Chapter 139 The Hairpin (Part 5): How is it different from a eunuch who is childless...?

The sudden rain had just stopped, and the sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Song Qiling quietly opened her eyes and stared blankly at the top of the green gauze tent.

Last night's scenes kept replaying in my mind, like a mirage, carrying a sense of absurdity and unreality.

I still remember last night when my junior brother ran away with his face flushed red and didn't return for a long time. It wasn't until she changed into dry clothes, wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, and prepared to rest that he returned with hot water.

They were enveloped in a heavy dampness, and their sleeping shoes were soaked with rainwater, making a squelching sound as they walked, leaving a trail of watermarks in their wake.

Like a water ghost returning in the middle of the night.

She looked extremely pitiful. Rainwater soaked her hair, and droplets gathered and rolled down her chin, soaking large patches of her clothes. She seemed to have lost her soul, too lazy to even lift her hand to wipe it away.

She noticed his gaze darting away, as if he dared not look her in the eye. He silently went into the warm room, poured hot water, and then called her to wash up. He also brought out a small clay stove from somewhere, with a pot of porridge simmering on it.

After she finally finished bathing and eating, he took out his brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, solemnly ground the ink, dipped the brush, and faced the blank page, but hesitated to write.

Song Qiling couldn't figure out what he wanted to write, so she simply sat quietly by the stove, watching him and listening to the crackling of the burning charcoal, her eyelids growing heavy.

"Senior brother," he suddenly called out.

The sound wasn't loud, but it startled Song Qiling, instantly dispelling most of her sleepiness.

"What is it?"

Gu Lianzhou pursed his lips, then put down his pen and looked up at him: "What do you think of me?"

He hadn't had time to shower yet; his damp hair hung casually over his shoulders, making his sharp features stand out even more. His lips, however, were a deep red, as if they had been rubbed raw and slightly swollen, causing one's heart to skip a beat.

"What, now you know to ask me?" Song Qiling's eyes flickered as she looked at the table, both amused and annoyed. "You were so frivolous just now, and you were so smug."

She paused, then added rather awkwardly, "Where did you learn those...tricks?"

"Does it hurt?" Perhaps dazed by the heavy rain, Gu Lianzhou suddenly blurted out this question, his gaze involuntarily sweeping over her front before hurriedly looking away. "Did I... hurt you just now?"

Song Qiling was stunned.

How could such a private matter be brought up in public?

Besides, it was just a biting through her clothes. She's not made of tofu, so how could she get hurt so easily?

Forced to recall numerous embarrassing details, Song Qiling's cheeks flushed crimson. She wished she could disappear into the ground immediately, but then she saw a hint of distress flash in her junior brother's eyes. "I'm not trying to make excuses for myself, it's just that since transforming into a demon, my actions have always been driven by instinct..."

He paused slightly before continuing, "I like you, Senior Brother. Lately... whenever I'm with you, I want to get closer to you. But I also know that it's wrong to do such frivolous things to you before we've even been officially recognized. It would surely bring shame and humiliation to you."

"I was only focused on venting my own desires and neglected these things. Senior brother, you can hit me, scold me, whatever punishment you want to give me is justified..."

This person is quite strange. He did such a reckless thing before, but now he is deeply reflecting on it. Could it be that he has contracted some kind of madness?

Just as he was lost in thought, he heard his junior brother say to himself, "So, senior brother, I want to get married to you as soon as possible. After the formal betrothal and official seal, we can become husband and wife in a legitimate way."

Song Qiling: "..."

So, all you were thinking about when you rushed out of your room to calm down was this?

"This is too sudden." The heat on her face hadn't subsided, and she was now a little embarrassed. She raised her hand to scratch her messy hair and said casually, "I've never thought about getting married."

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Lianzhou's eyes dimmed.

Her heart softened, and she quickly changed her mind: "I am willing, but... Chu Yue's matter is not yet resolved, and we are both in dire straits, facing the threat to our lives at any time. It is too early to talk about marriage at this time."

Gu Lianzhou immediately sat up straight, his eyes lighting up: "Really?"

“Indeed.” Song Qiling nodded.

The two made the agreement so hastily, when Song Qiling suddenly remembered something and her expression hardened slightly. "You are now in the form of a Tai Sui demon, yet you still follow human customs?"

This time it was Gu Lianzhou's turn to be puzzled, "...What does this mean?"

After a moment of silence, Song Qiling sighed softly and said earnestly, "Now that you have become a demon, you can no longer reproduce with humans. Human etiquette and laws cannot bind you. If you are afraid of ruining my reputation, then there is no need to worry."

She picked up the brush from the inkstone, grabbed a piece of paper from the side, and scribbled, "I have neither parents nor relatives now, I am all alone."

The pen tip fell, leaving a dot on the letter paper.

With a flick of her wrist, she added another ink dot near the original dot.

"If you wish to marry me, once everything is settled, send the betrothal gifts to my house, and then we can choose an auspicious day to get engaged. What do you say?"

After he finished speaking, there was no response for a long time.

Song Qiling looked up and saw his junior brother staring back at him in a daze. The two looked at each other for a moment before the latter stammered, "Senior brother, I, I can't... reproduce?"

“Yes.” Song Qiling nodded truthfully: “Strictly speaking, demons and humans are not the same race. You were still human before, but after being transformed into a demon, you are no longer human.”

Gu Lianzhou's gaze drooped hastily, "Then regarding...sexual relations..."

"Shut up!" Song Qiling snapped, pinching his arm hard. "Don't let your imagination run wild!"

