The young man was tall and straight like a pine tree. He wore a dark blue robe, which made him look noble and elegant. His eyes were as dark as the night, showing a hint of coldness, but the corners of his mouth were curled up with a hint of nonchalant sarcasm.

The word "Madam" was as mellow as wine, and everyone present was drunk after hearing it.

The same thing happened to He Yan. He felt the area where his breath touched stiffen instantly, and he was speechless for a moment.

Miss Yan bit her lip and looked at Xiao Jue, feeling half amazed and half jealous. Such a handsome man, who is so outstanding, actually has a wife, and the wife is the country bumpkin next to him? Why!

Seeing that He Yan remained silent, Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows and spoke in a gentler voice, "Did she bully you?"

He Yan was so frightened that she came back to her senses. Just as she was about to speak, Miss Yan spoke before her. She said, "Sir, I am not bullying you. I just liked the same dress as this... girl."

When Miss Yan was talking to Xiao Jue, she was not as aggressive as before. She was gentle as if she was a different person, and she was reluctant to take her eyes off Xiao Jue.

"But I just heard you say that our young mistress has no money!" Lin Shuanghe was afraid that the world would not be in chaos, so he waved his fan and said, "Even I, the housekeeper, can't stand it anymore."

Butler? The blue-clothed man who dared not say a word was secretly shocked. He thought it was a young master from some family, but it turned out to be a butler. This is incredible. This group of people all have extraordinary looks and demeanor. Could it be that some important person has come to Jiyang? I wonder if I have offended him just now?

Xiao Jue tilted his head and asked He Yan: "Did anyone make the selection?"

He Yan shook his head.

Miss Yan then handed over the aquamarine skirt that He Yan had taken a fancy to and was holding in her hand, and said with a smile, "If the young lady really likes this skirt, I am willing to give it to you."

He Yan: “…”

How could Xiao Jue's face be so useful? His attitude changed, and he was completely different from the person he was before. He Yan thought bitterly that being good-looking was really an advantage.

Xiao Jue only glanced at her indifferently without reaching out to take it. He said to the blue-clothed waiter standing there, "What's that upstairs?"

"In reply to your question, sir," the young clerk wiped his sweat and replied, "Our embroidery shop has five floors in total. The third to fifth floors are all ready-made clothes for women. The clothes on the fifth floor are the most expensive, made specifically for nobles, and the price... is also higher."

"Bring out the treasure of your show shop."

Miss Yan's face froze.

He Yan was also startled, and tugged at Xiao Jue's sleeve, whispering, "No, I can just wear it casually..."

He Yan felt that it was inappropriate for him to choose the most expensive one regardless of the conditions at home.

Xiao Jue said calmly: "Shut up."

The clerk at Xiu Luo Fang was a talented man. He just said, "Please wait a moment," and went upstairs immediately. After a while, he came down carrying a small box wrapped in soft satin and placed the box on the round table in the room.

He unlocked the box, and carefully took out a thin pale white embroidered skirt from inside. The pattern of this skirt was not complicated, not as fancy as the one just now, but the sunlight coming through the window, shining on the fabric, the original white color, unexpectedly refracted rainbow colors, looming, like mermaid scales, with a faint blue-purple gold powder. It was thin and soft, not like ordinary things in the world.

"This is a piece of clothing woven from mermaid gauze. Not to mention the embroidery shop, I dare say that there is only one like this in Jiyang and the Wei Dynasty. This mermaid gauze was bought from a maritime merchant for a lot of money. The other materials were all made for Her Royal Highness. The last bit was left to make this 'tear gauze' because in the sun, the dress will give off the color of mermaid tears. Sir, this is the treasure of our store."

Xiao Jue glanced at the clothes in the clerk's hands and said, "Just barely."

He Yan felt that what was the point of all the fancy words, it was just a piece of clothing. What mermaid gauze, it was as if mermaids really existed in this world, it was just a gimmick, how could anyone believe it.

"How much?" Lin Shuanghe asked.

The young man held up a finger and said, "One hundred gold."

"One hundred gold?" He Yan was surprised, "Why don't you just go and rob it!"

