She Is Such A Jerk, And Yet She’s The One Crying! - Chapter 8

“The night is already deep; these clothes are uncomfortable, and there is no need to wear them anymore.” Qiang Ning did not let go, and even had the audacity to tug downward on the other’s collar. “If you put them back on, they will surely rub against you and hurt.”

Lin Dongruan said with a smile that she must at least put them on first to find a more comfortable set of inner garments.

“Sister, you just take yours off; I will go get the new inner garments for you…”

Qiang Ning stretched out her hands in a rebellious manner, pulling and dragging, but instead of stripping the other’s clothes off, she received a flick to the forehead.

Lin Dongruan poked her head: “Your mind is always filled with such nonsense.”

Qiang Ning clutched her head and suddenly let out an “Eh?” before saying immediately after—”It was dark in the room just now and I couldn’t see clearly. Sister, your neck and shoulder really seem to be bleeding.”

“Is it because you couldn’t see clearly?” Lin Dongruan did indeed feel the pain, so she took it as truth and pulled her collar open again, revealing her shoulder for the other to take a closer look. “Then A-Ning, help me apply some medicine to stop the bleeding.”

Qiang Ning did not reply. The moment she received permission, she lunged forward to entwine herself around the other, lowering her head to plant a heavy, unreasonable kiss directly onto the snowy skin of the exposed shoulder and neck. After deceiving her and committing the misdeed, she retreated rapidly, diving into the bed like a bolting rabbit. She pulled the quilt high to cover the lower half of her face, revealing only a pair of cunning eyes: “You’ve been tricked!”

Lin Dongruan’s hand froze in mid-air. After a moment of silence, she sighed softly—in the end, she did not blame her.

Qiang Ning’s eyes were full of the secret joy of a successful scheme; her series of premeditated actions were simply enough to leave one speechless.

“Take off your outer coat before getting into bed.” Lin Dongruan looked at the messily shaken quilt and spoke to Qiang Ning with a slight headache, “You’ll get the bedding dirty.”

“I kno—w—” Qiang Ning drawled out her words, suddenly flipping the quilt aside. She used one hand to unbutton her outer coat, complaining to her sister as she did so, “I was truly terrified outside just now. Fortunately, the poison powder Sister gave me was powerful enough; they fell for it instantly.”

“Is that so?” Lin Dongruan stood by the bed, looking at her, and asked, “Did you use that bottle of medicinal powder?”

Qiang Ning lied with a natural expression: “Yes, is something wrong, Sister?”

“A-Ning, do not lie to me.” Lin Dongruan exposed her ruthlessly, “That powder has a pungent and choking scent. If you had used it, it would be impossible for your clothes to have no scent of it at all.”

Too much talk leads to slips. Qiang Ning gave a dry laugh, feeling somewhat regretful that she had brought up this topic. In truth, Lin Dongruan usually would not proactively ask about things she didn’t mention—such as her origins back then, or her name. These were all things Qiang Ning had said herself, and Lin Dongruan had believed them. The origins Qiang Ning fabricated were false, and her name was half-true and half-false; the only thing real was the character “Ning.”

She regretted it; had she known, she wouldn’t have mentioned that sentence just now.

“Sister, I really didn’t lie, because when I took out the bottle, they all ran away in fear. Looking at the result, it was essentially the effect of taking out the powder. Taking it out to scare people also counts as ‘using’ it. Sister, how can you say I lied?” Qiang Ning buried her head in the quilt, her tone somewhere between acting spoiled and complaining, “It’s not exactly an exaggeration of the facts; am I not allowed to boast a little bit?”

While Qiang Ning wasn’t watching, Lin Dongruan frowned silently. She stood by the bed watching her for a moment and only let out a sigh.

At dawn the next day, in Wusang Town—several butchers who sold meat did not come out in the morning, and the townspeople who came to buy meat could only return empty-handed.

Then came the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day… all the way until the tenth day, those several people remained missing. Rumors and gossip inevitably began to spread through the marketplace.

Folk rumors said that those butchers had too much blood on their hands and had met with retribution; others said they had offended someone they shouldn’t have and fled with their money.

Wusang Town was just a small place with no government office and no presiding official. There were only some local gentries who had served as minor clerks. Even if someone wanted to report the matter, there was no channel to do so.

The county yamen had regulations: no court sessions would be held for minor matters. The commoners did not dare to go to the county yamen to beat the drum and cry for justice at random. That drum wasn’t something one could strike casually; one might even receive several strokes of the heavy board before the grievance was heard. Of course, major murder cases could be reported, but with those butchers nowhere to be seen—neither dead nor alive—there was simply no way to report it to the authorities.

Coincidentally, someone also discovered that a medical clinic had changed to a new manager. The original manager was nowhere to be found, and the only worker in the shop had become a “know-nothing” mute.

Speaking of this, it was strange. After the medical clinic’s herbs were sold for a few months, no one went to restock the ones that were gone. The doctor who sat in the clinic treating people also quit. Later, gradually, some fresh faces appeared in Wusang Town. These people occasionally appeared at the clinic; they clearly had hands and feet but spent their days idling about as if they had no work to do.

One day, when Lin Dongruan finished gathering herbs and went to the clinic to sell them, the new manager actually pulled her aside and begged her to be the new attending physician, even offering a significant amount of silver as a monthly salary.

