Before she knew it, Yao Yue had been living in this fantasy with young Jiang Mi for a month. At first, she was not used to the life of a mortal, but gradually she got used to it. Jiang Mi took care of all the housework and happily cooked new dishes for her in between farm work. Apart from eating and sleeping, she would look for the exit of the fantasy every day. She was as leisurely as an old man chatting in the village.
Strangely enough, although the villagers of Linguang Village were not optimistic about Jiang Mi's marriage, they were very enthusiastic about her marriage. Every few days, a matchmaker would come to ask her if she wanted to get married and what kind of young man she liked. Every time this happened, the young man would turn his back and pretend to be busy, but in fact he was quietly listening for fear of missing a word.
Summer was approaching, and the villagers who had just finished harvesting winter wheat were resting by the fields in groups of three or four to eat and chat. Some children were naughty and pulled the tails of the plowing oxen to play with them, but the oxen snorted softly, shook its tail and ignored them, hiding away. Jiang Mi finally had some free time these days and could go to school, and she asked to go with him since she had nothing to do.
The largest academy in Wuguang City was built on the outskirts of the city. The sound of reading could be heard, birds were chirping outside the window, and the sound of a shepherd boy’s flute could be faintly heard in the distance.
This academy is open to both men and women, and the teachers are excellent, but the tuition is much lower than that of a private school. It was established by Wuguang City to benefit the people. Of course, the stars of the academy are still those aristocratic families, and country kids like Jiang Mi do not attract much attention. But today is different. Yao Yue appeared in the academy side by side with him, causing an uproar——
The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old. Her hair was not combed very elegantly, her clothes were not made of luxurious material, and she was not adorned with any beads. She was red in color, her lips were red without any makeup, her eyebrows were dark without any painting, her skin was white as snow, and she was bright and beautiful. She was like a lotus in clear water, which was better than any natural beauty that was deliberately made up.
"Miss, are you Jiang Mi's relative?" A young man in purple clothes with silver silk and flying bird patterns came closer and looked at her curiously. "I have never seen you in Wuguang City."
The man in front of her looked exactly like Ling Wujie, and Yao Yue finally realized that something was wrong—
This is not only an illusion, but also Jiang Mi's confused memory.
Then she saw Gu Bufan and Yun Muye in black in the lecture hall, and the teacher on the podium was the leader of the Immortal Alliance, Xing Yuan...
She ignored Ling Wujie and sat in the last row with Jiang Mi. Ling Wujie shamelessly sat in the row in front of them, turning back to talk to her from time to time. Xing Yuan on the podium couldn't stand it and directly asked Ling Wujie to answer the question. Although this second-generation rich kid was naughty, his family had hired private tutors to teach him, so he was not afraid of questions at all.
But what was unexpected was that Xing Yuan immediately asked Jiang Mi to recite "Guanju".
——When Jiang's father was alive, Jiang Mi could still come to school often; after his father passed away, Jiang Mi rarely had time to come to school. The teachers in the academy knew his situation and usually would not ask him to answer questions.
"The orioles are singing on the island in the river. The beautiful lady is the ideal match for the gentleman..."
Normally young people can recite "Guanju", but today, for some reason, they just can't remember the next line.
The more anxious he was, the harder it was to recite. He caught a glimpse of Yao Yue, who looked like she was forbearing or mocking him. The girl's expression was like a thorn that made him feel ashamed and angry, and his face flushed slightly.
At that moment, so many indescribable emotions surged in my heart, and my mind was in a mess.
Yao Yue had never seen Jiang Mi racking his brains like this, and couldn't help but burst out laughing. But this laughter had another meaning to him, and the boy suddenly became disheartened, his face turned pale, he lowered his head, bit his lips and stopped talking.
"Don't be angry, sir." The young man in black clothes and a golden crown stood up calmly, "Let me carry him on my back."
——The best student in the school is Yun Muye. He learns the fastest what the teacher teaches, and he also learns what the teacher has not taught him.
Yun Muye recited quickly and well, and his classmates envied him. He just said lightly that the private tutor hired by his family had already taught him, so it was nothing. At the same time, he raised the corner of his mouth calmly and glanced at Yao Yue's position.
The young man saw Yun Muye's eyes, but he didn't dare to confirm the girl's expression. If he noticed the slightest approval or admiration in her eyes... he would only feel even more ashamed.
Yun Muye, who had a good family background, was smart and hardworking, seemed to be born to be envied. But he... was nothing.
The inexplicable fear penetrated into my heart silently like a poisonous snake with a cold and sticky touch. Suddenly, a heavy rain poured down from the sky. The whimpering of the strong wind through the treetops was long and sharp, like a distant cry.
***
She had a vague feeling that something was wrong with Jiang Mi, but she was not sure until school was over. Because when Ling Wujie and Yun Muye came over to invite her to get in the sedan chair and go for a stroll in the city, the young man said nothing and rushed out alone in the pouring rain.
Yao Yue was born without knowing what inferiority complex is. People love her, hate her and fear her, but no one has ever looked down on her.
Only then did she realize that the gentle smile at noon had deeply hurt this lonely and sensitive boy.
