Chapter 400: 156. The Dumbest, None Other

156. The Dumbest, None Other

In a corner of the Xunyang Prince's Mansion, inside a boudoir courtyard by the lake.

On the desk in the pitch-black study, a palm-sized little female Daoist wearing an ink-black Confucian robe looked dumbfounded at the three oil-paper umbrellas in front of her.

These three oil-paper umbrellas seemed to have been carefully protected by their owner, as if they had never been rained on, brand new as before.

On the surface of each umbrella, there was an elegant love poem.

"Looking at the sky at dawn and the clouds at dusk, walking I miss you, sitting I miss you..."

"You are very beautiful, I cannot forget..."

These love poems seemed to have been written by a man himself. The handwriting was elegant and fresh, and compared to a woman's delicate beauty, it had a bit more of a man's vigor.

This man's handwriting on the umbrella surface was actually the first time Miaosi had seen it, and it was different from the simplified handwriting of the owner of the Butterfly Loves Flowers that Rong Zhen had shown her not long ago.

But as an ink spirit, Miaosi smelled a familiar literary Qi.

It couldn't be wrong.

She felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy, lowered her head and muttered to herself:

"No way... such a coincidence... how is it possible... wait..."

As if remembering something, Miaosi's expression was solemn.

She quickly dropped the oil-paper umbrella in her hand, jumped off the table, sniffed the air in the room with her nose, and ran around in the pitch-black boudoir of a certain noble lady of the Xie clan.

Last time, in order to repay a favor, Huang Xuan specially took Miaosi, who had transformed into an ink stick, to the Xunyang Tower during the day to let her meet her benefactor.

Although in the end, Huang Xuan and Huang Feihong followed Lu Ya and climbed out the window to run away, the sensitive-smelling Miaosi remembered the aura of that young Long-term Official and the noble lady of the Xie clan.

Unlike the literary Qi that accompanies the solidification of ink marks, a person's aura will dissipate if the person leaves for a long time. Compared to ordinary people, Miaosi can experience this point more.

On the three oil-paper umbrellas on the table just now, perhaps because they had been placed for too long, or perhaps because they had been sunned and blown by the wind not long ago, besides the boudoir aura of the noble lady of the Xie clan, the aura of the man who handmade this umbrella and wrote the love poem was already imperceptible.

"Not necessarily, it might not be him. Right, the lover of this noble lady of the Xie clan, the lover who exchanged love letters with her, what if it is not him... The two might just be ordinary friends."

Miaosi still had a trace of luck in her heart.

In order to confirm something, she visited the whole house, but in the end, she discovered...

Inside the boudoir, besides the rich aura of the noble lady of the Xie clan, there was one and only one man's aura.

It belonged precisely to that young Long-term Official who had saved little Xuan.

One point worth noting is that besides one or two Confucian robes of the man stored in the noble lady of the Xie clan's clothing box, this man's aura mainly appeared on a few pairs of exquisite embroidered shoes and light, thin socks, as well as some private bellybands...

Miaosi didn't flip through any more, her movements stopped, and she raised a hot, red little face.

Miaosi could understand the noble lady of the Xie clan hiding one or two of her lover's Confucian robes, but how did the young Long-term Official's aura on these socks and embroidered shoes get stained? It looked like it happened recently, which was why such an obvious aura could remain.

Miaosi felt that she had been led astray, and her thoughts were not clean.

But right now, these messy, dirty thoughts were not the key. The key was that these clues confirmed without a doubt that... that young Long-term Official and the noble lady of the Xie clan were in a passionate relationship.

So those three handmade oil-paper umbrellas containing some kind of literary Qi...

Unless the noble lady of the Xie clan didn't want her chastity and was stepping on two boats, otherwise there was only one answer.

The room became quiet.

The three oil-paper umbrellas lay quietly on the desk.

In front of the table, the little female Daoist in an ink-black Confucian robe, who had been forced to reveal her true name tonight, lowered her head and looked at the piece of paper scrap given to her by the cold, palace-dressed girl.

"The dumbest, none other... will die of stupidity one day..."

She muttered to herself.

"Why are you back so early?"

In a corner of Starry Workshop, by the well of a dilapidated small courtyard, the red-jacketed little girl who was drawing water heard the movement behind her, turned her head to look, and asked curiously.

Miaosi didn't speak, walked into the courtyard, passed Huang Xuan with her head buried, and entered the house.

The little female Daoist silently jumped onto the cabinet that served as a small nest, not forgetting to bring the cabinet door with her.

With a "bang," she locked herself inside.

Huang Xuan heard the movement in the house, shook her head, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead, carried the well water, and went to the kitchen.

After entering the kitchen and putting down the water bucket, she turned and left the kitchen, returned to the house, stood on tiptoe, opened the cabinet, and looked at the little person inside.

She saw the little female Daoist with her back to her, sitting cross-legged, supporting her chin with her hands, as if facing the wall and dazed, saying nothing.

