Chapter 74 Langzhi Also Has a Maid - Tuanyue
"Let's go, Yao'er!" Lang Zhi grabbed Su Yuyao by the collar and stood up. "You can have as much fun as you want today, but you'll have to stick with me tomorrow!"
Su Yuyao reluctantly patted her bottom, pouting as she said, "When I first arrived, Uncle Qimen told me to follow Brother Yue'er, and now Your Majesty wants me to follow you! Why is it so hard to have fun..."
"Yao'er, you are very capable, so everyone is nurturing you. What's wrong with you learning more? You might be able to use it in the future!" Langzhi walked ahead and earnestly advised.
“I heard that Young Master Guan Yue has already opened your meridians, and you can now circulate your Qi on your own! That’s quite an improvement! However, there’s still a long way to go before you can better utilize the Qi within your body. The first thing you need to do is calm your mind…”
"Stability! Stability! Stability! You all tell me to be stable," Su Yuyao muttered, "I didn't want to learn... Xuanfeng didn't ask you to teach me... You all insist on making me stable..."
“Yao’er,” Lang Zhi stopped and looked at Su Yuyao with a serious expression, “If you don’t learn anything, how can you help Lord Xuanfeng? In other words, if… you don’t know anything, and Lord Xuanfeng only keeps you by his side because he likes you, how long can he keep you?”
Su Yuyao looked up at Lang Zhi and asked in confusion, "He likes me, and I like him. Can't we be together forever?"
Looking at the innocent Su Yuyao, Langzhi slowly said, "Yao'er, remember, the feelings in the Heavenly Palace are the most insignificant; anything can surpass them."
"Then... what caused your relationship with Lady Qingyue to be overshadowed?" Su Yuyao asked curiously.
Lang Zhi tapped Su Yuyao's head and pretended to be angry, saying, "You little rascal! You're asking about adults' affairs now? Don't you dare ask again!"
Su Yuyao became even more curious upon hearing this, leaned closer, and asked with a sly smile, "Is it your fault?"
"Don't ask such nonsense!"
"Oh, that means... Her Majesty didn't take a liking to you?"
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"Then what is it because of?" Su Yuyao became increasingly curious, racking her brains. "It's not because of you, nor because of Her Majesty, it must be because of external factors! External factors... what could possibly make you abandon your beloved and run off to this place to become a Snow Hermit? Unless..." Su Yuyao suddenly thought of a possibility, though it might be somewhat tragic, "You are... protecting Her Majesty?"
Lang Zhi was startled. He looked at the little Su Yuyao and asked in surprise, "Yao'er, how did you think of this?"
Looking into Lang Zhi's eyes, Su Yuyao saw that the anger and sternness she had shown towards herself, as well as the longing and affection she had shown towards Qing Yue, had all dissipated, leaving only a helpless persistence and a fearless wait.
"Why can't you marry Consort Qingyue? Is it because marrying Consort Qingyue would harm her? And who could harm her? Consort Qingyue holds such a high position, the only person who could harm her... is... Consort Yi!" Su Yuyao slowly analyzed, then suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise, "Consort Yi likes you?!"
"You brat! Shut up!" Lang Zhi, who was demonstrating a tragic scene, angrily slapped Su Yuyao's forehead. "Don't talk nonsense!"
"Ouch! That hurts!" Su Yuyao clutched her head. "If Empress Yi liked you, she would have summoned you to the palace! The fact that you didn't mean..."
What does this mean?
Su Yuyao looked at Lang Zhi's head full of scars and said with a grin, "Hehe, I still haven't figured it out..."
Lang Zhi was amused by Su Yuyao's cleverness, "You! You're quite sharp!"
"Hehehe..." Su Yuyao tugged at Lang Zhi's sleeve and followed closely behind him, walking towards the White Tiger's house...
In the farmhouse courtyard, with its low walls and fences, the aroma of meat broth wafted over the walls and into Su Yuyao's nostrils.
"Eat slowly! There's still more in the pot!" The woman's kind voice made Su Yuyao feel very warm.
"Mother! This meat soup noodles smell so good!" White Tiger said as he ate.
Bai Jinsi, slurping her noodles, also cautioned, "You brat, stay away from Su Yuyao from now on! Everyone says she's a troublemaker, and it seems that's true! Is Langzhi someone you can mess with? You're really bold! Daring to use Langzhi's wine bottle as a wager!"
"Did you hear that? I won't let you play with me!" Lang Zhi tapped Su Yuyao's head with his rough fingers and said with a smile.
