Chapter 173 Do You Want to Be a Child Bride?
She had no idea when Chu Liuchen had appeared behind her, staring at her coldly. On his handsome face was a faint smile that sent a shiver down her spine.
Qin Wanru’s gaze shifted to the conspicuous object in his hand. Her limpid eyes met a pair of blue cat’s eyes. Stunned, she soon discovered that the eyes belonged to a white cat with blue eyes. It was adorable with its soft fur and fleshy body. It was an absolute beauty.
She was sure she had never seen such a beautiful cat, but it felt inexplicably familiar to her as if she could recall something similar in her memories. Was it a memory from her past life? Yet, upon second thought, she couldn’t find any traces of this cat.
“This cat is…” Qin Wanru hesitated.
“Hold it for me!” With a scoff, Chu Liuchen tossed the cat into Qin Wanru’s embrace. She hastily reached out to catch it.
The cat was so soft that it made for a very pleasant pillow. She couldn’t help caressing its fur, but the cat stared wide-eyed at her as if confronting a mortal enemy. It was even baring its claws at her.
Chu Liuchen patted the cat with a rather heavy hand, eliciting a yelp. It turned its head to whine at him and then, in a surprising move, stopped pointing its claws at Qin Wanru. It softened its body to lay lazily in her arms, dropping all hostility against her.
Xiao Xuanzi looked at his master and then at Qin Wanru. His smile became brighter and brighter. He went up to Qin Wanru to make an enthusiastic bow and then deliberately said, “Second Miss, this cat loves being petted. It’s happy whenever it’s being petted.”
Was that so? Qin Wanru was skeptical. The cat looked so fierce when she tried earlier, but it was rather adorable now. Ultimately, she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to caress the fur on its back.
The cat made a gurgling noise, sounding quite comfortable.
The pair of eyes that was glaring daggers at her was now shut in bliss. With its snow-white fur, it looked particularly lovable.
“Prince, why are you here?” Qin Wanru sat down with the cat in her embrace. This cat was pretty heavy; it was evident how well it was cared for.
“Qin Wanru, I can’t believe you’re so sly at your young age.” Chu Liuchen threw her a sidelong glance with an unhappy expression.
“What did I do, Prince?” Qin Wanru asked, carefully caressing the cat’s fur. It had been a while since she last saw Chu Liuchen, so what was he getting at now?
“Do you have your eyes on Wen Xichi? Should I play matchmaker for you?” The corners of Chu Liuchen’s mouth were curved ever so slightly. An unfathomable emotion flickered in his eyes; it was something Qin Wanru couldn’t quite understand.
“Prince, at my young age, you say?” Qin Wanru raised her head helplessly, hoping Chu Liuchen would take a good look at her face.
Chu Liuchen’s eyes were limpid as he looked Qin Wanru up and down in disdain. He then suggested, “You can be a child bride until you grow up.”
“I thought only children from poor families would become child brides, no?” Qin Wanru replied helplessly. She wondered how she offended this prince, who looked hell-bent on making life difficult for her.
“If your status is far beneath the groom, you can very well be a child bride.” Chu Liuchen rubbed his chin. Suddenly, this suggestion seemed plausible.
“I… I don’t want to be a child bride at all!” Qin Wanru silently bemoaned her hardship.
“Qin Wanru, you know you owe me your life, don’t you?” Chu Liuchen began to smile, flashing a smile that was as handsome as it was elegant. The gloominess in his eyes dissipated as he looked her up and down with a ruminating expression. She had no idea what this temperamental prince was up to.
“Thank you for your life-saving favor, Prince.” Qin Wanru helplessly stood up and bowed to him.
Prince Chen was the one she least understood in this world. She was very perceptive with others, but this person whose mood flipped as easily as a switch had thoughts completely foreign from others.
Chu Liuchen was pleased after seeing her all nervous like the cat earlier. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “What about it? Do you want to be a child bride of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Chambers?”
“No!” Qin Wanru replied without even thinking about it.
Even though she owed Wen Xichi a debt of gratitude, she had no plans of repaying him with her heart. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she had no plans of marrying anyone. Though she had married Wen Xichi in her past life, they were friends and not lovers. Even on his deathbed, Wen Xichi kept telling her to remarry and not stay a widow for his sake.
“Will you really not consider it? Qin Wanru, mull it over. If I agree with it, you can consider it a done deal. Remember, I don’t make promises easily,” Chu Liuchen said serenely.
Qin Wanru pursed up her delicate lips and shook her head without hesitation. “Thank you for your kind intentions, Prince.”
“You really don’t want to be his bride?” Chu Liuchen asked, smiling.
Qin Wanru had no idea why he was harping on this but shook her head all the same.
“Since you don’t want to become a child bride of the Deputy Prime Minister’s Chambers, let’s find you another family,” Chu Liuchen said, sounding helpless.
Qin Wanru shook her head and said resolutely, “Prince, surely you jest. I’m not becoming anyone’s child bride!”
She didn’t know where Chu Liuchen had summoned his enthusiasm from that he was acting all determined to help her settle her marriage.
