Peaceful Jianghu

Chapter 119

Xue Beifan looked down at her, reached out and gently pinched her chin. Xiao Dao flicked his hand away with her fingers and continued to look up at him.

Xue Beifan laughed, "Didn't your mother teach you? Looking up at a man like that is a kind of hint."

"What are you implying?" Xiao Dao asked fearlessly, her pink lips curling into a smile.

Xue Beifan gently stroked behind her ear and asked, "Why did you come here?"

"I don't know," Xiao Dao shook his head. "It just passed by without me realizing it."

"real?"

"Hmm." Xiao Dao nodded. "Why would I lie to you?"

"Without realizing it..." Xue Beifan said smugly, "You could interpret that as you caring about me a lot, hmm?"

"A little bit……"

"Shh." Xue Beifan shushed her softly, staring into Xiaodao's eyes, his thumb stroking her chin.

Xiao Dao felt the campfire was a bit too strong, as it made both sides of his face feel hot.

Xue Beifan lowered his head and gave Xiao Dao a light peck on the corner of her smiling mouth. When he looked up, the girl showed no dissatisfaction except for her flushed cheeks.

Xue Beifan prolonged the next kiss, making it more tender and affectionate. Xiao Dao tilted her head back, feeling not only the warmth transmitted between their lips and teeth, but also a ticklish sensation in her heart. Looking through Xue Beifan's face, she saw the moon overhead, its light obscured by a thin layer of clouds. She murmured to herself, "The moon is gone, and so is the shadow."

Xue Beifan looked up at her, "Let the shadows rest occasionally. They get very tired from staying with us all day."

Xiao Dao laughed, "Aren't you lonely?"

"Not now," Xue Beifan looked into her eyes, "Not at all."

Xiao Dao smiled, her eyes crinkling. "Oh, that's good."

Xue Beifan offered Xiaodao half a shoulder to lean on, then reached out to grab her hand from under the covers. Xiaodao quietly hid her hand, so Xue Beifan simply put his arm around her shoulder.

He found it all very novel, because he had always known what loneliness felt like, but this was the first time he knew what it meant to not be lonely. It turned out that the difference between being lonely and not being lonely was simply whether or not there was someone by your side—nothing more.

...

When Xiaodao woke up again, she was already lying in a soft bed, staring at the carved ceiling. It was already daylight outside, and she saw Xiaoyue in a pale yellow dress combing her hair at the dressing table beside her. Xiaodao rubbed her eyes, leaned closer, and looked at Xiaoyue.

Hearing the noise, Xiaoyue turned to look at Xiaodao and smiled, "You're awake? Young Master Xue was worried you might catch a cold. The ginger soup is on the table, get up and drink it right away!"

Xiao Dao grunted and nodded, then rested his chin on his hand and looked Xiao Yue up and down. "You seem especially energetic today."

"Really?" Xiaoyue smiled beautifully and sat down next to her. "I borrowed some of your rouge, but I'm not very good at applying it, so I copied how you did it."

"It looks really good!" Xiao Dao took out an exquisite egg-shaped powder box from her bundle and gave it to Xiao Yue, instructing her to mix the powder with rouge so that her complexion would look good without blushing.

"It would be even better if there was a hairpin in her hair." Xiao Dao took out the fan-shaped garnet hairpin that Xiao Yue had refused to wear before, and put it in her hair bun. After examining it carefully, she reached out and pulled two strands of long hair behind her ears to the front, looked at her from left to right, and nodded, "Beautiful!"

Xiaoyue sat down at the table, watched Xiaodao get up and comb her hair, and said, "Liu Ruyue is here."

Xiao Dao was taken aback, turned to look at her, and frowned, "So fast?"

Xiaoyue smiled. "You really knew she would come."

Xiao Dao looked guilty and glanced at Xiao Yue.

Xiaoyue smiled, "She came here on her own, which shows that she really cares about the young master."

Xiao Dao Liang Si pouted, "Not necessarily. You know, some women are very competitive."

Xiaoyue nodded, "What are you having for breakfast? I just heard that the radish-filled buns from Beihai are delicious!"

Xiao Dao changed his clothes. "Then I'll have to go get two. Spicy ones, please?"

"Spicy."

"That's top-notch!" Xiao Dao exclaimed excitedly as he and Xiao Yue went out together. When they arrived at the front yard, they saw many people there.

Xue Beifan, with a steamed bun in his mouth, waved to Xiao Dao, "Freshly baked spicy beef and radish steamed buns, top-notch, Xiao Dao!"

Xiao Dao followed the aroma and went over. He sat down, took a bun, and took a bite. Only then did he realize that Liu Ruyue was sitting next to Shen Xinghai, looking at Xiaoyue who had sat down in the empty seat next to Chonghua.

"It's been a few days, Miss Xiaoyue has become even more beautiful!" Liu Ruyue smiled slightly, with her sharp-tongued maidservant behind her. "Of course, your status is different now."

Chonghua frowned, and Xue Beifan shook his head as well—it's really boring, not a single human word spoken so early in the morning.

Just as I was about to smooth things over, I saw Xiaoyue look up at the two of them and say, "I'm beautiful as I am, whether I dress up or not."

"Cough." Shen Xinghai choked on his tea. Hao Jinfeng nodded and said, "That's absolutely true. Xiaoyue and my sister are both beauties among beauties!"

Chonghua looked at Xiaoyue in surprise.

Xiaoyue pointed to the vinegar dish beside him. Chonghua stared blankly as he handed her the vinegar dish, and Xiaoyue smiled as she dipped a fried egg in the vinegar and ate it.

Liu Ruyue glanced at the fried egg under Lou Xiaoyue's chopsticks and exchanged a look with the maid behind her. The maid felt angry; Lou Xiaoyue was clearly destined for a lowly life, but now that she had risen to prominence, she had become arrogant.

Seeing that Xiaoyue was eating happily, the maid muttered, "That's how servants eat."

Xiaoyue looked up. "Do you want one too? You're just a servant."

Xue Beifan rested his chin on his hand, glanced at the smug Xiaodao beside him, and winked at her—what medicine did you give Lou Xiaoyue? How come she's a completely different person after just one night's sleep?

Xiao Dao raised an eyebrow at Chong Hua, who was staring in disbelief. Chong Hua couldn't quite put his finger on what he was feeling, but... something seemed to be on the tip of his tongue. In any case, Lou Xiaoyue was exceptionally beautiful today, and he couldn't take his eyes off her.

Liu Ruyue remained expressionless and did not eat anything. The little girl behind her turned pale and then flushed, but she dared not retort.