CH 6

The reason why Zhou Qing was in such a hurry to return to the medicine shop was that she wanted to uncover the dog who had betrayed its master.

In her previous life, soon after she had lost her life, someone had set fire to the shop’s warehouse, turning all those valuable herbs into ashes. Father Zhou had to sell all of the family’s assets to make up for the shortfall.

Thinking of what would soon happen, her small, palm-sized face tensed up as she entered the house with quick steps.

Father Zhou and Mother Xi were overjoyed at the sight of their daughter. The couple gathered around her to ask her questions and look carefully to make sure that Zhou Qing hadn’t lost any weight.

“Is my brother still in the study?”

Mother Xi nodded her head, a proud look etched on her face. Both Zhou and Xi were merchant families. Astonishingly – however – her son made his mark by succeeding at the Imperial Examination only at the age of 20 years.

“Liangyu is remarkably diligent. He never misses a day for his study. You should learn from him.”

Zhou Qing smiled in response, but a hint of worry lurked under her eyes. She had gone back to four years in the past and thought that everything that hadn’t happened could be reversed. But when it came to Zhou Liangyu, things had become a bit tricky.

Although the Zhou family wasn’t a big family, her brother’s talent wasn’t inferior and he was handsome. Thus, many girls were attracted to him.

Zhou Qing wasn’t expecting that woman to be grateful, but she shouldn’t have bitten the hand that fed her. After her brother was murdered that deplorable woman turned her back on Zhou Liangyu and became the enemy’s concubine.

Standing outside the study with the hot sunlight spilling through the gaps of the leaves, Zhou Qing took a deep breath and waited for her mind to calm down before knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

A dry wave ran down her throat at the sound of her loved one’s familiar voice. Pushing open the carved wooden door she walked straight in, her eyes greedily sweeping over the fair and handsome scholar as she choked out, “Brother, I miss you so much.”

Zhou Liangyu couldn’t help but stare. When he saw his sister’s slightly red eyes, he couldn’t mention how distraught he was. He put the wolf’s hair down and gently consoled her, coaxing in a low voice, “I’m right here, Qing’er. Don’t cry. Whenever you shed tears, it cripples me.”

Zhou Qing took a handkerchief and pressed the corners of her eyes to stop her tears, her eyes flickered slightly, “Just now I went to see our parents. They were standing outside the door when I heard them talking. It seems that a relative is coming over. I don’t want an outsider to live in the house.”

Zhou Qing has a soft nature and would seldom express her thoughts. Zhou Liangyu couldn’t help but be a little surprised, “What’s wrong? There are quite a few guest rooms in the house. Even if there is one more person. It won’t be a problem.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. Zhou Qing had a clear look of disgust on her face, “I don’t know what’s going on. But as soon as I hear the word ‘Jiao Rou’, my heart gets a bit clogged up. As if I was an enemy of her in a previous life. Brother, go and persuade father and mother. Just for my sake!”

“Fine, fine, I’ll go and talk to father. The pressing issue can be resolved by renting a small two-room courtyard nearby. You don’t have to see her then.” Zhou Liangyu said good-naturedly.

“I won’t see her, and you can’t see her either. Both of us should be in agreement. Brother can’t go back on his word.”

The woman gritted her teeth. One hand was clutching the cuffs to death, obviously a little nervous.

“Don’t worry. What I agreed upon, I will definitely do.”

Even after receiving Zhou Liangyu’s assurance, Zhou Qing’s heart still seemed to be pressured by a heavy boulder, suffocating her excessively that she could barely breathe.

The two siblings walked together to the hall. Mother Xi waved at them when she saw the pair; a gloomy look was present on her face, “I have a niece, from a cousin of mine. Her family encountered trouble, and she was the only one who managed to reach the capital.”

Zhou Qing’s face suddenly became very ugly. She pulled at the corner of her mouth but didn’t say anything.

“Mother, your son has already reached the marriageable age, while my cousin is not yet engaged. If we live under the same roof, though we won’t see each other, it is inevitable that gossip will spread.” Zhou Liangyu took the initiative to speak up.

Although she cherished Ruyi, Mother Xi couldn’t be idle. She had to think about her child’s reputation. Besides, Ruyi was still in mourning and was living on a fence. It wasn’t right for her to be aggrieved if some of Mother Xi’s subordinates didn’t know what they were talking about.

“I will call the landlady later and ask if there is a suitable home.”

At these words, Zhou Qing breathed a sigh of relief, and her face wasn’t as pale as it was just now.

After staying at home for a few days, Zhou Qing’s depressed mood had eased considerably. She wasn’t yet pregnant, so she could take advantage of this time to keep a discerning eye on the staff in the herbal shop to see who would transgress.

Apart from Yu Fu, there were three other staff members in the shop.

The oldest of them was Wang Lu, who was Father Zhou’s apprentice and had little talent in herbal blending. He was an honest man who spoke little, so he shouldn’t have done that treacherous crime of burning down the warehouse.

The remaining two men were ordinary laborers. One was called Jiang Qian and the other Wu Bo, who usually took care of the goods and didn’t do heavy work.

The traitor was among these four.

Zhou Qing thought as she walked to the front of the shop. As soon as Yu Fu saw her, a smile crowded his face, “I wondered why the house was especially bright, so it’s Miss who has come to visit us.”

“You do have quite a silver tongue in you, don’t you? Have you had many customers buying herbs these days?”

“Many, many, many. The master has made a new type of fragrance powder – which – when applied to the face, makes the skin smooth. Just like a egg cooked in its shell.”

She asked Yu Fu to bring out a box of herbal powder, and lifted the lid with the blue and white floral design. Zhou Qing dipped some powder onto the back of her hand, and placed it in front of her nose to smell it gently.

The main ingredients of the powder were lead powder and rice powder. However, since lead powder would damage the face and was harmful to the body, Father Zhou discarded it and used only rice powder.

Zhou Qing was playing with the small porcelain box in her hand, thinking that Boss Liu, the owner of the alum shop, had paid off a staff member for the recipe in the herbal shop. The corner of Zhou Qing’s mouth curled up in a sardonic smile.

Wang Lu, who was standing behind the counter, raised his head slightly and swept a quick glance at her.

Zhou Qing hadn’t expected to uncover that person today. She left the herbal shop and went straight to the teahouse opposite, chose a seat by the window, and ordered a pot of tea, sipping it slowly.

There were many hawkers on the street. Their voices kept the streets very lively. But suddenly, the spirited sound stopped and it became awfully quiet. It wasn’t too much to say that a pin drop could be heard.

Zhou Qing was a little surprised when she stood up and pressed her hands against the windowpane. She looked down to see a line of Jin Yi guards dressed in Qilin clothes, emanating an intimidating aura.

The man at the head was nearly nine feet long, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and an unusually handsome feature. It was none other than the new commander – Xie Chong.