Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 91: Missed Order

Lu Yu could only watch her anxiously from a short distance away.

Ji Meiqing shuffled back, closing her eyes and trying her best not to look at him. Just looking at him reminded her of what had just happened… and blood started gushing from her nose.

Lu Yu wanted to help, but as soon as he took a small step forward, Ji Meiqing hurriedly backed away, not noticing the stone behind her heel. She tripped and fell to the ground.

"Please, don't come near me. Let me handle this myself first, then we'll talk." She twisted her face in pain, wishing she could contort it into the shape of a chrysanthemum.

She got up from the ground, the silk cloth over her nose fell off, and gushing blood dripped directly onto her clothes. Ji Meiqing glanced at the bloodstains on her clothes; the amount was enough for a month's worth of her period… She fainted after just one look.

Lu Yu rushed over and helped her up.

Her face was covered in blood. Lu Yu took her pulse and, seeing that she was alright, helped her wipe the blood off her face before taking her back to her room.

The nosebleed was no longer a major problem. He used some effort to regulate her meridians and then sat beside her, waiting for her to wake up.

Thankfully, she woke up before nightfall. Rubbing her aching head, she sat up, shaking her head, and saw Lu Yu sitting next to her. She subconsciously touched her nose.

Finding that nothing was leaking out, Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief. "What happened to me?"

"It's a sign of internal heat," he said briefly, then added, "Don't overwork yourself during this period, get some rest early at night, and eat vegetarian food for the next few days."

"Ah!" The final request left Ji Meiqing petrified on the bed: she couldn't eat meat.

Lu Yu glanced at her and chuckled softly. Ji Meiqing glared at him fiercely and said angrily, "What are you laughing at! What's so funny? If it weren't for you, would I have gotten a nosebleed?"

Lu Yu was somewhat bewildered, "Is it my fault?"

"If it's not your fault... then who is to blame?" Ji Meiqing said slowly, her face turning strangely red.

Lu Yu belatedly realized what was happening and didn't say anything more. Ji Meiqing's expression suddenly turned serious, and Lu Yu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"I suddenly thought of something."

"what's up."

“I got rid of Qiu Jiaming, and now I’m a little worried that they might be up to no good behind my back.”

"Don't worry about these things, get some rest. We can talk about it after you've had a good night's sleep." Lu Yu patted her hair and smiled reassuringly.

Ji Meiqing moved back and slowly went back to bed.

Seeing that she was distracted, Lu Yu didn't say anything more. He quietly walked out and closed the door.

Ji Meiqing thought for a long time, but her mind was still in turmoil. She didn't know what was wrong, but she always felt uneasy. She placed her hand on her heart, and the beating there made her feel uneasy.

She was afraid that Qiu Jiaming would suddenly come and cause trouble, and that would be terrible.

After thinking for a while, she still felt uneasy, so she got up, changed her clothes, and went to the wine shed. There was no one there anymore, so she carried a lantern and wandered around inside.

There was no one inside, and Qiu Jiaming didn't come over either. Ji Meiqing rubbed her eyes and then went back.

All the way, she kept wondering what Qiu Jiaming would do, but after thinking for a long time, she still didn't know his whereabouts.

She went home and went straight upstairs. Lu Yu called her name, but she was too engrossed in her thoughts to hear him.

With her mind preoccupied, she couldn't sleep. She simply sat by the window, looking at the scenery below. Lu Yu was still tidying up in the yard. Ji Meiqing watched him bustling about, and perhaps noticing her gaze, he looked up and glanced in her direction.

Ji Meiqing hurriedly jumped down and closed the window. She leaned against the window and rubbed her head.

Several more days passed in this anxious state. On the day of delivery, Ji Meiqing left home, and Li Ming brought her the quantity. The wine, which had been rushed to completion these past few days, had finally reached the required quantity.

She stared at the wine jar, her gaze lingering. Lu Yu walked over and patted her shoulder, startling her awake. "Brother Lu."

"What's wrong with you?" Lu Yu asked, puzzled. Ji Meiqing turned her head and focused her gaze on the jars of wine, remaining silent for a long while.

Lu Yu looked at Ji Meiqing, who was lost in thought again, and felt somewhat helpless. She suddenly walked over, pushed aside the people, and tore off the cloth covering her.

Those people looked at Ji Meiqing, not understanding what she was doing.

"A wine spoon." She stretched out her hand to the side, and the frozen people slowly handed her a wine spoon. Ji Meiqing grabbed a handful of wine without thinking.

She took two sips, frowned deeply, threw the spoon in, and coldly ordered all the drinks to be taken away.

Those people didn't know what had happened; they only saw her walk up to Li Ming with a dark expression.

"Has anything strange happened these past few days?" she asked directly. "Or rather, has Qiu Jiaming come by?"

Li Ming shook his head and asked anxiously, "What exactly happened?"

"The drinks have been ruined. I suspect Qiu Jiaming did it. Don't tell anyone yet. Just tell everyone that the drinks were of poor quality. Also, keep an eye on Qiu Jiaming for me."

"What about over there?"

"I have my own way. Just have someone send all these drinks back first." After saying that, Ji Meiqing left with Lu Yu.

Lu Yu guessed what it was about, and after a moment of silence, he suggested, "I have some stock here, do you want to take it over as collateral?"

"No need. Those wines are your treasured possessions; I don't want to take what belongs to someone else. I will handle this matter."

Lu Yu didn't say anything more and accompanied her home. She changed out of her clothes and into men's clothing, then wrote a letter and handed it to Lu Yu.

"Brother Lu, I have something to attend to. Could you please deliver this letter to Mama Hu on Hualiu Street for me?"

Lu Yu accepted the offer without asking her what she wanted. He simply looked at the yellow envelope and left.

Ji Meiqing went to Li Ming again and asked him to tell his men that the wine would be replaced with the spare wine the next day, and that the number of guards should be increased.

As night fell, Ji Meiqing hid in the wine cellar. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard a noise.

Her drowsiness was immediately dispelled. Through the crack, she saw a figure moving around, and from time to time, she could hear the sound of water splashing.

Ji Meiqing glanced at her, then immediately went to her side. Those around, hearing the instruction, immediately turned on their lights.