Sister, Please Have Some Self-Respect, I'm Your Sister-in-Law - Chapter 13

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet had ended, but as the eldest daughter of the family, Song Qingshuang had to stay behind to entertain distant relatives who remained for tea. She ended up drinking a few extra cups.

Never one for strong drinks, she returned to her courtyard with flushed cheeks and eyes that shimmered with an uncharacteristic languor. Qiuyun carefully supported her.

This rare sight was witnessed by Lin Yuehe, who had specially prepared a hangover remedy and brought it over.

Lin Yuehe stood beneath the moon gate, holding the bowl of soup. She watched Song Qingshuang’s slightly flushed cheeks, unsteady steps, and disheveled hair. Her usually cold and frosty features were now softened, and Lin Yuehe’s heart pounded wildly, nearly causing her to drop the bowl.

This… this is just unfair!

“Eldest… Eldest Sister?” Lin Yuehe swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly.

Song Qingshuang looked up at the sound, her gaze taking a moment to focus before recognizing her.

She tilted her head slightly, a childish gesture she would never normally make, yet it seemed perfectly natural in her current state.

She looked at Lin Yuehe, a slow smile curving her lips, a smile that could make Lin Yuehe’s heart race. “Yuehe…”

Her voice was husky, slightly slurred, utterly… captivating.

Lin Yuehe felt herself growing dizzy, as if she too were drunk. She stumbled forward.

“Eldest Sister, you’ve had too much to drink. I made some hangover soup. Drink it while it’s hot.”

She held out the bowl, but her gaze remained fixed on Song Qingshuang’s face, unable to tear itself away.

Song Qingshuang didn’t take the bowl. Instead, she reached out and gently pinched Lin Yuehe’s cheek, which had flushed slightly with nervousness. The gesture was casual, intimate, and tinged with drunken affection. Her words were slurred but tender.

“Our Yuehe… so good… always… thinking of me…”

Boom!

Lin Yuehe felt a surge of heat rush to her head. She froze in place as if her pressure points had been struck, the spot on her cheek burning like fire.

Q-Qingshuang… pinched her cheek?! And called her good?!

Qiuyun, standing nearby, stared in stunned silence, wanting to remind her mistress to maintain her composure but unsure how to broach the subject.

Song Qingshuang seemed completely unaware of what she had done. She withdrew her hand, swayed slightly, and Qiuyun quickly steadied her.

Noticing Lin Yuehe’s frozen, dazed expression, Song Qingshuang chuckled softly, her eyes hazy. “Startled you? Ah, you child… how utterly adorable…”

Adorable?! She called me adorable?!

Lin Yuehe’s brain completely short-circuited. She stood there dumbly, clutching the soup bowl, a dreamy, foolish grin plastered across her face.

In the end, Qiuyun took the hangover soup and helped Song Qingshuang drink it.

Lin Yuehe followed Song Qingshuang like a shadow, trailing her all the way to the door of her bedroom. She watched Qiuyun help her lie down before finally leaving, her steps hesitant, her mind still reeling.

Back in her own room, Lin Yuehe threw herself onto the bed, burying her face in the quilt. Suppressed sobs escaped her as she kicked her legs wildly in excitement.

“Ahhh! She pinched my cheek! She said I was good! She said I was adorable!!” She rolled around under the covers, feeling so happy she thought she might burst.

That evening, Song Zhiyuan dropped by as usual. The moment he stepped inside, he saw Lin Yuehe sitting on the bed, hugging a pillow and grinning foolishly, her eyes unfocused and her lips stretched almost to her ears.

“Well, well, did you find a gold ingot? Or did my Eldest Sister finally agree to elope with you?” Song Zhiyuan teased.

Lin Yuehe snapped back to reality, her cheeks still flushed. She grabbed Song Zhiyuan’s sleeve and, in a jumble of words, recounted her “miraculous encounter” that night, emphasizing how Song Qingshuang had “tenderly” pinched her cheek and “lovingly” called her good and cute.

Song Zhiyuan listened, stroking his chin with a thoughtful expression. “Hmm… Truth comes out when drunk, huh? It seems my Eldest Sister really does feel something special for you, deep down.”

“Really?!” Lin Yuehe nearly jumped off the bed in excitement.

“But,” Song Zhiyuan added with a mischievous grin, “don’t get too excited yet. My Eldest Sister is like an impenetrable fortress when she’s sober. Tomorrow, when the alcohol wears off, she’ll either forget everything that happened tonight or dismiss it as ‘an elder sister’s concern for her younger sister-in-law.’ You think you can use this to climb the ranks? Good luck!”

As if doused with a bucket of cold water, Lin Yuehe instantly wilted, muttering, “…I know.”

The joy had faded, replaced by the weight of reality.

Even if Sister Qingshuang had been affectionate with her while drunk, what did it matter?

