Chapter 24 The Fledgling Complex "Next year, I'll give you an osmanthus tree..."
"New...new knowledge?"
The burning campfire still flickered in the wind, casting its light on the cold, desolate forest. The fallen leaves made the bare woods seem quiet, and even the wind could hardly make a sound.
Qiao Xi tilted her head back, blinked her big eyes, and stared intently at Morax.
By the dim light of the fire, Morax calmly observed the little girl's every move. She saw the slight tremor in Qiao Xi's throat and the trembling of her raven-feather eyelashes, perhaps simply because the wind was moving.
Morax gave a curt "Mmm" and then said directly, "Lie Ruxun..."
Before he could finish speaking, Qiao Xi stepped forward and covered Morax's mouth with her foot.
Her warm palm touched his lips, much warmer than the marks she had left on the teacup, and with a hint of roasted fruit aroma—it must have been something she had tossed into the campfire not long ago while telling a story.
In the dim, faint firelight, she tried her best to hide her shame through her obvious expression, but she couldn't conceal the blush on her face.
Morax looked down at her, his breath, carrying a faint woody scent, landed on Qiao Xi's palm. The warmth of his breath was moist, as were his lips.
Qiao Xi's fingers trembled slightly as she moved her hand away.
Morax looked at her without saying a word.
Qiao Xi lowered her head, feeling extremely distressed. She wanted to find a cliff to jump off. She tried her best to review what she had said to Jin Lan, but it couldn't even pass the review. How did Morax hear it?
“Morax,” Qiao Xi uttered softly from her throat.
“Hmm?” Morax looked at her.
"Could you," Qiao Xi looked up, her eyes filled with helplessness, like a fawn caught in the jaws of a leopard, "pretend you didn't hear anything?"
The wind howled between the two, and the campfire crackled as it burned the dry branches. Soon, the branches burned out, and the forest returned to darkness. At that moment, the light snow began to fall, obscuring their faces and allowing them only to hear the rise and fall of their breaths.
Perhaps, not long ago, Morax would have nodded in agreement under her gaze, since he didn't want to meddle too much in other people's affairs.
But now, with the fire extinguished, he couldn't look at Qiao Xi's face and say those things he should have said, those grand and dignified words.
“No, I have a good memory,” Morax said.
Upon hearing this answer, Qiao Xi sighed softly. She felt incredibly ashamed and filled with regret. Why hadn't she gone back to look at him when she was saying those words to Jin Lan? It was truly embarrassing.
She almost blurted out, "I wish I didn't know you."
The sound fell quietly in the wind, in the snow, and in the extinguished campfire that still lingered with the smell of smoke.
Qiao Xi knew that if it weren't for Morax, she wouldn't know where she was right now, so no matter how you looked at it, this statement was very unreasonable.
She thought Morax would lecture her.
But Morax said after a moment, "I promise you."
Because he heard a slight sob in Qiao Xi's voice, a hint of anxiety.
So I thought to myself: Never mind.
Qiao Xi blinked; she couldn't see Morax's face clearly.
Seeing that she remained silent, Morax waited a long time before finally asking her in an extremely calm and teasing tone, "What's wrong? Why are you so quiet? Did you get too engrossed in telling the story?"
Qiao Xi paused, her face instantly flushing in the night: "Didn't you say you forgot?"
Morax: "Oh, I forgot about that now."
Qiao Xi rubbed her face and muttered, "Don't go back on your promises; that's the spirit of a contract."
Morax didn't reply to her question. Only after a while, following another light snowfall, did he say to her:
"Go home."
*
Qiao Xi followed Morax silently. To be honest, she felt like crying. Morax was her elder, much older than her, and the boss of both her masters.
Thinking of this, Qiao Xi forcefully crossed out the word "boss" in her mind, because Morax did not allow her to call him "boss".
Despite Morax's assurance that he was willing to pretend to forget about it, Qiao Xi was still upset. She found it hard to convince herself that Morax hadn't heard those things.
Especially since Morax just said he learned something new.
Qiao Xi understood that these dramatic events from her world would likely shatter Morax's worldview.
With such a complex story, where would he begin to find it unacceptable?
Qiao Xi knew that Jin Lan was very accepting, and he was also very familiar with Qiao Xi, so they both knew what kind of death the other would have.
