36. Accommodation
◎Who is more handsome, me or Xu Gong from the north of the city?◎
Fortunately, Huo Bai politely declined Jiang Wei's invitation and did not read the strange book.
Her reward was simple and straightforward, but full of sincerity: a thick stack of silver notes that could be withdrawn from the money exchange.
After receiving the silver note, Du Zhijin subconsciously wanted to hand it to Ying Jianhua, but was unexpectedly stepped on by Ying Jianhua's foot under the table.
Although she didn't understand its meaning, she readily complied and took the silver note back.
Seeing her actions, Ying Jianhua secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He wasn't so presumptuous as to think Du Zhijin couldn't live without him. For her, entrusting the silver notes to him for safekeeping was for two reasons: first, she was responsible for traveling, usually traveling light, and shouldn't carry anything except her two natal swords that she could control at will, otherwise, like the incident at Tiger Pool, all her savings would vanish; second, he consciously demonstrated his expertise in daily affairs, such as bargaining, choosing inns, and communicating with people on her behalf. Over time, Du Zhijin naturally regarded him as a trustworthy companion, and his ranking in her heart became higher and more irreplaceable.
That's why he was so disgusted when Jiangwei first appeared; he worried that this fox would take his place. Now it seems that Jiangwei is nothing to fear, but this Miss Huo is quite different.
She was a smart woman, and a shrewd businesswoman. He didn't want her to see through his plans, so in front of her, he had better keep a certain distance from Du Zhijin and act like Jiang Wei.
Little did he know, Huo Bai had indeed observed his secret interactions with Du Zhijin, and the conclusion he drew was completely different from what he had expected. She abruptly asked, "Did Young Master Amo buy anything from Furongfang?"
Du Zhijin stopped chewing and looked at Ying Jianhua curiously: "Furongfang? What does it sell?"
He replied, "Oh, the weather has been a bit dry lately. I noticed your complexion was rough, so I bought some moisturizing ointment." After saying that, he asked Huo Bai, "How did Miss Huo know that? I haven't put any perfume on myself."
Upon hearing this, Huo Bai gave an awkward smile, realizing that this was the first time he had been stumped by a question that evening.
The main problem was that she couldn't say those things in front of the two young men! She couldn't very well say that it was because she often went there to buy rouge and powder to give to Liu Xiucai and Meng'er! She gave a perfunctory answer, and the topic unconsciously shifted to Jiangwei, but Ying Jianhua's wariness of her only increased.
"This guy's shrewd," he thought.
Their first meeting was at a tavern, and their second meeting dragged Du Zhijin directly into a conflict. As the saying goes, "one is influenced by one's company," and he felt uneasy if he allowed Du Zhijin to associate with her.
At this moment, Ying Jianhua was completely unaware that Du Zhijin had gone to the tavern voluntarily, and that it was also her initiative to confront the person with a knife.
After a satisfying meal, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves immensely. Huo Bai had other business at his shop, so he didn't escort them to the inn, but thoughtfully arranged for a carriage to take them away. The carriage was spacious enough to comfortably seat five or six people, but Du Zhijin, with his long legs, took a step and sat down next to Jiang Wei.
Ying Jianhua's handkerchief, which he used to wipe the cushions, suddenly fell to the ground, as incongruously conspicuous as a snowflake falling into the mud. He quickly changed his actions, pretending to wipe the corner of his clothes with the handkerchief, but his ears under his veil perked up, listening intently to the sounds coming from the other side.
Du Zhijin: "Xiao Hong, why are you wearing a veil?"
Jiangwei stammered, "Uh... Young Master Amo made me wear it. Perhaps... perhaps there's a plague in the city?"
Du Zhijin: "Then why didn't I get it? That's so unfair."
The crimson tail fell silent.
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua wished she could throw off the veil covering her face and rush to her to plead her innocence.
He's biased? Doesn't he even look at everything she eats and wears—wasn't it all bought by him? Even the money she leaves with him, he finds ways to make more of it.
Thinking this, Ying Jianhua suddenly felt a bitter taste in his chest, as if an unripe apricot was stuck in his throat. He didn't deliberately show any weakness to express his dissatisfaction as he usually did, but sat silently, his straight neck slowly bending, and then returning to normal after a moment, as if it had just been an illusion.
Du Zhijin noticed his unusual behavior and missed Jiangwei's words: "...I only saw 'face cream' written on the box, and the shopkeeper also gave me a small bottle of jade dew. That's all I know...Benefactor, benefactor?"
She snapped out of her daze, thanked him, and abruptly got up to sit next to Ying Jianhua. Noticing that the cushion beside her had dented, Ying Jianhua pretended not to notice and kept her face hidden under her veil.
