Chapter 107 Counting Money: A Friend's Wife Should Not Be Deceived
"Guan Ye, what are you doing?" Xiao Ma pressed his nose.
"What are you doing?" Guan Ye retorted without backing down. "Why are you looking at me without eating? I ate everything up, and you didn't eat a single bite. Don't you want me to eat for you?"
Little Ma swallowed hard. Who wasn't hungry? Who didn't want to eat? But... he had something on his mind. Little Ma didn't dare to say anything, picked up the bowl, and shoveled the white rice into his stomach.
Ajiu pulled Guanye closer and scooped some food from her bowl for her. Guanye leaned closer to Ajiu, glanced at Xiaoma, and said, "I'm full. I was just thinking of helping Xiaoma because I thought he didn't have an appetite."
“Xiao Ma hasn’t been acting quite right these past few days.” Feng Shisan, always eager for drama, saw that A Jiu and Guan Ye were no longer hiding from others and wanted to tease Xiao Ma even more. “Several times, I’ve noticed Xiao Ma staring blankly at Guan Ye, just like that…” Feng Shisan pointed to his big, round eyes, mimicking Xiao Ma’s staring gaze at Guan Ye, and even deliberately blinked a few times, sparks flying, “Just like that, staring at Guan Ye.”
"I didn't say that," Xiao Ma said, struggling to defend himself. "Ajiu, don't listen to his nonsense."
“Ji Fang saw it too, didn’t he?” Feng Shisan poked Ji Fang’s back. “Ji Fang saw it too.”
"Me?" Ji Fang spat out a mouthful of soup. "I didn't. One shouldn't covet a friend's wife. Xiao Ma isn't that kind of person."
Feng Shisan burst into laughter, "Listen to this, listen to this! Even Ji Fang has been brought out! One should not covet a friend's wife! Xiao Ma, I see you're acting suspiciously. You must have designs on Guan Ye. Why don't you confess?"
Xiao Ma was speechless, but his strange behavior these past few days had become apparent even to the blind man. If he kept quiet any longer, A Jiu might draw her sword against him.
Guan Ye glanced at Xiao Ma's flushed and purplish face, deliberately took out her short sword, and flashed the half-sharpened edge, causing Xiao Ma to dodge backward. Guan Ye revealed a triumphant smile, picked up her food, and ignored him.
Xiao Ma sighed, swallowed the last bite, and said, "I really didn't have any feelings for Guan Ye. We're not good enough for each other."
"Explain yourself clearly," A-Jiu suddenly said coldly. "Is it that Guan Ye is not good enough for you, or..."
"Pah, pah, pah." Xiao Ma slapped himself. "It's me, it's me who's not good enough for Guan Ye, pah, pah, pah." Xiao Ma suddenly realized he'd been tricked again. "That's not what I meant, A Jiu, stop teasing me, I'm sorry, okay?"
Ah Jiu chuckled softly, opened his arms and put his arm around Guan Ye. Guan Ye didn't hesitate and leaned on his shoulder. She picked up a piece of dried meat with two fingers and brought it to Ah Jiu's mouth. Ah Jiu opened his mouth and took a bite, and even the scar on his brow bone became gentle.
Ji Fang stared blankly at the empty bowl, while Feng Shisan looked on with envy, scratching his ear and lowering his head, saying, "The world is going to the dogs."
Xiao Ma looked on with envy and said in a low voice, "I just want to ask Guan Ye, in the mine on the island... does she still have the copper coins we picked up?"
"What?" Upon hearing the mention of the mine, Feng Shisan's body trembled. "Why are you bringing that up? It's creepy."
Copper coins picked up in the mine? Guan Ye looked at A Jiu, and the nameless skeleton appeared in their eyes. It was early winter night, and the wind was strong today. The sudden mention of that matter made everyone except Ji Fang, who hadn't gone, feel a sense of dread.
"Copper coins?" Ji Fang bit the tip of his chopsticks. "Little Ma, are you short of money?" He then pulled out a deflated money pouch from his pocket. "Manager Pei gave me some a while ago, saying that it would come in handy when traveling in Rongdu. I bought some things for A Yuan, and here are the rest. If you need them, take them."
Xiao Ma pushed Ji Fang's hand away and looked straight at Guan Ye, saying, "I remember you picked one up back then, do you still have it?"
Before Guan Ye could speak, A Jiu reached into her pocket and said, "How much do you want? I'll give it to you for Guan Ye."
Xiao Ma ignored A Jiu, leaned closer to Guan Ye, and looked expectantly at her. "I don't want any of yours. I just want to ask Guan Ye, do you still have the one you picked up?"
