If I’m going to sleep with someone, it should be someone as good-looking as Qin Yu.
Qin Yu attributed her flushed face to being too immersed in her role. Having played the part of a man for seventeen years, blushing was a subconscious reaction.
For a “young man” like her, full of vigor and untouched by worldly affairs, catching an accidental glimpse of a woman’s alluring and delicate back would naturally evoke more than just a blush, it would be normal to have other thoughts as well.
So there was absolutely nothing wrong with her reaction.
With a wooden expression, Qin Yu sat cross-legged by the fire, successfully convincing herself with this reasoning.
“Steamed buns.” Seeing Qin Yu emerge from her wash, the bearded man distributed the dry provisions they had brought.
The buns had been bought fresh from the market that morning and, though not hard after a day, weren’t exactly pleasant to eat. That’s why they had lit a fire to roast them on sticks.
Qin Yu took one. The snow-white bun sat in her palm, firm and elastic to the touch, unwittingly reminding her of “Su Qingqing’s” back.
In that hurried glance earlier, Qin Yu wasn’t entirely sure if she had caught sight of other, fuller curves.
The light had been dim, and all she had seen was a vast expanse of white skin and the pale pink undergarment, like cherry blossoms dusted with snow utterly enchanting.
As for the scenery before the shadow of “Su Qingqing’s” arm, she might have glimpsed a little, or perhaps she had imagined it.
Realizing she was dwelling on it far too seriously, Qin Yu’s expression grew even stiffer.
“…” Shameless!
Even if she had no close female friends and rarely interacted with women, she shouldn’t, couldn’t at the very least, she shouldn’t be this curious about another woman, right?
She wasn’t actually a man, so why was she getting so deep into character?
Silently, Qin Yu took a large bite of the bun, chewing with something like resentment.
Born into the Qin family, she had entered the world with a silver spoon in her mouth. She could have lived a carefree life, surrounded by countless female friends like her half-sister, strolling arm-in-arm through the streets, chatting and laughing. But her father was Li Xuanliu, a man of that sort.
Qin Yu thought that if she had grown up with sisters, she wouldn’t have been so curious about “Su Qingqing,” another woman.
By the time the bearded man turned to hand out beef jerky, Qin Yu had already eaten most of her bun with an air of solemn focus.
The bearded man blinked, muttering, “The young master must really be hungry.”
Even a plain steamed bun seemed to delight him.
“Have it with some jerky at least there’s a bit of meat flavor,” he urged Qin Yu.
Qin Yu had always been aloof and taciturn. Though she was a “young man” of seventeen, she lacked the liveliness and enthusiasm typical of youth. She rarely smiled and seldom engaged in casual conversation with rough men like them, often exuding an aura that kept others at arm’s length.
Whether she was sitting there with her eyes closed in rest or gnawing on a bun, she remained the same, no one could read her emotions or guess what was on her mind.
There was a reason Qin Yu wasn’t well-liked.
She didn’t fit in.
No friends, no subordinates, not even someone to talk to.
The bearded man sighed inwardly, reminding himself that Qin Yu was still young and new to managing business, it was only natural she wasn’t used to it.
He extended a large hand, offering another bun, and said kindly, “Eat up, young master. We’ve got plenty of provisions.”
Qin Yu: “Thank you.”
But she was almost full.
“Got any wine?” someone asked, holding jerky. “A drink would be perfect in this weather.”
“Besides, meat without wine just feels like something’s missing.”
“Yes,” replied Chen San, heading to the back of the carriage. He opened the large wooden crate tied there and pulled out several jars of wine.
“Come help!” Chen San yelled, ducking his head against the rain as he hurried toward the temple, cursing, “Do you lot still want to drink or not?”
Outside, the rain poured down in sheets, water cascading down the steps like a flood. A single trip out there was practically a bath.
Yet inside, those lazy bastards just sat around with their mouths open, waiting for the wine not one of them lifted a finger to help.
If it weren’t for his plan to get them drunk and carry out his own scheme, Chen San would rather pour the wine out than let it go to waste in their bellies.
Spotting the wine, someone quickly stood up and eagerly went to greet Chen San, grinning as he asked, “Good lad, where’d you get all this?”
He pulled out a stopper and took a deep whiff, his eyes instantly lighting up. “Fragrant! Good stuff, good stuff!”
