Chapter 7 Trouble "Did you sleep well last night?"

The next morning.

After washing up at the well, Yue Mingxi hummed a little tune as she braided her hair in front of the bronze mirror.

Opening the large jewelry box, Yue Mingxi carefully selected a phoenix red hairpin from among many hairpins.

It perfectly complements the bright yellow blouse and rouge-red skirt she is wearing.

Underneath her ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), she wore a red bellyband and white underpants that she had bought at the shop the day before, in keeping with local customs.

With a slight upturn of her lips, Yue Mingxi looked happily at the phoenix-red hairpin on her head in front of the bronze mirror.

The red hairpin is very beautiful and complements this outfit perfectly.

Although Wu Shanqing must have picked up these clothes, Yue Mingxi couldn't bear to throw them away.

It's high quality, beautiful color, soft and comfortable to the touch, and most importantly, it's free! Yuemingxi absolutely loves it.

Standing up, Yue Mingxi skipped and hopped to the backyard to find Wu Shanqing.

The sun had just peeked over the horizon, the air on the mountain was fresh and clean, and fresh dewdrops clung to the leaves of the herbs on the ground.

Yue Mingxi happily twirled around Wu Shanqing with her hands behind her back.

"Wu Shanqing, I noticed that the grilled fish from yesterday is missing. Did you eat it after I left? Was it especially delicious? I put a lot of seasoning on it. I want to eat grilled fish again today. Do you want some?"

Yue Mingxi curled her lips and continued without pausing for breath, "But it's better not to eat in the morning, it's not good for your health, don't you think? It's better to eat something light in the morning. By the way, what do you want to eat for breakfast? I bought a lot of ingredients at the market yesterday."

As soon as she arrived, her voice filled the entire backyard.

It bothered him in his mind yesterday, and now it bothers him in his ear.

It disturbs people's peace early in the morning.

Wu Shanqing picked some of his herbs and asked in a low voice, "Did you sleep well last night?"

“Okay,” Yue Mingxi said with a grin, “I’ll close my eyes and wait until dawn.”

Wu Shanqing hummed in agreement, picked his herbs, and stood up.

Yue Mingxi caught up with him, "Hey, Wu Shanqing, you still haven't told me what you want to eat for breakfast?"

"I won't eat," Wu Shanqing said expressionlessly.

Although he didn't know why her cooking could stimulate his taste buds, Wu Shanqing didn't want to indulge in it.

He was just a dying man; to him, it was nothing more than a fleeting moment, as if he had never existed.

He frowned at the mentally challenged girl; he had no faith in her whatsoever.

His efforts of 5,200 years have all been in vain.

"Then you'll eat whatever I make, okay? You can't be picky this time," Yue Mingxi said earnestly.

“You don’t need to do mine,” Wu Shanqing interrupted her. “I’m leaving right away.”

"Is it to the place you flew halfway there yesterday?" Yue Mingxi blinked and asked, remembering what he had said yesterday.

“It’s none of your business,” Wu Shanqing said coldly.

Yue Mingxi hummed softly, "Your words are so hurtful."

"How strange," Wu Shanqing scoffed. "Even a fool knows how to be sad?"

His years of hard work were destroyed in an instant. Before he could even say anything, she had already complained about him. "You, you, you!" Yue Mingxi said angrily, "You're the fool."

She got so angry that she started saying things she shouldn't have. "Give me back the fish that ate from me last night and at noon."

As soon as she finished speaking, Yue Mingxi regretted it. She was wearing the clothes that Wu Shanqing had picked up, the jewelry that Wu Shanqing had given her, the fish that she had caught at Wu Shanqing's house, and the money that Wu Shanqing had given her. She really had no right to say those words.

Moreover, that statement was too naive, making her seem even more foolish.

"I'm sorry," Yue Mingxi lowered her head and apologized softly, "I misspoke."

“The fish are all gone,” Wu Shanqing frowned. “Can you give me something else?”

Yue Mingxi's eyes widened in surprise. This person was actually so kind, not holding it against her.

Yue Mingxi quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need to repay. I misspoke."

“No, it has to be returned,” Wu Shanqing insisted.

Seeing Wu Shanqing's serious expression, Yue Mingxi felt extremely guilty. It was all her fault for speaking without thinking.

After racking her brains for a long time, Yue Mingxi finally came up with a brilliant idea.

Looking up at Wu Shanqing, Yue Mingxi said softly, "I want to return the food we ate together."

Wu Shanqing was taken aback for a moment, then asked in confusion, "Why are you so fixated on whether I eat or not?"

Sniffed and shook her head. "It's nothing."

“Oh,” Wu Shanqing pursed his lips and continued, “I’ll return it to you.”

Rubbing her eyes, Yue Mingxi felt a little down. "I'm hungry. I'm going to make breakfast. Do you want anything?"

“Whatever,” Wu Shanqing turned around and said hastily, “I’m leaving.”

If they don't leave now, it will really be too late; the trees he planted will die if they aren't watered.

Dragon blood trees are extremely picky, and the timing of watering them is very peculiar. Sometimes they need to be watered three times a day, and sometimes they don't need to be watered for three years.

But once the blood is applied, it will wither and die within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Although he had no hope for this fool, Wushan Qing had developed feelings for the tree that had been planted for 5,200 years.