But Morax, she wasn't so familiar with; her image as a good student had already been shattered once, and now it was completely destroyed.
She was depressed.
*
As the two emerged from the woods, the light shone through as the trees disappeared, and Qiao Xi was finally able to make out the outline of Morax's back.
She was someone he picked up. In these five months, she went from feeling out of place to adapting, from breaking down to finding peace, from missing home to making this place her home, from being all alone to having friends and family.
As time passed and the seasons changed, she watched the fields turn from lush green to golden yellow, and the mountains go from being verdant with vegetation to a state of dormancy.
Morax only returned once. According to the comics Qiao Xi had read, their relationship should have developed into a complex one. But now, it's only briefly mentioned.
The first person she saw when she came into this world was not her so-called husband, nor any random passerby, but Morax.
She didn't know if this counted as a chick fetish, but whenever she saw Morax's back, she could always feel a long-lost sense of familiarity.
Unfortunately, during their second encounter, she allowed him to overhear those conversations.
Qiao Xi felt increasingly disappointed.
Morax noticed something was wrong with the person behind him. In his memory, Qiao Xi loved to talk, even if it was something childish or meaningless.
But now, it's so quiet.
When a snowflake landed on Qiao Xi's face, Morax turned around.
Their eyes met.
He looked into Qiao Xi's eyes.
Qiao Xi asked almost instinctively, "Did you forget your things?"
“Hmm.” Morax nodded in agreement.
Qiao Xi tilted her head: "Then you go get it, I'll go back by myself."
In the dim light of the snowy night, her cheeks were clean and white, but they always seemed to be filled with unspoken thoughts.
Morax took a step forward, stood in front of Qiao Xi, and suddenly said, "Are you sad?"
Qiao Xi shook her head: "No, I'm sunny and cheerful."
Morax listened to her lies, glancing down at her for a moment. Snow fell on her clothes; she hadn't brought an umbrella today, and her clothes would soon be soaked. When the snow melted, she might get cold.
“Qiao Xi,” Morax said.
Qiao Xi looked up at Morax. "You called me?"
Morax frowned; they were even using the formal "you" now.
"Are you cold?" he asked.
Qiao Xi shook her head.
Morax: "Let's change the answer."
Qiao Xi's fingers curled slightly. She frowned gently, not quite understanding, but obediently.
"Morax, I'm cold."
Morax's lips twitched slightly. He stretched out a hand, and a faint golden light slanted from his palm in the night. In a short while, a bright red cloak appeared in Morax's hand.
Qiao Xi recognized it; it was the one she had left in the cave, the one with Master Liu Yun's immortal magic. She had entered and left the cave many times, but had never thought to take it.
Qiao Xi was slightly stunned. On this snowy night, looking at Morax, she didn't know what to say for a moment.
Without pausing, Morax opened his cloak and naturally draped it over Qiao Xi's shoulders.
"Tie it yourself." He took his hands away.
Qiao Xi listened to Morax and tied the tie at her collar.
The two capes were draped together, making them look round and bulging.
Morax looked at her slender, white fingers and said, "When you came to see me last time, you saw them on your way out, so I brought them with me."
Qiao Xi tied a knot in her shoelaces, which was hardly aesthetically pleasing. She wore her school uniform for three years of high school, getting up at 5:30 in the morning and going to bed at 11:00 at night. She was lucky if she could even tie her hair in a ponytail, let alone have time to study how to tie a bow.
Morax looked at her ugly knot and looked away.
Qiao Xi said to him, "Don't you think I'm weird?"
Morax didn't speak. He raised his hand and gently brushed the snow off Qiao Xi's head.
After the snow fell again, he looked at Qiao Xi again and said, "No."
Qiao Xi: "You really won't forget, right?"
Morax frowned slightly as he thought about what Qiao Xi had said.
"Yes." He nodded.
Qiao Xi: "Then..."
Before he could finish speaking, Morax interrupted, "It's late, go back to sleep. I'll take you."
Qiao Xi stopped talking about that matter and nodded.
The two walked in silence to the bamboo garden. Qiao Xi said goodbye to Morax and was about to go back when Morax called her back.
