by N/A
Du Xiu Heng, who was currently tidying up the desk, heard Du Xiao Li's sudden laugh, and asked with a smile, "Younger sister what are you laughing about?"
"Nothing." Du Xiao Li shook her head. She couldn't say that she felt like an old mother, right!? "When you're done tidying, let's go see if you're still missing anything. We can go buy them later."
"Alright." Du Xiu Heng's mood today was very happy. He thought that he wouldn't be able to enter the school halls ever again in this lifetime. He never thought that there would actually be a day where he would come back.
After taking care of everything, Du Xiao Li and her brother went out to buy some things. Du Xiao Li bought some life necessities for Du Xiu Heng, and also bought two sets of spare clothes. When it was almost noon, the two of them returned carrying small and large bags of things. As soon as they entered the door, they saw sitting on the other bed a delicately handsome boy. He was in the middle of eating with his head lowered. When he heard someone entering, he raised his head, took a glance, and stood up, saying with a smile, "You must be class two's Du Xiu Heng? I'm class three's Zhang Rui. In the future, we'll be roommates, please to meet you."
"How did you know it was me?" Du Xiu Heng somewhat surprisingly looked to Zhang Rui.
"Earlier when I went to the dining hall to buy food, heard someone say that the number one student in the academy returned. Thus, everyone knew it was you. When I came back, I saw that the other bed was sorted out, and guessed it was you."
"So big brother was actually this famous at school?!" Du Xiao Li said with her mouth covered while laughing. This really was somewhat unexpected.
"Of course, in the past, when Du Xiu Heng was in class one, his grades were that good. This was something everyone all knew. Because he'd quit school midway, he could only enter class two at the moment. However, the people of class two are all very impressive too. You must be his younger sister." Zhang Rui's personality was rather outgoing, with a pair of bright and clean eyes.
"Hello big brother Zhang Rui, I'm Du Xiao Li. In the future, trouble big brother Zhang Rui to look after my big brother in the academy." Du Xiao Li said with a smile.
"Haha, I still need Du Xiu Heng to take care of me!" Zhang Rui said with a laugh.
Zhang Rui was very entertaining in conversation. While talking to him, they sorted all their things. Du Xiao Li and Du Xiu Heng decided to go eat out to celebrate.
They went to a restaurant near the school and ordered two dishes. There were talks and laughter, as they ate their afternoon meal. Soon after Du Xiao Li saw off Du Xiu Heng at the school entrance. She gave him five taels of silver, letting him use in emergencies, and at the same time also reminding him to not show off his money.
The things Du Xiao Li said, Du Xiu Heng already knew, but he still earnestly listened, not the least bit impatient.
"Alright, quickly go back then. You'll be starting class in the afternoon today, you have to work hard! I'm going to head back home now. I'll be waiting at home for you to come back!" Du Xiao Li said.
"Will you be find heading home alone?" Du Xiu Heng said worried, "How about I send you back home first."
"No need, nothing will happen to me. I've told you before, in the past, I was once a taekwando master." Du Xiao Li said with a smile. Waving her hand at him, she turned and left.
When she was teaching Du Xiu Heng some simple self-defense techniques, he'd once asked her what this was. It wasn't good for her to say that this was what she'd learned in the organization in her past life, so she said this was taekwando, and that she was a taekwando master.
Du Xiu Heng watched Du Xiao Li's figure leaving in the distant, muttering to himself, "Don't worry younger sister, I'll definitely work hard studying."
Meanwhile, two people came out from the best inn in town. The one dressed in all black was Leng Er, and the other one was a fifteen sixteen year old boy wearing an aqua blue brocade gown with a distinguished and elegant appearance and bright eyes, making one unconsciously sink. He carried a fan in his hand, waving it as he followed Leng Er onto the carriage.
"Young master Ji, suddenly coming to such a remote place like this, aren't you afraid of getting skinned by the General when you go back?" Leng Er said with a laugh.
"He won't be concerned about me. Besides, on the letter I left, I said I was going to protect the fifth prince. When the time comes, I'll head back together with the fifth prince. I just don't believe father will still dare to beat me." Ji Liu Feng got on the carriage and sat down, not the least bit worried.
