84. Obstruction
Everything he has worked so hard for will be destroyed in an instant.
Summer days always dawn early. The rooster crows three times, before dawn, and Ying Jianhua is awakened by the light from outside the window.
Turning his head, he saw the bedding neatly folded beside him, but the owner was nowhere to be found.
He closed his eyes, buried his head in it, and greedily sniffed for a while. Afterwards, he casually put it back in its place.
He dressed, tied his hair up, and drew his eyebrows. Looking at himself in the mirror, he pondered for a moment, then picked out a very light lip rouge from his vanity and applied it to his lips.
It doesn't have much color, but it makes the lips look less dry and shriveled.
He pushed open the door, and the two "wind chimes" hanging on the windowsill tinkled softly, then clattered back together. He stood quietly on the veranda for a while, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Closely intertwined, never to be separated.
Just like him and Zhouzhou.
"You're awake."
Du Zhijin swung his sword one last time, and seeing him about to approach, he quickly shook his head to stop him: "No. I'm sweating and dirty."
“It’s not dirty.” He took out a handkerchief and wiped her sweat, from her temples to her chin, with meticulous care.
The handkerchief was soft, but Ying Jianhua's palm was even warmer and more substantial than the fabric. She lowered her gaze slightly to wipe it, but in doing so, she caught a glimpse of his slightly disheveled collar.
For no apparent reason, she recalled the spring scenery she had once glimpsed, and her cheeks suddenly flushed, like boiled shrimp.
Ying Jianhua naturally noticed her unusual behavior and asked, "What's wrong?"
She hesitated for a few moments, then finally managed to say, "I want to eat shrimp for lunch."
Just this matter? He smiled slightly and agreed, "Okay."
For breakfast, Du Zhijin bought fried dough sticks and soy milk. Strangely enough, the sign of the steamed bun shop at the alley entrance clearly said steamed buns, but she thought the fried dough sticks tasted better.
Perhaps he should learn it too. The thought of the youngest son of the steamed bun shop always smiling at her made her uncomfortable.
"Baozi Pan An"? What kind of nickname is that?
After breakfast, Du Zhijin rinsed the yard and helped him set out the dozen or so medicine baskets before saying, "Uncle Li's cabinet is broken. I'll go fix it and come back at lunchtime."
Uncle Li only has one married daughter. Ying Jianhua quickly went through the list in her mind and nodded: "Aunt Zhong next door to Uncle Li has two very good perilla plants, why don't you buy a bunch?" "Okay." She replied, picked up the tools and left.
"Wooden Girl, Wooden Girl," people called her that so often that she actually started to think of herself as a carpenter.
Watching her figure disappear behind the wooden door, he came back to his senses and began to sweep the yard. Du Zhijin had already cleaned it once, but there were still some dregs of medicine and other debris in the nooks and crannies. Aunt Yuan always saw him sweeping whenever she came, and couldn't help but admire how diligent he was.
Only Ying Jianhua himself knew that he would not allow anything out of place in their "home".
"Home" is perfect, spotless, and relaxing.
Therefore, it was necessary for him to eliminate any filth that might wreak havoc on the home before it could surface.
————
Two streets west of Yongfu Lane lies the vegetable market. Ying Jianhua and Aunt Yuan traveled together; she was taking Xiaobao to school, and he was delivering medicine to a patient. The two arrived at the vegetable market together.
After spending a few days together, Yuan Xiaobao was no longer so afraid of this handsome older brother. But whenever Ying Jianhua smiled, he would immediately hide behind his mother.
Aunt Yuan scolded, "Hey, how rude!" Turning to Ying Jianhua, she said, "Doctor Xiao Mo, please don't be offended. This child is timid and only grows tall without becoming smart."
He smiled without saying a word, his dislike for the child reaching its peak.
Children are all noisy, even Honghua has her moments of incessant chatter. Most importantly, once the children appear, Du Zhijin's focus shifts to them, and he doesn't even glance at him.