"Qiao Xi." His voice was as calm as the sound of falling snow.
"Is something the matter?" Qiao Xi asked, leaning against the doorframe.
Morax said, "Leave today's problems to today. Tomorrow is a new day, and I will still be watching over you."
Qiao Xi paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded vigorously: "Goodnight, Morax."
Morax laughed too.
*
Qiao Xi woke up around four in the morning. She hadn't slept very well that night; in fact, she hadn't been sleeping very well since the beginning of winter.
In contrast to her was Jinlan, whose sleep quality was always exceptionally good. Apart from the horns of the Thousand Rock Army, almost nothing could wake him from his sleep.
But tonight, he also found it unusually difficult to sleep soundly.
The reason he couldn't sleep was not because Morax had heard the stories Qiao Xi told, but because after he calmed down and lay in bed, he suddenly savored some sweet moments between Qiao Xi and the Emperor that night.
Jinlan rested his hands behind his head, crossed his legs, and pondered. In his view, the Emperor's personality had always been as steadfast as a rock, the kind that wouldn't show his emotions outwardly. In other words, even if, by some chance, the Emperor were to get together with Qiao Xi, he wouldn't easily speak up, even if the Emperor wanted to do something strange.
Jinlan frowned, her mind racing, and shifted her leg to the other side. As for Qiaoxi, she gave the impression of being a harmless chubby rabbit, but she also knew a lot, so she was very accepting of these things.
Jinlan stroked her chin. After tonight, the Emperor would know that Qiao Xi knew some strange things. If he really wanted something in the future, Qiao Xi would quickly understand the Emperor's meaning and choose whether to cooperate or not.
If they are willing to cooperate, everything will proceed smoothly, and Qiao Xi will also guide the less skilled Emperor.
If she doesn't want to be uncooperative, she can just pretend to be stupid. After all, her personality is so innocent and cute that it's hard for her to be fooled. However, at this time, the Emperor will definitely be able to see that she is pretending to be stupid, but he will be helpless.
Jinlan sighed heavily, admiring his own wild imagination. After a moment, he began to berate himself: "Qiao Xi is your best friend! How could you imagine things like this just to ship them!"
He was so angry with himself that he turned over, decided to stop thinking about it, and went to sleep soundly with his blanket.
Around 4:30, Qiao Xi couldn't fall asleep, so she sat up, scratched her hair, and decided to practice calligraphy.
With only a year left until the final design is finalized, she hasn't even mastered the basics. Now, Morax has decided to personally guide her, which puts her under immense pressure!
Qiao Xi, wearing an ankle-length silk nightgown, got up, lit the lamp, draped a cloak over herself, and hopped around a few times to warm up. Then, carrying a candlestick, she went to her desk.
She placed the candlestick on the corner of the table, the dim, flickering light illuminating a small area. She sat down in the chair, spread out the paper, ground the ink, dipped the brush in it, and began to write.
The content of the writings was still some ancient poems and prose.
Her reference sample was Master Yixiao's calligraphy.
Yi Xiao taught her to read and write, and his handwriting was quite elegant and refined, which Qiao Xi liked very much.
She imitated Yi Xiao's handwriting and wrote on the paper.
In the candlelight, her shadow was elongated. She was extremely focused. After finishing the first article, she yawned as she looked at the handwriting that resembled earthworms crawling out.
Learning how to treat insomnia is indeed useful. Qiao Xi was very satisfied with the results and put down her pen and paper to go to sleep.
Just as she picked up the candlestick, she heard the sound of the gate to the Bamboo Garden being opened.
The window was closed, and snowflakes, carried by the wind, squeezed in through the cracks, landing on the table and melting quickly.
Qiao Xi figured her two masters definitely wouldn't come at this hour, and neither would Jin Lan. It was probably some kind of wild boar. This had happened before, but she hadn't noticed then. When she got up in the morning, the yard was already a mess from the wild boars.
Qiao Xi doesn't like wild boars in winter. They only appear at this time of year because they're looking for food, and they're also quite aggressive. She's learned some martial arts techniques these days, and with her experience, she's quite adept at dealing with wild boars.
So she took the sword Morax had given her and prepared to go out.
