Chapter 107 Springtime Confusion (15) When the mood is high, it's easy to act hastily...
Woodworking workshop in the east of the city.
The fresh scent of wood shavings mingled with the aroma of tung oil, filling the air.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the carved window lattices, casting slanted beams of light amidst the floating wood dust.
The walls were covered with various saws and planes, and in the corner were piles of semi-finished wood. Several apprentices were working on a rosewood table.
Song Qiling lifted the hem of her dress, carefully avoiding the few pieces of wood scattered on the ground, and went inside.
Behind the counter, the shopkeeper was working on his abacus. Hearing the noise, he looked up and immediately put on a smile: "Oh, young master, what would you like to buy?"
Song Qiling looked around, her gaze sweeping over the half-finished tables and chairs, and casually replied, "I want to buy a bed. It doesn't need to be too complicated, just a regular one will do."
"Beds? Of course we have them. We have many different styles. Please follow me, sir." The shopkeeper led the way enthusiastically, taking the opportunity to quickly sized up Song Qiling.
The young man's clothes were made of crisp fabric and had an elegant color. Although he was dressed in ordinary clothes, he was very handsome. The jade pendant with a qilin hanging at his waist was as smooth as mutton fat and was obviously very valuable.
He must be a young master who keeps a low profile.
He glanced back again and noticed that there was another person following behind this man.
But then they saw a tall and imposing figure, dressed in a brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist. His autumn-colored outer robe was embroidered with cloud patterns, exuding an air of nobility. When his dark eyes swept over them, it inexplicably made one's heart tighten.
Why would two men come to choose a bed?
Could it be... that's an unusual relationship?
The boss thought to himself, but his smile widened: "This way, please, both of you."
Once inside, there were even more beds of all kinds.
The shopkeeper walked straight to a large nanmu bed and patted the bed frame forcefully: "Young master, what do you think of this one? It's made of nanmu wood, the material is solid, and the workmanship is sturdy. Look at the width, there's more than enough room for two people to sleep in. They can even roll around without bumping into each other..."
As he spoke, his gaze seemed to casually sweep between Song Qiling and Gu Lianzhou behind her.
Song Qiling reached out and touched the bedpost, then asked in confusion, "I'm sleeping alone, why do I need it to be so wide?"
She tapped the bed frame with her finger. "It sounds pretty sturdy, but it's a bit too big and doesn't quite match my little shabby room."
The shopkeeper was taken aback by the question, chuckled twice, leaned closer, lowered his voice, and a knowing smile appeared on his face: "Young man, you may not know this, but some things... when you're in the mood, you might act a little hastily. If this bed is too small and unstable, making creaking noises, wouldn't that spoil the fun?"
He spoke subtly, yet thought he had conveyed his meaning, and even winked meaningfully at Song Qiling.
Song Qiling was even more confused: "Interest? What interest do you need to sleep for?"
Do you mean I have to practice boxing before bed?
She felt that the man's words were cryptic and couldn't help but frown slightly. "Shopkeeper, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Ah? It's just... it's just..." The boss's face was almost red. He didn't expect that this young man, who looked so intelligent, would be so naive. He was speechless for a moment and stammered, not knowing how to respond.
Just as they were hesitating, Gu Lianzhou, who had been standing to the side with his arms crossed, seemingly looking at the tool diagrams hanging on the wall, turned around and said in a low but clear voice, "He means that this bed is for couples."
After a brief pause, she added casually, "Couples with bad sleeping habits."
As he finished speaking, he looked at his boss with calm, unwavering eyes, yet with a sharp, warning edge that seemed to pierce through flesh and reach the unfathomable depths of the heart.
Song Qiling: "..."
When did she give her boss the wrong impression?
"Senior brother," Gu Lianzhou called softly, "A place to stay temporarily, with just a tatami mat, is fine. There's no need for all this trouble."
The shop suddenly fell into a deathly silence.
