Steam rose from the hot water still heating on the stove, enveloping Lu Chang in a scalding mist that burned her eyes.
Fortunately, Lu Chang had only removed his upper garment. Ming Shu’s glance caught only his bare shoulders—yet even this brief glimpse was enough to embarrass them both.
After his initial shock, Lu Chang hastily grabbed his clothes to cover his chest.
“I’m sorry, Brother, I didn’t mean to,” Ming Shu came to her senses and quickly covered her eyes while turning around, apologizing as she swiftly fled the kitchen.
Behind her came Lu Chang’s furious voice: “Lu Ming Shu!”
Ming Shu took a deep breath and didn’t go far, instead leaning against the wall outside the kitchen.
The sounds of rustling clothes came from inside. Soon after, the cloth curtain was yanked aside forcefully as Lu Chang strode out. Seeing Ming Shu still there, his anger flared even higher.
Ming Shu let out a “ya” and covered her eyes again.
Lu Chang sneered, “What are you covering your eyes for now?”
Ming Shu peeked through her scissored fingers—Lu Chang was fully dressed, though his hair was still loose. His anger hadn’t subsided, and his handsome face was flushed red as he glared at her.
She lowered her hands with an awkward smile and quickly said, “Brother, I swear I didn’t see anything.”
“Lu Ming Shu, you may have lost your memory but not your sense. You used to be more prudent. Why are you becoming so reckless now? Barging in without knowing what’s happening inside?” Lu Chang rarely scolded people like this; today he was truly angered by Ming Shu.
Ming Shu hung her head and looked at the ground, defending herself: “How was I supposed to know someone would be bathing in the kitchen?”
“Now you’re arguing back?” Hearing her unapologetic tone, Lu Chang grew even angrier. “Haven’t you considered what if it had been another man inside? What would you do then?”
Ming Shu raised her head at his words, her bright eyes staring straight at Lu Chang—the way Brother spoke made it sound like it was fine just because it was him who was seen.
But she dared not argue back this way, only saying: “Well… what’s seen is seen, what can I do about it? It’s not like I’m the one who lost anything.”
After all, she wasn’t the one who was seen and had to worry about preserving her reputation.
“…” Lu Chang was struck speechless by her twisted logic.
What she said wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Besides, Brother, you should be grateful it was me. What if some other girl had walked in and seen you? If she then refused to let you go and insisted on marriage, what would you do? I don’t want you carelessly finding me a sister-in-law. Boys need to protect themselves when they’re out too.” Ming Shu lectured earnestly.
“…” Lu Chang’s attempt at scolding had backfired with her lecture instead, making him laugh in exasperation.
Seeing his expression change, Ming Shu quickly presented the items she was carrying like a treasure, changing the subject: “Let’s not talk about these trivial matters anymore. I brought you medicine. Mother is in the room, and I know you wouldn’t want to show her your wounds and make her worry.”
Seeing the medicine in her hands, Lu Chang’s expression softened, his gaze growing gentle.
“Don’t be so careless in the future.” Though he couldn’t continue scolding, Lu Chang gave a stern warning before taking the medicine and adding, “Thank you.”
Ming Shu smiled and pulled him to sit on a bench by the wall, watching as he rolled up his sleeve to reveal the raw, bloody wound on his arm. She bit her lip, feeling his pain. Lu Chang slowly sprinkled the medicine powder on the wound. Before he could speak after the powder covered his injury, Ming Shu had already begun wrapping it with the unfurled white bandage, which coordinated perfectly with him.
Soon, Lu Chang’s wound was properly bandaged. After testing it with a few light movements and finding it didn’t impede his motion, he said again: “Thank you. It’s late, go get some rest…”
“Wait.” Ming Shu grabbed him and held out her palm. “Give me your hand.”
“?” Lu Chang looked confused.
Ming Shu grew impatient and said, “Just give it to me when I ask.” As she spoke, she took his left hand in hers and scooped a large dollop of white cream from a small porcelain box to spread on the back of his hand.
Only then did Lu Chang notice she had opened another flat celadon box at some point, releasing a faint orchid fragrance—clearly not medicine.
“Look at your hands, they’re so chapped. How will you hold a brush for the examinations?” Ming Shu said head bowed as she held his hand with one of hers while spreading the cream with the other. “This is Yi Lan Pavilion’s Orchid Jade Cream, it’s precious stuff. Even this tiny box costs One Tael of Silver. It’s the best for nourishing skin and treating chilblains.”
