Chapter 7
What are you up to now?
There's no time to lose, it's time to act!
After seeing Hao Jingshi leave like the wind, Lu Qin immediately strode back to her dormitory to get the money and prepare to go out.
Having only brought a straw hat with her last outing and accidentally exposed herself, almost getting chased down by Aunt Zhao's men, Lu Qin was a little scared. So this time she decided to disguise herself as a man so that no one would recognize her.
Having made up her mind, Lu Qin immediately strode to the dressing table, sat down, and began to "change her face".
As a beauty and fashion blogger, doing male makeup is naturally a piece of cake for her. Although the cosmetics available now are rudimentary and the tools aren't very handy, she still managed to transform herself into a handsome man by referencing Hao Jingshi's face, thanks to her superb makeup skills.
"Tsk." After finishing, Lu Qin looked in the mirror and was very satisfied with her masterpiece, seeing the handsome man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose.
This technique is comparable to the art of disguise.
With the makeup done, the next step is the outfit.
Lu Qin thought for a moment, then got up and went to the closet to look at Hao Jingshi's clothes, intending to "borrow" them.
His clothes were almost all dark black, with very few light or bright colors, but the styles were all the latest, so it was easy to see that this husband had very good taste in clothing.
Lu Qin picked out a few clothes that looked pleasing to the eye and tried them on, but to her surprise, the clothes dragged on the ground as soon as she shook them open. The long hem immediately drooped down and fell to the ground in a heap. The cuffs were as wide as opera horns, and the waist was also empty, enough for her to use as a thin blanket.
That makes sense. The original owner of this body was petite and adorable, while Hao Jingshi was more than a head taller than her. How could her clothes possibly fit her?
Lu Qin thought for a moment, then found some handkerchiefs, old clothes, and other stuffing materials and stuffed them into the hollows of her shoulders to support her upper body.
She got up and tried to take a few steps, but bumped into Zhilan who was rushing over, which startled Zhilan.
Zhilan stared blankly at the person in front of her who walked unsteadily, whose limbs were out of sync and who couldn't distinguish between men and women, blinking her eyes repeatedly.
The face resembled both a son-in-law and a daughter; she couldn't tell the difference and kept stammering, "Aunt...little...little...aunt?"
"How about it, can't you recognize me?"
Seeing this, Lu Qin spun around triumphantly, even striking a cool figure-eight pose while resting her chin on her hand, showing off her perfect attire to Zhi Lan.
As soon as she moved, the clothes stuffed into her shoulders began to slip off, and her shoulders, which had been slightly puffed up, slowly deflated.
Lu Qin swiftly caught the clothes that were about to fall freely and gave a dry laugh.
It seems this method isn't going to work; it's like a child trying to wear an adult's clothes.
Hearing that sweet voice and seeing those exaggerated little gestures, Zhilan finally dared to confirm that the person in front of her was the young lady and not the son-in-law.
"Miss?" Zhilan blinked again. "What...what are you going to do?"
Is it possible that Miss loves her son-in-law so deeply that she's become obsessed and even wishes she could become like him?
"Let's go to the street!" Lu Qin tugged at the fabric on her shoulder, putting the old clothes back in their place. "Zhilan, go find a familiar servant to borrow some clothes from, preferably something small enough for me to fit into."
"..." Zhilan looked at her lively young lady, both amused and exasperated. "Why did you dress up as a man and go out in public, Miss?"
“You don’t understand. This is how I can save my life and avoid being hunted down by Aunt Zhao’s people.” Lu Qin deliberately lowered her voice and said gruffly, “Zhilan, you don’t need to come with me. Just stay in the mansion and cover for me. If anyone asks, just say I went to the clinic to see my husband.”
"This..." Zhilan was a little worried. After all, her young lady had fainted from heatstroke last time. If no one was by her side and something went wrong, how could she, as her personal maid, explain it?
