Chapter 68 Everyone's into handicrafts?
Lu Yusheng frowned slightly. Sikong Zhaixing assumed that she was angry because he had casually pulled her hand. He paused for a moment, then casually moved his hand back a little and instead pulled her sleeve.
"I'm busy."
She felt powerless in the face of a child who didn't understand, but the child didn't get it. However, seeing her explanation, the child obediently let go.
"Alright." Although Sikong Zhaixing's excitement for the new game hadn't subsided, she couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
Unfortunately, Lu Yusheng didn't pay much attention to his micro-expressions and turned to walk out the door.
Once outside, we went straight to the stream not far away. Although there was running water in the shop, it would be faster to wash the quilts and mattresses directly in the river.
She had always washed the bed linens herself after changing them from the guest rooms, and after a few times, she had gained some experience.
"Are you here to fetch water?"
Startled by the sudden voice, Lu Yusheng instinctively tilted his head back, and only after he had dodged did his brain give the feedback—it was Hua Manlou's voice.
Turning my head, I saw a handsome face very close to me.
Hua Manlou was standing not far behind her. Startled, she flinched back, and as she turned her head, she caught him looking down to check on her. Their cheeks were almost touching. The moment Hua Manlou noticed Lu Yusheng's unsteadiness, he reached out his hands to support him, making a slight embrace, but out of respect for the proper conduct between men and women, they didn't actually touch.
Because of that face so close, Lu Yusheng, who subconsciously turned his head away the moment their eyes met, didn't see the blush that surged on the face of the person behind him at the same time. He stared blankly ahead, not knowing what to say.
After a full four or five seconds of blankness, she suddenly snapped back to reality and took a step forward. Hua Manlou was stunned for a moment, getting used to the gradually fading warmth in her arms, before she asked in a questioning tone, "Weren't you doing sculpting? Why did you come out too?"
He answered almost instinctively without hesitation, "I was a little worried when I heard you were coming out."
"What's there to worry about at home?"
Hua Manlou pursed his lips, seemingly disapproving of her casualness, before finally saying helplessly, "It's cold and the road is slippery."
At this point, he remembered the question he hadn't been able to answer earlier and repeated, "Do you need water? I'll help you."
"No need, no need," Lu Yusheng quickly waved his hand and explained, "I'll just put it in water to wash it, that'll be faster."
Hua Manlou then realized that she had come to the river to wash clothes, so he couldn't help but squat down and reach into the water.
Even though I was mentally prepared, I was still startled by the icy touch. The air was cold in the season when it had just snowed, and it was even colder in the stream.
"You wash clothes in such cold water?" he asked incredulously as he withdrew his hand.
"Is it alright?" After her physique was strengthened, her tolerance to hot and cold increased a lot. Although she could feel the cold water, it was not unbearable.
Even though Lu Yusheng repeatedly emphasized that this would not affect him, Hua Manlou couldn't bear to let her touch cold water again.
“I’ll do it.” His tone was firm and left no room for argument.
It wasn't that Lu Yusheng doubted him, but... could he really clean it up?
Whether or not one has eyes is another matter, but in ancient times, a rich young master would probably have been served by servants from childhood, right?
Seemingly anticipating her concerns, Hua Manlou smiled at her and asked in a coaxing tone, "I'll wash it. Yu Sheng, can you watch over it for me?"
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After the two of them finished their work, it was almost lunchtime.
Nowadays, most meals are prepared by the three of them together, which makes things much easier for Lu Yusheng.
At the dinner table, Lin Pingzhi, who was engrossed in the game, was called down, but he still couldn't forget the fantastical scenes he had just experienced, and kept talking to Lu Yusheng about game-related issues.
"That's amazing! The people in this painting can even ride horses! After I finished a quest, I followed along and clicked a few times to get on the horse. It made traveling much faster than before."
"You said before that I could own other cities later, right? I want to see what the seaside city will look like."
"I just received a quest that says an army of dark wizards will attack the city in ten days, and I need to set up the defenses myself. What should I do?"
He spoke with a flushed face and bright, excited eyes, completely unlike the fragility and dejection he had shown when he first arrived.
Lu Yusheng explained each point to him one by one. Lin Pingzhi listened attentively, nodding and marveling once again at the ingenuity of the creator's ideas.
He was satisfied, but Sikong Zhaixing, who was also curious about these topics, felt uncomfortable.
Especially when he saw Lu Yusheng's increasingly gentle expression as he looked at Hua Manlou, his expression also darkened slightly.
Sikong Zhaixing couldn't figure out the reason for this change, and her gaze couldn't help but fall on the carving knife and wood that the latter had left on the bar and hadn't yet retrieved.
Lu Yusheng is not the only one who knows Hua Manlou's feelings now. As one of the only four people in the know, he can naturally guess that this may be a little trick by the other party to pursue him.
A gift made by hand for someone you love is naturally a rare and precious token of your affection. However, Sikong Zhaixing had not considered this aspect beforehand and did not expect it to be so effective on Lu Yusheng, which is why she was a step too late.
Should we try to learn his methods and do some handicrafts? But his original specialty of handicrafts is obviously useless at this time.
