and said to the two of them in a gentle tone, "I invited you here because I have something to ask you. As long as you tell me the truth, I won't kill you."
Seeing her gentle attitude, the bandits became even more frightened: "Sir, we'll confess everything. Ask us whatever you want to know, just don't... don't kill us..."
Lu Qin nodded with a smile, stared at one of them, and asked, word by word, "Then tell me, why did you kill the old lady of the Lu family two years ago?"
The bandit, sweating profusely under her smiling gaze, stammered, "I don't remember, I don't remember... So many people come to the mountain every day, we..."
Hao Jingshi turned his head and glanced at them impatiently.
"I remember, I remember!" The bandit quickly changed his story. "We, we don't usually rob women and children. It was just that one time, really just once. That time, we were forced to do it by our leader! Besides, we didn't kill anyone then, and there were more than just the two of us there!"
"Alright," Lu Qin said, "I won't make things difficult for you. Tell me, where is your leader?"
"this……"
The two bandits exchanged a glance, then stammered and refused to speak.
Hao Jingshi kicked each of them, saying, "Speak up! If you keep dawdling, I'll hang you up and beat you!"
The bandits frowned, looking as if they were about to cry: "Sir, I'll talk, I'll talk! It's... it's in the old temple, but it's abandoned now, no one passes by there..."
Lu Qin: "Could you lead the way?"
The two nodded.
Lu Qin stood up with satisfaction, clapped her hands, and called out to the clinic, "Little brother."
Lu Hua poked her head out of the window: "What are your orders, brother?"
Lu Qin: "Could you please go again and bring their leader back?"
"no problem!"
Lu Hua readily agreed and tried to climb out of the window, but got stuck and had to pull back forcefully, going around to the back through the front door.
He said goodbye to his "eldest and second eldest brothers," then picked up one of them in each hand and led the bandits away.
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