Chapter 19 The bamboo cart followed behind the whole time.
Is she inviting me...?
The snowman in the bamboo garden was quiet, just like Qiao Xi, who was quietly watching Morax at this moment. Her expression was so pure, so pure that it was not mixed with any extraneous thoughts. She just looked at him simply, her dark eyes clean and transparent.
Undeniably, Morax raised his hand slightly, but when the wind blew snowflakes onto Qiao Xi's fluttering eyelashes, he withdrew his hand.
The entire movement was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible. He lowered his eyes, his gaze calm, and gently shook his head at Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi blinked, and the cold snowflakes melted on her eyelashes. So Morax didn't want to pinch her face. Then why did she have the illusion that Morax was very interested in her face before?
Qiao Xi thought about the knowledge taught in biology class, and realized that perhaps her current thoughts were due to teenagers easily making too many connections. So she earnestly explained to Morax:
"Master Lishui called me a chubby girl before, and he and Sister Guizhong both liked to pinch my cheeks. Plus, today I stepped on your tail, and you were very unhappy. I thought it was because I was too fat. Of course, I know that as an immortal, being too fat might not look so beautiful..."
“Not fat,” Qiao Xi was interrupted by Morax before she could finish speaking. He looked at Qiao Xi very seriously, his voice flat and as if he were simply stating a fact objectively, “Very beautiful.”
very beautiful.
Qiao Xi stared blankly at Morax. The other party's words were so straightforward that she felt her face getting slightly hot.
Morax didn't pay much attention to that statement; to him, it was perhaps just stating a fact.
He asked Qiao Xi, "Shall we test drive the car?"
Qiao Xi felt that Morax seemed more concerned about whether the chain she made could function properly.
She snapped out of her reverie at how "beautiful" it was, nodded quickly, and then reached for the handlebars of her bicycle.
Because Morax was skeptical about the bicycle's stability, he kept his hand on the handlebars, so much so that when Qiao Xi lifted the bike over, their fingers brushed together.
Qiao Xi could only feel the texture of the Morax gloves.
But Morax touched the softness of Qiao Xi's palm.
He couldn't help but frown slightly, looking at Qiao Xi with some confusion.
Qiao Xi was completely oblivious to Morax's gaze; her entire focus was on the bicycle she had made by hand.
Because Morax was watching, she knew that Morax was Master Liuyun's boss, and that her handicraft lessons were taught by Master Liuyun.
Although Morax didn't think much of it, Qiao Xi had already equated this bicycle with the results of Master Liu Yun's usual teaching.
She couldn't embarrass Master Liuyun in front of Morax, after all, her mechanical skills were the best among all her subjects.
Morax couldn't understand why Qiao Xi suddenly had such a strange competitive spirit. He saw her straddle the bicycle with high spirits, lift her feet off the ground, and then the wheels slipped as if she was about to fall.
It's no wonder you slip when riding a handmade bamboo bicycle in the snow.
Qiao Xi felt a sudden sense of weightlessness. She quickly realized what was about to happen, so she closed her eyes tightly, preparing to fall to the ground. But she didn't fall as she expected.
Qiao Xi paused for a while, but the expected pain did not come. She carefully opened her eyes and looked back. Morax was holding onto the back seat of her car with one hand, looking at her with a slightly helpless expression.
Qiao Xi smiled at Morax.
This feeling is very familiar, like when I first learned to ride a bicycle as a child, with an elder supporting me from behind while I pedaled from the front.
Then Morax, carrying a bamboo basket in one hand and holding onto the back seat of the car with the other, slowly followed Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi carried a bamboo basket on her back and clumsily rode the bamboo bicycle.
The tire tracks were left in circles on the snow. Qiao Xi wobbled along, while Morax remained calm and composed.
He watched the girl as if she were a taming wild beast, carefully and attentively, until the beast became a docile pet.
Qiao Xi braked with one foot, took a deep breath, turned to look at Morax, and smiled, saying, "See, am I pretty amazing?"
“Very impressive.” Morax went along with it.
Qiao Xi smiled sheepishly as she got off her bicycle and said to Morax, "That's why I'm pretty good at mechanical arts."
Morax looked at her, his voice flat: "It's quite good."
His fingers still retained the sensation of being held by the back seat of the car, and then he calmly took in Qiao Xi's smile.
After receiving approval, Qiao Xi was very happy. She put away the car and said to Morax, "Shall we go find some ingredients now? Let's not delay the barbecue tonight."
In fact, such gatherings are not something that Morax, someone of his status, needs to worry about too much. He only needs to attend at the end. However, sometimes his presence can put pressure on some people present, so he sometimes chooses to decline.
Therefore, neither the equipment nor the ingredients for the barbecue are things he needs to worry about.
But when Qiao Xi came to him, he felt he shouldn't let the girl down.
Morax nodded: "Aren't you going by bike?"
