The sky over the rivers and lakes is very clear

Chapter 122

Liu Yue smiled and said, "I'll stay with you for a while."

Zhu Huihui looked at him gratefully and said, "Thank you, Brother Liu Yue!"

Liu Yue turned her head, her gaze incredibly gentle in the night: "Huihui, is something on your mind?"

Zhu Huihui lowered her head: "Actually, it's nothing."

"Nothing?" Liu Yue smiled. "Let me guess! If I guess right, is there any reward?"

"Huh?" Zhu Huihui's eyes widened. He was already so poor, and he was still asking him for a reward? "What kind of reward do you want?"

"I want—" Liu Yue gazed at her, her eyes deep and unfathomable, "something of utmost value!"

Zhu Huihui looked at him suspiciously: "Um...you didn't take a fancy to my Huahua, did you?" This fat guy was the only valuable thing she had.

Liu Yue couldn't help but laugh: "Hua Hua is your best friend, how could I want it!"

"Then what do you want?"

Liu Yue gazed at her with a smile.

When the light leaking from the palace lantern at the bow of the boat shone on her, it revealed a small face with a pointed chin and round, plump cheeks, like two pink dumplings that made one want to take a bite. Her large, clear eyes, like two crystal grapes, darted around, lively and alert.

This child, if dressed up properly, could be incredibly beautiful...

Zhu Huihui nervously tugged at her hair and touched her nose: "What's wrong?"

Liu Yue raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "You just asked me what I wanted?"

“Yes!” Zhu Huihui said, then quickly added, realizing that such a statement might give others ammunition against him, “However, let me make this clear from the start: I have no money, but I have two lives to give—and I’m not giving them to you!”

Liu Yue couldn't help but smile: "What I want is very simple—"

He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. Although it was dirty, it felt smooth and supple to the touch. Even the finest jade couldn't compare to the softness of her skin.

Zhu Huihui thought he disliked her dark face, so she reached out and touched the other half of her face, feeling a little ashamed: "Um, I'll go wash my face later!" Actually, in this respect, Brother Liuyue was much better than the Great Hero. The Great Hero always forced her to wash her face, hands, and bathe, but Brother Liuyue never complained that she was unclean.

Liu Yue laughed: "Alright! This is the reward I want—if I guess right, you have to dress up beautifully for me!"

"Uh—well, should I take a shower?" Washing my face is bearable, but taking a shower feels like torture...

“If you don’t like it, then don’t wash,” Liu Yue said with a smile. “However, I’d really like to see if you’ll look prettier than…” He paused for a moment, then smiled and continued, “...better than Miss Mu!”

He had intended to provoke her, but Zhu Huihui was rather uncooperative, shaking her head and saying, "She's a young lady, how can I compare to her!"

"So you're agreeing?"

"Well—let's wait until you guess right!" Zhu Huihui left herself an out. A thought flashed through her mind, and she asked, "By the way, if I can't guess, what are you going to give me?"

Liu Yue smiled gently and said, "How about I give myself to you?"

"You?" Zhu Huihui looked him up and down for a moment, then frowned. "What do I need you for?"

Tears welled up in Liu Yue's eyes as she said, seemingly aggrieved, "I can do many things! Like following your orders, fighting for you, and taking you everywhere..."

Zhu Huihui's heart skipped a beat. That's right! Brother Liu Yue's martial arts are very high. With him by her side, no one would dare to bully her. Moreover, he is a prince and a very rich man. If he loses to her, wouldn't that mean he is also very rich?

Thinking about it more deeply, Zhu Huihui couldn't help but burst into laughter: Brother Liu Yue is really silly! They were betting on "guessing what's on her mind"—what's on her mind is up to her to decide, isn't it?

With Liu Yue placing such a huge bet, it's a situation where there's no chance of winning!

Zhu Huihui was calculating how she could gain an advantage—in fact, she had her doubts that Brother Liu Yue might not be so stupid after all. However, when she thought that if she lost, the worst that could happen was that she would just have to take a bath, she felt that this gamble was well worth it.

She always prided herself on being "cunning," and in order to lull Liu Yue into a false sense of security, she not only dared not show any joy, but also deliberately acted as if she was in a difficult position. After thinking it over and over, she finally said "reluctantly" after a long time: "I think all you can do is help me eat!"

Liu Yue asked, "So, you agree?"

Zhu Huihui sighed and said, "Alright! I know I'm at a disadvantage, but I still can't refuse you!"

Liu Yue almost burst out laughing. Is this child clever or foolish?

Actually, he had suggested that she join him before, but she agreed and then regretted it, making excuses and refusing to do so. Now, however, she is quick to scheme and is trying to win over his people!

Haha, just different wording, but the same outcome. This silly kid can't understand it and thinks he's gotten a huge advantage...

Zhu Huihui tilted her head: "Brother Liuyue, what are you laughing at?"

Liu Yue smiled and patted her hair: "I remembered a story, so I smiled."

"What story?"

"It's—the story of a group of monkeys sharing chestnuts!" Actually, it's about the idiom "to change one's mind frequently."

"What?"

Liu Yue smiled and slowly read aloud: "The Zhuangzi's 'Discourse on the Equality of Things' records that there was a monkey keeper in the state of Song who loved monkeys and raised them in large numbers. He could understand the monkeys' thoughts, and the monkeys also understood his heart. He reduced his own household food to satisfy the monkeys' desires. Soon he was short of food and was about to limit their food. Fearing that the monkeys would become unruly, he first tricked them, saying: 'I will give you acorns, three in the morning and four in the evening, is that enough?' The monkeys all rose up and became angry. Then he said: 'I will give you acorns, four in the morning and three in the evening, is that enough?' The monkeys all submitted and were happy."

After listening to a bunch of classical Chinese phrases, Zhu Huihui felt a headache coming on. She blinked for a long time, completely bewildered, and didn't understand a single word.

Liu Yue smiled and said, "This story is about an old man in the ancient State of Song who loved monkeys. So he kept a large group of them. Over time, he was able to communicate with the monkeys. The old man fed the monkeys every day until he became poor. Fearing that the monkeys would be unhappy, the old man tricked them by saying, 'I'll give you chestnuts, three in the morning and four in the evening, okay?' The monkeys were very unhappy. The old man then asked, 'Then, four in the morning and three in the evening, okay?' The monkeys immediately lay down on the ground happily."

Zhu Huihui frowned: "What does the monkey story have to do with me?"

Suddenly I remembered that Brother Liuyue told a story last time because he opened his arm and saw a bird pattern. Now a group of monkeys have appeared. Could it be that my background is also related to monkeys?

Liu Yue smiled slightly and said, "I just think that the old man's kindness to the monkey is similar to your kindness to Hua Hua."

Zhu Huihui laughed: "Of course!"