Chapter 271 World 11 (12)
Inside the house, the dim candlelight flickered, and the soft and curious sound of the treasure fan was heard.
"Swallowing and breathing fire? What kind of scene would that be?"
Bao Shan sat softly on the bed, casually pulling half of the quilt over her legs. The candlestick flickered with orange light, reflecting on Bao Shan's delicate face and slightly messy hair.
Hearing You Dongjun's story about a juggler breathing fire at the Tan family's birthday banquet, Baoshan's delicate, white face revealed the naiveté of a young girl her age.
Although You Dongjun wasn't born tongue-tied, he couldn't even describe the scene of the juggler breathing fire vividly. You Dongjun's brows furrowed slightly as he paced to the corner of the room. He casually picked up an unlit candlestick, his expression serious.
You Dongjun took out a bright yellow talisman from his waist and held it between his fingertips. He said in a cold voice, "That's it—"
You Dongjun said slowly, "He first drank the sake, but did not swallow it. Instead, he held it in his mouth. Then, the juggler blew hard at the wooden stick—"
You Dongjun opened his lips and blew gently, sending the talisman from his fingertips flying towards the candlestick. As soon as the talisman touched the candlestick, it quickly burst into flames, igniting the candlestick in an instant. The dim light cast a thin layer of gold on You Dongjun's smooth jawline.
You Dongjun was completely unaware that his usual cold attitude had completely disappeared as he concentrated on telling the story of the juggler.
It seemed that at this moment, the person standing in front of the treasure fan was not the little Taoist priest who only had the Tao in his heart.
You Dongjun only uses Taoism to try to recreate the scene of the jugglers performing their skills at the banquet.
Two candle flames flickered gently in Baoshan's beautiful eyes, making her eyes look even brighter like stars.
Baoshan's eyebrows curved slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Baoshan's life is so fragile that even the smile on her face is extremely gentle, revealing a pitiful look.
The corners of her lips were slightly raised, and there was a smile in her eyebrows and eyes, but because her cold had not yet recovered completely, her joy was mixed with a sense of weakness.
The precious fan raised its soft hands and gently called You Dongjun over.
When You Dongjun approached Baoshan, she didn't stand up. Instead, she raised her head slightly, as if to whisper something to You Dongjun. It was clear that Baoshan and You Dongjun were the only two in the room. Even if Baoshan had something to say, she could have said it directly without anyone else hearing.
But Baoshan did this not only to make sure that there were eavesdroppers, but also to get closer to You Dongjun.
The whispers between the two people were naturally a little more intimate than their usual conversations.
Seeing this, You Dongjun really bent down subconsciously.
Baoshan raised her porcelain-white face, leaned over and whispered a few gentle words into You Dongjun's ear.
The precious fan was like a delicate willow branch, half leaning against You Dongjun's body.
She did not throw her whole body into You Dongjun's arms, as that would seem frivolous.
Now, Bao Shan's thin clothes touched You Dongjun's Taoist robe, and when Bao Shan spoke softly, one could even hear the rustling sound of the clothes intertwining.
But their clothes were touching each other, and You Dongjun couldn't push the treasure fan away. He could only tighten his face and listen carefully to what the treasure fan said.
The precious fan carried a light and elegant fragrance. Liangcheng was already in the plum rain season, and the air was damp.
No matter how resolute a person is, facing such a sticky atmosphere, he or she will feel a little upset.
At this moment, the subtle fragrance of the treasure fan seemed particularly different, making people unable to help but move closer and bend over to sniff it.
You Dongjun's frowning brows couldn't help but relax slightly when he smelled the elegant fragrance.
The trembling and soft sound of the treasure fan was sent to You Dongjun's ears.
She said softly, "Master, I will stop here today. I would like to hear the rest tomorrow."
You Dongjun was puzzled and naturally asked, "Why?"
Bao Shan's slender eyelashes drooped slightly, and her voice was soft: "Because what the Taoist said today is enough for me to savor for a long time.
I think I could also dream of myself going to a birthday party with the Taoist priest and seeing the lively scene of jugglers breathing fire.
If the Taoist priest finishes his lecture today, I will only have a sweet dream tonight. If he continues for two or three days, then... every night during the Zhou Gong meeting, I can accompany him and then go to the birthday banquet."
You Dongjun remained silent.
Seeing him like this, Bao Shan panicked, her cheeks turning slightly pale. She said in a trembling voice, "...Did I embarrass the Taoist priest? Come to think of it, the Taoist priest is busy day and night, so why would he come here every night just for my sweet dreams..."
You Dongjun shook his head and said in a cold voice: "Okay."
Bao Shan's suggestion was not excessive at all. Bao Shan grew up in the mountains and was experiencing the splendor of Liangcheng for the first time, but due to illness, he could not attend the banquet in person.