"Hehe, is that so? Gentlemen Ji really came to protect our young master? And not having been scared out of the capital by those young ladies?"
Ji Liu Feng struck Leng Er's head and said, "Now your guts have fattened? Daring to make fun of this young master? Hurry up and drive!"
"Haha, alright, young master Ji, sit tight, these mountain roads can't be compared to the streets in capital. They're somewhat bumpy." Leng Er sat at the front of the horse carriage, picked up the whip, and whipped the horse. The horse carriage slowly began to travel along the path.
The horse carriage traveled pretty slowly inside the town. When they arrived at the city gates, Leng Er immediately saw Du Xiao Li who'd just went out.
"Young master Ji, in a while, I'm going to pick up someone along the way." Leng Er said to Ji Liu Feng who was inside the carriage.
"Oh? Who?" Ji Liu Feng pulled open the curtains at the front of the carriage and asked.
Leng Er pointed to Du Xiao Li.
Ji Liu Feng looked to Du Xiao Li, and with an ill intentioned look, mockingly asked, "Your little friend?"
Leng Er heard Ji Liu Feng's words, and his lips instinctively twitched, "No."
"Han Ming Yi's little friend?" Seeing Leng Er denying, Ji Liu Feng continued to guess.
"No." Leng Er continued to deny, "That's someone from Imperial Physician Niu's village. Her relationship with Imperial Physician Niu is very good. Right now, she's currently learning how to distinguish medical ingredients with him."
"So she's Niu old man's little friend. Then this young master is correct." Ji Liu Feng said, waving his fan.
Leng Er was defeated by Ji Liu Feng's line of thought, thus chose to ignore him. He drove the carriage out of the city, and stopped next to Du Xiao Li.
Du Xiao Li was just thinking about how long it would take for her to walk back, when a horse carriage stopped next to her, following which she saw Leng Er's smiling face, "Little girl, get on the carriage."
Du Xiao Li sensed there was another person inside, and thought it was Han Ming Yi. She originally wanted to refuse, but then looking to the scorching sun overhead, she might just get a heatstroke halfway back. Thus she quickly climbed onto the horse carriage. Pulling open the curtains, she didn't see Han Ming Yi's cold face, but rather, saw a face smiling very alluringly.
Thinking for a moment, she put down the curtains and sat down next to Leng Er, asking quietly, "Leng Er, who is that person smiling very alluringly inside? Your young master's friend?"
Du Xiao Li thought that her voice was very soft, but she didn't know that the person inside was quite skilled and had heard her words very clearly.
Ch. 022 – She's Whose Little Friend?
She's Whose Little Friend?
T/N: Chapter sponsored by MajorQuinn and Gilly! Thank you so much for the support! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)
The very alluringly smiling person?
(T/N: I forgot to mention last chapter but the 'alluringly' she uses here is an internet slang which can also mean like flashy or showy.)
Leng Er heard Du Xiao Li's words and couldn't help bursting into laughter, nodding his head as he says, "That is our young master's childhood friend, Ji Liu Feng. Young master Ji learned that our young master is here recuperating, and thus came to see him."
"Oh, so you came to the county seat this time to pick him up?" Du Xiao Li asked.
"Yes." Leng Er replied.
Du Xiao Li watched her surroundings flying pass her, sighing at how muc
h cooler the horse carriage was than the ox cart. Thinking of this horse carriage's owner, her own money tree, she casually asked, "How is your young master right now?"
"He's already much better now." Leng Er replied, "It's all thanks to you girl."
Ji Liu Feng heard Leng Er's words and was somewhat confused. Why does this uncultured girl have to be thanked for Han Ming Yi getting better?
That's right, just an uncultured girl! If not for him being magnanimous, he would have certainly let her suffer today.
"By the way, what did you go to the county seat alone for?" Leng Er asked.
"I came to send big brother to school." Du Xiao Li said, "Thanks to your young master, my big brother can finally return to school now."
"You really let your big brother go to school?" Leng Er had previously heard Du Xiao Li say that once they have money she'll let her brother attend school. He'd thought that she was just saying.
"Of course! Haven't you heard before, 'no culture, really scary.' I don't want my big brother to grow up and not know anything!" Du Xiao Li said.