For a moment, sadness, shame, and regret surged in her heart, and she was eager to find a way to remedy the situation. At this moment, Yun Muye suddenly asked, "Miss, are you worried about something?"
"Yes..." She sighed softly, then suddenly remembered something and turned around to ask, "What do men of your age like?"
The two men thought she was interested in them, so they came up to her and introduced their hobbies and mentioned their own business.
——In Jiang Mi's fantasy, there are three aristocratic families in Wuguang City, the Xing Family, the Ling Family, and the Yun Family. The Xing Family is a famous scholarly family with countless students in Wuguang City, and they are very popular with women; the Yun Family is engaged in the business of cloth and rouge and powder, and is very popular with women; the Ling Family is very similar to the reality, focusing on food, sex, and nature, and monopolizing the business of restaurants and brothels.
She didn't bother to be polite with the two men. By the time she got on the Ling family's sedan chair and returned to Jiang Mi's cottage, she could hardly lift the things in her hands.
The rain had stopped long ago, and the crabapple blossoms were falling. At a glance, the branches were already green and red. The petals were floating down, pink and white, making people feel sad.
I pushed open the bamboo fence door. The door of the main room was half-closed, and a ray of candlelight shone through the crack of the door. It was dim and quiet. A person was sitting on the steps at the door, with his arms on his knees, his head slightly lowered, and his expression was gloomy. When he heard the movement, his eyes lit up and he came towards me like the wind.
"elder sister!"
"Why are you waiting outside?"
"I..." The pair of amber phoenix eyes were filled with helplessness and desolation, and the voice became lower, "I feel uneasy..."
She tried to force a smile, but her throat felt dry and she couldn't laugh: "Is it because of the school?"
The air seemed to freeze for a moment, and Jiang Mi's cheeks were slightly bulging due to clenched teeth. She was about to apologize directly, but he suddenly spoke.
"I'm afraid you'll look down on me..." the young man said with a broken voice, his voice so soft that it would break if the wind blew. "I'm never afraid of being laughed at by others, but you...only you can't laugh at me..."
Yao Yue's whole body trembled, an indescribable feeling instantly filled her chest, her heart felt sore and limp.
Anyone who is not stupid can hear the tenderness in his words.
"I'm sorry..." Her eyes were filled with tears, a bit of warm apology and rare caution, "I just thought you were cute at that time... I didn't mean anything else."
Jiang Mi's ears suddenly started buzzing, and he kept chewing on the word "cute" in his mind. His heart seemed to be beating and squeezing his throat.
He... cute?
No one has ever called him cute, not even his father...
"If you don't say anything, I'll take it as that you've forgiven me." Yao Yue stuffed the things in her hand into his arms, "I brought you all the most delicious dishes in Zuixianlou."
——She really didn’t know what Jiang Mi’s hobbies were, and she was afraid that the gift would be too expensive and would burden him psychologically, so she could only go to Zuixianlou and order a few dishes. Anyway, Ling Wujie would not charge her money.
"...Did the young master of the Ling family invite you?" The young man's expression, which had just improved, became a little uneasy again. "Is the food I cooked not to your taste?"
"It's perfect. It's perfect," she kneaded her sore arms and walked into the house, "but I can't cook, so I can only let you eat what the chef of Zuixianlou cooks."
Jiang Mi followed with two heavy food boxes, and she took out a fragrant box from her bosom as if she remembered something.
"I almost forgot, there's also this." Yao Yue shook the box of plum blossom ointment and smiled meaningfully in the candlelight, "Remember to apply it every day."
He didn't understand what was going on, but he still took it obediently. Then, under her expectant gaze, he ate all the food from Zuixianlou, and finally made a very shameless judgment in his heart: his food is still the best.
Maybe he ate too much, he woke up at daybreak.
He had another ridiculous dream. When he woke up, his crotch was cold and wet. With an inexplicable sense of shame, Jiang Mi quietly got up and washed his pants before returning to the house.
The girl on the couch was still sleeping. When she was asleep, she looked less heroic and more pitiful. He stared at her for a while, then walked over as if possessed by some magic.
The young man leaned forward and slowly approached, his posture like a male wolf with fangs grown out, moving towards the young man and discovering his prey.
"Sister..." he called softly.
Yao Yue's breathing was steady and she showed no reaction.
——Sister, you don't hate him, right? If he just kissed her... it wouldn't be a serious crime, right?
The boy's Adam's apple slid up and down violently, and he slowly lowered his head and moved closer, and his trembling lips gently fell on the watery red lips.
In an instant, all desires seemed to be satisfied at this moment; and there seemed to be another deeper, suppressed desire, arising from below the body, sweeping through every part of the body.
Jiang Mi suddenly raised his head and stared at her blankly, his chest heaving violently, and his hands on both sides of her were tightly clenching the bed sheets.
"Sister..." He moved his lips silently, and the excitement and guilt crawled through his heart like a subtle electric current.
The sound of a rooster finally brought him back to his senses, and he immediately forced himself to look away, rushing out without looking back like a guilty thief. So he didn't see that Yao Yue suddenly opened her eyes on the bed behind her, and pursed her lips with a bit of shame and annoyance.
"Stupid idiot..."