Chapter 56: Jade Pendant [Proofread]

Zhao Sixi pouted and muttered under her breath, “Who can be like you, able to cool down so easily……”

Sometimes she would even sigh at how a person like Doctor Si, who was so aloof and lacking in human warmth in daily life, would actually take a husband.

“Hm?” Si Qingyu glanced at the muttering person beside her, slightly raising an eyebrow. “What are you mumbling about over there?”

“N-nothing.” Zhao Sixi patted her flushed cheeks with her hands and lowered her head to continue grinding the medicine.

Si Qingyu looked at the sky outside; it was already noon, and the blazing sun was at its hottest.

Her brush and ink moved even faster. She had to finish this quickly; otherwise, if she missed the time again, it would truly be hard to coax him when she returned.

Zhao Sixi, who was grinding the medicinal herbs, also glanced at the sky. She stood up, wiped her hands clean, took out the flatbread she had brought from home from the medicine cabinet, and looked at the person immersed in work. She softly spoke, “Doctor Si, are you going out for lunch?”

Si Qingyu’s hand paused slightly, and she shook her head. Forget it.

Zhao Sixi scratched the back of her head in an honest and somewhat embarrassed manner. “I brought two flatbreads today…… Doctor Si, would you like to eat together?” In her opinion, eating was the most important thing.

Si Qingyu initially wanted to shake her head and decline, but seeing the young girl’s expectant gaze for some reason, she couldn’t bear to refuse. Although she didn’t know why the girl was so expectant, she still nodded. “Alright.”

Zhao Sixi immediately broke into a smile, the corners of her mouth seeming to reach her ears. She quickly took out two flatbreads from her bag and handed one to Si Qingyu. “Doctor Si, try it. My mother made this. It’s delicious!”

“Mm.” Si Qingyu put down the purple brush, picked up the handkerchief beside her to wipe her hands, and then took the palm-sized flatbread from her hand.

Under the girl’s wide-eyed gaze, she took a bite. A rich wheat aroma spread on her tongue, with a hint of saltiness, somewhat resembling a pancake.

The taste was ordinary, but it was quite fragrant.

Si Qingyu took a second bite and looked at Zhao Sixi, who was staring at her eagerly. She nodded. “Delicious.”

The previously nervous young girl immediately broke into a smile. “That’s great that Doctor Si likes it!” With that, she started eating heartily.

Si Qingyu chewed slowly, but by the third bite, she felt her throat was very dry.

Well, it was just a bit too dry to eat alone.

……

In the afternoon at shen time (3-5pm), Si Qingyu tidied up the items on her desk and said to Zhao Sixi beside her, “Sixi, I’ll head back first. You should also return early later.”

Zhao Sixi, who was putting the medicinal herbs into the hundred-compartment cabinet, turned her head in surprise. “Doctor Si, you’re going back so early today?”

“Mm.” Si Qingyu lowered her gaze slightly, not explaining why. She patted her sleeves that had gotten a bit dusty. “There’s not much to do at the clinic today, so I’ll go back early later.”

“Alright, take care, Doctor Si.”

Si Qingyu nodded slightly at her and left the clinic first.

She had initially wanted to head straight home, but when passing by a jade shop, Si Qingyu’s footsteps halted. Her gaze was drawn to a jade pendant hanging inside.

By the time she realized it, she had already entered the shop. Si Qingyu picked up the jade pendant and examined it carefully, only to find that the jade wasn’t cold but emitted a faint warmth.

“Doctor Si!” The shop owner walked over at this moment, her eyes flashing with the shrewd light a merchant should have. She greeted Si Qingyu enthusiastically, “Doctor Si, you’re here to buy jade?”

Si Qingyu’s fingers gently rubbed the jade pendant in her hand as she looked at the shrewd woman. “Shop owner, what kind of jade is this?” The warmth she felt was not an illusion.

The shop owner narrowed her shrewd eyes slightly and smiled at her. “Doctor Si has good taste. This is a warm jade I recently imported from the Western regions. It’s a treasure, with excellent color and a smooth texture. It’s top-grade, and even the capital might not have it for sale.”