"The sun is blazing outside, and Miss is frail. I'd better go with you."
"No need, no need." Lu Qin stuffed silver into her pocket. She wasn't afraid of heatstroke or fainting now, because even if she did faint, she could travel back to the Lu family mansion. Who knows what secrets she might overhear then? She wouldn't lose out at all.
Zhilan looked at her, still worried: "Then Miss should at least bring a few servants with her."
"No need, no need. I don't trust anyone but you. They're too much of a hindrance," Lu Qin insisted. "Go quickly, there's no time to lose."
"Why……"
Zhilan wanted to offer some kind words of advice, but her young mistress was too stubborn, so she could only sigh and go about her business.
After borrowing a servant's clothes and putting them on, Lu Qin repeatedly instructed Zhi Lan to make sure she was properly covered before sneaking out of the Hao residence and going out into the street.
The colorful signs and banners along the street were billowing in the wind, the shops were wide open to welcome customers, and people were coming and going, making it a very lively scene.
The deeper you go into the crowd, the more you can hear the vendors' energetic shouts, one after another, drowning out each other.
After leaving the Hao residence and entering a bustling area, Lu Qin no longer hesitated and began to walk with his back straight and his handsome face swaggering. When he saw a beautiful woman, he would even throw her a flirtatious glance to show his appreciation.
The beauties looked at the handsome young man's innocent and charming eyes and all showed shy smiles, which made Lu Qin very proud.
She tossed things along the way, preoccupied with flirting with beautiful women, and didn't notice the maidservant following her at a distance.
As she passed by Jingshi Medical Clinic, Lu Qin peeked inside and glanced at Hao Jingshi, who was engrossed in reading.
This husband is too serious; he studies clothing whenever he has free time. He is destined for greatness.
Lu Qin continued walking happily toward the shop.
She originally intended to rent a room to open a shop, but because Hao Jingshi was too generous and gave her a lot of subsidies, she was now rolling in money and decided to buy the shop directly.
After much thought, she felt that the most suitable place was the one that Lu Ming owned.
This place is very close to the clinic, so if anything unexpected happens, we can escape to Hao Jingshi's side immediately.
Moreover, once the clothing store opens, we can hold a marketing campaign where customers who buy clothes receive a free pulse diagnosis.
Lu Qin turned and went into Lu Ming's tea and snack shop. The shop was twice the size of the clinic, with eight square tables and several pairs of chairs.
There were no customers in the shop, only a few waiters busy cleaning. Lu Ming sat on a rocking chair at the counter, legs crossed, sipping tea with his face up to the sky.
Without saying a word, Lu Qin pulled out a handful of silver notes and slammed them on the counter.
She knew full well that Lu Ming was a money-grubber, and that he would sell if offered enough.
Lu Ming paused for a moment, sat up, and frowned as he looked the plainly dressed "man" up and down: "Who are you? What do you want?"
Lu Qin waved the silver notes in her hand: "Brother, name your price for this shop, and I'll buy it."
Just as she expected, this scene completely stunned Lu Ming.
This stack of silver notes was enough to buy two shops. Seeing how generous she was, Lu Ming immediately stood up, put on a flattering and obsequious attitude, addressed her as a brother, and even sent a waiter to sign a contract.
After the waiter left, he started to ingratiate himself again: "Brother, I was blind to your greatness. My name is Lu Ming. May I ask who you are?"
Lu Qin lied to him, saying, "I am a servant of the Hao family. I came here today on orders, but I have been to several houses without doing anything good. I was just worried about it. Fortunately, Young Master Lu is so straightforward."
Upon hearing that it was the Hao family, Lu Ming assumed it was Master Hao and became even more excited, repeatedly saying that it was his sister's husband's family and that he wanted to pay them a visit.
Seeing that things were getting out of control, Lu Qin quickly used a lot of sweet talk and empty promises to fool him.
