Lanting

Kapitel 25

The little white fox jumped to the ground, proudly raised its head, and looked down at Liu Mei with its golden eyes.

Lu Qingcheng said, "Jianyue, you must have been bored these past few days of being locked up, right? Your duet with Huamei reminded me of a poem."

Liu Mei said, "A hundred turns and a thousand sounds shift at will, mountain flowers red and purple, trees high and low. Only now do I realize that listening to it locked in a golden cage is not as good as hearing it sing freely in the forest. You must be Kiyomi Tsuki?"

Qing Jianyue looked at her, then at the expressionless Lu Qingcheng, and said blankly, "Yes."

Liu Mei said elegantly, “Our fortress has always sought out talented people, and the fortress lord cherishes talent even more. The fortress lord has given you an important position because you have exceptional abilities, but you must not take this opportunity to become arrogant. Although your whistling is more beautiful than birdsong, as a guard, failing to serve the fortress lord properly is already a dereliction of duty. Whistling and disturbing the fortress lord’s work is a deliberate offense and cannot be forgiven. I hope you will not repeat today’s mistake in the future.”

Kiyoshi blinked, thinking to herself: I really can't figure out how she could recite that poem about yearning for a free and unrestrained life and pursuing happiness so fluently without any stuttering.

Lu Qingcheng seemed to neither hear nor see his wife, and laughed, "Alright, stop whistling at the yellow-browed bird. I'm giving you a day off, go have some fun."

Qing Jianyue was overjoyed. "Thank you for your great mercy, Lord of the Fortress, for once again opening the cage door with your skillful touch."

Lu Qingcheng smiled and said, "You bird, don't forget to fly back to your cage."

"Humans are the best at making cages. They make cages of all sizes and shapes, and people are scrambling to get in. The cage that you put in, Lord, is actually one that I put on myself. You can't blame anyone else. You can rest assured, Lord, I will not secretly fly away in less than a year."

Having said that, Kiyomi Tsuki took a step back and winked at the white fox. The white fox jumped happily and let out a cry. Kiyomi Tsuki then whistled a carefree tune and flew away gracefully and lightly, like a large bird spreading its wings. Accompanying him at his feet was the spirit of nature—the beautiful little white fox.

Lu Qingcheng felt as if her heart had been ripped out, and she couldn't help but regret giving the order to let him go.

“In three days, Mother will be returning to the fort. Don’t blame me for not reminding you, you’ve caused so much trouble, let’s see how you explain it when Mother comes back.” Liu Mei was filled with jealousy. “And that Qing Jianyue, my husband really shouldn’t have indulged him so much. Don’t be fooled by his respectful appearance, he is actually an unruly and untamed person. You must not let your guard down.”

Lu Qingcheng blurted out, "Fuck you, I'm going to find a woman to sleep with."

He disregarded her feelings completely and strode away. Even though Liu Mei was pretty, her face was now so ugly that no one dared to look at her for long.

"The first floor, the first floor, the buns on the first floor are the best. One copper coin buys three, they're crispy and fragrant, and after three buns you'll be full."

Kiyoshi Tsuki, holding steaming buns nestled in lotus leaves in both hands, swayed and wobbled as he strolled out of the First Floor with a beaming smile. The little white fox followed at his feet, grumbling angrily: "I won't eat the buns! I won't eat the buns!"

The man and the fox were so engrossed in their debate over steamed buns that they forgot to give way to a carriage hurtling towards them from the other end of the street. The tragic end was that Kiyomi Tsuki barely escaped being killed or maimed by the carriage. The white fox, however, was overjoyed. The fact that her master's steamed buns had been crushed into mincemeat by the carriage was truly a wonderful thing. Ah, no need for steamed buns anymore, fish is the best!

Qingjian Yue was furious and jumped up and cursed, "You damned carriage, pay me back for the steamed buns!"

