“Eldest Senior Brother…”
Faced with Yan Bo’s curiosity, Zhi You lowered his head. “Still a little bit short.”
“A little bit?” Yan Bo was a little disappointed. “I think it’s a little more than a little bit. Little Junior Brother, you like this isn’t doable.”
Zhi You asked humbly, “Eldest Senior Brother, are you skilled in this?”
Although Yan Bo had been single for over three hundred years and had never been intimate with a woman outside the sect, he had an inexplicable confidence. “I wouldn’t say I’m an expert, but have you forgotten what I do?”
“A music cultivator?“carpreads.pages.dev
“What kind of music cultivator? Don’t even mention the path of cultivation.” When it came to cultivation, Yan Bo’s eyes dimmed a bit, but when it came to storybooks, his eyes lit up again: “I’m a master of writing love stories that are both passionate and heartbreaking. I’ve written countless stories.”
Zhi You asked half-believingly, “Really?”
“Of course.” Yan Bo patted his chest. “Eldest Senior Brother will definitely help you become little junior sister’s zhuixu as soon as possible.”
“Thank you, Eldest Senior Brother.”
“Now that you’ve returned home with little junior sister, how did her family treat you?”
“They were very good to me.” Zhi You’s eyes and brows softened as he mentioned the elders of Shanghuang Village. “They… gave me the key to go home, and they even held a banquet for me, and set off a lot of fireworks for me…”
“The elders are very satisfied with you. You’re one step closer to becoming a zhuixu.” Yan Bo’s spirits were lifted. “But we still need to prevent the neighbors from causing trouble. You have no idea how many mortal marriages have been ruined by neighbors. Do the people near little junior sister know you? Has anyone said anything bad about you?”
Zhi You was silent for a moment, and Yan Bo asked with concern, “The reputation… isn’t very good?”
“It’s great. Everyone in Jiu Hui’s hometown knows that wherever she is, I’ll be there. We’re inseparable.” Zhi You was full of confidence. “None of her fellow villagers can compare to me.”
“The door to being that zhuixu is opening wide for you!” Yan Bo slapped his thigh. “If you want to win the heart of your beloved, you must cater to her every whim. Give her what she lacks, like what she likes, and avoid what she dislikes. Even a single glance at something she hates is a mistake.”
“The first step is to start with gift-giving.” Yan Bo whispered, “You know about Qingfeng City, right?”
Zhi You nodded. “It’s a city under the protection of the Wenxing School.”
“Yes, there’s a market in the city of Qingfeng, where you can find all kinds of silks, satins, rouge, and powder. I heard that the Treasure Pavilion in the market recently released a very interesting gift. Any woman who receives this gift will be moved to tears.” Yan Bo thought deeply, “We’ll leave early tomorrow morning and buy the gift before little junior sister wakes up.”
“Good.” Zhi You looked at Yan Bo gratefully. “Thank you, Senior Brother. Fortunately, I have you.”
“Don’t worry, leave it to me.” Yan Bo patted his chest confidently.
Upon returning to the sect, Jiu Hui slept soundly amidst the hypocritical welcomes of Bai Qi and Linchi. When she woke up again, it was already the next morning.
After washing up and changing into a new outfit, Jiu Hui prepared to go for a stroll in Taolin City.
“That’s strange.” Jiu Hui didn’t find anyone in Zhi You’s courtyard, so she asked Prime Minister Wu in the lake, only to find out that before dawn, Zhi You had left with Eldest Senior Brother Yan Bo.
“He’s been missing since he came back yesterday.” Jiu Hui didn’t pay much attention to it. She shared the snacks she brought back with Prime Minister Wu: “By the way, Prime Minister Wu, do you know the killer whale Jin Ge?”
Upon hearing the name Jin Ge, Prime Minister Wu paused his chewing of snacks and said vaguely, “I seem to have a bit of an impression.”
“Before the new year, Zhi You fought with him and beat him so badly that he cried for his father and mother.”
“Well done!” Hearing Jin Ge getting beaten up, Prime Minister Wu’s tail wagged happily from side to side in the water. “This kind of presumptuous junior deserves a good beating.”
