Luna de Luzhou

Capítulo 36

Cui Shiran paused, as if organizing his thoughts, "If you want to see and experience the customs and ways of the world, you should have Zhiran accompany you."

What does this mean? Su Chen stared at him, utterly bewildered.

Cui Shiran paused again, "Recently, there's been a trend in the capital that seems to have come from nowhere: young ladies like to go to temples and Taoist monasteries in groups to burn incense and draw lots. Once there, they also go out for sightseeing together. Although it doesn't cause any real harm, it does affect their reputation. If Achen goes there, you should be careful not to go with him. If nothing happens, fine, but if they encounter thugs or playboys, you won't even have time to react before the consequences begin."

"Can a woman just go out and play as she pleases?!" Su Chen thanked him profusely, continuing to nod and agree, but her heart was already pounding with joy. These days she had been cooped up in the mansion, only seeing the He and Cui residences. She had been here for so long and didn't even know what the outside world looked like. What kind of transmigrator was this pathetic? She hadn't even strolled through the streets since she transmigrated. All her knowledge of this place came from the people around her, the books in the study, or He Su Shi's descriptions.

Hearing this, Su Chen's initial fear of going to Kyoto turned into anticipation. If he wanted to go shopping or travel, He Su Shi would definitely not dare to refuse. He could drag him out shopping, and maybe they could even try the classic tale of a time-traveling woman dressing up as a man and visiting a brothel, causing a sensation among the crowd.

Although her body wasn't that of a stunningly beautiful young woman, it didn't stop her from fantasizing. Perhaps, even though she wasn't pretty in women's clothing, she could transform into a dashing young gentleman when dressed up. Besides, being a transmigrator, her aura would probably be somewhat different.

As she listened to Cui Shiran's admonition, her thoughts drifted to how she had won the hearts of countless pitiful women in the brothel by plagiarizing poems, feigning profundity, and acting like a repressed flirt.

Chapter 57, The Child

<><A><>The promotional function is now open! What are you waiting for? Join us now!!!</A><> Cui Shiran explained in detail everything he knew that needed attention. Seeing that Su Chen seemed to understand but not quite, he smiled and said, "You can't remember everything anyway. Just having a general impression is enough. People in the capital will naturally give your father some face and won't make things too difficult for him."

Su Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said earnestly with an apologetic tone, "Brother Zhiran, you're a good person. I misunderstood you before, please don't be angry."

She waited for Cui Shiran to say in a good-natured manner that it was alright, then declined a few times, and then she apologized again. Then Cui Shiran would comfort her again and say it was alright, and the matter would probably be over.

He Suchen looked up at him, but Cui Shiran didn't reply or acknowledge him. He just looked at her with a half-smile and then slowly said after a while, "It's because of you that I said that. Sister Chen, what you did was not very kind."

...What do you mean? You're actually holding a grudge?! Su Chen was involuntarily speechless.

"Never mind, it's not a big deal. Just don't do that so easily in the future."

Cui Shiran spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone making people feel quite uncomfortable.

He Suchen felt very uncomfortable. Even though he had said it was nothing, his tone, his expression, and the way he had been silent for so long made her uncomfortable!

Cui Shiran glanced at the sky and said, "It's about time. You should be going back to your grandma's. You've been out for so long, they must have thought you were lost."

He Suchen felt even more uncomfortable. It seemed that every time she met this guy, she would feel choked up. His tone of voice choked her, his attitude choked her up, and just a few minutes later, her impression of him had improved, but now, after only a few minutes, it was back to square one, or even worse!

Relax, relax, take a deep breath. He's just a little kid, no need to get angry with him. Besides, he didn't say anything obviously nasty. Maybe you're just being too sensitive and overthinking things? She gritted her teeth, trying not to distort her face or voice, and said, "Thank you, Brother Zhiran. I'll go back now."

After passing through the artificial hill and crossing the corridor, Su Chen walked back along the original path, making sure to appear composed and leisurely when encountering maids and old women along the way. Su Chen finally returned to the hall and heard laughter from inside. A maid lifted the curtain and said with a laugh, "Miss, please go in quickly. They've been talking about you for a long time, asking if you fell asleep in the garden."

As soon as I stepped inside, I heard a child's voice: "Don't grab my gun! I'm going to fight on the battlefield someday! When I achieve military merit, I'll not only have Sister Banxia serve me, but I'll also marry her!"

Su Chen entered the room, where everyone was laughing hysterically, some leaning to one side, others sprawled on the floor. Cui's mother was also laughing so hard she was breathless. Tang's mother was holding onto Tian's nanny, both laughing and talking. In the center of the room was a chubby-faced, five- or six-year-old boy with thick eyebrows and big ears, looking rather simple and honest. Sitting by the door was a woman in her forties or fifties, whom Tang's mother had told her to call Madam Zhao. She was said to come from a very prominent family. When she saw Su Chen arrive, she laughed so hard she could barely breathe, saying, "Sister Tang, your son is here! It's time I got a rest. Surely a sensible girl like you can manage this child? Let her teach him a lesson and see if she can calm him down a bit!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone in the room agreed, and some even slammed their fists on the table in support. Only Su Chen was completely baffled for a long time.