Therefore, he took the medicine early on and will never have children in his life.
Although she hasn't shown any intention of touching him yet...
Thinking of this, he stopped and turned toward the wine shop on the side of the street.
Uncle Li's cabinet wasn't properly protected against insects, and it got badly damaged by them in the spring. Du Zhijin worked for two hours and finally fixed it.
Knowing she wouldn't accept money, the uncle specially brought a large string of his own smoked sausages, which felt heavy in his hands. It was all thanks to the neighbors' kindness, so she didn't refuse. She then knocked on her neighbor's door to buy a bunch of perilla leaves and hurried home.
She'd been busy for quite a while, and it was already past lunchtime. She wondered if Amo would wait for her to eat together...
As soon as she reached the door, a strange and enticing aroma wafted out. She took a deep sniff and recognized the scent as shrimp, which delighted her.
Despite her unintentional words, Amo still kept them in mind.
They truly love each other!
"You're back? Dinner's ready, come and eat."
Ying Jianhua came out of the kitchen with a bowl of rice. She washed her hands before sitting down and saw him, her eyes widening in surprise.
Something seems different about Amo today?
Before Du Zhijin could investigate further, her attention was drawn to the food on the table, leaving her no time to care about anything else. After satisfying her hunger, she magically produced a pomegranate from behind her back, smiling and boasting, "Try it."
He took it and was taken aback: "Where did you buy it?"
“No.” She picked up a literary accent from Yuan Xiaobao and said, “Have you forgotten? It’s that pomegranate tree at the end of the alley. It’s been bearing a lot of fruit lately. The shorter ones have all been picked, but it doesn’t matter. The biggest one is high up, and no one but me can reach it.”
Because she knows kung fu!
Cut it in half, peel back the skin, and you'll see the glistening, translucent seeds inside. Looking at the split pomegranate, Ying Jianhua suddenly remembered how people often use the pomegranate as a metaphor for many children and abundant blessings.
"Zhouzhou," he called out to her. She uttered a questioning syllable, the corner of her lips still bearing the bright red juice of a pomegranate.
"Do you want a drink?" "Huh?"
She gazed into his increasingly deep eyes, and although she didn't understand, she didn't refuse.
The pomegranate was left in the yard.
The plump, glistening juice spilled all over the ground.
The two yin-yang jade pendants, used as wind chimes, were tightly fitted together, perfectly aligned, and made not a sound. Amidst the faint smell of alcohol, Du Zhijin, her eyes half-open, suddenly recalled why she felt A-Mo was different from before.
The way he looked at her was exactly the same as the night he was in the inn, when she was draped in a light veil.
She suddenly realized. So that's what Amo meant when he said she was cold?
Noticing her momentary lapse in concentration, someone became displeased and kissed her plaintively, saying nothing, yet seemingly saying everything. Du Zhijin could only lower her head to comfort her, her cool lips touching briefly before pulling away.
That's not enough.
He should see the painting. His body is like a hole, his greed is endless, and he is forever clamoring for food.
He longs for her love/caresses.
The two sets of pillowcases that had been on the tatami mat were thrown to the floor by someone, as if they had been disliked for a long time. The summer breeze, though not cool, dispersed some of the slight heat, bringing one back to their senses. Du Zhijin still had the energy to think; he pointed to the window, weakly trying to justify himself, "It's daytime now..."
Is it really appropriate to announce something like that in broad daylight?
He stopped moving, but just as he was about to let go, he wrapped his arms around her waist again, pressing his face against her light yellow sash that was about to fall off. She felt him stroking the raised embroidery with the tip of his nose, and he seemed to take a deep sniff.
Ying Jianhua, her eyes red, asked in a low voice, "Is Zhouzhou tired of me?"
It was as pitiful as an abandoned little animal. So humble, so cautious, begging for her pity.
Du Zhijin shamefully softened his heart.
The light gauze curtain above the tent swayed. She thought, since she wasn't cultivating the path of ruthlessness, it didn't count as breaking the precepts.