Su Yuyao pouted unconvinced.
Bai Jinsi said with a mixture of anger and relief, "Luckily, his old flame came, otherwise you and Su Yuyao would have escaped so easily! If there's a next time, I won't save you, I'll have Lang Zhi give you a good beating so you'll learn your lesson!"
"Hehe, old flame!" Su Yuyao covered her mouth and glanced at Lang Zhi, giggling.
Langzhi cleared her throat awkwardly and shouted, "Platinum Silk! Even food can't shut you up!"
"Oh! Lord Langzhi is here!" Bai Jinsi hurriedly came out to greet him, politely inviting him in, "Come in and have a seat!"
"Hello Uncle Bai! I'm here too! I've come to play with Baihu!" Su Yuyao peeked out from behind Lang Zhi and said with a grin.
Bai Jinsi's eyes began to twitch. "Ah... Miss Yao'er... um... why don't you... come in too?"
"Okay!" Su Yuyao readily agreed and ran into the yard amidst Bai Jinsi's twitching expression.
"Hello, Auntie! My name is Su Yuyao!"
The white tiger, with noodles in its mouth, looked at Su Yuyao in front of it, then at Lang Zhi, who was half a head taller than Su Yuyao, and revealed an extremely ugly smile.
"Lord Langzhi, Miss Yao'er, please have a seat. I just made some meat soup noodles, please try them too!" Although Baihu's father looked fierce, Baihu's mother was very gentle and beautiful.
"Thank you, Aunt Bai!" Su Yuyao sat down without any hesitation and said with a smile, "Give me more meat!"
"Okay!" White Tiger Mother replied cheerfully.
"White Tiger! Let's go guess the blind box under the tree later!" Su Yuyao invited White Tiger.
"Uh..." Baihu glanced at Baijinsi, then looked at Su Yuyao, and said with difficulty, "Sister Yao'er, guessing blind boxes isn't fun if there aren't enough people..."
"Oh, then let's eat quickly, and then we'll go find the others!"
“This…” White Tiger glanced at Platinum Silk again.
Following the white tiger's gaze, Su Yuyao looked at Bai Jinsi and asked, "Uncle Bai! Is it okay?"
Bai Jinsi glanced at Lang Zhi, who was staring at her, and said awkwardly, "Okay, hehe, why not..."
"White Tiger! Your dad said it's okay!" Su Yuyao said happily.
Amidst Bai Jinsi's seemingly indifferent disapproving glances, Baihu's astonished gaze, and Baihu's mother's loving eyes, Langzhi and Su Yuyao finished all the noodles.
Su Yuyao finished the noodle soup, smacked her lips, and said, "It's so delicious! Aunt Bai, your cooking is amazing!"
"If Miss Yao'er likes it, Auntie will make it for you again next time you come!"
"Great! Lots more meat!"
Su Yuyao looked at Baihu Niang and laughed heartily; Baihu looked at Bai Jinsi and laughed with trepidation; Bai Jinsi looked at Su Yuyao and laughed as if her gums were swollen and painful.
As Langzhi watched Su Yuyao laughing heartily with her two rosy cheeks puffed out, another round-faced, willful chubby girl flashed before his eyes...
...
"Langzhi! Help me! I can't take it apart!" Tuanyue's energetic cry for help amused Langzhi, who was watching the fun from the side.
Langzhi squatted down and looked at the chubby little boy on the ground, who was wrapped in spider silk in the shape of a cocoon. She asked in surprise, "Tuanyue, how did you get in there?"
Tuan Yue looked at the tall, thin, handsome man with thick eyebrows, big eyes, and long, flowing hair in front of her, and said with a flushed face, "What business is it of yours how I crawled in? Everyone else only unravels two clumps of spider silk, why are you giving me five?!"
Langzhi chuckled and tapped Tuanyue on the head with the rattan cane in her hand. "Who told you to dismantle things so quickly and well? Of course, you'll have to do more work!"
"Stop talking nonsense! Let me out now!" Tuan Yue said without any politeness.
Langzhi tilted her head and looked at Tuanyue, smiling as she said, "Tuanyue, dinner's almost ready. If you keep dawdling, you'll probably go hungry again!"
"Huh?" Tuan Yue struggled a few times, but finally lost her patience and said arrogantly, "I can't take it apart. If you don't help me, I'll cut the spider silk!"
Langzhi squinted at Tuanyue, who was wrapped in silver spider silk. "You can cut it. If you cut one vine, I'll hit you once. If you cut two, I'll hit you twice!"
Tuan Yue frowned and glared, "You dare?!"