Guan Ye didn't know why Xiao Ma suddenly asked about this. She frowned and recalled that night, she seemed to have picked it up casually, and A Jiu even told her to keep it... Yes, that's what happened. Guan Ye reached for her pocket, then stopped. She'd been in Rongdu for a while now, bought fried cakes, steamed buns... and even been to the ghost market... Her pockets were only so big, and she only had so much money. The copper coins she found should have been spent long ago.
Seeing that Guan Ye didn't move, Xiao Ma became anxious and wished he could take the money out for her. "Guan Ye, think carefully, is the money still there?"
Feng Shisan clicked his tongue and scratched his head. "He must have gotten into some trouble. He's begging for every penny. He's doomed."
Guan Ye took out all the money from her pockets, including loose silver left over from shopping and a handful of copper coins, all mixed together. These were the pocket money Pei Bi had given her. "Here you go," Guan Ye pushed the money in front of Xiao Ma. "It's all here."
Little Ma looked at the dozens of identical copper coins on the ground. "So many?"
"Take it and use it," Guan Ye waved her hand. "I don't usually need money."
Ignoring the strange looks from everyone, Xiao Ma bent down and picked up the copper coins one by one, ignoring the loose silver. With the copper coins in his hand, Xiao Ma hurriedly fiddled with them for a few moments. They were all black and couldn't be seen at all in the night. Xiao Ma took out his money bag, stuffed dozens of copper coins into it, clasped his hands tightly to Guan Ye, and got up to go to the backyard.
Feng Shisan turned around and looked at Xiao Ma's hurried back, asking suspiciously, "Did he take the wrong medicine? He's not sick."
Guan Ye picked up the broken silver, blew off the dirt, and put it back in her pocket. "Everyone has something on their mind. When the time comes, Xiao Ma will naturally tell us."
“I’d like him to say that.” Feng Shisan clenched his fist and pounded his chest. “He’s clearly hiding something and keeping it to himself. He obviously doesn’t consider me a brother.”
Guan Ye paused, "Sometimes not speaking up is for the good of others, but if we get implicated, wouldn't that harm everyone?"
"We all share one life," Feng Shisan roared. "I, Young Master Shisan, will take care of any of your affairs."
Ji Fang was still eating when he was suddenly startled and bit his tongue. A small bead of blood seeped from the corner of his lips. He wiped it away with his fingertip and smeared the blood on the rim of the bowl.
Guan Ye looked at Ji Fang's actions, rested her chin on her hand, and smiled, "Ji Fang, it seems you're not afraid of blood anymore."
"I'm still scared." Ji Fang sucked on the wound on the tip of his tongue. "Perhaps it's because I bled a lot when I saved Cang Yu last time, so I'm not afraid of this anymore."
Seeing that the others had changed the subject and ignored him, Feng Shisan snorted and jumped up, carrying his sword and heading towards the east wing. Ji Fang ate very slowly today; the stewed fish in the pot had gone cold, but seeing that there was still some left, he picked up his bowl and went to ladle out more soup.
"The stewed fish smells so good today," Guan Ye smacked her lips with her chopsticks. "It would be even better with some cornbread." Guan Ye reminisced about the stewed fish that Ji Yuan used to make. It was a mixed stew of various fish, each with its own unique flavor. She hadn't tasted anything so delicious since she came to Rongdu. Seeing Ji Fang gulping down the cooled fish soup, Guan Ye knew that he, like her, was thinking of Ji Yuan.
Ji Fang finished the soup in his bowl and realized that he and Guan Ye Ajiu were the only ones left in the huge courtyard. He chuckled dryly, wiped the water from his mouth, and turned his back to say, "I'm going back to rest. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Thirteen Young Master and he won't come out."
“Ji Fang is quite sensible.” A Jiu watched Ji Fang’s figure recede into the distance, and when he entered the east wing, she suddenly hugged Guan Ye tighter, leaned close to her ear, and breathed hot air into her ear, saying, “I was out all day today, did you miss me?”
These words actually came from Ajiu's mouth. Guan Ye looked up at his handsome face leaning towards her, his dark eyes shining like flames, "It's only been one day, it's not that serious."
"Stubborn." Ajiu poked her lips with her fingertip. "If you didn't want me, why were you waiting for me outside the gate? Seeing how eager you are, isn't it because you miss me?"
Guan Ye bit his finger, "If you don't come back, the neighborhood won't serve meals. I was so hungry that I went to wait at the door."
Ajiu remained noncommittal about the answer, stroking Guan Ye's hair and inhaling the girl's delicate fragrance with a contented expression. Taking advantage of Guan Ye's momentary lapse in attention, her palm suddenly reached towards her bosom. Guan Ye jolted and jumped up, only to be pressed down by Ajiu. "Don't move." Ajiu accurately retrieved the short sword that Guan Ye had hidden, waving it with one hand and saying, "Let me see."
