Chapter 148
"Silent gourd"
"Are your injuries healed?" Today she changed into a lotus-patterned cloud-patterned dress, her neat black hair was styled into a double-bun hairstyle, and a cinnabar flower was dotted on her forehead. Her clear phoenix eyes were full of curiosity about her.
"Silent fellow, say something." Bai Yingning gently nudged the young man in the carriage with her right hand.
Yan Chaoji looked up helplessly and saw her looking bored, but he didn't say anything nice: "If you're bored, then read a book yourself."
"Don't disturb me..."
“But I can’t understand these books.” Bai Yingning picked up a playbook and looked at the scribbles on it, immediately feeling a headache coming on.
Why does this Min Dynasty script look so complicated?
"You can't read?"
When Yan Chaoji woke up after fainting, he found himself in Biancheng. In the middle of his line of sight was a smiling girl who had just woken up.
The arrow wounds on his body had been treated, presumably because she had saved him.
Unexpectedly, this allowed them to avoid the assassins outside the city gates.
After pondering for a long time, Yan Chaoji made a decision.
Those assassins might discover something was wrong at any time and come directly to Biancheng to kill him, so Yan Chaoji created a false identity "Yan Zhao" and stayed by Bai Yingning's side temporarily.
Those people would never have imagined that a prince would disguise himself as a servant.
"It's not that I can't read."
"I just can't understand the words in this book." She tossed the book onto the cushion beside her, resting her slightly round face on her hand and looking at Yan Chaoji with a bored expression.
In the past few days, Yan Chaoji has found that this "noble lady" seems to be particularly difficult to deal with.
Yesterday, I wanted to ask him why he was injured.
Today, I want to hear him sing again.
......
He specially bought some collections of plays for her at the market earlier, just in case she came to bother him again.
"Little Zhaozi, you know martial arts?" But then she sat down beside him curiously, looking him up and down with wide eyes.
"Are you highly skilled in martial arts? How did you get injured?"
"My name isn't Xiao Zhaozi." After being tricked by her, Yan Chaoji simply stopped meditating.
At this time, Yan Chaoji was still an arrogant young man, so he naturally didn't have a good expression when he heard such a title.
"Huh? But I've heard that people in the Min Dynasty call their servants 'Little Li'..."
“Little Chenzi…” Bai Yingning carefully recalled the stories her mother had told her.
"That's what eunuchs call them."
"With that kind of address, are you perhaps a princess?"
Yan Chaoji didn't know why she had so many questions, and besides, they were in Biancheng, which was only a border city of the Min Dynasty, so it was unlikely that such a silly young lady would come out.
Whose daughter is this?
Not only are they silly and foolish.
You still can't read?
Bai Yingning tapped her head, suddenly realizing, "Right, right, right."
"I'm not a princess."
Helpless, Yan Chaoji had no choice but to pick up the collection of plays that she had thrown aside.
"Since you can't read, I'll read a poem to you."
"After I finish reading, don't bother me today."
Yan Chaoji casually flipped to a play script and slowly read it aloud. His voice did not have the vigor of a young man, but rather it was like a sea flower blooming on a cliff, instantly calming the listener's mind.
"Xiao Zhaozi, your voice is so beautiful." Bai Yingning secretly glanced at his profile and noticed that his eyes were slightly upturned, revealing a rare solemnity.
"The people of this Min Dynasty are truly unique."
She spoke softly, her words falling into the twilight that was peeking in.
The only memory left of the two of them from their childhood is a reflection of the setting sun.
The deep reflection is like a cup of strong tea, from which one can only taste a pretense, a deception, a thrill, and regret hidden at the bottom of the cup.
Years later, that person finally realized it.
But Yan Chaoji didn't care at the time.
*
“Zhaozhao”.
"Zhao Zhao, come and see!" The girl's voice rang out once again.
Yan Chaoji immediately put down his sword and strode over, his hawk-like eyes filled with impatience.
He corrected her way of addressing him too many times, and now she no longer calls him "Xiao Zhaozi," but suddenly calls him "Zhao Zhao."
