An innocent young hero and a charming courtesan-the more he repaired the beam, the crookeder things got

"Mother."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone downstairs.

"The roof beam on the west side did indeed rattle last night. If it collapses overnight, it would be even worse if it startled the guests."

The madam's expression changed.

" Hongxiu, you don't need to call someone to fix that beam in your room on the first day of the Lunar New Year."

"Now that he's here, we can't let him come for nothing. Mother, I've seen this young master's calligraphy before, let him come up."

Qin Hongxiu leaned on the railing and nodded gently to Pu Yunshan.

" Young Master Pu, please come up and take a look."

When Pu Yunshan looked up, he met her gaze.

There was no mockery in his eyes, like the girls downstairs, nor the deliberate intimacy that most girls show when they see a young man.

"Young master, your hands look very steady."

"You must have practiced martial arts; someone like you would likely do a better job than others."

Pu Yunshan's ears burned even hotter, and he almost dropped his toolbox.

He silently agreed and followed the maid upstairs.

As they passed the corner of the stairs, the madam was still muttering behind them.

"A roof repairman? Hongxiu really doesn't discriminate."

Qin Hongxiu didn't turn around, but simply added a sentence.

"Mom, put today's tea expenses on my tab."

The madam immediately shut her mouth.

After entering the house, Pu Yunshan first placed the toolbox in the corner of the wall, then looked up at the roof beam.

The room was large, with an embroidery frame by the window, a pot of wine warming beside a charcoal brazier, a light gauze covering the bed, and a painting of a red plum blossom on the screen.

His gaze never fell on the bed from beginning to end.

Qin Hongxiu sat down beside the embroidery frame and began threading the needle. Seeing him standing still, she asked, "Young master, please take a look. Is there something wrong with the beam?"

I need to go up and take a look.

After answering, Pu Yunshan realized his answer was a bit dry, so he immediately added another sentence.

"Miss, please sit further back so you don't get dusty."

Qin Hongxiu lowered her eyes to look at the silk thread in her hand.

"Good."

Pu Yunshan brought over a ladder, and just as he stepped onto it, Qin Hongxiu walked to the ladder and reached out to hold the feet of the ladder down for him.

Her wrist peeked out from her sleeve, dazzlingly white.

Pu Yunshan immediately turned his head away.

"I can manage on my own."

"I know."

Qin Hongxiu looked up at him.

"But I'm worried that if you fall, no one will repair the beams in my house."

Pu Yunshan didn't say anything more, but simply steadied his feet even more firmly.

There was indeed a crack in the roof beam due to dampness. He climbed to a higher place, removed the loose plank, and used a short axe to carve out a new wooden wedge.

Qin Hongxiu sat below, embroidering, and didn't ask any more questions.

Qin Hongxiu only put down her embroidery hoop after he had used one hand to support himself on the crossbeam, leaped from one beam to another, and hammered the Dingzi into the wood.

"With your skills, you could probably fly onto the rooftops."

Pu Yunshan stopped hammering.

"It's just a little skill; it doesn't count as flying."

That's impressive too.

She gazed intently at the figure on the beam.

"Most of the people I've met since I was a child can't even walk steadily up stairs. For you, young master, to have such skill, you must have suffered a lot."

Pu Yunshan's throat felt a little dry.

Looking down, Qin Hongxiu had already picked up the embroidery hoop again, as if her previous praise had been just a casual remark.

But those words lingered in his ears for a long time.

A poor girl in the building actually felt that he was suffering even more.

The roof beams were being repaired until evening. Just as Pu Yunshan came down the ladder, Qin Hongxiu handed him a cup of hot tea.

The teacup was small, with a white porcelain rim decorated with fine red lines, and two pieces of dried tangerine peel floating in the cup.

There's not much good tea in the house.

She placed the tea on the table and stepped back half a step.

"Please make do with this Young Master Pu."

Pu Yunshan looked at the cup of tea, hesitated for a moment, and then picked it up and took a sip.

The tea was slightly bitter at first, but then had a sweet aftertaste.

Qin Hongxiu sat back down in front of the embroidery frame, bent down to untangle a piece of damaged silk thread, and spoke very softly.

"Is the beam repaired?"

"Alright."

Pu Yunshan put down his teacup.

"The beam on the west side got damp and the wooden wedges have been replaced. Two more tiles also need to be added to the outside."

"Then I'll trouble you to take another look at the roof."

She looked up, a hint of difficulty on her face.

"The bricklayer we hired for the building went back to his hometown for the Chinese New Year, and Mom said we won't be able to find him until after the Lantern Festival."

Pu Yunshan looked out the window.

The eaves of the Flower-Between Pavilion are high, and it would be troublesome for ordinary people to climb up, but for him it was just a few steps.

"I'll go."

Qin Hongxiu's eyes lit up, but she quickly suppressed her expression.

"Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?"

"Just something I did."

Pu Yunshan, carrying his toolbox, leaped from the window onto the roof.

The street downstairs was bustling with activity, with vendors selling rice cakes and sugar figurines, and people carrying loads of rice to offer New Year's greetings, all crowded together. He stepped on the tiles and headed west, only to find that two old tiles were loose and would fall off if the wind blew.

He quickly fixed the tile in place.

Just as she landed back by the window, Qin Hongxiu came over with a small charcoal brazier.

"It's cold outside, warm your hands."

Pu Yunshan initially wanted to refuse, but seeing that she herself was only wearing a thin dress, he frowned.

"You're dressed so lightly, is there enough charcoal in the house?"

"That's enough."

Qin Hongxiu placed the charcoal brazier at his feet.

"It's just that there are a lot of people in this building, so the best charcoal is sent to the front first. I'm used to it."

Pu Yunshan did not respond.

When he was in Mount Qingcheng, he burned pine firewood in the mountains during the winter. Although it was not as good as silver frost charcoal, he was not cold at all.

But Qin Hongxiu spoke of it so casually, as if it weren't worth mentioning at all.

He bent down and rummaged through his toolbox, pulling out a small axe.

"Is there firewood in the backyard?"

Qin Hongxiu was stunned.

"Yes, there is, but that's the job of the building's handymen."

"Is the servant not here today?"

"They all went home for the Chinese New Year."

Pu Yunshan didn't ask any more questions and went to the backyard with his axe.

In the backyard of the Flower-Between Pavilion, there were several pieces of hardwood. The wood was damp, and an ordinary person might not be able to split it even after half a day.

Pu Yunshan swung his axe, and the wood split in two.

With the second blow, it neatly split into four pieces.

Qin Hongxiu stood under the eaves, holding a cloak in her hands, before approaching after a while.

" Young Master Pu practices swordsmanship, so how come he can chop wood so skillfully?"

"They do everything on Mount Qingcheng."

Pu Yunshan stacked the chopped firewood against the wall.

Before I started practicing swordsmanship, my master made me fetch water and chop wood.

"Speaking of Mount Qingcheng, I have long admired your young master's talent and reputation, but I don't know when I will be able to meet him. Alas."

That was said very naturally.