Before he could speak, Du Zhijin was in no hurry. He just watched him quietly, without showing any impatience no matter how long it took.
This often seemed to happen between them; even without speaking, a tranquil understanding spread between them. It was an unconscious exclusivity that made it impossible for others to fit in.
Jiangwei, sitting opposite, suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.
He clenched the note in his hand, and for the first time, he wavered.
Ying Jianhua didn't speak to Du Zhijin until he got off the carriage, and he was the first to get off after arriving at the inn. The carriage shaft was a bit high, and perhaps because he was in a hurry, he lost his footing and fell forward.
The expected pain did not come. Someone pulled him from behind, and then he landed on the ground with a light and heavy thud.
It was obvious who had grabbed him. He forced a smile and finally faced her.
The night breeze stirred the veil beneath the hat, casting a hazy shadow of her face. Her features, like reflections in the moonlight, were indistinct, yet they beckoned one to reach out and scoop up the moon.
Du Zhijin opened her mouth as if to speak, but just when he thought she would say something, she turned and left without warning.
The green fruit in my throat seemed to have been fermented into wine, and a burning pain rose in my chest, accompanied by a subtle bitterness.
As if he had made up his mind, he strode quickly toward the inn, his steps heavy and rapid.
Jiangwei was still in the carriage when all this happened. He watched helplessly as the two drove away in opposite directions, getting further and further apart, feeling powerless and bewildered at the same time.
Ying Jianhua quickly returned to her room. Since Du Zhijin's room was next door, she inevitably passed by it on her way to her own room.
Even though he knew no one was there, he still slammed the door shut, not knowing who he was trying to impress.
He removed his veil, tidied his clothes, and stuffed all his belongings into a bundle. He didn't actually have many things, but the bundles filled two large boxes, more than half of which contained Du Zhijin's things.
Du Zhijin's coat with a hole, Du Zhijin's sword sheath with nowhere to put it, Du Zhijin's stone picked up from who-knows-where...
Du Zhijin, Du Zhijin, Du Zhijin, and still Du Zhijin.
The parts that should have been visible in the painting receded further and further, or perhaps they had already become one with her. This was because she always adhered to a strange principle: she always had to buy things in pairs, even though he hadn't spent a single penny along the way.
He suddenly stopped moving.
What right does he have to be angry with her? Isn't it because he takes advantage of her soft heart and keeps making demands of her?
Now she's just being soft-hearted towards another person; no one ever said that Du Zhijin could only have one person by her side.
The moonlight gently bathed him once more, offering him silent comfort. He stared blankly at the jade hairpin lying deep within the bundle, and the anger that had been building up for so long instantly dissipated.
...Now is not the time to part ways. He told himself. He couldn't take advantage of Du Zhijin's indifference; even if he had to pretend, he had to keep up the act for as long as possible.
Until he found a place where he could settle down.
Having figured this out, Ying Jianhua suddenly came to his senses. He simply packed all of Du Zhijin's things together, so that when she returned, he could use the excuse of handing her the things to be alone with her and break the ice.
But before that, he had to apply the newly acquired jade dew to his face, because Du Zhijin might be willing to stay with Jiangwei a little longer because of that face.
Ah, those who rely on their beauty to please others will find their love waning as their beauty fades. He thought disdainfully, for he was her sworn brother who had shared her joys and sorrows, far superior to a fox or a constable, completely oblivious to his own contradictions.
The room was dimly lit, and the bronze mirror could not reflect the image clearly. It was likely that the painter had lit three lamps, which illuminated the room brightly.
This is the scene that Du Zhijin saw when he climbed in through the window.
I borrowed the lake's shimmering light and water, and let it reflect the southern breeze and moon.
The person, shrouded in radiance, opened his lips and asked her, "How did you get in through the window?"
As she regained consciousness, she opened her mouth, pointed to the door locked from the inside, and said with a hint of accusation and grievance, "You should have closed the door."
Ying Jianhua was taken aback, then realized that he had closed the door while packing his luggage, and couldn't refute it for a moment.
While he was distracted, Du Zhijin stopped beside him, lowered his head to sniff the jade dew in his hand, and shook his head: "The scent is too strong, it's not suitable for you."
This unexpected comment immediately made Ying Jianhua forget his earlier decision. He was furious: "This is the most affordable of the three shops! Where's the strong flavor?"
He had to wear his lips down to get the money for forty coins! Besides, if it weren't for her being so concerned about a man's appearance, he wouldn't have wasted that money at all.
Du Zhijin insisted: "Moreover, the texture is also very rough, it's better not to apply it at all."
