Chapter 43: You've Fallen for Him! (4000 words)
Early the next morning.
While Xiao Mo was reading in the courtyard, he saw Bai Ruxue leading a young girl in a cyan dress, walking step by step towards the courtyard.
Bai Ruxue's fair, tender face was filled with joy.
The young girl, held by Bai Ruxue, had her head lowered, her expression showing a hint of nervousness, and seeming a bit unwilling.
Seeing Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue quickened her pace, pulling the young girl into the courtyard: "Xiao Mo, this is my younger sister, her name is Bai Qingliu, and she just came of age this year. I usually call her Xiaoqing, and you can call her Xiaoqing too."
Both sisters were exceptionally beautiful, but their styles were different.
Bai Ruxue had a graceful figure and charming looks, appearing naive and easily deceived.
Xiaoqing, on the other hand, had a more slender figure and her eyes held a cautious alertness; she seemed much smarter than her sister at first glance.
"Greetings, Xiaoqing," Xiao Mo stood up and bowed.
"Hmph!" Xiaoqing lifted her chin slightly.
"It's you, this Smelly man, who stole my sister."
"You made it so I can only see my sister once or twice a month, and I sleep alone every night!"
"If I wasn't so reluctant to leave my sister, and cultivating alone was truly too boring, I wouldn't have come down the mountain!"
Seeing her younger sister's mouth practically pouting to the sky, Bai Ruxue secretly transformed, and the tip of her white tail lightly tapped her sister's backside.
Xiaoqing winced slightly in pain, biting her thin lips, and performed the Human Race etiquette her sister had taught her, bowing slightly: "Xiaoqing…greets Young Master. Xiaoqing and my sister will be bothering you a lot from now on."
"Xiaoqing, you exaggerate. It's your Bai Jie Jie who has been taking care of me," Xiao Mo smiled. "It's just that my room might not be big enough, so I can only ask Xiaoqing to share a room with your Bai Jie Jie."
"No trouble at all, no trouble at all," Bai Ruxue quickly spoke for her sister. "We've slept together since we were little, we're already used to it."
Xiaoqing also nodded, saying, "I like sleeping with my sister."
"That's good," Xiao Mo smiled. "Xiaoqing, please treat this as your own home. From now on, we are all family."
"Who's family with you… Hiss…"
Just as Xiaoqing softly mumbled halfway, the tip of Bai Ruxue's tail tapped her sister's backside again.
Xiaoqing's eyes welled up with faint tears.
She felt her backside must have been reddened by her sister.
"Well, Xiao Mo, you read your book. I'll show my sister around the room."
With that, Bai Ruxue pulled Xiaoqing into the room and closed the door with a "bang."
Looking at the closed door, Xiao Mo couldn't help but smile: "It seems Xiaoqing has some opinions about me."
Inside the boudoir, Bai Ruxue stood with her hands on her hips, pouting at Xiaoqing: "Xiaoqing, do you still remember what you promised your sister?"
"I remember," Xiaoqing touched her backside.
"Then tell me what they are?"
"First, I must not expose my identity."
"Mm-hmm, and then?"
"Second, treat Xiao Mo as you treat your sister, and don't cause Xiao Mo any trouble."
Bai Ruxue leaned forward: "So you must be obedient, not only listen to your sister, but also listen to Xiao Mo, understand?!"
"Understood, sister," Xiaoqing said reluctantly.
"Xiaoqing," Bai Ruxue stroked Xiaoqing's head, "Xiao Mo is a very good person."
"But sister, we are demons, and he is a Human Race. How can a demon and a Human Race live together? What if he finds out?"
"Don't worry," Bai Ruxue straightened her slender waist and patted her sister's shoulder. "He's very silly, a bookworm. He won't find out. Look at me, I haven't been exposed all this time, have I?"
"…"
Xiaoqing looked at her sister's smug expression, wanting to say something but not knowing where to begin.
That's right.
Why hasn't my sister, who is so silly, been discovered?
Could it be that Xiao Mo is even sillier?
"In any case, as long as you don't show your tail, and you eat mice secretly, you won't be discovered, understood?" Bai Ruxue instructed again.
"Understood, sister."
Xiaoqing sighed inwardly.
Since things have come to this, I'll listen to my sister first and live with this Human Race for a while.
"Come on, sister will take you to buy groceries. At noon, I'll teach you how to cook and wash clothes. Sister tells you, there are many deep secrets in this."
Bai Ruxue pulled her sister out of the room.
About two quarters of an hour later, Bai Ruxue and Xiaoqing, carrying a basket, arrived at Huang Village.
"The nearby villages all set up stalls in Huang Village. My sister usually buys groceries here, but some aunties will rip you off, so you have to bargain. Xiaoqing, watch carefully."