Lu Chang’s hands, from long hours driving the carriage in wind, snow, and rain, were no longer as fair as before. The backs were red and the joints swollen—quite a pitiful sight compared to Ming Shu’s porcelain-white hands.
He hadn’t noticed himself, but the attentive Ming Shu had spotted it long ago.
“That’s enough, I can do it myself.” Lu Chang found her jade-like, seemingly boneless hands wrapped around his own rather unsettling, making his whole body uncomfortable.
Ming Shu gripped tighter, not letting him pull away, and kept her head down as she instructed: “What do you mean to do it yourself? You’ll just waste this precious cream by slathering it on carelessly. Let me teach you properly. The back of the hand, palm, fingers, between the fingers—it all needs to be covered. Best to warm the hands by rubbing them first, then apply the cream while massaging…”
It takes real effort to properly care for hands; good cream alone isn’t enough.
As Ming Shu demonstrated while explaining, she massaged his hand thoroughly after spreading the cream, not missing an inch of skin. Her soft touch combined with her smooth hands made Lu Chang tingle from hand to head to toe. Yet she showed no mercy, her fingertips still kneading the calluses on his palm. The sensation… Lu Chang felt his whole being growing strange, wanting to escape but unable to. Ming Shu’s gentleness had woven an immense net that descended without warning to trap him. Yet she remained completely oblivious, her words and manner natural and unabashed, without a trace of shyness. It was Lu Chang who found himself unsettled, his heartstrings dramatically shaken by her actions.
“One Tael of Silver for a box of jade cream, yet that person gave it away so easily. Quite generous. And wearing a golden cage too—must hold quite a position in the Tao family. Brother… Brother?” Ming Shu had been talking to herself before calling out to Lu Chang.
Lu Chang snapped back to attention, looking confused.
Ming Shu knew he had drifted off and hadn’t heard her words, so she unhappily released his hand and demanded: “Other hand!”
Lu Chang jolted at the term “Brother”—all her actions simply viewed him as an elder brother and family member, nothing more. That’s why she was so natural and upright. He was the one who had briefly entertained some thoughts that were neither pure nor gentlemanly.
“No need, I’ll do it myself.” Thinking this, he stood abruptly and coldly urged her, “I still have matters to attend to. You should go back to your room quickly.”
With that, he strode away without hesitation, leaving Ming Shu calling after him.
“You won’t even take the cream—how will you do it yourself?”
Lu Chang pretended not to hear and walked straight out of the inn to face the snow.
—
Outside, wind and snow raged together through the night, making the grass and trees howl and the old inn creak.
When Lu Chang returned, Ming Shu was already asleep beside Madam Zeng. The small couch in the outer room had been made up with bedding, with a hot warming pan tucked inside. He stood by the couch looking for a long while before climbing into the warm blankets.
After days of traveling plus the night’s shocking events, Lu Chang couldn’t hold out any longer and fell into deep sleep.
A dreamless night passed, and when he woke it was nearly noon the next day.
Only Madam Zeng remained in the room; Ming Shu was gone.
“Go check on your sister. She said she was going out to gather news and has been gone quite a while,” Madam Zeng spoke up as soon as she saw Lu Chang’s eyes searching.
From her tone, Lu Chang felt his birth mother had adapted to the role of Ming Shu’s mother even faster than he had.
Stepping out of the room, the cold draft in the corridor cut straight through his clothes. Though the wind had stopped and the snow had lessened, the day was even colder than yesterday. Lu Chang frowned slightly and followed the sounds of laughter from the main hall. Sure enough, he found Ming Shu standing there, rubbing her hands while watching the thick snow outside. The hall was filled with men from the escort agency, their eyes all fixed on her, yet she showed no discomfort, smiling naturally and radiantly.
A man stood beside her, chatting enthusiastically. He wore the ordinary martial clothes of an escort and was quite young, fairly handsome with a clean face marked by five faint finger marks—undoubtedly the man Ming Shu had both rescued and slapped yesterday.
It seemed yesterday’s slap hadn’t taught him his lesson.
Lu Chang’s frown deepened as he strode between the two in one step, blocking them from each other. Ming Shu turned and nearly bumped her nose into Lu Chang’s back, her view completely obscured.
“Brother, this is the Fifth Young Master of the Tao family’s main branch from Lin’an, Young Master Tao. He was entrusted by his elders to escort valuable goods to the capital. This was his first time traveling far from home on business, yet he encountered bandits. Yesterday’s medicine and jade cream were gifts from Fifth Young Master.” She peered out from beside Lu Chang to explain.
