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Baozhu and the others were exhausted in the city, and Granny Mouse was just as exhausted in the suburbs.
Since Sun San kept his oath and allowed the monsters to appear in front of people, the number of visitors to the millet garden has increased dramatically. A dozen monsters come to Granny Rat every day. Some of them don't quite believe the news and come to Granny Rat to confirm it, while others want to openly make a living in the city and come to Granny Rat to find a way.
At first, Jin Lin stayed to help, but after a few days, the carp spirit claimed that there were still many things to do on the Lanjiang side, and his subordinates were urging him to go back every day. After leaving a letter, he took a boat and ran away.
At this time, only the elderly and senile Mountain Lord and the young and useless Hui remained in the millet garden. Granny Mouse had no choice but to deal with the trivial matters from morning to night.
These trivial matters seem endless, like trying to put down one gourd only to have another float up. Granny Mouse is overwhelmed and busy all day long, her hair disheveled.
Today, several little demons came to the door again, chattering and making a ruckus. Granny Mouse is old and can't sleep at night, so this noise during the day is really unbearable for her.
She made up her mind to escape from the millet garden and hide away for a couple of days to catch her breath.
However, he did not expect that his escape plan would be ruined right at his doorstep by Baozhu, who was so careless.
Granny Mouse sat forlornly on the wall, her ears twitching as she listened to the calls of the monsters behind her.
After listening for a while, she still couldn't bear it and turned to the monsters, saying, "I've taken your matters to heart. Don't worry, there's a monster outside who's become a celestial master named Baozhu. I'll have her come and give you some advice."
Having said that, Granny Mouse turned around and glared at Baozhu: "Do I have to invite you in?"
Baozhu scratched her head sheepishly, knowing she had ruined Granny Mouse's plans. With her head hanging low, she followed Granny Mouse over the wall back to the millet garden.
The millet garden was now bustling with many monsters, all innocent and naive, each one looking more foolish than the last, much like Baozhu when she first came down from the mountain.
Looking at their bewildered faces, Granny Rat's irritation from exhaustion instantly dissipated. She sighed inwardly and slowly revealed a loving smile to the monsters.
"Take your time, don't rush, your mother-in-law is here," she said.
Granny Rat has been carrying this burden for hundreds of years. If she carries it a little longer, waiting for these little demons to grow up, she should be able to do it too.
So, a large group of monsters moved their camp from the garden to the study.
There was another demon in the study, sitting behind the desk, engrossed in writing something. Baozhu peeked out and recognized her as Meimei, the snake demon she had drunk wine with. She asked curiously, "Meimei, are you helping out here with Grandma now?"
Mei Mei raised her head and looked at Bao Zhu in a daze. It took her a while to focus her eyes and recognize Bao Zhu. She said, "Yes, I'm just a courtesan to pass the time. My mother-in-law needs help here, so I came to help her."
The books piled on the desk looked similar to those at Li Zhi's desk. Mei Mei, a large snake demon, had bloodshot eyes from staying up all night, and it was unclear what she was doing.
Baozhu turned to Granny Mouse and asked, "What are you doing?"
Granny Rat chuckled and said, "Mortals have their own historians, and we demons should have ours too. I chat with Lord Mountain Lord every day about the past, but we're both getting old..."
Before Granny Mouse could finish speaking, Mei Mei interrupted her: "Granny, you can live for at least several hundred more years, so don't say anything discouraging."
Grandma Mouse covered her mouth and chuckled, then dropped the subject.
Baozhu reached out and gently patted Granny Mouse's back.
With Baozhu's help, Granny Rat spent half an hour finally dealing with the matter of these ignorant little demons. She sat down and sighed, saying to Baozhu, "They are still too naive. I'm always worried that they will cause trouble living with mortals, so I invited a few experienced demons to teach them. They will have to attend classes for at least seven days before I allow them to show themselves in front of mortals."
Just as Baozhu was about to ask who was teaching, a familiar voice came from outside.
"Grandma, today's lessons are over, I'm going back to the city." Abacus poked its head in to say goodbye to Grandma Mouse.
Baozhu laughed and said, "So you have an abacus! That's right. When dealing with mortals, you can't do without knowing how to do accounts. It's an extremely important thing."
Suanpan, who hadn't seen Baozhu for a long time, said with delight, "Baozhu is here too! You've been quite the big shot in the city lately. I've seen you on the street many times, but I haven't greeted you."
The two demons exchanged a few pleasantries, then, realizing they needed to get back before the city gates closed, they agreed to meet again next time and urged the dog demon to hurry back.
Meimei finally finished writing the last stroke, stood up, stretched, and asked, "Is it time for dinner?"
Grandma Mouse nodded: "Thank you for your hard work. There are plenty of roast chickens today, you two can eat as much as you like."
Upon hearing about roast chicken, Baozhu remembered her purpose and asked, "Grandma, is Wanyu in the millet garden? I heard that she has stopped accepting orders for clothing. General Pei's wife went to great lengths to find me and wanted to ask her about it."
