Chapter 12 My name is Sang Ji
The fifth day of the fifth lunar month is the Dragon Boat Festival.
On this day, the villagers of Caocun had a chance to rest, so they began to prepare for the festival atmosphere.
Hanging mugwort and calamus, wrapping rice in bamboo leaves and steaming it in a steamer, the scene is bustling with activity.
After making these preparations, it's time to wait for dinner.
In the area where Caocun is located, the Dragon Boat Festival dinner table will have five yellow dishes and twelve red dishes.
The Five Yellows refers to five dishes: yellow croaker, yellow eel, cucumber, salted egg yolk, and realgar wine.
The same applies to the twelve red ones.
Liu Jiao's family chose the Twelve Reds.
After finishing his work, Liu Jiao's father returned from the chicken coop and went to the kitchen with his mother to prepare dinner.
Because they had prepared a lot of dishes, they also invited the village chief and his wife to have dinner with them.
The house was divided into two households, and the two families were as close as one. So they simply moved a large black walnut table to the center of the courtyard.
The elders were all busy in the kitchen, mostly just chatting about everyday things.
Liu Jiao was kicked out to play.
She couldn't offer much help, and needing to kill time, she moved a small stool to sit by the door and started embroidering.
Holding needle and thread, she was overwhelmed and didn't know what to embroider. Trying to find an idea, she subconsciously looked up at the courtyard—
But at first glance, one could see Sang Ji standing sideways in the courtyard, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, as upright as a pine tree, handsome and otherworldly.
He had already adopted the local custom of combing his hair into a wolf tail, with soft strands draped over his neck, slightly upturned, a little messy, but with a relaxed and unrestrained softness.
At this moment, his slender hand gently stroked the head of the brown horse, and the horse rubbed against his hand affectionately. When Sang Ji saw this, the corners of his lips curved up, and his usually cold and ruthless phoenix eyes relaxed, becoming unusually clear, as if he were earnestly doing something childish.
This is completely different from his usual cold and calculating approach to weighing pros and cons; it's more like a young boy.
Liu Jiao's ears suddenly twitched, and her hand holding the needle and thread froze in place as she stared straight at Sang Ji.
She could clearly hear the heavy pounding of her own heartbeat.
This blatant gaze, staring for too long and too piercingly, startled the perceptive Sang Ji.
He noticed this, and suddenly turned his head, his beautiful black eyes lowered slightly, landing on Liu Jiao who was staring at him blankly, with a hint of confusion in them.
Wow, so beautiful...
Liu Jiao had only one thought in her mind.
Huff...huff, I can't breathe!
...
What is she doing?!
When Liu Jiao was caught peeping, she finally snapped out of her daze and immediately came to her senses.
Her face turned bright red instantly.
She quickly avoided his gaze.
Panic,
I'm just really panicking...
Liu Jiao's gaze immediately became unfocused, and she frantically searched for something, inexplicably trying to hide her staring at Sang Ji.
But the more panicked he became, the more at a loss he felt, and his face grew redder and redder until he looked like a boiled river shrimp.
Finally—
She slapped the embroidery basket filled with thread onto her face—
It blocked Sang Ji's naked gaze.
But the ball of thread in the embroidery basket was knocked off and smeared all over her face.
Then, the ball of yarn rolled all over the ground, making a mess, with some even spilling out of the yard.
It looked even more messy.
Liu Jiao: "..."
Heh, hehe.
Forget about the tangled yarn!
call……
She exhaled a breath of stale air.
My dear child, please don't jump!
Liu Jiao gripped the two corners of the embroidery basket tightly. Behind the basket, her eyes were closed and her teeth were clenched.
I was so ashamed and indignant that I wanted to die.
Fortunately, Sang Ji only glanced at her, stared at her tightly clenched white fingertips for a while, and then stopped making a sound.
A long time later.
Only then did Liu Jiao dare to peek out from behind the embroidery basket, revealing half an eye.
Sang Ji must have left, because his figure was nowhere to be seen.
For some reason, Liu Jiao, who should have breathed a sigh of relief, felt a sudden sense of loss.
The hero must have gotten annoyed by her staring at him, which is why he left.
Oh my, what are all these things?
She shook her head.
After calming down, she couldn't help but keep replaying Sang Ji's innocent expression in her mind.
