Chapter 65

He had come to present his coming-of-age gift to Qin Jinxiu. In front of Madam Qin, she mumbled her thanks.
Later, Madam Qin had the two dine in the main hall. She asked lightly about Wei Buxun’s care from the household staff. “Treat my house as your own. For studies, ask your eldest brother or your uncle.”
“Simiao said you plan to take the exam this year? Perhaps wait? You’re only fifteen; no need to rush.”
Madam Qin worried that failure would negatively affect his character.
“Even if he fails, a little investment of silver is fine. Let him experience it rather than loiter in the house.”
Qin Jinxiu, eating alone, heard her mother fret over Wei Buxun, then Jiang Linlang, and felt neglected, growing jealous.
“You girl! Eat quietly, yet complain. Is your cousin upsetting you?”
Madam Qin reached to pinch her ear. She dodged, shouting, “You don’t care for me! You always indulge Jiang Linlang, shopping for clothes and jewelry with her, and now you fuss over my cousin too! I’ve only been obedient, and I’m worse off than if I weren’t! Might as well die!”
“You little brat! Say that again!”
“Say it again? Better off dead! I’ll die today!”
“Say it again! Su Wen, fetch her whip. She wields it skillfully, so will I!”
“Madam, she’s still young…”
“She’s of age now! Not young anymore!”
Madam Qin was so angry it hurt her heart. Wei Buxun, watching the mother-daughter quarrel, quietly chuckled to himself. Living in the Qin household for so long, he realized some things were not quite as in his previous life.
Not to mention that this vicious woman had nearly drowned and fallen seriously ill, or that Madam Qin had adopted Jiang Linlang as a foster daughter, none of this had happened before.
Another matter was that this woman was… odd. Though sharp-tongued, she never harmed anyone. Schemes and dirty tricks she might devise were more foolish than malicious.
Could it be that she had also lived a second life? That shouldn’t be, if she had, she would have long since tried to curry favor with him or trample him in the mud, not give him a chance to gain the upper hand.
After watching the scene for a while, he spoke up. “Second cousin is just a child in mood. Perhaps Aunt has been busy lately and neglected her.”
“I heard from classmates at the academy that soon there will be a grand rowing contest at Yang Lake. Aunt could take second cousin to watch? I managed to get a lakeside box. Aunt, you could take her for a little outing.”
“The rowers are students from your academy?”
Suddenly feeling shy, Qin Jinxiu asked softly. Wei Buxun fell silent. He was unaccustomed to this coy, demure demeanor from his second cousin; in the previous life, she had always been aloof, above everyone.
“Yes. The headmaster and several teachers proposed it. Students should not only study but also strengthen their bodies, so this contest was arranged.”
In truth, a few years back, students had collapsed under the strain of imperial exams, prompting the headmaster and teachers to act.
“Of course, they are academy students.”
“Then I’m going!”
She approached Wei Buxun, her bright eyes unapologetically bold, yet she did not seem ashamed, though normally, she was thick-skinned.
Wei Buxun felt slightly uncomfortable, gently pushing her away. He rarely got this close to a girl, in any life.
“Jinxiu! What are you doing! Go if you must, but why so close to your cousin? Shame on you, come back here.”
Madam Qin pulled her, remembering the divine decree: if she served as a temple attendant, she would never marry, living detached from worldly affairs.
“Hmph. I treat my cousin as a brother; why care about that silly rule? Besides, you’ve forbidden me from marrying, so why stop me from going? If you ask me, Jiang Linlang only said it to flatter you. And you actually believed her?”
Madam Qin pressed her brow. “That girl! Always talking of marrying. Later, I’ll have your eldest brother fetch Madam Song.”
At the mention of Madam Song, Qin Jinxiu shivered. The year spent under her hand was still frightening to recall.
“Mother, I’m sorry, I’ll behave.”
Madam Qin snorted, but had her own plans. How could her daughter not marry?
Stepping out of the main hall, Wei Buxun intended to go to the outer courtyard. Qin Jinxiu thought of what he had said about the rowing contest. On the lake, there would be many elegantly dressed young scholars.
“Cousin.”
She followed, shyly calling him. Wei Buxun stopped, curious about what trick she might play.
“Could you reserve that box for me?”
Wei Buxun: …Never saw her this flirtatious in the previous life.
“Aunt said I’m not allowed to see other men.”
“I’m not a prisoner. Believing in ghosts and spirits all day? Should I stay home forever? I might as well cut my hair and become a nun.”
Qin Jinxiu stamped her foot.
“I’ll speak to Aunt.” Saying this, he turned toward the main hall, realizing his playful cousin wanted to play nun.
“You fool! Believe it and I’ll give you two lashes!”