Although Si Qingyu felt that the woman’s demeanor was like a hawker praising her own wares, it was undeniable that this jade was indeed a fine piece.

Si Qingyu raised the jade pendant higher to examine it carefully. The jade was translucent and delicate. She curved her lips, wondering if Shaoxuan would like it.

The shop owner beside her noticed the smile on the woman’s lips and knew there was potential. She started praising it even more enthusiastically, “Doctor Si, this kind of jade might not even be found in the Western regions now. I had to pull strings to buy it, and there’s only this one piece!”

Si Qingyu pinched the jade pendant between her fingers, her thumb gently rubbing it. She raised her head and looked at the shop owner calmly. “How much is this jade pendant?”

The gleam in the shop owner’s eyes intensified as she rubbed her hands together, smiling. “This jade pendant is one of a kind. Even the capital might not have it for sale. If it were an ordinary person, I might not even sell it. But Doctor Si and this jade pendant are a perfect match, so naturally, I won’t ask for much.”

Si Qingyu listened patiently as she finished speaking. Seeing that she still hadn’t mentioned the price, she frowned slightly in impatience and spoke again, “So how much?”

“Aiya, I won’t charge much.” After saying that, the shop owner held up five fingers. “Just this amount will do.”

“Five hundred taels?” That was the cost of a set of houses. Si Qingyu looked at the translucent jade pendant. However, it was still acceptable.

Seeing the woman lower her gaze, the shop owner thought she found the price too expensive and quickly said, “Doctor Si, this price is already the lowest I can give you. For others, I’d double the price!”

“Didn’t you say you wouldn’t sell it to ordinary people?” Si Qingyu couldn’t help but tease. She hadn’t even said she wouldn’t buy it, so why was the shop owner so nervous?

“Uh……” The shop owner was indeed caught off guard, but a merchant’s adaptability was always good. She quickly chuckled, “Doctor Si, as sellers, it’s naturally best if we can sell our goods. What I meant was that ordinary people might not be able to afford it at this price.”

The implication was that someone like Si Qingyu could definitely afford it, which was what she meant by a perfect match.

Si Qingyu smiled faintly. She really couldn’t accept such “flattery.” “Shop owner, I’ll buy the jade pendant, but I didn’t bring that much silver with me. Is it alright if I come to the clinic tomorrow to settle the payment with you?”

“Alright, alright, alright! Doctor Si, how could I not trust you? You can take the jade pendant back first!” The shop owner nodded in agreement excitedly, her face even turning a bit red. After all, the clinic was there and wouldn’t run away.

Si Qingyu removed the hanging cord of the jade pendant and turned to the shop owner. “I’ll write you a receipt, so we can both feel at ease.”

“Alright, alright, alright!” The shop owner was so happy that she almost treated Si Qingyu like a relative, her eyes becoming even more affectionate.

After writing the receipt, Si Qingyu put the jade pendant into her bosom.

The shop owner beside her looked at her with a smile that carried a hint of ambiguity. “Doctor Si, you’re buying it to give to your husband, right?”

“Mm.” The corners of Si Qingyu’s mouth curved into a warm smile.

“Doctor Si is truly a good wife.” The shop owner sighed and praised. If it were her, she really wouldn’t be willing to spend so much money.

Being willing to spend money like this made one a good wife?

There was a trace of confusion in Si Qingyu’s eyes.

When Si Qingyu returned to the courtyard, she saw Luo Shaoxuan’s tall figure standing in front of a grapevine in the corner, watering it.

Hearing the sound, he turned to look, and his eyes flashed with uncontainable joy. He tossed the water ladle aside and walked towards her, slightly pursing his lips to suppress the smile at the corners of his mouth. “You’re back early today.”

Today, he had missed her so much that he almost wanted to go find her directly. Fortunately, there were still her clothes in the room, allowing him to suppress this desire.

Si Qingyu looked at the man in front of her who was trying hard to suppress his joy and knew he was happy. She placed the vegetables she had bought on the stone table. “I promised you I would come back early.”

