Chapter 29: One Extra As Interest
Lu Chengjing’s perfectly chiseled handsome face was pulled into a flat pancake face by her, and he arduously spat out four words from between his teeth, “Full of flaws.”
Shang Wan: “…”
So, it was her fault for acting poorly?
His face was getting more and more painful, so Lu Chengjing involuntarily lifted his hand to grab Shang Wan’s wrist. His pair of cold and clear black eyes were watering from the pain, the corners of his eyes also tinged with red, and the skin on his face, healed by spiritual spring water, was already red all over.
Shang Wan lightly tsked, ultimately reluctant to ruin this face.
She let go of her hand and watched Lu Chengjing look utterly bullied. She suddenly felt she was at a loss, then reached out to rub his face a couple more times, pondering how to fatten up her own vase for a better hand feel when rubbing.
Lu Chengjing was pinched, tugged, and rubbed by her like dough, and a bit of annoyance arose in his heart. Why did this woman always like to touch him all over?
When he got annoyed, Shang Wan’s mood improved, and she reached out to grab a handful of the black hair scattered nearby and played with it.
Lu Chengjing lowered his eyes and saw it, his brow lightly furrowing. “You… really like playing with hair?”
“Correction, I like playing with a beauty’s hair.” Shang Wan raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Lu Chengjing’s slightly open collar, her tone full of regret. “Who let the beauty get shy and not let me play with other things.”
Lu Chengjing was slightly stunned, and after understanding the meaning, his face instantly reddened to his ear root. He could no longer lie down, propping himself up with his left hand to sit up, but Shang Wan suddenly flipped over and pressed down on him, and the two instantly locked eyes, their gazes entwining.
From Shang Wan’s clear and bright eyes, Lu Chengjing clearly saw his own current sorry state, and the flush on his face instantly deepened by three degrees.
He turned his face away, but exposed his completely red ears.
Shang Wan just wanted to tease him a bit.
This person was still as fragile to teasing as ever. Nothing had even happened yet, and he was already almost red like a cooked shrimp.
“Your ears are so red, what inappropriate things are you thinking about?” Shang Wan leaned in close, her speaking breath all spraying onto Lu Chengjing’s ears.
“No.” Lu Chengjing panicked so much that even his speech started stuttering. “You you you get off.”
“Right away.” Shang Wan pinched his chin to turn his head back, and under Lu Chengjing’s tense gaze, her fair right cheek leaned over, pressing against his pale lips once, then again.
The unique warm and soft touch of skin came from his lips, and Lu Chengjing was so shocked his eyes went wide, forgetting to react.
“The extra one is interest.” The successful rogue Shang Wan grinned as she pulled him up, smoothing his black hair while asking, “If not to catch an affair, why did you go to the inn?”
Lu Chengjing pursed his lips; it seemed the soft touch still lingered on them, faintly carrying a fresh grass and wood scent.
His long lashes half-lowered as he slowly said, “A servant from Qiao Mansion came to relay a message, saying Yu’an got drunk at Fu Yuan Inn and got into a conflict with someone. They couldn’t persuade him and were worried he’d be punished when he returned to the mansion, so they asked me to go to Fu Yuan Inn to help persuade him.”
“That servant really from Qiao Mansion?”
“Mm.” Lu Chengjing nodded. “When I visited Qiao Mansion, I once saw him in Yu’an’s courtyard.”
If he hadn’t confirmed that the servant was Qiao Yu’an’s person, he wouldn’t have rushed to Fu Yuan Inn, and what happened afterward wouldn’t have occurred.
Shang Wan asked, “Did you tell Qiao Yu’an about this?”
“No.” Lu Chengjing’s voice was very soft.
Shang Wan pinched his chin and lifted it up, staring into his eyes. “You suspect Qiao Yu’an is the one who sent the anonymous letter to Tian Sheng?”
Lu Chengjing neither confirmed nor denied, only saying, “When Li Wen Hua drunkenly revealed Tian Sheng’s secret, Yu’an happened to come looking for me. I don’t know how much he overheard.”