“Being a child bride isn’t a bad idea, you know. You can buy shops whenever you want. You can slap someone if you want to. You don’t have to worry about your Madam causing you trouble. Your father will even be deferential to you and stop making things difficult for you for your sister’s sake. You can even protect your remarried mother,” Chu Liuchen said.
He smiled.
Qin Wanru couldn’t help feeling alarmed. Sweat began to form on her forehead. Her charming and innocent eyes blinked as she bit her lower lip and shook her head.
How could something that good exist? There was a price for everything, and she knew very well that she couldn’t afford such a price. Neither was she willing to pay it.
“Prince, how did you find out that I’m buying a shop?” Qin Wanru bit her lip, wanting to change the topic.
“When I came here. What’s wrong? Will you really not consider it?” Chu Liuchen had the sudden thought that this idea could very well work.
Even though Qin Wanru was frustrated, she still had to fake a smile and say, “Prince, I won’t consider it, really.”
“Consider it? Hehe…” Chu Liuchen abruptly stood up and reached for his cat. He then turned around and walked away.
Xiao Xuanzi immediately followed him.
Qin Wanru looked at her empty arms in bewilderment and then at Chu Liuchen’s back. She didn’t have enough brainpower to process this, she thought. What had the prince come for?
“Miss, I once saw Prince Chen… at Jingxin Monastery,” Yu Jie said hesitantly.
“Did he see Mingqiu Nun for a remedy?” Qin Wanru sat on the chair again. It was so cozy holding the cat that she couldn’t quite get used to the emptiness in her arms.
“It was the Abbess of Jingxin Monastery who treated him. She was also the one who ordered this to be kept a secret.” Now that she had spoken up about this, the following words came much easier.
“How is… his illness?” Qin Wanru asked. It wasn’t difficult to guess that Chu Liuchen had gone to the Abbess of Jingxin Monastery for his illness.
“Apparently, it’s a congenital disease that is hard to cure… If not properly treated, it’ll endanger him. The Abbess said something is protecting him, but I didn’t quite understand what it is,” Yu Jie said.
“What’s protecting him?” Qin Wanru was confused.
“I’m not so sure myself. I think the Abbess is referring to a person, but it can also be medicine,” Yu Jie replied after racking her brain. Back then, she was standing outside the Abbess’ room and didn’t hear much of the conversation. The Abbess even closed the doors afterward, so she didn’t catch the rest. It was only later that the Abbess told her not to speak of the matter to anyone, not even Mingqiu Nun. It was because the noble guest might ask Mingqiu Nun to treat him but was worried about being turned down. Thus, the guest needed the right timing to make an indirect request.
In the end, Yu Jie didn’t see Mingqiu Nun do anything.
Midway into their conversation, Young Master Xu returned after settling things at the bank. Since Wen Xichi wasn’t around, he excused himself as it was inappropriate for him to linger.
Now, the shop—as well as everything in it—belonged to Qin Wanru. She made some suggestions for improvement after scanning the place. Only then did she return to the General’s Mansion. Madame Dong stayed behind and asked Qin Wanru to tell Dong Xiuer not to worry as she would be staying at the shop for the next few days.
When Qin Wanru returned to her own house, she asked Nanny Yu to summon Dong Xiuer.
Dong Xiuer came swiftly, arriving at the door just as Qin Wanru was sitting down for a cup of tea. She performed a curtsy and then stood on the side, observing the proper etiquette.
She came here with Madam Dong. Even though she lived in Qin Wanru’s Zhifang Pavilion, she wasn’t the latter’s servant. She didn’t have much to do, so she typically busied herself with embroidery and stitching of clothing and delicate ornaments. She had an agile pair of hands and amicable character, allowing other maids in the courtyard to gradually warm up to her.
Of course, her best friend here was Qing Xue.
Qing Xue, as a principal maid, wasn’t nearly as busy as the rest. Whenever she was free, she would have a chat with Dong Xiuer.
“How’s your leg?” Qin Wanru asked gently, looking at Dong Xiuer’s leg. Several days had passed since she last saw her. Seeing as Dong Xiuer wasn’t limping when she walked in the door, her wound must have mostly healed.
“Thank you, Second Miss. If it weren’t for you, my leg wouldn’t heal at all. I swear I’ll repay you even if I must work like an ox or horse!”
Dong Xiuer looked up and expressed her gratitude when she heard Qin Wanru’s question.
“You don’t have to be so polite. Since your mother is acting as my shopkeeper, it’s only reasonable for me to lend you a hand.” Qin Wanru smiled, shifting her gaze to Dong Xiuer’s face. She could tell that Dong Xiuer was enjoying life here, for she was even wearing a pearl-embedded hairpin. “I’ve secured my shop, so your mother will be kept busy for the next few days. She says she’ll be at the shop and away from home tonight.”
“My mother has told me as much before leaving. Um, Second Miss, I have a question that I don’t know if I should ask.” Dong Xiuer hesitated, sneaking a glance at Qin Wanru’s face.
The emotion in Qin Wanru’s pupils became unreadable, but she retained her gentle expression. She said indifferently, “You may ask.”