Oscuramente encantador

Capítulo 47

"Who said that? Where did that little hedgehog come from?" Xue Beifan's words made Xiao Dao laugh, and he nodded with a smile, "That's true."

"Why are you saying my older brother is using me?"

After a while, Xue Beifan couldn't help but ask again, frowning as he looked at Xiao Dao.

Xiao Dao had almost forgotten about it, but when he asked about it, he casually said "Oh," and added, "I always feel like you're at a disadvantage."

Xue Beifan frowned. "Where did I suffer a loss?"

"You've asked a lot of questions today. I didn't mean to sow discord between you brothers. I just felt that this matter originally had nothing to do with you, and you wouldn't benefit from dragging you into it. If it were me, I would just handle the trouble myself. Why would I drag my brothers and sisters into it?"

After they finished speaking, they entered the city. Xiao Dao tugged at Xue Beifan's sleeve, "Xue Er, let's go eat beef noodles? That place uses a special broth for its beef noodles, and Xiaoyue said it's delicious!"

Xue Beifan stood there dumbfounded as Xiao Dao dragged him into the noodle shop. Xiao Dao pointed at the waiter with a grin and said, "Two bowls of signature beef noodles, large bowls! Extra chili, extra scallions!"

"Alright!" The waiter, with a dry rag draped over his arm, called out the names of the dishes and left. Someone then brought the two of them large bowls of tea.

Xue Beifan sat down at the table, and Xiao Dao took the tea and washed the chopsticks.

While biting her chopsticks and waiting to eat her noodles, Xiao Dao looked around nervously. Turning around, she saw Xue Beifan staring at her with a strange look. Startled, Xiao Dao shifted slightly to the side, looked behind her to make sure no one was there, then turned back to Xue Beifan and asked, "What?"

Xue Beifan didn't answer, seemingly lost in thought.

"Hey!" Little Knife snapped his fingers in front of him. "You're back to reality."

Just then, the steaming hot beef noodles arrived. Xiao Dao picked up a piece of beef to taste and nodded in satisfaction. He slurped down a mouthful of noodles, chewing with his cheeks puffed out. Looking up, he saw Xue Beifan still in a daze, so Xiao Dao used his chopsticks to take a piece of beef from his bowl.

Xue Beifan snapped out of his reverie and asked, "What do you think of the shadow?"

"What's up?" Xiao Dao didn't understand, and took a second bite of noodles, slurping them down.

"You're supposed to be a beauty, can't you eat noodles a little more elegantly?" Xue Beifan asked Xiaodao with a pained expression.

"Eating beef noodles is too refined and disrespectful to the chef!" Xiao Dao retorted confidently, tapping the rim of his bowl with his chopsticks. "Eat up! What are you daydreaming about?"

Xue Beifan picked up a mouthful of noodles, looked up, and through the thin, wispy steam, asked Xiaodao, "Shadow?"

Xiao Dao stared at him with wide eyes. "Shadow?" he asked, gesturing to the waiter. "Give me a dish of vinegar and ten fried dumplings."

"You idiot!" Xue Beifan looked at Xiaodao speechlessly.

“I’ll eat five, you eat five!” Xiao Dao glared at him. “You’re a grown man, you can’t even finish a bowl of noodles and five fried dumplings, can you?”

Xue Beifan stuck his chopsticks into the bowl, still wanting to speak.

Xiao Dao quickly pulled the chopsticks out. "The incense burner is only used for sticking incense. There are rules for eating in restaurants—smashing bowls and cursing the chef, sticking chopsticks in the ground and cursing the owner, broken plates and bowls are for beggars, be careful you don't get beaten up!"

"How would you know all those elaborate theories?" Xue Beifan shook his head with a smile and started eating his noodles.

"My mom taught me how to do it." When Xiao Dao saw the fried dumplings arrive, he first used chopsticks to poke holes in each plump dumpling, and then poured vinegar on them.

"Hey!" Xue Beifan quickly interjected, "I'm not jealous."

Xiao Dao pouted, "Men don't care so much. They just stuff it in their mouths, chew it, and swallow it! Who cares if it's sweet or salty?"

"You..." Xue Beifan was so angry that he laughed.

"By the way," Xiao Dao said, munching on a fried dumpling, "what were you talking about shadows just now?"

Xue Beifan didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he just shrugged and said, "Oh, it's nothing. I liked shadows when I was little."

“I like it too, haha! Xue Er, you have some taste.” Xiao Dao gave him a thumbs up. “Shadows are great. No matter how hard you are, they won’t leave you. You can even play with them when you’re bored.”

"How do you play with your shadow?" Xue Beifan asked, puzzled.

"Talk to it!" Little Knife winked. "As long as you speak seriously, it will listen attentively and will never tell anyone."

Xue Beifan remained silent for a long time, then slightly raised the corners of his mouth, "What if there's someone who's like a shadow?"

“Where would you find someone like that?” Xiao Dao said, then thought for a moment, “Ah, I know why I find Xiao Yue pleasing to the eye! She’s like a shadow! Quietly following others, keeping everything bottled up inside, never speaking out even when wronged, and always making herself look gloomy.”

Xue Beifan continued eating his noodles, his eyes fixed on the bowl.

"oops!"

"Cough cough..." Xiao Dao was suddenly startled. Xue Beifan choked on his noodles, pounded his chest, and looked at her speechlessly.

Xiao Dao clapped his hands, "I know where that mechanism is in Xianyun Temple!"

Xue Beifan unconsciously stopped coughing, his eyes momentarily glazed over, then he raised an eyebrow, "Shadow?!"

Xiao Dao smiled sweetly, tapping the table lightly with her chopsticks, "You're really not stupid."

Xue Beifan smiled contentedly after being praised, while Xiao Dao turned to him and said, "Hey buddy, another bowl of dry-mixed beef tendon noodles!"

"Still want to eat?" Xue Beifan was surprised.

"I brought it for Xiaoyue!" Xiaodao kicked him under the table. "You're the glutton!"

"I didn't say glutton..."

"Your eyes say it!" Xiao Dao glared at him, pointing her chopsticks at him. "You still want to say I'm fat!"

Xue Beifan opened his mouth several times, but finally shut it up, covered his eyes with his hand, and lowered his head to eat his noodles. He now felt that women were the most difficult to deal with in this world, and no villain was anything in front of this crazy girl.

"The noodles are delicious, aren't they? You're grinning from ear to ear." Xiao Dao watched Xue Beifan eat and laugh happily, and found it amusing. It was rare for Xue Er to be so silly.

Xue Beifan was even more puzzled—was he smiling?