Falsches Blumenmuster

Kapitel 11

The sky was overcast, without a ray of sunlight.

However, Yang Nianqing did not find it boring. Unexpectedly, the further she went, the more lush the flowers and leaves became. Eventually, the chrysanthemums beside her were already waist-high.

This is extremely rare!

Surrounded by a sea of chrysanthemums, the fragrance in the air grows stronger as you wander among the blossoms, the rustling sound of the wind making the surroundings seem even more serene.

It was all so beautiful it was breathtaking.

"Which way should we go..."

After enjoying the scenery for most of the day and walking all morning, Yang Nianqing finally began to feel discouraged. Looking at the bamboo forest that was so close yet beyond her reach, she patted her aching legs in frustration—she hadn't expected that she was only a little bit slower than the carriage, just a tiny bit... and the road had mysteriously disappeared!

In an instant, it seemed as if all the flowers were rushing towards her, and for a moment, she was surrounded by flowers all around her, unable to distinguish where the path was. As for why she could see the bamboo grove but couldn't reach it, even a fool could figure it out. She really shouldn't have been stubborn and fallen for that guy's trick; they were probably sitting comfortably at Mr. Chrysanthemum's house right now, drinking tea and chatting... Thinking of Li You's amused expression, Yang Nianqing pouted, gritted her teeth, straightened up, and started fiddling with the flower branches as she walked towards the bamboo grove.

Sure enough, about 50 meters from the bamboo grove, a small patch of exceptionally lush chrysanthemums blocked her way again.

The flower is about two decimeters in diameter, quite large and beautiful. The originally white petals are dotted with crimson spots, like raindrops splashed on them.

Yang Nianqing secretly admired it, then looked at the chrysanthemums around her. Compared to them, this one was clearly a rare variety. However, just like the previous times, these chrysanthemums were all waist-high, very dense, and their branches and leaves were intertwined, making it impossible to part them with her hands, so she couldn't get through.

She couldn't bear to walk straight through, otherwise she would have reached the bamboo forest long ago.

"Please, kind sirs, make way for me! Why is it always you who stop me?" Yang Nianqing sat down on a small open space nearby, feeling annoyed. "If I can't get through, that guy will definitely laugh at me again. It's so embarrassing!"

Unfortunately, the chrysanthemums couldn't understand.

Just as she was struggling to communicate with the chrysanthemums and looked distressed and at a loss, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"Why don't you go over there?"

It's a man.

Yang Nianqing was too discouraged to look back, but her usually quick-witted mind still made a conditional judgment—this man must not be very old, probably not even thirty years old...and he was the kind that was not very friendly and difficult to approach, because although his voice did not sound as cold as He Bi's, it was very faint.

Calm, indifferent, even with a hint of weariness.

"Why not go over there?" The calm voice sounded again.

Yang Nianqing looked at the chrysanthemums in front of her and said irritably, "Haven't you ever seen one that doesn't go?"

"You can step over it."

“I wanted to step on them,” she sighed dejectedly, “but then I felt it was such a waste. I don’t know how long it takes for these chrysanthemums to grow to this size, and they seem quite rare.”

silence.

A yellow shadow came into view, seemingly carrying a unique fragrance. At first glance, it smelled like chrysanthemums, but upon closer inspection, it didn't seem to be.

She looked up in surprise and stood up, only then seeing his face.

This face is very young, comparable to He Bi and others, but the appearance is very ordinary. There is nothing special about the nose, eyebrows and mouth. It would not stand out in a crowd.

But perhaps it was precisely because he was so ordinary that Yang Nianqing felt a strong sense of familiarity when she looked at him.

how so?

His ordinary face wore a faint expression, making him appear detached and at ease, truly embodying the phrase "as serene as a chrysanthemum." Only his dark eyes possessed an incredibly sharp gaze, subtly revealing a hint of aloofness.

Why does it feel so familiar?

Yang Nianqing secretly harbored doubts, then scrutinized him for a moment—she truly didn't know him before, how strange… was he just ordinary and commonplace?

"Do you recognize this chrysanthemum?" The voice was so faint it was as if she were talking to herself.

He turned to the side and looked at the strange chrysanthemums.

"Huh?" Yang Nianqing finally realized that he was talking to her. "I don't know him, I don't understand these things."

"It's called a tear."

She asked, puzzled: "Tears?"

"Tears of tears, the name I gave it."

You chose this name yourself, and now you're testing me to see if I recognize it... Yang Nianqing found herself at a loss for words, and could only turn her gaze to the chrysanthemums with a sense of frustration.

He failed to notice the grammatical error: "Don't you think this name is bad?"

She decided to tell the truth: "It's not quite right, those little specks of red, it makes the name 'Tears of Chrysanthemum' a bit..."

"Flowers shed tears in response to the times," he interrupted casually. "Tears can be red too, but you've never seen them, that's why I say that."

Red tears?

Yang Nianqing noticed that the sky had suddenly become gloomy and the wind seemed to have turned cold. She couldn't help but shiver, took a small step back, and asked in a trembling voice, "You...have seen me before?"

He didn't answer.

