Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 87: Illness

The next morning, Ji Meiqing loaded all the prepared wine barrels into the car. She had breakfast with Lu Yu, and on the way, Ji Meiqing checked his forehead temperature; the fever had subsided.

Seeing his rosy complexion, Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief, but she was still a little worried, so she went to the kitchen and brought over some ginger soup, placing it directly in front of him.

A large bowl of ginger soup, steaming hot.

Ji Meiqing sat down in front of her, looking at him expectantly: "Drink up."

Lu Yu couldn't refuse, so he had no choice but to drink it all. The large bowl of ginger soup was finished. Ji Meiqing was finally satisfied and led him out the door.

Nothing happened on the way, and the goods were delivered safely. Hu's mother mentioned the matter of increasing production, and Ji Meiqing agreed, but postponed the matter.

After receiving the money, she happily took Lu Yu to buy groceries. Right now, the happiest thing was probably standing in front of a stall with the person she loved, haggling with the vendor.

Lu Yu's expression was natural as he casually picked out a few carrots that looked pretty good, while Ji Meiqing took a string of chili peppers.

"How much is it in total?" She took out her purse from her pocket and took out a few copper coins.

The vendor readily gave them a discount. Ji Meiqing paid the bill with a smile.

The two went to the fabric shop and bought some cloth, then bought some rouge. After Ji Meiqing finished processing these things, she looked at Lu Yu.

"How about it? I'm planning to invite them over for a meal in a few days."

Lu Yu nodded and smiled, "I have no right to interfere with the money you earn."

She took two taels of silver from her purse and placed it in his hand, saying with a smile, "Here, this is your wages, Young Master Lu."

Lu Yu looked at the money in his hand with disdain, but still put it away.

Ji Meiqing chuckled twice, then led him to a clothing store to have a suit made.

"You feel like I'm keeping a gigolo for you."

Lu Yu's lips twitched. He couldn't agree with Ji Meiqing's idea, nor could he accept it. Although he didn't understand the words, the literal meaning was still quite easy to grasp.

The clothes fit her perfectly, and Ji Meiqing asked the shop owner to order three sets according to the style. Lu Yu, who already had an extraordinary demeanor, looked like a wealthy young master in his brocade robe.

Ji Meiqing was somewhat astonished. After circling him a few times, she exclaimed in surprise, "You look like a young master, don't you?"

Lu Yu shrugged, unsure how to answer her. Ji Meiqing looked him over for a while before finally saying, "From now on, dress like this when you go out. As a man, you should know how to dress."

She unconsciously patted his shoulder, and everyone in the store looked at the couple in surprise. Lu Yu paid the bill with a rather helpless expression.

Ji Meiqing suddenly looked at him with an ambiguous expression and said in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, "I'm so good to you, why don't you repay me with your body!"

The room grew even quieter. Ji Meiqing looked at him defiantly. She had only asked the question unconsciously, but now that it had slipped out, she was eagerly awaiting his answer.

Lu Yu paused for a moment before speaking slowly, "It's not ready yet."

"Tch..." A murmur rippled through the crowd behind him.

Ji Meiqing's expression also fell a little, but she still maintained her previous smile, patted his shoulder, and tried to give herself a way out.

"It's okay, it's okay. Come find me when you're ready."

She tossed down two silver coins and prepared to leave. Lu Yu followed behind, remaining silent for a long time.

The two walked through different streets, carrying quite a few things, without Ji Meiqing saying a word. In fact, he didn't know what to say either; he'd tried to act up, and this was how things had turned out.

In comparison, they don't have as much chemistry. They can only do a few things well.

"I hope you didn't mind what I said earlier," Lu Yu suddenly broke the awkward silence, his voice low and sentimental.

Ji Meiqing was momentarily confused, but quickly recovered. "I'm fine. I was just joking. If anyone should apologize, it should be me."

"It was real just now, I..."

"It's alright." She forced a smile and changed the subject. "I'll be able to go back to the Lu family in a few days. I'd like to take a look at the furniture and stuff."

Lu Yu, understanding the situation, did as she said and went with her. Ji Meiqing also tried desperately to abandon her current thoughts, but the more she tried, the more chaotic her mind became.

When they arrived at the carpenter's place, Ji Meiqing looked around at the things he was making. There was no lacquer on the wood; everything was still in its raw, unpainted state.

She stared at him for a while before the carpenter finally came out. His eyes lit up when he saw Ji Meiqing. He immediately strode over, "Oh, what does Miss want?"

"Make some furniture, wardrobes and sofas. It's a miniature version... kind of like a heated kang bed in northern China." She carefully observed his expression, trying to guess whether he knew how to make it.

The shopkeeper thought for a moment before he understood. "I see, is this what you want to do, Miss?"

"Hmm..." She raised an eyebrow, looked around again, and then thoughtfully recounted everything that was still missing. Lu Yu had no objections; he left everything to her to arrange.

The carpenter wrote everything down, then his smile widened even more, and finally he didn't forget to ask Ji Meiqing again, "Is there anything else you need to buy?"

"Hmm...that's all. I'll come pick up the goods in two months. This is the deposit." She handed him her wallet, and the carpenter took it and examined it carefully.

After a long while, he smiled and saw them off.

The furniture purchase had already begun, and Ji Meiqing took him to a calligraphy and painting shop, but Lu Yu was somewhat puzzled.

"You want to buy calligraphy and paintings?"

She didn't deny it either, saying, "A new home should look like a new home. It's not unreasonable to decorate it with some literary and artistic items to enhance one's taste and character."

"I also know a little bit about ink painting," Lu Yu hinted to her.

However, Ji Meiqing didn't react much. She walked around and glanced at the paintings a few times. The content of the paintings was just the same few things, and she got tired of looking at them after a while.

"Hey, which one do you fancy, sir?" The shopkeeper walked over, looking at them with a fawning expression.

Ji Meiqing continued to stare at the paintings without blinking, though she felt a little regretful.

"Who painted these pictures?"

She asked slowly.

The shopkeeper assumed she had her eye on all of them, and said with a smile, "They're all painted by scholars who sent them here for auction."

"It doesn't look very good without its own shadow." She shook her head and left with Lu Yu.

The shopkeeper watched them leave in surprise, unsure of what to say.