The shop owner quickly stuffed the note into his pocket, then looked up and smiled again, nodding at Lin Hui.
Soon, Xu Xinghe walked out of the fitting room wearing a dress. The light blue dress made her skin look even whiter and her figure even more slender.
"It looks so good!" Lin Hui immediately put on a gentle smile and stepped forward to help her straighten her collar. "Make this style, and make another shirt, Master. Please finish it as soon as possible, we're waiting to wear it."
"Don't worry, just bring the fabric, and I can finish it in three days!"
Xu Xinghe was completely unaware of anything amiss. Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought, "I do look quite good. Thank you, sister-in-law."
Since the other party insisted on giving it to her, she didn't need to be reserved and could accept it generously, figuring she could always return it later.
"You don't need to be so polite with your sister-in-law anymore." Lin Hui took her hand. "I'll bring the clothes over when they're finished. Let's go eat some cold noodles now. I've already found out which one in the alley ahead is the most authentic!"
The two walked out of the tailor shop with smiles, and Lin Hui glanced back at the shop owner.
The other person stood at the door, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, and let out a long sigh of relief.
She took out a piece of paper from her pocket, unfolded it, and saw only a few words on it, but her expression instantly turned serious.
...
After finishing their cold noodles, Xu Xinghe and Lin Hui declined each other's suggestion to go elsewhere and returned to their courtyard.
As soon as I pushed open the courtyard gate, I felt a sense of relief.
Lin Hui's enthusiasm was indeed heartwarming, but it went too far. She held her hand the whole time and stared at her while talking, making her feel inexplicably breathless.
She had only rested for two minutes when a light knock came from outside the courtyard gate. Xu Xinghe looked up and saw Zhang Cishu standing at the door, carrying a cloth bag in his hand. His face was expressionless, and his tone was flat, which was the complete opposite of the enthusiastic Lin Hui. "I found the book. Here you go."
"A dictionary!" Xu Xinghe's eyes lit up, and she quickly got up to take the cloth bag.
Inside were several books on medicinal herb cultivation that she had previously mentioned wanting, neatly arranged at the edges.
"Thank you, it's so kind of you to make this special trip." She smiled and thanked her, placing the cloth bag on the table.
Zhang Cishu walked into the courtyard, glanced at the tender shoots in the medicinal herb field, and gave a faint "hmm" without making any comments.
Xu Xinghe recalled the events of the past two days and casually remarked to him, "By the way, Director Li's wife came. She was incredibly kind to me, treating me to dinner and even making me some clothes."
She sat on the stone bench, propping her chin up with her hand. "But I think her enthusiasm is probably for the prescription. Yesterday at dinner, the way Director Li looked at her was clearly grateful for her help in winning me over; you could tell at a glance."
Zhang Cishu sat down on the stone bench opposite him, his hands resting on his knees in a casual posture. "Normal."
Just two words, concise and devoid of any extra emotion.
If it were Lin Hui, she would probably go on and on for a long time.
Xu Xinghe sighed, "She doesn't seem to have any bad intentions, but her enthusiasm is a bit overwhelming."
“It’s just a means to an end, don’t worry about it. As long as it doesn’t harm you, you don’t need to take it to heart.” Zhang Cishu spoke calmly, without any inflection. “If you want to give me the prescription, then give it to me. If you don’t want to, no one can force you. You don’t need to deliberately cater to them, nor do you need to hide. Just do what you want.”
He didn't say much, but he got straight to the point.
Xu Xinghe's unease instantly dissipated. "That's true. Hearing you say that makes me feel much more at ease."
Zhang Cishu didn't reply, but stood up and said, "Take your time reading the book. If you need anything else, you can come to me."
"Okay, thank you!"
The afternoon sun shone through the leaves and onto the wicker chair.
Xu Xinghe was half-lying on it, flipping through the book that Zhang Cishu had sent. She was so engrossed in reading that she didn't even notice the footsteps outside the courtyard gate.
"Xinghe, you're home!" Lin Hui's voice suddenly broke the tranquility of the courtyard.
Xu Xinghe looked up and saw her standing at the door with a delicate little cardboard box in her hand, her face still bearing a gentle smile.
At first glance, it seemed very gentle and charming.
But after seeing so much of it, it all seems strangely unreal.
"Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
"I had nothing to do at the guesthouse, so I thought I'd come and see you." Lin Hui walked quickly into the courtyard, placed the cardboard box she was carrying on the stone table, inside which were several cosmetics neatly arranged.
A small box of face cream, a lipstick, and a box of rouge—the packaging all carried the unique sophistication of the capital, making them exceptionally rare in that era.
"This is……"
"These are all good products from reputable brands, brought from the capital." Lin Hui picked up the box of face cream and handed it to Xu Xinghe. "Your skin is so good, with proper care, you'll definitely be even more beautiful. This face cream is very moisturizing; it won't cause chapping in winter and isn't greasy in summer. And this lipstick is a dusty rose color, understated. Just a little bit on it when you go out will instantly make a difference to your complexion."
Xu Xinghe quickly handed the face cream back, saying, "Sister-in-law, I can't accept it! I don't usually use these things, you can keep it for yourself."
"Oh dear, child, just accept it!" Lin Hui pushed the box back. "I brought quite a lot; these were specially prepared for you. You're so young, you should dress up a bit. What girl doesn't love to look beautiful?"
"Really, no need, sister-in-law. I rarely wear makeup, it would be a waste for me to accept it." Xu Xinghe insisted on declining. She really didn't want to accept such an expensive gift, feeling that she would owe someone a favor and wouldn't feel at ease.
But Lin Hui seemed determined to give it to Xu Xinghe, shoving the cardboard box into her arms and pressing her hand down, saying, "Just take it! It's nothing valuable, just a small token of my appreciation. If you don't accept it, you're not treating me like your sister-in-law!"
Xu Xinghe was at a loss for words and was about to decline again when Lin Hui suddenly looked up at the sky, as if she had remembered something urgent. "Oh dear, I was so busy talking to you that I almost forgot. Old Li asked me to go back and get him something. I have to go right now!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the gate, saying back as she went, "Please don't send the things back to me! I'm leaving now, I'll come see you again tomorrow!"
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