“Oh,” Yue Mingxi mimicked his voice.

Wu Shanqing paused for a moment. "I'll be back in a bit."

"Oh." Yue Mingxi kicked a pebble at her feet.

Wu Shanqing put down the herb basket and added, "I'll come back to eat."

Yuemingxi replied with another "Oh," and kicked the stone back to him.

Wu Shanqing looked down at her in confusion, "Are you unhappy? Didn't I promise to pay you back?"

Yue Mingxi kicked the stone away and pursed her lips, saying, "I'm not unhappy."

This time, it was Wu Shanqing who said "Oh." After saying "Oh," Wu Shanqing lowered his head and said, "I'm really leaving now."

Yue Mingxi looked at him speechlessly, "You should leave now."

"Oh." Wu Shanqing nodded.

Unable to hold back, Yue Mingxi burst out laughing.

"Stop saying 'oh', you should go now."

"Okay," Wu Shanqing said softly.

After saying that, he lightly touched the ground with his toes and vanished into the sky in a flash.

The moonlit stream was speechless; Wushan Qing must be a rocket, so fast!

Even though her eyesight was so good that she could see a thousand miles, in the blink of an eye, the person disappeared without a trace.

-

After ladling out two bowls of mung bean porridge, Yuemingxi covered the pot with the lid.

She cooked a whole pot of mung bean porridge and added rock sugar to it.

Mung bean porridge is a refreshing and thirst-quenching drink, perfect for summer. This big pot is enough for her to drink all day.

It's late summer now, so it's not that hot up in the mountains. Leaving it out for a whole day shouldn't be a problem.

The steamed fish, stir-fried bok choy, and tomato and egg dishes were placed on the small wooden table, and Yuemingxi brought over a small basket of steamed buns.

The steamed buns were heated up while the porridge was being cooked; four were heated up in total.

Finally, serve the mung bean porridge and set out the stools, bowls, and chopsticks.

Yuemingxi sat on a small stool, took out a piece of osmanthus cake from her storage bag, and prepared to eat something to tide her over.

The osmanthus cake was sweet and delicious, and Yuemingxi ate it in small bites, barely tasting it.

After an unknown amount of time, tears fell drop by drop onto the osmanthus cake and onto Yue Mingxi's hands.

A bitter taste of tears welled up in her mouth, and Yue Mingxi suddenly snapped out of her reverie.

Raising her hand, Yue Mingxi hurriedly wiped away her tears, but the more she wiped, the more tears she shed.

Not wanting to waste it, Yuemingxi swallowed the osmanthus cake whole.

She choked on the food, turned away from the wooden table, and coughed violently.

"What's wrong with you?" Wu Shanqing's indifferent voice rang out.

Yue Mingxi coughed until her face turned red. Looking at Wu Shanqing who had descended from the sky, she gently shook her head. "It's alright. The food is ready. Come and eat."

Wu Shanqing didn't move, but frowned and said, "You cried."

Yue Mingxi forced a smile. "I ate too fast and choked."

"You're lying," Wu Shanqing exposed her.

Yue Mingxi echoed what he had said before, "Believe it or not, come and eat."

Wu Shanqing echoed her, saying, "If you don't tell me, I won't eat with you."

Yue Mingxi snorted, "That's not up to you. You have to pay me back."

"Oh." Wu Shanqing couldn't argue with her, so he just gave a dry "oh."

The two sat at the wooden table, eating their meal in silence.

As dawn broke, the lanterns on the crooked tree emitted a faint green glow, enveloping the two of them.

Yue Mingxi had a poor appetite and ate very little.

While leisurely eating her meal, Yue Mingxi focused her gaze on Wu Shanqing.

He was dressed in white today, his eyes were covered by a light veil, and the veil was casually tied behind his head. His face was fair and clean, and he ate in a refined manner, making him a particularly pleasing sight.

Today I was kind enough to give her face, unlike last night when she only took a small bite of each dish.

After eating for a while, Yue Mingxi had no appetite left. She put down her chopsticks and said listlessly, "I'm full. Remember to call me when you're done eating, and I'll wash the dishes. There's still a big pot of mung bean porridge in the pot. Go scoop some out if you want some."

“I’ll swipe.” Wu Shanqing looked up.

“Alright then,” Yue Mingxi stood up. “I’m a little tired, I’m going back to sleep for a while.”

He pursed his lips and called out to her, "Yue Mingxi."

Yue Mingxi stopped in her tracks; this was the first time Wu Shanqing had called her name.

Her pronunciation was clear and melodious, even better than she had imagined.

Yue Mingxi's ears twitched, and she looked down at him. "What's wrong?"

"Why are you crying?" Wu Shanqing frowned. "What else do I need to repay?"

Yue Mingxi: "..."

Wu Shanqing is such a naive person.

Shaking her head, Yue Mingxi looked at him and said earnestly, word by word, "You don't need to repay anything. I'm fine. I'm going to sleep."

Listening to Yue Mingxi's footsteps fading into the distance, Wu Shanqing pinched the bridge of his nose. He had really gotten himself into big trouble.

With each movement, a piercing pain shot through his fingertips, reaching all the way to his heart.

A note from the author: