The Perfect Life in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 13

"It's strange, do you remember when I went to Fuyaxuan to buy jewelry the other day and said I was going to give it to my sister?"

"Of course I remember!" Ma Mingyuan replied. There were two items he had helped choose, and he remembered them clearly. They were styles currently fashionable in Tokyo, and he had seen his sisters-in-law wear them. He just hadn't expected that the "sister" Chen Xun mentioned was the little girl he used to fish for cicadas with. Thinking of this, Ma Mingyuan couldn't help but chuckle.

"Guess which one Mu Qing chose?"

Everyone shook their heads, but Chen Xun smiled again: "She chose that crystal magnolia. Don't you think it's fate?"

Shu Hong and Ma Mingyuan were both taken aback. They hadn't expected Mu Qing to choose that one. Ma Mingyuan was a little disappointed. It turned out that the "destined connection" referred to this.

Shu Hong didn't speak, but glanced at Mu Qing with a complicated expression. She lowered her head and went to pick up some food without saying a word.

Mu Qing thought to herself, "Heavens, the fox actually chose the magnolia? That doesn't seem like something he would do. What was that look in his eyes just now? I took what you chose and you're not happy about it? Humph! You're not happy? I'll take it anyway!"

"Really? Then let me toast Brother Shu, thank you for choosing the magnolia!" Mu Qing raised her glass to Shu Hong. After a long while, Shu Hong remained silent. Ma Mingyuan, puzzled, nudged Shu Hong. Only then did Shu Hong react, raising his glass as well, and said seriously, "Yes! Since you've chosen it, keep it safe and don't lose it!"

With that, Shu Hong downed a glass of wine. Mu Qing also drank it all in one gulp, but stared at the silent Shu Hong with some surprise. Why had the fox suddenly become so serious?

Mu Qing's topic was thus brought up, and the four of them chatted about local customs and sights, as well as current affairs of the court. Mu Qing sat quietly listening, and couldn't help but feel sentimental, thinking that they were in the prime of their youth, just like when they were young students!

Chen Xun, Ma Mingyuan, and Shu Hong traveled extensively throughout the north and south, gaining broad knowledge. Chen Xun occasionally spoke eloquently, displaying remarkable literary talent, which surprised Mu Qing. Recalling the banquet that day, he did not compose a poem or compete with Chen Che, and Mu Qing couldn't help but secretly admire Chen Xun's magnanimity and way of handling things.

After a banquet, everyone chatted and laughed, and a sense of mutual appreciation arose, forging a bond of friendship that was beyond words...

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I desperately need recommendations! Those of you with tickets, please send a couple! Thanks! (╯3╰)

Recommended by a friend: ~\(≧▽≦)/~

Many top authors on the main site are destined for lifelong happiness, but right now, that Bai Meng book is weighing heavily on my head—

For those interested, check out "Little Journey to the West"~~ (I personally think the short story about the mountain spirit is quite good~)

Chapter Thirty: The Fox's Thoughts (Minor Revision)

The wine was good, and the banquet was excellent.

The four teenagers, of similar age, drank and chatted merrily, thoroughly enjoying themselves. After several rounds, their faces flushed, and they began to feel the effects of the alcohol.

Chen Xun propped himself up on his arm, supporting his head, his eyes closed, muttering something unintelligible, before finally slumping onto the table and humming softly. Beside him, Ma Mingyuan sat casually, pulling Chen Xun to drink with him, engrossed in a conversation about the northwest border defenses. Shu Hong, uninterested, leaned against the table, holding his wine jug, and poured himself a drink.

Mu Qing diligently ate the nearly untouched dishes on the table. They were all the hard work of laborers; they couldn't be wasted!

"I didn't expect you to be such a big eater at such a young age!" Shu Hong squinted at Mu Qing and teased her in a low voice.

Mu Qing knew that the fox-faced man didn't have a good impression of her, and besides, she was only six years old, so she didn't need to worry too much about her so-called ladylike image. So she puffed out her cheeks, glared at Shu Hong, and replied indistinctly, "Father said that every grain of rice on this plate is hard-earned and should not be wasted! And Mother said that I'm still young and growing, so I should eat more. What, Brother Shu, do you have a problem with that? Or... do you want to eat too?"

Shu Hong opened her eyes, leaned closer, and stared intently at Mu Qing's small face, scrutinizing her expression. She said, "Ever since I met you, you've been calling me 'Mom' and 'Dad' all the time. Now it sounds to me like you're using your parents as a shield."

Mu Qing was startled by the suddenly enlarged face in front of her, and almost spat out a mouthful of rice. She swore to God she did it on purpose; this guy was too much trouble, and she had to spit it out to appease public anger!

Mu Qing picked up a cloth to wipe her mouth, blinked, and apologized rather insincerely: "Qing'er didn't mean it... Shield? What shield? There were no arrows, so why would we need a shield? If there were arrows to shoot at Qing'er, we shouldn't make Father and Mother shield her."

Shu Hong's face turned completely ashen this time. He slowly picked up the towel in front of him, wiped the rice grains off his face, looked at Mu Qing who was all serious and smiling, shrugged, straightened up, and raised his eyebrows, saying, "I didn't realize you were such a filial child! Very good..." The words "very good" were almost squeezed out from between his teeth.

Mu Qing tilted her little head back and said proudly, "Of course! Filial piety is the most important virtue, isn't it?"

"Filial piety is the most important virtue? That makes sense! Sometimes you don't seem like a child at all..."

Shu Hong's lips parted and closed, and the words he uttered made Mu Qing's heart flutter. Mu Qing racked her brains, searching her memory, trying to figure out where she had gone wrong. Could it be that the phrase she just uttered wasn't from before the Song Dynasty?

That's true! With nearly a thousand years of cultural differences, modern teaching methods condense the essence, and a phrase that slips out unconsciously might actually be from the Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties. For example, those few lines of Song dynasty poetry that you still remember—most of those who wrote those poems back then were either still young or not even born yet.

"Why choose that magnolia instead of anything else?" Shu Hong stared at Mu Qing with a still unpleasant expression.

The fox finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked.

Mu Qing simply put down her chopsticks, stopped eating, wiped her mouth, and repeated the explanation she had given to Chen Xun. Actually, her gossip instincts were already burning; she was even more curious about the reason for Shu Hong's serious expression earlier. In her opinion, seeing a real fox was a very strange thing.

"Actually, there's no particular reason. I just saw it and thought it looked good, so I chose it! Why did you choose that one?"

Shu Hong hesitated for a moment, then said, "My sister likes it!"

It turns out that she was putting herself in others' shoes. The fox sister also prefers things that are simple and natural. I wonder if she also has a fox-like appearance?

Mu Qing couldn't help but pout, "Then why didn't you buy one for her yourself, instead of recommending it to my third brother?"

Shu Hong sighed sadly, "My little sister is never as mischievous as you... My little sister loves magnolia flowers..."

Shu Hong's voice was very soft, almost like talking to himself. As he spoke, he poured another full glass and gulped it down in one go. He drank it too fast, and some wine ran down his lips. Shu Hong wiped it away with a flick of his sleeve, then picked up the wine pot again and continued pouring wine.

Looking at Shu Hong's gaunt profile, his slightly furrowed brows, and his melancholy eyes, coupled with the lingering wine on his lips, Mu Qing couldn't help but prop her head up with her hands, her eyes sparkling. She hadn't expected the fox to be so sexy and handsome. If she had said those words to some innocent girl, her heart would surely have fallen for him. It seemed the fox, like Chow Yun-fat, had the potential to be a heartbreaker! Alas, this girl was immune; she could only admire him with pure appreciation.

"And then?" Mu Qing asked.

"And then?" Shu Hong said with a bitter smile, "Then she died of illness, and my mother followed her, and then I ran away..."

Mu Qing only understood the first two sentences of those words. She immediately lost her interest in admiring the beauty. Looking at the silent Shu Hong, she suddenly remembered the days after her parents passed away in her previous life. Her heart ached, and her eyes gradually welled up with tears.

"Why are you crying? Do I look pitiful now? I don't think I look as pitiful as when you bullied me."

Shu Hong turned her head to look at Mu Qing, whose big eyes were watery and filled with tears, looking pitiful. She couldn't help but shake her head.

"Watch closely!" Shu Hong put down his wine glass, opened his palms towards Mu Qing, made two flourishes with his wrists in the air, gestured left and right, then clasped his hands together and opened them again, revealing a milky white candy in his right palm.

"

Mu Qing recognized it; it was the same candy as last time. The same person handed her the same candy again, but in a different way, and it felt slightly different. The only thing that remained the same was that the fox's two rows of big white teeth were showing again, still dazzlingly white.

Mu Qing burst out laughing. The fox was at it again!

"Ahem, the plan may be old, but the results are different!" Shu Hong then moved his palm closer to Mu Qing. "Here!"

Mu Qing wiped away her tears and reached for the candy, only to see Shu Hong swiftly withdraw her hand, throw the candy into her own mouth, and say with a grin, "Hehe, I've won a round!"

Mu Qing rolled her eyes and snorted, "Boring!"

Shu Hong handed over another piece of candy, saying, "You didn't eat it, here you go!"

At this moment, Chen Xun, who had somehow gotten up, looked at Mu Qing with blurry, drunken eyes and asked, "Little sister, you, you... what delicious food did you eat that you didn't share with your third brother?"

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Chapter Thirty-One: The Fox Saves the Beauty

Chen Xun lost his balance, swinging his arm and falling to one side, landing face-first on Chen Xie, who was sitting next to him. Fortunately, Chen Xie reacted quickly, bracing himself on the ground and catching Chen Xun. However, Chen Xun's fall caused his back to bump into Ma Mingyuan's arm. As a result, a chain reaction occurred, and the wine jug in Ma Mingyuan's hand flew in a beautiful arc towards Mu Qing.

Mu Qing's pupils dilated suddenly, and she cried out in her heart, "Oh no, oh no!" As the unidentified flying object approached, Mu Qing's body stiffened with tension, and she couldn't move. She subconsciously closed her eyes, covered her head with her hands, and could only wait to be hit.

In the blink of an eye, Mu Qing heard someone shout "Watch out!" in her ear, and then her body tilted to the side. The next moment, she was caught in someone's arms and fell to the ground.

"Crack—" The wine pot fell onto the stone stool where Mu Qing was sitting, shards of porcelain flying everywhere, and the aroma of wine filling the air.

Nestled in Shu Hong's arms, Mu Qing finally came to her senses. She took two deep breaths. Ah, she almost suffered a bolt from the blue! She touched her face; there were no suspicious traces of liquid. Thankfully, she wasn't disfigured, but the weight on her was considerable. How could a fox, who seemed so thin, be so heavy?

"It's heavy!"

Shu Hong felt the little guy in his arms thrashing about and sighed, "Others save beauties, and I had no choice but to save you, you little brat, and you still won't shut up!"

Mu Qing was seething with anger. Saving a beauty is one thing, but calling him a "little brat"? What does "forced into a corner" even mean? Mu Qing thought to herself, but still muttered aloud to Shu Hong, "Who's a little brat? You cunning fox!"

Upon hearing this, Shu Hong thought, "This kid is really something else! He actually called me a 'dead fox,' how amusing!"

Shu Hong wanted to tease Mu Qing even more, so he chuckled and tightened his grip on her arm, muttering under his breath, "Hey! Getting bolder and bolder! You think I'm easy to bully? I'll teach you a lesson for not being honest!"

Mu Qing was pressed against Shu Hong's chest, her little face pressed tightly against his chest. Although the medicinal scent on the fox's clothes was faint, Mu Qing had no time to "identify handsome men by their fragrance." She clenched her little fists and waved them wildly, whimpering like a cat: "Waaah, I'm suffocating! Let go! You damn fox, you're taking revenge on me!"

...

Everything happened too fast. Chen Xun was still lost in thought, and Chen Xun was holding him so he couldn't get away. Ma Mingyuan was stunned for a moment, then took a step and rushed to Shu Hong and Mu Qing's side.

When Shu Hong saw Ma Mingyuan arrive, he relaxed, picked Mu Qing up from the ground, and placed her on a stone stool.

After breaking free from Shu Hong's embrace, Mu Qing patted her chest, panting heavily, and glared fiercely at Shu Hong.

"Qing-mei, are you hurt?"

Distracted by Ma Mingyuan, Mu Qing dared not make any more small movements. She smiled and looked at Ma Mingyuan, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Brother Ma. Qing'er is fine!"

Ma Mingyuan's tense expression eased considerably. He secretly rejoiced that Shu Hong was quick-witted; otherwise, if Mu Qing had been injured, he wouldn't have been able to explain it to his host family. Furthermore, he had a good impression of the little girl and felt pity for her; if she had really been hurt, he would have been heartbroken.

"Cough cough!" Shu Hong coughed twice.

"Why didn't you ask me anything? I risked my life to shield you from your wine jug!"

Ma Mingyuan's eyes swept over Shu Hong from head to toe, and he said in a low voice, "You! You're so tough, you can fall off a wall and be fine, this is nothing!"

"Hmph! You value romance over friendship!" Shu Hong snorted under his breath, glancing sideways at Mu Qing before adding, "Although he's a bit young, if it's those who admire you..."

Provoked by these words, Ma Mingyuan's bookish temper flared up. "Shu Hong, shut up! How can you joke about my little sister's reputation?"

"Well... Young Master Ma, Brother Shu was just joking, don't take it seriously! I thank Brother Shu for saving my little sister just now!" Chen Xie said, trying to smooth things over.

"Not at all, it was nothing, just a small favor!" Shu Hong quickly returned the greeting and thanked him.

Chen Xie gave Mu Qing a wink, and Mu Qing had no choice but to get off the stool, curtsy to Shu Hong, and say, "Thank you for saving me, Brother Shu!"

"No need for formalities, it's no trouble at all!"

Shu Hong gave a brief response, completely ignoring Mu Qing and Ma Mingyuan, whose faces had just turned angry. She stared at the wine jug on the ground, shaking her head and saying, "It's over, it's over..."

"What's over?"

"Such fine wine, all wasted on clothes, what a waste!"

Shu Hong sighed a few times, and everyone laughed, which eased the atmosphere considerably.

The scare was over. Chen Xun, however, was drunk and was still babbling incoherently, demanding that Mu Qing hand over the good stuff.

"Mingyuan, it's getting late, and I think you've had too much to drink. Shall we go back? Let Brother Chen and Third Brother Chen rest!" Shu Hong reminded him.

"Well, that's fine! Thank you both for your hospitality today!" Ma Mingyuan thought it over and agreed, so he got up to take his leave. Chen Xie quickly apologized to Ma Mingyuan and Shu Hong. Ma Mingyuan and Chen Xie exchanged more pleasantries.

Just then, Mu Qing felt someone tugging at her sleeve under the table. Looking down, she saw a fox's paw reach out and take her hand.

Mu Qing's heart skipped a beat, and she was extremely embarrassed. What was going on? Even though she was a little girl now, it was still too blatant for the fox to take advantage of her! Mu Qing's ears burned, and her face gradually turned red. She shook her little hands a couple of times, trying to break free from Shu Hong's grasp, but she felt something in her palm.

"Here you go! Don't say I'm reneging on my promise!" The fox made sure Mu Qing had received the item, then pulled her fingers together, his large hand enveloping her small hand tightly to ensure everything was in order. He then swiftly withdrew his hand like a monkey, tossed his head, and walked away with Ma Mingyuan without looking to the side.