Since she was a wild boar, she didn't care about her clothes. She slipped on her cotton shoes, draped a cloak over her nightgown, grabbed her sword, and kicked the door open.
Momentum, you absolutely must have momentum!
Based on her experience of outsmarting wild boars on numerous occasions, Qiao Xi believes that momentum is extremely important.
The door suddenly swung open, and to Qiao Xi's surprise, it wasn't a wild boar, but Morax standing at the gate.
It was 4:30 a.m. in winter, and the sky was still dark. It was snowing lightly, and the light from inside the house clearly outlined the dancing snowflakes in front of the door.
It also stretched out a long, unsteady figure of Qiao Xi, her clothes disheveled and her swaggering gait.
She held a sword in her hand, frozen in place as she kicked open the door, along with the word "arrogant" that seemed to emanate from her entire being.
But the expression on his face froze when he saw Morax.
Morax frowned at first when the door was suddenly kicked open, but his frown relaxed when he saw Qiao Xi.
He stood there, wanting to see what the girl was going to do.
Qiao Xi's lips twitched. She silently withdrew the foot that had kicked the door and waved to Morax: "Good night."
She smiled.
Morax pursed his lips slightly and walked forward unhurriedly: "Good night?"
Qiao Xi held her sword and poked at the sky. "It's dark."
Morax's gaze followed her sword as it rose, then he looked down at her: "It's almost dawn."
Qiao Xi blinked her big eyes: "Morax."
"Um?"
"Is there an alarm clock inside your body?"
"Alarm clock?"
"Yes, it will ring and start setting things up for you every day at the appointed time."
"......"
Morax found himself often speechless at the girl's antics.
He told her, "Go inside, it's cold outside."
Qiao Xi laughed: "You get cold too?"
"...I was afraid you'd be cold."
Morax left those words and went into the house ahead of Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi slowly said "Oh" and followed behind him.
It was indeed warm inside.
The windows were closed, and the room was filled with the lingering dampness from when Qiao Xi was sleeping.
It's like layering soft cotton in a greenhouse, and on a winter night, watching the steam rise from it gradually fog up a piece of glass.
Once inside, Morax noticed that Qiao Xi wasn't wearing the same pajamas under her cloak, but rather a long nightgown that reached her ankles, very similar to the one he had accidentally bumped into in the bathroom earlier.
Somewhat offensive.
He wanted to find an excuse to leave.
Qiao Xi, however, was very tolerant of him. She simply wrapped the cloak around him and felt that she was dressed properly.
Morax was still somewhat confused about this.
Qiao Xi fastened her collar and asked Morax, "Should we start practicing the horse stance now?"
She spoke very frankly, without any of the devastation she felt when she first heard about practicing the horse stance.
Her mindset was as positive as a fresh, tender sprout after the rain.
As she spoke, her gaze began to search for a corner, preparing to squat down. In any case, it was impossible to squat in the snow, as it was both dark and cold.
Morax initially intended to let her be, but when he walked to the desk and saw the freshly written characters on it, remembering the crumpled characters Qiao Xi had shown him when he returned, he couldn't help but say to Qiao Xi:
"Come here right now."
There was a hint of seriousness in his voice. Qiao Xi was very familiar with this feeling. Master Yi Xiao would always have this tone when he was holding back his temper. It was more like the calm before a storm, like a fiery sunset.
Qiao Xi stopped looking for the corner and quickly ran over. She peeked out and asked Morax, "What's wrong?"
Morax looked down at her. Qiao Xi's hair was not tied up; her long, black hair was loose and had a faint scent of osmanthus. However, because of the wide cloak, this detail was easily overlooked.
Morax's voice softened: "Sit down and practice your calligraphy first."
Qiao Xi obediently sat down, knowing that Morax thought her handwriting was no longer neat.
But she still wanted to argue, "It looks much better than before, doesn't it?"
Morax didn't really want to respond to that.
He stood to Qiao Xi's left, and with a slight lowering of his eyes, he could see the luster reflected in Qiao Xi's hair.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight, and there was an extra lamp on the desk.
It's easy to imagine how Qiao Xi, with her long hair down, lit the candles and then placed the lamp on the table.
He replied, "The problem lies in the brushwork. If you keep practicing, you'll only be able to write neat but ugly characters."
