Chapter 47: Refusal

“Sister, wait!” Shang Jinxiu rose to her feet.

“Is there something else, Sister?” Hua Qinci paused, then turned back after a moment, already suspecting it wouldn’t be so simple.

“Yuzhu, see Miss Hua out.” Shang Jinxiu waved toward the riverbank, and the maid who had gone to the inn earlier suddenly appeared from somewhere and hurried over.

Yuzhu was a maid Shang Jinxiu had brought from her family home, an orphan she had bought off the street. Ever since Shang Jinxiu saved her, Yuzhu had stayed by her side, protecting her and running errands.

Shang Jinxiu regarded her as a confidante, never hiding anything from her, and Yuzhu had never betrayed her trust.

Yuzhu acknowledged the command and led the silently brooding Hua Qinci away.

Before long, she returned to the pavilion.

“Miss, are we just letting Miss Hua leave like that? But she knows about the Qian residence—what if she…”

Shang Jinxiu let out a cold laugh. “If she does, that would be perfect! I’m only afraid she won’t.”

Yuzhu frowned, puzzled.

“Aren’t you worried she’ll expose us?”

“Of course not. She won’t.”

Bathed in clear sunlight, Shang Jinxiu’s splendid figure was suffused with a quiet radiance. In that shimmering light, she resembled a solitary winter plum, proud and unyielding against the frost.

“By the way, did you give her that letter?” she asked.

Yuzhu thought for a moment. “I tried, but Miss Hua didn’t accept it—she just left.”

Shang Jinxiu sighed. “Let her be, then.”

“Miss, when I was seeing Miss Hua out, I noticed Lady Seven’s people lurking suspiciously near the Fragrant Pavilion.”

At that, Shang Jinxiu’s delicate features relaxed, and a faint smile touched her lips. “Excellent.”

“What do you mean, Miss?” Yuzhu was still confused.

“What harm is there in having an extra accomplice?”

With those words, Yuzhu seemed to understand.

“Wait and see. She’ll come to me.”

Yuzhu nodded in agreement.

Having left the Fragrant Pavilion, Hua Qinci refused the envelope Yuzhu offered and frowned as she made her way to the Peaceful Clinic.

She had wanted to catch a big fish, but this one was too large—she was afraid she couldn’t handle it.

Never mind the influence of the Qian family; even the Shang family was not something she wished to entangle herself with now.

She wanted to earn money, to practice medicine and save lives, but such life-threatening dealings weren’t worth it—not just for money.

Qin Youtian had followed her all along. Even though she lingered so long in the Fragrant Pavilion, he hadn’t asked a single question, which piqued Hua Qinci’s curiosity.

After all, she was a woman—and nominally his wife. Shouldn’t he have said something? Weren’t people from the countryside supposed to be conservative and strict? Yet he hadn’t uttered a word; his restraint was remarkable.

“What are you thinking about? Is it that lady’s illness that’s so difficult? Or did someone give you trouble?” Qin Youtian asked, noticing Hua Qinci glancing his way from time to time. He had originally intended to accompany her into the Fragrant Pavilion, but he had no desire to meet the powerful. He simply wished for a quiet life in the village, to care for his mother.

So he let Hua Qinci go in alone.

Perhaps he couldn’t always be by her side. If something were to happen to him, he hoped she could solve her problems on her own.

He had looked into Hua Qinci’s background. Her father had brought her to the small village of Xiaoxi when she was a child, and for over a decade, she had lived there quietly.

She rarely ventured out, except to gather herbs in the mountains or treat the villagers. Only a few dared to consult her because she was so young. Even though she cured every patient, the adults believed she could only handle minor ailments.

Those who did seek her help were usually too poor to pay—of course, she seldom received any payment for her care.