Steam rose from the hot water still on the stove, enveloping Lu Chang in a misty haze that stung his eyes.
Fortunately, Lu Chang had only removed his upper garment. Ming Shu’s gaze quickly swept over him, catching only a glimpse of his bare shoulders. Yet even this brief encounter was enough to embarrass them both.
Shocked, Lu Chang hastily grabbed his clothes to cover his chest.
“I’m sorry, brother. It wasn’t intentional,” Ming Shu, having regained her composure, quickly covered her eyes and turned away. She apologized as she hurriedly retreated from the kitchen.
Behind her, Lu Chang’s furious voice rang out: “Lu Ming Shu!”
Ming Shu took a deep breath and stopped just outside the kitchen, leaning against the wall.
Inside, the rustle of clothing could be heard. Soon after, the curtain was forcefully pushed aside, and Lu Chang strode out. Seeing Ming Shu still there, his anger visibly flared.
Ming Shu let out a small “Ah!” and covered her eyes again.
Lu Chang scoffed, “Why are you covering your eyes now?”
Ming Shu parted two fingers, peeking through the scissor-like gap. Lu Chang was now fully dressed, though his hair remained loose. His eyes still blazed with anger, his handsome face flushed red as he glared at her.
She lowered her hand 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 have you become so reckless? Barging in without knowing the situation inside?” Lu Chang rarely scolded anyone so harshly, but today Ming Shu had truly angered him.
Ming Shu lowered her head, looking at the ground as she defended herself: “How was I to know someone would be bathing in the kitchen?”
“Are you trying to justify yourself?” Lu Chang’s anger intensified at her nonchalant tone. “Have you considered what if it had been another man in there? What would you have done then?”
Ming Shu raised her head at his words, her bright eyes fixed on Lu Chang. His statement implied that it was somehow acceptable because it was him she had seen.
But she dared not voice such a retort. Instead, she said, “Well… if I saw something, I saw it. What can I do? It’s not like I’m the one who lost anything.”
After all, it wasn’t she who had been seen and needed to worry about preserving her virtue.
“…” Lu Chang was momentarily stunned by her twisted logic.
What she said wasn’t entirely wrong, he had to admit.
“Besides, brother, you should be grateful it was me. What if another girl had walked in and seen you? She might have clung to you afterward. What would you do then? I don’t want you to casually find me a sister-in-law. Boys need to protect themselves when they’re out in the world too,” Ming Shu advised solemnly.
“…” Lu Chang’s attempt at scolding had backfired, leaving him lectured instead. He couldn’t help but laugh despite his anger.
Seeing his odd expression, Ming Shu quickly presented the items she was carrying, changing the subject: “Let’s not talk about unimportant things. 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 becoming gentler.
“Don’t be so reckless in the future,” he said, unable to continue scolding. He took the medicine and added, “Thank you.”
Ming Shu smiled, leading him to sit on a bench by the wall. As he rolled up his sleeve, revealing the raw 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, Ming Shu had already begun wrapping a white bandage around it, their coordination perfect.
Soon, Lu Chang’s wound was properly bandaged. He waved his arm a couple of times to ensure it didn’t hinder his movement, then said, “Thank you. It’s late, you should go rest…”
“Wait,” Ming Shu held him back, extending her palm. “Give me your hand.”
“?” Lu Chang looked puzzled.
Ming Shu grew impatient. “Just give it to me when I ask.” She grabbed his left hand and scooped a large dollop of white ointment from a small porcelain box at her side, applying it to the back of his hand.
Only then did Lu Chang notice that she had opened another flat cyan porcelain box. A faint orchid fragrance wafted from it, clearly not medicinal.
“Look at your hands, they’re so chapped. How will you hold a brush for the exams?” Ming Shu said, looking down as she held his hand in one of hers while spreading the ointment with the other. “This is Orchid Jade Face Cream from Yilan Pavilion. It’s excellent stuff. Even this small box costs a tael of silver. It’s very moisturizing and can even treat chilblains.”
Lu Chang’s hands, having been exposed to wind, snow, and rain while driving the cart for a long time, were no longer as fair as before. The back of his hand was red, and his knuckles were swollen. Compared to Ming Shu’s porcelain-white hands, his looked quite pitiful.