What's going on here? I just got back, what's gotten into me again?

She stood there, bewildered, with no one offering her a seat, and could only stare at the child. After a while, Mrs. Cui suppressed a laugh and beckoned, "Child, come here."

She obediently went over, utterly puzzled.

Suppressing a laugh, Cui's mother said seriously, "This is my nephew from my maternal family. He's quite interesting, but he's never well-behaved. Go and teach him a lesson, and see if he dares to be unruly again!" After saying that, she turned to Tang's mother and said, "Don't stop me. I didn't make things difficult for her. Don't say that your granddaughter is like my granddaughter. Of course, I love her too, but I'm afraid of this child."

Tang's mother laughed, "How could I stop you? I'm scared of this child too." Then she turned to Su Chen and said, "Guazi, you should take this child away and let him settle down so we can catch our breath." As soon as she finished speaking, the room erupted in laughter again.

Su Chen stood there, bewildered, completely unaware of what had happened. Several women around her pulled her aside, panting, and began to explain the situation one by one.

This child is named Cui Yantian. He is the child of a relative of Cui's mother's family. He has to accompany Cui's mother for two or three months every year. He was just brought over a couple of days ago. He is the most cunning and funny person. He looks simple-minded, but he is not like that at all. He does whatever he wants, noisy and whimsical. As soon as he comes to the mansion, he makes people laugh.

This time, it was the maid who had come with him when he first arrived. Because she couldn't adapt quickly and was exhausted from the journey, Madam Cui worried that he would have no one to take care of him. So, she temporarily gave him one of her most favored maids, named Banxia. She had originally planned to switch him back after a while, and today it was about time, so she switched him back. Who knew that after only a few days with Banxia, the child would become attached to her, clinging to her and not letting her go. He even came to Madam Cui and said that he wanted this older sister to serve him and wouldn't let her take him away.

While Cui's mother was entertaining guests, a group of women and young girls, they found his arrival quite amusing. They tried to engage him in conversation, but the boy remained stubbornly fixated on Banxia, refusing to trade her for anyone else. Others argued that what use she was anyway, since she would naturally marry someone else in a few years. In their frustration, he ran back home and brought back his little wooden toy gun, declaring that he wanted to be a general someday and would fight anyone who tried to take Banxia from him, so he could also marry her.

Children's innocent and childish words are the most amusing, and having Su Chen discipline him this time will only add to the laughter.

Having received his order, Su Chen had no choice but to put on a show. He led the child into the inner room, and just as he was about to say a few words to him, he discovered that the child's eyes were brimming with tears.

Su Chen felt extremely uncomfortable and wished he could leave immediately.

She had always been afraid of children, especially crying children, but now she had no choice but to bite the bullet. After thinking for a while, before she could even speak, the child sobbed, "Sister, I really like Sister Banxia, why doesn't anyone believe me... I really like her, I want to be with her from tomorrow until we're old! Anyone who doesn't let us be together is a bad guy!"

Everyone in the hall was laughing just now, which had already hurt his feelings a little. However, Su Chen was quite helpless about the child's argument; what did a little kid know about liking someone?

She patted his head: "Why do you like Sister Banxia so much? What do you like about Sister Banxia? Why do you only like that sister?"

"I'm so happy when I'm with Sister Banxia, I just love her!" the child said stubbornly, his tone persistent and firm.

Chapter 58, Expectations

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Su Chen choked again.

What a lame excuse!

"So you're unhappy when you're with your other sisters and aunt? Is it because Sister Banxia is prettier?" That's a plausible thought. Banxia's looks are among the best in the Cui household, comparable to Qiusang in her own room, except that she's definitely a perfect 120 out of 100 for gentleness and docility.

Cui Yantian clenched his fist, raised his tightly furrowed face, and said, "I like Sister Banxia, I just like her, I like being with Sister Banxia, even if she's not pretty, I still like her!"

There's a kind of expression called determination that Su Chen has seen many times. A friend of his once mentioned in a conversation that she was going to teach in Tibet. Even though she repeatedly said she was serious, everyone took it as a joke. That's the expression on her face when she finally emphasized her meaning. Later, after graduation, Su Chen saw that same expression on her face again before boarding the train to Tibet. This girl stayed there for many years.

I wonder how she is now. Is she still in Tibet?

Another time, it happened to my cousin. She had a stable job with a good salary, but she fell for a young man who did odd jobs. Their relationship, with a ten-year age gap, drew opposition from everyone. It wasn't that she didn't have suitable partners or like-minded suitors; why choose this one? Maybe he was just trying to scam her.

My cousin had this expression on her face as she persuaded everyone, and finally married him.

I wonder how my cousin is doing now, and whether she and her husband are doing well.