Chapter 63: Unforgettable (Part 3) Here, they all seem to be...
To Lian Qiang's surprise, their life in the mountains was very peaceful, and the relationship between the three of them was quite harmonious, putting aside the confrontations of the first night.
Yue Lingjun lives a normal life, working from sunrise to sunset. Every morning, she heads to the mountains, cuts a bamboo stalk, and personally polishes, splits, and slices it, weaving the thin, cicada-wing-thin bamboo strips into a variety of ornaments.
She did this without needing their help, completing each detail with complete indifference. Seeing the thin bamboo strips twirling nimbly between Yue Lingjun's fingers for the umpteenth time, Lian Qiang couldn't help but exclaim, "...You have truly deft hands. You can even do this."
"Do you want to learn?" Yue Lingjun just raised her eyes to divert her attention and asked back.
Lian Qiang watched silently for a while, then realized she was powerless, so she shook her head and said, "No, this looks difficult and time-consuming."
“As long as you are willing, learning anything is easy.”
Yue Lingjun's words seemed to classify Lian Qiang as "careless," but Lian Qiang didn't care whether there was such a deeper meaning in the conversation and continued to ask enthusiastically, "Did you find it difficult when you were learning? Who taught you?"
Upon hearing this, Yue Lingjun's expression remained unchanged as she uttered, "My late husband taught me this craft. He was very patient when he taught me, so I didn't find it difficult to learn at the time."
Lian Qiang's smile froze. Although Yue Lingjun's expression remained unchanged, this was, after all, a rather heavy and solemn topic that she shouldn't touch upon carelessly. So, she said solemnly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
"I know you didn't mean it." Yue Lingjun threw down a sentence, but she heard the breathing of another person in her ear became much lighter. She raised her head and saw Lian Qiang holding her breath and not daring to make any noise.
Seeing her like this, Yue Lingjun sneered very lightly: "I've already said I don't care, why are you still being so cautious?"
Without waiting for Lian Qiang to explain, she continued, "Actually, I'm not as grief-stricken as people think. But if I said that, they'd think I was being stubborn. In reality, there's nothing more sorrowful than a broken heart."
She thought it through clearly. Lian Qiang belatedly let out an "Ah" and then tried to change the subject in a slow manner: "Then why did you make up all this?"
Lian Qiang had seen that Yue Lingjun's clothing, food, shelter, and transportation were extremely simple. Apart from the necessary utensils, all the remaining bamboo items were gone. She had previously assumed Yue Lingjun had placed them in her bedroom, but after a few days of accumulation, the number was indeed considerable.
"To send it to my late husband."
Just a few words made Lian Qiang feel that she shouldn't speak. She even suspected that she didn't mean it, but Yue Lingjun did it on purpose. Fortunately, someone pushed open the door of the courtyard at this time.
It was Chi Xingji. He was being stared at by two people, one sitting and one squatting. He spoke uncomfortably, "...The meal is ready. Let's eat first."
Strangely enough, since entering Chonghua Mountain, their needs have become the same as those of ordinary people, and all the grains that they had thrown away after the previous fasting have come back.
Although Yue Lingjun provided them with shelter, she offered no meals. Even Chi Xingji, who had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs, rolled up his sleeves, dug bamboo shoots in the mountains, fished in the rivers, and even learned to build fires and cook without a teacher. Even the host was so reluctant, so no matter how reluctant he was, he had no choice but to chop wood.
Seeing that he got the hang of it very quickly, Yue Lingjun simply threw all the miscellaneous tasks to him and enjoyed some free time herself.
Here, they seem to have become people who need to face birth, old age, sickness and death again.
Lian Qiang and Chi Xingji had discussed whether this place was suitable for cultivation. If it was suitable, the circulation of spiritual energy was suppressed, and the gap between cultivators and ordinary people was minimized. But if it was not suitable, living in accordance with the natural world was not a state of mind.
The discussion was fruitless, but Lian Qiang sincerely felt that she had become much more exhausted here.
After the meal, the afternoon sun was shining brightly, making people feel warm. Lian Qiang felt even more relaxed after having eaten and drunk so much that she didn't have to do anything. She just leaned back in the bamboo chair, swaying from side to side, feeling particularly relaxed.
Chi Xingji brought over the dishes, saw this scene, walked over and stopped, shielding her face from the glaring sunlight, and whispered: "You just finished eating, don't lie down, be careful of indigestion."
"No, no!" Lian Qiang narrowed her eyes and waved her hands, enjoying it calmly. "How can my spleen and stomach be so weak..."
"It will be too late when you feel uncomfortable." Chi Xingji was relentless, holding the dishes and refusing to leave, as if he would drag Lian Qiang out of her three-quarters of land if she didn't obey. Lian Qiang had no choice but to straighten her lazy back and listlessly made a quilt with her hands: "I'll sit up, sit up, okay?"
"Okay." The young man, not being ignorant of the importance of knowing when to quit, turned and walked away. Lian Qiang took the opportunity to retreat again, but unexpectedly, Chi Xingji seemed to have eyes on his back: "Get up."