For the first time, Liu Jiao realized that the seemingly fierce and intimidating Sang Daxia was actually just a seventeen-year-old boy.
I felt strange, a little sore, and a bit empathetic...
Why is he so full of bitterness and resentment at an age when others are letting their true nature shine through?
What did he go through?
The blush on her face hadn't faded yet, and she was secretly trying to calm herself down—
A kind-faced, white-haired old man, whose belly seemed to hold the weight of a scholar, walked towards Liu Jiao with a smile, waving a palm-leaf fan and chuckling as he went.
"This little wild child, already knows how to be shy? Hahaha!"
The old man joked.
Liu Jiao looked up and saw that it was the village chief.
In other words, the village chief saw her shy expression perfectly.
Liu Jiao: "..."
Her heart was completely dead.
She casually placed the embroidery basket on the ground, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and resolved to calm down.
A minute later, Liu Jiao's heart went from pounding wildly to being completely calm. After all, if it had been beating so hard for so long, she was not far from death.
Okay, it's back to normal!
She forced a bright smile and felt that life was wonderfully bright again.
So he opened his eyes without any guard up—
He met Sang Ji's beautiful phoenix eyes.
He was watching her. Sang Ji was holding the embroidery basket that Liu Jiao had placed on the ground. It was full of the balls of thread that Liu Jiao had dropped in her panic. Every single one of them was neatly picked up and put back into the embroidery basket by Sang Ji.
His breathing was light and quick. Noticing that Liu Jiao was stunned again, he leaned down slightly to meet her gaze and reminded her:
"Why are you still standing there?"
"Hold out your hand and take it."
His handsome face was magnified, revealing his striking good looks.
Liu Jiao's face, which had just calmed down, flushed bright red again.
So, so... the reason Sang Ji wasn't seen earlier wasn't because he left, but because he went to pick up the ball of yarn that had rolled out of the yard for her.
Urged on by him, Liu Jiao quickly reached out and hurriedly snatched the embroidered basket that Sang Ji offered.
Then, he jumped up from the stool and ran quickly into the house.
"Mother, Father, let me help you!"
While she was shouting, she tripped and fell.
...
Unexpectedly, Liu Jiao had just stepped into the kitchen with her left foot when her right foot was kicked out.
"Can't you see your uncle and aunt are talking? This is none of your business, get out!"
Father frowned, waved his hand, and slammed the door shut.
Liu Jiao: "..."
She was forced to turn around and came face to face with Sang Ji, who was standing straight in the doorway.
Sigh, there's no way to avoid it now.
She's the kind of person who faces difficulties head-on, because she seems to have been unlucky throughout her life.
If the difficulties are not resolved, she will be in a very bad situation.
Liu Jiao calmed down and walked straight towards Sang Ji.
Just then, the zongzi were put into the steamer, and the fragrance of zongzi leaves and rice filled the entire courtyard. Liu Jiao eagerly moved closer to Sang Ji and looked up at him.
Sang Ji lowered his head: "What are you doing?"
Liu Jiao made up an excuse: "I'll embroider mugwort patterns for you. Isn't today the Dragon Boat Festival?"
Before Sang Ji could agree, Liu Jiao had already started.
After all, Liu Jiao was already familiar with Sang Ji. His silence meant tacit agreement, and his lack of action meant consent.
Liu Jiao wanted to lay out a blanket and sit on the ground for him to embroider, but Sang Ji was particular and disliked the presence of insects. Seeing this, he simply picked up Liu Jiao and carried her up to the roof like a chick in no time.
Liu Jiao begins embroidery.
Sang Ji looked at the ruined hem of his shimmering brocade robe and sighed.
While embroidering the mugwort pattern, Liu Jiao felt that besides her heart pounding and scaring her, today also had some novel and pleasant experiences:
She discovered that,
Sang Ji was just a seventeen-year-old boy, and he didn't seem as cold-blooded and ruthless as one might imagine.
At such a young age, he exudes a murderous aura that strikes fear into people's hearts. He has become so strong; Liu Jiao thinks he must have gone through a lot of hardships.
He only occasionally reveals a hint of youthful energy.
He concealed his naivety in this way, severing himself like an octopus losing its legs, creating another bloody, terrifying, and dreadful appearance.
What exactly is his past?
