Chapter 68 Who gave you the keychain?
Having taken the morning off, Shen Mi left the driving school close to noon and had lunch at Xingchahai Central Hub. With her newly acquired driver's license tucked in her arms, she set off on her journey back to Shence Mansion in a lighthearted mood.
As she stepped through the gates of the mansion, Chen Mi's steps were almost light and skipping. Thinking of what Master Bai Xuan had said that morning—that she could bring friends along to the Spring Bathing Festival—she couldn't wait to tell Jing Yuan this good news as soon as possible.
She looked around but didn't see Jing Yuan. Just as she was about to approach the Yunqi soldiers on duty ahead and ask, "Is the general here?", a familiar figure suddenly appeared in the corridor not far away.
Qingcu crouched down and peeked out from behind the pillar, making a "quiet" gesture while waving vigorously at Chen Mi, signaling for him to come quickly.
Completely bewildered, Chen Mi walked towards her with a hint of confusion. As soon as he got close, he asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Before she could finish speaking, Qingcu suddenly reached out and covered Shen Mi's mouth with her hand. The force wasn't great, but the attitude was firm. Shen Mi's eyes widened, and before she could react, she was gently dragged to the end of a secluded corridor.
Although Shen Mi did not struggle or resist along the way, she was completely unprepared. Being dragged along with her mouth covered for a few steps still made her cheeks flush red, and her eyes were full of questions and confusion.
Once he was sure no one was around, Qingcu let go of his hand, breathed a sigh of relief, and said in a low voice, "Phew... It's safe now."
While gently rubbing her chin, Shen Mi glared at her and said, "What are you doing? You scared me."
Qingcu didn't answer. Instead, she blinked, looking mysterious, and took a half step closer, saying in a voice only the two of them could hear, "I just came from the front. The general is... sleeping right now!"
"Sleep?" Shen Mi subconsciously raised his voice, his tone carrying a hint of disbelief.
She lightly touched the ground with her toes and almost instinctively leaped towards the main hall, her eyes gleaming as if some treasure was buried there.
I've never seen a sleeping white cat before.
Qingcu immediately raised his hand and made a "shh" gesture: "Keep your voice down! Do you want the whole Shence Prefecture to know that he's taking a nap?"
After saying that, I saw that Shen Mi's eyes were shining and his whole being was full of excitement and eagerness.
Qingcu raised an eyebrow, couldn't help but click her tongue, and teased with a sidelong glance, "You've lived with the general for so long, haven't you even seen him sleeping?"
Shen Mi: "...Stop fooling around." Her ears turned red, but her voice was so soft it was almost like a mosquito's buzz.
Her face flushed, and her heart skipped a beat: "We just live under the same roof, we don't sleep in the same room."
Shen Mi spoke in a serious tone, but the more he explained, the softer his voice became, until in the end he was almost muttering to himself with his head down.
Qingcu laughed so hard her shoulders were shaking: "Oh, you're being quite serious. But the way you looked just now, you clearly had the desire but not the courage!"
Shen Mi glared at her: "Don't talk nonsense."
"Okay, okay, I won't talk about it anymore." Qingcu raised her hands in surrender, but her tone was still mischievous. "But if you really want to see, it's not impossible. Wait until he's been busy for a few more days and hasn't had a good rest. Maybe he'll fall asleep on the sofa at home. Then when you come home, you'll find a sleeping beauty lying on the sofa. You can stand three steps away from him and see as much as you want openly."
Chen Mi, feeling both embarrassed and angry, punched her lightly: "Qing Cu!"
Qingcuo, after being punched, didn't dodge but laughed even more unrestrainedly: "Oh dear, you're hitting people now? Looks like you've hit the nail on the head?"
Shen Mi turned her face away in embarrassment and annoyance, her cheeks as red as ripe apples, but she still stubbornly said, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're the one who wants to see Sleeping Beauty."
"You don't want to see?" Qingcu blinked. "How many people have been waiting outside the Shence Mansion, offering huge sums of money for a close-up photo of the general's face? You're not tempted? I don't believe it."
Shen Mi opened her mouth, wanting to retort, but the words wouldn't come out. She could only glare at her angrily and embarrassedly: "...You're so annoying."
"Oh, oh, oh, then don't accept a gift from someone as annoying as me." Qingcu took out a beautifully wrapped gift box from her pocket and waved it in front of Chen Mi, showing it off from side to side.
"What is this?!" Shen Mi snatched the box, glanced at Qing Cu with annoyance, and then looked down at the gift box.
The gift box wasn't big; a neatly tied bow about the size of a thumb was tied around the edge. The wrapping paper was light-colored, with a pale pink background and gold ripples. A small greeting card with the words "Congratulations on getting your certificate" was also pasted on the corner.
"It was custom-made, and I just received it today," Qingcu said proudly. "Don't let its small size fool you, it's very practical. Want to open it and take a look?"
Shen Mi carefully opened the gift box, and inside was a miniature Starship keychain. The design was adorable, almost a 1:1 scale replica of Shen Mi's appearance; in modern terms, it was a three-dimensional human head. The only difference was that this one was carved from wood.
