Pu Yunshan was a little slow.
She admires me?
She was the first person to hold me in high esteem when I arrived in Yi Prefecture!
Although Pu Yunshan was overjoyed, he still didn't reveal his identity, only saying, "Our young master is just an ordinary person, about the same age as me."
Qin Hongxiu looked at him, her eyes bright.
If I can be similar to you, then I haven't admired you in the wrong way.
She handed him the cloak.
"In my opinion, someone as skilled as you, young master, is far superior to those young masters who only know how to drink and boast."
When Pu Yunshan received the cloak, his fingertips touched the soft fabric, and his guard relaxed a little, so he chopped even harder.
After he finished chopping firewood, he went back into the house to pack up his tools, but Qin Hongxiu pointed to a loose wooden plank next to the bed.
"It rang here once last night too."
Pu Yunshan looked in the direction she was pointing and froze on the spot.
That's a bed.
Qin Hongxiu seemed oblivious to his embroidery and walked to the window to continue her embroidery.
"If it's inconvenient, I'll have my mother find someone else."
"Convenient."
Pu Yunshan answered too quickly, and my ears immediately burned.
He crouched down to examine the bed frame and found that the tenon and mortise joints were a little loose, so he took out a wooden wedge and gently tapped it to tighten.
Qin Hongxiu asked from behind, " Young Master Pu, do you rarely speak to women on the mountain?"
The hammer struck the wooden wedge with a dull thud.
Why do you ask that?
"Since you came in, you've looked at the beams in my room, the windows, the floor, and the foot of the bed, but you haven't looked at me at all."
Pu Yunshan put down the hammer, his back taut.
"Men and women are different."
Qin Hongxiu smiled.
"Then I should thank Young Master Pu for keeping his manners."
Pu Yunshan finished repairing the bed and got up to leave.
Just as he reached the door, Qin Hongxiu suddenly called out to him.
" Young Master Pu."
He turned around.
Qin Hongxiu hung the embroidered red rope on the lantern and looked at the empty eaves.
"The tallest lamp fell down last night because of the strong winds."
Pu Yunshan followed her gaze.
Under the eaves of the third Flower-Between Pavilion, there was indeed an empty space, with red silk fluttering wildly in the wind.
"I'll go hang it up."
Qin Hongxiu nodded gently.
Thank you.
Pu Yunshan climbed over the window and onto the eaves, using the wall as a foothold, and reached the highest point in just a few steps.
Someone downstairs looked up and saw it, and immediately started shouting.
"Look! There's someone on the roof of the Flower-Between Pavilion!"
"Isn't that Pu Excellent who carries night soil in the south of the city?"
Why did he go to the Flower-Between Pavilion?
Upon hearing the words " Pu Excellent "), Pu Yunshan nearly tripped.
Qin Hongxiu stood by the window, looking up at him, and raised her hand to hold up the drooping lantern for him.
" Young Master Pu, be careful."
This remark drowned out the laughter from downstairs.
Pu Yunshan hung up the new lanterns, the red silk swaying in the sunlight.
He was sweating as he came down from the roof.
Qin Hongxiu handed him a handkerchief.
"Thanks for your hard work."
Pu Yunshan didn't take it, but instead wiped his forehead with his sleeve.
"It's nothing, just something I did."
As dusk fell, Pu Yunshan realized that he had been at the Flower-Between Pavilion for half a day.
The roof beams were repaired, the roof was patched up, the bed was reinforced, the firewood in the backyard was chopped into a neat row, and even a loose spot on the stair railing was nailed back on as he passed by.
Pu Yunshan sat on the threshold, staring at his palm, the more he thought about it, the more something seemed wrong.
He should have only repaired one roof beam today.
In the end, it seems like they renovated half of the Flower-Between Pavilion.
Qin Hongxiu came out of the house carrying a wine pot. She stopped when she saw him sitting on the porch in a daze.
"Why are you daydreaming, Young Master Pu? Why don't you come in and warm up?"
Pu Yunshan stood up, his expression finally turning somewhat somber.
"Miss Qin."
Qin Hongxiu raised her eyes.
"Um?"
"I'm here today to do some work for the Prince's residence."
He picked up the toolbox, making a very calm sound.
"Now that the roof beams have been repaired, I shouldn't be doing any other miscellaneous tasks."
Qin Hongxiu's hand, which was holding the wine pot, stopped in place.
