"No." Chu Qiao answered honestly, "Where we are, 27 is not considered old. We advocate late marriage and late childbearing."
"Where is your hometown? Bian Tang? Da Xia? You have such deep feelings for Yanbei, you are not from Yanbei, are you?" At this point, Zhuge Yue's face suddenly changed, and he asked nervously, "You are not Yan Xun's mother, are you? No, the time doesn't match up, and she seems a little older."
Chu Qiao wanted to cry but had no tears. "Our place is another world. It's not the same time and space as yours. It's a parallel space. It doesn't intersect. There's a distance in space and time. It's impossible to reach. Do you understand that?"
She tried her best to explain to Zhuge Yue, hoping to make him understand in a way that he could comprehend. She gestured with her hands, trying to give him a metaphor, but she couldn't find the right words.
But she obviously underestimated Master Zhuge's ability to understand. The man frowned slightly and asked, "So, like an apple tree, we are the leaves in spring, and you are the fruits in autumn?"
Chu Qiao was stunned. She didn't expect him to think of this. She quickly said happily, "That's half right, but not entirely, because the distance between us is not just time, but also space. Do you understand? Space is..."
“Oh.” Zhuge Yue nodded and said casually, “We are the apple leaves of spring, and you are the oranges of autumn, right?”
Chu Qiao was terribly embarrassed. She was stunned for a long time before she nodded stupidly, "Yes."
Then Zhuge Yue turned his head and continued to look at the surging river, remaining silent. The setting sun shone on his face, shining golden.
Chu Qiao couldn't help but sigh. Look at this person's composure. He is indeed a man who has seen the world and possesses great wisdom. He is so calm, so cool, and so uncurious. He is not at all like those old-fashioned people in ordinary time-travel novels who ask questions like "What do people in your place look like?", "How many eyes do people in your place have?", or "Are people in your place like wild beasts with manes on their bodies?", as if only people in their world have two eyes and a nose, and people outside must have manes all over their bodies and fangs in order to show their psychological superiority. This is the true calmness and composure, this is the true calmness when facing a collapse of Mount Tai, this is the true indifference to things and the indifference to oneself, this is the true indifference to praise or criticism and the heart is as bright as the moon...
"What do the people there look like?"
Chu Qiao: “…”
"How many eyes do people in your place have?"
After a long silence, someone finally came to his senses and asked with great interest: "Are the people in your area like wild animals with manes on their bodies? I have seen such people in southern Xinjiang. Their behavior is very strange. Are they your distant relatives?"
Chu Qiao took a deep breath, cheered herself up, and began her enlightenment education on the basic knowledge of the new world.
The sun had already set, and a full moon had climbed to the top of the mountain, casting its bright light on the mercury-like blue waves.
As the river breeze blew, Chu Qiao sailed away. Suddenly, she felt a poetic emotion. She recited with deep affection: "The bright moon rises over the sea, and we share this moment across the world."
Zhuge Yue said coldly, “It’s a bit out of place, this is a river, not the sea.”
Chu Qiao frowned and said, "Then there will be a bright moon over the river."
Zhuge Yue looked at her suspiciously and asked, “This poem shouldn’t be written by you. It should be written by someone from your place. You stole it, right?”
Chu Qiao wanted to cry again but had no tears. She was embarrassed and her cheeks were red. See, there is no benefit in talking about this kind of thing...
“Xing’er.” The two of them were silent for a long time. Zhuge Yue suddenly called her name. She responded subconsciously, and then she heard Zhuge Yue say without thinking, “I don’t care who you are.”
Chu Qiao didn’t quite understand at first, but after thinking about it carefully, she immediately understood what he meant. She smiled and nodded, saying, "I know, I will always be your star."
Zhuge Yue's body trembled slightly, he lowered his head and looked at her with burning eyes. Chu Qiao regretted what she said, and a blush crept up her cheeks. She was about to lower her head, but she saw Zhuge Yue stretched out two fingers and raised her chin very skillfully, with a hint of smile in his eyes, and said: "Say it again."
Chu Qiao avoided his gaze and spoke vaguely, a little embarrassed, "What did you say?"
“Just what you just said.” Zhuge Yue said firmly, his eyes were filled with two balls of warm fire, not particularly hot, but piercing.
"I am yours, and you must be mine too." Chu Qiao mustered up her courage and said firmly, "In my life, I can sacrifice and give everything, but there are only two things that will never be used as bargaining chips under any circumstances. The first is my beliefs and principles, and the second is my marriage and body. If you want all of me, you must give all of yourself to me."
Zhuge Yue raised his eyebrows, looked at her with an evil look, and asked casually, “All?”
"Go to hell," Chu Qiao pushed his shoulder and turned her head away, "You are so dishonest."
“Xing’er.” Zhuge Yue suddenly opened his arms and hugged her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, so tightly, and the warm masculine scent instantly surrounded her.
"I'm happy," he whispered. "I really am."
Chu Qiao leaned in his arms, and felt a peace of mind she had never felt before in the past few years. She turned around and hugged him, saying softly, "Let's not separate again."
Zhuge Yue asked, “Aren’t you afraid to come with me to Zhenhuang?”
"I'm more afraid of being separated from you. Every time we're separated, a lot of things happen, just like this time, I almost never see you again."