Chen San wiped his face and neck with a dry cloth, grumbling, “Bought it to honor my old man. Now it’s all wasted on you lot.”
“We won’t drink your wine for free,” someone laughed, teasing Chen San. “If you’re willing, every man here who drinks your wine can be your father, let you show some filial piety.”
Chen San immediately flung the cloth in the man’s face and spat, “Screw off, you bastard.”
Seeing everyone crack open the jars and drink straight from them, Chen San called out, “There’s more if this isn’t enough. I bought plenty this time.”
“Just for that, we’ll drink you dry today, brother!”
Chen San smirked. “Quit bragging. I’m more worried you won’t finish it.”
“You little!” someone raised his jar and declared, “You all hear that? He’s asking for it! Drink up, lads! Anyone who can’t finish is a damn coward!”
Qin Yu, being the young master, had his own separate jar placed before him.
Chen San glanced at Qin Yu and noticed the man leisurely chewing on dried meat, untouched wine at his side. It irked him.
Any other young master would’ve long since blended in, drinking straight from the same jars as the rest of them. But not Qin Yu no, Qin Yu was too refined, too aloof to mingle with their kind.
Well, if he couldn’t be bothered to give them face, then Chen San wouldn’t bother showing respect to Young Master Qin either.
“Gotta take a leak. Be back to drink more,” Chen San announced suddenly, standing up mid-drink. He fumbled with his belt as he staggered toward the backyard.
“He’s trying to escape,” someone slurred with a drunken laugh. “Piss far away, don’t stink up the place.”
Lao Wu watched Chen San head to the backyard, sensing something else was afoot.
Two women were staying back there. To avoid gossip, they had taken steamed buns and dried meat to eat separately in the rear room instead of joining the main hall.
Now, with Chen San drunk and heading that way, was he up to no good?
Men understood men best.
Lao Wu started to rise and check, but then he caught Qin Yu subtly shaking his head at him.
Qin Yu held a bun in his hand, his gaze following Chen San’s retreating figure.
The fish had taken the bait.
She had made her interest in “Su Qingqing” so blatantly obvious during the day. If Chen San dared to harass her now, it would be a direct insult to her authority as the “young master.”
It would be quite the spectacle if something she had her eye on was touched by a mere underling.
A subordinate who disregarded his master’s authority? Perfect for sharpening her blade.
By the time Chen San had gone to fetch the wine earlier, the last traces of Qin Yu’s softer emotions had already vanished.
This was the path she had chosen and she would never regret it.
The family business of the Qin household, the prestigious title of imperial merchants these were the burdens weighing on her shoulders. She couldn’t let her grandmother spend her twilight years without support, nor could she allow the hard-earned legacy of the Qin ancestors to be plundered by others.
Compared to these responsibilities, whether she had close friends in the inner chambers or strolled the streets arm-in-arm with other young ladies became utterly trivial and dispensable.
She couldn’t live just for herself, she carried far too much.
The half-bun in Qin Yu’s hand slowly crumpled under her grip. The unfamiliar emotions stirred by “Su Qingqing” vanished without a trace. All that remained in her eyes and heart were the flames of the fire before her and the countless schemes and plans swirling in her mind.
In the back room,
Yunzhi and Shen Su shared a single bun under the dim glow of a flickering candle.
The dried meat was too tough, making Shen Su’s teeth ache as she chewed, so she could only nibble on the bun instead.
“This rain is too heavy,” Yunzhi glanced outside, shivering at the pitch-black darkness before quickly looking away. “It’s a bit frightening.”
Shen Su tore off small pieces of her half-bun, eating slowly as she replied gently, “Summer is like this. The further north we go, the heavier the summer rains become.”
Yunzhi had assumed Shen Su, like her, had grown up in the south. Hearing this, she grew curious. “Miss, no, Sister, how do you know so much about the north?”
Even knowing that northern rains were heavier than southern ones, how impressive!
Shen Su smiled. “I don’t know that much, just a little.”
She blinked and added, “In winter, the north gets heavy snow too. At its coldest, the snow can pile up knee-deep.”
“Wow!” Yunzhi’s eyes sparkled with naive wonder. “Back home, the snow melts before it even touches the ground. There were years I thought it hadn’t snowed at all.”
After a pause, she wrinkled her face again. “With snow that deep, winter must be freezing, right?”