She offered no explanation or argument, but simply placed the wine jug on the table and slowly stepped back half a step.
Someone was setting off firecrackers on the street outside, the crackling sound seeping in through the cracks in the window, and the laughter of the girls downstairs could be heard from afar.
Qin Hongxiu lowered her head to adjust her cuffs, revealing a section of her snow-white nape.
"It was my fault for being inappropriate."
The anger that Pu Yunshan had just mustered suddenly got stuck in his throat.
That's not what I meant.
" Young Master Pu, there's no need to comfort me."
Qin Hongxiu walked to the embroidery frame and put away the unfinished handkerchief.
"People from places like ours are the most despised, and the most adept at taking advantage of others. Today, seeing that you're willing to help, I've taken you for a servant, someone I can order around at will."
She looked up and gazed out the window.
"You're a martial artist; your skills should be used in the martial world, in defending people and protecting cities, not for chopping wood and hanging lamps for a woman living in a building."
Pu Yunshan loosened his grip slightly.
Qin Hongxiu's voice was calm, without any sobbing or feigned pitifulness.
"After my parents passed away, I came to the Flower-Between Pavilion to support my younger brother's education. I've lived there for three years and have seen many people come and go. Some of them, when drunk, would bang on the table and say they would buy my freedom and take me away, but in the blink of an eye, they couldn't even remember my name."
She paused.
"Today, someone is so willing to quietly repair a beam for me that I've forgotten where I belong."
Pu Yunshan stood there, his serious expression gradually becoming unsteady.
He originally wanted to say that he, a dignified Fourth Rank swordsman, should not be ordered around in such a place.
But after Qin Hongxiu finished speaking, he suddenly felt that he was a narrow-minded person.
The flames in the charcoal brazier flickered, and steam from the wine jug dissipated into the air.
All that remained in Pu Yunshan's mind was the image of her bending down to gather the embroidery thread.
"Miss Qin."
His voice was somewhat disordered when he spoke.
I don't dislike you.
Qin Hongxiu did not look up.
"Young master doesn't dislike me; it's because you have a kind heart."
"No."
Pu Yunshan blurted it out.
Qin Hongxiu finally looked at him.
Pu Yunshan's ears burned from her gaze, but he still forced himself to continue speaking.
"You... you didn't do anything wrong."
He gripped the toolbox handle, his hand taut with tension.
"I've met many people in the mountains; they speak sweetly, but few of them are truly clean."
"At least you didn't lie to me."
Qin Hongxiu's eyes flickered slightly.
As Pu Yunshan spoke, he felt more and more like he was defending her, so he quickly added a sentence.
I'm not saying this place is good.
"A place like Flower-Between Pavilion is ultimately not a good place."
As soon as he said it, he wished he could bury himself in the woodpile in the backyard.
Qin Hongxiu wasn't angry; instead, she lowered her eyes and smiled.
" Young Master Pu is right."
She walked to the dressing table, opened the drawer, and took out a heavy purse.
The money pouch landed on the table with a dull thud.
"This was a gift from a guest last night."
Qin Hongxiu pushed the money pouch towards him.
"Take this and change into some clean clothes. Don't wear this outfit into the building again. It makes me uncomfortable to hear that the maids look down on someone as good as you, young master."
Pu Yunshan's expression changed instantly when he saw the money pouch.
I cannot accept it.
Consider it my thanks.
"I can't accept that! How can I, a grown man, spend a woman's money!"
Qin Hongxiu said softly, "You think my money is dirty."
Pu Yunshan raised his hand and pushed the money bag back, the movement so forceful that the wine cups on the table wobbled.
"Money is money; there's no such thing as clean or dirty."
Qin Hongxiu looked at him.
Pu Yunshan was already anxious. He rummaged in his pocket for a long time and pulled out a few pieces of silver.
That was the money he had saved from his wages these past few days; he had originally planned to buy soybean cakes and hay for the piglets in a few days.
[Thanks to: KaiKai for the update reminder charm x5, XiXi for the milk tea x5, Zhenguo for the inspiration capsule, YeFan, QinWei, QingTian, King for the flowers, YuJian for the love letter and flowers, QingHan for the flowers and likes, BaiShan, LiZheng, SongZi for the update reminder charm, DaWai, ShanHai for the likes, WuShen for the flowers x2, FenDa for the likes + update reminder charm + milk tea, MeiMei for the likes, and everyone for their love and support!]