Chapter 3

Chapter 3 If She Speaks to Her Again, She’s a Dog Zhao Yuzhu was left speechless, and her opinion of Qin Ruochu worsened further. “That room of yours doesn’t need so much furniture. Just look at that screen—it takes up so much space.” Qin Ruochu turned around and stared at Zhao Yuzhu’s face. The beautiful woman wore a dignified smile, looking every bit like a virtuous stepmother. How could she be so shameless? She had practically said, “You don’t need this stuff. Why don’t you give it to me?” “Mom, did you forget? There’s a storage room next to mine. I’ve already had people clear it out. The contractors guaranteed that they’d open up the doors between the two rooms and finish the renovations within an hour.” Qin Ruochu did not forget to add, “There’ll be plenty of room, so you don’t need to worry about it.” The entire Qin family was bustling that morning. Qin Hanshen had gone to the company early to deal with work. Qin Weiyang was a first-year university student this year and had an early class, so she was very busy. The two Gu brothers were even busier. If Qin Ruochu hadn’t returned home yesterday, they wouldn’t have been able to find the time to come back and take a look. Only Zhao Yuzhu remained at home. She secretly photographed the wood used for Qin Ruochu’s tables and chairs with her phone and posted the pictures online, asking someone to identify them. An expert stated with certainty that the furniture was made from top-grade huanghuali wood. This kind of wood could remove blood stasis and stop bleeding, regulate qi and relieve pain, soothe pain and reduce inflammation, diminish swelling and promote tissue regeneration, and protect the skin. It was practically the finest of all woods. Previously, she had only seen it in magazines. Now, the wood was so scarce that it was pitifully difficult to find. Let alone buying an entire set—even if one had the money, one couldn’t buy a single table from Qin Ruochu’s room. She sat before the vanity in her room, listening to the sounds of things being moved upstairs. She was so jealous that she was nearly going mad. Before she married Qin Hanshen, she had heard about it. Old Madam Qin had taken a young girl who was on the verge of death and left, severing ties with her son in the process. When Old Madam Qin left, she hadn’t taken anything belonging to the Qin family, but she had taken all her dowry with her. As for how much her dowry consisted of, even her own son, Qin Hanshen, had no idea. Whenever Zhao Yuzhu thought that some of these things might have been Old Madam Qin’s dowry, and that they should have been passed down to her as Qin Hanshen’s wife but had instead been given to Qin Ruochu, her granddaughter, she became furious. By lunchtime, the renovations to Qin Ruochu’s room had been completed. The workers collected their wages and left happily. At the Qin family’s dining table, Zhao Yuzhu looked at Qin Ruochu with a smile that did not reach her eyes. “You’re certainly generous. Those people only worked for three or four hours, and you gave them two hundred thousand. Even if you have eighty million in your account, you can’t spend money like that.” Qin Ruochu quickly set down her chopsticks. “Mom, what are you talking about? Isn’t the renovation of my room being paid for out of the household account? Here are the receipts—I kept them all. I’ll find the housekeeper and get reimbursed later.” She hadn’t originally planned to do this. But since her stepmother had come looking for trouble, she would naturally fulfill her wish and make her even more uncomfortable. After hearing Qin Ruochu’s words, Zhao Yuzhu, who was already in a bad mood, felt even more miserable, as if she had swallowed a fly. As the meal continued, she grew visibly anxious and irritable, and she could no longer maintain her kind and benevolent expression. The housekeeper and chef were so frightened that they did not dare breathe too loudly. Qin Ruochu, however, remained calm and composed. After she had eaten her fill, she set down her chopsticks. She raised her eyes toward the housekeeper. “At one o’clock, the chef and personal bodyguards I hired will arrive. There should be about twelve people in total. Please arrange lodgings for everyone.” When the Qin residence had been built, it had been designed with a large family in mind. The four-story villa in the front had a total area of four thousand square meters, with more than thirty rooms, two rooftop gardens, and a basement. The villa in the back was for the servants and housekeepers. It had three floors, a total area of one thousand square meters, and fifty rooms. The household already had a large number of servants. Adding ten more people at once made the place seem crowded. Zhao Yuzhu’s already dark expression immediately turned livid. “You’re just a young girl. How do you have so many ideas? You’re adding people to the household without even telling us in advance. What do you need a chef for? Aren’t the four chefs we already have enough to feed you? And bodyguards? You’re just