RPDPHW Chapter 18

When Liu Sanniang arrived at Gu Qingyin’s herbal hut once again, this was the scene that greeted her.

The usually cold and taciturn, black-hearted girl was actually sitting by the bamboo couch, sewing clothes.

Sewing clothes?

Liu Sanniang instinctively raised a hand to rub her eyes.

Yes, she wasn’t seeing things.

Gu Qingyin was indeed sewing clothes.

And the garment was already taking shape—it looked like a new piece.

Although Liu Sanniang could hardly believe what she was seeing, she suppressed her astonishment and walked forward, teasing, “Well, well, Xiao Gu, not bad! You’ve got some skills!”

Gu Qingyin’s gaze remained fixed on the garment in her hands, her other hand deftly threading the needle, never pausing. Without even looking up, she replied, “Mm, I think so too.”

Not the least bit modest.

Liu Sanniang: “…”

“I… came to pick up my medicine. It should be ready this time, right?”

Only then did Gu Qingyin finally lift her head, flashing a slightly awkward smile.

“It’s not.”

Liu Sanniang: “…”

And yet you still have the mood to sit here sewing clothes?

She couldn’t hold it in any longer and finally shouted her thoughts out loud.

“Shh,” Gu Qingyin said softly. “Don’t get so worked up. Keep your voice down. The weather’s getting colder—I can’t let A’Jin keep wearing my old clothes, can I? They’re not warm enough.”

Liu Sanniang: “…The situation is already dire, and you’re still so calm? If you’re worried about her being cold, don’t you know you could’ve just asked me to buy some ready-made clothes for you? Do you really have to do it yourself?”

Gu Qingyin replied matter-of-factly, “Clothes sewn by hand are more comfortable to wear.”

“You! You really have too much time on your hands!” Liu Sanniang gritted her teeth in frustration. “Do you even realize how hard I fought to buy you these few extra days? If you insist on playing with needle and thread, at least finish your other tasks first!”

Gu Qingyin finally paused, letting out a soft sigh. “These days… it’s not very convenient. I’m afraid I won’t be able to deliver the medicine.”

Zhong Shujin’s injuries—sustained because of her—had yet to heal. How could she possibly focus on gathering and refining medicine right now?

Their argument ended up waking the person napping on Gu Qingyin’s lap.

Only then did Liu Sanniang notice her.

Like a small cat, she had her head resting against Gu Qingyin’s chest, her whole body half-sprawled across Gu Qingyin’s lap.

Hearing voices, she lazily lifted her head from Gu Qingyin’s embrace, pushing aside the new garment that had been covering her face. With a drowsy, relaxed gaze, she looked over at Liu Sanniang.

Seeming to recognize her, she remained sprawled on Gu Qingyin’s lap and muttered sleepily, “Qingqing, why is she here again?”

Liu Sanniang: “…”

So… was she being disliked?

At this point, Liu Sanniang even forgot what she had been about to say to Gu Qingyin.

She tried to send Gu Qingyin a look—one that conveyed her grievances and displeasure—but Gu Qingyin didn’t spare her a single glance. Instead, her full attention was on the person lying against her.

Gu Qingyin reached out, pulling up the blanket that had slipped off Zhong Shujin and tucking it securely around her. Only then did she smile and say, “Ignore her. If you’re still sleepy, go ahead and rest a little longer.”

“Okay.” Zhong Shujin sleepily nodded, but the moment she caught sight of the finished garment in Gu Qingyin’s hands, she instantly perked up. “It’s done already?”

Seeing the bright excitement in Zhong Shujin’s eyes, Gu Qingyin smiled gently.

“Mm. Want to try it on?”

Zhong Shujin blinked, her voice filled with anticipation. “Can I?”

Gu Qingyin quickly tied off the last stitch, snapping the thread, then helped Zhong Shujin sit up properly. Shaking out the finished garment, she personally helped her put it on.

“Try it first. If anything doesn’t fit, I’ll adjust it.”