Thinking back to the days when he was hit like a ball by the killer whale, Prime Minister Wu felt a sense of satisfaction that his great grudge had been avenged.
“Uh-huh!” Jiu Hui nodded. “He’s especially shameless. He even tried to flirt with me.”
“What, he still dared to tease you? He really has no manners.”
“It’s fine. We beat him back in the end, so we got our revenge.” Jiu Hui and Prime Minister Wu condemned Jin Ge’s evil deeds together. They looked up and saw Zhi You and Yan Bo flying toward them on swords.
“Jiu Hui, Prime Minister Wu.” Zhi You landed beside Jiu Hui and saw that she was chatting with Prime Minister Wu. The gift box hidden in his sleeve remained there.
“Little Junior Brother and Junior Sister, I’ll go back first.” Yan Bo blinked at Zhi You in the air and flew away on his sword.
“What happened to Eldest Senior Brother’s eyes?” Jiu Hui watched Yan Bo’s departing figure. “Did he ruin his eyes from staying up late to write a storybook?”
“Um… i-it’s possible.” Zhi You’s ear tips were red, and his eyes darted around, not daring to look Jiu Hui in the eye.
“You kids play by yourselves. I’m going back to the lake to sleep.” After finishing the last bite of his snack, Prime Minister Wu dove into the water.
The weather was still not warm enough, so Prime Minister Wu was prone to drowsiness.
After seeing Prime Minister Wu leave, Zhi You followed Jiu Hui to her courtyard.
Jiu Hui looked at him in confusion: “Zhi You, what’s wrong with you today? You seem weird.”
After spending so much time together, Jiu Hui could tell if Zhi You had something to say even if he just raised an eyebrow. Now, seeing him following her around like a little tail, head lowered and not speaking, she asked softly, “Did something happen when you went out with Eldest Senior Brother?”
Zhi You pinched his sleeve and blushed before he could speak. “I went to Qingfeng City with Eldest Senior Brother today. We passed by a market and I bought you a small gift.”
“A gift?” Jiu Hui curiously leaned closer. “What kind of gift?”
A sandalwood gift box inlaid with gold and silver, carved with peach blossoms and peonies, appeared in front of Jiu Hui. She was almost blinded by the golden and silver light on the gift box.
“The shopkeeper said that young ladies all like to receive this kind of gift.” Zhi You’s hands, hidden in his sleeves, were tightly clenched into fists. “Do you… do you like it?”
Jiu Hui opened the gift box and found that the inside of the lid was inlaid with gems. The box contained rouge, eyebrow pencil, lipstick, and fragrant powder. She accidentally touched a small mechanism, and the compartments containing the rouge and powder twisted into a peach blossom.
Crack, crack.
Jiu Hui pressed several buttons on the mechanism. Seeing Zhi You’s nervous expression, she couldn’t bear to disappoint him. She nodded and said, “This gift box is so beautiful and fun. I like it very much.”
“If you like it, that’s great.” Zhi You’s lips curled into a smile. “The shopkeeper said that many young ladies were moved to tears after receiving this gift, so I chose this one.”
Jiu Hui: “…”
Nowadays, some shopkeepers would say anything to sell their products.
She put the gift box into her storage ring. “It’s almost noon. The east kitchen is making fish today, but I don’t want to eat fish. Let’s go to Taolin City and eat the soup dumplings made by Boss Song.”
“Okay.” Zhi You nodded obediently.
The two of them jumped onto the flying sword. Jiu Hui turned her head and asked Zhi You, “Zhi You, how did you think of giving me this kind of gift?”
This was unlike Zhi You’s usual behavior.
“Was it Senior Brother Yan Bo who suggested it?” Jiu Hui asked Zhi You, who was following her as she controlled her flying sword away from Wangshu Pavilion. “In the storybooks that Senior Brother Yan Bo writes, the female lead can wear a red dress, a black belt, and green shoes. His tastes are different from yours, so don’t learn from him.”
“Hmm.” Zhi You hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“The small mechanism on the gift box was quite interesting. I liked it very much.” Jiu Hui didn’t want to dampen Zhi You’s enthusiasm. “Next time, we’ll go pick one together.”