When morning came, she would still be the dutiful “sister-in-law,” bound by propriety.

“But!” she suddenly lifted her head, clenching her small fist. “At least it proves Sister Qingshuang doesn’t hate me. She has me in her heart, even if it’s just as a sister! That’s enough for now!”

Song Zhiyuan watched her rapid self-healing and her knack for finding ways to encourage herself. He couldn’t help but give her a thumbs-up.

“Ally, when it comes to optimism, I’d bet on you over anyone!”

Lin Yuehe huffed, hugged her pillow again, and rested her chin on the soft fabric. Her gaze drifted to the bright moon outside the window as she murmured to herself:

“Anyway… being able to be good to her and see her smile makes me happy. As for anything else… there’s no rush. We’ll take it slow.”

Yet the cheek Song Qingshuang’s fingertips had touched still seemed to burn faintly, a lingering reminder of tonight’s intoxicating “sweetness.”

It’s getting more and more addictive!

****

The next day, Song Qingshuang had indeed returned to her usual self, still aloof and seemingly unchanged.

Yet, even in their familiar routine, a subtle shift had occurred.

Old Madam Zhang’s birthday banquet hung over Song Manor like a dark cloud, especially over Lin Yuehe’s head.

Although Song Qingshuang had declined the previous invitation due to “ill health,” the Zhang family’s insistence this time was unwavering. Madam Song seemed to have been swayed, hinting between the lines that “it’s not good to stay cooped up at home all the time; you should go out and socialize.”

Lin Yuehe paced her room like a cat on a hot tin roof, her mind racing.

Let Sister Qingshuang go to that ridiculous banquet?

Have those Madams and Misses stare at her like she’s a piece of merchandise?

And let Scholar Zhang use the opportunity to get close to her?

Absolutely not!

“Ally! Emergency intel!” She burst into Song Zhiyuan’s study, her face practically screaming “trouble brewing.”

Song Zhiyuan, pretending to study a medical text while actually daydreaming about how to “accidentally” run into Physician Su, jumped in surprise.

“What’s wrong? Did the sky fall or the ground collapse? Or did your Golden Finger turn the backyard into a tropical rainforest again?”

“It’s much worse than that!” Lin Yuehe rushed to the desk, her hands slamming down on the surface, her eyes burning with urgency. “The Zhang family is back! They’re forcing Sister Qingshuang to attend Old Madam Zhang’s birthday banquet! We have to do something!”

Song Zhiyuan set down her book, raising an eyebrow. “What, you want to ambush Scholar Zhang and beat him up?”

“Do I look like that kind of brute?” Lin Yuehe shot her a glare before lowering her voice. “We… we could make Sister Qingshuang ‘sick’ so she can’t go!”

Song Zhiyuan’s interest piqued. “Oh? Tell me more.”

“You, me, we can both get sick!” Lin Yuehe’s eyes lit up. “And it has to be contagious, requiring close care from family! Like… a husband falls gravely ill, his wife tends to him day and night, and collapses from exhaustion. The elder sister, being kind-hearted, can’t bear to leave, so she stays to manage the household and care for her younger siblings! It’s perfectly reasonable!”

Song Zhiyuan stroked her chin, sizing Lin Yuehe up. “Tsk tsk, ally, I never knew you had such cunning strategies up your sleeve!”

“This ‘Chain of Self-Harm Stratagems’ combined with ‘Diverting the Disaster Eastward’ is quite the performance!”

“Of course!” Lin Yuehe puffed out her chest proudly. “For Sister Qingshuang, my IQ skyrocketed to 250!”

Song Zhiyuan stared at her. “I suspect you’re insulting yourself, and I have evidence.”

He stood up, straightened his robes, and struck a heroic pose. “Fine! For Eldest Sister’s peace and quiet, and for my dear ally’s lovesickness, I’ll play this part!”

With the plan settled, they immediately divided the tasks.

Song Zhiyuan took on the role of “gravely ill,” lying in bed groaning and moaning, a cold towel draped across his forehead.

Lin Yuehe, meanwhile, played the part of “exhausted and collapsed,” her face pale (thanks to a secret dusting of powder) and her steps unsteady (all an act) as she went to “report the illness” to Madam Song.

“Mother,” Lin Yuehe said, dabbing at nonexistent tears with a handkerchief, her voice perfectly pitched between weakness and anxiety. “Husband suddenly developed a high fever and feels terrible all over. The physician came and said… said it might be a seasonal illness, with a risk of contagion.”

“I was so scared, I stayed up all night watching over him,” the daughter-in-law said, swaying slightly as if about to faint. “I feel dizzy and my vision is blurry this morning…”

Madam Song’s face paled at the words “seasonal illness” and “contagious.” While she wanted her daughter to socialize, she feared for her precious son’s health and the spread of disease within the household.

