Chapter 61 Demon Incense Factory (6)

The first time they attempted to scout out the incense factory at night, they failed without a single gain.

First, there was that absolutely random appearance of Princess Duanyang, stubbornly insisting on confessing to Liu Fuyi. After he tactfully rejected her, Liu Fuyi couldn’t be at ease letting her go back by herself while bawling so terribly. He directly sent her all the way back to Fengyang Palace that night.

There was also Mu Sheng. After resting for an hour within the woods, his complexion suddenly changed. Mu Yao had asked him if he was feeling unwell but he shook his head.

It had been a long time since Mu Yao last showed concern to her younger brother. She warmly raised her hand, thinking to check the temperature of his forehead, “Ah Sheng, let me see.”

Usually, he would’ve long rushed over to her in great delight and acted like a spoiled child. This time however, he stiffly dodged her hand. Then, he walked into his room without any emotions showing on his face.

Mu Yao asked Miaomiao in shock, “….What’s going on with him?”

As Miaomiao had been rather infuriated by the black lotus, and her face showed it, “How would I know? He’s sick.”

Her voice was crisp and sweet. Her voice managed to directly pierce through the door panel and entered Mu Sheng’s ears. He was sitting on the floor, back against the couch bed. His watery black pupils were fixed on the bricks making up the floor. Like that, 2 hours passed in the blink of an eye.

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“It’s so delicious!” Miaomiao sincerely praised.

Madam Shi let a small laugh escape. Her double chin became ever more obvious and her beautiful lips curled up as she continued in a very warm tone, “Miss Ling has a good tongue. Today’s jasmine tea is specially used to pair with these desserts.”

A look of realization fell upon Miaomiao’s face.

Normally the congregation of three women would be extremely lively and cheerful, but Mu Yao wasn’t good at this kind of situation. From the start, she never really spoke. As a result, it was only Madam Shi and her talking.

“System Notification: Character 【Mu Sheng】 Favorability has reached 75%, please keep up the good work~”

Miaomiao was distracted by the sudden notification that popped up, her head turning into a mess. Using the excuse of taking a sip of tea, she started to question life: Mu Sheng was staying all by his lonesome without even seeing her, how could his favorability possibly increase? ² [2] I usually don’t do self-inserts like this cuz it breaks from the reader’s immersion but I really have to say… Miaomiao is a block head.

……. What in the world was he doing in his room?

By the time her thoughts winded down, Mu Yao had started to ask questions, “Madam Li, ³ If you’re wondering why she has a different name, Shi is sort of her first name as strange as it is. Li is her ‘new’ last name. might I ask where your maiden family is?”

Madam Shi warmly replied, “My maiden family… is close to Lingqiu. My maiden name was Fei and I was the tenth daughter in my family. My neighbors called me Madam Shi.”

“Lingqiu…….” Mu Yao scrunched her brows, “Madam, you and Li Zhun met one another in Jiangnan. The distance between Lingqiu and Jiangnan, one is in the north and the other in the south, did you……”

“Oh, when I was young I went out to travel and experience the world.” Madam Shi smiled, her reply completely watertight. “I left Lingqiu, and learned what I could while on the road. I followed some great shamans and learned some superficial knowledge. Originally, I planned to settle in Jiangnan to open a clinic to make a living.”

Naturally, this plan to open a clinic fell through as Madam Shi was married into the wealthy Li Zhun’s family.

Mu Yao continued to ask, “Madan, when did you meet Young Noble Li then?”

Ling Miaomiao felt like she was sitting on pins and needles as she listened, wishing so much that to just remind Mu Yao that her tone of voice was just too tense. It didn’t sound like she was chatting, but more like an interrogation. However, Madam Shi maintained her friendly demeanor the whole time. A smile still hung on her face and she very smoothly replied to Mu Yao, “When I met Ah Zhun, he was still very young…..”

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, her expression somehow both nonchalant and melancholic. It was as if she was seeing past the layer of emptiness before her eyes and reliving the countless memories of many years.

“How young?”

Madam Shi suddenly recalled herself: “Oh, back then Big Sister Fang was still here and Chuchu hadn’t been born yet. They were very intimate. Every night, they would hold hands and go out for walks. Ah Zhun would ask Big Sister Fan, ‘Do you think the child in your belly is a boy or a girl?’. Big Sister Fang would reply with, ‘I’m guessing that he’s a boy as handsome as you.’ Ah Zhun would smile then rub her stomach while saying, ‘I also want a daughter that’s as beautiful as you.’”

She looked somewhat sad as she lowered her eyes, tone softening, “Afterwards, Big Sister Fang would always sit in the courtyard by herself to cry as her body was never well.”

Mu Yao slightly narrowed her brows. She felt like there was something off about Madam Shi’s story but she couldn’t immediately place her finger on what exactly was out of place.

“Afterwards, she gave birth to Chuchu. Big Sister Fang passed away due to her dyspnea flaring up in the midst of childbirth. I saw Ah Zhun carrying his child everyday while sinking into sorrow.” Madam Shi paused for a moment, “Chuchu also had the same condition as her mother. I worked hard to learn medical skills all for the sake of helping Ah Zhun. Two years after that day, Chuchu’s dyspnea suddenly erupted. The wet nurse looking after her was somewhat negligent, so she nearly lost her life. Fortunately, I managed to arrive on time…..”

As Mu Yao listened, her expression turned into one of vacance, “So Madam… you’re saying you and Li Zhun had long known one another, you were just….. friends?”