“Where did the original manager go?” Lin Dongruan asked, “I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

The new manager replied with a smile: “Him? His relatives became successful, so he took his whole family away from Wusang Town to seek refuge with them.”

“I see.” Lin Dongruan nodded, then said, “Allow me to consider it for a few more days. I will ask my sister at home and give you an answer later.”

The new manager was very easy to talk to and still wore an open smile: “No matter, it’s only right to consider it carefully. After all, our clinic is currently in a slump. Without a doctor, the townspeople have no way to seek medical treatment; it is quite inconvenient.”

True enough. Lin Dongruan thought that letting the clinic go to waste was indeed a shame; the place truly needed a doctor to treat the people.

Thus, she went home, told Qiang Ning about the matter, and asked for her opinion.

“Sister should agree immediately. Otherwise, it’s not just delaying the illnesses of the surrounding people, but also spoiling the medicinal herbs in that clinic. The weather is gradually going to get warmer; if the herbs get damp and rot, wouldn’t that be a waste of God’s gifts?” Qiang Ning knew Lin Dongruan was soft-hearted, so she gave her a reason that was completely impossible to refuse.

As expected, upon hearing this reason, Lin Dongruan immediately decided she wanted to go.

Lin Dongruan thought for a moment and said, “How about you come with me in the future?”

“I won’t be of much help even if I go. I’ll just wait for Sister at home.”

The reason Qiang Ning wanted to send Lin Dongruan away to the clinic was to have time to handle some matters of the Imperial Court. Those things could not be known by Lin Dongruan, so she could only find time to solve them when the other was away.

“But, leaving you alone at home, I always feel uneasy.” Lin Dongruan looked into her eyes and said seriously, “If a stranger comes to knock on the door, A-Ning, you must not open it. The town has really not been very peaceful lately; many people have gone missing.”

Qiang Ning was stunned, then laughed: “I thought it was something serious. I’m not that silly. Besides, the door at home can’t even be locked; opening it or not is just a gesture. If someone truly wanted to break in, they could open it with a single kick.”

Lin Dongruan mused: “Then I am even more worried about you being home alone.”

“I really don’t understand what Sister has to worry about. I’m not a child.” Qiang Ning keenly heard a hint of doting in the other’s tone, so she pressed on, wanting the other to elaborate, “Besides, I’m just staying at home; I’m not going out to argue with outsiders. They have no reason to come to the door seeking revenge.”

“No, it’s not because of that.”

“Then… because of what?”

“Because everyone knows I have a sister as beautiful as a goddess at home. Every time you go to town with me, many people’s eyes follow you. If they know I’m not home, they might harbor wicked thoughts.” Lin Dongruan spoke the truth. “I have been a doctor in Wusang Town for several years, treating people and saving lives, but I also use poison. During the rat and locust plagues, everyone knew I knew how to make poisons. The hunters in town have also bought medicine from me that can poison fierce beasts. So, when I am home, no one likely dares to target you.”

Although Lin Dongruan was merely stating facts, Qiang Ning’s face suddenly turned hot. The other’s heart, overflowing with care, was so clear and pure, without the slightest ulterior motive, solely for her own good.

For her…

Qiang Ning had lived for over twenty years and had seen the world’s flattery with cold eyes. Most people who were good to her were not showing true feelings; it was either flattery, fear, or ingratiation. None could compare to Lin Dongruan’s heart toward her.

To be honest, for Qiang Ning, aside from her late Mother Queen, Lin Dongruan was the first person in the world to care for and protect her so much.

No matter how cold-hearted a person might be, they could not refuse such affection. In an instant, a feeling that was hard to describe grew within Qiang Ning. It was as if a seed had fallen into her heart; the beautiful emotions it nurtured were growing silently, making her chest feel warm and fervent.

Family affection—Qiang Ning had never truly felt it, but from Lin Dongruan, she received the care and protection of an elder sister. The other would consider her and accommodate her in everything, giving her more than half of any good food they had. Even though their days were so meager, she would work hard to earn money to buy charcoal and new clothes for her. If she accidentally scraped her skin, the other would treat the wound with a worried expression.

“I will always remember Sister’s kindness to me.” Qiang Ning’s eyes genuinely reddened with emotion. Unable to restrain herself, she directly hugged Lin Dongruan and burst into tears. “No one in the world will ever be this good to me again.”

“My A-Ning will find someone even better. In the future, if you find the one you love, that person will surely treat you better than I do.” Lin Dongruan gently patted her back to comfort her. “A-Ning deserves someone better.”

“No, I will follow you for a lifetime; I won’t go looking for anyone else.” Qiang Ning stubbornly wrapped her arms around Lin Dongruan’s waist, refusing to let go. “I will never allow you to leave me.”

Lin Dongruan did not answer her but instead asked: “Then is A-Ning still willing to go to the clinic with me?”

Forget this request—given Qiang Ning’s current state, even if Lin Dongruan wanted to see if the Emperor’s heart was red, she would be willing to dig it out for her to see.

“Of course.” While bashfully rubbing against Lin Dongruan’s clothes, Qiang Ning replied in a coquettish tone, “Whatever Sister wants me to do, I am willing with all my heart.”

“So obedient.” Lin Dongruan tried to gently pull the person off her, but the other was like a clingy puppy that couldn’t be peeled away.

So, she added another thought in her heart—and very clingy.