Chapter Thirty-Eight: Wei Shuang'er

  The beauty's desperate kneeling plea made Lu Qi's heart tremble, and after being stunned for two seconds, he suddenly came to his senses, his face sinking as he coldly rebuked: "Let go."

  "No, the red cloth on my head was lifted by you, you are my man, I don't want to serve another man." Lu Qi's cold rebuke earned a beautiful woman's mournful cry and tightly hugging Lu Qi's leg.

  "You're my brother's woman, get out." Lu Qiuke didn't want to create trouble with his sister-in-law for the sake of a strange woman. He decisively shook his left leg and gently pushed the beauty away, then strode towards his bedroom door.

  "No, I'm your woman, please don't lend me out." The woman who had fallen to the ground cried as she scrambled up and chased after Lu Qi.

  Bang! Lu Qi stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. This sudden turn of events left him feeling bewildered and headachy. The woman had been fine at the pharmacy, so why was she causing a commotion now that they were back at the old mansion?

  "Mei'er, take her back to her room." A angry voice came from outside, it was mother's.

  The woman chased to the door of Lu Qi's house, pitifully stretching out her jade fist to knock on the door and beg, Zhou Yue'er hurried over to pull her, but the woman refused to obey, her left hand grasping the door handle hole, her right fist continuously knocking on the door.

  Zhou Yue'er started by pulling and softly advising, but after a while, the woman didn't listen to her at all. Zhou Yue'er's face turned angry, this matter made her extremely embarrassed. This woman was obedient like a dog in Xin Yun'er's hands, but when she came to herself, she didn't know what was good for her and started making trouble. With a surge of resentment, Zhou Yue'er turned around and found a bamboo stick, ruthlessly beating and scolding her.

  The bamboo stick hit the woman's buttocks, and she let out a pained shriek. Zhou Yue'er struck again and again, each blow heavier than the last, clearly intending to force the woman to yield. But this woman seemed resistant to the beating, enduring over a dozen blows without crying out or loosening her grip on the door frame to beg for mercy. In the end, every time Zhou Yue'er struck, the woman would retaliate by banging her head against the door.

  Bloodstains appeared on the door panel, and Zhou Yue'er was so frightened that she stopped her hand. She was a kind-hearted woman, and it was only a momentary anger that made her scold and beat her. When she saw the woman's head bleeding, she immediately softened and became flustered, staring blankly at the woman for a moment before finally shaking her head in bitter resignation.

  "Xiao Qi, open the door." Zhou Yue'er called out helplessly.

  Lu Qi was also uncomfortable in the house, unable to understand why this newly bought concubine would suddenly become so stubborn and make a fuss. When he heard his sister-in-law's shout, he hesitated for a moment, stepped forward to the door, opened it, and the woman rushed into the room, Lu Qi dodged and let her fall to the ground.

  "Let it go, Xiaogui. Just let her stay in the house." Zhou Yue'er said helplessly in a soft voice.

  "No way, she's Brother's woman, I'll send her to Brother's house." Lu Qi refused without hesitation.

  "It's okay, actually your brother didn't agree to buy a concubine, it was your sister-in-law's own idea. It's good this way, otherwise your brother would be angry when he comes back. Alright, she's hurt quite badly, help her apply some medicine." Zhou Yue'er said softly and turned around to walk towards Lu Mu.

  Lu Qi listened and didn't know what to do either. He saw his mother call Ning'er, who went with Zhou Yue'er to the main house. As he turned around, he saw the woman who had rushed into the room get up and kneel facing him.

  "The slave Wei Shuang'er greets Master Lu Qi with a bow." The woman reported her name and paid respects to Lu Qi.

  Lu Qi gave her a cold glance and said slightly displeased: "What are you making a fuss about? My brother is a learned scholar, my sister-in-law has a kind heart and is understanding. Following them will be your best happy destination."

  "Master, I was once the daughter of the governor of Tai State, and my family was originally from Xuzhou. My father moved our clan to Jiangnan, but unfortunately passed away suddenly, causing our family to fall apart. Although I am now a lowly person, I still follow the teachings of my family and will not bring shame to the Wei family, no matter how humble my position may be. I can serve as a concubine or maid, but I would rather die than do something that would bring shame to our family.

  I entered the Lu household as a concubine, but after only one year, my husband passed away. The lady of the house blamed me for his death and wanted to sell me to a brothel. It was only through my pleas that she agreed to sell me as a maid instead. I know that as a maid, I should not have any sense of shame, and I am willing to follow your teachings and obey your commands. However, I beg of you, Master, please let me serve only you and no one else. Do not make me attend to other men in bed. This is the last shred of dignity that I can hold onto."

  The sound was mournful and sorrowful, but Lu Qi's expression remained cold. He turned around to face the door, silently gazing at the courtyard. The two of them stood there in silence for a while, until Ning Er's figure appeared outside.