Now, all Baoshan wants is You Dongjun's detailed description so that when Baoshan dreams, he can feel as if he has attended the banquet.
Such a cautious request made people feel more pity for the precious fan.
Seeing You Dongjun's agreement, Baoshan swayed slightly, raising her slender, white neck slightly. Her cheek brushed against You Dongjun's profile, and a blush instantly crept across his jade-like face. But Baoshan, completely absorbed in the joy of You Dongjun's agreement, was oblivious to what had just happened.
Later, Baoshan said something else, but You Dongjun could no longer hear clearly.
As soon as Baoshan finished speaking, You Dongjun hurriedly left, with a look of escaping. Baoshan said softly, "Master, I am very happy today."
Her beautiful eyes trembled slightly, filled with the image of You Dongjun.
"I've never been happier."
You Dongjun responded softly. He didn't look at the delicate expression on Baoshan's face any more closely, then closed the door and left.
The next day, Gu Xiaoxiao walked to You Dongjun's door and knocked for a long time but no one answered.
Gu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to go look for the treasure fan. Before she could call for it, she heard a sound coming from inside.
The door was not closed, and Gu Xiaoxiao gently opened a corner without making any sound.
Through the crack in the door, Gu Xiaoxiao spotted You Dongjun. He affixed talismans to two crudely crafted scarecrows. The scarecrows began to move their limbs, imitating opera costumes. Meanwhile, You Dongjun, in his utterly cold voice, repeated the aria from Du Shiniang's birthday banquet.
You Dongjun didn't know how to sing opera, but he had an excellent memory and could recite the lyrics word for word.
Baoshan was also not familiar with opera, but listening to the opera was just an introduction. She looked at You Dongjun with a cold expression, but repeated the scenes on the stage with a focused look.
If a man starts to be willing to put his heart into some useless and time-consuming little things, this is the beginning of his mental inclination.
At first, it may be just small things, but when this kind of pleasing others gradually begins to become a habit.
The man then retreated step by step based on his original insistence.
If you can make a beautiful woman smile, there is nothing you can't do.
Gu Xiaoxiao's hand on the door tightened slightly. You Dongjun's face was clearly indifferent as usual, and the distance between him and the treasure fan was also distant and indifferent.
But Gu Xiaoxiao couldn't help feeling panicked. She didn't understand what was causing this panic.
——Perhaps it was because using Taoist magic to manipulate a scarecrow as a puppet was something that any man could do.
But the only one who shouldn’t be is You Dongjun, who is only devoted to Taoism.
Gu Xiaoxiao was concentrating on thinking when she heard Bao Shan's soft voice calling out, "Is that Miss Gu?"
Seeing that she had been discovered, Gu Xiaoxiao no longer concealed herself. She pushed open the door and strode into the house.
Gu Xiaoxiao didn't even look at You Dongjun, but only looked at the treasure fan and said, "Go down and have dinner."
After saying that, Gu Xiaoxiao turned and left. She stepped onto the stairs, and just halfway up, she heard the voice of Baoshan softly dispatching You Dongjun.
"Master, it's the blue one, not this light green one..."
"Wrong again, Taoist Priest, are all men like this? They can't tell the difference between blue and light green..."
Although it was a soft complaint, it was not annoying at all when spoken in Baoshan's soft voice, and it only made people feel cute and adorable.
Gu Xiaoxiao looked at the food on the table. She poked at it lightly with her chopsticks, showing no sign of preparation for eating.
After a while, Baoshan and You Dongjun finally arrived.
Baoshan had a light taste, so he only ate half a bowl of salty shrimp porridge and a few side dishes before putting down his chopsticks.
Bao Shan looked at the meal on the table. Although there were only three of them, the food was incredibly plentiful, with both porridge and rice available, and the flavors were delicious. Furthermore, this was the largest inn in Liangcheng. Bao Shan, originally from a farming family, had been taught by her Zhou family parents to be frugal and not extravagant.
Now, although Baoshan has left the village, he still subconsciously remembers the advice of Zhou's parents in his heart.
Baoshan frowned, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.
She hesitated for a long time before turning to You Dongjun and saying, "Will such an exquisite meal cost a lot of money?"
Gu Xiaoxiao, who was staring at the two of them intently, naturally heard these words.
Gu Xiaoxiao pointed out directly that several people stayed at the inn and left five taels of silver on the same day.
In addition to accommodation, the inn also provided food for the three of them.
It was five taels of silver...
Baoshan's beautiful eyes opened wide, and her black pupils were full of surprise, mixed with a hint of panic.
When she was in the mountains, Zhou's parents and a group of villagers, who had the most savings, could only earn one or two taels of silver in a whole year.
