Blutbefleckter Tod - Kapitel 11
Fortunately, she had already watched many films and television dramas depicting the behavior of people from ancient times. Although there were some differences, they were generally quite accurate, and it wasn't too difficult for her to imitate them. Even better, she was naturally outgoing and energetic, lacking the timidity and reserve expected of women of this era. Therefore, she believed that she was quite convincing in both appearance and mannerisms when impersonating a man.
I secretly glanced at myself in the mirror again. Hmm, sure enough... I look very manly, very masculine, a real man.
Tears welled up...
Just as Song Xiaohua was feeling miserable, she heard another rumble of thunder outside, followed by a series of crackling sounds as if thousands of steel pellets were falling from the sky, creating quite a spectacle.
The tears that Heaven had been holding back for so long finally let down in a good way.
Located in the north, this place is dry in autumn. The ground, which has been dry for a long time, quickly fills with a strong smell of soil, which wafts into people's noses and makes them itch.
Song Xiaohua sneezed, rubbed her eyes, and sighed.
Oh no, I didn't bring an umbrella. By the time this torrential rain stops, the dirt path back will be incredibly muddy.
Touching her already rumbling stomach, she couldn't help but curse Lu Ziqi, who had caused her to end up in this predicament, seventeen or eighteen times over.
Yuan Hao turned his head and looked at the gloomy sky: "This rain doesn't seem like it's going to stop anytime soon. Perhaps..." He then bowed again to Song Xiaohua, who was busy secretly complaining: "It's better to meet by chance than to invite someone. Since we're both stuck here, we can be considered to have some kind of fate. I wonder if I could have the honor of inviting you to sit in the teahouse next door, watch the rain and enjoy some tea?"
Song Xiaohua hurriedly returned the gift: "Of course, of course, I'll gladly accept. But..." She straightened up and chuckled twice: "Could we please stop talking so formally and always bowing to each other? It's so tiring!"
Yuan Hao was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "That's exactly what I wanted! To be honest, I hate all this red tape and pedantry!"
"Then it's settled. From now on, I'll call you Yuan Hao, and you'll call me Song Yao. Stop calling me 'brother' and 'this humble one'!"
"It's a deal!"
Song Xiaohua looked at his raised right palm, grinned, jumped up and slapped it hard: "It's a deal!"
Her actions, though not earth-shattering, were still beyond the comprehension of most people, leaving the shop owner dumbfounded and further increasing his admiration for Lord Lu.
After all, such an unusual and peculiar woman is extremely rare even in this local area, which borders the Liao Kingdom and has a relatively open social atmosphere. It is estimated that only Lord Lu could handle her...
The crisp, clean clapping sound was almost instantly drowned out by the heavy rain.
Chapter Fourteen: Picking Up Handsome Men at a Teahouse
The two paid for their clothes and borrowed an oil-paper umbrella from the clothing store owner. Song Xiaohua and Yuan Hao shared the umbrella and ran to the teahouse across the street.
In just a few steps, their shoes and socks were already mostly wet, and their clothes and hair were also covered with water droplets.
A waiter immediately came out to greet them, folded up their umbrellas, and offered them two clean towels to wipe away the water stains. The service was extremely meticulous and thoughtful.
Now that Song Xiaohua had changed into men's clothing, no one could immediately recognize her. Even if someone thought she looked familiar, they wouldn't dare to actually consider that possibility...
Following the waiter upstairs to a private room, and after being seated, Yuan Hao took care of all the tea, snacks, and fruit. It wasn't that Song Xiaohua was being polite and declining; it was simply that she was completely clueless about such things. She could barely offer any insightful opinions on coffee…
Yuan Hao, on the other hand, was clearly an expert and was very skilled. After giving the waiter a few instructions, he went to the window and looked out with Song Xiaohua, who was leaning on the windowsill, at the beaded curtains that seemed to connect heaven and earth. The only sound in the small room was the 'pat-pat' of large raindrops hitting the ground, the roof and the eaves.
The atmosphere seems a little... ambiguous...
Song Xiaohua turned her head to look at the young man standing beside her with his hands behind his back.
His eyebrows resembled distant mountains, his eyes were as black as lacquer, his nose was like a hanging gall bladder, and his eyes were slanted upwards, carrying a hint of disdainful arrogance.
It turns out, men with single eyelids can be this good-looking...
"What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Yuan Hao withdrew his gaze, only to meet Song Xiaohua's seemingly amused and unrestrained scrutiny. He curled his thin lips, revealing a hint of playful mischief.
"No, no, no..."
Song Xiaohua quickly shook her head and waved her hands, and secretly pinched herself hard.
What a pathetic state she's in! Is it because there are no more images of male celebrities to look at here, so she's become so thirsty that any man with even a little bit of good looks can make her swoon?
No, no, no, this can't go on!
She may have the heart of a mature woman, but the body of a little girl! Theoretically speaking, she's still a minor and not quite ready for that kind of thing with men...
However, she forgot, or rather, selectively ignored, that she was already married to someone else, and if it weren't for a series of unforeseen events, she would have already been... well, you know...