“What wouldn’t I dare to do? I even beat Qingjin, the younger sister of the Goddess Yimu, without hesitation, let alone you?” Langzhi stood up, dusting off her long robe with her slender, fair fingers. “Tuanyue, your father is just a tea farmer in the Immortal Mountain Tea Garden…”
"So what if I'm a tea farmer? What do you mean I'm just a tea farmer?" Tuan Yue was completely enraged by Lang Zhi's attitude. She stretched out her finger, brushed aside a few strands of cobwebs in front of her, and said, "All things in the world are life. No one is more noble than anyone else, and no one is necessarily more lowly than anyone else!"
"Tuan Yue!" Lang Zhi stared wide-eyed at the severed spider silk and roared in anguish, "This is top-quality spider silk!"
"My father is diligent and dedicated to tea making. Even Master Xuan has praised his skills highly!" Tuan Yue parted a few more strands of spider silk to free her arm. "What right do you have to look down on my father?!"
"My spider silk!" Langzhi grew increasingly angry, his eyes slowly turning blood red.
"Stinky spider!" Tuan Yue swiped her finger again.
"Stinky...spider?" Langzhi's round, red eyes blinked and then opened, turning into four.
"Yes! You stinking spider!" Tuan Yue slashed the spider silk off her ankle, stood up, and looked at Lang Zhi with disdain. "You just spin silk from your ass to weave a few gorgeous clothes for Mother Yi, occasionally getting some praise and those broken wine bottles in return, just to satisfy your vanity! The tea my father makes is the personal tea of Lord Xuan! My younger brother, Xianming, is even Lord Xuan's tea connoisseur!"
Langzhi's four eyes opened and closed, turning into eight, each blood-red eye glaring at Tuanyue, "Stinky tea cake!"
"What?! You dare insult me?!" Tuan Yue's eyes widened. "Stinky! Spider!"
As she spoke, she clenched her fist, and the silver spider silk instantly turned into grayish-black powder.
"Ah! My spider silk! You stinky tea cake! How dare you ruin my spider silk, I'll teach you a lesson... Hey? Tuan Yue! You stop right there!"
Tuan Yue stepped out of the spinning room without looking back.
"Tuan Yue! You stop right there!" Lang Zhi caught up and grabbed Tuan Yue's wrist. "If you leave again, I'll..."
Tuan Yue remained unfazed, extending her hand to reveal a sharp tea knife. With a flick of her wrist, she aimed at Lang Zhi's hand.
Langzhi was startled and quickly let go of her hand. "Tuanyue! You brat! How dare you cut me with a knife?!"
Tuan Yue rolled her eyes at Lang Zhi, "So what if I scratched you?! Who gave you permission to lay a hand on me!"
The apprentices who were drying silk cloth in the courtyard all peeked out to watch the commotion.
"Lord Langzhi, is Tuanyue throwing a tantrum again?! I'll go tell my sister and have her teach her a lesson!" Qingjin ran up to Langzhi and volunteered.
Langzhi said coldly, "Go get to work! You've been trying to unravel those two skeins of silk thread for days, and you still have time to worry about others?"
"They don't know how..." Qingjin wanted to say something, but Langzhi had already chased after Tuanyue.
"Tuan Yue! Stop right there!"
Langzhi chased closely, while Tuanyue ran fast.
"Tuan Yue!" Lang Zhi reached out and grabbed Tuan Yue's wrist again.
"Get out of the way!" Tuan Yue brandished the tea knife.
"Ah!" Langzhi felt a chill in his palm. He pulled his hand back and saw a shallow wound on his palm, slowly oozing blood.
Tuan Yue, who had been acting all high and mighty, panicked when she saw Lang Zhi's injured hand. "Lang Zhi... you're bleeding..."
"You brat!" Langzhi glanced around and said softly, "Put the tea knife away! Get me a handkerchief to wrap this up!"
"Ah? Oh!" Tuan Yue put the tea knife back into her palm with a sense of self-reproach, then took out a handkerchief from her bosom and carefully bandaged Lang Zhi's wound.
"Why did you chase after them! Now look what happened, you're injured!" Tuan Yue said stubbornly, though she felt guilty and remorseful.
"If you don't run, how can I chase you?" Langzhi frowned and said, "How can you be so unreasonable?!"
"Who told you to be so unfair to me! You made me do so much extra work and didn't even give me food?!" Tuan Yue deliberately tightened her handkerchief.
