Chapter 259 Childhood Sweetheart or a Chance Encounter? (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote!)

"May I ask who you two young ladies are, and why you are in my disciple Lianghan's room, where is Master Shandao?" Xie Xun asked in astonishment.

"Hmph." Xue Zhongzhu was too lazy to reply.

Zhao Qingxiu looked up, opened her eyes wide, and let out a soft "Ah".

No one answered.

Xie Xun frowned slightly. The two women in front of the sickbed were dressed in simple yet stylish Wu-style long dresses and carried long swords on their backs. They did not look like maids or servants from a wealthy family.

Besides the pretty girl who was busy taking care of Lianghan like a personal maid, who looked kind and gentle, another woman with dazzling blonde hair and mixed-race features was tall, imposing, and had slanted blue eyes; she was clearly not a simple person.

In particular, Xie Xun vaguely sensed that the frigid winter temperature inside the room was slowly emanating from this woman.

Her breath was as sharp and biting as the wind in the heavy snow outside on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

It's sword energy.

The young man on the sickbed, with his eyes closed, was breathing more heavily in the cold winter room, and his originally pale face had become much rosier.

When Xie Xun entered, the pretty girl was kneeling at the foot of the bed, her delicate hands clasped together, gently massaging Ouyang Rong's feet as if tapping certain acupoints.

On the other side, the blonde mixed-race woman looked at her companion's actions with obvious displeasure.

"you……"

Xie Xun was about to speak when he suddenly felt his sleeve being tugged by someone behind him.

"Father," Xie Lingjiang called out weakly, stopping him, and lowered her head to speak first:

“This…this pretty young lady is a relative from my senior brother’s hometown. She was also very worried about my senior brother’s injuries. These days, she and I have been taking care of my senior brother.”

After his daughter's introduction, Xie Xun sensed something was off, and the atmosphere in the room also became:

"Oh, and this person is..."

"She's her senior sister."

"oh."

Xie Xun nodded thoughtfully, glancing at Xue Zhongzhu. Xue Zhongzhu neither looked at him nor gave him a friendly look.

Zhao Qingxiu, who was standing by the bed, hurriedly stood up when she saw Xie Xun and Xie Lingjiang enter the room.

"Ah." She stood there a little flustered, wiping her apron with both hands, and tried to smile at the middle-aged scholar who was looking at her.

Zhao Qingxiu opened her small mouth, pointed to her mouth, waved her hand, and then temporarily put down Tanlang, whose breathing was steady. With a happy expression, she ran to serve tea and water to Tanlang's mentor.

Is this relative of Liang Han's a mute girl? How come I've never heard him mention it?

Xie Xun turned around in surprise and looked at Xie Lingjiang.

"I...I'll go help too." Xie Lingjiang didn't look at her father, nor did she give the bewildered boy a chance to ask questions. She lowered her head and chased after him out the door, "Wait a moment, pretty young lady..."

A short while later, Zhao Qingxiu and Xie Lingjiang brought over tea and pastries.

Zhao Qingxiu gestured with familiar and easy-to-understand words, inviting Xie Xun and his entourage, who had come from afar, to sit down and have tea.

In the Buddhist monastery, the furniture at Sanhui Temple was simple and unpretentious. This pretty, mute girl, wearing an apron, skillfully moved stools and wiped tables and chairs, her hands and feet even more diligent than those of the maids in wealthy households.

This immediately won the favor of all the visitors.

Xie Lingjiang was also helping out, but all she did was lift the teapot to pour tea, reach out, and obsessively correct the position of the cups...

You can tell she's been trying her best to learn as she goes, but she's just not naturally good at these clumsy tasks.

Compared to the diligent, cheerful, and pretty girl next to her, she was clearly inferior and could only follow behind the latter, doing odd jobs.

Zhao Qingxiu was actually teaching her very patiently, but what good is last-minute cramming? Xie Lingjiang was also a clean freak, and in particular, she was tall and elegant, so standing next to the slender and thin Zhao Qingxiu, she looked particularly clumsy.

It's very complicated.

In short, after serving tea and water to the guests, it's clear to anyone with eyes that:

This hospital room where Ouyang Lianghan was recuperating was the domain of this pretty young woman.

It's obvious who's good at managing the household, who's pampered, who's natural, and who's awkward.

"Thank you, young lady."

Xie Xun accepted the teacup from the mute girl with both hands, thanked her with a smile, and then turned to Xie Lingjiang and said:

"Wanwan has also worked hard."

"Yes, yes, thank you very much, junior sister." The other guests echoed in agreement.

Xie Lingjiang forced a smile and turned her face away.

In fact, no one would laugh at Xie Lingjiang. In fact, Xie Xun thought that Xie Lingjiang's unusually hurried act of pouring tea for his father was already quite diligent, and he was very pleased.

But sometimes, for some things, it's not that you're afraid of doing them poorly, it's that you're afraid of being compared to others...