She was very curious. While embroidering the pattern of mugwort in the light, she asked, "Great hero, I just saw that you were very nice to your little horse. You seemed like a seventeen-year-old boy. But when I see you, you are cold and aloof like a god of death."
Why hide your true nature and present yourself as cold-blooded and ruthless?
Liu Jiao hadn't expected Sang Ji to reply to her; she thought it would be nothing more than a perfunctory response.
After all, Sang Ji was used to being cold and distant towards her.
"Perhaps it's true, just as you say."
Sang Ji, unusually, replied seriously.
His brows and eyes looked weary in the setting sun, and his sharp features appeared somewhat soft; his clear voice sounded a little muffled.
“A man, from infancy, stood atop a high platform, showered with glory and honor… until one day, his parents told him he was a fake, and that all those who cared for him resented him and wanted to kill him—”
"He had no one he could trust, and his family wanted to kill him. He hated it, he wanted to live, so he had to become the strongest, at any cost."
Sang Ji changed the subject: "So, he is twisted, cruel, cold and ruthless, a living monster. He will kill anyone who provokes him, and he will kill anyone who dares to touch on this past."
As soon as he finished speaking, Sang Ji let out a cold sneer, his voice chilling and pointed, and his gaze toward Liu Jiao turned fierce.
That scared the little village girl to death.
You still dare to ask?
They really have a death wish.
Today it was him. If it were any other henchman or secret guard on a covert mission, Liu Jiao would have been reincarnated three times over if asked the same question.
But Liu Jiao completely missed the implied meaning, still savoring the conversation: "Wow...that's amazing! And then? How did it end?"
Sang Ji's fierce face froze for a moment.
But only for a moment, and he became fierce again, thinking that she might not have understood, and coldly uttered four words: "I'm talking about me."
With his narrow phoenix eyes and tall, imposing figure, anyone would be terrified.
Unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Liu Jiao's expression didn't turn to fear. Instead, after learning that this was Sang Ji's story, her expression instantly changed to one of heartache.
"Great hero, your past was so tragic! Waaah, I must embroider lots of clothes for you so you can stay warm!"
Sang Ji: "..."
He took a deep breath.
He finally understood; it was like casting pearls before swine.
Trying to scare her won't work at all.
"Aren't you afraid?" Sang Ji asked abruptly.
His voice sounded as if he were asking casually.
Liu Jiao said generously, "Great hero, what am I afraid of! Great hero, you are willing to tell me about your past, which, in my father's words, means you consider me a friend!"
"I'm so happy that you're willing to talk to me! I knew you not only don't dislike me, but you also like me!"
"Are you still scared? Think of this as a martial arts novel, hahaha!"
Liu Jiao laughed wildly, mercilessly mocking him, and slapped her thigh with glee.
Sang Ji: "..."
Liu Jiao gained a deeper understanding of Sang Ji.
Sang Daxia is like... like a wolf cub bluffing, so scary to protect himself, but actually soft-hearted.
Sang Ji glanced at her, her eyes crinkling as she smiled, revealing her slightly sharp little tiger teeth, and fell into deep thought.
He probably wanted to, or rather, had to, stop her from trying to get close to him.
He shouldn't have had any interaction with her at all.
He should have killed her when she touched on his private affairs, let alone his past or his name.
He shouldn't have...
"It's finished embroidering!" Liu Jiao lifted the hem of Sang Ji's skirt to show it off.
Liu Jiao's skills are beyond question; her work is as vivid as a painting, with each stitch meticulous and thoughtful, blending perfectly with the seemingly mismatched yet luxurious black dress.
Sang Ji rested one leg on the green tile, his left hand on his knee. Looking down closely, he saw the mugwort patterns shimmering with a layer of golden light.
His thoughts continued.
He should...
It shouldn't be like this...
But as the sun was setting, at its highest point, Sang Ji uttered the following words:
"Stop calling yourself a hero."
He gave his real name, saying, "My name is Sang Ji."
Liu Jiao was taken aback.
Her white teeth shrank slightly.
Her smile widened in an instant.
He took the initiative to tell her his real name!
Shouldn't she return the favor with a gift?
Even though Sang Ji already knew her name, Liu Jiao still coughed lightly twice, pretending to be serious, and replied:
“Sang…Ji! My name is Liu Jiao.”
A note from the author:
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