"Ouch! That hurts!" Lang Zhi winced, lowering her voice as she said, "You brat! How can you not understand?! The spider silk I had you dismantle was top-quality; I didn't trust anyone else to do it! And who's been stopping you from eating?! Every time you miss a mealtime, I take you out for steamed meat and pig's trotters..."
"Alright!" Tuan Yue blushed as Lang Zhi spoke. "I... forgive you!"
Upon hearing this, Langzhi smiled helplessly.
He looked at Tuan Yue, who was filled with remorse but remained stubborn, and thought, "You brat, you still won't apologize!"
"Don't worry! It'll be over soon!" Langzhi hid her hands in her wide sleeves and said with a smile, "I... I forgive you too! Remember, this must not be known to anyone else, or Mother Yi will punish you!"
Tuan Yue seemed relieved, her face flushed as she muttered, "Who needs your forgiveness..."
Tuan Yue pouted and walked back, "I'll help you unravel the spider silk when we get back, but you have to remember to take me to eat steamed meat..."
"Fine! I'm really impressed by you! You brat..."
Langzhi smiled and opened his palm, only to find that the thick, rough calluses from thousands of years of hard labor had covered up the traces of those years.
He sighed deeply...
The steamed bun shop was still as bustling as ever.
"Grandma Bao! Give me some steamed buns! Meat filling!" Su Yuyao called out from afar.
"I know! Miss Yao'er! Please have a seat!" Grandma Bao happily made room for the children at a large table.
"Come and eat some steamed buns! When I have the chance, I'll take you outside the Immortal Mountain! I'll treat you to roast goose!" Su Yuyao brought over a steamer of steamed buns and stuffed the hot buns into everyone's hands.
“Miss Yao’er,” Baihu said, chewing on a steamed bun, “this time you guessed way off! It was clearly a fish, but you guessed it was a basin! Hahahaha!”
"Don't be too happy yet! This is just my slip-up! Next time I'll definitely make you treat me to a big meal!" Su Yuyao said, hands on her hips, unconvinced.
"Hahahahaha!" Everyone laughed so hard they were doubled over.
Su Yuyao carried the steamer basket to Langzhi and said, "Grandpa Langzhi, reach out your hand!"
"Huh?" Langzhi paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Grandpa doesn't want to eat, you guys eat!"
"Everyone gets a share! I, Su Yuyao, am not a stingy person! Take it!" Su Yuyao said, handing over the steamed bun.
Langzhi smiled and opened his palm.
Su Yuyao smiled and placed the steamed bun in Lang Zhi's hand, only to find that Grandma Bao's big steamed bun looked like a small egg in Lang Zhi's big hand.
"Grandpa Langzhi, your hands are so big! How many steamed buns can fit in there?!" Su Yuyao pouted.
"Huh? Why is there a scar on your palm?" Su Yuyao asked curiously, looking at Lang Zhi's hand.
"What?" Lang Zhi looked at her messy hands in surprise, then looked at Su Yuyao and asked in confusion, "How did you know I had a scar on my hand?"
“Here!” Su Yuyao traced the scar accurately on Lang Zhi’s palm with her finger.
“Oh dear! Grandpa Langzhi! This scar has severed your marriage line, your marriage is blocked!” Su Yuyao said with great seriousness.
Langzhi suddenly became interested, "Marriage annulled? So there will be no more marriages in the future?"
"Grandpa Langzhi, this scar did indeed prevent the marriage, but it only prevented the marriage at that time! Over the years, your life has changed, and naturally, the lines on your hand will change too! Perhaps the marriage will come again?"
"Is there still a chance for marriage after the scar has severed it?" Langzhi asked, moved.
“The severed marriage is definitely gone, but…” Su Yuyao looked up at Lang Zhi with bright eyes and said softly, “This scar has overlapped with the marriage line, which means that the severed marriage is not the one you desire, but the marriage line formed by this scar is your true marriage!”
"What?!" Lang Zhi's eyes widened in shock, a knot in his heart slowly melting. "Yao'er, are you saying that my true destiny has only just begun?"
"Yes! Some paths take time to walk! Even if you've met your destined one before, if the time isn't right and the past emotional debts haven't been repaid, you ultimately won't be able to acknowledge your destined one!"
Su Yuyao looked at the stunned Lang Zhi, then at the large hand outstretched in front of her, gritted her teeth, picked up another steamed bun, placed it in Lang Zhi's palm, and said, "I can't give you any more! Otherwise, I won't have enough to eat!"
"Huh?" Lang Zhi turned around and looked at her palm, only to find that Su Yuyao was pouting as she counted the remaining buns in the steamer...
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