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Chapter 60 Before the Storm

“Third Miss Qin?” Li Jiaxuan straightened his body almost instinctively and an expectation emerged on his slightly red face. With uncovered and surprising delight in his eyes, he put up and down the chopsticks repeatedly. A few minutes later, he calmed down with no red on his face and said politely, “Since we are acquainted with her, we should go to greet her.”

“You shouldn’t,” Li Weijun sneered, “Now she was dating with her lover. Brother, you will disturb their sweet love.”

“Weijun!” Li Jiaxuan shouted seriously, “You are a little maiden and you shouldn’t speak that sultry words.

Li Weijun was more unconvinced and she raised her head, shouting, “What? She can do that but I can’t say it?”

“Weijun!” Li Jiaxuan turned angry and stood up, looking up and down at Li Weijun as restive as himself. His voice seemed to be softer, “Are you sure that you have seen that?”

Li Weijun turned back, “No, but I can make sure that there must be some tricks played by Qin Yunuan. I would figure them out even if she had hidden them well.”

Having seen Li Jiaxuan’s expressional unhappiness and painful doubt, Li Weijun turned his mood the same as his brother and persuaded, “Brother, I know what you are thinking about. You stayed at the Imperial College for so long and did not always get along with girls and maidens. Last time the daughter of a concubine from Qin Family showed off at Wan’an Temple so you paid much attention to that girl. Now our Li Family can’t be comparable to the mansion of Grand Commandant. Although she was just the daughter of the concubine from Qin Family, I know well what the madam of Qin Family thinks. The madam wanted her to get married valuably. Brother, our family has no value at all.”

Li Jiaxuan turned very upset. He lowered his eyes and normally turned his head to the other side, saying, “Don’t talk nonsense. Don’t let our parents know your words.”

Li Weijun squinted at this half-blooded elder brother, seemingly raising her tone, “It’s fine that you know it.”

In another room, Qin Yunuan packed off aggressive Li Weijun. The moment Qin Yunuan closed the door and turned back, Su Chenghai fell off from the beam and landed on the ground with his tiptoes, as quiet as a catkin falling. He looked at Qin Yunuan with a smile, and patted the dust from the beam on his cuff. Gentle and soft emotion was full of his eyes. He stepped towards the table and looked at the weever QinYunuan had picked the bones out of. He sighed sadly, “It was a pity that the fish turned cold as you handled her arrogance. It was the fish you prepared for me.”

“The cold fish was fishy. If you liked the fish, I would prepare it for you again,” Qin Yunuan smile slightly and sat down beside the table, “I do not know that you are good at martial arts.” She said as she used small silver chopsticks to pick carefully out the bones of the weever according to the structure of the fish. It was a special interest for Su Chenghai to observe the busy girl who was preparing the fish for him.

Su Chenghai leaned against the window lattice. The pure and gentle young man now expressed an unprecedented casual and elegant bearing. The spring breeze knew people’s internal emotions. The wind blew exactly into the room from the window with a light pear-flower aroma. Su Chenghai turned his head and looked at the crowded street out of the window, “I was not here so I couldn’t help you. Now before I leave, I can help you set a trap. I hope I can give a hand to you.”

“Brother, you help me all the time,” Qin Yunuan pushed the fish whose bones had been picked out towards Su Chenghai and smiled, “I know that, all the time.”

After short greeting, Su Chenghai stood up and patted the lower hem of his clothes, smiling, “It is a little bit late. I know you have another date with someone, so I am off.”

Su Chenghai left quickly without any hesitance. He felt full and patted the slightly plump cuff. After he went out of the room, he smiled sincerely and satisfactorily. He held carefully the flower sachet in his cuff which was green-black as the ground color with bright yellow stripes. It was the one Qin Yunuan sent to him for the parting gift. The precise needling and light but unique aroma of dried flowers made Su Chenghai relaxed and happy.

It was made by Qin Yunuan. Although he kept calm in from of her, in his heart he had already felt amorous like a stone falling into the water with ripples.

To be frank, Qin Yunuan cared much about Su Chenghai. That was enough for him. Just in a minute, Su Chenghai became exclusive and quickly hid the flower sachet into his cuff. He left quickly because there were many things that he should handle.

After Su Chenghai left, Qin Yunuan let servants remove those leftovers and presented a bottle of Biluochun Tea boiled by mountain spring water. She stroked her chin to enjoy the tea. Su Chenghai had ordered especially the boss of the boite to pay attention to the wing-room. Now it was more silent without any disturbing.

Red color burst into the eyes of Qin Yunuan. That was Shen Xun. It was said that the boss Shen would come to the Royal City to purchase some properties.