In fact, Lu Ziqi was less of a husband to her and more of a temporary roommate with whom she shared a roof. The only difference was that this roommate paid for the rent and living expenses…
"Be careful with your hands, there's water on the windowsill."
"Huh?" Song Xiaohua was momentarily confused, then followed Yuan Hao's gaze to her left hand, where the fingers were heavily wrapped up like a rice dumpling: "Oh..."
He withdrew his hand, lowered his sleeve to cover it, and couldn't help but recall the unpleasantness from before.
Yuan Hao looked at Song Xiaohua, who had become sullen in the blink of an eye, and said with a smile, "Luckily, it wasn't her right hand that was injured."
Is there any difference?
"I imagine you must be a refined scholar well-versed in poetry and literature. I'm afraid you can endure a day without food or drink, but not a day without writing poetry or painting, is that not so?"
Song Xiaohua's lips twitched, and she gave a dry laugh: "You're quite an interesting person to talk to~" In order not to continue dwelling on this issue that she didn't want to deny but was even more embarrassed to admit, she quickly changed the subject: "So, what do you do?"
Yuan Hao faced the window, closed his eyes, and took a long breath: "As for me... I have neither official rank nor family fortune, I just travel around to broaden my horizons and gain more knowledge. In short, I'm just an idle person!"
Looking at his almost perfect profile, Song Xiaohua murmured softly, "Looks like he's a very wealthy idler..."
As they were talking, tea and snacks were served one by one. Song Xiaohua couldn't stand sitting at the table and taking small sips of tea and snacks, so she simply took a piece of pastry in one hand and a teacup in the other and walked to the window.
Seeing this, Yuan Hao smiled and followed suit.
The two ate, drank, watched the rain, chatted, and laughed, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Little did they know, someone was standing in the pouring rain, holding an umbrella, watching them intently with deep eyes.
As Lu Ziqi left, a rumble of thunder sounded, and the weather changed. He carried two umbrellas and hurried along the way without encountering Song Xiaohua.
Remembering that she rushed out saying she was going to buy clothes to make up for it, she entered the city and headed straight for the clothing store. Unexpectedly, before she even reached the store, she glanced up and saw two figures standing side by side at the window of a private room on the second floor of a teahouse.
He was tall and slender, with a handsome and refined appearance. His demeanor was unusual, and he looked completely unfamiliar, so he was probably not a local.
The other one was thin and frail, still looking quite young, but with exceptionally bright and lively eyes. It was Song Xiaohua, dressed as a boy.
She and the stranger each leaned against a window, occasionally glancing out and occasionally exchanging glances. Through the heavy rain, they couldn't see the expressions on their faces, which were enveloped by the steam rising from their teacups, nor could they hear what the two were saying. But even so, Lu Ziqi could clearly tell how radiant Song Xiaohua looked at that moment.
Is this yet another side of her?
The rain showed no signs of stopping, but it was almost time to go back to the government office.
Lu Ziqi tightened his grip on the umbrella handle, then turned and left.
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The heavy rain that followed the start of autumn was quite torrential, and it didn't gradually stop until almost evening.
Song Xiaohua and Yuan Hao were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the passage of time. When they came to their senses, they realized that since she had run away, Lu Ling would be the only person at home all afternoon.
His extremely fastidious and unpredictable father would definitely not skip work to look after his son. As for whether he would specifically come out to find Song Xiaohua? That's probably even less likely than the Chinese men's football team winning the World Cup...
Thank goodness, at least we still have a dog at home. But I don't know if it's the people encouraging the dog, or the dog encouraging the people.
When they parted in haste, Yuan Hao wanted to see her off, but Song Xiaohua firmly declined.
Although she didn't really have any concept of 'keeping to traditional wifely virtues,' the fact that a young man, and such an eye-catching and 'seductive' young man, would suddenly escort her home would likely cause a great deal of mental distress to her neighbors and even the entire county.
Besides, she didn't want Yuan Hao to know for the time being that she was a woman, and moreover, a... married woman...
It wasn't that she actually had any intention of having an affair; it was simply that the current identity of "Song Yao" made it very convenient for her to get along with him.
After half a day of conversation, Song Xiaohua discovered that Yuan Hao was a man of great knowledge and experience, and his humorous and witty manner was likely related to his many years of travel.
She arrived in this unfamiliar time and space in complete darkness, without any means of obtaining information about the outside world. Although the people around her were all extremely sincere and kind, most of them were just ordinary people who had lived in this place for generations. All they could tell her was the local customs and traditions within a radius of a hundred miles.
Therefore, for Song Xiaohua, who was eager to understand this era as comprehensively as possible, Yuan Hao was nothing less than a timely rain from God and a guiding light!
They agreed to meet again at the same teahouse after lunch the next day. Song Xiaohua, carrying the two bundles containing her clothes, ran back home as fast as she could.
The difference is that they came with tears streaming down their faces and burning with anger, but returned with smiles on their faces and high spirits.