Chapter 90: The Disease is Not Clear

  The atmosphere in the pavilion is somewhat subtle.

  Li Mu's infatuation with Qin Ruoxin made him avoid her as much as possible. Several times, he couldn't help but make a move, but considering himself a guest and it being his first visit, he restrained himself. He thought to himself that if he were to come to the Qin residence again in the future, he should keep a safe distance from this Miss Qin, the fourth young lady of the Qin family. To be on the safe side, it would be better not to come at all.

  Qin Ruoxin only felt that this Li Gongzi was so unromantic, her own zither sound was pouring out the master's heart, the low and gentle sound was exactly what she thought in her heart, how could he not have noticed? Was it intentional? Thinking like this, the zither sound became even more melodious and low, her eyes were also filled with grievance and unwillingness, and her heart remembered Qin Dai Xin even more, was she a reincarnation of a fox spirit? How could she have enchanted this Li Gongzi so much?

  Qin Dai Xin, how could she not know the suffering these two people are going through at this time? This was all clearly planned by her own hands! Who told them to provoke her for no reason.

  Duan Xing, who had always been quiet and rarely spoke, occasionally looked at Qin Ruoxin with a curious gaze. The latter thought he was just traveling with Li Mu, so she didn't pay much attention to him. However, what Duan Xing was searching for was the words of Qin Ruoxin. This young lady had slept for seven days in a row, which was truly an unusual thing. In the eyes of ordinary people, they might think she was ill or had encountered something unclean. But in his eyes, this sleeping for seven days was somehow linked to a legend that had been circulating in the martial arts world for a long time, making him, a person who usually didn't pay attention to outside matters, feel extremely curious. What made this young lady so special? Not only did his younger brother look at her with admiration, but she also had such an extraordinary encounter and gained great benefits?

  For a moment, people in the pavilion had different thoughts, and the atmosphere naturally became subtle.

  At this moment, Qin Ruoxin played a tune on the qin for Qin Wan, her hands stroking the strings, waiting for the sound to fade away before getting up and coming to where the three of them were sitting. Although everyone had different thoughts, they all understood the rules, and no matter what, they still had to put in some effort on this front.

  "The girl is indeed a good piano player, I admire her." Li Mu said two sentences of polite words and didn't want to say another word.

  "My sister's piano skills are impressive, it really calmed me down. Compared to before, she has made great progress. On a boring day, I'll have to invite her to my place and ask her to play a song to lift my mood." Qin Dai said with a smile on her face.

  Qin Ruoxin listened to her joking about herself, feeling a bit annoyed at the moment, but didn't want to give Li Mubai a bad impression, so she nodded slightly and said lightly: "Sister is overpraising." It's not Li Gongzi who praises her, nor is it Li Gongzi who invites her, there's nothing to be happy about.

  Just then, a man dressed in a blue cotton jacket with a short hem, looking like a young servant, ran out from outside the pavilion and came to the inside. He bowed respectfully to Li Mochou and said: "Young Master Li, Young Master Duan, the wine table has been set up, the old master asked me to come and invite you two gentlemen to take your seats." After finishing speaking, he stood aside and waited for the two men to respond.

  Li Mude took the opportunity to get rid of Qin Ruoxin and said, "I'm also hungry now, just in time to taste Mr. Qin's fine wine, you lead the way first!" After speaking, he stood up, exchanged a glance with Duan Xing, who nodded slightly, and strode forward, letting the servant lead the way into the hall.

  That little fellow was clever and knew that this Mr. Li was a noble guest, so he didn't dare to go and greet him after hearing the eldest son's secret instructions, and naturally led the way with great presence of mind.

  Li Mu smiled at the Qin sisters and said, "Thank you for your hard work today. I quite like the scenery in this garden, and although I only heard a short piece of beautiful music, it was still a great gain. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear the story, so I'm a bit disappointed. Next time, if there's an opportunity, Miss Qin will have to tell me all about it." Although he said this to both sisters, everyone knew which "Miss Qin" he was referring to.

  Qin Ruoxin spoke up before Qin Dai could say a word, "Li Gongzi is indeed three sister's kindred spirit, I'll take the liberty of accepting this task on her behalf. You see, we've been reading books since childhood, and these stories are all similar, nothing new or surprising. Li Gongzi must have read extensively and knows more about these fantastical and thrilling tales. If you want to hear something fresh, you should look for my third sister! I'm sure you're not aware that last year, she was kidnapped by bandits and taken away for three days without returning. This story is worth telling in detail to appreciate its flavor." In ancient times, a woman's reputation was more important than her life. Being tied up on a mountain for three days would make it impossible for anyone to believe she was still chaste. Qin Ruoxin hastily brought up this matter at an inappropriate time, intending to ruin Li Mu's impression of Qin Dai, creating an opportunity for herself.

  Qin Dai Xin knew exactly what she meant by those words, but she just wanted to make herself look worse in front of Li Mu, so that her own goodness would stand out more. If it were usual, she wouldn't even bother arguing with a petty and jealous little maid, but now she was actually saying such terrible things about herself in front of outsiders, this wasn't just petty jealousy, it was trying to drive her to death! In ancient times, women considered chastity their life, by that logic, how could she still have a life? Although she didn't care about the rules and frameworks of those dead women, this was after all ancient times, if she acted too outrageously, she would probably be condemned by the public, and someone might even burn her at the stake.

  "Fourth sister, be careful what you say, don't lose your virtue in front of Young Master Li, I'm afraid the hysteria from those days hasn't fully recovered yet? Don't worry, mother has already agreed, she won't marry you off to the Jia household as a concubine, so rest assured!" Qin Dai's heart pretended to be affectionate as she pulled her hand, with a hint of pity in her eyes, but beneath that was a cold indifference, without a shred of genuine feeling.

  Qin Ruoxin only felt a burning sensation on her face, as if she had been slapped in public. She tried to pull her hand out of Qin Daihe's grasp, but no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't move it at all. She didn't know where Qin Daihe got such great strength from, and her hand was clasped so tightly that it hurt. She wanted to lash out, to argue back, but in front of Li Mu, she couldn't say a word. Although she was furious, so angry that her body was trembling slightly without her even realizing it, yet as soon as she thought about how her reputation as a concubine wasn't secure, and how her name would be tarnished even more than Qin Daihe's if she caused a scene, she calmed down a lot. However, her face still looked twisted and ugly, completely unlike its usual gentle appearance.

  She didn't know that Li Mu knew about the matter and was very curious, not only wanting to know the reasons behind it but also without a hint of disdain.

  Li Mu saw that the fourth young lady was acting in such a way, and the slight displeasure in his heart suddenly magnified. He had seen too many brothers and sisters competing for fame and fortune, from small merchant families to large official households, where flesh and blood relationships were disregarded, and siblings harmed each other. When women became ruthless, they could be deadly without spilling blood. She used the matter of reputation to attack her own sister, revealing how cruel and vicious she was. It was laughable that just now she had pretended to be an innocent and naive young girl, truly ridiculous.

  "Don't worry, miss. I think the other sister is seriously ill and it's better to call a doctor soon." He only gave Qin Ruoxin a cold glance before turning around and heading to the front hall for dinner.

  Qin Dai Xin saw his figure disappear at the Weeping Flower Gate, only then did she turn her head to stare at Qin Ruo Xin, grasping her hand and saying: "Fourth sister seems to be really ill and not clear-headed!"

  P.S: Wishing you all an early Happy New Year!