He hadn’t noticed himself, but the observant Ming Shu had spotted it early on.
“That’s enough, I can do it myself,” Lu Chang said, suddenly aware of her jade-like, seemingly boneless hands entwined with his, making him feel uncomfortable all over.
Ming Shu gripped tighter, not letting him withdraw his hand. She kept her head down and said, “What do you mean, do it yourself? You’ll just smear it all over and waste this good cream. Let me teach you, and pay attention. You need to apply it to the back of your hand, palm, fingers, and between the fingers. It’s best to warm your hands by rubbing them together before applying the cream. Massage as you apply…”
To keep hands well-maintained requires effort; a good cream alone isn’t enough.
As Ming Shu spoke, she demonstrated, spreading the cream and then slowly massaging his hand, not missing a single inch of skin on his palm. The gentle pressure combined with her smooth hands made Lu Chang tingle from head to toe. She wouldn’t let him go easily, her fingertips now rubbing the thin calluses on his palm. The sensation… Lu Chang felt his entire being was off-kilter. He wanted to escape but couldn’t. Ming Shu’s gentleness had woven an immense net that had imperceptibly fallen over him, trapping him. Yet she seemed completely oblivious, her words and demeanor natural and unabashed. It was Lu Chang who found himself flustered, his heartstrings violently plucked by her actions.
“A box of face cream worth one tael of silver, given away so casually. That person is quite generous. They even wore a golden cage ornament, so they had to hold a high position in the Tao family. Brother… Brother?” Ming Shu had been talking to herself, finally calling out to Lu Chang.
Lu Chang snapped back to reality and looked at her with confusion.
Ming Shu realized he had been lost in thought and hadn’t heard a word she said. Displeased, she dropped his hand and said, “Other hand!”
Lu Chang, hearing her call him “Brother,” suddenly came to his senses. Her actions were merely treating him as an elder brother, a family member, nothing more. That’s why she was so open and straightforward. It was he who had momentarily misunderstood, harboring thoughts that were neither pure nor gentlemanly towards her.
“No need, I’ll do it myself,” he said, abruptly standing up. In a cold tone, he urged her, “I have matters to attend to. You should go back to the room quickly.”
With that, he left, not hesitating for a moment, leaving Ming Shu calling after him.
“You’re not even taking the cream. How will you do it yourself?”
Lu Chang pretended not to hear, walking straight out of the inn into the snowy night.
Outside, the wind and snow raged, with vegetation howling throughout the night, causing the old inn to creak and groan.
When Lu Chang returned, Ming Shu was already asleep beside Madam Zeng. She had prepared bedding on the small couch in the outer room, even tucking in a hot water bottle. He stood by the couch for a long while before slipping into the warm blankets.
After days of travel and the night’s heart-pounding events, Lu Chang fell into a deep sleep.
He slept dreamlessly, waking near 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 information and has been gone for quite a while,” Madam Zeng said, immediately noticing who Lu Chang was looking for.
From her tone, Lu Chang felt his mother had adapted to the role of Ming Shu’s mother even faster than he had.
Stepping out of the room, a cold draft from the corridor chilled him. The wind had stopped and the snow had lessened, but it was colder than yesterday. Lu Chang frowned slightly, following the laughter from the main hall. There he saw Ming Shu, rubbing her hands and looking at the thick snow outside. The hall was filled with men from the escort agency, all eyes on her, but she seemed completely at ease, smiling charmingly.
A man stood beside her, engrossed in conversation. He wore typical escort attire, and was fairly young and handsome, but had five faint finger marks on his fair cheek—undoubtedly the man Ming Shu had slapped after reviving him yesterday.
Yesterday’s slap hadn’t taught him a lesson.
Lu Chang’s frown deepened as he strode between them, separating the two. Ming Shu turned, nearly bumping her nose on Lu Chang’s back, her view completely blocked.
“Brother, this is the young master of the Tao family from Lin’an, the fifth young master Tao. He’s been entrusted by his elders to escort valuable goods to the capital. It was his first time on such a distant errand, and he unexpectedly encountered bandits. The medicine and face cream from yesterday were his gifts,” she explained, peeking out from behind Lu Chang.
