Чистое сердце в нефритовом сосуде

Глава 101

Before boarding the ship, Youlan still spoke up, saying, "Choose one of those two young masters. It's not good to drag this out for too long."

My heart started to race, and the already hot weather made my face flush even more: Had she already figured something out in just a brief glance? But…

Seeing my blush, Youlan smiled, shook her head slightly, and gestured for Shanshan to help her onto the boat. Watching the boat slowly depart, I suddenly had a sudden impulse and called out, "If I have the chance, I will definitely visit you at Zuiyan Pavilion." She could be considered my second female friend in this era; the first, of course, was Yinyan. Although we only met once, I liked this kind of woman.

Youlan stretched out an arm from the cabin and waved the handkerchief in her hand, as if to agree to my request. Only when the small boat was far away did I slowly walk back, and I could vaguely hear a lingering song coming from the lake: "In this mortal world, there are always those who are infatuated, do not laugh at their infatuation for being too crazy, if not for the bitter cold to penetrate the bone, how can the plum blossom give off its fragrant scent..." When I turned back to listen carefully, I could not hear anything at all.

Back at our lodgings, Zinuo and the others had already set out the food. Looking at the table, there was even a plate of thinly sliced watermelon, steaming slightly. Before they noticed, I reached for a slice and quickly popped it into my mouth. Mmm—it was so cool and sweet, it felt wonderfully comforting… I took a deep breath, savoring the moment, only to see Zinuo looking at me with disdain. I chuckled and sat down on the stool.

"You haven't washed your hands yet," Zi Nuo said coldly, rolling her eyes slightly.

I quickly stood up and ran out to find water to wash my hands.

I sat back down at the table and reached for the frozen watermelon, knowing it wouldn't taste as good once the air conditioning wore off. While eating, I couldn't help but ask, "Where did this watermelon come from?" Eating watermelon at this time of year isn't difficult; what's rare is having a frozen one. Only the extremely wealthy could afford such a thing.

Zi Nuo also picked up a piece and put it in her mouth before saying, "Cui Lang sent someone to deliver this. He said he found a cold storage in the city garrison and bought some fruit to put in it. Today, seeing that the Third Prince and the Little Prince didn't go there, he sent someone to deliver two watermelons. This one was given to us by the Little Prince."

"Oh!" Shen Haoyu is quite conscientious; he knows that good things should be shared with everyone.

After finishing the watermelon and starting their meal, Song Zhixuan suddenly asked, "Your boat was perfectly fine, how did it sink?"

"Huh?" I looked up. I hadn't thought about this question carefully at all. "I don't know. When we got to the middle of the lake, the boat started taking on water and then it sank."

Upon hearing this, Song Zhixuan's expression turned somewhat serious, and I couldn't help but hesitate and ask, "You don't suspect that someone has done something wrong, do you?" Remembering what Song Zhixuan had mentioned before about Xuan Ying's possible plans, I couldn't help but become suspicious.

"Why think so much? Maybe the ship is old and in disrepair?" Lin Zhao glared at us, somewhat displeased, clearly unhappy that we were discussing this topic during dinner. But the ship didn't look old and in disrepair at all.

"How about we salvage the boat and see what happened?" As soon as I finished speaking, Zinuo rolled her eyes at me. I chuckled and continued eating.

However, no matter what caused the shipwreck, if you can swim, you're not afraid. It doesn't matter how many times it sinks; in a critical moment of danger, you might even be able to escape by swimming underwater. Like me. Thinking of this, I turned my gaze to Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao. Sensing my gaze, Lin Zhao looked at me somewhat nervously. Did I look like I had ill intentions?

Never mind, I asked Song Zhixuan and Lin Zhao seriously, "How good are you two at swimming?"

Song Zhixuan shook his head slightly: "I understand a little."

To what extent does "slightly knowledgeable" mean? "If you fell into the lake today, could you come back?" I asked, hoping that would be a more vivid analogy.

"No." Song Zhixuan answered frankly, and Lin Zhao nodded in agreement.

So I told them my decision: "Look, we live right here by the lake, which is a great advantage. Let's start learning to swim today. That way, we won't have to worry about similar incidents in the future. Who knows, it might even be a lifesaver?"

Lin Zhao's eyes lit up, and Song Zhixuan smiled and nodded in agreement. Lin Zhao suddenly asked, "Huai'en, how come you're such a good swimmer?"

How should I answer? "I used to be a great swimmer. Back in the Qi Yun Marquis's mansion, I often sneaked out for a swim by myself." "Ah, isn't there a small lake called Mi Yue Bay in Qiu Feng Garden? It was hot in the summer, so I often went there to soak in the water. The more you soak, the more naturally you learn." That's where I taught Zinuo to swim. Look at Zinuo, he's definitely the perfect swimming coach. I can't exactly be teaching them, shirtless ones, to swim, can I?