Qiao Xi looked up at him and frowned.
Morax, a man of refined speech, actually bluntly said that her handwriting was ugly.
That's so direct.
They didn't give me any face at all.
Just how ugly is it?
Morax looked at her and tilted his head slightly: "Is there a problem?"
“No problem,” Qiao Xi said firmly, almost to the point of self-abandonment. “You’re right, I’m ugly. What can I do?”
Morax looked down at her.
Answer calmly:
"I'll teach you."
Qiao Xi let out a soft "Ah," wondering what good method Morax could possibly have if even Yi Xiao couldn't teach it well.
Then, to her surprise, Morax put his right arm around her shoulder and gently placed it on her right hand.
There was no pen in my hand.
Morax then led her hand to pick up the pen, hold it, and dip it in ink.
Qiao Xi's wrist moved with Morax, and Morax's warm breath fell on her neck.
itch……
Qiao Xi frowned slightly, but Morax reminded her, "Don't get distracted."
His voice seemed to be right next to her ear, and Qiao Xi pursed her lips.
"Oh... okay."
Morax bent down, took Qiao Xi's hand, and began to write on the paper.
His hand was covered by a glove, but occasionally, when he twirled his pen and it slipped between her fingers, he could easily see her nightgown hidden under her cloak, and when he raised his hand, he would pull it up, revealing a section of her wrist.
Qiao Xi's gaze kept falling on Morax's hands. They were really big, easily enveloping her hand and forming an airtight cage.
“You’re distracted again,” Morax reminded her.
When I reminded her, I don't know if it was intentional or not, but I gently squeezed her hand.
Qiao Xi listened, no longer distracted, and focused all her attention on writing.
The whole process was smooth and natural, and at times he could feel Qiao Xi's own writing habits resisting his teaching.
But she couldn't resist.
*
After writing on a piece of paper, Morax removed his hand without pausing. He stood with his hands behind his back to Qiao Xi's left, waiting for the girl to digest what he had just learned.
Qiao Xi looked at the handwriting on the paper, recalling Morax's penmanship, her wrist unconsciously following along.
Master Yixiao's calligraphy is elegant and graceful, each stroke neat and beautiful.
Master Liu Yun's calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, penetrating to the core.
Morax's handwriting combines the best of both, being both beautiful and powerful, and full of character.
This was the first time Qiao Xi had seen Morax's handwriting, and she couldn't help but look up, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at Morax.
Morax thought Qiao Xi was going to praise him. Just as he was about to accept it readily, Qiao Xi asked a question:
"So beautiful?"
Morax paused for a moment, then looked at Qiao Xi: "So beautiful?"
Qiao Xi nodded seriously: "Can I describe it like this? I'm afraid you'll think I'm lacking in vocabulary."
"……random."
“Okay,” Qiao Xi looked at the paper again, “It’s really beautiful.”
A mischievous idea popped into her head, and she couldn't help but look up again, smiling at Morax.
Morax keenly recognized the ill intent in Qiao Xi's eyes.
He looked at her and said, "Go ahead and say it."
"Morax, have you ever thought about publishing a calligraphy practice book? It would definitely fetch a high price!"
Moraxweitton, putting aside the fact that this girl wants to make money off herself, but...
What is a calligraphy copybook?
Qiao Xi and Morax described it to each other in a flurry: "There's a piece of paper covered with a semi-transparent piece of paper, and I can trace the lines on it."
After saying that, she added, still not entirely sure, "Can you understand what I'm saying?"
“…Yes,” Morax sighed, “I’ll give it to you later.”
"Give me?"
"Um."
"Calligraphy copybook?"
"Um."
"You're going to write a calligraphy practice book just for me?!"
"Um."
"Morax, why did you do this?"
"Your handwriting is ugly."
"..."
Qiao Xi lowered her head. She wasn't surprised; she was annoyed. She felt she had unnecessarily mentioned it, adding extra homework for herself, which was assigned by Morax. In her mind, she frantically pulled out her hair and shook her little self around the neck.
Seeing her dejected look, Morax wanted to laugh, but he didn't forget to pour cold water on her spirits.
"Qiao Xi, it's time to practice your horse stance."
Qiao Xi sighed, looked at Morax and shook her head: "Heartless."