Yan Chaoji was unwilling, but she called herself "Little Zhaozi" again.
Never mind...
"Zhaozhao" is easier to accept than "Xiao Zhaozi".
It's just a name after all. Once the two part ways, who will remember it?
Yan Chaoji gradually accepted the name.
"Where have you been again?" he asked.
"Here." Bai Yingning suddenly pulled out a fluffy white creature from behind her back, her smile so bright it almost made her phoenix eyes sparkle.
"Zhaozhao, look what this is!"
Yan Chaoji's face turned pale, and he immediately took a step back.
"Isn't it cute?" The girl shook the white fluffy cat with blue eyes in her arms, took another step forward, and reached out as if she wanted him to hold the cat.
"Do you want a hug?" Bai Yingning turned her gaze to Yan Chaoji and found that the latter had already taken five or six steps back.
His complexion was not good, and even the solemnity in his eyes seemed somewhat broken.
"Zhaozhao, why are you so far away?"
"Come and see how cute it is!" Bai Yingning followed Yan Chaoji to his side, but Yan Chaoji immediately avoided her.
"I..."
Yan Chaoji began to stammer.
Bai Yingning's innocent phoenix eyes couldn't hide her curiosity. When she saw Yan Chaoji's cold expression, she immediately found it amusing.
"You're not afraid of cats, are you?" she asked with a smile.
"How...how is this possible?!"
Yan Chaoji seemed to have been hit where it hurt, but he still stubbornly spoke up.
What a joke! He's a grown man, would he be afraid of a cat?
"It has a strange smell... I just can't stand it," Yan Chaoji offered a seemingly perfect excuse.
Where can I find it?
"I gave it a petal bath before I came." Bai Yingning even held it up, intending to bring it close to Yan Chaoji's nose so he could have a good sniff.
Is there a strange smell somewhere?
To everyone's surprise, Yan Chaoji looked at her incredulously and spoke hesitantly:
You're giving a cat... a flower petal bath?
"No?"
"I'm also thinking of naming it, hmm... how about Jiji?"
Yan Chaoji paused, then heard her say softly:
"The sky is clear, the wind is gentle, and the moon is bright."
"It sounds as beautiful as your name." She turned to look at herself and smiled gently, as if the ink painting of petals had been painted with vibrant colors, and the light in her eyes suddenly shifted.
The white-furred, blue-eyed cat in her arms meowed sweetly, making her chuckle.
His gaze lingered on her beautiful face.
Suddenly one day, I heard that flowers were blooming.
He spent many years in the Min Dynasty afterward, but was unable to find such a scene.
The ocean will eventually dry up, and the clouds will eventually disperse, but it took him many years to recall this dream.
........
At the foot of the mountain by the stream, the swallows fell silent after the morning rain.
She strolled among the lotus blossoms, her phoenix eyes gazing at a firefly. Each shimmering droplet fell onto the pond's surface, creating ripples as they leaped out.
"I...didn't mean that."
"Zhao Ning thanks the Regent for his kindness."
"There's no need to trouble Your Highness from now on." She gave a slight bow, her gesture carrying a hint of ruthlessness.
Yan Chaoji realized he had said something wrong, but he didn't know how to respond. After a long while, he slowly uttered a sentence.
I will protect you on your journey.
It wasn't because he felt indebted; he just wanted to do it.
Yingning looked at the tall figure standing a few steps away, raised her hand to brush away a few fireflies, a cold glint flashed in her phoenix eyes, and she turned and left.
When they returned to Grandma Jin's house, they saw the old and anxious Grandma Jin standing in front of the house.
"Ningning, you scared Grandma."
"Grandma, I'm fine," Yingning said with a smile.
"I was worried you might have gotten lost in the mountains. How are you? Did you encounter any wild animals?" Granny Jin asked with concern, holding her hand.
Yingning gently patted her mother-in-law's hand and told the truth: "We really didn't encounter any wild animals."
"You silly child, your injury has just healed, you can't go to see your brother next time."