Grandma Mouse's eyes lit up when she heard this, but after thinking for a moment, she smiled wryly and said, "Wanyu is in the backyard. She's been too busy lately. We'll have to ask her to know if it's okay."
Mei Mei said, "That noblewoman has already pinned her hopes on us monsters, so Wan Yu should be willing too, right?"
The three monsters talked as they walked toward the main courtyard.
As soon as Baozhu stepped into the courtyard, she saw that the table in the main room was already set with delicious food, and a little demon, just taller than the table, was putting food into the food box.
Hearing the noise, the little demon turned to look at the gate and immediately smiled: "Baozhu, they all say you're very busy, but you actually have time to come to the millet garden today."
Baozhu hadn't seen Hui since they parted on the 29th. Seeing his rosy cheeks and bright eyes, she was happy and went up to him, patting his head and saying, "Yes, what have you been doing lately?"
Hui held Baozhu's hand and said, "I'm learning a craft from Wanyu."
Mei Mei interjected, "This child is extremely talented. Wan Yu praised his good eye, saying that the colors he picked out were made into very beautiful clothes."
Praised by the great demon, Hui smiled somewhat shyly and said, "I like pretty clothes, so I put my heart into making them."
According to Baozhu's plan, if Hui doesn't have anything he wants to do when he grows up, she will train him to become a Taoist master.
But Hui found something she was interested in at such a young age, which made her very happy.
Hui spoke a few more words with the demons, then hurriedly picked up the food box and said, "I still have to deliver food to Lord Mountain Lord and Master Wanyu, so I won't eat with you."
Upon hearing this, Baozhu quickly stopped him and whispered Pei Xuanji's request in his ear, inquiring whether Wanyu was currently free.
Hui frowned and thought for a while after hearing this, then whispered, "It's my mother's mother who wants to make clothes, right?"
Baozhu was taken aback, then nodded and said, "Yes, that was actually your maternal grandmother..."
Hui lowered her head, biting her nails in distress. After a moment of contemplation, she leaned close to Baozhu's ear and said, "Have Master Pei send over the measurements for Grandmother's clothes. I can have the materials and tailoring done first, saving Master Wanyu a lot of trouble. I'll then ask her..."
As she spoke, Hui's voice grew softer and softer.
"Then I'll make two more garments myself, in Master Pei's size." Hui paused uncertainly for a moment, then looked up at Baozhu. "Do you think they'll give one to my mother...?"
What a good child.
Baozhu patted his shoulder and nodded, saying, "I'll talk to Pei Qi. She'll definitely visit her sister every now and then."
Hui immediately beamed with joy, picked up the two food boxes, and said as she walked out, "Alright, I'll give them to you tomorrow."
Baozhu smiled and agreed.
Granny Mouse and Meimei watched from the side with puzzled expressions.
"What secret do you have with the little one?" Mei Mei asked, puzzled.
Baozhu chuckled and made a face at Meimei: "I won't tell you."
Meimei rolled her eyes at me.
Grandma Mouse watched them bicker with a smile, then hummed a little tune, pulled out a chair, sat down, and took a leisurely sip of her wine.
Life is getting better and better, so let's not die too early.
Grandma Mouse's eyes crinkled with delight, as if she'd stolen some oil.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Baozhu, who was sleeping in the guest room, was woken up by a noise.
She struggled to open one eye, climbed out of bed, and peered out the window.
Good heavens, early in the morning, a lot of monsters had already gathered in the courtyard, huddled together in groups of three or five, writing and drawing on the ground with twigs and chanting.
Baozhu, curious, was no longer sleepy and pressed one ear against the window to listen carefully.
"One loaf costs five coins, how many coins would twelve loaves cost?"
"Fifty coins?"
"Fifty-six, I guess?"
A bunch of monsters, head to head, fingers and toes all together, still couldn't figure out exactly how many there were.
"It's sixty coins!" Baozhu exclaimed, her head spinning. She opened the window and called out.
All the monsters in the courtyard turned around and looked at Baozhu in surprise.
"You're so clever," a skinny male demon murmured.
“I heard you’re a Taoist priest in the city, that’s incredible,” the robust female demon said, scratching her head.
The monsters chattered amongst themselves, their eyes filled with adoration as they looked at the precious pearl.
Baozhu felt embarrassed by their stares, so she simply put on her uniform and joined them in doing the math.
After the monsters counted for a while, Baozhu heard Hui's voice coming from outside.
"Baozhu, the clothes are all done."
Baozhu quickly agreed, bid farewell to her fellow countrymen, and hurriedly walked out of the courtyard.
Hui looked like she had stayed up all night; her eyes were red like a rabbit's. She held two boxes in her hands and carefully showed them to Baozhu: "This is for Madam, made by Master Wanyu. This is for Master Pei and my mother, made by me..."
The two boxes were shimmering with light, and the clothes inside looked extremely luxurious.
Baozhu exclaimed in surprise, "You've only been learning for a short time, yet you can already make such beautiful clothes!"
Hui said shyly, "No, I'm still far from good enough. It was all thanks to Master Wanyu who taught me step by step..."