Selling a piece of clothing for 100 gold coins is too extravagant! She was not so extravagant even when she was a nobleman or a noble lady in her previous life.

The clerk smiled and said, "Madam, don't underestimate this dress. Besides being beautiful, it is also a treasure. It can be used for self-defense. It is impervious to weapons, water and fire. One hundred gold for a dress is a bit expensive, but one hundred gold for a treasure is already very cheap."

"It's not necessary," Chiwu whispered to Feinu beside him, "A lady who can afford to wear this dress, is she going to risk everything for no reason? It's really not necessary."

"This one." Xiao Jue said calmly, "Pick a few more, the ones on the fifth floor will do, and take them all away."

"Okay!" The young man was overjoyed. It's not every day that you meet such a generous guest. So he struck while the iron was hot and continued, "Sir, would you like to take a look at the jewelry in our embroidery shop? It would be best if this 'Tear Silk' is paired with a pearl peony hairpin, a pair of exquisite white jade pendants, and shoes of the same color. Only then will our wife's rare beauty not be wasted."

He Yan: “?”

Xiao Jue: "You can choose."

Miss Yan on the side was stunned. He Yan felt something was wrong and pulled Xiao Jue's clothes, pulling him towards her, saying, "What a waste!"

Xiao Jue said calmly, "Let go."

He Yan immediately let go.

The young man did exactly as Xiao Jue said. He picked out a few clothes and some jewelry, and brought a small box over for everyone to look at. After counting everything, he closed the box and said, "A total of two hundred gold."

He Yan felt like fainting after hearing this.

Xiao Jue said to Lin Shuanghe, "Pay."

Lin Shuanghe was shocked: "...Me?"

"Or I'll pay? Butler."

Lin Shuanghe: “…”

He had no choice but to take out a banknote from his sleeve and hand it over, forcing a smile and saying, "Okay, sure. I'll pay for it."

When the banknote was about to be handed over, Xiao Jue said, "Wait."

Everyone paused, and He Yan was delighted. How come he suddenly realized that he had been too extravagant and licentious and was planning to turn back?

Xiao Jue looked at Miss Yan, curled his lips slightly, and said slowly: "I forgot to ask if this person also likes the same box of clothes. If you like it, Qiao is willing to give it to you."

Miss Yan's face was extremely ugly. Although her family was rich, they would not always carry 200 gold with them when they went out. Moreover, they had a tailor at home to make clothes. It would be difficult to justify spending 200 gold on a garment store. This overly handsome man... was clearly venting his anger for his wife!

She gritted her teeth and said, "Thank you for your care, sir. I... don't like it."

Xiao Jue nodded and ordered Fei Nu to put away the box. Just as he was about to leave, he looked at the other party and said, "I'm kindly reminding you."

Everyone was stunned.

The man with a face as beautiful as jade had gentle features but a tone full of harsh sarcasm.

"Your skin is too dark. None of the clothes in Xiu Luo Fang are suitable for you. Let's go to another store."

…

Even when he got downstairs, Lin Shuanghe was still holding his stomach and laughing.

"Hahahahaha! Huai... Young Master, you are so mean. You didn't see the girl's face just now. My God, if I were her, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight! She has fallen in love with you, and you rejected her, but you also had to be sarcastic like this. Oh my God, hahahahahaha."

He Yan also felt that Xiao Jue's behavior was a little too childish, but that was not what surprised her more. She quickly caught up with Xiao Jue and asked, "She just took the clothes I chose because she has dark skin and can't wear these colors?"

She said that it was her first time in Jiyang and she had no grudges against him, so why did she come to trouble him. Later, when she heard Xiao Jue say this before leaving, she realized that it was probably because the employee had called her "white-skinned" when he introduced the ready-made clothes to her, which made Miss Yan unhappy. There are such people in the world, who are jealous and resentful when they see others have something they don't have.

"Aren't you very good at lying? Is that all you can do?" Xiao Jue's expression returned to indifference, and he said with disdain, "Can't you see that she is jealous of you?"

"How would I know that there is something about me that people would envy," He Yan muttered, "especially women."

