Chapter 26: The Answer Is to Marry Him
After bidding farewell to Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue hummed a cheerful tune as she walked towards her cave.
At the mouth of the cave, Xiao Qing flicked her tongue, looking left and right.
"Sister."
When Xiao Qing saw her sister return, her vertical pupils suddenly lit up, and she quickly crawled towards her.
"Xiao Qing~"
Bai Ruxue quickened her pace and walked forward.
"Sister, where did you go again?" Xiao Qing sighed.
Xiao Qing noticed that in recent years, other than during hibernation, her sister loved to run around.
"I went to see Xiao Mo~" Bai Ruxue said happily.
"Eh?" Xiao Qing was startled, "Sister, how could you go see Xiao Mo? You just learned to shapeshift and aren't proficient yet. What if you're exposed?"
"No, I won't." Bai Ruxue put her hands on her hips, saying proudly, "Sister's shapeshifting skills are excellent."
"Not good at all!" Xiao Qing felt exhausted. "Sister, look at your feet."
"Hmm?" Bai Ruxue lowered her head and found that her feet had once again turned into a tail.
"It's fine, it's fine." Bai Ruxue patted her tail, which then turned back into human feet. "I must have relaxed when I came back just now. He definitely didn't notice."
"Really?" Xiao Qing flicked her snake tongue. "But Sister, you're silly."
Bai Ruxue puffed out her cheeks: "Xiao Qing, you're the silly one! Sister isn't silly at all!"
Xiao Qing: "..."
"Xiao Qing, let me tell you, I secretly put some silver in his pocket today." Bai Ruxue's eyes sparkled as she said proudly, "When I pick up some more silver, I'll give it all to him. Humans use silver to buy things, so he'll be able to buy lots and lots of things."
"Sister, are you going to see him again tomorrow?" Xiao Qing really didn't know what to do with her sister.
"Of course, I am." Bai Ruxue said as if it were obvious, "Sister hasn't finished repaying her kindness yet. Your sister is a good snake who knows how to repay kindness."
"Then, Sister, how will you know when you've finished repaying the kindness?" Xiao Qing felt a little tired.
"Emmm..." Bai Ruxue seemed to think seriously for a moment, then said bluntly, "I don't know either."
Xiao Qing: "..."
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing, generally, for this kind of life-saving kindness, how do girls repay it? Do you know?" Bai Ruxue asked her younger sister in return.
"Sister, I'm a snake... not a human..."
"Oh, well, I guess Sister will just have to read more books."
"Reading?"
"Yes, he was reading today. Although I couldn't understand it, it seemed very impressive. Maybe the answer is in human books."
"But Sister, can you read?"
"No, I can't~ But it doesn't matter, Sister has a way."
With that, Bai Ruxue happily ran off again.
"Sister, it's so late, where are you going?" Xiao Qing called out behind her sister.
"To pick up silver and gather herbs!" The young girl's voice echoed leisurely through the mountain forest.
"Gather herbs?"
The next day.
After Xiao Mo listened to the village chief's lecture in the morning, he asked the village chief a few questions from the book, then continued riding his ox up the mountain.
He planned to gather more herbs today to exchange for some silver, and then buy some writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
When Xiao Mo returned yesterday, he found a piece of silver in his clothes pocket.
He knew that it was Xiaobai who had secretly put it there for him.
The silver was put away by Xiao Mo and placed in a small pouch.
That small piece of broken silver wasn't much, Xiao Mo didn't plan to spend it, but rather save it for her.
Because Xiaobai said she would pick up more silver for him in the future, Xiao Mo wanted to see how much she could pick up.
He did this for no other reason than it was fun.
Upon reaching She Mountain, Xiao Mo grazed his ox while gathering herbs.
"Xiao Mo."
When Xiao Mo had gathered a small basketful, a light, pleasant voice of a young girl came from behind him.
Xiao Mo turned around, and Bai Ruxue was smiling at him.
"Bai Guniang." Xiao Mo bowed in greeting.
"Xiao Mo, play with me." Bai Ruxue said innocently, as if for this little girl, there was no worry at all.
Xiao Mo shook his head: "I'm afraid I don't have time today. I need to gather some medicinal herbs to sell. I need to buy some brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."
"You have time, come with me..." Bai Ruxue pulled Xiao Mo's hand and walked forward.
"Bai Guniang, wait, I need to lead the ox."
"Oh, oh, then hurry up."
After about fifteen minutes, the young girl led Xiao Moto a place filled with the ziyang grass and qinglong flower that Xiao Mo was looking for.
"How can there be so many medicinal herbs I need in this place?" Xiao Mo wondered in surprise.
Squatting down, Xiao Mo picked a flower and found that the flowers and plants here were very loose, as if they had been buried.
Xiao Mo turned his head, his gaze falling on the young girl's hands. Her hands had specks of dirt and were a little scratched.
"So that's it."
Xiao Mo understood that all these medicinal herbs were buried by her.
She must have searched all night for so much ziyang grass and qinglong flower.
"How is it? Is this enough? You have to play with me for the rest of the time, okay?" Bai Ruxue raised her fair little chin.
"Enough." Xiao Mo nodded, "Then what does Young Miss want to play?"
"I want to read!"
"Read?"
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I want you to teach me to read, can you?" Bai Ruxue happily stepped forward, her small, dirt-stained hand pulling out a piece of broken silver. "I can pay tuition."
At the residence of the Minister of Rites in the Zhou Kingdom.
The maid Xiaochun walked into the Young Miss's backyard.
Every time Xiaochun walked into the Young Miss's backyard, she felt as if she had entered another world.
In this world, there were only two colors: one was purple, and one was green.
Purple was ziyang grass.
Green was qinglong flower.
And in the pavilion in the backyard, the Young Misswas reading a book.
Xiaochun grew up with the Young Miss. The Young Miss loved to read since she was little and knew a great deal.
Unbeknownst to them, when the Young Miss grew up, she had already become the most talented woman in the Zhou Kingdom.
"Young Miss." Xiaochun stepped forward and bowed to the Young Miss, "The Empress Dowager's female official has arrived. She said she's here to teach Young Miss the palace etiquette."
"Mm, I know." Yan Ruxue continued turning the pages of her book. "I'll go over after I finish these few pages."
Xiaochun looked at the Young Miss's profile, her lips gently pursed, and couldn't help but ask, "Young Miss, are you really going to enter the palace?"
Entering the palace was like entering a deep sea. In Xiaochun's opinion, a beautiful and talented woman like the Young Miss should not be locked in the deep palace.
Yan Ruxue closed the book, did not answer the maid, but instead asked, "Xiaochun, if someone saved your life, how would you repay them?"
"How to repay...how to repay..."
Just as Xiaochun was thinking.
Yan Ruxue stood up and gently placed a book of strange tales on her head.
"It's written in the book."
The young girl clasped her hands in front of her, walking gracefully out of the courtyard, as the spring breeze gently caressed the flowers and plants.
"The answer is to marry him~"