Gu Lianzhou winced in pain and finally shut his mouth.

But when he looked at her again, his eyes were filled with sorrow. "Then how am I any different from that eunuch who will be childless?"

Song Qiling: "..."

She regretted it.

I shouldn't have told him about this so early.

After struggling for a long time, she gave up and said, "It doesn't affect anything... If you keep saying anything more nonsense, I'll just ignore you."

Recalling this moment, Song Qiling looked at the gauze curtain and sighed softly.

I really should talk to my junior brother about his feelings another day.

She had already explained to him that demons and humans could also engage in human relations, but he remained stubborn about not being able to reproduce. In the end, she had to comfort him for a long time, saying things like "I don't mind," before she could finally coax him back to peace.

Then, this person pulled out a prescription from somewhere, lit it by the candlelight, and muttered things like "You're delusional" and "You're useless," before scattering the ashes...

It seems he really suffered a great shock.

Since things have come to this, life still has to go on.

Song Qiling was wide awake. She sat up, folded the bedding neatly, and hung up the bed curtains before walking around the screen and glancing at the daybed out of the corner of her eye.

But it was completely empty.

The person, the bedding, and the pillow all vanished without a trace.

Even the tatami table was put back in its place, placed steadily in the center of the daybed.

...It's not even dawn yet. When did this person pack up their bedding, and how did they put the table back without making a sound?

As I pondered this, a faint aroma of food wafted in through the crack in the door.

Suspicious, Song Qiling pushed open the door and looked into the kitchen. Sure enough, there was smoke and steam rising from the stove, and a steamer basket was being kept warm on a pot.

Hearing the noise, Gu Lianzhou stood up from behind the stove, a smile playing on his lips: "Good morning, senior brother."

Song Qiling nodded blankly, then subconsciously asked, "What is this...?"

"I couldn't sleep, so I got up early and went to the street to buy some snacks and cooked a pot of lotus seed porridge to cool me down." He looked calm and composed, without any of the dejection he had felt the night before. "Since you're up, senior brother, then wash up and go back to your room for dinner. After we've eaten, we'll go to Xingchuan Thatched Cottage."

"Ah... okay." She replied helplessly, and turned to wash up as instructed. When she returned, her junior brother had already brought the food trays into the room and arranged them neatly.

The white porcelain bowl was filled with lotus seed porridge, each lotus seed stewed until soft and tender, with a thin layer of rice oil on the surface. On the plate were sugar buns, vegetable buns, and two small pieces of red bean paste cake, all of which were her favorites.

"Try it quickly. The lotus seeds have been picked with tender cores, so they shouldn't be bitter." Gu Lianzhou handed her a pair of chopsticks, his gaze fixed on her face, full of anticipation.

"Thank you." Song Qiling took the bowl, scooped up a spoonful of porridge and put it in her mouth. The warm porridge slid down her throat, sweet and delicious, without a trace of bitterness.

But look at all this food on the table...

"Now that you no longer eat grains, how can I possibly finish all of this by myself?"

"It's not much, please enjoy, Senior Brother." He picked up the teapot, poured her a cup of tea, and handed it to her, saying calmly, "After Chu Yue's matter is settled, shall we go to the government office to submit our betrothal gifts?"

"Cough—" Song Qiling almost spat out her lotus seed porridge, wondering if there was something wrong with her ears. She looked up and met Gu Lianzhou's serious expression, and couldn't help but feel flustered. "Why... are you in such a hurry?"

Gu Lianzhou gently put down the teapot. "Did you go back on your word, Senior Brother?"

"No, no." Song Qiling denied it outright, her gaze drifting to the red bean paste cake in front of her. She picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. "It's just... I felt a little uncomfortable seeing you watching me so closely."

"Last night I received my senior brother's permission, but it didn't feel real. I tossed and turned all night, waiting for him to wake up so I could confirm it again," Gu Lianzhou said with a light laugh. "I didn't expect to seem too impatient and startle him."

"Hmm." Song Qiling nodded, chewing the red bean cake whole.

Then he said, "Only after hearing my senior brother admit it with my own ears today can I finally feel at ease."

After a pause, Gu Lianzhou regained a sliver of rationality amidst his elation. "In my humble opinion, Chu Yue's methods are quite ruthless and troublesome. It may not be easy to determine a winner in a short time; it will probably take a long time to resolve the situation."

Therefore, he was just trying to gain recognition for himself in advance.

After chatting for a few more minutes about trivial matters, Song Qiling was already full. Unable to refuse his junior brother, he could only let him carry the bowls and plates outside.

After sitting quietly on the stool for a while, Song Qiling still felt bloated. She propped herself up on the table and slowly walked to the courtyard to digest her food.

My gaze inadvertently swept across a corner of the courtyard, and there she saw her outer garment and ruqun hanging on the clothesline, as well as Gu Lianzhou's own robe, which was soaked through by the rain.

All the clothes were washed clean, and water droplets were dripping down the hems, spreading out dark watermarks on the ground below.

As her gaze swept over the two thin garments, Song Qiling's face flushed instantly.

When did he... wash even these things?!

Those private clothes were now exposed to the light of day without any cover, especially the embroidered magnolia-patterned dress, which inevitably reminded her of the inappropriate closeness and passionate entanglement between the two of them last night.

Gu Lianzhou finished tidying up and came out of the kitchen. Seeing her standing stiffly in the courtyard, he followed her gaze and said frankly, "I saw that the weather was fine, so I washed all the clothes that got dirty last night."

He paused, then added, "I used newly bought soapberries."