Chapter 136 The Hairpin (Part Two) Willing to be Used by Her

“If you like, I have a few newly tailored clothes. Why don’t you take them and try them on?” Song Qiling picked up the teapot on the table, poured herself a cup of cold tea, and joked with a smile, “Brother Yu is good-looking, he will definitely look good in them.”

Yu Qi resignedly lowered his arms, but remained rooted to the spot, not daring to step forward. He felt that Brother Song was no longer the same Brother Song as before, and some jokes could no longer be made.

He looked to Gu Lianzhou for help, only to see the latter leaning to the side, smiling as if it were none of his business, "I only mentioned Lake Stone Alley in my letter, and it really took a lot of trouble for you to find your way here."

"It's all because of Yu Laoqi." Liu Dai sighed softly as he said this. "Last time we left in a hurry and forgot to inform the Murong family head. Now he probably has his whip ready at home. This fellow dares not go home, so he dragged me here to seek refuge with you."

If you're seeking refuge here, does that mean you'll stay?

Gu Lianzhou and Song Qiling exchanged a glance. The latter took a sip of cold tea and nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll vacate the room shortly..."

He stopped abruptly, as if he had bitten his tongue, after only half a sentence was spoken.

Liu Dai, however, was completely unaware of anything amiss and continued, "No need to pack, Yu Laoqi and I don't live here."

Song Qiling asked, puzzled, "Then where do you live?"

Suddenly remembering Liu Dai's words, she quickly added, "Didn't you dare not return to the manor?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yu Qi slapped his thigh and said, "Liu Dai didn't come back to Nancheng empty-handed this time. He wants to buy a house in the city and open a clinic."

"Yes." Liu Dai nodded with a smile. "I made an appointment with Ya Xing this morning, and we'll go to look at shops this afternoon. If we can settle on one, we'll settle down in the southern part of the city."

Hearing his words, Song Qiling was also delighted and raised his hands in a fist salute, saying, "This is wonderful news, Brother Liu, congratulations!"

After this parting, the former young man had become a young woman, but the etiquette between them remained unchanged. Seeing that she still performed the male etiquette, Liu Dai awkwardly cupped her hands and said, "Congratulations to you both."

"Since it's a joyous occasion, we should have a proper celebration!" Song Qiling stood up abruptly, picked up her vegetable basket, and turned to walk towards the kitchen. "I just happened to buy some seasonal vegetables this morning. You all sit down and have some tea while I cook a couple of dishes as a welcome feast."

"No!"

A gasp rang out, and Yu Qi's expression instantly turned serious. "What are you cooking? What cooking? Your hands are for drawing talismans, catching ghosts, and exorcising evil spirits. You're not allowed to burn firewood or use a spatula! If we're going to have a welcome feast, we...we should go to a restaurant!"

Song Qiling, however, thought that this fool had been in the mountains for too long and had become gluttonous. "Food is best eaten while it's fresh, otherwise it will spoil. If you're craving it, we can go to a restaurant for a proper meal after dark. Why are you in such a hurry?"

Seeing his guilty look, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "You don't mean you're disgusted by my cooking, do you?"

"No, no, no... I dare not, I still can't forget Master Song's fried bird eggs, I miss them so much..." Yu Qi lied without batting an eye, and just kept trying to wink at Gu Lianzhou.

Why is she so engrossed in cooking again?

Is nobody going to do anything about this?

Gu Lianzhou ignored it, shaking his head with a smile on his lips.

After chatting for a while, Song Qiling finally got his wish and went into the kitchen.

Seeing this, Yu Qi sat down in despair, almost collapsing in the chair, and poured out his grievances to Gu Lianzhou: "I've been eating dry bread all the way, and my arms and legs are almost too weak to lift. Brother Gu, I want to eat meat... Liu Dai, can't you say something?"

Ignoring his noise, Liu Dai felt that her clothes were covered in dust and said to Gu Lianzhou, "Brother Gu, may I borrow your inner room? I would like to change into some clean clothes and wash my face to feel refreshed."

Gu Lianzhou nodded upon hearing this: "Of course, the inner room is fine, please feel free to use it."

