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She uneasily stepped back, lowering her gaze, not daring to look at Li Luyang anymore.

Her soft-nail-like refusal made Li Luyang realize his movement was too overstepping. Pulling his hand back to his side, he chuckled lightly, "I haven't seen you for quite some days, I was afraid you'd changed and I wouldn't recognize you."

"...Uh, hehe... You really know how to joke. A young lady stays at home every day, what could she change into? She's still the same old self."

"Yes, thankfully, still the same Xiaofu. The moment you see me, your eyeballs dart all over the place, looking like you don't want to chat with me much."

"Sigh?" This crime was way too big; she still wanted to ask this Li Household brother to do her a favor, "How could I not want to chat with you? Because I feel you businessmen are very busy and never have any time, I was afraid of delaying you from doing serious business."

Diplomatic talk made Li Luyang smile, "How do you know that chatting with you isn't serious business to me?"

"I, I just guessed." She couldn't pick up the thread, rolled her eyes slightly, and caught sight of the sachet in her hand. Figuring she should hurry up and finish her serious business, she offered the sachet bag in her hands with both hands, presenting it right before Li Luyang's eyes, "This is the silver to bring to Father that I'm troubling you to take this time. And the share you kindly fronted last time, hehe. Father wrote in his letter that you secretly stuffed extra silver for him, and told me to remember to return it to you in full."

Glancing at the presented silver, Li Luyang frowned slightly. Instead of raising his hand to take it as he usually did, he just gazed intently at her.

"Ever since Father was demoted and exiled, every time I've asked you to take a merchant caravan out to do business, I've had to trouble you to bring silver along to grease the palms of the officials over there. I know that back-and-forth is very troublesome, but in order to let old Father suffer a little less hardship over there, I can only trouble you time and time again."

"Must you repeat this speech every time I return?" He gloomily parted his lips. So aloof, so polite, keeping the accounts crystal clear without owing a single bit. She lacked money, yet refused to use a single cent of his, not even willing to borrow temporarily. Every time, she had to emphasize that she was troubling someone, begging someone, refusing to lower her posture as if he would turn hostile in the next second and pretend not to know her. He also understood why she would think this way; after all, the moment the Zhu family met with misfortune, his father was the first to turn hostile and force the engagement off. Therefore, no matter how much he did, there was no way to wash away her prejudice.

"It's not like I deliberately say this every time, it's just that for old Father's matters, you're way too capable, and I don't know how to repay you." Not sensing what was on his mind, Zhu Bafu scratched her head, still wanting to churn out some more brilliant remarks, but her stomach lacked any goods. If it were cheesy lines between lovers, or the heartless, aimless moaning of a fake illness, she could let lotus blossoms ripple from her tongue and speak in a torrent, but when it came to sincerely and genuinely thanking someone, she instead couldn't find the appropriate vocabulary to express it.

"I originally wanted to say I'd give you something, but I can't pull out anything good either. I wanted to embroider some needlework to give to Sister-in-law, but, hehe, my needlework is too shameful, and you surely wouldn't want to see a few fat ducks placed around the house. Mhm... How about this instead, when Sister-in-law gets pregnant and it's time for you to hold a little boy, I'll write a pair of couplets for you to hang outside the door to invite some good fortune?"

"..."

"Heaven sends a proud son into the door, earth bears a new noble to bestow lucky talents. For the horizontal scroll, I'll just write 'Hoping a son becomes a dragon', how does that sound?"

He suddenly paused and stopped speaking, his complexion turning darker and gloomier, looking extremely unsightly, letting her auspicious words drift away like stones sinking into the sea with no one to pick them up. She was completely confused, having no idea which sentence she had gotten wrong anyway. Since the silver was given and the task was accomplished, and he was in a bad mood today, she would head home first to wash up and sleep. Just as she wanted to open her mouth to say her farewells, Li Luyang spoke up stiffly.

"If I don't spell it out directly to you, are you completely unwilling to understand? Do you know that what I want isn't your politeness? Do you know what kind of repayment I want? Do you know who it is I think about when I'm out trading with the caravan?"

"..." Who was it? She certainly wouldn't blurt out such an idiotic phrase. Just looking at Li Luyang's expression of grinding his teeth as he glared at her, she could tell that the 'who' was none other than her, someone just passing by to buy soy sauce and holding up a sign to show her innocence.

Between a man and a woman, it was just that same old mess. Once a relationship was explicitly broken, there was no turning back. Her goal was to maintain an everlasting friendship with the Li Household brother across generations, just so it would be convenient to get things done...

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, she wanted to turn and flee, but Li Luyang saw through her intent, raised a hand to grab her elbow, and dragged her to the corner of the wall, blocking her path.

"I don't want to watch you suffer anymore, come with me."

"Fol... follow you?" What the heck?! Say something more after this! Don't you dare cut the sentence off here!

"Yes. Follow me." Defying her wishes, Li Luyang cut the sentence off, and also stated his meaning even more explicitly, "I will provide for Xiaojiu to attend school. I will properly grease the palms of the officials in the court for your father, striving to reunite your family as soon as possible."

"So, are you offering me the condition of becoming your concubine?"

Her stiff words caused Li Luyang to tightly press his lips together with difficulty, looking troubled as the hand grasping her shoulder slowly slid down.

Seeing him back down in the face of difficulties, she pulled herself away to leave, but the moment she took a step, her fluttering sleeve was grabbed.

"Isn't it good to stay by my side? I'll only take you alone by my side. I'll take you out of the capital to trade, take you to travel the four regions, take you to see your father."

Li Luyang's voice was smeared with a layer of temptation. The hardships of scraping by flashed through her mind. Frowning and biting her lip, she couldn't muster the strength to brush away his hand, but a sharp female voice pierced her ears.

"Only take her alone by his side? What a fine notion that a wife is not as good as a concubine. It seems you haven't put me in your eyes at all. Li Luyang!"

Zhao Xiangmi, the young mistress of the Li Household on the steps, wore a dark face as she stepped step by step closer to the two people still tugging at each other in the corner of the wall. She wore a long silk dress of noble and glorious splendor, heavy hairpins on her head, and gold-threaded embroidered shoes on her feet. Her hands were dutifully pressed against her belly, clasped and hidden within her wide sleeves, with a plump face and an arrogant gaze. At a single glance, she was full of deep resentment, wishing she could nail her to the floor and grind her bones to dust.

"Usually you avoid me, not even sparing a single sweet word. Every time you return to the capital, you can't wait to run to the back door, just to meet with this wild woman?" The young mistress held her posture exceedingly high. Slanting her eyes to cast a cold glance over, she caught sight of the sachet bag in Zhu Bafu's hands, instantly losing all grace as her anger flared even higher, "As expected, she's a base woman from some pleasure house, and you even give her money to spend?"

Rankings

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Historical Romance

Cross-Dressing