Since Zhong Shujin’s shoulder injury was quite severe, her movements were extremely restricted. She had even been forced to sleep on her stomach these past few days. That was why Gu Qingyin had been tending to her like a child, never leaving her alone for even a moment.

Seeing the two of them casually trying on clothes as if no one else were present, the neglected Liu Sanniang finally couldn’t hold back any longer. She stormed forward, exclaiming,

“Xiao Guzi! Are you even listening to me?! My guests have been waiting in Canglang Pavilion for days! If you don’t hand over the medicine soon, even if I don’t get mad, they definitely will!”

“Mm, the sleeves are too long. Looks like I’ll have to adjust them again.” Gu Qingyin spoke calmly. After helping Zhong Shujin take off the garment, she tucked her back into the blanket and responded to Liu Sanniang at a leisurely pace. “For this deal, consider it my breach of contract. If I remember correctly, according to Canglang Pavilion’s rules, the penalty is ten times the price. That should be enough, right? I won’t refine the medicine. I’ll compensate you for your share as well. Later, just go to my cellar and take whatever you want.”

“Money, money, money! Do you think this is about money?! Do I look like I need your lousy compensation?!” Although Liu Sanniang had been eyeing the unparalleled Heart-Protecting Armor in Gu Qingyin’s cellar for quite some time, she still rejected the offer outright. “If you break a deal like this, you’ll ruin Canglang Pavilion’s reputation! I don’t care what your reasons are—since you already took the job, you must refine the medicine! There’s no room for negotiation!”

Gu Qingyin frowned slightly. Looking at the dazed girl beside her, she sighed. “Sanniang, I’m truly sorry this time. Ah Jin is badly injured—I have to take care of her. For the sake of our years of friendship, please don’t force me.”

She knew that her decision was incredibly irresponsible, that it might tarnish Canglang Pavilion’s reputation. But still, she said it.

Because sometimes, responsibility could be outweighed by personal feelings.

Liu Sanniang glanced at Zhong Shujin’s pale face and realized that Gu Qingyin wasn’t joking.

She couldn’t help but recall the serious expression on Leng Shaoying’s face when she had come looking for her a while back.

For that woman—who usually wanted nothing more than to tear her to pieces—to lower herself and make such a request… then this sect leader must be very important to her.

“Fine, fine, I’ll buy you a few more days,” Liu Sanniang said, her tone softening. “You’re worried about her, right? I’ll help take care of her for a few days, so you can go and take care of your business properly!”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin looked at Liu Sanniang with a hint of wariness.

“That old acquaintance of yours…”

She hadn’t forgotten that just a few days ago, Liu Sanniang had been planning to take Zhong Shujin away.

Liu Sanniang chuckled awkwardly. “Ah, don’t look at me like that! A person has to uphold their principles! I promised you, and I won’t go back on my word! Besides… I’m afraid you’ll poison me to death…”

Gu Qingyin: “…”

Do I look that evil?

That being said, this arrangement didn’t seem like a bad idea. Gu Qingyin knew Liu Sanniang’s character—no matter how much she wanted to take Zhong Shujin away, she wouldn’t do something so drastic as to tear their relationship apart by forcefully taking her against Gu Qingyin’s wishes.

“Mm!” Zhong Shujin, wrapped in her blanket, suddenly sat up and chimed in with a serious expression, “Afraid of being poisoned to death!”

Gu Qingyin’s lips twitched slightly.

Was this little brat a traitor?

And so, from that day on, Liu Sanniang naturally moved into Gu Qingyin’s apothecary. While Gu Qingyin was away, she took advantage of the time to “bond”—properly, thoroughly bond—with this foolish sect leader, who, to Leng Shaoying, was clearly someone important.

Gu Qingyin, feeling reassured, left Zhong Shujin in Liu Sanniang’s care and began earnestly refining the requested poison—colorless, tasteless, unheard of in the martial world, lethally potent, and completely incurable.

However, as it turned out, she should not have placed so much trust in Liu Sanniang.