Shang Wan frowned. “You didn’t tell Lord An about this.”
She used a declarative sentence.
“Just a guess, no evidence.” Lu Chengjing said, “I’ve known Yu’an for many years; he’s not the type to hide a knife in his sleeve. I… I don’t want to doubt him.”
“It probably isn’t him.” Shang Wan felt Qiao Yu’an didn’t seem like someone with deep scheming. “You’ve been friends for years, so even if an inn shop assistant came to say Qiao Yu’an was in trouble, you’d still rush over to check. Qiao Yu’an has no need to use someone close to him to send the message, unnecessarily arousing your suspicion.”
Lu Chengjing had thought of this point too.
Shang Wan said, “Still, you need to tell Qiao Yu’an about this. What if that servant was really bought off? Keeping him around is a disaster waiting to happen.”
“I’ll write…” Lu Chengjing paused, remembering his numb right hand, and changed his words. “Tomorrow we return the ox cart; I’ll have Shi Tou make a trip to Qiao Mansion and pass a message to Yu’an.”
Shang Wan glanced at his right hand dangling off the kang edge but said nothing, turning to go out.
In the kitchen, Shi Tou was guarding the stove boiling medicine. Seeing Shang Wan come in, he couldn’t help turning his head away to snicker.
Shang Wan patted his head. “You were all bitter and vengeful earlier, but now you’re laughing so happily.”
Shi Tou touched his head. Wasn’t he happy for his own young master?
He had seen it just now—the two lying on the same kang whispering sweet nothings, their affection seeming even better than back at the mansion.
After being happy, he couldn’t help worrying again. “Sis, is young master really incurable?”
Shang Wan set down the water cup. “I’m not a doctor; you ask me?”
Shi Tou immediately offered a rainbow fart. “I think sis is better than a doctor.”
Shang Wan: “Your intuition is spot on.”
“Of course, my intuition has always been…” Shi Tou’s words trailed off as he looked at Shang Wan, his mouth opening wider and wider. Was it the meaning he understood? Was it? Was it?
“Sis sis… do you have a way to cure young master?”
Shang Wan lightly smiled and nodded. This kid’s reaction was pretty fun.
“Sis! You’re my real sis!” Shi Tou was so happy he bounced around, his eyes sparkling with admiration.
Xiao Huan came in after feeding the wild duck and asked puzzledly, “Shi Tou, what are you bouncing for?”
He was secretly crying earlier; how was he so happy now?
Shi Tou couldn’t wait to tell Xiao Huan this good news, and then the kitchen went wild again.
Shang Wan held her forehead. She shouldn’t have told these two.
She exhorted them, “This matter is only for us family to know; no one else is to be told.”
The two nodded repeatedly.
Shi Tou couldn’t help asking, “Sis, what medicine do you need? I’ll go buy it from Brother Yuan right now.”
“Not for now.” Shang Wan pointed at the medicine pot. “The medicine’s about to burn.”
“My medicine!” Shi Tou hurriedly rescued his medicine, while Shang Wan took Xiao Huan out, asking her to report on the house repair progress.
Xiao Huan was just about to bring this up to her.
“Uncle Zhang said our house was originally an old house renovated, and it hadn’t been lived in for several years, so mice had gnawed quite a few places. Brother Zhang also found two termite nests on the beam; who knows if there are more elsewhere. If the wood gets hollowed out by termites, the house can’t be lived in anymore.”
“Uncle Zhang thinks it’s better to demolish the house and build a new one rather than repair the old house, to avoid so many hazards. For now, they’ve only replaced the new tiles for us and filled the big holes in the walls; the rest hasn’t been touched, waiting for you and young master to return and decide.”
Xiao Huan asked, “Sis, should we repair the house and keep living or demolish and build a new house?”
Shang Wan looked around the thatched house where only the tiles were new and asked, “How much silver does it take to build a new house?”