Just then, Song Qingshuang arrived, having heard the news. Her brow furrowed slightly as she took in the “frail” Lin Yuehe and the “gravely ill” Song Zhiyuan inside.

How could she, with her sharp mind and recent close companionship with Lin Yuehe, fail to see through this charade? Especially Lin Yuehe’s exaggerated performance. Anyone who knew her well would find it almost unbearable to watch.

Yet… seeing Lin Yuehe’s desperate attempt to protect her, even “cursing” herself and her brother with illness, struck a tender chord in Song Qingshuang’s heart.

Though clumsy in its execution, this act of protection was impossible to ignore.

She stepped forward, steadying the “tottering” Lin Yuehe, and addressed Madam Song in a calm, steady voice:

“Mother, since Zhiyuan is ill and Yuehe needs rest, we can’t leave the house unattended. It’s really inconvenient for me to attend Old Madam Zhang’s birthday banquet. Let’s send a generous gift and have someone apologize on our behalf.”

Madam Song glanced at her “frail” daughter-in-law and her son groaning inside. Remembering the terror of the seasonal illness, she sighed and waved her hand. “Alright, alright. Stay home and take care of them. I’ll explain to the Zhang family.”

Success!

Fireworks exploded in Lin Yuehe’s heart. She nearly cheered aloud, but remembering her “sickly” act, she quickly leaned against Song Qingshuang, her voice barely a whisper. “Thank… thank you, Mother, for your understanding. And thank you, Eldest Sister.”

Song Qingshuang supported her, feeling her body tremble slightly with excitement. Looking down, she caught Lin Yuehe’s sly, triumphant little glance, like a kitten who’d just stolen a fish.

Amused, Song Qingshuang tightened her grip, steadying her. “Since you’re ill,” she murmured, “save your energy and rest well.”

After escorting Lin Yuehe back to her room and instructing a maid to prepare a Calming Decoction, Song Qingshuang finally left.

As she walked into the courtyard, she glanced back at the tightly closed door and shook her head with a sigh.

That girl…

Inside the room, once they were sure Song Qingshuang was gone, Lin Yuehe and Song Zhiyuan immediately “recovered” and celebrated with a high-five.

“Success!” Lin Yuehe cheered softly, her voice brimming with excitement.

Song Zhiyuan ripped the towel off his head and grumbled, “Next time you fake an illness, can’t you come up with something more believable? A seasonal illness? You really went all out!”

“As long as it worked!” Lin Yuehe brushed off his complaint, her mind already drifting to pleasant thoughts. “As long as Sister Qingshuang doesn’t have to deal with those annoying pests, I’d pretend to have anything!”

Song Zhiyuan watched her, shaking his head at her lovestruck expression, yet a hint of envy stirred within him.

To protect someone so purely, without a second thought for the consequences… maybe that’s not so bad after all?

At least, thanks to this somewhat eccentric ally, his and his Eldest Sister’s lives had gained a lot more… well, “color.”

After the “frail” alliance successfully repelled the “threat” at Old Madam Zhang’s birthday banquet, Lin Yuehe and Song Zhiyuan, committed to their roles, decided to continue “resting” in their rooms for half a day to avoid suspicion.

Lin Yuehe lay on her bed, legs crossed, savoring her “Oscar-worthy” performance and the close proximity of Song Qingshuang’s cool fragrance and worried gaze as she supported her. Her grin nearly stretched from ear to ear.

“Hehe, when Sister Qingshuang helped me earlier, her hands were so steady, and she smelled so good…” She rolled around on the bed, hugging her quilt like a child who’d just stolen a piece of candy.

Just then, Qiuyun’s voice came from outside the door:

“Young Mistress, the Eldest Miss heard you and the Young Master aren’t feeling well and has specially invited Physician Su to examine you.”

Physician Su?!

The resident physician from Huichun Hall, the one Song Zhiyuan secretly admired?!

Lin Yuehe jolted upright in bed, her silly grin freezing on her face.

Oh no, oh no, I’ve gone too far with this act! I’ve actually summoned a real doctor!

The little charade she and Song Zhiyuan had cooked up might have fooled Madam Song, but it would fall apart in seconds under the scrutiny of a professional physician.

Lin Yuehe paced her room like a trapped ant on a hot pan, her mind racing.

It’s too late to coordinate stories with Zhiyuan now!

“Young Mistress?” Qiuyun called again from outside the door.

“Ah! Coming, coming!” Lin Yuehe replied hurriedly, frantically smoothing her hair and adjusting her clothes. She forced a “weak” expression onto her face before slowly opening the door.

Outside stood Song Qingshuang, accompanied by a young man in a green robe. His features were refined and gentle, his demeanor was elegant. This must be Physician Su.

Song Qingshuang saw through Lin Yuehe’s hastily arranged appearance and forced calm, but her expression remained concerned.

“Yuehe, let Physician Su examine you. It will put your mind at ease.”

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