At night, Qiu Su felt a cool breeze and always felt two aggrieved and angry eyes staring at her back. Early the next morning, before dawn, she secretly went downstairs, clutching her lower back, which felt like it had been stared at.
As soon as Qiu Su came downstairs, the two on the bed opened their eyes. He Zhuo threw off the blanket with disgust, jumped off the bed, and looked down at Pei Yuan, saying, "Su Su and I grew up together since childhood and are childhood sweethearts. We have a deep bond that you, an outsider with no connections, cannot destroy."
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow but remained silent.
He Zhuo couldn't see the expression on his face. After a while, when he didn't hear him speak, he said again, "It's good that you understand. Go back to where you came from. Don't stay in Qingyuan Mountain and hide behind women, pretending to be a fool."
Pei Yuan frowned slightly and slowly said, "Yes, I still have to pretend. Brother He, you are a master, you don't need to pretend to be a connoisseur, I admire you! I admire you to the extreme!"
He Zhuo choked, opened his mouth and snorted "childish" before turning and going downstairs. Pei Yuan was in a good mood, rolled over lightly, and continued to catch up on his sleep.
The sunrise from Qingyuan Mountain was beautiful. Qiu Su, riding on the stone horse, watched the sun transform from red to orange to a bright white as its large, round face finally emerged. A gust of wind blew past behind her, and another person appeared. Without turning around, Qiu Su coughed lightly and said, "You're up too."
"Hmm." He Zhuo leaned forward, staring blankly at Qiu Su's fair neck.
Qiu Su turned to dismount, but He Zhuo stopped her.
“Sit a little longer. Susu, how long has it been since I could watch the sunrise with you in such peace?” He Zhuo sighed softly, Qiu Su’s scalp tingled, and the Mountain Lord beside the horse hoof hummed.
"Susu." He Zhuo leaned forward again, gently embracing her, and pointed over her shoulder to a smooth, bowl-sized hole on the horse's head, saying, "Do you remember how it was made? Susu loved sitting here to eat when she was little."
When I was little? You weren't even in your mother's womb when I was born! You were still breastfeeding when I started eating noodles! (Qiu Su Jiong)
"Susu, we used to ride horses together and play hide-and-seek together. When Susu was little, she liked to bully Xiaozhuozi. We would bathe in the same basin, and she would insist that there was a worm growing on my body and pull it out. Hmm, if I had known that Susu was hiding from me like this, I would have pulled it out for you. Susu, how long has it been since you called me Xiaozhuozi? I would be your Xiaozhuozi for the rest of my life so you can lie on it to eat."
Qiu Su's fair face turned red, then her red face turned black. She squinted and cracked her teeth.
He Zhuo's hot breath brushed against Qiu Su's ear as he murmured, "Su Su, the plum blossom birthmark on your ear is so beautiful."
Springtime feelings are overflowing! Qiu Su moved forward a little, and the person behind her followed. Suddenly, Qiu Su called out softly, "Little Table?"
He Zhuo's beautiful eyes lit up, and he responded with a hint of spring fever. His lips were about to reach forward and kiss Qiu Su's earlobe when Qiu Su suddenly leaned forward, grabbed the horse's head, and flipped off the horse, kicking He Zhuo's handsome cheek in the process. The kick was neither too hard nor too soft, enough to clear his head.
Qiu Su gracefully flicked her sleeves, while the mountain lord squatted down beside her and proudly shook his pointed ears.
"He Zhuo," Qiu Su said earnestly, "you are so young and promising, a fine young man. How come you suddenly started acting like Uncle Zhou? We used to be so good friends, playing and joking together. Why did things have to become so awkward? Let's stop playing around."
He Zhuo's eyes reddened. "You think I'm playing around? I'm not playing around, I'm..."
"Play? What do you want to play? I want to play too!" A girl in pink jumped over, grabbed Qiu Su's arm, blinked her big eyes at He Zhuo, and smiled generously, saying, "Hello, He Zhuo."
Qiu Su composed herself and said with a smile, "Qin Qin is here? Alone?"
Qin Qin's real name was Qin Su, the daughter of the Qin magistrate of Pingcheng. She had wandered off alone and accidentally entered Qingfeng Village, where she happened to meet Qiu Su coming down the mountain. It's unclear what she saw in Qiu Su, but she insisted that Qiu Su personally escort her back to the Qin residence. At that time, Qingfeng Village and the government maintained a relatively peaceful relationship, and Qiu Su, who was planning to legalize Qingfeng Village's businesses, readily agreed to the arrangement. It was only on the way that she discovered Qiu Su shared the same name as her. This wasn't entirely the fault of the magistrate Qin, who had given her the name. After all, when Qin Su was born, the magistrate only knew that there was a relatively harmless bandit group on Jinbei Mountain; he had no idea that the bandit leader was a woman with the single name "Su."
“My brother was planning to come, but something came up and he couldn’t make it. My father asked me to pass on a message to my sister.”
Qiu Su glanced at He Zhuo, who was still puffing out his cheeks in anger, and led Qin Su to the side. "What did you say?"
Qin Su turned to look at He Zhuo before whispering, "Father said that the incident a few days ago down the mountain didn't seem like a family feud. He told my sister to be careful and not get involved."
Behind him, He Zhuo snorted heavily, "Even a fool could see that."
These words weren't actually directed at Qin Qin, but they also carried a hint of reproach for her untimely appearance. Qin Qin's face paled slightly, and Qiu Su glanced back at He Zhuo, who was still sulking, and explained, "Qin Qin, don't be angry. The idiot he was talking about isn't you."