Morax looked at her and said, "Yes, thank you."
Qiao Xi slumped her head, shuffled to the wall, and began to squat.
Before the action could even begin, Morax suddenly interrupted it.
Qiao Xi stood there, stunned, and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
Morax's gaze swept quickly over her clothes before looking away.
"Go change your clothes."
After saying that, he turned and left, pushing open the door and going out.
Qiao Xi blinked, then looked down, her face instantly turning red. She had forgotten that she was wearing a dress.
*
After changing her clothes, Qiao Xi opened the window and looked out. Based on her previous experience with Morax, she figured he should have left by now. But when Qiao Xi looked out, Morax was standing in the center of the yard with the snowman, patiently kneading snowballs and adding two bear ears to the snowman.
This person seems to be extremely bored, otherwise they wouldn't be doing something so childish in such a serious manner.
"Morax".
Qiao Xi called out to him.
The people in the yard nodded slightly, straightened the bear's ears, and then walked over unhurriedly.
Qiao Xi had not only put on her clothes, but also tied her hair up, still with two fishbone-like braids hanging down beside her ears.
Morax's gaze lingered on her braid for a moment, but he still couldn't quite picture in his mind how it was made or how to undo it.
The wind blew snow under the eaves, and the warm yellow light carefully recorded the trajectory of each snowflake. Qiao Xi looked at the snow on Morax's shoulder and asked him:
Why not wait under the eaves instead of running into the yard and getting soaked in the snow?
Morax said, "Your house isn't well soundproofed."
Qiao Xi blinked.
Morax also blinked.
Qiao Xi opened the door for him in a daze, then found a place to practice her horse stance. She didn't understand why soundproofing was necessary just for changing clothes.
Morax sighed. It wasn't just that the soundproofing was bad; the girl had been living alone here for a long time. Bamboo Garden was rarely visited, and there were gaps in the walls of the cabin. She had just forgotten to close the curtains.
Thinking of this, Morax couldn't help but feel strange. He walked up to Qiao Xi, looked at her earnestly practicing her horse stance, and asked, "Who built this house?"
"It was me at first, but then it rained and I found that it was leaking from all sides. Master Liu Yun helped me with waterproofing."
Morax nodded. It was understandable that Qiao Xi, who was new to the place, lacked knowledge of mechanical craftsmanship and that the house she built leaked on all four sides. With Liu Yun's reinforcement, the problem of water leakage was eliminated. In addition, since she was the only one there, she overlooked the existence of the gaps.
"Take some time to patch up the cracks in the house," Morax said.
Qiao Xi thought Morax was dissatisfied with her house-building skills, so she nodded and said, "Okay, I'll get some paper and cover it up later."
Morax was about to leave when he heard her say this and paused, looking at her in confusion: "Paper?"
Qiao Xi: "...Isn't this just because I find it troublesome?"
“Light is leaking out,” Morax corrected.
These two words seemed to wake Qiao Xi up; she looked towards the bed as if possessed, as if she hadn't drawn the curtains when she was changing clothes...
Qiao Xi immediately understood why Morax said her room wasn't soundproof.
The lack of soundproofing is just an excuse; people can't directly say that there are gaps in her room and that they can see her changing clothes.
So he pursed his lips and nodded like a rattle drum: "I'll go cut bamboo today. I'll take your order seriously."
Morax looked at her, paused, and said nothing more. He turned around, walked to the desk, pulled out a chair, sat down, rolled up his sleeves, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and used the time while Qiao Xi was practicing her horse stance to write calligraphy for her.
Qiao Xi leaned against the wall, watching Morax's upright figure sitting there. The sound of ink swishing across the paper was soft and rustling. Morax sat upright, and in the candlelight that swayed in the wind, he looked like a landscape painting with great artistic conception.
He wrote very quickly when he was alone, much faster than when he was holding her hand. Soon, a sheet of paper was covered with his beautiful handwriting.
Qiao Xi glanced at her wrist, which still had some ink stains on it.
Time passed slowly, and the dark world gradually brightened with the arrival of dawn. A gray-blue halo enveloped the heavens and earth, and the scent of cooking smoke danced with the snow.
The snowman in the yard now has two cute round ears.