Luo Shaoxuan followed closely behind her. In the end, he couldn’t resist the surging desire in his heart and hugged her from behind, rubbing his face against her back with an infatuated expression, letting out a hum. “Then I’ll forgive you.”

He inhaled deeply the medicinal fragrance on her body, like an addict.

However, his nose seemed to detect a faint trace of rouge scent mixed within the medicinal fragrance, but he never wore rouge……

Luo Shaoxuan’s expression suddenly turned gloomy.

Si Qingyu in front didn’t notice his change in expression. She only found it a bit amusing that he was so clingy. She reached into her bosom, took out the jade pendant, and patted the jade arm in front of her, signaling him to loosen his hold.

The person behind her loosened his arms as told. Si Qingyu turned around and saw Luo Shaoxuan with his head slightly lowered, a few strands of black hair covering his expression, making it hard to see clearly.

Si Qingyu’s slender fingers brushed the black hair that had fallen on his forehead, not understanding. “Shaoxuan, what’s wrong?”

The man lowered his gaze silently. After a long while, he shook his head lightly.

Although it seemed calm on the surface, the hand inside his wide sleeve was clenched tightly, with the knuckles turning pale. If Si Qingyu were to lift his head at this moment, she would see the jealousy in his eyes, as hideous and terrifying as a demon.

Just as Luo Shaoxuan was about to lose control of the surging jealousy and malice in his heart and question her, the jade pendant in her palm directly shattered his thoughts. The turbulence in his eyes receded like the tide, and he stared blankly at the jade pendant in her palm.

Si Qingyu actually felt a bit nervous in her heart, fearing what to do if he didn’t like it. Her voice stuttered with a lack of confidence, “Do… do you like it?”

Luo Shaoxuan raised his eyes and looked at her in a daze, his heartbeat seeming to leap out of his chest. The uncertainty in his voice was heart-wrenching, “For me?”

“Mm.” Otherwise, who else could she give it to? Si Qingyu placed the jade pendant in her hand onto his palm. “I haven’t given you much before, so consider this our… wedding gift.” She forcefully squeezed out a term, but in fact, she just wanted to give it to him.

Luo Shaoxuan looked at the jade pendant in his hand, and a warmth seeped out from the jade, melting his previously cold heart.

He tightly grasped the jade pendant in his hand and stretched out his long arms to fiercely embrace the woman into his arms, spinning her around. He buried his face deeply into the crook of her neck and spoke in a muffled voice, “This is the second time you’ve personally given me a gift.” It made him even happier than the first time she “gave” him a hairpin.

The second time?

Si Qingyu was a bit confused. Had she given him other things before?

Luo Shaoxuan gently nuzzled her neck with the tip of his nose, and the scent of rouge became even stronger, boldly assaulting his nostrils.

He hugged the woman tightly, as if wanting to melt her into his bones.

Si Qingyu laughed lightly and stroked his silky black hair. “Why are you acting like a child? Alright, let me go first. I’ll go wash the vegetables.”

“Mm.” Luo Shaoxuan released her, his pair of narrow and beautiful eyes fixated on her without blinking until her figure entered the kitchen. The smile on his face instantly sank.

He walked out of the courtyard and coldly summoned Qingmo, who had been hiding beside Si Qingyu all along.

Qingmo knelt halfway in front of him, awaiting orders.

Luo Shaoxuan’s voice was frigid, “Was she at the clinic the whole day today?”

“Yes, Master.”

“Then, what kind of people came to the clinic?”

Qingmo reported everything he had seen from the shadows today to Luo Shaoxuan, including the words spoken by the man dressed in colorful clothes, without missing a single word.

The more Luo Shaoxuan listened, the gloomier his expression became. His tightly clenched fists seemed to be suppressing the thick murderous intent in his chest, until he couldn’t help but roar, “Enough!”

The girl’s voice abruptly stopped, and she knelt deeply on the ground with her head lowered.

Luo Shaoxuan’s beautiful eyes narrowed, his face sinister, and his fingers impatiently rubbed together.