  Ning Er saw the door wide open, and Lu Qi was standing at the entrance. The beautiful maid was kneeling in front of the door with a terrified expression, which made Ning Er pause for a moment. When Lu Qi saw Ning Er arrive, his face returned to its usual calm state. He noticed that Ning Er's expression seemed somewhat melancholic, as if she had something on her mind.

  "Ning Er, Mother is looking for you, is there something going on?" Lu Qi asked in a gentle and inquiring tone.

  Ning'er smiled softly and said in a low voice: "It's nothing, the lady just asked me if I had said anything, I replied that I hadn't said a word."

  Lu Qi understood in her heart that Ning Er's words had already hinted that she and Wei Shuang'er had spoken before, Ning Er could lie to her mother to avoid blame, but didn't want to lie to Lu Qi.

  Lu Qi looked at Ning'er with a warm and gentle gaze, then lowered his head in contemplation for a moment before raising it again to say: "Ning'er, I'm going to discuss the shop's affairs with my brother. Tell Mother that we won't be back for dinner tonight."

  Ning Er was taken aback, but saw Lu Qi walking out of the house. Ning Er kept watching until Lu Qi left the courtyard before entering the house and closing the door. As soon as she closed the door, she turned around with a angry face and scolded Wei Shuang Er in a low voice: "What are you doing coming back? Do you know that you've ruined me?"

  Wei Shuang'er looked worried and said: "Sister, have I brought trouble to you?"

  Ning'er said in a low and anxious tone, "You've caused such a commotion, and now the mistress and the young mistress both think I must have said something to you at lunch. As just a concubine, it's terrifying to incur the master's suspicion."

  Wei Shuang'er said with tears in her eyes: "Sister, I'm sorry. Shuang'er is bowing to apologize." After finishing speaking, she bent down and knocked her head heavily on the ground, and when she straightened up again, her forehead cracked open and a strand of fresh blood flowed out.

  Ning Er was shocked and quickly went forward to help her up, hastily finding something to bandage her with. When she finished, she scolded: "I told you that the young master and mistress are kind-hearted and good people, you will be very happy in the future, how did you end up here again? Why?"

  Wei Shuang'er shed tears and said, "Sister, I don't want to deceive you. I'm acting like this because I want to preserve some dignity. If I really became a woman who can be had by anyone, then my life would be completely ruined."

  Ning Er was taken aback, and asked in doubt: "This reason of yours is not very convincing. If you were to enter the Young Master's chambers, even if you were considered one of the Young Master's, the Seventh Young Master would not allow you to serve by his bedside. Moreover, once you entered the Young Master's chambers, when there are children in the future, you will definitely become the Young Master's concubine."

  Wei Shuang'er listened and looked embarrassed, lowering her head. Ning Er said coldly, "You'd better tell me the truth."

  Wei Shuang'er burst into tears and sobbed, "Sister, I'm so scared! I've been married to the Lu family for over a year, and my late husband had two wives and four concubines, but none of them had any children. It's because he was reckless in his youth and ruined his health. I know the Lu family bought me mainly to bear children, but Master Lu has been married for many years without any offspring. In most cases, it's the man who is at fault. Sister, as a concubine yourself, you should understand that when we grow old and our beauty fades, it's the most miserable time. The only chance for long-term happiness is to give birth to children. If I enter Master Lu's chambers, my life will be hopeless from then on. Sister, please help me! Shuang'er will always remember your kindness." Wei Shuang'er knelt down again after finishing her words.

  Ning Er was stunned for a moment, and finally softened to help Wei Shuang Er up, saying softly: "I'll go find some medicine for you first." Wei Shuang Er nodded with tears streaming down her face.

  Lu Qi left the old mansion and walked to West Street with a somewhat depressed mood. The matter of Wei Shuang'er was very unpleasant, he wasn't some naive young man, having spent five years in the military camp where his comrades' most discussed topic was relationships between men and women, his older brother had been married for many years without any children, he knew that the problem mostly lay with his older brother.

  As for Wei Shuang'er's sorrowful words, they didn't move him much. It was his sister-in-law Zhou Yue'er who said that her brother disagreed with buying a concubine that caught his attention. He wanted to talk to his brother about it. If his brother didn't mind having a concubine, no matter how much Wei Shuang'er made a fuss, he would drag her into his brother's room. If she made too much of a scene, he wouldn't hesitate to ask his mother to sell her off. The Lu family couldn't be thrown into chaos because of an outsider like her.

  When Lu Qi walked to the front of the shop on West Avenue, it was already late afternoon. He stood still and looked at the newly renovated storefront. On the flagpole beside the door, two horizontal flags were hung with the words "Lu Ji" in large letters. There was no sign above the door, which would be covered with red cloth the day before opening and removed on the second day when the shop opened.