How did you end up in this formation?

With her attention diverted, and remembering why she had barged in, Yang Nianqing felt both frustrated and embarrassed: "I made a bet that I could walk out by myself, but I never expected..."

"A bet?" He glanced at her. "Do you know that without someone to guide you, you might starve to death before you even get out?"

She nodded dejectedly: "Now I know."

She'll never get out of there... That bastard Li You! But despite her cursing, Yang Nianqing understood that he didn't mean to harm her; he was just playing a trick on her. Besides, she wouldn't have fallen for his trick if she hadn't been angry with him.

After thinking for a moment, she smiled ingratiatingly and said, "Since you've come in, you must know all this, right? Could you please give me directions...?"

He interrupted her rambling: "I'll take you out."

"Thank you!" she said, extremely grateful.

"No need to thank me, you'd better thank yourself."

"Well?"

He looked at her: "You didn't step over here."

"So what if you step on it?"

“If you step over it,” a hint of disdain flickered across his otherwise indifferent face, he said calmly, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to find you, and you’ll really starve to death here.”

She was stunned.

"Let's go."

"Wait..." Coming to her senses, Yang Nianqing hurriedly called out, "I don't mean going out, just take me to that bamboo forest, there it is, can you see it?"

She pointed to the bamboo grove in front of her.

"Where are you going?" He was slightly taken aback.

"right."

"The owner there doesn't like anyone going there." He said coldly.

“I know it’s Mr. Chrysanthemum, but I have an appointment with some friends there, so could you please take me there?” After thinking for a moment, Yang Nianqing shook her head and muttered, “So that old man really has such a strange temper.”

"Old man?" He was taken aback.

"No?" She was even more surprised. Wasn't Mr. Chrysanthemum an old man?

"I am Mr. Chrysanthemum."

He didn't ask any questions and silently led the way. Yang Nianqing followed behind in silence, feeling extremely awkward—although "Mr." in modern times doesn't necessarily refer to an old man, the name "Mr. Chrysanthemum" sounded so archaic that she inexplicably thought of an old man whenever she heard it…

Feeling apologetic, she forced a silly smile and tried to make conversation to ease the awkward atmosphere: "Hehe... Brother Chrysanthemum, what's your name?"

He paused slightly, then continued walking forward: "Qiu Bailu."

It's unbelievable that some people don't know Mr. Chrysanthemum's name.

"Bai Lu, what a nice name," she said with a smile, patting her MP3 player. "My name is Yang Nianqing, Nian as in longing, and Qing as in sunshine after the rain."

Don't answer if there's no need to.

Seeing that he was still not very friendly, Yang Nianqing was a little discouraged. Looking around, she realized that she had been following him around and around for a long time. She didn't expect that the bamboo forest, which was so close, would be so troublesome to get there.

"Brother Qiu, actually I was with..."

"He Bi and Nangong Xue," Qiu Bailu interrupted calmly, "you and Li You made a bet."

Yang Nianqing was somewhat surprised to see that he knew, but then she immediately realized, "So you've already met them."

"I just got back."

She was dumbfounded: "Then how did you..."

“Because only they dare to break in,” he said, his steps unwavering. “Besides, everyone knows about the massacre at Nangong Villa. If He Bi wants to get involved, he will definitely drag Li You into it as well.”

Speechless.

One word: Awesome!

Why are all the people here so smart? Or did I just happen to run into all the smart ones? Four firsts… Yang Nianqing felt a little inferior: “Then how did you know I made a bet with Li You?”

Without a second thought, he said, "He Bi wouldn't bet, and Nangong Xue wouldn't be so bored."

Thinking of He Bi's indifferent demeanor, it was impossible to associate her with a bet. Nangong Xue was always so elegant and amiable, and would never evoke the word "bet."

Yang Nianqing found it amusing and deliberately said, "What if it wasn't just the few of us? Maybe I made a bet with someone else."

"Dead men don't bet."

She was extremely surprised: "You knew too?"

"The best way to find out the cause of death is to let me see the dead body," Qiu Bailu said, her face looking rather grim. "They come to me mostly to see dead bodies."

Yang Nianqing couldn't help but laugh: "You can ask them to tell you how those people died; they don't necessarily have to bring the dead bodies."

He Bi said that even an hour wouldn't be enough to explain it clearly.

She nodded sympathetically, and given He Bi's taciturn nature, she did indeed have this tendency: "But there's still Li You, isn't there? He's quite eloquent."

“Don’t you know how lazy he is?” he seemed very annoyed. “It was he who gave He Bi the idea to directly ask me to look after dead bodies. From then on, whenever there was a case, He Bi would bring a dead body with him.”

Book One: Why Look for Reasons for Strange Gambling Games

So it was him again! Only he could have angered this aloof Mr. Chrysanthemum like this. Yang Nianqing finally burst into laughter: "Yes... I'm sorry, you're right, cough cough... indeed only Li You would make a bet."

Qiu Bailu seemed even more annoyed: "He has already bet on my formation eight times."

"Eight times?" She was a little excited. It turned out she wasn't the only one who had been fooled. "Who else was fooled?"