Liu Dai thanked him and pushed open the door to enter the bedroom.

He rummaged through his bag to find clean clothes to change into, then scooped a basin of water to wash his face. As he was wiping himself with a cloth, his gaze inadvertently swept over the half-open chest next to the daybed, and his movements suddenly stopped.

A pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) hangs outside a bamboo-woven chest, its hem embroidered with intricate patterns.

...It was clearly a woman's attire.

After a moment of silence, he draped the cloth back on the rack, walked out with a normal expression, looked around the courtyard, and saw Gu Lianzhou with his sleeves rolled up, helping to peel garlic on a small stool in the kitchen. He couldn't help but turn slightly and slowly walk forward.

"Brother Gu," Liu Dai called softly, standing at the edge of the doorway, his fingers unconsciously tapping the plaster on the wall, "May I speak with you in private?"

Gu Lianzhou looked up and saw that his expression was strange. Although he was a little puzzled, he still clapped the garlic peel off his hands, got up and followed him to the sycamore tree in the corner of the courtyard. "Brother Liu, what is it?"

Liu Dai carefully considered his words, his gaze sweeping towards the kitchen, and said in a low voice, "Brother Gu, although our acquaintance has not been as long as that with Yu Qi, we are still quite compatible. There are some things I don't know whether I should say or not."

"Please feel free to speak."

Liu Dai took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind: "Brother Song... no, Miss Song's situation is different now. Girls are always more delicate and sensitive. Since we live together and take care of each other, Brother Gu should... should treat her better and take responsibility to the end."

He spoke subtly, but his eyes involuntarily drifted towards the door, the implication being self-evident.

Gu Lianzhou was stunned for a moment, then turned around following his gaze and looked at his door, which was not closed properly. He instantly understood what Liu Dai had seen and what he had misunderstood.

"Brother Liu is right to remind me. I know what I'm doing regarding my senior brother's matter, and I will certainly not wrong her."

This answer was ambiguous, almost as if it acknowledged some unknown relationship.

Seeing that his attitude was acceptable, Liu Dai felt somewhat relieved. She felt that she had fulfilled her duty as a friend by reminding him, so she nodded and said no more.

"I will soon write a letter back to Huaidu, asking for your hand in marriage, Senior Brother," Gu Lianzhou said solemnly. "However, my family will likely not interfere with my life. Before that, I should also ask for your opinion. If she is willing, that would be wonderful; if not..."

At this point, he paused slightly, "Then I will stay by my senior brother's side and obey her every command, willingly serving her."

After spending these days together, he had figured out his senior's preferences.

She is willing to be close to herself.

In that case, he should lower his stance and only hope to take good care of his senior brother.

Liu Dai's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had heard something extraordinary. In a daze, he said, "Brother Gu, you... are truly righteous."

He felt ashamed of his inferiority.

Unattainable.

"Then you must be careful. If... if..." Perhaps stunned by his words, Doctor Liu said somewhat incoherently, "Young men and women, like dry wood meeting a raging fire, are bound to be moved and engage in sexual intercourse, which could lead to accidents... I have a few prescriptions for contraception here, I'll write them down for you later..."

He abruptly stopped speaking towards the end.

Okay, that's enough.

It would be impolite to continue.

The air was still for a moment, with only birds chirping and chattering on the eaves.

Gu Lianzhou felt a buzzing in his head.

He opened his mouth, wanting to speak but then stopped, wanting to speak but then stopping himself.

After a long pause, just as Liu Dai was about to collapse under the tense atmosphere, he blushed and stammered, "Brother Liu, you misunderstand. We... haven't reached that point yet."

At most, it's just holding hands and occasionally giving a light kiss.

There it is... Yin and Yang, that thing.

"Ah, is that so?" Liu Dai nodded blankly, then honestly replied, "Then I was overthinking it. In that case, the prescription..."

"Stay here for now." As soon as the words left his mouth, Gu Lianzhou's cheeks turned bright red. "It's always better to be prepared than not."

Liu Dai was speechless.