He Zhuo snorted again, "Only a fool would take that personally."
Qiu Su's face darkened, and Qin Qin's expression turned sour. Qin Qin narrowed her eyes, turned around, and cleanly stepped on the foot that He Zhuo was about to raise. She even stood on one leg and wobbled for a moment before jumping down with a smile and saying, "Sorry, He Zhuo, I accidentally stepped on you."
Even the quick-witted He Zhuo was stunned. Qin Qin had only managed to stand upright by holding onto his shoulders, her nose almost touching his. Her large eyes were fixed on him, and the breeze from her movements carried a faint fragrance, different from the almost imperceptible plum blossom scent emanating from Qiu Su. Perhaps it was because of her young age, but it had a sweet, milky, dessert-like aroma. Oh dear, the problem was that He Zhuo had always kept women at arm's length—except for Su Su, of course—and now he had not only let her get close, but had almost kissed her? It was simply…
He Zhuo's face flushed red and then turned pale. Finally, he clenched his fist and said, "You're shameless!"
Qin Qin flashed her two rows of small white teeth, "You're growing perfectly fine. Brother Zhuo, have you been having eye problems lately? Eat more vegetables."
"You, you, you... A good man doesn't argue with a woman!" He Zhuo flicked his sleeves, raised his chin with an air of authority, and walked away.
Qin Qin had lost her earlier bravado, and the smile on her face gradually faded, but the blush on her face deepened. She even pouted as she looked in the direction where He Zhuo had jumped and disappeared. It is said that bystanders see things more clearly, and Qiu Su, this bystander, had caught a hint of something intimate the moment Qin Qin blushed and jumped onto He Zhuo's feet. At this moment, she was raising an eyebrow and watching Qin Qin's ambiguous smile.
"I didn't mean that. Why should I like the women down the mountain just because they like me? Humph, he's not so handsome that no one can compare to him." Qin Qin pouted and snorted.
What does it mean to confess without being asked? Qiu Su has certainly seen it.
"I didn't say anything," Qiu Su smiled, her eyes narrowed. "But Qin Qin, your trick was brilliant. None of the other girls could get close to him."
Qin Qin blushed even more. She couldn't very well say that her chance encounter with Qiu Su two years ago was all planned, could she? That would make her seem scheming. In reality, she just wanted to see up close what He Zhuo, the man who made the girls of Pingcheng scream, really looked like. Hmph, seeing him up close, she realized he was nothing special.
Qinqin usually spends a day visiting Qingfeng Village, and occasionally stays for a few days. However, in the afternoon, Qiusu received news that the wealthy Wang family's caravan from the neighboring county would be entering Pingcheng that evening and passing through Qingyuan Mountain, reportedly carrying a million taels of silver. Qiusu made an excuse and sent Qinqin down the mountain early.
Speaking of the Wang family, their wealth was undeniable, but their misdeeds were equally numerous. Five years ago, during the locust plague in Fuzhou, the Wang family hoarded grain and refused to distribute it, causing grain prices to skyrocket, even affecting grain prices in Pingcheng. Qiu Su's grain shops at the foot of the mountain didn't raise prices temporarily, and the grain was quickly snapped up by the people of Pingcheng. She hastily procured a large amount of high-priced grain, only to have it suddenly released again. The previous night, a liter of flour was worth half a liter of silver, but the next morning the price had plummeted to below the original price, causing Qingfeng Village, which hadn't been able to rob silver for years, to suffer a huge loss and be forced to engage in another robbery. She remembered this debt well, and years later, the Wang family finally returned the silver lost from those shops.
The border area between the two cities is a good place; the magistrates of both cities are unwilling to handle the cases committed there, and even if they did, they wouldn't know where to begin. There are quite a few petty bandits and thieves on the hills between the two cities, usually robbing wealthy families for kidnapping and extortion, and they've been taking the blame for Qingfeng Village for years. Qingfeng Village is known for its harmony, so the government naturally won't hold them accountable.
Qiu Su went upstairs to get her things, only to find Pei Yuan leaning against the headboard. He smiled as he saw her come in and said, "Su Su, you've been gone for most of the day, why didn't you come back to keep me company? You didn't even come up for lunch."
Qiu Su frowned slightly. "My surname is Qiu. Also, I won't be on the mountain tonight, so be careful."
"Oh? Where is Susu going?"
"Visiting relatives." Qiu Su took out a white jade mask and a set of white clothes from the box, wrapped them up in the box before taking them out and slinging them over her shoulder.
"Susu." Pei Yuan called out to the person who was about to go downstairs, and when she turned around, he smiled gently and said, "Take care on your way."
"Beauty can be a hindrance!" Qiu Su muttered, but her gaze still couldn't leave the face that looked even more handsome in the shadows cast by the light. His beauty was different from He Zhuorou's. He Zhuorou's beauty had more femininity and youthful sunshine; his beauty had more maturity and composure, with a hint of unruliness in his eyes.
With deep, handsome features and a refined, jade-like appearance, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe the person before her. Qiu Su stared blankly, but the person on the bed revealed more and more of their white teeth, their gaze not on her face, but on her legs.
Qiu Su glanced down and saw a drool trickling down the mountain lord's lips, glistening in the slanting sunlight. Qiu Su subconsciously touched her lips, then looked up to see the person by the bedside suddenly grinning silently, perhaps trying to suppress the pain from the injury on his back.