As he tossed his wet hair out of his cloak, Zigui turned his head to look at the lump of Guanyin clay, his gaze never leaving it.
"It tastes a lot like glutinous rice, but with a slightly earthy flavor."
The hand on the wet hair paused for a moment, and Shangguan slowly looked at the person in front of her.
"This stuff is very filling, but it's hard to poop out. Many people can't stand the hunger and eat it, and their stomachs get bigger and bigger, and they eventually die. If I hadn't met my master and fellow disciples, I probably would have ended up like that."
A hint of sadness lingered in her beautiful eyes, like the moon on a winter night.
"Great Hero of Copper Coins, Great Hero of Copper Coins, I thought I had saved that child, but I never thought that I could save him once, but not a second time. In fact, I know that even if I save him a second time, what difference would it make? As long as the world doesn't change, there will always be those who are too late to lend a helping hand. But even though I understand this, my heart still can't calm down."
Looking at the clay that had been molded into an unformable shape, Shangguan's eyes were filled with pity. "Fool."
"Yeah, I'm an idiot," the head replied.
Should he be happy that she was finally willing to confide in him, or should he sigh for her dejected mood?
He had never experienced such complex thoughts before, and he did not intend to delve into them at this moment.
He reached out and supported her waist, then carried Yu Zigui through the window.
"There's one thing we can do now," Shangguan said softly, gazing at her slightly pale face.
She raised her head, then lowered it again, taking small steps forward. Finally, she relaxed her lips, which she had been pursing for so long, and buried her face in his chest.
"fool."
Holding her protectively in his arms, Shangguan Yi sighed softly.
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Author's Note:
Guanyin soil, named after Guanyin, was originally a beautiful hope, but in the end it became a death warrant.
In ancient times, during famines, people exchanged their own children to eat and swallowed raw mud—things that are unimaginable to us living in affluent times.
Although Zigui saved the child once with his martial arts, it was not a long-term solution and did not prevent the tragedy from unfolding. Now it is time to think carefully about what martial arts can do and whose world is this anyway.
If Zigui in the past was a place where "everyone sweeps the snow from their own doorstep, and doesn't care about the frost on others' roofs," then what does the tragedy of the child who resembles him signify?
Although Zigui is intelligent, she is still young. In the past, she helped her master and fellow disciples out of selfish motives. But now she should think about what the Five Greats' beliefs are.
Shangguan was six or seven years older than Zigui and much more mature. Zigui had romantic feelings for him, as well as a brotherly affection, which Shangguan would be very unhappy about. But, kid, what can you do when you're so much older than her?
Uncle, just accept your fate! Hahahaha~
P.S. I'll try to update every two days from now on. It's so nice to have someone encouraging me, but I'm just lazy... *tears*
Oh, the kid later became a powerful eunuch during the reign of Emperor Xingping, but that won't be written about later. The important thing is that he was castrated. That's all~1
Chapter Fourteen
Has the night passed yet?
With a slight lift of her eyelids, Yu Zigui slowly awoke.
It was still dark outside the window, but the charcoal fire was clearly visible in the dimly lit bedroom, casting a red glow over the surrounding scenery.
I stretched, feeling an unprecedented exhaustion throughout my body. I was so tired, I didn't know if it was my body or something else.
Lying in bed, she vaguely remembered meeting an old friend at the Daming Gate yesterday—a tiny child with such a desperate look in his eyes.
Just thinking about it makes me feel powerless.
The door opened gently, and an elderly woman carrying a copper kettle walked in.
A figure with hands outstretched and eyes closed could be vaguely seen through the bed curtains.
"Is the young lady awake?" the woman asked softly.
A voice responded from behind the curtain, and the woman smiled slightly, pushing open the outermost window. A cool morning breeze blew into the room, and seeing Yu Zigui sitting up in only a thin garment, the woman unfolded a woman's shirt on the table and draped it over her.
"The wind in the north is not like that in the south; it's very harsh, especially on us humans."
Looking at the dark blue, curved-hem robe, Yu Zigui was slightly surprised. "It's not my clothes."
The woman covered her mouth and laughed: "The winter solstice is a time for the lesser New Year, and we wear new clothes to pay respects to our ancestors. This was specially prepared for you by the young master of the family."