Before she could finish speaking, Baozhu ruffled her light gray hair: "A child can't always be so insecure."
They exchanged a few more words, and then a red sun rose on the horizon; it was getting late.
Baozhu didn't have time to say anything more. She picked up the two boxes of clothes and left the millet garden.
They rushed along the way, and luckily they weren't late. After Baozhu checked in, she found Pei Xuanji, stuffed both boxes of clothes into her hands, and instructed her, "This box is for you, and also for your sister."
Pei Xuanji was taken aback and asked in confusion, "Why are there still pictures of me and my sister?"
Baozhu sighed, "Don't say anything more about this child's kind intentions. Just pretend you don't know and send it to your sister, okay?"
Baozhu's hint made Pei Xuanji understand.
Holding the two boxes, she was filled with mixed emotions. After a long while, she sighed softly, "My sister is pitiful, and so is that child. I'll go visit my sister after I finish my shift today."
The situation of Pei's older sister is truly pitiful. Baozhu sighed and gently patted Pei Xuanji's shoulder.
Pei Xuanji was absent-minded all day.
After finishing her shift, she first asked someone to send Madam Zeng and her new clothes back, and then she rode her horse with the box in her arms.
Braving the cold wind, Pei Xuanji rode all the way to the small Taoist temple at the foot of Pagoda Mountain.
She dismounted, tied the horse to the side, and walked over to gently knock on the gate of the Taoist temple.
After knocking for a while, the maid opened the door a crack and whispered to Pei Xuanji, "The nun is not seeing anyone today."
Holding the gift the child had given to her sister, Pei Xuanji asked blankly, "Has no one been here today?"
The maid hummed in agreement and then tried to close the door.
The door wasn't closed, and Pei Xuanji reached out and blocked it.
Pei Xuanji frowned, her eyes gleaming, and pushed open the door amidst the exclamations of the maids, squeezing herself into the Taoist temple.
Ever since the day of the great battle, Pei Xuanji has been pondering how to tell her sister about Rong Qi's death, or whether she should tell her sister at all.
Day and night, when she was alone, Pei Xuanji would always think about this matter.
Will my sister want to know? What will happen if she finds out? Will she become better or worse? Should we maintain the status quo, at least in this Taoist temple, where my sister can at least catch her breath for a moment?
But when Pei Xuanji stood in front of the door, she realized that a fire had been burning in her heart all along.
They were all running away from it. Everyone who knew about it considered it a shameful thing. They kept it a secret, as if it had never happened. Pei Xianhui was still the same as before.
Equally noble, equally chaste.
But is it a disgrace even if Pei Xianhui is no longer chaste?
Pei Xuanji strode into the courtyard, and the maids, unable to stop her, whispered words of advice to her.
"Miss Pei, please stop! What are you doing...?"
“If the female Taoist priest doesn’t see anyone, she will get sick.”
Why should someone who has done nothing wrong bear all the blame?
Pei Xuanji barged into the backyard where her sister usually lived. The sudden noise made Pei Xianhui, who was sitting quietly by the window looking at the flowers and plants in the yard, twitch violently.
Pei Xianhui, her white hair cascading down her back, turned around and looked at Pei Xuanji in surprise.
Her pupils were very light in color, but in the afterglow of the setting sun, they were tinged with orange.
Pei Xuanji stood at the door, looking at her sister whom she hadn't seen for several years.
Her sister also stared at her in a daze.
They are no longer the same as before. Pei Xianhui has changed, and Pei Xuanji has changed too.
Pei Xianhui trembled all over, revealing a smile that was more like a grimace. She opened her mouth with difficulty and said to her sister, "You, you are Pei Qi."
She remained calm and clear-headed.
Pei Xuanji put down what she was holding, stepped forward, and hugged her emaciated sister tightly.
Pei Xuanji's tears fell heavily onto her sister's shoulder. She buried her head in it and, just like every time she was a child, murmured aggrievedly, "Sister, I miss you."
Pei Xianhui trembled like a leaf in her sister's arms, gasping for breath, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.
She felt a pang of pain in her heart, which she had finally managed to calm down, and she began to want to push her sister away forcefully.
But her younger sister was no longer as small as she had been when she was little. Her little sister had grown up, her arms were strong and powerful, and her strength was frightening. Her sister could hug her tightly and hold her so tightly that she couldn't move.
Pei Xianhui should have been happy, but her body began to feel fear.
She instinctively tried to escape such intense emotions, opening her mouth as if to scream.
“He is dead. His soul has been scattered and will never be reincarnated. I saw it with my own eyes, and I personally tore him to pieces.”
Pei Xianhui suddenly heard her younger sister whispering in her ear.
"I've grown up. From now on, no one can hurt you anymore. I can protect you."
Pei Xianhui was stunned.
"Sister, you did nothing wrong."
"You did nothing wrong."
Pei Xuanji repeated to herself countless times that you were not wrong.
Suddenly, a lump formed in Pei Xianhui's throat, choking her so she couldn't shout or cry.
She could only wail silently, and hugged her sister tightly.
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