It is quite common to be envied by men, such as being good at running, being able to drink a lot, etc., but this is what it feels like to be envied by women. In this way, I feel that jealousy between women is also very cute, just a quarrel, a little trick, unlike men, who would fight at any time.

And... She asked Xiao Jue: "Am I very white? So she is jealous? Am I very white?"

I usually see her dressed like a teenager, I'm used to it. Suddenly I see her with her long hair down. Although she is still wearing teenager's clothes, her eyes are lively and cute. She really looks like a girl. Although she looks a little silly, but...

Xiao Jue looked away: "Like a piece of black charcoal."

He Yan: “…”

Will this person die if he says something nice to him?

Behind him, the two newly bought pink-dressed maids followed timidly and didn't dare to speak. Chi Wu looked at the scene in front of him where He Yan was deliberately teasing Xiao Jue, rubbed his arms, and couldn't help but say to Fei Nu: "This He Yan, he fits into the role too quickly... Look at him now, he basically treats himself as a woman. I have goosebumps all over my body, it's weird and uncomfortable."

Fei Nu: "Don't look at anything indecent, don't listen to anything indecent."

…

After returning to the inn, the two maids first glanced at He Yan, and one of them said timidly, "Madam, we will go upstairs to clean up the room for you first, please wait a moment and come back."

He Yan: "...Okay."

After the two girls went upstairs, He Yan asked, "Is this the maid you bought? She's too young!"

The two little girls looked to be no more than twelve or thirteen years old. I didn't know if it was because they were naturally that old or because they were too thin and looked childish, but they looked exactly the same, a pair of twins.

Lin Shuanghe replied, "There's nothing I can do. Our young master is so handsome. If I find someone your age, he'll inevitably have other thoughts. What if he climbs into the young master's bed in the middle of the night? The only way is to find someone young and inexperienced. It's safe and reliable."

When He Yan heard this, he felt that Lin Shuanghe was simply a genius and what he said made a lot of sense. Judging from the reaction of Miss Yan in Xiu Luo Fang just now, Xiao Jue's face and body were indeed enough to attract bees and butterflies, so it was better to be cautious.

Lin Shuanghe said again: "Don't underestimate these two girls, they cost me a lot of money. I said..." He reacted suddenly and looked at Xiao Jue: "You insisted on taking me to Jiyang, in fact, it's not because you need a housekeeper, but because you need a money bag!"

He Yan burst out laughing.

Lin Shuanghe was still bitterly denouncing Xiao Jue's behavior: "Do you know that what you did is very unkind? You bought clothes for your wife, hired maids, and stayed in an inn. Why do you want me to spend money? It's not mine!"

He Yan couldn't laugh anymore.

Xiao Jue said calmly, "Why did you follow me all the way to Jiyang and be safe?"

"…Because of you." Lin Shuanghe said. Nonsense, with Xiao Jue here, who would dare to rob people on the road?

Xiao Jue could not deny it: "That's fine, protection fee."

Lin Shuanghe: "Protection fee?"

He said: "Xiao——"

Xiao Jue uttered a soft "huh", looked at the boxes outside, raised an eyebrow and said, "Go move the things, Steward Lin."

Lin Shuanghe had never won a conversation with Xiao Jue. He snorted, took out a few round things from his sleeves, and stuffed them into He Yan's hands.

He Yan was puzzled: "What is this?"

"I bought rouge and powder for the lady." Lin Shuanghe was very nice to He Yan. He said, "On the way to find you after buying the maid, we met Cui Yuezhi's people. The Cui family had arranged for the city gate guards in advance. When they saw Qiao Xinqing's pass, they reported to them that we might have to stay at the Cui Mansion tonight. After thinking about it, you need these."

He Yan stared at the powder box in her hand and frowned. This was really too difficult for her.

"I'm going to move my things." Lin Shuanghe waved his hands, moved closer to He Yan and whispered, "Sister He, dress up well and let those ignorant people see how beautiful you are. I am very optimistic about you. Tonight you are the most beautiful pearl in Jiyang City."

He Yan: “…” Thank you so much.

From the corridor, a maid's crisp voice came: "Madam, Master, we have cleaned up the room. You can come in now."

Xiao Jue said: "Let's go."