Yu Zigui stood up and let the woman dress her.
"Thank you for your help, Sister Yuluo."
It wasn't that she easily went from frugality to extravagance and became addicted to being served; rather, the blouse was a wrap-around style with a hooked hem, and spinning around and around made her dizzy and disoriented. She could only obediently raise her hands, obediently stretch out her arms, and obediently become a puppet doll.
After tying the brocade around her waist and attaching the jade disc, Yu Luo looked at the "finished product" before her, unable to hide her amazement. "Young Master truly has excellent taste."
Stroking her embroidered robe, Yu Zigui nodded slightly. "Ziyu's clothes are always of the finest quality."
Seeing that she was unaware of her own beauty, Yu Luo was first surprised, then laughed, and then pressed Zi Gui, who had finished washing up, in front of the mirror.
Seeing her take out the hair comb box, Yu Zigui felt a chill run down his spine, took a step back, and looked around nervously.
Here.
Just as her fingers were about to touch the bone hairpin she was using, it was slapped down.
"Sister Yu Luo..."
"It seems what the young master said is true; the young lady has always been harsh on herself."
Yu Luo gently combed her black hair, a sigh seeming to escape her lips. "What a pity that such a beautiful girl like you is born."
Zigui looked at the mirror in confusion, staring at it for a long time without noticing anything unusual.
“Yu Luo is beautiful too,” she said softly.
Upon hearing this, Yu Luo laughed until her eyes crinkled.
"Like a mother, she braided my hair like a jade ribbon."
"Does the girl miss her mother?"
"Um."
"The girl's mother must be very beautiful."
"Yes, it's very beautiful."
Seeing the longing in her eyes, Yu Luo's heart softened slightly, and her movements became gentler. "Now that you've grown up like this, your mother must be very happy."
Really?
"Of course it's true. As a mother, as long as my child grows up healthy, I have no regrets."
Zigui looked into the mirror. "Does Sister Yuluo have children too?"
“No,” Yu Luo said with a smile, “but both the young master and the cousin were raised by Yu Luo.”
“Ziyu and Xiao Kuang.”
"The young master is compassionate, and the young master is pure-hearted. There are no better young masters than them."
Compassionate heart? Simple-minded?
Should we shatter Yu Luo's beautiful dream and reveal that Zi Yu was causing trouble in the martial arts world and that Xiao Kuang was having an affair?
This is such a dilemma.
"Don't be fooled by the Shangguan family's current prosperity. Back when the master passed away, everyone turned against them. In addition, the eldest princess died at that time, leaving the young master with no support in the capital. The young master had to support the family business and depend on his cousin for survival. It still makes me feel heartbroken to think about it now. The world is cold and fickle, and people are fickle. Therefore, there are very few people or things that can truly capture the young master's heart."
With her eyebrows slightly furrowed, Yu Luo looked on very intently.
"This is the first time Yu Luo has seen the young master treat people with such care. Please do not let this kindness go to waste."
Upon hearing this, Yu Zigui nodded solemnly, only to find his head heavy, as if weighed down by several pounds of salted meat.
"Sister Yu Luo, just tie your hair in a ponytail, it's not that complicated."
Little did they know that their small protest would be met with an even more brutal and inhumane crackdown.
"Miss, don't struggle. Yu Luo will do everything in her power to make my young master want anything!"
What does he want? What exactly does he want?
Muttering to himself, Yu Zigui glanced angrily to his side.
Shangguan Yi's eyes were fixed on her greedily, as if she were the chicken soup dumpling on the table.
"What's wrong? Does the breakfast here not suit Zigui's taste?"
His tone was so seductive and his voice so gentle that it made her hair stand on end. She picked up a soup dumpling and started to eat it.
"Is it good?"
"Delicious, delicious." Zigui replied perfunctorily, not daring to look at him.
"If it tastes good, why are you holding onto that lump of soil?" Shangguan Yi pried open her right hand and put the clay into her bosom. "I brought it to Quanfulou not to see you eating without tasting it."
His dark eyes slowly moved down, glancing at his right hand, which was clenched into a fist. "If you must hold onto something, why not hold my hand?"
With a backhand tug, Shangguan Yi forcefully pried open her five fingers and intertwined them with his own ten.
So his hands were cold too.