When Granny Jin mentioned Yan Chaoji, she glanced back and saw that Yan Chaoji was standing some distance away.
"Zhaowa, why are you so far away?"
"Come in quickly, I've made dinner, come in quickly!" Grandma Jin hurriedly invited the two of them to come home, but she didn't notice the strange atmosphere.
"Okay." Yingning replied obediently, but didn't even glance at Yan Chaoji.
Yan Chaoji's eyes darkened, and after a moment he followed.
*
Grandma Jin prepared several kinds of wild game for dinner, along with a delicious mushroom soup.
Just as Yan Chaoji was about to pick up her chopsticks, she suddenly heard her say:
"Grandma, have some bamboo shoots."
Yan Chaoji paused with his chopsticks, preparing to change direction.
"Grandma, this stir-fried cured pork is really delicious."
Yan Chaoji stopped using his chopsticks again, preparing to put them down and pick up his soup spoon.
"Grandma, I'll serve you a bowl of mushroom soup," the girl beside her said again.
Yan Chaoji withdrew his hand.
Both Granny Jin and Yingning enjoyed the meal quite "pleasantly," except for one person who barely ate a few bites.
After dinner, Yan Chaoji quietly cleared away the dishes and returned to his room.
Grandma Jin's house is a small house with four rooms: one is the kitchen, and the other is a storage room.
The remaining two rooms were two small bedrooms. Grandma Jin lived in one room, and the other room was given to Ying Ning and Yan Chaoji.
In the eyes of the older generation, Granny Jin believed that Yingning and Yan Chaoji were siblings, and since Ningning was injured and needed someone to take care of her, she did not pay much attention to the rules of propriety between men and women.
In the past, Yan Chaoji slept on the floor, while Yingning slept on the only wooden bed in the thatched hut.
But tonight, Yan Chaoji couldn't sleep.
He carefully recalled everything that had happened that day, trying to figure out when the atmosphere between the two of them had started to become abnormal.
She went to find herself.
But then he encountered a lecherous man.
Although she was strong enough to avoid any harm, I was still a little nervous.
Are you worried she might get hurt?
After much thought, Yan Chaoji realized that perhaps it was because he had promised to protect her safety on her return to the capital that he was worried about whether she would get hurt.
He gently got up and looked at the bed under the swaying moonlight.
After a short while, Yan Chaoji noticed that she seemed to make a slight movement, and then he slowly spoke:
"I only didn't want you to get hurt because of what happened today."
“I will not encounter any danger in the mountains. Your injuries have just healed, so there is no need for you to worry about me.”
"That's not it..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard some strange crawling and rustling sounds coming from the window.
Yan Chaoji stood up instantly and immediately looked in the direction of the sound, following the faint moonlight.
It turned out to be a long python, about the thickness of a small bowl, which slowly crawled in through the unclosed wooden window. Its eyes gleamed with a faint green light, and it looked extremely hungry.
The bed was located in front of the wooden window.
"Bai Yingning".
Yan Chaoji immediately picked her up, took a few steps back to distance himself from the long python that glowed with hungry green light, and then, before the python could enter its attack range, he quickly opened the wooden door and left the room.
"Hmm..."
"What's wrong?"
The girl in his arms seemed still a little dazed, her eyes not yet open, and she appeared unaware that he had left the room.
Yan Chaoji felt a tightness in his throat and held her firmly in his arms.
She seemed to feel a little uncomfortable, so she turned to her own chest. Under her tender touch, a spark of fire instantly ignited on his body.
He seemed to smell the scent of that nameless exotic flower again, and the emptiness in his heart from his youth was suddenly filled.
Desire sprouted in the chest.
Yan Chaoji slowly tightened his arms.
After a long while, he lowered his head slightly and, as if possessed, kissed her forehead.
He longed for a single glimpse of a blooming flower in his youth.
At this moment, he sought to entangle himself with her.
Having lived a full life in the mortal world, he was no longer a heartless person.
“It’s alright, you can go to sleep,” he said.
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