While sipping his tea, Xie Xun glanced at the severed finger on the right hand of the pretty mute girl under her sleeve, a hint of pity in his eyes.

Immediately, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that his daughter, who was looking down beside him, had her two hands hidden under the table, and eight of her ten slender fingers were tightly intertwined.

Xie Xun put down his teacup and sighed, taking advantage of the steam rising from the tea.

"I still don't know, young lady, what relation are you to Lianghan?"

Ignoring the unfriendly glare from the mixed-race woman from the inner room, Xie Xun turned to Zhao Qingxiu and spoke kindly.

Zhao Qingxiu's face flushed slightly, her eyes flickered, and she lowered her gaze and shook her head.

A moment later, she poured tea and warmly invited Xie Xun and the others to drink it. Then she turned around and left temporarily to go to the inner room to comfort her senior sister.

Xie Xun's probing gaze shifted from the delicate mute girl's back to his daughter beside him, whose movements were slightly stiff.

Only then did he realize that Xie Lingjiang was still wearing that white veiled hat after entering the room, and even when drinking tea, she put it under the veil to conceal her expression...

At this moment, everyone noticed that in the inner room, the mute girl was wiping the sweaty face of the unconscious Ouyang Rongcha. Xie Lingjiang quickly put down her teacup, went into the inner room, helped fetch a copper basin to pour water, and lent a hand.

"well."

After the junior sister left, the disciples noticed that their usually serious and courteous teacher put down his teacup and sighed.

Perhaps... the tea was too hot?

After half an incense stick's time, Xie Xun and his entourage finished their tea and rest, then went into the inner room to visit the unconscious Ouyang Rong. Xie Xun offered a few words of comfort to Zhao Qingxiu, left some precious medicine for healing, and then took his leave for the time being.

Before leaving, Xie Xun made a point of clasping his hands in a fist salute to Xue Zhongzhu, bowing slightly, his eyes filled with gratitude.

The candle in the snow ignored him, its face cold throughout.

Xie Lingjiang silently got up, whispered something, and turned to see Xie Xun and his entourage out.

The inner room returned to silence, and the footsteps in the courtyard outside gradually faded into the distance.

There were only three people left in the room: one lying down and two standing.

"Seventh Junior Sister, they are not worthy of your service of tea and water, or your fawning and flattery!"

The candle in the snow speaks in a chilly tone, each word distinct and clear:

"You are the Virgin of the Queen's Palace, the undisputed champion of swordsmanship in the world, and you will inherit the position of 'Primordial Sovereign' of the Cloud Dream Sword Marsh. They don't even have the right to see you!"

Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head and felt around in her sleeve.

"Are you even listening to me?" Xue Zhongzhu said coldly.

“Eek!” Zhao Qingxiu suddenly took out a large peach from her sleeve, held it in both hands, and handed it to Xue Zhongzhu.

"..."

The peaches were big and round, looking plump and juicy, with clear water droplets clinging to their pale pink skin.

Clearly, the mute girl had just gone out to serve tea and water to the guests and picked them on the spur of the moment, then washed them clean with the cold well water and brought them back... Such a big peach! This deep Donglin Temple really has everything.

"I'm not eating, don't change the subject." Xue Zhongzhu turned her face away, snorted coldly, and refused to look at the mute girl holding the peach with her innocent smile.

Zhao Qingxiu lowered her head again, took out a small knife, held the knife with four fingers of her right hand, and with a "swish, swish, swish," the fuzzy peach skins fell off one after another.

With a focused expression, she finished peeling the peach and, revealing its pink flesh, presented it once more to her senior sister.

"Eeya ya".

The stern-faced Xue Zhongzhu knew that the tone was calling her.

"Eeya ya~"

She felt her snow-white sleeve being gently tugged by the small hand of a junior sister, swaying softly and timidly.

Xuezhongzhu's eyes twitched slightly.

A moment later, she couldn't help but scold, "Go wash your hands! You just touched that stinky man's feet!"

"Uh-huh!"

Despite being scolded by her senior sister, the mute girl happily ran out to wash the peach flesh, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Xuezhongzhu's eyes twitched even more violently.

This girl is hopeless.

I was both annoyed and amused.

I felt lonely and depressed for a while.

The Queen of Yunmeng suddenly turned her head and glared at the handsome young man behind her who was lying on the sickbed, tightly covered by the blankets, his bare feet exposed.

She wished she could knock her junior sister unconscious immediately, drag her away, draw her sword, and end him with a single strike.

Such a wonderful junior sister, pure and obedient like a child, is loved and cherished by everyone in the Yunmeng sect, from the master to the senior sisters, who regard her as a rare treasure. Why did she have to encounter such a sickly man who was like a burden?

...

Hmph! Didn't expect that, did you? Extra chapter! I made it to the recommendation list a couple of days ago, and I promised you guys I'd hold back my criticism for a day and try my best to add an extra chapter. By the way, I'm asking for a bunch of expiring votes at the end of the month to fill my list, or2 (pouts).

(End of this chapter)