Red clothes seemed to be the symbol of Shen Xun. He wore a loose-bodied brocade robe bound with tea-colored silk threads, and held a birdcage made of silkwood where a colorful little bird stayed. His eyes and eyebrows expressed a kind of immortal disposition with much romance. Qin Yunuan had never met such a person who had naturally upright and seductive characteristics.

Due to his handsome face, Shen Xun gained much attention when he climbed the stairs. Nobody noticed him on his way to the secluded room when he was guided to go through the winding path.

“Here you are, Boss Shen,” Qin Yunuan welcomed him with a smile. She noticed the little bird in the cage and asked curiously, “Which kind of bird is it? I have never seen this kind of bird.”

“Bird?” Shen Xun sneered slightly, “It is just an immature little pheasant. I found this useless cage and decided to use it to keep the pheasant,” He looked sidelong at QinYunuan and leaned the chair arm lazily, said proudly, “But, you are not the first person to ask me about this bird. People in cities seldom see the pheasant and always think it is some kind of valuable bird in the cage. And even several people once said they would buy an identical one. I couldn’t refuse their enthusiasm, so I agreed to sell the birds. They bought the little pheasant whose cost was only 5 pennies with 50 tael of silver. Sometimes, nothing can stop fortune coming in.”

What a poor judgment they had. QinYunuan saw gently cynical Shen Xun. This man was very good at business. It was not his fault. He used a valuable birdcage to keep a cheap pheasant which is even cheaper than a hook of that birdcage. According to the normal thinking of people, a valuable bird should be kept in a valuable birdcage, so those noble masters also known as new-things lovers in the Royal City would strive to purchase the birds. Businessmen always focused on business. All was fair in business.

It was beneficial and dangerous to collaborate with people like Boss Shen. Qin Yunuan felt potentially that it was the best choice to let Shen Xun run the collaborative store. He was smart and brave. Besides, they have the same aim: earning money. QinYunuan strove for a place she could stay securely. As for Shen Xun, she did not know what he made money for.

She knew his identity. He did not lack money. Maybe as the guess of Maner, these noblemen just strove to seek for happiness.

“This is the account last month.” Shen Xun took out a thin account book and pushed it to Qin Yunuan to let her check. And then he poured a cup of Biluochun Tea. He sipped the tea as teasing the little pheasant in the birdcage.

Qin Yunuan stared at the flat yellow-cover account book, which seemed to be ironed. She pondered for a while and reached her slender fingers to cover the envelope, and then pushed it back to Shen Xun.

“I do not need to check it,” Qin Yunuan raised her head to look at shrewd Shen Xun, smiling, “I believe you, Boss Shen. You are fully responsible for interest division.”

Shen Xun said arrogantly, “What do you mean, miss Yang?”

Qin Yunuan nodded and smiled gently. She took out a wad of embroidering models which she had spent much time on from her carry-on hamper, “This is the newest embroidering model I promised to offer to you every month.”

Perennial business made Shen Xun’s fingertips and hand feeling extremely sensitive. He just held them for a while. “A dozen more than the number in the contract,” he stared sidelong at Qin Yunuan with much doubt, “Why?”

Qin Yunuan’s watery eyes winked slightly, “In business, the first thing is trust, the second is strength. Boss Shen, you have proved your strength and now it is the time I prove my strength.”

Shen Xun nodded contently and said in a purely proud voice, “Though your embroidering model is gorgeous, you have no reason to judge me casually. After all, my strength should not be judged by others. Everyone knows my strength. Over praising judgment is flattering. Miss Yang, you are not that kind of person who is good at flattering.” Shen Xun suddenly winked at Qin Yunuan with happiness, and he added, “So, I love it.”

Qin Yunuan knew well the love. For the man like Shen Xun, love here meant appreciating.

The two people negotiated some issues about the business in the embroidering store. Qin Yunuan knew that Shen Xun planned to start more subbranches in the eastern cities like Suzhou, Hangzhou and Jianzhou after the business of the store in the regions south of the River was stable. It was a bold idea but Qin Yunuan knew that he could do it.

In the evening, nurse Liao came back with Qin Baochuan together with some books and brush pens. Qin Yunuan ordered his favorite Crab Dumplings in Soup and Weever Porridge. After the meal, they went back to the mansion.

The moment Qin Baochuan came back, Qin Zhi called him in to know about his recent study. Apparently, Qin Zhi started to pay attention to this son of the concubine.

Qin Yunuan came back to his room. She was very exhausted after the whole day’s hustle. She half-leaned against the Imperial Concubine Chair exhaustedly. But soon, Maner came in to report, “Third Miss, Concubine Li came.”