The situation in Tangjing City was in chaos that day. She was fighting a desperate battle, treading on thin ice. If she was not careful, she would fall into the hands of the enemy. Zhan Ziyu's arrogance when he was in power, the chaos and bloodiness of the Battle of Tai'an Gate, the endless assassins who rushed into the imperial city every night after the news of the enthronement was announced, and the final battle involving hundreds of thousands of people, I didn't feel anything at the time, but when I think about it now, I feel a little scared.
Zhuge Yue held her in his arms and said in a low voice, “Don’t be afraid anymore.”
The moonlight was quiet and the two sat there for a long time.
After returning to his room, Zhuge Yue sat on the bed and frowned, thinking for a long time. He felt that Chu Qiao was right, and he should think about it and find an appropriate time for the two of them to give their all to each other.
Yes, this is a good idea. If you walk too much at night, you will inevitably encounter ghosts. If you sleep too much, you will inevitably have dreams. You should do things cleanly and neatly. You should get to the point directly and make the final decision. It's time to be open and honest... completely... thoroughly...
In the middle of the night, he suddenly stood up. He felt that today was the right time.
Zhuge Yue has always been a very organized person. Once he decides on something, he will take his time to make a comprehensive action plan and then implement it step by step. No matter what happens, it will not make him change his mind.
So in the following time, he took a shower, changed his clothes, and looked at himself in front of the mirror. He felt that the man in the mirror had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, was handsome, heroic, and tall, and he felt very satisfied with himself. Then he felt a little nervous, so he sat down, picked up the cup and drank tea.
The tea had gone cold, and the white porcelain blue-and-white cup was pinched between his slender fingers.
He leaned back in his chair, thinking carefully about what he was going to say and do, word by word, very carefully. Then he imagined many situations to figure out how the other party would answer and how he should respond, how to change the subject little by little, create an ambiguous atmosphere, take the initiative into his own hands, and make everything seem natural and seamless.
Okay, no problem.
He put down the cup and stood up, but just as his fingers touched the door, it was pushed open.
Chu Qiao stood at the door, still wearing the beige dress. The warm light in the corridor shone on her little face, giving off a layer of warm light.
She was holding a bowl with steam coming out of it. She looked up, her black and white eyes sizing him up and down, frowning in surprise, and asked, "What are you doing dressed like this at night?"
What is the situation? Zhuge Yue was slightly stunned, as if this was beyond his plan.
However, Master Zhuge's ability to respond was still good. He immediately said seriously: "I slept too much during the day, and I'm not sleepy now. I want to go out for a walk."
"The closer you get to the north, the colder the weather will be. It's windy at night. You're wearing so little, so you'd better not walk around." Chu Qiao walked straight into the room, put the bowl of soup on the table, and called him, "I see you didn't eat much before, come and drink this porridge."
Zhuge Yue walked over and saw that it was a bowl of ordinary white porridge. He glanced at her and said, “You’re trying to fool me with something like this.”
Chu Qiao glared at him, "It's good enough that you have something to eat, why are you so picky." After that, she walked up to him, patted his head as if he were a puppy, and said seriously, "Go to bed early after dinner, and don't wander around outside." Then, she turned around and walked away.
Zhuge Yue was stunned. What was going on? His plan was disrupted, and the prey came to him, but he let her walk away in such a brazen manner?
What else do you want to drink? He stood up and walked out of the room.
Because we need to hide our whereabouts this time, the ship is not very big and the corridor is very narrow, only enough for one person to walk through. The light shone on his slender figure. He was dressed in a moon-white gown with warm cloud patterns. He looked handsome and extraordinary under the light.
He walked slowly, step by step, and the boat swayed gracefully on the vast river, like a spring rain many years ago. He stood on the river bank, watching the ship moving farther and farther away. The world was dark and cold, except for the flame burning beside him, which never went out and always captured his attention, from his childhood, to when he grew up, and until today.
A burst of singing suddenly came, he paused slightly, and then walked to her door. The door was not closed tightly, and warm light shone through. He stood at the door and could only hear the woman's gentle singing and the baby's babbling.
Under two orange lights, Chu Qiao's white skirt dragged on the ground, her sleeves rolled up high, as she squatted beside an ebony basin, bathing Li Ce's youngest son.
Rong'er is very fat. Although he is still very young, his eyebrows and eyes look like his father's. His eyes are curved and slightly raised. His fox-like peach blossom eyes have so much white that you can hardly see them when he smiles.
At this moment he was sitting in an ebony basin, holding a string of small bells in his hand. The bells were jingling, and the sound was very crisp. The child kept slapping the water to the rhythm, splashing Chu Qiao all over. Every time Chu Qiao ducked with a "ouch", he clapped his hands with joy and giggled.
"Rong'er, be good and don't make trouble." Chu Qiao tried to communicate with the child, but the child didn't buy it. His two fat little legs kicked around, and most of the water in the basin splashed out.
"Don't be so naughty. Even your dad is not as annoying as you."
Chu Qiao's upper body was completely wet, and her clothes were dripping with water. Rong Er tilted his head back, babbling, and grabbed the clothes around Chu Qiao's neck with his fat little hands, trying desperately to climb out. His actions clearly expressed his clear attitude that he didn't like taking a bath.