Qiao Xi has been studying here for half a year, and her physical strength has improved. However, after holding the horse stance for so long, her legs are a little numb.
The room was still filled with the continuous sounds of writing and turning pages.
Qiao Xi yawned, rubbed her eyes, and continued squatting.
After a short while, Morax stood up, turned around, and looked at Qiao Xi.
The girl was so sleepy that she could doze off even while in a horse stance, her head nodding every now and then like a chick pecking at rice.
Morax walked over: "Qiao Xi."
"Huh?" Qiao Xi woke up from her dream, her legs went numb and she was about to fall. Morax quickly caught her arm and was pulled down by her arm.
Morax: "Qiao Xi, it's dawn."
Qiao Xi was helped to sit in a chair by Morax. Her head was still a little fuzzy. She rubbed her calves and looked around.
She just had a dream, but she forgot what it was about. She's just woken up and needs some time to recover.
Morax kindly handed her a cup of cold tea.
Qiao Xi sobered up instantly after taking a sip.
She couldn't help but exclaim, "I'm really amazing, I've been squatting in a horse stance for so long!"
Morax took the teacup from her and placed it on the table, saying, "That's impressive, she can even fall asleep while doing a horse stance."
Qiao Xi smiled, her eyes narrowed.
After much commotion, she had forgotten that Morax had overheard her story from last night, and she stretched.
"Morac, what's the mission today?"
Previously, he had only passively checked on Qiao Xi, but now that he was being questioned like this, Morax found it a little difficult to answer.
He didn't seem to have thought about assigning tasks to this girl. Yi Xiao had shown him some kind of class schedule before, but he only glanced at it and didn't remember it.
But since he had said before that he would supervise Qiao Xi today, he couldn't just leave even if he didn't know what to ask the girl to do.
So Morax asked Qiao Xi, "What do you want to do?"
Qiao Xi frowned when asked this question; this was supposed to be a flipped classroom.
She replied, "You suggested I fix the house, and I want to go cut bamboo."
The Bamboo Garden is centered around Qiao Xi's house and surrounded by many bamboo trees.
Morax nodded. Cutting bamboo with skill is different from cutting bamboo with brute force. This can also be used to check Qiao Xi's level of cultivation.
He said, "Okay."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xi stood up. Although her calves were still a little sore, she felt inexplicably strong.
She brought out a large wooden box, took out a fluffy hat from it and put it on her head, and then took out a fluffy scarf and wrapped it around her neck.
Cutting bamboo while wearing a cloak would be inconvenient, so she pulled out a cotton vest to wear instead of a cloak, and then rummaged through the box for a pair of gloves.
Morax watched from the side, and based on the items Qiao Xi had found, he was pretty sure that the box was for storing her clothes.
Until Qiao Xi took out a machete from the box.
The blade was sharp and gleamed coldly.
Morax: "......"
This box is strange.
Qiao Xi didn't see anything wrong with it. She put the machete aside, took out a large oil-paper umbrella, and gave it to Morax.
"I don't have any extra hats for you, so please take this umbrella."
Morax took the umbrella, looked at the bamboo-ribbed oiled paper umbrella in his hand, and then looked at Qiao Xi: "Me too?"
Qiao Xi tilted her head: "Aren't you going?"
"......go."
Qiao Xi smiled, turned around and went back, rummaging through the box to find a handbag, cable ties, a file, nails, a hammer, and a wicker thermos.
Morax looked at the box in front of him and couldn't figure out what Qiao Xi's criteria were for putting things in it.
Qiao Xi stuffed all the items she had found into her shoulder bag, closed the suitcase, stood up, and smiled at Morax: "Let's go."
In fact, Morax could tell the extent of Qiao Xi's cultivation just from the processing marks on the bamboo she brought back, but since she wanted him to go with her, then so be it.
only--
Morax looked at the umbrella in his hand and asked Qiao Xi, "Aren't you going to use an umbrella?"
Qiao Xi only had this one, so she patted her head and said, "I have a hat."
She smiled, her eyes narrowed.
Morax's gaze fell on her tan leather hat, a color that contrasted sharply with her usual bright colors, yet it looked exceptionally good.
He nodded: "Let's go."