She sat up in dismay, and when she was sure Chi Xingji had gone far away, she tried her old trick again. However, she had been lying down for less than half an incense stick of time when the courtyard door was pushed open again. She thought it was Chi Xingji who had returned, and she jumped up in shock: "I'm not lying down!"
But no one answered her. Lian Qiang turned her head and saw Yue Lingjun holding a bunch of straw in her arms, looking at her intently and with some doubt.
Lian Qiangteng's face flushed, and before she could think of how to defend herself, Yue Lingjun didn't care what she had to say. She just dug out a basket from the corner and poured all the little things into it.
This action piqued Lian Qiang's curiosity. She leaned over to take a look. Yue Lingjun glanced at her but didn't try to stop her. However, Lian Qiang felt itchy and couldn't help asking, "Are you going to burn these? Do you want me to help you find some tinder?"
Yue Lingjun paused, realizing that Lian Qiang had misunderstood her. "Burn them? No, I'm just going to take them to the mountains and bury them."
She packed these things, stood up, and met Lian Qiang's puzzled yet silent eyes. She wanted to leave immediately, but in the end she opened her mouth and said, "My late husband's bones are buried in the mountains and forests. Burying them underground is a way of comforting him and returning to his roots."
"I see." Lian Qiang pretended to understand and nodded, but in her heart she was carefully savoring Yue Lingjun's meaning.
She turned around to lie back down, but she stepped on something. She moved aside and saw it was an exquisitely woven bamboo butterfly, the one Yue Lingjun had forgotten. Lian Qiang picked it up and examined it, only to find that it was less vibrant than the others and had a much looser joint, clearly having seen better days.
She wanted to chase after Yue Lingjun and call out, but once she got out, she was in trouble. The woods were so densely packed, where could Yue Lingjun be? Lian Qiang had no choice but to go back to her rocking bamboo chair, stroking the fluttering bamboo butterfly, trying to figure out the thought behind its creation. Gradually, she felt sleepy and fell into a dream.
A vast white mist rose in the dream. Lian Qiang reached out to touch it helplessly, but the mist suddenly dispersed and a sound was heard at the same time.
"Ah Jun, take a quick look at this butterfly. How did I do?"
The young man, dressed in a turquoise shirt, stood with his back to Lian Qiang. His face was invisible, but the joy in his clear voice was evident. He carefully raised something in his hands, intending to offer it to the woman before him.
Lian Qiang frowned. Could this be Qiu Ruozhao? She walked closer. The man still had his back to her, but the woman's features gradually became clearer.
——It was Yue Lingjun.
She was used to the man's familiar attitude, just like when she met strangers, but there was a hint of helplessness between her brows: "Not bad."
"Just good?" The man seemed dissatisfied with her slightly affirmative evaluation. He wanted a more enthusiastic response and gesture from Yue Lingjun, or rather, he was not as sensitive as Lian Qiang to notice the changes in Yue Lingjun's expression.
Yue Lingjun glanced at the lifelike butterfly again. Lian Qiang thought she would praise Qiu Ruozhao again, but contrary to the truth, her lips uttered words that were even colder than before: "Have you been tinkering with this all day lately?"
Qiu Ruozhao's back tensed for a moment, then relaxed again. He pretended to be cheerful and replied, "Yes, you... don't like it?"
It turned out that he was not unaware, but pretending not to notice... Lian Qiang's mind moved and he made some guesses, while the conversation on the other end continued.
Yue Lingjun put down the herbs in her hand that were overflowing with spiritual energy and rubbed her brows: "Although I asked you to find something to kill time, but... forget it, why am I telling you all this? If you like, just do it."
The tone was not aggressive. On the contrary, considering Yue Lingjun's personality, these words were very gentle. But Lian Qiang instinctively felt uncomfortable when she heard them.
These words, which cannot be thoroughly investigated and can only vaguely reveal the other person's attitude... sometimes cause more lingering pain than direct statements, like... standing in the fog, being vaguely and decisively excluded.
But Qiu Ruozhao was not discouraged: "What else do you like? A little rabbit, a little dog? Or a little bird? Wait, I'll try again!"
He turned around with brisk steps, eager to regroup. His facial features were clearly visible in Lian Qiang's eyes. To be fair, it was a face that was so charming that one could forget the world. However, the emotions revealed on it were not as lively as the ones his master showed to Yue Lingjun.
Qiu Ruozhao was lonely, discouraged and confused.
"Ruo Zhao," his expression brightened as his wife called out to him again. He turned around quickly, this time much faster than before. "If you were just trying to please me, you wouldn't have to do this."
In the candlelight, Yue Lingjun's eyes were distant and blurry, but Lian Qiang could sense a hint of alienation in them. She calmly picked up the herb she had put down and repeated the action that had just been interrupted.
Qiu Ruozhao was clearly closer to her, but her features were indistinct. He lowered his head and stared at the finished product he had spent most of the day weaving. After a long pause, he said, "Good."
The dim candlelight was replaced by the golden crow hanging in the sky. Lian Qiang was in a trance, and the white figure in front of her became solid.
"Chi..." She opened her lips to call out, but felt something was wrong.
The person standing nearby leaned over, looking like a ghost: "What did you dream about just now?"
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