Having been influenced by modern times, attending school and studying was something a person must experience. Du Xiu Heng was only ten years old, so naturally he needed to attend school.
"Then won't you be alone at home? Aren't you scared?" Leng Er asked.
"What's there to be scared of?" Du Xiao Li said, "I don't believe in those ghosts and spirits anyways."
In the carriage, Ji Liu Feng listened to Leng Er's conversation with Du Xiao Li, and became even more interested in this peasant girl. Don't look at how Leng Er was rather causal, no matter what he was still someone by a prince's side. Ordinary people, he wouldn't even look at. Yet now he was unexpectedly chatting this happily with a rural peasant girl. Could it be that she wasn't Niu old man's little friend, but Leng Er's?
The horse carriage very quickly arrived at the village. Du Xiao Li got off at the fork in the road. Towards Leng Er, she sweetly smiled and said, "Thank you, see you later Leng Er."
With that said, she followed along the little trail and headed up the mountain. Leng Er then drove the horse carriage to Niu Jing's home. And after Ji Liu Feng got off, he parked the carriage behind the house.
Leng Yi was already waiting outside the courtyard for them. Seeing Ji Liu Feng, he cupped his fist and respectfully bowed, "Young master Ji."
"Leng Yi, where's your master?" Ji Liu Feng patted Leng Yi's shoulder and asked.
"You really are daring enough, not even bringing a single bodyguard, and running here just like this." Han Ming Yi stood under the eaves and looked at the person standing outside the courtyard, scolding.
"How boring is it to bring a lot of bodyguards." Ji Liu Feng saw Han Ming Yi and entered by directly leaping over the bamboo fence. Coming to his side, he put one hand on his shoulder. Seeing that his complexion was even more pale than when he'd left, Ji Liu Feng asked with a frown, "Why do I feel that your body is getting even worse?"
Han Ming Yi waved his hand to slap away the hand on his shoulder and said, "There already aren't anymore major issues now."
The poison was already expelled. Right now, he only needed to adjust his body. However, that girl said that the nerves were already damaged, so the twitching symptoms will still act up, just it won't be that severe.
That girl, why did he suddenly think of that girl?
"Oh, let me tell you, on our way back, we encountered a girl. That must be your family's Leng Er's little friend right? I asked him, and he actually denied it." Ji Liu Feng said.
"What little friend?" Han Ming Yi asked. Why didn't he know that his own bodyguard had a little friend?
"That girl that's learning how to distinguish medical ingredients from old man Niu. I saw them talking and laughing the whole way, if not his little friend, then what is she." Ji Liu Feng said.
"You're thinking too much." Han Ming Yi rewarded him with an annoyed look, then turned around and started heading towards the house, saying: "There's only a few rooms here, just have to let Leng Yi and Leng Er stay in one, and you sleep in the one Leng Yi previously slept in. Don't say I didn't warn you, if you don't write a letter to General Ji, then just wait to get sorted out by him when you get back."
Ji Liu Feng followed Han Ming Yi into the hose and asked, "How long are you going to stay here? That way I can give my father a return date."
"At least three to five months." Han Ming Yi finished saying and then returned to his own room, no longer paying attention to the person who was still debating whether or not to write a letter home.
Du Xiao Li returned back up the mountain. Since coming to this world, there has always been two people in this house, but now only she remained. She suddenly felt a bit lonely. Letting out a sigh, under the blazing sun, she had the medical herbs in the wicker basket flipped over once. Afterwards, she returned to her own room and began tidying up the things in the house.
"This is?" Du Xiao Li found a small box at the very bottom of a chest. It was made from the highest quality sandalwood, and there was even a magnolia flower carved on top. She tried to recall. In her memories, she seemed to have once seen Su Su Xin shedding a tear over this small box.
"This is mother's box."
She opened the box, and saw only an emerald jade pendant and a white jade plum blossom hairpin placed inside. She had the jade pendant and hairpin taken out and looked them over. Both were all made from high quality jade, not something ordinary people could afford to use.
While in a daze, she recalled that time she saw Su Su Xin crying over this box, and had gone in to ask her why. Upon seeing the hairpin in the box, she'd said, 'So pretty.'