......Bar?
————
[Aaaaaah, Zhouzhou and Amo are real!! I'm totally rooting for Zhouzhou and Amo!]
[Whether it's sweet or bitter later, let's accept it first!]
Ying Jianhua was awakened by the voice in his head. Unlike before, this time he also heard the sound of firecrackers.
...He felt somewhat ashamed that he arrived late.
Instinctively, I wanted to hug the person next to me, but when I reached out, I missed.
She left.
He was stunned at first, then startled. Just as he put on his coat and was about to go out to look for someone, the person he was looking for pushed open the door and came in.
She was also holding a bowl of steaming hot chicken soup.
"Amo, you're awake?" Du Zhijin placed the bowl on the table, scooped up a spoonful, and thoughtfully blew on it to cool it down before bringing it to Amo's lips.
Ying Jianhua: "...Wait, are you...not feeling unwell anywhere?"
Why did she wake up earlier than him, and even make soup?!
That's not how it's written in the book...
After finishing the soup in a daze, Ying Jianhua was coaxed into lying down for another hour, and finally she understood.
Du Zhijin is a sword cultivator, and a very strong one at that.
The only thing in this world that could make her feel tired was probably fighting the great demon on the map.
Um.
Half a day passed by in a daze, and Du Zhijin went out to buy groceries for dinner. Ying Jianhua felt it was necessary to do something to show her that she wasn't actually that weak, so she insisted on cooking.
Night fell silently, the moon was mostly obscured by clouds, only a few rays of silver light shone through, flowing like streams on the eaves and then creeping along the base of the wall into the grass, where they were swallowed by the deeper silence.
Du Zhijin broke the silence by speaking up: "By the way, I think I saw someone I know on the street."
She mentioned it casually, but it stirred up a huge storm in Ying Jianhua's heart.
An acquaintance? Could it be Lu Ping?
His initial surge of emotion vanished instantly. He could almost foresee what Lu Ping would say after they met.
At that time, everything he had worked so hard for and the family he had built would be destroyed.
No, he would never allow that to happen.
He can't afford to lose it again.
Perhaps because he had expended too much energy during the day, Du Zhijin went to bed earlier than Ying Jianhua that night, which was unusual for him.
"Zhouzhou, Zhouzhou?"
He called her softly a few times, and after confirming that she was asleep, he tiptoed out of the house.
When he put on that black robe again after a long time, his entire demeanor changed abruptly, becoming reserved and profound.
At the same time, there was a viscous killing intent, like the darkness of night.
Knowing Lu Ping's skills well, he had specially stocked up on sleeping pills. Fortunately, he had been drying the pills these past few days, filling in the previous shortage.
He quietly locked the courtyard gate from the inside, then put on a mask and walked toward the beggar who usually roamed the streets.
She said she ran into an acquaintance on the street, so it's very likely they were in this area.
He tossed a silver ingot to the little beggar and described Lu Ping's appearance to him in a gruff voice. The little beggar beamed and hurriedly pointed out the way to the inn, which was just two streets away.
Lu Ping slept very restlessly that night.
With no one in the "Evil Suppression Division" and no progress on the matter, he really didn't know who else to turn to.
For some reason, he remembered the girl named Mu, whom he had met a few times before.
The wooden maiden is exceptionally skilled; if she were here...
"Who?!" he shouted at the window, drawing his sword from his waist, the sound of it being drawn exploding in the dead of night.
But it was too late. The wind was faster than him, and the drug had already unknowingly invaded his body.
The blade fell to the ground, followed by a person. Lu Ping gritted his teeth, resisting the effects of the drug, desperately trying to see who the intruder was.
A very distinctive figure, hidden beneath a black robe, unlike anyone he had ever seen before.
"Why...why did you kill me..." he gasped for breath, asking his last question before losing consciousness.
The man picked up his knife and pointed it at him.
"Because of you, you deserve to die."
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