Guan Ye secretly realized something was wrong. Ah Jiu, a ghost with sharp eyes, didn't say a word, but saw everything clearly. She had only revealed a small part of herself, and in the blink of an eye, he had taken it all in.
Ah Jiu calmly drew her short sword, lightly stroking it with her fingertip, already knowing what was going on. "Don't tell me you sharpened it yourself."
Guan Ye deliberately said, "It's not like I can't. Why can't I sharpen the blade myself? I remember on the island, you said, 'Guan Ye, are you hoping an unsharpened sword will protect you, or are you hoping that tall guy will protect you?'" Guan Ye chuckled as she recalled, "Is that what you said?"
“I remember correctly.” Ajiu’s eyes were languid as she played with the short sword, showing no sign of stopping. “But I still think that someone else sharpened this sword for you. The sharpening is passable, but I’ve seen your craftsmanship, and it’s far more than that. Guan Ye, if you don’t tell the truth, I’ll have to be very rude to you.”
Guan Ye was getting stubborn. She wanted to know how rude A Jiu would be to her—whether he would skin her or eat her. She tried to struggle a bit, but then she remembered that night when A Jiu had been entangled with her for a long time. If he were to be rude like that… it didn’t seem so bad. It was just… Guan Ye’s cheeks were burning. It was just too embarrassing. She didn’t know where Xiao Ma had gone. If he suddenly appeared… she would be too ashamed to face anyone.
Ajiu stroked the blade, then brought it close to his nose and sniffed. Guan Ye's heart leaped into her throat. Last time, Ajiu said he could smell a man's scent on the handkerchief. Did he have a dog's nose? How come she couldn't smell anything at all? Before Ajiu could speak, Guan Ye snatched the short sword, brought it close to her nose, and took a deep breath. From the hilt to the tip, she could only smell the iron filings.
"Can you smell the man's scent?" Ajiu straightened up and asked seriously.
"No, there isn't." Guan Ye held the sword, turning it over and sniffing it repeatedly. "How did you smell that?"
Ah Jiu sighed with a long face, "Then it's true."
"Huh?" Guan Ye blinked a few times, suddenly realizing that A Jiu was bluffing. It was too late to explain. A Jiu was too cunning; he had tricked her with just a few words. Guan Ye was about to coax him when she thought again that she hadn't done anything wrong. Sharpening a sword was something a woman could do, and the Crown Prince could do it too. What was wrong with Mu Chenbi sharpening her sword? He was willing, and she was happy to accept it. A Jiu's temper really needed to be curbed.
Guan Ye pretended not to see A Jiu's inscrutable expression, slowly took out a silk handkerchief from her bosom, and carefully spread it out in her palm. When A Jiu saw the handkerchief, his dark eyes suddenly narrowed. Guan Ye hummed a little tune and carefully wiped the blade of the sword with the silk handkerchief. After each wipe, she would peek at the silk handkerchief to see if it was dirty. If there was even the slightest speck of dust, she would pout and blow it clean.
Ajiu's face darkened. After waiting for Guan Ye to speak for a long time, she coughed softly. Seeing that Guan Ye was still wiping her sword, Ajiu's jealousy was rising to her throat. She wished she could throw Mu Chenbi's handkerchief into the fire.
"Guan Ye," Ajiu said hoarsely, "that's enough."
"That's enough for you." Guan Ye's gaze was fixed on the sword.
Ajiu leaned against the tree trunk, her dark eyes half-lit and half-shadowed as she looked at Guan Ye, who seemed completely unaffected. "He... came to the neighborhood today."
"You know perfectly well why you're asking this." Guan Ye didn't look at him directly. "Just say what you're thinking."
There was really nothing he could do with her. Ah Jiu took a breath of the cool night wind, and couldn't hide the bitterness in her voice, "Aren't you keeping it to yourself too?"
Guan Ye stopped what she was doing, calmly looking back at A Jiu, her eyes open and honest. "It's because you two look so alike that Mu Chenbi just walked in. Everyone thinks he's you, and he seems to enjoy it. He even helped out quite a bit in the workshop today." Guan Ye counted on her fingers, recalling, "He went to the warehouse to check the materials, and he also came to check on my spiral blower. When I was discussing quenching methods with the masters, he listened attentively. He even said..."
"What did he say?" Ajiu rested his chin on his hand, his dark eyes fixed on Guan Ye, who was completely absorbed in the moment. The campfire was almost burning out, and the flames were gradually dimming, but Guan Ye's face was still like a brilliant fire, dazzlingly bright.
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