Upon hearing this, Ying Jianhua's anger, which had finally subsided, surged back up. He gritted his teeth and spat out each word: "Of course, I'm not as naturally beautiful as your Xiao Hong. I have to use makeup to maintain my looks." Before he finished speaking, she suddenly opened her palm and magically produced a jade bottle.
The jade bottle was pure white and delicate, clearly of exceptional quality. Even more precious was the subtle, lingering fragrance emanating from it, a fragrance that was refreshing and invigorating, unlike anything found in ordinary objects.
Ying Jianhua paused, taken aback.
He remained motionless, so Du Zhijin held up the jade bottle and waved it in front of him, calling out, "Amo, Amo?"
The jade bottle teetered precariously in her hands, as if it might shatter into pieces at any moment, and then a stack of silver notes would be lost. He suddenly grabbed her trembling hand, his voice shaking: "Don't... be careful not to drop it."
Seeing that he was finally willing to speak to her seriously, she blinked, her eyebrows smiling and her tone relaxed: "It doesn't matter if you break it, I have many more." After saying that, she took out a large wooden box from somewhere, opened the lid, and inside were dozens of jade bottles neatly arranged.
These weren't just a few jade bottles; they were clearly piles of real gold and silver. He was stunned, unsure how to react. Du Zhijin was still nagging in his ear, "Miss Huo said that the things from Furongfang were too inferior, and if you wanted to buy something better, you should go to Qionghuage. I don't know much about rouge and face powder, so I just asked the shopkeeper for the most expensive and best ones. But each bottle only had this much; who could use that much? So I just bought all of their powder with the very long name."
After she finished speaking, she belatedly realized that he hadn't said anything, and suddenly stopped talking, asking uncertainly, "You... don't like it?"
Ying Jianhua slowly turned her head to look at her, as if she hadn't quite come to her senses yet: "You're asking me?"
"Of course." She nodded emphatically, her expression sincere. "These are all for you."
"Bought for me?" he repeated casually.
"Yes, I've already asked Jiangwei. You bought face cream, and the store gave you a bottle of jade dew as a gift. The face cream is for me, and the jade dew? Is it this one?"
She replaced the rough porcelain bottle in his hand with an exquisite jade bottle, and sighed, "Qionghua Pavilion is really far away. If it weren't for flying on my sword, I wouldn't have been able to come back."
Ying Jianhua's lips twitched, but she couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal.
Because at this moment, a secret joy was growing in his heart.
Her closeness to Jiangwei wasn't due to his superior looks, but rather to inquire about him. Her sudden departure wasn't because she disliked him, but to buy these things...
It felt as if a dense forest had grown in his chest, with countless chirping birds constantly chirping, making him restless.
But he managed to restrain himself, suppressing the upward curve of his lips and the syllables that were about to spill from his throat.
He remained calm as always, and said indifferently, "I'm sorry to have troubled you. By the way, where did you get the money to buy these?"
Isn't all her money with him?
Du Zhijin: "Didn't Huo Bai promise a reward today?"
He was taken aback at first, then shocked: "You bought all of these?"
Seeing his brows furrow suddenly, she felt a loss of confidence and whispered, "No, there's still some left."
Ying Jianhua was all too familiar with her guilty expression, so she asked directly, "How much is left?"
She hesitated and held up a number. He guessed, "Fifty taels?"
She shook her head, and his voice gradually lowered: "Five taels?"
He still shook his head.
Ying Jianhua's voice trembled as she said, "...It can't be fifty coins, can it?"
Then he saw Du Zhijin lay out five small coins.
There were five coins left.
————
Ying Jianhua stared at the five copper coins for a long time, so long that Du Zhijin suspected he had some kind of magic that could turn copper coins into gold if stared at them for too long.
But clearly, Ying Jianhua didn't possess that kind of magic. Instead, he began to place his hopes on her: "Can you turn stones into gold?"
She waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, that's against the rules! Besides, money can be earned back..."
Well, I got glared at again.
After hearing her words, Ying Jianhua carefully put the five copper coins into the hidden pocket on her chest. Still not entirely at ease, she took them out again and placed them together with the jade hairpin.
Du Zhijin felt a mix of emotions upon seeing this.
She knew that Amo had always lived a hard life and was used to being frugal, but it was only five coins; he didn't need to...
“This is more than five coins,” he suddenly said. “You’ve worked hard to subdue the demons; we can’t just sit around and do nothing.”
Hearing this, she scratched her face and said weakly, "Actually, it's quite easy. Those bounty posters are all about demons." "What if you encounter a Flame Demon? Would you still disregard everything for money?"
He looked at her, his gaze containing an emotion she couldn't understand, soft yet firm: "Du Zhijin, I don't want you to get hurt again."
Especially for someone like me.
She opened her mouth, as if she had a thousand words in her heart, but in the end they all turned into a soft "Mmm".