He had intended to give a few perfunctory replies and leave, but Lu Ming got more and more excited as he talked, even asking if he usually went to Chang Le Fang.
Chang Le Fang was a gambling den. When this was mentioned, Lu Ming became as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood, and he used his hands and feet to talk about his winnings.
Lu Qin's ears were almost numb from listening. After several attempts, she finally managed to interrupt his incessant chatter and made an appointment with him to go to the government office to sign and seal the document three days later.
Having said that, Lu Qin, fearing he would launch into another barrage of questions, said goodbye and dashed out like a shot, then turned and disappeared into the Jing Shi Medical Clinic next door.
At the same time, the maid who was lying outside the door suddenly hid behind a pillar. Lu Ming exclaimed "Hey!" and chased after her to see "Brother Ren off," but unexpectedly, the man disappeared into thin air as soon as he stepped out the door.
He looked around blankly, muttering, "How strange, how ghostly!" Just as he was about to turn around and go back into the house, a maid suddenly emerged from behind a pillar.
She gave him a soft, unassuming bow.
"Young Master."
...
Lu Qin rushed into Jing Shi Medical Clinic in a flurry of activity, but because she ran so fast, her legs suddenly went weak and her vision blurred.
She grabbed the counter with a "thud" and gasped for breath, but the sweat on her palms made her hands slip and she lost her grip. Then, with a thud, she fell backward.
It hurts so much...
Lu Qin reacted quickly and protected her head, but unfortunately bumped her elbow and back.
The noise was quite loud, startling Hao Jingshi.
He put down his book, stood up and glanced at the "man." Seeing that the "man" had a rosy complexion and seemed to be fine, he said impatiently, "Don't try to scam me here. Get out."
Lu Qin struggled to her feet, using her hands to push herself up, and dusted herself off. "Who's trying to scam me? Husband, it's me!"
After she finished speaking, she clutched her aching back and took a few steps forward, even turning around once, under Hao Jingshi's astonished gaze.
"Husband, do I look handsome dressed as a man?"
Upon hearing Lu Qin's voice, Hao Jingshi was bewildered and stood frozen in place, thinking he was seeing things.
Fearing he wouldn't believe her, Lu Qin took small steps to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of water, splashed it on her face, rubbed it between her hands, and then wiped it haphazardly with a handkerchief.
“Now you’ll recognize me, right?” She looked up.
Unexpectedly, Hao Jingshi looked at her and chuckled.
Her makeup began to smudge, the once even powder dissolving into patches of white, and the pink rouge left faint marks on her face, blending into the white patches.
That painted face makes him look just like a clown in a traditional opera.
He crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips: "Madam, what are you up to now?"
Over the past few days, he has come to see through his wife. She is unpredictable and full of strange and unusual ideas.
She left him speechless the day before yesterday, and the day after that she could sincerely apologize and beg for reconciliation. One minute she wanted to open a shop, and the next she dressed up as a man and came to find him.
He had never met such an interesting woman.
"Don't laugh at me, my husband." It was rare to see him smile, so Lu Qin quickly pressed her advantage, "I came out to buy you a gift. I dressed up as a man because I was afraid that Aunt Zhao's people would follow me."
"A gift?" Hao Jingshi raised his eyebrows in surprise, then paused. "It's not a holiday, why buy a gift?"
“Isn’t it true that we can’t give gifts during festivals?” Lu Qin said seriously. “I want to give my husband the best things in the world, no matter when or where.”
here we go again.
Hao Jingshi was really bad at responding to such sweet words, so he turned his head away uncomfortably and coughed.
"So, what did you buy?"
Seeing that he was completely charmed again, Lu Qin knew the time was right and said mysteriously, "I bought the tea and snack shop next door for my husband!"
"Oh, a shop..."
Hao Jingshi muttered something, and only when the image of the shop automatically appeared in his mind did he suddenly realize what was happening.
He stared in disbelief. "You, what did you buy?!"
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