On the second day of refining medicine, when Gu Qingyin emerged from the alchemy room, she found Zhong Shujin perched on a tree branch.

When she asked how she got up there, Zhong Shujin refused to answer.

Left with no choice, Gu Qingyin silently brought the frightened girl back inside.

That entire day, she never caught a glimpse of Liu Sanniang.

On the third day, when Gu Qingyin came out of the alchemy room, Zhong Shujin had already been sitting on the rooftop for half a day, shivering in the cold wind.

When asked what had happened, she merely shook her head pitifully and still refused to speak.

Gu Qingyin scanned the surroundings but, once again, found no sign of Liu Sanniang. So, she quietly carried Zhong Shujin back inside.

She made up her mind—if Zhong Shujin was bullied again the next day, she would make Liu Sanniang her next test subject for the poison.

Fortunately, Liu Sanniang didn’t pull the same trick a third time.

However, even though she stopped tormenting Zhong Shujin, she still failed to put Gu Qingyin’s mind at ease.

That night, as usual, after freshening up, Gu Qingyin changed Zhong Shujin’s bandages before bringing her to bed.

Because of Zhong Shujin’s shoulder injury, she had to sleep on her stomach every night. To prevent her from feeling uncomfortable on the hard mattress, Gu Qingyin had been spoiling her these past few days—letting her sleep on top of her instead.

After blowing out the lamp, Zhong Shujin, as always, lay atop Gu Qingyin, resting her head against her neck.

Gu Qingyin gently patted her head and murmured, “Looks like in two or three more days, your injury should be almost healed.”

“Mm.”

There was a hint of disappointment in Zhong Shujin’s tone.

Gu Qingyin couldn’t quite grasp the subtle emotions hidden within her words. She simply assumed Zhong Shujin was upset because she hadn’t been able to accompany her these past few days. So, she reassured her, “Get some rest. The medicine should be ready tomorrow. After that, I can finally spend time with you properly.”

“Mm.”

Gu Qingyin was a little surprised—why was Zhong Shujin acting so strangely today?

But she had been quite exhausted lately, so she didn’t dwell on it and simply prepared to sleep.

Who would have thought that after a long silence, Zhong Shujin would suddenly call out—

“Husband?”

Gu Qingyin was stunned.

“W-What?”

Zhong Shujin repeated herself.

“Husband.”

This time, Gu Qingyin heard it loud and clear. She rubbed her temples, caught between amusement and exasperation. “Ah Jin, you can’t just call me that.”

In the darkness, Zhong Shujin furrowed her brows slightly, looking somewhat puzzled.

“Why not? Sanniang said that since I sleep on top of you every night, it’s just like how Brother Zhang and Sister Zhang sleep together. She also said… something about how I’m like a little wife, so I should call you ‘husband’ instead.”

Gu Qingyin suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Just what had Liu Sanniang been telling Zhong Shujin these past few days?

She could only patiently explain, “We are both women—there is no such thing as ‘husband’ between us. She was just teasing you. Remember how she tricked you onto the rooftop the other day? You shouldn’t believe everything she says.”

“But she said that if I sat high up, I’d be able to see you the moment you came out. And even though sitting up there alone was a little scary, I really did see you as soon as you stepped outside. So Sanniang didn’t lie to me,” Zhong Shujin said seriously. Then, she asked in a curious tone, “If not ‘husband,’ then is it ‘wife’?”

Gu Qingyin was momentarily stunned.

Zhong Shujin seemed to trust Liu Sanniang completely. When she didn’t hear Gu Qingyin refute her words, she became even more convinced of what Liu Sanniang had told her.

“Mm, it’s ‘wife’! Qingqing is my wife!”

The person in her arms seemed genuinely delighted.

Gu Qingyin opened her mouth, but in the end, she couldn’t bring herself to dampen her spirits.

Forget it. There was no point in arguing with a silly girl.

And yet, that single word—wife—sent ripples through her heart, refusing to settle.

Her heart felt unbearably warm, almost scorching.