In winter, the transition from day to night is not as slow as in summer.
Almost immediately after Qu Feiyan entered the kitchen, the sky began to darken.
As darkness fell, Chu Qinghe slowly stood up and said to Dongfang Bubai, "Can you do me a favor? Light a lamp."
Dongfang Bubai looked slightly puzzled upon hearing Chu Qinghe's words.
I didn't quite understand what Chu Qinghe meant by that.
A quarter of an hour later, Dongfang Bubai finally understood why Chu Qinghe had asked him to help light the lamps.
Within that fifteen-minute period, Chu Qinghe managed to gather at least fifty or sixty lanterns and hang them around the courtyard.
Even the camellia trees in the courtyard and the stone table were decorated with lanterns.
Although the sky had already darkened, Chu Qinghe's courtyard was as bright as day thanks to the candlelight from the dozens of lanterns.
Handing the lit lantern to Chu Qinghe, Dongfang Bubai asked with a hint of doubt, "Why are you lighting so many lanterns in your house?"
Even Dongfang Bubai wouldn't have used so many lanterns at night at Blackwood Cliff.
They're just burning through their money.
After hanging the lantern nearby, Chu Qinghe said lazily, "I don't particularly like it when you can't see anything at night."
Although I've traveled through time, some habits are hard to change.
For example, in ancient times, everything was pitch black at night.
It's a little better when the moonlight is bright, but if it's covered in dark clouds, you can't see your hand in front of your face if you're a few steps away from the candle.
You might accidentally fall down.
Therefore, after trying for a few days, Chu Qinghe, having learned his lesson, decided to make his home brighter and more comfortable at night.
Not only does it look nice, it also helps deter stupid thieves.
After placing the remaining lanterns with lit candles and delivering them to the kitchen, Chu Qinghe leisurely returned to the courtyard.
Looking at the brightly lit courtyard, he finally nodded in satisfaction.
Before long, while the two were waiting, Qu Feiyan came out of the kitchen carrying the dishes.
Seeing this, Chu Qinghe clapped his hands, greeted Dongfang Bubai, and then walked into the courtyard.
They ate a lot at noon, and in the afternoon Chu Qinghe took the two women to lie down for a while, so the three of them naturally didn't have much of an appetite.
So at dinner, neither Chu Qinghe nor the other two women ate much.
After returning to the kitchen with the bowls and chopsticks, Dongfang Bubai frowned as he looked at Qu Feiyan, who was silent and slightly nervous beside him.
"You are not my disciple, so there's no need to be so cautious in this courtyard. Just act as usual."
Qu Feiyan glanced at Dongfang Bubai and then asked timidly, "Is it alright?"
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Bubai responded with a soft "hmm".
Seeing this, Qu Feiyan hesitated for a few moments before speaking, "Um, Sister Dongfang, how long do you plan to stay with the young master?"
Hearing Qu Feiyan address him in that way, Dongfang Bubai subconsciously glanced at Qu Feiyan.
Meeting Dongfang Bubai's gaze, Qu Feiyan's body tensed instantly.
Seeing Qu Feiyan's obvious nervousness, Dongfang Bubai chuckled inwardly.
"She does have a bit of cleverness."
With Dongfang Bubai's experience, how could he not see that Qu Feiyan's change in address was merely a test to see if what he had just said was true?
In the past, if anyone else had dared to test him like this, Dongfang Bubai would probably have struck them with a palm.
But today, facing Qu Feiyan, Dongfang Bubai surprisingly didn't hold a grudge.
He quickly looked away and said in a calm tone, "It depends on the situation; I might stay for a while!"
Qu Feiyan's eyes lit up at Dongfang Bubai's response.
"Huh? It's nothing!"
After testing the waters and finding that Dongfang Bubai wasn't bothered by the issue of address, Qu Feiyan felt a little more at ease.
Afterwards, Qu Feiyan would occasionally ask questions in the dishwashing room.
When faced with Qu Feiyan's question, Dongfang Bubai's attitude was still not very warm, but he did respond.
Once the dishes in the wooden tub were being washed, Qu Feiyan's face regained its smile.
They also became a little bolder.
Just as the two women came out of the kitchen, they saw Chu Qinghe carrying a chessboard as he came out of his room.
A dozen or so breaths later, looking at the chessboard and chess box that Chu Qinghe had placed on the table, Qu Feiyan asked, "Young Master, do you wish to play a game?"
Chu Qinghe replied matter-of-factly, "The night is long, we need to find something to pass the time."
Chu Qinghe used to live alone. At night, when there were stars, he would count them; when there were no stars, he could only lie in bed early and count sheep.
Today, with two more people in the courtyard, Chu Qinghe naturally has more options for playing.
It's just that I didn't have time today, otherwise I could have gotten a deck of cards, just enough for three people to play Dou Dizhu.
After opening the chess box, Chu Qinghe looked at the two women and asked, "Who wants to go first?"
Qu Feiyan glanced at the chess box, then shook her head and said, "I'm not particularly good at it, so let Sister Dongfang and Young Master play against each other!"
"Sister Dongfang?"
Hearing Qu Feiyan address Dongfang Bubai, Chu Qinghe thought to himself, "Oh ho!"
When Qu Feiyan faced Dongfang Bubai after basking in the afternoon sun, she was still very cautious.
They'd only washed a few dishes, and their way of addressing each other had become so intimate.
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