So she asked Wenjiao, "My name is Wenhui, and I don't know your name yet!"
“I…I am called Ah Jiao.”
Wenjiao thought for a moment and then said her nickname.
When she was little, that's what her mother called her, so saying that name now isn't a lie. If she said her name was Wen Jiao, it would easily arouse Wen Hui's suspicion.
"My name is Zhong Muyu."
Zhong Muyu spoke her name first to avoid unnecessary formalities and wasting time.
Zhong Muyu then deliberately asked Wen Hui, "Why haven't I seen her in Qingshui Village before?"
"Oh, she's from the neighboring village, she comes to visit relatives occasionally."
"I see. You must have a lot to talk about since you haven't seen each other for so long. I won't disturb you any longer. I'll go back to digging for bamboo shoots!"
Zhong Muyu waved to them and gave Wen Jiao a "determined look".
Wen Hui felt that Zhong Muyu was acting strangely all of a sudden, but before she could react, Wen Jiao changed the subject.
Zhong Muyu hid not far away, pretending to dig bamboo shoots while keeping an eye on them.
The two talked for a while, and Wenhui seemed very happy: "I really regret not meeting you sooner, so we could have become good friends. But it's not too late to meet now. When will you come to Qingshui Village next time?"
Although Wenjiao was smiling, her eyes were filled with sorrow: "Once I leave, I will never come back."
"Oh? That's such a pity. No, no, no, although we can't meet, we can write letters. You should be able to write, right?"
Wenjiao shook her head, almost crying: "Letters are impossible now. I came here to say goodbye to you; I can't bear to part with you."
These words were spoken with such sorrow that Wenhui did not immediately understand their meaning.
She looked flustered: "Don't do this, it's like we're facing life and death. I feel so sad too. How about this, even if we can't meet, holding this will remind you of me."
As Wenhui spoke, she took out a small sachet from her person. The sachet was quite old, and it was pieced together from various colorful scraps of cloth. It was filled with herbs and smelled bitter.
Ordinary people make this kind of thing not for incense, but to prevent mosquito bites.
Wen Hui said shyly, "Although it looks very worn out, it was given to me by my mother to prevent mosquito bites. It's the only thing I have on me right now, so I hope you won't mind."
"How could I possibly dislike it! I will cherish it as much as I cherish my own life!"
"There's no need to be so exaggerated..."
Wenjiao carefully took the sachet and held it tightly in her palm.
She used to have a sachet like that.
Holding it, Wenjiao felt as if she were being loved by her mother, and she could no longer hold back her tears.
"Don't cry!"
Wen Hui hurriedly tried to touch her, but Wen Jiao quickly dodged away.
"Don't touch me, or I'll pass on bad luck and illness to you."
She is now a spirit, and nothing good will happen if an ordinary person touches her.
Wen Hui awkwardly withdrew her hand. Since others minded so much, she felt embarrassed to touch it again.
"When are you leaving? If you still have time, let me show you around. Qingshui Village is quite big, and you probably haven't seen any of the beautiful places yet, have you?"
Wenjiao nodded: "Okay, I do have time. I'll be very happy to be with you."
At this moment, Wen Hui put aside the matter of digging bamboo shoots. Anyway, Zhong Muyu had promised to let her play with Wen Jiao, so it couldn't be considered dereliction of duty.
The two walked through the bamboo forest, then went to the hot spring, and arrived at the riverbank. Throughout the journey, Zhong Muyu kept a close eye on them and the time.
At noon, Wenhui wanted to take Wenjiao to their house for lunch, but Wenjiao refused: "I don't want to trouble you. I've never eaten outdoors before. Can I try it this time?"
Looking at her attire, Wen Hui figured she must be from a wealthy family, so it was normal that she had never eaten outdoors before. Without giving it much thought, she patted her chest and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"
But deciding what to eat is quite a challenge. Should we make grilled fish?
Just then, Zhong Muyu suddenly appeared again: "Did you guys have fun?"
"Your Highness! I'm so sorry, I was supposed to be digging bamboo shoots with you."
"It's alright, I don't mind. I just heard you were going on a picnic, so I came."
Wen Hui was surprised: "Your Highness also wants to come with us?"
"Of course, I'm also an expert when it comes to picnics. If you don't know what to eat, let me help you!"
“But what about my parents’ side, and Uncle Zheng’s family…”
"That's easy, I'll go and talk to them."
Zhong Muyu blinked, as if she had already prepared a whole host of ideas.
Wen Hui's parents were naturally more than happy to have dinner with Zhong Muyu, which was easy to convince them of, but what about Lu Ziyuan...?
Just as she was pondering this, Chengfeng found her.
"Your Highness, we've finally found you! Where have you been?"
"Hey! Chengfeng, you've appeared just in time!"
Zhong Muyu clapped her hands and then stuffed the basket of bamboo shoots into his arms: "Take this back and cook it. I'm not going back for lunch today; I'll eat out with Wenhui and the others!"
"Them? But His Highness is also waiting for you..."
“I often eat with him, but it’s rare for me to eat with them. If he’s unhappy, I’ll cook for him myself at night.”
Leaving Chengfeng, who was disheveled in the wind, Zhong Muyu left with Wen Hui and Wen Jiao.
Chengfeng looked sullen, preferring to accompany two village girls rather than the prince, fearing that the prince would be displeased.
Meanwhile, Wenhui and Wenjiao made their own simple fishing tools and caught earthworms as bait. Before long, they caught several big fish.
While cleaning the fish, Wenhui said, "Your Highness, shall we grill this fish and eat it?"
"Of course, I've prepared the rack and firewood, but we can't start grilling right away. We still need to prepare a bit more."
Zhong Muyu took a cleaned fish, produced some bottles and jars from somewhere, first made several cuts on the fish, then rubbed it all over with wine and various sauces. Not only that, she also dug up some delicious wild vegetables to stuff the fish's belly, then skewered the fish and put it on the fire.
Wen Hui exclaimed in surprise, "Wow! Your Highness, you even bring your own seasonings when you travel?"
"Because I like all kinds of seasonings, I bring them all with me."
Wenjiao looked at her meaningfully: "Your Highness is truly extraordinary."
She had entered that space before. Although she didn't see anything strange, she could guess that Zhong Muyu would hide things there, and these seasonings were all taken from the space.
She found Zhong Muyu very mysterious. And it's true, anyone valued by the Mountain God Master is no ordinary person.
Before long, the aroma of the grilled fish mixed with the fragrance of the seasonings wafted out, tempting the hungry cravings in my stomach to protest.
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