Upon hearing the word “together,” Zhi You immediately raised his head and said, “Okay.”
Perhaps this gift box could only move human women. It was normal for Jiu Hui, the young mistress of the yaos, to dislike it.
Within three breaths, Zhi You had already coaxed himself into feeling better.
After entering Taolin City, Jiu Hui and Zhi You found Boss Song and ordered two bowls of peanut sesame rice dumplings.
“Happy New Year to the young lady and the young master.” Boss Song brought over the cooked glutinous rice dumplings to the two of them and gave them an orange. “I didn’t see you two on New Year’s Eve. Today is the third day of the first lunar month, so it’s not too late. I wish you two great luck and fortune in the new year.”
“Thank you, Boss Song.” Jiu Hui peeled the orange and took a bite. “It’s so sweet.”
“The snow was heavy before the new year, and some of the oranges I planted went bad.” Hearing Jiu Hui praise her oranges, Boss Song smiled and said, “These were picked early and hidden away.”
“Boss Song is such a good person,” a diner said. “During those days when the city was sealed off by heavy snow, Boss Song not only sent a lot of rice dumplings and dried fruits to the neighbors, but also sent us a lot of oranges.”
No wonder Boss Song’s business was still so good even though it was past noon. It turned out that the people who had received her kindness came to patronize her business.
“We’re all neighbors, and I happen to have some food. It’s all homegrown, so it’s not worth much.” Boss Song brought the cooked dumplings to the other diners.
Some diners who had finished their soup dumplings took the initiative to gather their dirty bowls together and even wiped the table clean, making it convenient for the next diner to sit down.
Two young ladies walked over and sat down in the empty seats in the corner.
“Boss Song, today is the same as usual.”
“I heard that Miss Wang got engaged yesterday. I wish you and your future husband a lifetime of love and happiness.” Boss Song served the peanut-filled dumplings to the two young ladies. “Eating peanut-filled dumplings will bring good luck.”
Miss Wang’s companion covered her mouth and giggled, and the diners followed suit, saying auspicious words, making Miss Wang’s face redder than the morning sun.
Amidst the diners’ clamor, the companion began to speak of the merits of Miss Wang’s fiancé.
“Her fiancé even went to the Treasure Pavilion in Qingfeng City to buy her a makeup case. If he didn’t care about her, why would he go to such a distant place?”
“Whoa, the stuff in the Treasure Pavilion of Qingfeng City is not cheap.”
“Of course.” The friend was happy for her friend finding a sweetheart and couldn’t help but say a few more words: “The box is carved with peach blossoms and peonies, which also has a good meaning. It is said that the most expensive box is inlaid with gold, silver, and gems. Only the daughters and sons-in-law of wealthy families can afford it.”
Inlaid with gold and silver, and set with gems…
The more Jiu Hui listened, the more familiar it sounded. She couldn’t help but recall the rouge and powder box that Zhi You had given her in her storage ring.
“I heard that the young masters of Qingfeng City, if they confess to the women they admire, will give them this gift box……”
Jiu Hui turned her head to look at Zhi You and lowered her voice, “The gift you bought, it’s not the most expensive box, is it?”
Zhi You scooped up a dumpling with a spoon and put it in his mouth, forgetting to even chew and swallowing it whole.
“Cough, cough, cough.” He covered his throat in discomfort.
“Why are you in such a hurry to eat the rice dumplings?!” Jiu Hui reached out and patted him on the back. Boss Song quickly handed over a cup of tea.
“I’m fine.” Zhi You shook his head, his face red.
“Young master, the soup dumplings are still very hot, so please eat slowly.” Boss Song glanced at Zhi You, whose face was flushed red, and then at Jiu Hui, whose face was full of concern. She smiled and stepped aside.
She would not be the one to meddle in other people’s business.
“It’s raining?” Jiu Hui looked up in surprise at the sound of raindrops hitting the canvas of the tent.
“Mm.” Zhi You took the opportunity to change the subject. “It’s raining.”
Author’s Note
Yan Bo: I have abundant theoretical knowledge, trust me!
As a result, Little Garlic Chive received a gift box that “made all the girls cry with emotion.”