Chapter 9 Ivory Dagger This is the most precious congratulatory gift I have ever received...
A dagger slightly longer than an adult man's palm, its tip and end curving slightly in opposite directions, possessing a remarkably beautiful streamlined shape. Both the scabbard and handle are made of white-yellowish ivory, carved with scrolling foliage and auspicious patterns. The entire dagger is lustrous and exquisitely crafted.
Meng Shutai hesitated, "This..."
Le Jin gripped the dagger tightly and said nervously, "It's also a return gift for our first meeting."
She asked Yuan Jingming for four months' salary, feeling heartbroken, but then she thought she should prepare a birthday gift for Meng Langjun.
The gift was given to me by her.
"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by you, but someone like me has received as little kindness as rice during a famine."
Le Jin said these things not to pity him, but simply to talk about herself.
She was truly grateful to Meng Shutai, even though she knew he didn't need her small token of gratitude at all.
“Since you have treated me so well, I should reciprocate.”
Meng Shutai smiled, took the dagger, and began to caress it.
"That's thoughtful. But... how should I deliver the dagger?"
He stood closer to Le Jin, a look of doubt in his eyes, as if they were just ordinary friends. He asked, waiting for her answer.
"My lord is seventeen, a time when he should be tempering his character."
"You want me to be as sharp as a dagger?"
Le Jin pursed her lips, finding it somewhat difficult to explain.
If she could, she would definitely tell Meng Shutai never to marry his fiancée in Shuzhou.
Otherwise, you'll hinder her carefree and philandering ways, while she'll torment you to the point of unbearable pain. In the end, you'll become lifelong enemies, bound by an inescapable curse.
But the system wouldn't allow it; she wasn't qualified to change Meng Shutai's fate.
Only then could I use the dagger to remind him: "Sharpness isn't necessarily a bad thing."
"If fate turns against you and your husband encounters hardship, then it would be best to cut him off like a dagger."
Le Jin scratched the back of her head and said shyly, "Don't worry, my lord, this dagger is not sharpened and will not hurt anyone. It's just a symbolic gesture. Anyway, I just hope that you will be well in the future and have no worries."
She's really bad with words. Back when her female colleagues were working, they all wished for a lot of money on their birthdays; that was their most fulfilling and happiest wish.
But Meng Shutai's situation was much more complicated, and she found it difficult to express her wishes in just a few words.
After thinking it over, I decided to give something special.
Even if he can't escape that heartbreaking, ill-fated relationship in the future, he'll at least have something handy for self-defense.
Le Jin was very satisfied with her idea; being practical and useful was the best approach.
Meng Shutai suddenly chuckled.
Why are you so melancholy?
Meng Shutai carefully put away the ivory dagger, then lightly tapped Le Jin's brow with his finger.
He teased her, "You're celebrating my birthday, but you're as depressed as an inkstone."
Le Jin was completely unaware that her melancholy about Meng Shutai's tragic future was reflected on her face. She touched the brow where Meng Shutai had just "knocked" her and smiled sheepishly.
"I'm not afraid you'll laugh at me..."
Meng Shutai's faint smile held a hint of melancholy as he looked at Le Jin:
"No one has ever told me these things."
A crisp, clear sound rang in my heart—
Le Jin keenly grasped the helplessness beneath his words and realized something.
"From childhood to adulthood, everyone around me hopes that I am gentle and kind, blend in with the world, have no temper, and have no sharp edges."
Yes, that's it. She suddenly realized.
The reason why Meng Shutai, a member of the prestigious Meng family, repeatedly endured mistreatment and allowed himself to be bullied by wicked people when faced with a terrible marriage lies precisely in this.
Everyone hoped that he was just a venerable bodhisattva.
At this moment, the Bodhisattva's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Lejin in the twilight.
"This is the most precious gift I have ever received. Thank you for your thoughtfulness."
As dusk settled, Le Jin felt burning hot all over, as if the setting sun were scorching her.
It wasn't that a man and woman were attracted to each other, but rather that they stumbled upon a wound in someone's heart and felt a tremor of emotion.
"Brother! The opera troupe has finished their performance, why aren't you coming over yet?"
A series of hurried footsteps rushed towards them, like the hooves of a lively horse.
"The riddle lanterns are lit! Let's go guess the riddles!" The child in the pale yellow brocade robe laughed and grabbed Meng Shutai's hand, running into the courtyard.
"Hey, lotus seeds..."
Meng Shutai was suddenly pulled by his younger brother, and the lotus seeds in the celadon plate rolled all over the ground.
"oops!"
Meng Cizhang immediately squatted down to pick them up, reaching out with his little hand, but several times he grabbed the wrong one. But he quickly adjusted and still managed to pick up the lotus seeds, raising his face to smile brightly at Meng Shutai.
Le Jin froze in place, as if she had been suddenly pricked by a needle.
The other half of Meng Cizhang's face, which had not been seen before, was covered with a single eye patch embroidered with gold and jade.
He had lost sight in one eye.
A note from the author:
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From now on, Le Jin will be: an honest man who's become honest [crying emoji][crying emoji]
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