A moment later, Gu Lianzhou clutched the note as if it were a hot potato, hurriedly stuffed it into the brocade pouch at his waist, and turned to quickly hide in the kitchen.

-

Yu Qi sat upright and looked like he was facing a formidable enemy during the meal.

The greenery on the table was truly pleasing to the eye: mushroom stew with green beans, stir-fried asparagus, shepherd's purse and tofu soup, and a dish of lotus root slices.

It truly has both color and aroma.

It's just the taste...

"Brother Gu, please try this lotus root slice." He couldn't help but ask, "But I have a strange sense of taste; why does it taste sour?"

Song Qiling said without looking up, "He doesn't eat it. Also, this is a dish of stir-fried lotus root slices with vinegar, so it's naturally sour."

She looked up and smiled. "How is it? Appetizing, isn't it?"

Yu Qi, however, felt that she was hiding a knife behind her smile, and if he were to nitpick again, he would probably be in for a beating.

Therefore, he buried his head in his food and dared not say another word, but he couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Why should Gu Lianzhou not have to eat? Is this some kind of preferential treatment for "one of our own"?

Thinking this, Liu Dai actually asked the question that had been bothering him: "Why doesn't Brother Gu eat?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the crisp sound of chopsticks touching the bowls and plates on the other side stopped abruptly, replaced by a subtle silence.

Gu Lianzhou lowered his eyes and stared at the tea leaves floating in the teacup. Before he could think of a reply, his senior brother came to his rescue: "He has an upset stomach and can't eat anything."

The atmosphere at the table then became lively again.

Yu Qi quietly put down her chopsticks, her face showing concern: "Did you eat something wrong?"

Before he could answer, he patted his chest with a sigh, “I understand, I understand… Last time I encountered an unscrupulous vendor who sold me a steamer of leftover buns. I thought it was because the filling had vinegar in it, but it turned out to be tofu filling that had gone bad. I ate them all, and ended up vomiting and having diarrhea. I couldn’t eat or drink anything for two whole days.”

He was still shaken as he spoke, "If it weren't for Liu Xingchuan's timely rescue, I'm afraid I would have collapsed on the way and never seen you again..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Dai quickly interrupted, "It's not that serious. Don't exaggerate. I see that Brother Gu has a rosy complexion and is full of energy, unlike how you looked before, listless and half-dead."

“Yes, he was quite weak yesterday, but he’s much better today. I suppose he just caught a cold.” Song Qiling quickly tried to smooth things over. “Don’t worry, he’ll say so if he’s hungry. He’s a grown man, he can’t let himself starve. Eat quickly, the food will get cold soon.”

Urged on repeatedly by her, Yu Qi had no choice but to pick up his chopsticks again, take a green bean, and put it in his mouth, finally shutting up the conversation.

After finishing the meal and seeing his two old friends off at Lake Stone Lane, Song Qiling finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at his junior brother, and stood helplessly with his hands on his hips.

"What's wrong?" Gu Lianzhou asked, puzzled.

Song Qiling frowned slightly, genuinely worried for him: "Tell me about you, you can't eat a single bite of food now. You can barely manage lunch, but what about dinner? What will happen if this continues? You can't keep using an upset stomach as an excuse every day, can you?"

Gu Lianzhou understood: "Senior brother is worried that my constitution will be exposed, but he doesn't want to reveal my identity to Brother Liu and Brother Yu?"

"Otherwise what?" Song Qiling felt a throbbing sensation on her forehead. "Yu Qi is slow to react and easy to fool, but Dr. Liu is so perceptive. The way he looked at you just now clearly showed that he had noticed something."

Gu Lianzhou: "..."

But that's not entirely true.

“It’s not that I don’t trust them,” Song Qiling sighed softly, “it’s just that the fewer people who know about your demon form, the better, otherwise, it will put you in danger.”

Gu Lianzhou pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up: "Then let's say that I have attained immortality through cultivation and now do not touch the five grains of the mortal world. What do you think of this plan?"

Song Qiling's lips twitched suddenly: "..."

Are they really at their wits' end?

Upon closer examination, this method isn't entirely unacceptable, as long as Liu and Yu don't report it to the authorities.