Chapter 49 of 100

Chapter 49

13 min read3,185 wordsMature

(There are two more updates, please vote!!)

---

Mother and Lin Qing'er were also woken up by the noise, and they came out in their robes to see what was happening. Only Yinyin was undisturbed, still sleeping soundly.

Mother was most annoyed by Father's drunkenness. Seeing Wang Xian completely drunk, she immediately flew into a rage: "At such a young age, not learning anything good! If anyone dares to get him drunk again, I'll break their legs!" This frightened the clerks so much that they scattered like birds and beasts.

Seeing that Wang Xian had vomited all over himself, Mother angrily wanted to clean him up, but Lin Qing'er whispered, "Let me handle it, Mother, go back to sleep."

Hearing this, Mother's anger turned to joy: "Good idea." She turned around and went back into the house with great agility.

"Brother, take him to the west room," Lin Qing'er said, blushing.

"This isn't good, it will stink up your room," Brother said kindly. "Let him sleep in the east room."

"It's fine," Lin Qing'er said softly. "Brother has to work early tomorrow, let me stay up with him."

"That's a lot of trouble for you, sister," Wang Gui, a straightforward person, nodded and carried Wang Xian to the west room. Seeing the neat bed, he hesitated: "Maybe not..."

"Put him down, it's tiring to carry him," Lin Qing'er said, lowering her head, feeling helpless. Could she really complain about this rascal being dirty and smelly?

Wang Gui laid Wang Xian flat on the bed, instructed Lin Qing'er to call if anything happened, and then closed the door and left.

The door closed, and the room was dimly lit, with everything silent except for Wang Xian's heavy breathing. This was the first time Lin Qing'er was alone with a man, and she couldn't help but feel nervous. But the strong smell of alcohol made her feel dizzy, so she didn't think much about it and poured a cup of strong tea to help him drink. However, she saw that Wang Xian's clothes were so dirty that she had to undress him. Even though it was early autumn, a frail young woman undressing a man was still exhausting, making her sweat and feel weak.

After much effort, she finally removed his outer clothes, but then saw that his undershirt was stained with unknown dirt. Lin Qing'er sighed and had to take off more, leaving Wang Xian in just his underwear.

Under the dim light, Wang Xian's young body, now showing faint muscle lines, was a stark contrast to his emaciated state two months ago. The body doesn't lie; it faithfully reflects the effort you put in.

Unfortunately, Lin Qing'er's gaze fell on his undershirt. The collar and cuffs, which should have been snow-white, were now black with oil, and the entire undershirt emitted a strong smell of sweat... Normally, even if you didn't wash your clothes for a month, they shouldn't be this dirty, especially since Wang Xian had a new set of clothes and a change when he went to the countryside.

Thinking about how much he must have sweated and where he slept at night, Lin Qing'er felt a pang of sympathy. Her gaze finally shifted to Wang Xian's face. Compared to before, his delicate features hadn't changed much, but the frivolous and worldly air was gone, replaced by a calm and refined demeanor typical of a scholar.

'He has indeed changed. Is it because of me?' The girl thought of Wang Xian's words and felt a sweet warmth in her heart, but then saw him frown, as if his chest was about to burst.

Then she saw him struggling to sit up, and Lin Qing'er quickly supported him, letting him lean his head over the edge of the bed. Seeing him gagging, she knew he was about to vomit and massaged his back. Suddenly, Wang Xian couldn't hold it in and vomited, and Lin Qing'er, afraid he would fall off the bed, didn't dodge, and her dress got dirty.

After vomiting, Wang Xian closed his eyes and asked for tea. Lin Qing'er, supporting herself, found the teapot was still warm, poured a cup of strong tea, and turned around to find he had changed his position, lying on his back on her legs, his head nuzzling.

Lin Qing'er was already in a mess and didn't have time to be shy. She just fed him tea. Wang Xian drank two bowls and then turned over, facing Lin Qing'er's abdomen, his arms around her waist, and fell asleep.

Lin Qing'er had never been hugged like this before. Although they were engaged, she felt extremely embarrassed and wanted to move him back to the bed but didn't have the strength. Hearing Wang Xian complain of a headache, she let him lie on her legs and used her slender fingers to gently massage his temples to relieve his pain.

The night was long, and the moon played with the clouds. Lin Qing'er looked down at Wang Xian nestled in her arms and sighed, as if accepting her fate: 'Today I finally understand what it means to be a past-life enemy...' She thought of the Tang Dynasty song "Drunken Son" and softly hummed:

'Outside the door, the dog barks, knowing Xiao Lang has arrived. Slipping off her shoes, she descends the fragrant steps, her past-life enemy is drunk tonight.

Supporting him into the silk bed, he refuses to take off his clothes. Let him be drunk, it's better than sleeping alone...'

Singing the last line, Lin Qing'er's heart raced, scolding herself for singing such lewd lyrics, which was inappropriate. But why did it feel so resonant in her heart... Yes, people say, 'If you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog; if you marry a monkey, you run all over the mountain.' It must be the influence of this rascal... Lin Qing'er glared at Wang Xian, but saw him frowning in his sleep, as if burdened with worries.