Madam Shi moved her lips to utter the final words, her lips ending up pursed into a smile, “Yes, friends.”

A young boy swept aside the hanging curtain, running while accompanied by soft tinkling sounds, “Big Sis Mu, Brother Liu is back. He’s in the courtyard waiting for you.”

Mu Yao had been hung up thinking about Liu Fuyi all day long. She was afraid that the palace would make things hard on him because of the matter with the princess. Upon hearing this, she immediately stood up, “Madam, please excuse me.”

Madam Shi smiled thinly and nodded, watching her leave.

Miaomiao had been hesitating over whether or not she should also find some excuse to take her leave but she heard Madam Shi’s sweet voice ring out, “Miss Ling, please stay for a moment.”

Miaomiao spun around and asked with amazement, “Madam, do you have anything you want to tell me?”

Madam Shi no longer sat as upright as she had been earlier; she sat back in a somewhat indolent manner. Her beautiful and slender wrists raised a cup of tea, just like a beautiful woman pouring wine. If it wasn’t for her slothful expression, it would’ve absolutely been an enchanting action.

She watched Ling Miaomiao, then chuckled twice without any clear indicator as to why. Her laughter was exceptionally pleasant to listen to, “I know that Miss Mu has always been suspicious of me so she continually questioned me just now. You are also very curious towards me right? Why don’t you ask anything?”

Ling Miaomiao was stunned. A sort of shame from being found out effused her mind, “It’s… true I was curious about Madam.”

Madam Shi took a sip of tea but the way she drank was just like how one would drink wine. Without any warning, her tone almost immediately took on a few notches of drunkenness: “Aren’t you curious about how an appearance like this….” Her beautiful, long fingers gently caressed her own face and shallow eyelids, “was able to make Ah Zhun fall deep in love with me?”

“Not at all not at all….” Ling Miaomiao anxiously waved her hand. Although Madam Shi’s face looked like a carp, with her eyes set wider than most, all the other facial features that should be there were there. She wasn’t missing arms or legs either. With her appearance, she was worthy of being a target to pursue. She didn’t need to be so self-abasing.

Madam Shi softly chuckled a few times. It seemed like her reply had amused her:，“Don’t you want to ask me so you can also get someone to love you as unswervingly as I have?”

Miaomiao thought back to her own target that was as puzzling as a maze. She couldn’t help but nod her head, “Madam please tell me then, how do I get someone to love me unswervingly?”

Madam Shi’s eyes turned into slits from her smile, “Ah Zhun likes me because….” She returned the topic back to herself, her expression turning very serious, “In this world, no one loves him as much as I do.”

“I personally helped him cook three meals a day and took the effort to learn the cuisine of all sorts of places. I’ve sewn his summer and winter clothes, made his belts and embroidered his pouch. When he’s healthy, I serve at his side when he is treating guests. When he is sick, I wait on him by the side of the bed. I’m willing to accept all of his weak points, and love all of his shortcomings. I understand everything he likes. I love all that he loves, and hates all that he hates. I protect all that he protects and withstands all that he wants to withstand. I’m willing, for him, to use all my time, energy, abilities and even my life. In this world, he cannot find someone who loves him more than me.”

“……..” Ling Miaomiao was absolutely dumbstruck as she stared blankly at Madam Shi.

Madam Shi lifted up her cup and used her clear and sweet voice to speak. Though her tone was evidently calm, when she reached the last few words, Miamiao could nearly see waves swelling up from the riverbank and crashing down, the curtains of a great show falling with the applause of the tide.

“Do you understand? The greatest principle to getting someone to love you unconditionally is this single rule.”

She used her slender, exquisite fingers to squish her beautiful lips. Some anguish seemed to surface from the depths of her irises, just like the surge of the last note of a pipa: “—-to give the same level of love.”

By the time Ling Miaomiao stepped over the doorstep, her head was still filled with confusion and chaos. Coincidentally, she managed to come face to face with Mu Sheng.

The youth had returned to normal. However, there was a depth of emotion she couldn’t understand in his eyes: “Liu Fuyi has returned, we’re having a feast tonight.”

“….Oh.” Her mind still wandered as she nodded absentmindedly, brushing past his shoulders.

Mu Sheng turned around to watch her fading back. Ling Miaomiao didn’t know where her head was at the moment. All she knew was that she had to continue walking forwards. However, she walked slowly and with rather weak steps, as if… she was feeling sentimental… or perhaps downtrodden.

His brows creased.

Ling Miaomiao stared blankly at the hibiscus freshening up the side of the path. She was thinking in her heart: Using love to gain love…. Was a truly stupid method. If it was the right person, it would equate to twice the effect given just half the effort. On the other hand, what if they weren’t the right person, but the wrong one? That would unfortunately just be a tragedy in the making. Not just hurting your heart, but you might not even gain a shred of care for all the love you poured out.

It was just that… a woman who could pour out her love like an eternal fountain… could they possibly be evil? Or, in other words, once love goes past the realm of normality, it could also become twisted into resentment and hate. Until in the very end, all that was left was anger.

The author has something to say:

I love plot, I love every supporting character. Heart.

Footnotes:

[1] Cakes/Pastries: 

Chestnut Cake:

Walnut Pastry:

Cherry-Blossom Pastry: (I’m not sure if it’s this kind of pastry or if it’s more of a stuffed kind….)

White Cake:

Little Z: :drooling: :feed me:

Entropy: patpat