Huang Xuan thought for a while, wiped the water stains on her apron with her palm, and tentatively poked the little head wearing the lotus crown with an index finger.

"What's wrong with you, are you okay?"

Miaosi's head, like a tumbler, swayed twice with Huang Xuan's finger. Just as Huang Xuan was about to ask again, the little female Daoist suddenly threw the whisk and bowl in her hand aside, turned her head, and asked seriously:

"Little Xuan, is this fairy very stupid?"

Under Miaosi's straight gaze, Huang Xuan thought for a while, nodded, and learned to speak like someone:

"Hmm, none other."

Huang Xuan asked softly: "Did you get lost, didn't find the place, or is it that the literary Qi wasn't given?"

Miaosi lowered her head: "Didn't get lost, found the courtyard of the noble lady of the Xie clan, and the literary Qi was left behind. It just happened to be that basket of red leaves of yours..."

Huang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, thank you for your hard work."

Miaosi whispered: "Is Little Xuan so concerned about them?"

Huang Xuan said with some seriousness: "Great kindness should not be thanked, but it should not be forgotten." She paused and said: "Why ask this? Are you unhappy? Are you jealous?"

Facing the curious gaze, Miaosi avoided her eyes: "No." At the same time, she changed the topic: "Why isn't Little Xuan sleeping yet? Is tomorrow a holiday?"

It was currently the fifth watch, and it was pitch black outside the window.

Huang Xuan shook her head:

"Can't sleep. Also a little worried about you. The Xunyang Prince's Mansion in Xiushui Workshop is too far, farther than Hanlei Lei Mozhai. You went out alone... Thinking about it, I just got up to boil some porridge. Father has to eat when he gets up early. He works hard during the day."

"Oh." Miaosi nodded.

Huang Xuan added: "You worked harder tonight."

Miaosi looked at her and lowered her head.

Huang Xuan saw her lowering her head and dazing without speaking, closed the cabinet door, turned, and went to the back kitchen to continue boiling porridge.

Not long after, Huang Xuan heard the movement of the kitchen door being pushed open behind her. She knew who it was without turning her head, and continued to burn firewood.

The little female Daoist nimbly jumped over the threshold, walked around the kitchen with her hands behind her back.

One big and one small, two figures, one doing housework, one wandering around, silent, as if they were often like this, appearing very tacit.

Miaosi stopped when passing the rice vat, lifted the lid, poked her little head in to take a look, reached out and grabbed a handful of rice mixed with grain husks, stared at the fine, rustling flow of rice between her fingers, and after a while, suddenly said:

"Little Xuan, why don't you raise a mouse."

"Then what about you?"

"Pack up and roll."

"Oh, you want to change to a family, eat fragrant and drink spicy food."

"No! How can Little Xuan say that..." Halfway through her angry speech, she reacted, and her voice weakened: "Don't use reverse psychology, be serious."

"Then why do you want to leave for no reason."

"Can't it be a dream of wandering the world?"

"Wandering the world from one ink storage treasury to another, right?"

"Can you not open the pot that cannot be opened."

"You don't have any pot that can be opened."

"Not arguing with you anymore. Seriously, sometimes looking at the poor, barren, and unchanging status quo around, the pitch-black night sky hanging with the Milky Way outside the door looks exceptionally attractive.

"Suddenly I really want to throw away all the entanglement and worries, plunge into this night, and fly away. After half a lifetime of wandering, returning full of wind and snow, Little Xuan, who is already gray-haired, sees this fairy, cries bitterly, regrets, full of self-blame, thinking it was her own wrong words that scared this fairy away, living in regret for half a lifetime. However, this fairy is already light and breezy. As a great monster roaming the mountains, I am too lazy to explain, just comfort you considerately... Hmm, so cool."

"How is it? After listening, are you already heartbroken and self-blaming?"

"Why don't you sleep a while longer?"

"This fairy is serious!"

"You have been serious many times."

"This time is different, because now it is indeed better to run away... Forget it, too lazy to talk to you."

When Miaosi spoke to the end, it seemed that her body had poked into the three-quarters full rice vat, and her voice carried some hollow echoes.

Huang Xuan's action of washing rice paused, and she turned her head to look.

The fifth watch, outside was the darkest time. On the stove in the kitchen, only a candle was lit, and the dim light vaguely illuminated the mud floor between the two.

The palm-sized little female Daoist in a Confucian robe sat on the edge of the rice vat, her two little feet under the Confucian robe swinging. The golden bowl in her hand was not filled with ink as usual, but was filled with rice.

When Huang Xuan turned her head, she happened to see her little hand pick up a raw rice grain and put it in her mouth, trying hard to bite it.

"Can it be eaten?" Huang Xuan asked curiously.

Miaosi smacked her lips to try and swallow it, but in the end... she gave up. The rice grains in the bowl were all poured back into the rice vat. She covered her cheeks that were hurting from tears, and her face was bitter. The two little short legs hanging from the edge of the vat stopped swinging.

