Lihoumen

Chapter 24: Just to repay a favor

Qingqing also couldn't sleep well. She had been binding her breasts for two days in a row. It was fine the day before, but she couldn't bear it yesterday. Her chest was very itchy at night, and she could hardly breathe. She managed to hold on until the second half of the night, but finally she was too sleepy and barely fell asleep.

But she didn't sleep well. As soon as the sky was slightly bright, Qingqing was awakened by the unbearable pain and itchiness in her chest. She slowly opened her eyes, only to see that her arm was on the waist of the person next to her, and Shen Han had also woken up. When their eyes met, Qingqing quickly withdrew her arm, turned her head, and whispered, "Sorry."

Shen Han seemed not to have heard her vague words, and asked: "Did you catch a cold in the palace that day and develop a chronic illness?"

Qingqing raised her eyes in surprise and replied, "No, I have been taking medicine these days and I am much better now."

Shen Han replied, "I noticed that you slept very restlessly last night, and your breathing was very heavy. You must not have recovered completely yet." Then he sat up and said seriously, "Don't try to show off. I think we should ask a doctor to take a look."

How could she breathe smoothly when she had been binding her chest at night for two days in a row?

Qingqing said perfunctorily: "Maybe I was a little tired yesterday. It's okay. I'm fine."

As she spoke, she stood up, and Shen Han also stood up and asked, "Is it really okay?"

Qingqing nodded and said yes, then urged Shen Han to leave the inner room. After everyone left, Qingqing quickly closed the door and then untied her bra.

The chest was already extremely red, and even the two snow-white peaks were covered with red rashes.

Qingqing quickly took out the medicine bottle, dipped the powder in it and applied it. Because there were too many rashes, it would take time to relieve them. When the itchiness was slightly relieved, Qingqing tied it up again, but this time she didn't tie it too tightly because of the affected area.

Because of the heat rash on her body, Qingqing didn't dare to wear silk clothes today. She picked out a moon-white thin shirt from the closet and matched it with a green gauze skirt.

Qingqing has a slim figure, and the thin gauze dress she wears reveals the girl's mysterious figure. When she came out fully dressed, Shen Han's eyes couldn't help but move slightly.

His face was still calm and reserved, and he said calmly: "Today, my friend and I have an appointment to go hunting in the suburbs of the city, so we may be back late."

She nodded and said she understood.

After breakfast, Qingqing sent Shen Han out. As they walked side by side, Shen Han asked casually, "What kind of incense did you use?"

Men and women of the noble families all had the habit of burning incense. The courtyards of the Li family and the Liu family all kept many incense servants. In order to burn good incense, these women often spent a lot of money to buy expensive spices. Even military commanders like Shen Han had a maid who was good at making incense to burn his clothes when he was at home.

Qingqing didn't have this habit. The fragrance emanating from her body was just the smell of the powder for removing heat rash that she made herself by mixing it with flower powder.

Seeing Shen Han asking about this, Qing Qing naturally couldn't tell the truth, so she just perfunctorily said: "It's not some precious spice, but I just made it myself with some flowers and herbs when I was free."

Shen Han paused for a moment, turned his head to look at Qingqing beside him, and said, "It's light and refreshing. I think it smells better than those expensive spices."

"Can you give me some?" he asked.

Qingqing didn't expect Shen Han to ask her for some. Although she didn't know anything about spices, she had heard and seen a lot about them in the Marquis' Mansion. In addition, she was well versed in pharmacology and her sense of taste was more acute than that of ordinary people. During the time she spent with Shen Han, she smelled that the fragrance he used to fumigate his clothes every day was made of rosin and extremely precious ambergris.

Qingqing hurriedly said: "My spice is too light and not suitable for my husband." Just some worthless herbs and wild flowers, how can they be compared with the priceless ambergris.

Unexpectedly, Shen Han insisted, "That's fine. I want to let them fumigate in the study. The smells of wood fragrance and agarwood are too strong. Yours is more refreshing."

The principles of making spices are similar, so it is not difficult to prepare an incense for him according to this recipe.

Seeing that he insisted on asking for more, Qingqing had no choice but to agree: "I don't have much of this spice left. When I have free time, I will make some more for my husband."

Shen Han nodded and said yes.

After sending Shen Han away, Qingqing went back to her room. She asked the maids to prepare hot water, and then she dripped some scented lotion that could remove heat rash into the bathtub. After soaking in the water for a while, she felt comfortable.

After bathing, Qingqing took out the medicine powder and applied it on her chest. After applying the medicine, she put the powder with a faint fragrance under her nose and sniffed it carefully before putting it away.

She didn't need to pay respects today, because after Shen Han fell into the water and caught a cold in the palace a few days ago, he asked for leave from the etiquette nanny for her, so Nanny Yu didn't come to receive the gifts in the past two days. She had a free day these days.

Because she was in her own room and no outsiders ever came here, Qingqing did not bind her chest anymore. She just wore a loose bathrobe and leaned on the beauty couch under the back window, reading a medical book.

It was a hot summer day. At noon, a few new maids finished their work and sat under a tree in the backyard to enjoy the cool air. Their whispers inadvertently fell into Qingqing's ears.

"I heard that the Third Young Master will be back late today."

"But is it true? Then we can have an easier time."

"Madame Zhao, who is beside the Madam, has told us not to be lazy when we come here."

"It's fine to just listen to these occasional words. The Third Madam's background is obvious. The Old Madam looks down on her, and the First Madam still acts according to the Old Madam's mood. This time, we were sent here to serve because of the Third Young Master."

"I didn't expect that the Third Young Master, who is not interested in women, would be so nice to this lady."

"What's good about that? The young master is just trying to repay a favor. Oh, you guys don't know, although the young master stayed here for the past two days, I heard from Chunya who was serving in the house that the young master didn't touch the third lady at all."

"No way? How could it be?"

"How can this be false? Chunya informed the Fourth Madam of this news this morning and was even rewarded. Just wait and see. Once the Fourth Madam knows about this, everyone in the mansion will know about it in a few days."

"Ah! This Third Madam is really pitiful. I thought that with the support of the Third Young Master, she would be better than before. If this matter gets out, I don't know how people outside will laugh at her."

The maids' words fell into Qingqing's ears intermittently. She tightened her hands holding the book slightly. After a long time, she got up from the beauty bed, raised her hand and gently closed the window.

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(End of this chapter)