Qiao Xi: "It's obvious that I'm not very skilled yet. It's more practical to walk than to ride this thing."
Morax said, "I can help you like I did before."
Qiao Xi didn't want Morax to see through her lack of skill in mechanical arts. If she really wanted to travel by bicycle, she would wait until she was completely proficient before doing so. She couldn't let Morax help her all the way.
So Qiao Xi put on a rather righteous and awe-inspiring look and said to Morax, "No need to bother, walking is good for your health."
Morax had no idea what the girl was talking about, but since she wanted to leave, he would follow.
*
The two walked down the mountain path on the south side of Tianheng Mountain. Qiao Xi held a bamboo pole and poked at the thick snow, making a footprint with each step. The cold wind made her face flushed. She walked in front.
Morax followed behind, watching Qiao Xi poking around with a bamboo pole.
Qiao Xi muttered to herself, "My bamboo pole is so sturdy, I don't know where Jin Lan got her superhuman strength from, it broke while I was fishing."
After hearing this, Morax paused slightly, seemingly lost in thought, but did not respond.
Qiao Xi continued, "Jin Lan said he was going to pick strawberries before he left, but he didn't tell me he was leaving."
She walked and talked with her back to Morax, then stopped abruptly, paused, and turned around.
The entire action was so sudden that Morax didn't have time to react and almost crashed into it head-on.
Qiao Xi suddenly realized that her behavior was somewhat inappropriate and was slightly taken aback.
Morax stopped in time, keeping his distance from the girl, looking at her with a hint of helplessness and a slight frown.
Qiao Xi gave an awkward laugh and quickly explained, "So I wanted to ask if you're alright right now?"
Morax shook his head: "No."
Qiao Xi nodded: "In that case, Jin Lan's sudden departure shouldn't be a big problem."
She smiled at Morax.
After a brief pause, Morax quickly hummed in agreement.
Qiao Xi then said, "Can I invite Jin Lan to the barbecue tonight? He's my best friend in the world."
She spoke very sincerely, and her eyes were also very sincere, sparkling like a fawn hiding in a snowy forest foraging for food. She was wrapped in a bright red cloak, which made her face look so white.
The fingertips, which were nervously clutching the hem of her clothes, glowed pink in the cold wind.
It's like a piece of crystal that could break at any moment with just a little force.
Morax lowered his eyes for a moment, then looked up and nodded to Qiao Xi.
A promise is made without a word.
Qiao Xi smiled.
*
Strawberries grow abundantly near the riverside bushes; the winter strawberries here are mostly white with a hint of pink.
Qiao Xi, carrying a basket on her back, stood in the middle, looking quite surprised.
She leaned over a strawberry, took a deep sniff, but it didn't have the strawberry aroma she had expected, so she just plucked it off.
She wiped the strawberry on the hem of her dress, opened her mouth, and was about to eat it when she suddenly remembered that Morax was still beside her. So she paused, then held up the strawberry and offered it to Morax.
"Would you like to eat first?"
Morax looked at the unwashed strawberries in front of him with slight disdain and shook his head.
Qiao Xi didn't care; it was just a polite formality anyway. Since the other party refused, she didn't hesitate to put it in her mouth. After chewing a few times, she suddenly frowned and said, "It's so sour."
Seeing her like this, Morax suppressed the urge to laugh. In his memory, the strawberries in this area were sweet, but coincidentally, this girl had picked a big, sour one.
He said, "Let's pick some first."
Qiao Xi swallowed the remaining strawberry in her mouth with difficulty and nodded.
Strawberries being sour is one thing, but picking them is another.
Despite her initial impression that the strawberries here were sour, Qiao Xi couldn't stop picking them once she started.
She picked the big, red ones without hesitation and put them in the basket. In no time, the bottom of the basket was full.
Morax followed behind her, watching her hardworking back, and couldn't help but frown. He thought, "Isn't this girl complaining about the sourness?"
Morax crossed his arms and looked at Qiao Xi with curiosity.
After Qiao Xi finished picking a bunch of fruit, she turned around and saw Morax following her closely.
She shook the basket behind her, feeling there were quite a few, then leaned closer to Morax: "You picked quite a lot too, didn't you?"
As she spoke, she reached out to look.
Morax was so tall that she could barely see him even when she stood on tiptoe.
She got too close, so Morax had no choice but to take the basket down and place it in front of Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi said "thank you" and looked on expectantly.
The basket was empty; there was nothing inside.
Qiao Xi couldn't help but wonder as she looked at Morax.
Morax glanced leisurely at the basket behind Qiao Xi.
He said, "We have to leave one empty so we can pick something else."
Qiao Xi blinked.
Morax also blinked.
Looking at Qiao Xi's face, his fingers, which were hanging at his sides, twitched almost imperceptibly, and then he said:
"Let's go, there will be some matsutake mushrooms and other mushrooms ahead."
A note from the author:
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I'll be updating every day at midnight from now on. See you tomorrow!
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