“You’ve certainly learned quite a bit.” Lu Chang glanced at her, his eyes full of questions—they’ve reconciled so quickly?
Ming Shu understood his implied meaning and gave an awkward smile, saying softly: “It was all a misunderstanding.”
Lu Chang gave her a withering look before turning to address the man with clasped hands: “Fifth Young Master Tao.”
The man hurriedly returned the gesture: “This humble one is Tao Yi Chen, style name Ming Yuan, of the Tao family. I pay my respects to Brother Lu. Please don’t stand at the ceremony, just call me Ming Yuan. Last night in that crisis, thanks to Brother Lu and your honored sister’s help, my brothers from the escort agency and I escaped disaster. For saving our lives, both the Tao family and I are eternally grateful and must repay this debt.”
Though he was a young master of the Lin’an Tao family, Tao Yi Chen carried no airs about him. He spoke sincerely, with a touch of youthful innocence in his brow—a wealthy young master on his first venture into the world.
Lu Chang nodded but had no desire to deepen the acquaintance, only saying: “Young Master speaks too kindly. In last night’s storm, this Lu merely sought shelter from the snow with the help of your honored escort agency. I dare not accept such great gratitude; the young master need not take it to heart.”
“No no, Brother Lu mustn’t be so modest. Without you and your honored sister, forget the goods—we would all have died in that wilderness. When I reach the capital and report this to my maternal grandfather, I must properly thank Brother Lu in person.”
Just as Lu Chang was about to refuse, Ming Shu’s head popped up again to whisper: “Brother, the Tao family are imperial merchants, and his maternal grandfather Yin Fan was the late emperor’s royal secretary. Though retired now, he has a daughter who is a favored imperial consort in the current emperor’s harem.”
Lu Chang glared at her again—had she investigated their entire family history?
Ming Shu couldn’t explain that these weren’t things she had investigated; the knowledge had naturally surfaced when she heard the name Tao family.
“I appreciate Young Master’s intention, but thanks are unnecessary,” Lu Chang still refused.
As Tao Yi Chen was about to persuade further, Ming Shu waved her hand: “I told you earlier, my brother won’t accept your thanks, so don’t bother trying.”
Somehow Ming Shu just knew Lu Chang was not the type to seek rewards from others.
With that, she naturally hooked her arm through Lu Chang’s and said sweetly: “Brother, I’ve asked around. These bandits are wanted criminals with bounties on their heads. The bandit leader has a Ten Tael Silver bounty. Once they’re handed over to the authorities, that bounty… we may not want thanks, but those Ten Taels of Silver are rightfully ours.”
Lu Chang had meant to pull her hand away but seeing Tao Yi Chen watching intently, he let it be. Just as he was about to respond, Tao Yi Chen chimed in: “Exactly! You two captured them, so the bounty must go to Brother Lu and the young lady. But the bandits are numerous and fierce—we’ll need to escort them to the city together to hand them over to the authorities. Let’s travel together when the weather clears tomorrow.”
“Wonderful! Thank you then, Brother Tao.” Ming Shu gave a sweet smile, accepting on Lu Chang’s behalf.
Lu Chang’s brows knotted as he glared at Ming Shu. She promptly pulled him aside and whispered: “Brother, don’t be so inflexible. Our whole family is heading to the capital without any friends or connections—isn’t it good to make some friends who can help when we have the chance? Besides, think of those Ten Taels of Silver. They could cover quite a few expenses. We deserve this reward; there’s no need to refuse out of empty courtesy.”
She understood him well, targeting every aspect of his personality. Lu Chang had no response.
Taking his silence as agreement, her smile grew brighter. She rose on tiptoes to drape her arm over his shoulders, pulling him down like a close buddy: “Brother, don’t worry. I’ve figured it out. From now on, I’ll be responsible for earning money to support the family, while you focus on studying to become an official. With us siblings working together, nothing can stop us—our days will surely get better.”
Lu Chang froze, looking at Ming Shu’s bright smile so close to him, warm as the sun and heartening.
Siblings… it seemed she had adapted well. Rather, it was he who would need a long time to adjust to this “sister” who had suddenly appeared in his life.
Author’s Note: Ming Shu: I’ll handle earning money, you just focus on being pretty… oh no, I mean studying to become an official.
PS: Though the last chapter’s comments exceeded 100, I gave out red packets to all. Hope you enjoyed it!