He had only intended to vent his anger, but he never dreamed that the carriage would hear him. After the carriage stopped, a gentle and refined gentleman stepped out. "Are you injured? Here's some money for you to see a doctor."

A silver ingot was tossed at Kiyomi Tsuki's feet, and the man turned to get into the carriage.

Kiyomi Tsuki exclaimed, "Pretty brother?"

The man's body stiffened, and he turned around to stare at him, exclaiming in surprise, "Jian Yue, what are you doing here?"

It turned out that the person who stepped out of the arrogant carriage was Cai Zhonghe, the fourth lord of Lujiabao.

Kiyoshi suddenly spat out a mouthful of saliva: "Damn it, give me a penny back, a penny for three buns."

Cai Zhonghe expressionlessly took out a handkerchief to wipe the drool from his face, bent down to pick up the silver ingot on the ground, tossed it up and caught it, "Jianyue, why aren't you serving the Lord of the Fortress? What are you doing here?"

With her hands on her hips, Qing Jianyue said smugly, "The Lord of the Fortress is so merciful that he opened the cage door and let this bird out to spread its wings. I just bought some steamed buns, and then your blind carriage ran me over." She stretched out her hand and said, "Give me one coin. One coin for three steamed buns."

Cai Zhonghe placed the silver ingot in his palm and said with a smile, "So you haven't eaten yet?"

Kiyoshitsuki casually put the silver into his sleeve pocket and then held out his hand, saying, "One coin."

Cai Zhonghe said angrily, "Give me back that silver ingot, and I'll give you a coin."

Kiyoshi asked curiously, "How can you take back something you've already given away, especially since you bumped into me? Aren't you going to compensate me? Now, enough nonsense, give me one coin, and three steamed buns for one coin."

Cai Zhonghe rolled his eyes, grabbed him impatiently, and left. Qing Jianyue screamed loudly, attracting passersby to stop and inquire. Was it robbery or murder? Those who wanted to watch could watch, and those who didn't should leave immediately.

Kiyomi Tsuki yelled, "What are you doing? Handsome brother, let me go!"

Cai Zhonghe opened the carriage door and tossed Qing Jianyue inside. The little white fox quickly darted in. Cai Zhonghe got into the carriage and sat down next to him. The door closed, and the carriage rumbled away again.

Kiyomi Tsuki glared at him fiercely, like a wildcat with outstretched claws, and asked, "What do you want?"

Cai Zhonghe laughed and said, "It's simple, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Really?" Qing Jian Yue forgot the humiliation of being run over by the car and smiled obsequiously. "Handsome brother, you're the best. Since you're treating, you must order lots of good food. Haha, thank goodness I didn't eat those three buns. Fox, you can eat the big fat fish now."

The white fox grinned, its little pointed snout gleaming with delight.

Cai Zhonghe chuckled and asked, "Did you come into the city alone?"

"yes."

Cai Zhonghe frowned. "This is too dangerous. You should know that you are still Liu Jianhua's number one thorn in their side."

"By the way, where are we going to eat?" Qing Jianyue didn't pay attention to what he was saying at all; all she could think about was food. She grabbed him and yelled, "Don't try to lie to me! Why are we still not here?"

Cai Zhonghe patiently replied, "Cuiyi Garden."

"Cuiyi Garden, doesn't that sound like a restaurant?" Qingjian Yue's mouth watered. "Is the food there good?"

This kid! He always makes you want to tease him.

Cai Zhonghe simply put his arm around him, slowly bringing his handsome face closer, his eyes full of provocation, and said with a charming smile, "Don't be in such a hurry. Don't you want to spend some time alone with your brother?"

Their faces were so close, just a little bit more and they would have kissed.

Kiyomi Tsuki's reaction was to widen her eyes in surprise and say, "Handsome brother, are your eyes twitching? And why are you so close? It's not like you can't hear me. It's not that I don't want to stay a little longer, it's just that I'm hungry."

I'm truly defeated by him.

Cai Zhonghe barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.