Bai Ruxue turned around and called out to an elderly woman: "Grandma Li, how much is this crucian carp?"
"What! Thirty-three coins?"
"I know this fish is very plump, about three catties, but that's too expensive!"
"Twenty-five coins, and I'll take it."
"No, really, twenty-eight coins is still too expensive."
"Just twenty-five coins."
"Grandma Li, just sell it to me, just sell it to me… Look how pitiful this fish is, how much more suffering will it endure if it's not eaten, Grandma Li~~~" Bai Ruxueshook Grandma Li's arm.
"Alright, thank you, Grandma Li."
Bai Ruxue happily handed over twenty-five copper coins, then picked up the fish and placed it in the bamboo basket.
"How was it? Did you see? That's how you bargain, you know." Bai Ruxue looked at her sister with a proud expression.
"…" Xiaoqing's feelings were complicated.
Although she hadn't had much contact with humans.
But was that really how you bargained?
"Sister, this doesn't seem difficult," Xiaoqing said.
"Who said that? It's very difficult! But ever since Xiao Mo became a Juren, it's indeed easier for my sister to bargain. Everyone in the surrounding ten li and eight villages takes good care of Xiao Mo," Bai Ruxue said.
"Then, sister, do you also flirt like this when other males sell you things?"
"How could that be?" Bai Ruxue rolled her eyes at her sister. "They can sell or not sell, I don't care. If they don't sell, I'll go to another vendor. My sister only flirts with one man."
"Who?" Xiaoqing asked curiously.
"Silly girl," Bai Ruxue gently flicked her sister's forehead, "Of course it's Xiao Mo~~~"
With that, Bai Ruxue happily walked forward, continuing to buy groceries.
And just as her sister said, her sister only flirted with some aunties and grandmas.
As for male vendors, her sister usually stated a price. If the other party agreed, she would buy it; if not, her sister would turn around and leave.
After buying the groceries, Xiaoqing followed her sister home to cook.
Xiaoqing knew her sister was very clumsy.
But seeing how skilled her sister was at lighting fires and cooking, she knew her sister must have practiced many times and endured a lot of hardship.
During lunch, her sister would intentionally save the meat in the dishes for Xiao Mo to eat, not touching a single piece herself.
Only after Xiao Mo put down his chopsticks would her sister eat the remaining meat.
But Xiaoqing also noticed that this Human Race man would intentionally leave a lot of dishes that her sister liked to eat.
In the afternoon, Xiaoqing began to follow her sister to clean the courtyard. From the room to the courtyard, her sister cleaned meticulously.
After cleaning the courtyard, her sister would also take a book and sit in the courtyard, reading with Xiao Mo.
However, Xiaoqing noticed that even though her sister was reading, her attention was always on Xiao Mo.
When Xiao Mo reached out, her sister would pour him a cup of tea.
When Xiao Mo turned his neck, her sister would stand up and massage his shoulders.
It was as if her sister knew what Xiao Mo was going to do with every single movement.
As evening approached, Xiaoqing had to follow her sister to the kitchen to cook again.
After dinner, her sister rolled up her sleeves and heated water for Xiao Mo's bath.
These were all trivial matters, and Xiaoqing found them boring and troublesome just by watching.
"Sister, don't you get bored doing all this every day?"
Seven days after arriving at Shiqiao Village, Xiaoqing and her sister were bathing together in the tub when Xiaoqing couldn't help but ask.
"Bored? Why?" Bai Ruxue blinked. "I feel very happy."
"Why would you be happy?" Xiaoqing didn't understand. "Washing clothes, cooking, cleaning the courtyard, and even heating water for his bath, what's there to be happy about…?"
"Well," Bai Ruxue thought about how to answer while scrubbing her sister's back, "Sister doesn't know either, it's just that as long as I can be by his side, as long as I can do things for him, even if they are trivial matters, Sister is very happy."
"…"
Xiaoqing didn't understand what her sister meant by those words.
But as the days passed, Xiaoqing found this man seemed quite good.
This man had a very good temper; he always had a gentle smile on his face.
And whenever she wanted to learn to read, he would patiently teach her.
Ten more days passed, and Xiaoqing found that she had actually grown accustomed to this kind of life.
But it was on the seventeenth day of Xiaoqing's arrival at Shiqiao Village.
That night, Bai Ruxue accidentally made a mistake while absorbing the essence of the moon.
When she woke up in the morning, Bai Ruxue's face was pale, and she felt weak and listless, like a Mortalwho had caught a cold.
"Sister, you should rest well today. I'll do the housework," Xiaoqing said, her heart aching as she looked at her sister.
Fortunately, her sister's condition wasn't serious; two days of rest would be enough.
