Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 86: Feelings

She smiled gently, then raised her voice, trying to forget the unpleasantness of the previous conversation, "The goods need to be delivered tomorrow, Brother Lu, let's go into town together. We can buy some things while we're at it."

"Hmm." To prevent Ji Meiqing from getting into trouble again, Lu Yu decided that he would have to follow her when he went out now, in case she disappeared again. Suddenly, he looked up and saw Ji Meiqing deep in thought. Bathed in the warm golden sunlight outside, she shone brightly, like a goddess from a myth, sacred and inviolable.

Lu Yu was a little dazed, but quickly came to his senses. "I'll go and get ready."

"Okay." She smiled faintly, then turned back to continue doing her own thing.

Lu Yu took a few more glances before leaving.

Ji Meiqing finished dealing with her work before returning to her study to write down the recent accounts.

She'd had a lot of expenses the past month—house repairs, rent… and other miscellaneous costs. Looking at the sheer volume of money, her eyes ached.

After calculating his current savings, he realized he could afford a courtyard house. However, moving here wouldn't be convenient, and the city's guards weren't very effective. The recent reinforcements were only temporary, due to Xun Hua's visit, but those were mostly Xun Hua's own men.

Once they leave, the place will return to its previous state. If one gains fame, one will inevitably make some enemies.

Instead of worrying about the consequences, let's take advantage of this time and make a lot more wine.

When the time comes and we have no choice but to move, we'll still have some savings. Ji Meiqing had already made her plans, and then she concealed some of the accounts.

The hidden money will be deposited in a money exchange as secret funds, so that it can be used in case of any future problems.

She spent the whole day checking the accounts, and when she looked up again, it was already dark. It was time to light candles in the room, so she took a flint and steel and lit them.

Although the moon hadn't risen yet, its light was blazing. She looked at the sky, then at the distance, before going back inside to light the candles.

The room was brightly lit. She stood in the main hall, looking at the surrounding decorations. Having lived here for a while, she was gradually becoming familiar with the place, but compared to this place, she was even more looking forward to the place that was about to be completed.

"You haven't rested yet?" Lu Yu came in from outside, looking exhausted. Ji Meiqing also turned around and watched him walk to the table next to her, taking a big gulp of tea.

Ji Meiqing asked curiously, "What did you do? Why are you so late?"

"Oh, so Mrs. Hu asked us if we could increase the supply, saying that the current supply of wine is almost insufficient. They are willing to increase the price fivefold from the current level."

He paused, took a breath, and then said this.

"Increase supply and sales volume?" Ji Meiqing was filled with mixed feelings of worry and joy. Thinking about money, she was naturally happy. However, the current manpower and the hastily constructed sheds couldn't increase the supply by much, and the money right in front of her... she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get it.

Seeing her hesitation, Lu Yu chuckled a few times. "I've already discussed it with them. It won't start until next month."

"Really?" Ji Meiqing was surprised, then ran over with a grin and punched his shoulder, saying, "Brother Lu, you've worked hard."

"It's nothing." He forced a smile, then coughed a few times, his voice becoming hoarse. Ji Meiqing's heart jumped.

She rushed over to him and checked his temperature, only to find that his forehead was alarmingly hot. Ji Meiqing panicked immediately, "Why didn't you say you had a fever?!"

"I'm fine." His eyes began to glaze over. He tried to break free from her, but his hands were weak and powerless. It was more like he was just brushing against her than touching her. Lu Yu forced a smile. "I'm really fine. You should go and rest. I'll be fine after a night's sleep."

"You're still alright even in this state." Looking at his pale lips from the fever, Ji Meiqing helped him sit down, then searched around in the back and finally found quite a few leftover herbs.

She picked out some medicine to treat her illness and took it to the kitchen to make soup. Lu Yu followed her over, and by the candlelight, she was finally able to see clearly what she hadn't seen before.

Lu Yu coughed twice, then smiled and said, "Really, there's no need. Besides, I'm not sick."

"You're so hot, tell me you're not sick."

Lu Yu was somewhat helpless; he didn't refute what Ji Meiqing said. However, this really wasn't an illness, but rather caused by the surging of internal energy within his body.

There would be one such time every month, after his true qi circulated through his body. This wouldn't happen normally, but it was because he practiced a different method. He slowed down his internal breathing, so the circulation of qi was also lengthened. Every time the qi circulated through his body, it would become turbulent, causing his whole body to heat up, as if he were sick.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the firewood. Ji Meiqing was busy inside, and when she saw that the medicine was ready, she immediately took out thick gloves and took the jar down.

Seeing Lu Yu still standing there dumbfounded, she immediately went over and pushed him into his room, saying, "You stay here and don't go out if you're sick."

Lu Yu had no choice but to watch her busy herself for him. He was smiling foolishly, but Ji Meiqing's expression immediately turned serious when she saw him like this.

"What are you laughing at?" she said seriously, touching his forehead with her hand. The temperature was still rising and the temperature in her palm was getting hotter and hotter. Ji Meiqing shook her hand away and went to the back to bring him some wine.

After wetting the silk cloth, I placed it directly on his forehead and sternly warned, "Don't move. Don't take this off until your fever goes down."

"Hmm." Lu Yu was both amused and exasperated. Even though he had already said that he wasn't sick, she still didn't believe him. However, it felt quite nice to be taken care of like this.

Seeing that he was still smiling, Ji Meiqing glared at him fiercely.

The herbal medicine was brought over, and under her coercion and enticement, Lu Yu had no choice but to obediently drink it.

"Thank you." He handed the soup bowl to Ji Meiqing.

"Get some rest. If your fever doesn't break tomorrow, we'll go to the clinic together to see a doctor." She said this with an unusually serious expression, exuding an authoritative air that left no room for refusal.

Lu Yu smiled and followed her instructions.

After finishing her business with Lu Yu, Ji Meiqing returned to her room to rest. She was extremely exhausted, both physically and mentally. The moment she closed her eyes, she felt as if there was still something she hadn't done.

When she felt the emptiness in her stomach, she realized she hadn't eaten yet, but she had already fallen asleep.

"Let's talk about it tomorrow," she yawned and drifted off to sleep.