Since her master left, she hadn't heard anyone say "I don't want you to get hurt again" for a very long time.
She and her master had spent many years together, their relationship encompassing teacher, friend, and family; mutual concern was perfectly normal. But what about Ying Jianhua? Was his statement a doctor's address to a patient, or something else entirely?
She didn't understand, just as she didn't understand the emotions in Ying Jianhua's eyes, or her master's words, "Because it's you."
Her heart felt empty.
However, Ying Jianhua's words interrupted her further thoughts. He took the jade bottle out of the wooden box and instantly had an idea: "Didn't Huo Bai say that Huzhou is prosperous? What price do you think these things can fetch?"
Du Zhijin: "The purchase price was fifty taels per bottle."
Ying Jianhua felt a bit of a toothache when he heard this, but he quickly composed himself and was eager to try: "Okay, then we'll sell it for one hundred taels a bottle."
Du Zhijin was shocked: "This is a scam?"
He frowned: "Where's the rip-off? Do you believe that the cost of Qionghua Pavilion is only five taels per bottle? Besides, we transported it all the way to Huzhou, and considering the time spent on the journey, the grass the horses ate, and the food the people ate... it's not expensive at all!"
Du Zhijin seemed to understand, yet not quite; as if she did understand. But she quickly thought of something else: "But what will you use if you sell them all?"
She didn't care about making money; her main concern was that he didn't want to use inferior products.
Ying Jianhua paused, clearly having forgotten about the matter. However, he quickly came up with a new explanation: "Things are valued for their scarcity, so we'll only sell ten bottles, and keep the rest for ourselves."
Then, he changed the subject and said quietly, "Or do you think I really need to apply these things?"
Huo Bai told her that she must immediately deny such questions!
Du Zhijin blurted out, "No need! Amo, you're beautiful, like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally beautiful without any artifice..." "What about Jiangwei?"
"Huh?" She didn't react for a moment and made a questioning sound.
Ying Jianhua looked away from her, her tone hesitant but her words unchanged: "Where's Jiangwei?"
A euphemism for "Who is more beautiful, me or Xu Gong of the North City?"
An idea suddenly struck her: "After all, Jiangwei is a demon, and retains the characteristics of a beast. It needs to be modified when necessary." As she spoke, she glanced at his expression. Seeing that he showed no change in expression, she knew that she had answered correctly.
Unexpectedly, there was another question.
Where is Lu Ping?
Lu Ping? Who is Lu Ping? She racked her brains for a moment before remembering who Lu Ping was, and this time she answered without hesitation: "Of course we need him, we really need him."
Ying Jianhua nodded, glancing casually at the bronze mirror before quickly looking away. Du Zhijin suppressed a laugh as he tidied up the jade bottle for him, then looked down and saw two bundles spread out on the ground.
She picked one up, puzzled: "This is...?"
Seeing this, he immediately stepped forward and snatched the bundle back, covering it up with a cough: "Cough cough, this is, this is what you left here, I've packed it up for you, hmm." As he spoke, he kicked the bundle far away with his foot.
Du Zhijin had no suspicions. After a busy day, she was about to go back to her room to rest when she had nothing else to do. But as soon as she left the candlelight, she heard Ying Jianhua call out from behind, "Du Zhijin."
Her full name and surname. She suddenly felt a sense of disorientation.
She often called him "Amo", but he never called her "Huaizhou".
Perhaps in his heart, they weren't that close yet, and she wasn't a friend he could let his guard down with.
We need to treat him even better.
After making up her mind, she turned to face the candlelight, looking at him with calm eyes.
Ying Jianhua said, "You... stop learning all that nonsense from Huo Bai."
"How you treated me before is how you will treat me in the future. I don't need you to make special concessions for me."
That's enough for her as she is.
He knew he was awkward, so he spoke evasively and refused to speak frankly.
But she always saw through his thoughts, and this time was no exception.
“Oh, you don’t like it? If you don’t like it, I won’t learn it,” she said. “But this isn’t about giving in.”
For you, it's not about giving in.
Ying Jianhua's heart was completely at peace, just like the turbulent sea was calmed by the moonlight.
But this peace didn't last long. Suddenly, Du Zhijin's eyes flickered, and she began to say something else: "I don't want to hide it from you... but, after hearing what I'm about to say, Amo, please don't be angry."
Angry? He won't be angry with her now, and he won't be in the future.
He nodded, gesturing for her to speak.
She glanced at him, and after confirming that his expression was alright, she mustered her courage and confessed quickly: "Actually, the reason I suddenly ran over to hug you and said I missed you was because my sleeves were stained with pig's blood and meat scraps."
"Then, Huo Bai said this is called diverting attention..."
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