a country girl. Who would bother kidnapping you? Hiring ten bodyguards—isn’t that just another expense?” Qin Ruochu leaned back in her chair and met Zhao Yuzhu’s fiery gaze. Her smile grew even brighter. “Aren’t I telling you now? As for the chef, she knows how to prepare medicinal cuisine and understands what I say. And the bodyguards—I’ll be paying for them myself, so you’re not allowed to object. Stepmother, did you forget? I’ve been in poor health since I was little. The bodyguards aren’t there to prevent me from being kidnapped. They’re there to take care of me at all times and keep me from having an attack.” Zhao Yuzhu: “...?” She truly wanted to slap herself hard. When Qin Hanshen had said he wanted to bring Qin Ruochu home, why had she been so foolish as to agree? The Qin family had originally been hers to manage. She had kept everything in perfect order, and everything had been under her control. But now, her authority and territory had been violated. She had thought Qin Ruochu would be an easy-to-control country girl. In the blink of an eye, however, Qin Ruochu was the one about to take control of her. Had times really changed? The countryside had somehow raised a girl who even she found difficult to deal with. … Qin Ruochu’s room. When the main doors were pushed open, the first thing one saw was a soft, cream-colored carpet and the breathtaking visual impact of the vintage solid-wood furnishings. She had cleverly used an antique display shelf and a double-sided embroidered screen to divide the large room into several areas. The area by the entrance was arranged for entertaining guests. The Chinese-style sofa had been finished using traditional lacquerwork. Although she did not know what kind of wood it was made from, the polished surface was so glossy that it reflected a person’s image, making it obvious that it was worth a fortune. Behind the sitting area was a tea table made entirely of solid wood, with a dignified yet tasteful style. The wardrobe had been placed one meter from the foot of the bed. It happened to block the view from the sitting area, completely screening off the bed. The bedroom had been transformed into a private space. An embroidered Hundred Blessings design hung above the headboard. The vanity, side tables, and low cabinets had been arranged perfectly, giving the bedroom an indescribable warmth and comfort. The other room that had been opened up already had a bathroom, and both its decoration and size were tasteful. She had not planned to alter it. She had simply cleared out the room and filled it with bookshelves, diagrams related to practicing medicine, and various animal and human skeletons. The shelves were packed with books, and the cabinets were filled as well. After Zhao Yuzhu entered, she was so angry that she nearly blew her top. She had originally wanted to make things difficult for Qin Ruochu. She hadn’t provided her with a bathroom, and in the hundred-square-meter bedroom, she had placed only a bed and a sofa, leaving it so empty that one could hear one’s own echo. But now, Qin Ruochu had filled the room completely, and the arrangement was so comfortable to look at that even Zhao Yuzhu felt jealous. Compared with Qin Ruochu’s room, the room she had painstakingly decorated was simply an exquisite kind of ugly. When she thought about how much of the furniture was made from precious huanghuali wood, she became so irritated that she could hardly sleep. “Mom, why don’t you come in and sit for a while? I’ve just finished arranging everything, and there are still quite a few things I haven’t put away.” Qin Ruochu walked out of the bedroom. Seeing Zhao Yuzhu’s livid expression, she spoke with a cheerful smile. Zhao Yuzhu stood beside the square table, unable to smile or curse. Her face twisted out of shape. “I only came to take a look. It really is quite beautiful. If you need anything, just tell me.” She had to maintain her dignity for now. After all, only the person who could laugh until the end was the true victor. Qin Ruochu’s eyes lit up at her words, and she replied without the slightest hesitation, “I just came back, and my jewelry box is still empty. I urgently need some jewelry, handbags, and shoes to fill out my wardrobe. Have the stores you and my sister often shop at deliver some items here. I want to choose what I like and add a little life to this empty room.” Zhao Yuzhu: “...?” She finally understood. Qin Ruochu was her nemesis. Even when Qin Ruochu did nothing particularly outrageous, she could still make Zhao Yuzhu feel as uncomfortable as if she had eaten feces. If she spoke to Qin Ruochu again, she would be a dog. Zhao Yuzhu turned around and left without looking back. Qin Ruochu picked up the round fan from the table and sat down beside the low table, curling her lips into a brilliant smile. This was fun! No wonder Grandmother had asked her to come to the city. This was much more interesting than the countryside. She just didn’t know whether the other people in high society were as fun as Zhao Yuzhu.