"But Xiaoqing, can you really do it well?" Bai Ruxueasked worriedly.
It had taken her a full two months to completely learn all these household chores.
Xiaoqing had only been learning for a little over half a month.
"Yes, you can, Sister. Just rest well. Otherwise, how can you work in this condition? What if your tail shows?"
"Then… then alright…"
Bai Ruxue could only agree.
After Xiaoqing tucked her sister in, she walked out of the room.
Xiao Mo happened to be getting up as well.
Xiaoqing told Xiao Mo that her sister was sick, but it wasn't serious and there was no need to call a doctor; she would be fine in a couple of days.
Xiao Mo went into the room to visit Bai Ruxue.
Bai Ruxue also said that she was truly fine, would recover quickly, and had experienced this before.
Xiao Mo thought it was probably a minor issue with Bai Ruxue's cultivation, but it shouldn't be a big deal.
Otherwise, Xiaoqing would be more nervous than he was.
After Xiao Mo left, Bai Ruxue sat in the room, watching through the window as Xiaoqing collected Xiao Mo's clothes, folding them one by one.
Xiaoqing did it very well.
But Bai Ruxue felt strange inside.
These things, they should have been done by herself…
At noon, Bai Ruxue felt much better, and she couldn't sit still. She felt like going to the kitchen to cook for Xiao Mo.
But Xiaoqing pushed her sister out: "Sister, you rest. I'll cook."
Soon, Xiaoqing brought the food out from the kitchen.
"Xiao Da ge, Sister, what I made isn't very tasty. Please don't mind it."
"Not at all, Xiaoqing, what you made is delicious."
"Really? Then Xiao Da ge, eat more."
"Okay."
"Sister, you eat more too."
"Ah, okay…"
Bai Ruxue slowly ate the food in her bowl.
Xiaoqing's cooking was indeed delicious.
It was also a good thing that Xiao Mo enjoyed Xiaoqing's cooking.
However.
Bai Ruxue just felt a Depressed in her heart, as if something was blocking it.
In the afternoon, Bai Ruxue lay back on her bed and watched through the window as Xiaoqing poured water for Xiao Mo and massaged his shoulders.
She watched Xiao Mo teach Xiaoqing to read and write.
She heard Xiao Mo occasionally praise Xiaoqing, saying, "Xiaoqing is truly very smart."
Bai Ruxue felt an even greater Depressed in her chest.
Why?
What was wrong with her?
Was her illness getting worse?
In the evening, Chen Yi heard that Ru Xue had caught a cold and specially came to Xiao Mo's courtyard to visit Ru Xue.
"You girl, aren't you usually quite healthy? How can you catch a cold in the middle of summer? Auntie brewed some medicine for you and poured it into this gourd. Drink a bowl before bed, and heat it up to drink another bowl tomorrow morning. You'll be better very soon."
Inside the room, Chen Yi said to Ru Xue.
"Thank you, Chen Yi," Bai Ruxue took the gourd and smiled slightly.
However, very quickly, the young girl lowered her head as if something was on her mind.
"Ru Xue, what's wrong?" Chen Yi asked.
"Nothing, Chen Yi," Bai Ruxue quickly shook her head. "I'm fine."
"Nonsense," Chen Yi rolled her eyes at her. "You're naturally simple; everything shows on your face. How could I not know if something's on your mind? Hurry up and tell me. When you're sick, you can't keep things bottled up, or your illness won't get better."
Bai Ruxue gently bit her thin lips, her eyes showing a hint of hesitation, and her fingers kept kneading the quilt.
Chen Yi wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently for her to open up.
"Chen Yi…" After a long while, Bai Ruxue looked up.
"Mm."
"Today, Xiaoqing took care of Xiao Mo for me. The clothes were folded very neatly, the food was delicious, and the courtyard was also very clean. I should have been happy, but why, why do I feel so empty inside? And sometimes my chest feels tight, and I can't even breathe."
Bai Ruxue's small hands tightly clutched the quilt.
"Chen Yi, what kind of illness is this?"
"Eh?"
Chen Yi was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something, a smile playing at the corner of her lips, a knowing look on her face.
"Chen Yi, let me guess, does your chest feel tight only when Xiaoqing gets close to Xiao Mo and is more intimate with him?"
"Mm-hmm."
"When Xiao Mo praises her, you know you should be happy for your sister, but there's also a strange sense of loss in your heart."
"Yes, yes."
Chen Yi pointed to the girl's heaving chest: "Does it sometimes feel sour here, like you've drunk vinegar?"
"Exactly! I never used to feel this way. Chen Yi, how did you know?"
"Silly girl,"
Chen Yi sighed, gently tapping the girl's forehead.
"You've fallen for him!"