The shopkeeper paused for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant and shrugged off, "Oh, I see, I see! I was overthinking it and didn't consider things carefully. We have single couches, all over here, the materials are just as good and the workmanship is exquisite."
After saying that, he hurriedly led them to the other side.
Song Qiling glanced back at the large bed and muttered to herself, clearly still pondering the boss's puzzling words.
Gu Lianzhou had already turned aside to clear a woodworking table for her, and said softly, "Senior brother, pick a simple one, and have them send it over later."
“Okay.” Song Qiling nodded and followed the shopkeeper to the area where single couches were placed.
-
Although it took some effort, they managed to get the job done. The two headed back while the sun was still high and went into a teahouse.
It is said that teahouses are the voice of a city; countless stories are left behind by wanderers from all over the world who pass through.
Now, nearly a month has passed since the Prince of Kainan's residence was opened, and the secrets of the Prince's residence that happened at the birthday banquet have already spread among the people.
"It's said that a guest was injured by a demon that day and his whereabouts are still unknown. The King of Nancheng also suffered some kind of blow. After dismissing everyone, he shut himself in and didn't come out. Even his son's marriage was affected and temporarily put on hold... Hey, what's going on?"
Song Qiling paused in her sunflower seed-eating, and couldn't help but ask, "What about the demon's whereabouts?"
"The demon... of course it's dead, only an empty shell remains. It was tied up by the guards in the manor and awaited the prince's disposal. Who knew that when the prince saw it, he angrily rebuked everyone, snatched the corpse, and refused to let anyone else get close."
Song Qiling lowered her eyes and hummed in response.
All of this was exactly what she had expected.
Zhao Yu, under the influence of some unknown person, fed Zhao Luan that extremely poisonous pill. If his junior brother had not intervened in time, Zhao Luan would probably have already transformed into a full-fledged demon, and who knows what kind of bloody storm would have engulfed her.
Thinking of this, Song Qiling picked up her teacup and took a sip. The thought that Zhao Luan's body was still in the South City Prince's Mansion made her feel uneasy again.
What exactly is Zhao Yu planning to do?
And then there was Chu Yue, whom they treated as an honored guest…
He was nowhere to be seen at the banquet. Where did he go? And what role did he play?
For a moment, she felt as if she were shrouded in a thick fog that she could not dispel, secrets surging like undercurrents, while she could only touch the shallow surface.
It felt as if a huge rock was lodged in her chest, preventing her from finding relief no matter what she did...
Now she faces two paths: one is to openly visit her blood-related "uncle" through the main gate of the Prince's Mansion, confess her background, and then be detained or expelled by him as a madwoman.
Secondly, they found Chu Yue, questioned him about the truth of what happened back then, and were then taken back to the Tianji Sect by him.
"..."
No matter how you look at it, both of these methods are incredibly stupid.
Unloved by her father and mother, she was like a rootless duckweed. It was Chu Yue's "compassion" that gave her a second life, and it was also Chu Yue who... step by step turned Zhao Luan into a creature that was neither human nor ghost.
Now she walks alone in the world, with no one behind her.
Is it really only oneself that one can completely trust?
Amidst her turbulent thoughts, her gaze inadvertently drifted to Gu Lianzhou across from her, and suddenly froze.
This junior brother she picked up stayed by her side from beginning to end. It seemed that from the start, no matter what she did, he was always there for her, quiet but impossible to ignore.
What did she do to deserve his devoted treatment?
Lost in thought, the tea in the cup was already gone.
Gu Lianzhou naturally lifted the teapot, gently supported the cup with one hand, and slowly poured in the fresh tea.
The clear tea soup rippled gently, and the rising steam brushed against her cheeks, bringing a delicate and warm, ticklish sensation.
Song Qiling twitched her nose, took a soft breath, and involuntarily looked up along those long, well-defined fingers.
