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Chapter 12: Lip service (1)
Xique was just an ordinary maid; her appearance could be summed as beautiful, but not stunning. However, compared to Wang Lu’s wife, she was better. That was why this person was like a dog, always following her.
Donning the plain silver bracelet in her hand, Xique narrowed her eyes and asked, “You have been working in the herbal store for so long. Do you know where the Xuande Furnace is hidden? The master is still waiting for it!”
The naive-looking man scratched his head, a troubled look in his eyes. He said in a low voice, “There is only one Xuande Furnace left in the world, so it must have been secretly put away by the master, so how can outsiders know? The last time I saw that thing was seven or eight years ago. Even if I wanted to find the Xuande Furnace, I have no power.”
Xique became even more annoyed with Wang Lu. If it weren’t for the young lady’s noisy need to mix herbs, why would she bother with all this effort? The moment she saw the man’s ugly face, she felt sick!
“Since there’s no news from the Xuande Furnace, go back first. If the master has any orders, I’ll come to you.” She waved her hand, urging him to leave.
Wang Lu had long been charmed by Xique’s soul and naturally obeyed her words as he reluctantly took several steps away and even stepped back a few times to look. If he hadn’t gotten married, this infatuation could make the people praise them. But at this moment, this person not only abandoned his wife and daughter but also turned his back on the master who raised him. This behavior was really disgraceful.
Leaving through the back door of the Liu House, Wang Lu went straight home. His wife, Qian, was boiling porridge when she saw her husband return. She immediately put the meal on the table and gave him hot wine, acting incomparably proper.
When she came close with her daughter in her arms, Qian was just about to speak when she smelled the faint scent of powder. She has long given up the habit of applying powder because she was taking care of her daughter at home, but now her husband smelled of powder. What could this mean?
Seeing Qian frozen in front of him, annoyingly obstructing him, Wang Lu appeared impatient. Ignoring her arms holding his daughter, he pushed her away and sat firmly on the bench.
The body trembled like chaff, and Qian became teary-eyed. Her face was pale as she asked, “Wang, tell me the truth, were you out there with someone?”
The questioning voice with a sobbing tone came to his ears. Wang Lu couldn’t help but feel a little weak as he dryly said, “What nonsense? I stay in the herbal store all day, so I’m busy beating my head against my heels. How could there be someone else? Don’t be crazy!”
“If you didn’t do anything wrong, why are you covered with the scent of a woman’s powder?”
The little girl in Qian’s arms pursed her mouth and cried out in fear of seeing the couple quarrel.
“In addition to the herbs, there are a lot of perfume powders in the herbal store. I stay at the counter every day. It’s normal to get some of those scents on my body. There is no need to be so suspicious if you do not believe me. I swear that if I have an affair with another woman, my life would be worse than death!” Wang Lu roared in anger.
Qian was unsure, but when she heard her husband’s vow, she felt a bit guilty, patting her daughter’s back and saying, “It’s my fault, don’t take it personally.”
Wang Lu coldly snorted, cheeks tense. He would always vent all his anger on his wife and daughter. This was not something to be proud of.
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Whatever happened to the Wang family, Zhou Qing didn’t know, and even if she knew, she didn’t intend to intervene. After all, it was hard to ascertain family affairs. Unless Qian figured it out, no one could do anything.
Today, she stayed in the study, studying the herbal book that recorded the famous fragrances in ancient times, carefully preparing to modify it. Zhou Liangyu, on the other hand, was preoccupied with a book. The two siblings were busy with their own.
The two siblings were busy with their own work. To say the least, Zhou Qing’s talent in herbal blending wasn’t poor, but she wasn’t diligent before she got married. Now the crisis brought on the herbal pavilion was close at hand. Even if she could stop the arson, she couldn’t make Liu Zhaoqu stop his attempts. After all, there only existed a thousand days to catch the thief, not a thousand days to prevent the thief’s truth.
Seeing his sister’s unparalleled concentration, Zhou Liangyu was deeply relieved, at the same time he couldn’t help but have some worries. He put down the scroll and couldn’t help but say, “Qing’er, you are pregnant now. If you frequently expose yourself to the herbs, I’m afraid those will damage the fetus. If you really like to mix herbs, wait until my little nephew is born. It’s not too late to immerse yourself in this path.”
What did you mean by ‘not too late’? It would be too late by then!
Zhou Qing pointedly retorted in her heart, but she couldn’t say anything about her past life. Not everyone could live twice. If her closest family members heard her say such things, they would promptly call a doctor to check her and determine if there was something wrong with her brain.
Thinking that the first thing her family would do was to ask a doctor to determine if there was something wrong with her brain, she couldn’t help but laugh dumbly.