He Yan put her makeup away and walked upstairs with Xiao Jue. When they reached the door of the room, she paused and asked hesitantly, "Are you going in too?"

Although they are a couple in name only, but... they are living in the same room now? She still needs to change her clothes, which is not good.

Xiao Jue looked at her as if she were a fool, and after a while he said, "I'll go to Lin Shuanghe's room. Call me when you're done."

He Yan: "...Okay."

She entered her room, and the two maids stepped aside, looking at her with grape-like eyes, waiting for her instructions cautiously. He Yan couldn't stand the looks from the little girls, so he sat down and asked kindly, "What are your names?"

"My servant Cui Jiao."

"The servant Hongqiao."

He Yan nodded, "What a nice name. Cui Jiao Hong Qiao, I'm a little hungry now. Can you guys go to the kitchen downstairs and make some snacks for me? They should be fresh out of the oven. Just stare at them, okay?"

The girls nodded hurriedly and said, "Okay, Madam, we will go now."

After Cui Jiao and Hong Qiao left, He Yan breathed a sigh of relief. She was not used to being served by others after all. Looking at the clothes and jewelry in the box, she felt a headache again. After thinking about it, she decided to wash her face first and clean off the eyebrows that she had deliberately drawn thickly.

Now that she was traveling with Xiao Jue, she didn't deliberately paint her face black to save trouble. After staying in Liangzhouwei for a whole winter, her face had already turned white. There was clean hot water in the room. He Yan washed her face, wiped it with a handkerchief, and sat down at the table.

I don't know if it's because she's a year older, but Miss He's face is much prettier and her facial features are more distinct than a year ago. She used to be just a coquettish little beauty, but now the vulgarity between her eyebrows and eyes has gone, and she has a bit more heroic and open air. At this moment, she is really quite attractive.

Having seen herself dressed as a man for so many times, He Yan was still a little uncomfortable with women's clothing. She picked up the wooden comb on the table and combed her long hair until it was smooth. Her eyes fell on the pile of cosmetics that Lin Shuanghe had given her.

Rouge and lip balm... How to use them? She couldn't remember clearly. She had used them a few times when she was the grandmother of He, but later she had maids to help her, so she didn't have to do it herself. Now she really didn't know where to start.

She picked up the Luozidai on the table again and started with the one she was familiar with.

He Yan leaned his head towards the mirror and began to carefully draw his eyebrows, stroke by stroke.

Just after he finished drawing one, there was a knock on the door. He Yan held the inkstone in one hand and opened the door with the other. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Xiao Jue.

He stuffed the box into He Yan's hands and said impatiently: "You forgot to take your clothes."

He Yan slapped his head and said, "Yes! I almost forgot."

She didn't even take the clothes worth two hundred gold coins, so why did she bother to put on makeup? He Yan said to Xiao Jue, "Thank you."

Xiao Jue's eyes fell on her face, and he was startled. He asked incredulously: "What are you drawing?"

He Yan: "Eyebrows! How's my craft?"

Xiao Jue's mouth twitched.

She was used to dressing like a man, so naturally she drew her eyebrows thick and heavy, which gave her the appearance of a boy with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. Now that her hair was loose and her face was dressed like a woman, she naturally had to draw eyebrows like a woman. The difference between He Yan's drawing of a man and a woman was that she drew her sharp eyebrows into curved eyebrows.

A pair of curved, thick and coarse eyebrows, as if there is a fat earthworm lying above the eye.

Xiao Jue couldn't bear it anymore.

He grabbed He Yan's arm, dragged him to the basin, and said coldly, "Wash it off."

"Why?" He Yan looked up, "I think it's fine."

Xiao Jue looked at her with his eyes downcast, and sneered: "Do you think it's good?"

"Well," He Yan whispered, "...not too good either."

But so what? Everyone has their own expertise. She is adept at doing things that men do, but clumsy at doing things that women do. This is not something that can be developed overnight.

"Where are the two girls?"

"Go to the kitchen and get me something to eat." He Yan quickly washed off the eyebrows she had just drawn, and wiped them with a towel. She felt frustrated and decided to just give up. "I only know how to draw eyebrows like this, or..." She spread out her palm, with the black ink in her palm, "You do it?"