That was settled. I went to find Shen Haoyu, who had changed his clothes and was taking a nap under the grape trellis outside the bedroom. I was about to sit down next to him and wait for him to wake up when I saw him suddenly open his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Shen Haoyu asked, his voice slightly hoarse.

I quickly explained my purpose for coming: "Young Prince, after what happened today, would you be willing to learn swimming from Zinuo? It's not just a survival skill, but also a form of exercise. Fighting in the water can make your physique more handsome." Given Shen Haoyu's temperament and status, he probably wouldn't easily agree to learn swimming to save his life, so I had to use another benefit to tempt him. Although martial artists are generally well-built, no one would complain about being too beautiful.

Shen Haoyu pondered for a moment: "Really?"

I nodded sincerely, "That's indeed the case."

Shen Haoyu laughed and asked eagerly, "Shall we start now?"

There's no need to rush. "Let's go later, before sunset, to the lake." Evening is the golden time for swimming, at least for me, then I don't have to worry about getting sunburned, and the water temperature is just right.

Rescuing two people from the water had taken a lot of effort. After chatting with Youlan for a while, I finally had some free time after eating and drinking my fill. I was really sleepy, and I didn't care whether it was hot or not. I went back to my room, fell asleep as soon as I lay down, and slept until it was almost dark, until Zinuo came to wake me up.

Upon opening the door, Zinuo said, "They're waiting for you."

"Who's waiting for me?" I asked, puzzled, straining to open my still somewhat blurry eyes.

"You forgot what you said yourself? Didn't you say you were going to teach everyone how to swim?" Zinuo glanced at me with some dissatisfaction. I asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you were the one to teach us?"

"When did you say you wanted me to teach them? Besides, I'm not as good a swimmer as you, how can I teach others?" Zinuo glared at me.

Oh, didn't you say that Zinuo was to teach them?

I rubbed my still slightly dizzy head and followed Zinuo to the backyard. When we got there, we saw more than a dozen people standing there, and a few others playing in the shallow water near the shore. Under the tree, there was Shen Zexuan in red, and Shen Haoyu in a long robe, staring blankly at the sky.

"How... how... how many people are there?" I stammered. I thought there were only Song Zhixuan, Lin Zhao and Shen Haoyu, but suddenly so many people appeared.

Shen Haoyu stepped out from under the tree: "Since it's a survival skill, it's naturally beneficial and harmless for everyone to learn it together."

Well, teaching one person is the same as teaching a group, it's just that Zinuo will have to work hard. I sighed inwardly and decided to let Zinuo explain the theoretical knowledge to them and guide them on the practical operation.

I had them sit down on the grass, with Shen Haoyu and Shen Zexuan sitting side by side at the front. I pulled Zinuo over and, while explaining, had him demonstrate the movements. Seeing that everyone was listening attentively gave me a small sense of accomplishment, so I spoke even more enthusiastically. Finally, after explaining the basic knowledge and movements, I let them practice in the water on their own.

Seeing them all dressed in full protective gear walking into the water, I quickly called out to them, "Are you really going to go in like this?"

Shen Haoyu stopped in his tracks: "Otherwise what?"

I rubbed my slightly aching forehead and said in a low voice, "At least take your clothes off, otherwise you'll feel restricted."

Shen Haoyu's expression changed instantly, and everyone else exchanged bewildered glances. After a while, Shen Zexuan chuckled softly and began to undress. Lin Zhao also smiled at me and started to take off her clothes, while the others remained still. Shen Zexuan's clothes came off, revealing his white undergarment. His slender and well-proportioned figure was already partially visible. I felt a sudden heat in my nose and quickly covered it: Could I be so pathetic as to get a nosebleed before I'm even half-naked?

Seeing that Shen Zexuan was about to take off more clothes, I waved my hand at him and said in a thick nasal voice, "Third Prince, that's enough. Wearing your undergarments is fine too." How could Shen Zexuan be so open-minded? Looking at Shen Haoyu and the others who were standing there motionless, I thought to myself, feeling depressed.

This won't do. I can't stay here any longer. I said to Shen Haoyu, "Young Prince, you can practice on your own. Don't go into the deep water yet. Zi Nuo will guide you. I'll go and have someone prepare dinner later." With that, I hurriedly left the scene. I could only hear Shen Zexuan's low laughter behind me. He was definitely doing it on purpose!

Despite saying they couldn't stay in that scorching hot place, they were still worried and found a spot a little further away to sit down, listening carefully to what was happening by the lake. After all, they were all beginners, and if anything happened and Zinuo couldn't take care of them, they could rush over and provide timely assistance.