Lin Qing'er reached out and gently smoothed his frown, feeling a pang of sympathy. This person also liked to hide his worries... She gently patted his back, comforting him like a baby, until he fell into a deep sleep.

---

Wang Xian slept until dawn. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in Lin Qing'er's room, covered with her quilt.

What happened? He rubbed his head and sat up, feeling a splitting headache, unable to regain his senses for a while.

"You're awake, you're awake." Hearing the commotion, Yinyin poked her head in, called out to the outside, and then made a face at Wang Xian: "Second Brother, you really embarrassed yourself. Not only did you vomit all over Lin Sister, but you also pressed her legs until they were numb..."

"Uh..." Wang Xian then realized he was naked and asked in surprise, "Who undressed me?"

"Lin Sister, of course." Yinyin smiled. "Oh no, Brother was seen naked..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Wang Xian saw Lin Qing'er appear at the door with a bowl and scolded his sister.

"I won't bother you anymore." Yinyin stuck out her tongue and bounced out. "I'll wash the rest of the clothes, and Sister can take care of your little enemy."

Yinyin's words made Lin Qing'er's face turn red. She handed the sour bamboo shoot soup to Wang Xian and whispered, "Don't drink so much in the future."

"Okay, okay." Wang Xian, having caused trouble, accepted the advice humbly.

"Also, don't work so hard in the future," Lin Qing'er said softly as he drank the soup. "The warehouse isn't a place to sleep. If you're not careful, you'll have health problems when you're old."

"How do you know?"

"Shuai Hui came to see you this morning." Lin Qing'er said softly. "He said you didn't leave the warehouse for seven days in Shangxin Township."

"Ah, there's no choice." Wang Xian sighed. "If I don't keep a close eye, problems will arise."

"The grain is already in the warehouse, how can it be missing?" Lin Qing'er asked, puzzled.

"The grain won't be missing, but it can be replaced," Wang Xian explained. "I heard that the rice sent to the capital is always mixed with sand, husks, and some rough rice. But the rice the people pay is always fine and high-quality, let alone mixed with sand, so I was on guard. Later, I had Shuai Hui secretly check Zhou's merchant ship and found rough rice with husks. If I hadn't been vigilant, they would have tricked me right under my nose."

"Ah, they are all cunning people." Lin Qing'er, hearing this, felt uneasy. "You must be careful when dealing with them, don't let them trick you."

"Exactly." Wang Xian nodded and comforted Lin Qing'er. "I think it will be much easier after the taxes are paid."

"Okay." Lin Qing'er nodded, gently brushing the hair from her forehead, and smiled. "I haven't congratulated you yet on your promotion to the head clerk of the household department."

"It's just a minor official, nothing to be happy about," Wang Xian smiled. "How could it impress you?"

"You're wrong." Lin Qing'er shook her head and whispered, "I'm very happy to see you making progress."

"Can we not be so formal?" Wang Xian couldn't help but laugh bitterly. "It's like we're in a play."

"..." Lin Qing'er said helplessly, "I also find it tiring, but I don't know how to change it."

"Let's just go with the flow and see how it goes." Wang Xian said, putting on his shoes and getting out of bed, looking around.

"What are you looking for?"

"Where's my satchel?"

"It's been washed."

"What about the string of coins inside?"

"Mother took them..." Lin Qing'er pointed to the table. "She left one string for each of us."

"The bill for last night's banquet hasn't been paid yet." Wang Xian said, feeling depressed.

"Shuai Hui said someone has already paid it," Lin Qing'er told him.

"These guys..." Wang Xian thought it was his colleagues from the household department who paid, and couldn't help but sigh that being a head clerk was indeed different.

In the afternoon, Wang Xian didn't go to the office. He wanted to rest at home, but guests kept coming, some with gifts to visit, and others with invitations to attend events.

By evening, Wang Xian had received six invitations, which made Yinyin, who was used to her brother being ignored, very excited. She had learned to read recently and wanted to show off, so she opened one and read it aloud:

"My daughter will be married on the tenth of this month. Honored by your generous gift, I have arranged a light feast at 5 PM. The banquet will be held at Xianhe Tower, no need to confirm. Zhou Youcai, respectfully..."

"What does 'on the tenth' mean?" Yinyin asked, puzzled. "What happened to Zhou's daughter?"

"It means getting married," Lin Qing'er explained.

"Isn't the tenth tomorrow?" Yinyin's big eyes twinkled. "Why invite my brother now?"

"This is a last-minute invitation," Lin Qing'er covered her mouth and laughed. "Who would have thought your brother would become a head clerk?"

"Ah, so they are just being opportunistic!" Yinyin pouted and opened the next one. "'Xiao Qinhuai' is where? Why are they inviting guests for a daughter's wedding?"

"..." Lin Qing'er was speechless. Although she was from a proper family, she knew it was one of the top brothels in the county...

"Cough, cough," Wang Xian snatched the invitation, crumpled it, and scolded, "What are you looking at, kid? You'll get eye sores."

---