Huang Xuan didn't show a disappointed expression, lowered her head and continued to wash rice diligently, while saying softly:

"I was joking before, don't force it. Eating ink is fine, methods are always more than difficulties."

She paused and asked again:

"Did you encounter anything tonight? Why are you so abnormal? After eating enough ink, how can you not be happy."

Miaosi's brows twisted into a ball, as hard to untie as a mess of hemp, and she sighed: "Why are there so many annoying things in the world."

Huang Xuan thought for a while, straightened her little face, and answered seriously:

"Then you should eat less. When people are hungry, they usually only have one worry, but once they are full, they will have countless worries. So many worries are just because they are full and bored."

Miaosi: "..."

So damn reasonable.

The little female Daoist in a Confucian robe sitting on the rice vat was speechless, silently turning her head to look at the red-jacketed little girl who seemed to have no worries, washing rice.

"Little Xuan, do you have any dream things."

"Yes."

"What."

"Can have a big house, my own big house, clean it up every day, I will be very happy."

"And then?"

"Then take you all to live there, happy together."

"And then?"

"Then... then haven't dreamed there yet. Tell you when I dream."

"No promise, not as good as this fairy's half-lifetime wandering, you crying bitterly."

"Didn't you say before that the outside is dangerous, easy to meet some bad guys who want to abduct you?"

"That's right, but now it seems that hiding here cautiously, there are still things coming to the door... By the way, that ox-nose who often comes to find you recently, keep an eye on him, less contact."

"Daoist Lu? Why?"

"Hate ox-noses the most, and he is from the Three Talisman Mountains. He also wants to abduct you up the mountain. Phew, even little girls don't let go, really shameless."

"Daoist Lu doesn't look like a bad person, but I won't be deceived..."

After chatting for a while, Miaosi was silent for a long time, and suddenly opened her mouth:

"Little Xuan, you are right, this fairy really shouldn't go out to steal food. This is the dumbest thing done tonight."

"It's okay, it's all in the past, just don't commit it again in the future."

Hearing Huang Xuan's comforting words, Miaosi wanted to say something but stopped.

Huang Xuan suddenly turned her head: "By the way, there is good news."

"What good news?"

"Father got a raise, and heard him say that he can be allocated a newly built shed-renovation house another day. The rent is cheaper, and we will be more affluent in the future. Moving into a new house will also be more comfortable. You don't have to shrink in the cabinet all day, afraid of being discovered by Father and other tenants..."

Huang Xuan spoke with some joy, her tone full of expectation for the future days.

Miaosi listened silently for a while, raised her head and asked weakly:

"But this fairy has a big appetite, and only picks good ink to eat. If this money is still not enough to buy ink?"

Huang Xuan answered seriously: "Then think of other ways, earn more money. Anyway, we are diligent, and we will never starve to death. At worst... I will work a little longer in the Lei Mozhai, or go to other places that don't lack ink, pick up some ink back. Methods can always be found."

Miaosi was moved in her eyes, but immediately, as if remembering something, her little face was a bit pale, and she hurriedly persuaded:

"Little Xuan must not blindly believe bad people, go to work in brothels and singing houses, be careful of being deceived. Those brothels and singing houses are not good places. Even if you work part-time, it is easy to be close to ink and get black. That kind of environment, under subtle influence, can pull a good family into the water."

The little female Daoist jumped up, paced around the edge of the rice vat, waving the snow-white whisk in her hand, occasionally turning her head to look at the clear and bright big eyes of the red-jacketed little girl, she lowered her voice and exhorted:

"You have a talent that is rare in a hundred years, mainly this pair of eyes, which has the mystery of piercing through falsehood. It was thanks to it that I found this fairy at the beginning, and it is also the beginning of our fate. This eye pays great attention to many things. In the classics of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism, there are corresponding names... In short, the path you can take is very wide, and you are an excellent embryo. All three families can walk through, let alone other Daoist lineages, so don't destroy your future, remember, remember."

Huang Xuan didn't quite understand these, but could hear the seriousness in Miaosi's words, and nodded a bit foolishly: "Oh oh."

Miaosi stopped talking, looked at her quietly for a while, and asked again:

"Little Xuan, why have you always been so good to this fairy? When you saved this fairy home at the beginning, it was also..."

Huang Xuan thought for a while and answered casually:

"No reason. Hmm, just like that Long-term Official benefactor who helped out, did he have time to think about what he wanted at that time? Probably not, just wanted to, so he did it. It's that simple, no need to ask why."

Miaosi was silent for a while, and suddenly nodded heavily:

"Good, understood."

"Is it that you are hungry again, and your worries have returned to one?"

The little female Daoist in a Confucian robe didn't answer, waved her little fist at the air in front of her, and talked to herself: "The smartest, none other!"

"What is the smartest?"

Huang Xuan turned her head in confusion, but the little female Daoist was no longer on the rice vat, not knowing where she had run.

"What's wrong tonight, strange..."

February, the Spring Festival is approaching. After a busy year, everyone should rest well and be good to themselves.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 401 =====