The young, handsome man's gaze was fixed intently on the teapot, his eyes lowered, his expression solemn as if he were performing an extremely devout task.
He was so focused that it was as if the surrounding disturbances had nothing to do with him.
"Bang bang—"
My heart skipped a beat for no reason.
As if sensing something, her junior brother looked up, his dark eyes staring straight at her, startling her so much that she instinctively shrank back and hurriedly looked away.
"Senior brother, what are you thinking about?" he asked in a low voice, and his words made her feel inexplicably guilty.
Song Qiling hurriedly picked up the cup of fresh tea, brought it to her lips, and said in a muffled voice, "I'm thinking about some... things that can't be said."
This means they are unwilling to disclose it.
Gu Lianzhou smiled helplessly, listening to the noisy voices around him, and looked down at his feet.
Evil spirits permeated the streets and alleys of the city.
The dodder quietly stretched out, sensing an unusual aura. It split off a few strands, which, like fine streams flowing into the sea, disappeared into the dark crowd in an instant.
Since returning to the South City, in just two days, the burning, agonizing fire of hunger had quietly died down.
What he found strange was...
He looked up into the void.
These rampant demonic energies seem to originate from the same source...
Is it a coincidence, or was it done intentionally?
-
After drinking until their stomachs were full, and having packed some snacks, the two headed towards Lake Stone Alley.
As the sun began to set and the sky gradually turned a dusky yellow, the shadow of the old locust tree at the alley entrance stretched long and thin. Wisps of smoke rose from several chimneys, and the faint aroma of cooking wafted through the air.
After waiting in the house for about half an hour, the rumbling sound of a carriage came from outside the door. Song Qiling opened the door to greet them and saw a cart parked outside, carrying disassembled elm wood bed boards tightly bound with hemp rope.
An older porter was wiping his sweat when he saw the man come out. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Sir, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. I had a lot of work today, which took some time."
"It's alright, thank you both for your trouble." Song Qiling stepped aside to make way.
Two porters responded and deftly carried the disassembled bed frame and heavy bed boards into the house one by one.
Gu Lianzhou carefully pointed out the direction: "Excuse me, this way please, watch out for the threshold."
Once the bed frame was securely placed against the east wall of the bedroom, the porter received his reward and drove away.
After watching the person leave, Song Qiling returned to her bedroom, took off her shoes and socks, stepped onto the bed, gently stepped on a few key support points, and then stepped on the bed a couple more times with a little more force. The bed then made a few dull and solid creaking sounds.
"It's fairly stable." She jumped out of bed, her gaze sweeping over the empty bed frame, lost in thought.
As dusk deepened, the chirping of insects still disturbed my ears.
As the weather grew hotter and mosquitoes multiplied, the days without a bed curtains became unbearable. Although she was only staying there temporarily, she didn't want to make do with her daily life.
You need a good night's sleep to live a good life.
Not as good as...
I'll go cut a bed curtain tomorrow.
"Senior brother, someone is looking for you outside." Gu Lianzhou returned, his gaze sweeping over his senior brother's bare instep before pausing abruptly.
After a moment, he looked up at Song Qiling, whose expression remained unchanged, and frowned slightly. "The ground is cold; how can you walk barefoot?"
Before she could respond, he strode forward, pressed her back onto the bed, and squatted down to get her shoes and socks.
"I'll do it!" Song Qiling acted quickly, getting there first. Before he knew it, he broke out in a cold sweat. After he had quickly put on his shoes and socks, he saw his junior brother squatting in front of him, looking distracted and refusing to stand up.
Song Qiling: "?"
For no apparent reason, a strange feeling rose from the bottom of my heart.
My junior brother seems... not very happy.
Was it because she was barefoot?
Surely not?
She couldn't help but ask tentatively, "Who's looking for me?"
Then Gu Lianzhou frowned, his voice unusually cold: "...It's Miss Wan, she seems very worried about you."
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