Shen Mi took out the keychain and played with it in her hand. The warm, smooth texture of the wood made her palm feel comfortable. It was small, but the carving was incredibly exquisite. Not only was the hair extremely realistic, but the expression was also vivid and lifelike. She wondered who had drawn the design. She leaned closer to examine it and was surprised to find that even the ear piercing next to her ear, which she had almost forgotten about, had been carved out.
"...Who drew these blueprints?" she murmured softly, as if asking herself, but couldn't help looking up at Qingcu.
Qingcu pretended to look around at the scenery, then said in a serious tone, keeping everyone in suspense, "How would I know? It's probably something Master improvised."
"Oh?" Shen Mi said skeptically, her tone rising slightly, "That's incredibly precise! They even carved my ear piercing! Are you sure the carpenter didn't secretly take a picture of me?"
Qingcu coughed lightly, then smiled brightly: "Alright, alright, I won't tease you anymore. This is a gift we've given you together."
"You guys?" Shen Mi's eyes widened slightly, his tone carrying a hint of surprise.
Qingcu smiled smugly, standing ramrod straight with his arms crossed: "Of course, such exquisite workmanship cannot be done with a small amount of money, I would not dare to take the job for free. I found a sculptor, the general drew the design, the general provided the funding, and Yu Tie did the legwork."
Shen Mi was taken aback, her reaction slow: "...Who did you say drew the picture?"
“General,” Qingcu said matter-of-factly, “where else do you think those blueprints came from? Who among us would dare to get so close and draw while staring at your ears? He drew them in great detail, and even marked which side of your ears you have pierced.”
Shen Mi stood there, stunned, as if he had been suddenly struck by a magic acupoint, even his breathing became lighter.
"Jingyuan...?"
Qingcu clicked her tongue and gave him a look that said, "You finally realized it." "How about that? Surprised? Let me tell you, he drew that picture so seriously. He kept saying modestly, 'I might not be very good at it,' but it turned out to be quite good. You were stunned."
Shen Mi looked down at the keychain in her palm. The cute face on the small wooden carving was smiling sweetly, but for some reason, her heart suddenly started pounding.
She said softly, a little embarrassed, "He... he not only drew the drawings, but he also paid for them?"
"With the General's intervention, the budget went directly from the standard model to a custom-made one," Qingcu said, gesturing excitedly. "Otherwise, with our meager salaries, how could we possibly afford it? But we both contributed money, though the majority went to the General; we each took five percent."
Shen Mi didn't speak for a moment, only feeling as if the wooden sculpture on his fingertips was being burned, warm and hot.
After a long silence, she softly said, "...Qingcu, thank you, it's really beautiful! I love it!"
Shen Mi smiled, her mood seemingly lifted up and swaying gently in the afternoon breeze.
Qingcu smiled and said, "I'm glad you like it!" Then, she lowered her voice and started gossiping, "By the way, what were you looking for the general about just now?"
Shen Mi carefully put the keychain back into the gift box and replied in a light tone, "Isn't the Spring Bathing Festival coming soon? I'd like to invite the General to go on an outing together..."
Upon hearing this, Qingcu's eyes widened immediately, and the corners of her mouth quickly curled up as if she had heard some earth-shattering secret: "Oh my, Chenmi, this isn't an invitation—this is a date, isn't it?"
Shen Mi's face flushed red when she saw through her words, even her neck turned red: "No way! It was a group outing, a spring outing, you know? It was with my classmates and teachers from Xingcha Driving School, it wasn't a date..."
Qingcu let out an "Oh—" sound, drawing out the last syllable. While she was teasing, she did have a question: "Is your Xingcha Driving School really that good? They even have field trips!"
Shen Mi nodded: "The driving school instructor and the general are old acquaintances. The night I finished my test, he even asked someone to bring me a bunch of gifts, although I think it was probably because of the general."
Qingcu said "Oh" and nodded. Since he knew the general, it was not surprising.
Shen Mi paused for a moment, then added, "It was originally just an internal activity of the driving school, but then Master Bai Xuan said that friends could be invited, so I thought... why don't we ask the General if he's not busy and can come and relax with us?"
Qingcu usually deals with documents, and over time she developed a professional habit of being particularly sensitive to names. Upon hearing that familiar name, she involuntarily paused for a second, several pages of files flashing through her mind.
But then she dismissed the idea—Luofu is so big, with tens of thousands of people, there are plenty of people with the same name or similar pronunciation, and even if they have the same name, it doesn't necessarily mean they are the person she is thinking of.
So she said, "According to past practice, the general should be on duty at the Shence Mansion, but—" She paused, glanced at Chen Mi out of the corner of her eye, and smiled faintly, "This year you're here, so maybe things will be different."
“However, the general is taking a nap right now…” Qingcu revealed a sly expression, leaned down and whispered in Shen Mi’s ear, “If you do this… you’ll give the general a surprise.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Mi frowned slightly and said hesitantly, "But...won't this take up public resources?"
Qingcu patted Chen Mi on the shoulder and comforted him, "It's alright. Only you, me, and the general know about this. Besides, it's not a big deal. No one will make a fuss about it."
After thinking about it, Shen Mi realized that Qing Cu's method was indeed more ceremonial.
"Okay, I'll send it over in a bit."
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Author's Note: I'm almost out of drafts, and I've been stuck on the plot lately... I can't write anything... The crucial plot point is coming up soon. [Okay][Okay][Okay]
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