Unlike their masters, who might admire the snowy scenery, servants like them only thought of the bitter cold while working or washing clothes in such weather.
Yunzhi hesitated, deflating. “I think I still prefer winters back home.”
Even if summers were hotter, at least winters weren’t as harsh.
Shen Su chewed her bun silently.
Unlike Yunzhi, she loved the north.
Not because of the snow in winter, but because her mother was buried there along with her carefree, joyful childhood.
Shen Su lowered her lashes. Neither spoke, and in the quiet, the footsteps mingling with the rain became unmistakable.
The downpour should have drowned out any sound, but the temple’s corridor was made of old, weathered planks that creaked loudly underfoot.
Yunzhi shuddered, clutching her bun tightly as she instinctively looked to Shen Su.
She had already come to see Shen Su as their pillar of strength.
Shen Su swallowed the last bite of her bun and raised a finger to her lips in a silent “shush.”
Gathering her skirts, she stood on tiptoe and crept toward the window.
The newly barred window was covered with two tattered pieces of cloth fragile to the touch.
But now, the fabric cast the shadow of a man outside, his build unlike Qin Yu’s.
If it wasn’t Qin Yu, then whoever approached was trouble for Shen Su.
Biting her lip, Shen Su hesitated briefly before touching the sachet at her waist. Then, resolute, she turned back, grabbed Yunzhi’s hand, and headed for the rear window.
She climbed out first, followed by Yunzhi.
The rear window had no eaves to shield them, and the rain poured down, making both of them shiver simultaneously.
Shen Su pulled Yunzhi to the corridor, hiding behind a pillar where a man stood. Using the dim light as cover, she peered ahead.
Chen San staggered drunkenly to the door of Shen Su’s room. Seeing light inside, his spirits lifted, and he sobered up considerably.
He hitched up his belt with both hands and called out in a greasy tone, “Miss Su?”
Standing in the distance, Shen Su rolled her eyes and thought, Su your ass.
All the men were resting in the front hall. No matter what they were thinking, none had come over to avoid suspicion except this one, lurking at her door, sneaking glances inside. If he didn’t have ulterior motives for her and Yunzhi, Shen Su would cut off her own head and give it to him!
When no one answered, Chen San called again, “Asleep?”
“Don’t be scared. I’m just here to see if you need anything. I’ve got some money at home, and I’m the only son in my family. If you’re missing anything, just tell your big brother here.”
He couldn’t subdue both of them at once, so he had to stand outside and try to lure one out first. Once he had one under control, the other would surely follow.
Chen San’s schemes were loud and clear, but Shen Su had already taken Yunzhi and headed toward the front hall.
“Miss,” Yunzhi whispered, eyeing Shen Su’s rain-drenched shoulders, “let’s not go. That place is full of men. We’re two women shouldn’t we avoid suspicion? Otherwise, rumors will spread.”
Shen Su pressed her red lips together, resolute, completely ignoring Yunzhi’s words.
Yunzhi was naive and couldn’t see the underlying game, but Shen Su saw it all too clearly.
If she wasn’t mistaken, this man had been deliberately allowed to come here by Qin Yu.
His prey Qin Yu’s so-called “hunt” was being eyed by some stray dog, and now he, the big bad wolf pretending to sleep, could conveniently “wake up” to eliminate the competition.
But what about her? Were she and Yunzhi just supposed to let themselves be groped because of Qin Yu’s schemes?
Shen Su could play along with Qin Yu’s act, but she wouldn’t submit to Chen San.
Even if she had to sleep with someone, it would be someone as good-looking as Qin Yu otherwise, it’d be too much of a loss.
Gritting her teeth, Shen Su said, “Let’s go. What’s there to be afraid of?”
Unlike the quiet backyard, the front hall was filled with laughter and the stench of alcohol.
Qin Yu was counting the time. She needed to wait until Chen San was desperate enough to act but couldn’t let him actually harm the two girls, so the timing had to be perfect.
Just as Qin Yu estimated it was about time and was preparing to take someone to find Chen San, she saw “Su Qingqing” storming over with Yunzhi in tow, fury in her stride.
Qin Yu froze, sitting dumbfounded on the ground.
Huh? Why is the bait out here? Where’s my fish?
Where’s that big, stupid fish of mine?