*
Pushing open the door, the cold morning air swept across Qiao Xi's nose. She sneezed, then rubbed her nose, and without hesitation, slung her bag over her shoulder, picked up her machete, and walked into the snow.
The vest she was wearing was very thick; from behind, she still looked like a ball.
Morax opened his umbrella, watched Qiao Xi's long stride away, and shook his head helplessly.
He followed her and gave half of the umbrella to Qiao Xi.
Qiao Xi looked up at him and asked seriously, "Don't you find it crowded?"
Snow fell on half of Morax's shoulder. He said, "It's alright."
After the umbrella was handed over, Qiao Xi was no longer covered in snow. She said with some regret, "You gave me half of your umbrella, but I can't share my hat with you."
Morax looked down at her, somewhat helplessly: "No need."
Qiao Xi smiled and said, "You're so kind. I'll send you a basket of bamboo shoots next spring when they sprout."
Morax looked at her and said, "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" Qiao Xi quickened her pace.
Sharing an umbrella, the two were much closer than before.
On the pristine white snow, four rows of footprints of varying sizes were left, interwoven and staggered.
On the way, Qiao Xi said, "Actually, I also want to plant an osmanthus tree at the door so that we can make sugar cakes in the fall."
From sprouting bamboo shoots to osmanthus sugar cakes, Morax felt that this girl's mind was always on food.
Her round face was partially obscured by her hair, appearing and disappearing intermittently.
Morax said, "You seem to smell of osmanthus."
Qiao Xi looked up at him in surprise: "You could smell it?"
Morax nodded.
Qiao Xi was quite embarrassed: "It was some osmanthus oil that Jin Lan gave me before. He said there used to be an osmanthus tree at the foot of the mountain, and he collected the flowers in the autumn to make it. Later, that tree died, and there were no more osmanthus flowers on Tianheng Mountain. He originally intended to mix it with rice for me, but I smelled the fragrance and couldn't bear to eat it all. Sometimes I would use it to apply to my face or wipe my hair."
She admitted that she deliberately made herself smell nice, though she seemed a little coy.
Morax couldn't help but laugh when he saw her like that.
Qiao Xi looked at him and said, "Are you making fun of me?"
"Yes." Morax looked down at her, a smile still lingering in his eyes, and readily admitted it.
Qiao Xi pursed her lips.
Morax said, "I'll give you one next year."
Snowflakes fell on the umbrella, making a soft, tapping sound.
In the quiet bamboo forest, only two rows of footprints remain.
Under the umbrella, Qiao Xi's eyes sparkled, and she smiled.
Morax said he would give her an osmanthus tree.
The only osmanthus tree on Tianheng Mountain.
*
In the bamboo forest, Qiao Xi rolled up her sleeves, found a thick bamboo stalk, raised her machete, and was about to show Morax her expertise.
Morax stood behind her with an umbrella, and watched as she raised her knife and brought it down on the bamboo pole.
"Snap—"
The bamboo began to lean to one side.
Qiao Xi beckoned Morax to get out of the way.
Morax took a few steps back.
The entire bamboo stalk collapsed to the ground with a "whoosh," and the snow slid off the leaves, as if another heavy snow had fallen.
Qiao Xi wiped the snow off her face, walked over, squatted down, took out a smaller machete from her bag, and chopped off the excess branches.
Her movements were swift and clean, and the bamboo cuts were neat. It was clear that the girl had made great progress compared to before, but she was still lacking in strength and attention to detail.
Morax watched as she cleaned the branches, cut the bamboo into uniform sections, split the sections into pieces, and finally smoothed them with a file.
Qiao Xi tied the bamboo strips together with cable ties, slung them over her back, and searched for the next bamboo.
Morax followed her, holding an umbrella over her as she squatted down to work with the bamboo.
After cutting down three bamboo stalks, Qiao Xi felt that was enough. She turned to Morax and asked, "Shall we go back?"
“Qiao Xi,” Morax said to her, “look over there.”
Qiao Xi, carrying bamboo on her back, looked blankly in the direction Morax pointed. It turned out that deep in the bamboo forest, white plum blossoms were in bloom.
-----------------------
Author's Note: My next book, "NPC But Zhongli's Shield Farming," is highly recommended! Please add it to your favorites if you're interested!
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