It was just a joke, but Xiao Jue looked at her and reached out to take it.

This time, He Yan was really horrified.

Xiao Jue walked over to the window seat and saw that she didn't move. "Come here."

He Yan's subconscious past.

He added, "Sit down."

He Yan sat down on the stool in front of him. However, he still felt it was unbelievable, so he asked, "Do you really want to draw for me?"

Xiao Jue glanced at her uneasy face, pulled the corner of his mouth, and said meaningfully: "Are you scared?"

"Afraid?" He Yan sat up straight immediately, "What am I afraid of? I was just exaggerating when I was afraid that you wouldn't be able to draw well."

Xiao Jue sneered, "Don't worry. Sit down."

It was a warm day in March, and the sunlight shone in through the window, creeping onto the young man's face. The handsome man, as fair as the spring moon, held the eyebrow pencil with his slender fingers and gently brushed across her eyebrows.

He Yan felt a little uneasy.

She had never thought that Xiao Jue would actually draw her eyebrows. She had never been so close to a man in her past and present lives. Even her husband Xu Zhiheng would never do such a thing when they were newly married. In the eyes of others, a man drawing eyebrows for a woman is probably considered a scourge of beauty and a derogatory term for indulging in beauty. But the sight of Xiao Jue drawing her eyebrows seriously made her instantly obsessed.

He Yan immediately realized his obsession and leaned back slightly.

Xiao Jue frowned: "Don't move."

She was startled. The other person's hand was already grabbing the back of her head and pulling her towards him. In an instant, the distance between them was even shorter than before.

You can also see him more clearly.

Xiao Jue, who had lost his sharpness and coldness, seemed extraordinarily gentle at this moment. His eyelashes were thick and dense, hanging down long, half covering his dark pupils and also hiding the coolness of autumn water. He sat lazily, with an exquisite and exquisite figure. His thin lips were bright red, which made people unable to help but stare at him.

She thought back to a rainy night in her previous life. If she had known it was him at the time, if she could see and accept the other person's gentleness and kindness, would she have been gentler in her attitude towards that face and not been so ferocious?

Perhaps it was because her gaze was too scorching that it was impossible to ignore it even if one wanted to. Xiao Jue paused and met her gaze.

He Yan suddenly felt guilty as if he had been caught doing something bad.

Xiao Jue frowned slightly: "Why is your face so red?"

"Me?" He Yan was startled, and subconsciously covered his cheeks with his hands. He really felt hot, and for a moment he couldn't find a reason, so he stammered and couldn't say a word.

Xiao Jue stared at her for a while, then suddenly approached, "You are not..." He raised his eyebrows, his eyes full of mystery, and smiled, "Like..."

"No, no, no!" Before he could finish his words, He Yan immediately denied it, raised his hands, and shouted as if swearing: "Really not! You are such a beautiful person, how dare we mortals dream of you! I absolutely dare not have any improper thoughts about you! Really!"

Xiao Jue leaned back, still holding the Luozidai in his hand. Seeing her hastily retort, he sneered and said lazily, "I didn't say anything. Why are you so excited?" He raised his eyebrows, "Are you guilty of being a thief?"

"I really didn't!" He Yan was anxious.

What's wrong with this person? Why is he still holding on to this matter? Is it fun to play a prank on others? What kind of vile taste is this?

Outside the door, two maids were holding plates of snacks in their hands, not knowing whether to go in or not.

"Are you going in or not?" Hong Qiao asked in a low voice.

"I guess not." Cui Jiao said, "I have seen the scholar reading poetry. Madam and Master are in love right now. It is better not to disturb them."

"Oh." Hong Qiao nodded, not quite understanding.

Cui Jiao wondered, what was the name of that poem? It seemed like, Zhuang Qie asked her husband in a low voice: How deep or shallow is the eyebrow painting?

That's right.

－－－－－－－A side note－－－－－－－

Buddy: Mermaid Polarized French Early Spring Long Skirt, pearlescent pink + polarized mermaid color, just the right pink and sweetness, it's so beautiful under the sun, let's be fairies together~

Why do I like to make such earthy jokes so much...