At the time, Su Su Xin gave her the hairpin to look at, saying: "This is what your maternal grandmother gave me when I married. When Xiao Li marries, mother will also give it to you."
Thinking back to Su Su Xin's words at the time, this meant her former family was very wealthy and noble. Du Xiao Li suddenly became a bit suspicious. Why would someone like her marry a rural peasant farmer? In this feudal era, how could her family have agreed?!
This hairpin was from her maiden family, then what about this jade pendant? Why at the time when they were really poor was she not willing to pawn it off?
Unable to think of a reason, she thus had the things put back, deciding to wait until after Du Xiu Heng comes back to ask him.
Ch. 023 – In the Future You're Called Silver!
In the Future You're Called Silver!
With Du Xiu Heng gone, Du Xiao Li prepared a fully packed schedule. She trained her body, went up the mountain to dig medical ingredients, wait until she's gathered a lot, and have them brought to Niu Jing's place. Now, Niu Jing was no longer surprised at her digging up some rare ingredients. If there were ones he needed, he would keep them, and the remaining ones he would let Leng Er take to the medicine shop in town to sell.
This day, Du Xiao Li planned to go into the mountains to see the tangerine they'd unexpectedly discovered last time again. That's why she'd entered the mountains early in the morning. This time she didn't waste time, and directly headed towards that valley. After climbing over a few mountains, she finally saw that tangerine forest again.
"Ah--" Arriving at the tangerine forest, she finally found the smell of her past life. She couldn't help closing her eyes and smelling the underripe scent coming from the tangerines.
(T/N: Do underripe tangerines smell different from ripe ones??)
"Awooo--" Suddenly, a wild beast's whimpering cry came from the slopes above. She curiously passed through the forest, and unexpectedly, at the edge of the tangerine forest, she saw two grape trees. On it hung several clusters of faintly green grapes, and there were a few clusters that were already somewhat turning red.
"There's actually grapes here!" Du Xiao Li was extremely happy inside from seeing the grapes.
In her past life, she liked eating grapes the most, but ever since coming here, she hadn't seen any for sale. At first, she even thought that it wasn't in season,
but right now was precisely the time for grapes to mature, yet she didn't see any. Afterwards, she asked Du Xiu Heng, finally learning that this kind of fruit simply didn't exist here.
"Awooo---" The cry was once again heard. Du Xiao Li noticed that the upper layer grape vines had marks of being pressed on. She walked over and saw a silverly white wolf cub whimpering. Its hind leg was tangled in the grape vines. And after a long period of struggling, its fur was somewhat coming off and the scarlet flesh inside could already be seen.
The silver wolf saw Du Xiao Li, and immediately bore its fangs at her, wanting to bite her.
"Sure is quite unruly." Du Xiao Li watched the little silver wolf struggle until the entire grape vine swayed. Fearing that it would damage the grape vines, she took out the dagger from her little backpack and faced the little silver wolf with a murderous aura.
This was Du Xiao Li's first time releasing her murderous aura since coming to this world. In her past life, she can't be said to have killed countless of people, but she still was someone who's walked through the bloody rains and foul winds. If not because of that old grandpa she met when she was young that taught her acupuncture, letting her retain a shred of humanity, the past life her perhaps would've long turned into a killing machine.
The weather was very hot, but Du Xiao Li's surroundings were instead enveloped in a dense cloud of chilliness. That chilliness directly pressed towards the little silver wolf.
At this moment, a person and beast were competing to see just whose aura was stronger, making the other unconsciously surrender.
A wild animal's senses were the sharpest. The strong killing intent coming from Du Xiao Li made the fierceness in its eyes slowly fade away. Seeing the dagger in her hand reflecting a cold light, its entire body shrunk back.
This withdrawal indicated its surrender.
Du Xiao Li relaxed a breath inside. She had to rejoice at the fact that this was just a young wolf. If it was an adult wolf, then today, she would not be able to avoid a bitter fight.
She walked over and crouched down next to the little silver wolf. Placing her dagger to the side, she stroked its back and said, "Seeing how obedient you are, in the future, just follow after me then."