The three of them only stayed in the inn temporarily, but they spent just five taels.
Seeing Bao Shan's stunned look, Gu Xiaoxiao recalled the scene of You Dongjun and Bao Shan getting along just now. She couldn't help but sneer, "Did it scare you?"
Bao Shan was unaware of Gu Xiaoxiao's ill intentions. She simply nodded softly and admitted softly, "I've never... seen so much silver and money."
Gu Xiaoxiao raised her chin slightly and looked at Bao Shan arrogantly: "What a village girl..."
Baoshan's face was dejected and lost, which made Gu Xiaoxiao silent. She didn't say anything more harsh. Gu Xiaoxiao thought to herself: She wasn't soft-hearted, she was worried. If Baoshan heard more harsh words and shed tears, people around her would definitely think she was bullying Baoshan.
Gu Xiaoxiao thought that she didn't want to be pointed at by everyone.
This time, just a cursory ridicule of the precious fan was enough.
Gu Xiaoxiao snorted coldly and walked straight upstairs.
Bao Shan bit her lower lip and said timidly to You Dongjun, "The Taoist priest was traveling with Miss Gu and escorting her home. It's reasonable for him to spend Miss Gu's money.
But Miss Gu and I have no kinship, and it seems she doesn't like me very much. It would be unreasonable for me to spend her money."
Bao Shan saw that Gu Xiaoxiao was wealthy, and You Dongjun had been practicing Taoism in Maoshan for years. Just looking at the Taoist robes he wore, it was clear that he didn't have much money on him. So, perhaps Gu Xiaoxiao had paid for the money.
Upon hearing this, an expression that could be described as a sneer appeared on You Dongjun's face for the first time.
He actually didn't know that Baoshan thought that he was staying in the inn with Gu Xiaoxiao's money.
You Dongjun said coldly, "Then what do you want?"
Bao Shan's eyes were timid: "If it's ordinary money, I can do some odd jobs and repay Miss Gu.
But, I really have no other choice but to give her a few taels of silver. Since Miss Gu doesn't like me, I can't do this... Why don't I go and look for a dilapidated temple in Liangcheng where I can live."
You Dongjun's face became even colder, and Baoshan actually wanted to live in a dilapidated temple.
She was a weak woman, how could she know what kind of mixed people lived in the dilapidated temple?
If Baoshan really went there, it would be like entering a den of dragons and tigers, and he would definitely be bullied miserably.
You Dongjun said in a calm voice, "The dilapidated temple is not deserted. People with limited funds, homeless beggars, and even desperate criminals all live there.
And those people are all men, so you are still determined to go?"
Bao Shan's cheeks paled as You Dongjun spoke. She spoke timidly, looking particularly aggrieved, "But Miss Gu..."
You Dongjun said bluntly: "When Gu Xiaoxiao left home, most of the money she had was already spent. Now all her expenses are from Maoshan. Gu Xiaoxiao doesn't care about this money because she is the eldest daughter of the Gu family. And you——"
Looking at the delicate face before him, You Dongjun carefully considered his words: "I brought you out of the mountains, so naturally you are half a Maoshan person. It's not wrong for a Maoshan person to use Maoshan's money."
Not only is there nothing wrong with it, but the treasure fan is more legitimate than Gu Xiaoxiao's.
Baoshan said timidly, "I understand."
Baoshan looked timid and obviously not used to the current use of flowers.
But You Dongjun knew that this was due to Baoshan's growth experience.
Baoshan was born in poverty, and the Zhou family never treated her well.
When Baoshan was in the Zhou family, even if she was sick, they would just randomly find a few herbs, boil them with water and drink them. No one would be willing to use anything precious for Baoshan.
Thinking of this, You Dongjun sighed inwardly, because the slight anger he had felt when Baoshan claimed that he wanted to live in the dilapidated temple had dissipated a little.
The precious fan is like a pure and flawless piece of white paper, which needs careful teaching to show its color.
How could she blame herself for such Bao Shan's cowardice?
Baoshan returned to the house, opened the window, and looked out from the railing, taking in all the scenery of Liangcheng. Baoshan tapped her fingertips lightly, her eyes soft.
She knew very well that she needed an opportunity to break away from her identity as a village girl.
Today is the best time, Baoshan is a village girl.
He was worried and timid about the huge amount of flowers.
But after You Dongjun's words, Baoshan was willing to accept his current situation.
But she was so weak, if she hadn't had You Dongjun's guidance...
You Dongjun also knew all this, so he was willing to let Baoshan be close to him and rely on him.
Ever since You Dongjun took the treasured fan away from the mountains, the two of them have been tightly bound together by a silk thread.
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