Wei Buxun smiled at her fearlessness. In the previous life, he would have believed she could whip him; now… last time, she only cried when a maid was punished. He didn’t think she could actually lash someone.
He stepped toward her. Qin Jinxiu, unaware, saw him towering over her, now a young man.
His serious expression was intimidating. She shouted, “Stop! Don’t come closer!”
“Cousin, sometimes I wonder, are you really my cousin?”
His phoenix-shaped eyes twinkled with humor and scrutiny, startling Qin Jinxiu. Could he see something more?
She thought for a moment and struck him with her whip. “If I don’t hit you, you won’t recognize me as your cousin! Scoundrel!”
Wei Buxun laughed heartily. The surrounding servants were bewildered, why were they suddenly fighting?
As a result, Qin Jinxiu ended up kneeling in the ancestral hall. She even missed the weak body she had before; the couple wouldn’t dare punish her then.
Kneeling, she pondered her task. Where was the plot?
Originally, she was supposed to orchestrate the first meeting between Jiang Linlang and Wei Buxun, and through her guidance, their feelings would start to grow.
But her “guidance” now consisted of giving drugs, hitting people, or plotting against Jiang Linlang, things she could not do.
As a result, the relationship between the male and female leads was icy, and she was closer to Jiang Linlang than to the male lead.
Sure enough, the next day, Jiang Linlang heard Qin Jinxiu had knelt in the ancestral hall and came to see her.
“Why did you fight with him?”
“Mind your own business.”
“I’m your foster sister; it is my business.”
“My mother wouldn’t let me see the academy’s rowing contest. I asked that fool for permission, and he even questioned whether it was me. I think his silly illness hasn’t healed.”
Jiang Linlang, gentle and composed, spoke slowly, calming Qin Jinxiu.
Qin Jinxiu explained her grievances. Jiang Linlang, after a few thoughts, understood what she meant.
“Jinxiu, I know you like handsome young men, but we can just look. Don’t take it to heart, or you’ll be unhappy.”
“You’re just like Mother, using tricks to soothe me. I know you’re involved with the little prince. Stealing my man? I don’t care.”
“What nonsense! Even if I want someone, it’s not the little prince, I don’t fancy him.”
Jiang Linlang knew her nature and didn’t mind her sharp tongue. Instead, she explained why the little prince was not a good match.
Thinking of her ideal partner, Qin Jinxiu perked up. “Xu Lang is handsome, refined, gentle, and considerate. What’s wrong with that?”
“Silly girl, he’s gentle and considerate to everyone. I couldn’t bear it. He might take a concubine immediately after marriage, promoting a maid to secondary wife. The prince is often away; the princess manages the household. He’s not easy to get along with, not a suitable match.”
Jiang Linlang gave her medicine. Qin Jinxiu, used to taking it, accepted the kindness.
“You speak just like my brother and mother, pretending to be family without knowing the real story.”
Her words briefly froze Jiang Linlang, though she quickly recovered.
“Those who understand know the truth. But you, little girl, only see a handsome face.”
Putting aside everything else, “Qin Jinxiu” was naturally like the heroine, kind, gentle, discerning, poised.
But the script she was following made her constantly clash with the heroine. In the past year, she saw the heroine act sarcastic or cold. Qin Jinxiu never expected to become attached herself. She simply couldn’t harm anyone.
“I’m planning to open a teahouse. Would you like to join?”
“You’re not visiting me, you’re coaxing my silver?”
Jiang Linlang’s lips twitched, brows slightly furrowed. “A beautiful girl, yet always talking. I thought the monthly allowance from the house would suffice. But you spend so much; I can’t keep giving every time, right?”
She had a point. Qin Jinxiu leaned back, pushing a plate of ripe purple grapes toward her. “I’ll invest… a hundred taels. You eat some grapes first; I’ll have Hong Xiao fetch the silver.”
Jiang Linlang laughed. “If I didn’t involve you in business, you wouldn’t offer grapes. People in Huaizhou say you judge only by appearance. Why don’t I get that treatment?”
“You! Hmph, stop teasing me. Your face is thick. Do you think you’re so beautiful?”
“Not as lovely as you, but still somewhat attractive.”
Qin Jinxiu found Jiang Linlang slightly out-of-character for teasing her. She blushed slightly.
Coincidentally, Hong Xiao brought the silver. Qin Jinxiu immediately dismissed everyone. “I’m tired. I’ll rest now.”
Her order was ruthless. On the way back to the Jiang residence, her maid complained, “Miss, you’re too kind. The second miss of the Qin family doesn’t respect you, yet you still consider her.”
“She saved me; I saved her. Our bond is life-and-death. Besides, she’s straightforward, unlike sisters at home who pretend one way and act another behind your back.”