“You’ve certainly learned a lot,” Lu Chang glanced at her, his eyes full of questions—had she forgiven him so quickly?
Understanding his implication, Ming Shu smiled awkwardly and whispered, “It was all a misunderstanding.”
Lu Chang rolled his eyes at her before turning to the man with a cupped-hand salute, “Fifth Young Master Tao.”
The man hurriedly returned the gesture, “I am Tao Yiqian, courtesy name Mingyuan, of the Tao family. Please, Brother Lu, don’t stand on ceremony. Call me Mingyuan. Last night’s peril was averted thanks to you and your sister’s help. My brothers from the escort agency and I escaped disaster because of you. The Tao family and I are deeply grateful for this life-saving kindness and will surely repay you.”
Despite being a young master of the Tao family from Lin’an, Tao Yiqian carried no air. He spoke sincerely, with a hint of youthful naivety in his brow—likely a privileged young man just starting in the world.
Lu Chang nodded but showed no interest in deepening their acquaintance. “Young Master Tao, you’re too kind. The snow and wind were fierce last night. I merely sought shelter with your esteemed escort agency. It doesn’t warrant such great gratitude. Please think nothing of it.”
“Come now, Brother Lu, don’t be so modest. Without you and your sister, forget the goods—we might all have perished in this wilderness. When I reach the capital, I’ll inform my maternal grandfather. We must properly thank you.”
As Lu Chang was about to refuse, Ming Shu leaned in and whispered, “Brother, the Tao family are imperial merchants. His maternal grandfather, Yin Fan, was the former emperor’s Zhongshu Sheren. Though retired, he has a daughter who’s a favored consort in the current emperor’s harem.”
Lu Chang glared at her again—had she investigated the man’s entire family history?
Ming Shu couldn’t explain that this wasn’t information she had gathered, but knowledge that naturally surfaced when she heard the Tao family mentioned.
“I appreciate your intention, Young Master Tao, but thanks are unnecessary,” Lu Chang continued to decline.
As Tao Yiqian persisted, Ming Shu waved her hand, “I told you earlier, my brother won’t accept your thanks. Don’t insist.”
For some reason, Ming Shu felt certain that Lu Chang wasn’t the type to seek rewards from others.
She then naturally hooked her arm through Lu Chang’s, saying with a coy smile, “Brother, I’ve made inquiries. These bandits are wanted criminals. There’s a ten-tael bounty on the leader’s head. Now that they’re captured, they must be handed over to the authorities. When that happens… we may not want thanks, but that ten-tael bounty is rightfully ours.”
Lu Chang initially wanted to shake off her hand but, noticing Tao Yiqian watching closely, he let it be. As he was about to respond, Tao Yiqian chimed in, “Indeed, indeed. You two captured them, so the bounty belongs to Brother Lu and the young lady. However, given the number and strength of the bandits, we’ll need to escort them to the city together. Shall we set out together when the weather clears tomorrow?”
“Wonderful! Thank you, Brother Tao,” Ming Shu replied sweetly, accepting on Lu Chang’s behalf.
Lu Chang’s brow furrowed as he glared at Ming Shu. She decisively pulled him aside and whispered, “Brother, don’t be so inflexible. We’re moving to the capital without any relatives or friends. Since we’ve made this connection, isn’t it good to make more friends who can help us? Besides, think about those ten taels of silver. It could cover quite a bit of our deficit. We’ve earned this; there’s no need to refuse out of empty courtesy.”
She knew him well, each word targeting his temperament. Lu Chang was left speechless.
Taking his silence as agreement, her smile brightened. She stood on tiptoe, draping her arm over his shoulders and pulling him down slightly. Speaking as if they were the best of friends, she said, “Brother, don’t worry. I’ve figured it out. From now on, I’ll be responsible for earning money and supporting the family, while you focus on studying and becoming an official. With us siblings working together, our strength will be unbreakable. Our days will surely get better.”
Lu Chang was taken aback, gazing at Ming Shu’s radiant smile so close to him, warm as the sun and heart-melting.
Siblings… It seemed she had accepted this role well. On the contrary, he realized he would need a long time to adjust to this sudden addition of a “sister” in his life.