Chapter 36 You look really beautiful when you smile.
“I made a trade with the secret recipe for the ingredients,” Mu Jianjian had already anticipated that the little prince would ask, and she did not intend to hide it. “The cakes and pastries made by the palace maids were delicious but not very flavorful, so I told them some of the secrets to making cakes and pastries.”
This is very easy for Mu Jianjian, who comes from the 21st century.
She knew she could use the token Bai Ji gave her to avoid a lot of trouble, but Mu Jianjian still felt that she should get involved as little as possible.
After all, if they use a brand name, Bai Ji's side will hear about it.
Why are you laughing?
The boy looked up at her.
Mu Jianjian was surprised; so that's the question they were asking her...
"I laughed because I wanted to, there's no reason, Your Highness."
The boy shook his head. "Why am I laughing when I'm clearly tired, in pain, and lonely?"
Mu Jianjian was stunned; it seemed as if she had been seen through so easily.
It's really tiring. After transmigrating into the book, I entered a secret realm to cultivate and seize treasures. After obtaining the golden silk, I was chased and killed. Then I transmigrated to this place. Now the road ahead is bleak, and I can't even see the way back.
Mu Jianjian took a deep breath and said seriously, "Actually, many times, laughter doesn't represent whether life is good or bad, but rather the anticipation and longing for the future... It's an attitude towards the future."
"...I've encountered a lot of bad things lately, and I can't keep looking gloomy all the time. After all, looking back, it's also a blessing in disguise."
Transmigrating into a book and encountering different characters, getting close to them and understanding them—isn't that a stroke of luck for Mu Jianjian?
The woman's every smile and gesture, accompanied by her sparkling eyes, blended seamlessly with the lakeside scenery behind her, creating a scene like a painting.
The boy didn't want to watch any longer. He silently finished his meal and finally glanced at the pastry.
"Your Highness! This is something I made myself, using their ingredients. You must try it!" Accompanied by a cheerful voice behind him, the boy took his first bite.
The rich milky aroma lingers on the lips and teeth, and melts in the mouth like water after a slight chew.
It was delicious; in fact, it was the best thing he had ever eaten since he was born.
"Um... is it good?" Although Mu Jianjian kept praising herself, she was still a little uneasy.
It's been a long time since I've done this, and I'm using other materials and tools instead, so I don't know if there will be any unexpected problems.
The boy nodded slightly, telling himself that this was not a good sign, but the next second he still took out a second piece from the food box.
Relieved to receive a response, Mu Jianjian cautiously made a request, "May I make a small request?"
The warmth that had just touched the boy's eyes gradually faded. Just as expected...
She was, after all, Bai Ji's person; her approach to him and her kindness towards him were all for ulterior motives, nothing more.
"What?"
"Can you teach me to read? I really want to see the books in the study downstairs!" Mu Jianjian's heart trembled again as she looked at the indifferent boy. "Little Shadow will do too, if he can read."
Literacy?
"That's it?" The boy's incredulous expression caught Mu Jianjian's eye.
She paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, what else do you think it is?"
The boy suddenly realized his outburst... He seemed to have been too excited.
Mu Jianjian bit her lip, "It's okay if it's not possible. Do you have a dictionary? I can use a dictionary... Wait, it seems there's no pinyin dictionary..."
She became incoherent by the end, and sadly lowered her head; it was still no use.
They wanted to learn about the historical background and various information of the "upper realm" in order to deduce the spacetime they were currently in.
If I ask directly, I will definitely be suspected; I can only do so by reading books myself after I learn to read.
"Okay." The boy's sudden answer made Mu Jianjian look up with joy.
"With Little Shadow, or..."
“With me.”
——
The boy originally wanted to figure out the woman's purpose through their interactions, but after spending time together every day, he discovered that she seemed to really only want to learn to read.
"What's this character called?" Mu Jianjian sat opposite the boy in the lakeside pavilion, flipped a book over, and placed it in front of him. "Why do they all look so similar? This is too difficult!"
After patiently and thoroughly answering the girl's questions, the boy ignored her complaints and continued reading.
Mu Jianjian studied for a while but then became restless again. She poked the boy's book and said, "Aren't you bored reading all day? Can you concentrate on reading all day long? Don't you ever talk to me? You..."
The boy finally slammed the book shut, looked at the girl who had suddenly become obedient, and asked, "Do you recognize all the pages on this page?"
“There’s still… one or two lines left…” Like a student caught red-handed by the teacher, Mu Jianjian looked embarrassed, but seeing the serious look in the boy’s eyes, she couldn’t help but tell the truth, “Actually, there’s still half left.”
"You only remembered this much after half an hour?"
The boy's tone was calm, but the confusion and doubt he revealed deeply agitated Mu Jianjian. Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, she said, "What do you mean by 'half an hour and this is all?' That's a lot!"
"If you can't stand it and want to take a break, you can first learn how to hold a pen."
Mu Jianjian chuckled dryly, looking at her "claws." She had never learned calligraphy; it was already quite an achievement that she could write anything at all...
"What is this?" the boy asked, noticing a piece of paper with strange symbols drawn on it lying next to the book.
She uses this to remember the characters for "earthworm" by marking them one by one to improve efficiency.
“This is another script, called Chinese characters,” Mu Jianjian suddenly became excited. “Do you want to learn it?”
He thinks she's slow at recognizing characters? Well, she'll show him just how painful it is to start learning from scratch!
The boy seemed to have finally taken an interest. Under Mu Jianjian's explanation and guidance, he quickly learned about Chinese characters, and he did so attentively and attentively.
"Are you sure you know them all? You really don't need to force yourself to comfort me." Mu Jianjian unconsciously replaced "you" with "you" during their time together, without realizing it at all.
After the boy nodded, Mu Jianjian enthusiastically wrote a short essay for him to read, and the boy actually captured the meaning almost perfectly!
Is it really that silky smooth?
Mu Jianjian lowered her head in frustration: The clown was actually myself.
"Why do you know this script?" The boy looked at the girl's pouting expression after she gave in, completely unaware that the corners of his mouth were subtly turning up.
Mu Jianjian naturally couldn't tell the truth, "This is what my mother taught me."
Hey, pushing it onto the original owner's mother won't leave any evidence.
Seeing that the boy's mood had visibly dropped, Mu Jianjian realized that since he had such a bad relationship with his mother, he would definitely feel uncomfortable and upset to hear her say that.
"I'm sorry, Your Highness, I didn't mean to."
"But Your Highness, you're such a good person, you're bound to meet some really good people in the future. Trust me, I'm always very good at judging people..."
"...If, if, it still doesn't happen, it doesn't matter. You don't need to care about the stars, because you are already the moon."
Mu Jianjian wasn't very good at comforting others, and her words sounded dry and unconvincing. Unexpectedly, the boy looked at her and gave her a gentle smile.
As night deepened, a gentle breeze stirred the flickering candlelight, and for the first time, the boy's deep, dark blue eyes, like the ocean, stirred with emotion. His skin was fair and delicate, yet not effeminate; his incomparably handsome face was vivid, captivating, and dazzlingly clear.
The sea breeze of Qinghe, the gentle moonlight, and the person I share this beauty with are right beside me.
Mu Jianjian finally couldn't help but say that age-old joke, "You look really beautiful when you smile."
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