Sikong Zhaixing, who had been eating without tasting anything, waited until everyone finished their lunch and left before finally finding a chance to speak after helping her clean up the dishes.
While asking, he gestured and asked, "Do you have any of those long, thin needles, the kind with a thread attached?"
After much thought, he found inspiration in a movie he had seen before, but lacking the necessary tools, he decided to ask Lu Yusheng for advice before considering making his own.
Lu Yusheng, who was casually wiping his hands with a tissue after washing them, suddenly looked at him in surprise several times.
Finally, I couldn't help but walk up to him, pinch his chin with one hand and look him over from side to side, before saying suspiciously, "I was wondering why there are mushrooms to eat in winter... Did you buy some poisonous mushrooms? Spit them out before you finish digesting them."
Sikong Zhaixing, who was still lost in the enchanting moment when the two were so close together, immediately exploded upon hearing this.
"You...you doubt the quality of the ingredients I bought? No...you mean I've been poisoned and my brain has been damaged, right?!"
"Why is it reacting to stress?"
Lu Yusheng looked helpless, as if to say, "Look, you're making a scene again." He explained in a reassuring tone, "I was definitely joking. After all, everyone ate the meal. If something goes wrong, you're definitely not the only one who will react."
Seeing that his expression seemed to have softened, she encouraged him further, saying, "By the way, the mushrooms you bought are especially delicious."
Sikong Zhaixing knew that as a grown man, he shouldn't argue with a young girl, and seeing her sincere attitude, he didn't continue to pester her.
"Then I'll buy it for you again tomorrow."
After he finished speaking, the girl in front of him suddenly lit up: "Actually, the Paramela you bought is also very delicious."
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Not understanding, Sikong Zhaixing frowned again: "Is this something you want? Where can I buy it?"
Unexpectedly, the other person's reaction was so positive that Lu Yusheng felt embarrassed, but for a moment he didn't know how to describe it to him: "Wait..."
Fortunately, in her haste, she remembered the other person's question from earlier, and half-interrupted, half-curious, she circled back to it: "What do you need a knitting needle for?"
"What are you knitting?" he replied matter-of-factly.
Because in the ancient costume anime with an ambiguous timeline that Sikong Zhaixing had watched before, the male supporting character was knitting, and with that precedent, he didn't think it was shameful for a man to knit.
Moreover, wool is so practical. No matter what Hua Manlou's wood carvings eventually turned out to look like, they would never be as good as his scarves.
Although nothing is certain yet, he can already imagine how delighted Lu Yusheng will be to receive the gift.
It's the peak season now, and if we can spare a few days to rush the work and deliver it before the weather really gets cold, it will definitely be as Xiaolu always said...
Warm her up all day?
The latter's expression was so open and honest that it made Lu Yusheng, who was reacting strongly to this, seem like a stereotype.
Thinking about it carefully, it's not a shameful hobby, but unfortunately, while the system provides household items like needles and thread, it seems that there really isn't any special yarn available.
At this point, she had forgotten that this was content from a movie she had shown to Sikong Zhaixing, and she didn't know that he only wanted to try it himself because there was a fairly detailed tutorial in the movie.
Although he only received a disappointing answer despite his expectations, Sikong Zhaixing didn't say much.
Forget it, if he doesn't have a needle, he can just cut some bamboo and whittle two pieces himself... As for thread, he'll have to go to the city to see if there's anything similar.
So when the two of them left the kitchen together, Sikong Zhaixing didn't rush into the warm room as happily as Lu Yusheng.
Lu Yusheng, who had been quietly turning the air conditioner up another degree, first saw Lin Pingzhi resting in the living room.
Because Chief Escort Cui needed to deliver a letter to his father on time to report the situation, he had just finished writing the letter and left it on the table.
Cui, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), who had been waiting for a long time, folded the item after blowing the ink off it and took it out.
There were several carrier pigeons parked outside in the carriage, which were brought along specifically to be used at this time.
After the serious-looking middle-aged man left, Lu Yusheng had just put away the remote control and gently reminded Lin Pingzhi that he could play downstairs with his uncle during the day, as there was no underfloor heating in the guest room and his hands would get cold while playing games in winter.
As she spoke, she caught a glimpse of Sikong Zhaixing, who hadn't entered the house with her, leaping several times before disappearing into the distance.
Although the incident in the kitchen might have been forgotten, Lu Yusheng kept his unusual behavior in mind.
Sure enough, even with computer games, most people still want to find some offline activities to adjust their mood and state of mind.
She occasionally felt this way too—the weariness, emptiness, and numbness that followed after playing a game, especially since he was playing a single-player game and was immersed in his own world, which made communication even more difficult.
Although Lin Pingzhi's response quickly brought her back to her senses, she kept the matter in mind.
When Chief Escort Cui returned after releasing the pigeons, his first words to Lu Yusheng were, "That young man just now, what superb lightness skill!"
His martial arts skills weren't top-notch, but they were at the level of "experts can see the details," and just a few glances were enough for him to see that Sikong Zhaixing's lightness skill was extraordinary.
Because she was preoccupied with the other person's affairs, she made sure not to reveal his identity as the King of Thieves, lest the news be discovered by her enemies.
He couldn't help but proudly boast, "Of course, he also taught me my light-body skills."
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