Chapter 171
Chapter 171
Although she felt terribly sorry for Xiyuan Duanmu’s parents, Shengsheng Zhou laughed so hard she could not straighten her back.
Even after leaving the house, she continued imitating Weiqing Song holding the jar. “There is one here… Madam Duanmu has refined tastes. She ignores all those jade vases and favors this jar instead! Hahahahaha!”
*That idiot Weiqing Song tried to use someone’s urn for pickling vegetables! Hahahahaha!*
Zhiyu Jiang patted her back to help her catch her breath. “Don’t laugh so hard. You’ll stretch your skin loose.”
Weiqing stood beside Fusheng Duan with darkness rolling off his face. He said coldly, “Forget the betrothal gifts. Just take her away.”
Fusheng could not hear Shengsheng’s thoughts, but he could roughly guess what she was saying.
He glanced at Xiyuan, who displayed her parents’ urn as a decoration and was now apologizing profusely for the offense. Carefully putting away the little flower he had held all this time, Fusheng said flatly, “I’ve decided on your birthday gift this year.”
How could Weiqing Song possibly refuse an urn suitable for pickling vegetables?
“Get lost!” Weiqing abandoned all decorum and roared.
Looking at his furious friend, Fusheng glanced into the house and frowned slightly. “Where is Siran Ming?”
Weiqing sneered. “Who knows? Perhaps he went to pickle vegetables.”
The words made even him freeze. After swearing colorfully, he continued, “Stay here. I’ll go catch that brat.”
Fusheng had courted death by coughing blood the previous night and felt terribly ill. If Shengsheng had not been present, Weiqing would already have pointed at his nose and cursed him.
Of course, Weiqing’s scolding was unnecessary. Once their misunderstanding was resolved last night, Shengsheng had nearly cursed flowers into bloom all over Fusheng.
Yet it was also Shengsheng who, while everyone else merely thought Fusheng looked unwell this morning, saw at once that he was physically suffering and forcing himself to endure.
Fusheng coughed for a while with his lips curved. Despite feeling wretched, he still wanted to keep a closer eye on her.
“Your Highness, Noble Consort, you…” Xiyuan turned around, only to find the person who had stood in the doorway suddenly gone.
He had moved so quickly that it seemed he vanished into thin air.
“Strange… Where did he go?” She scratched her head in confusion.
…
“You’re saying that anyone who wants to descend the mountain must make an appointment in advance and solve another riddle?”
With her arm linked through Zhiyu’s, Shengsheng widened her eyes.
Zhiyu nodded. “Yes. The rule didn’t exist before, but at the clan meeting a few days ago, the chief adopted my mother’s new suggestion and changed it.”
Shengsheng: “…” So the riddle at the foot of the mountain really had been Xiyuan’s idea.
Zhiyu jostled the white radishes in her basket. “Yes. Even she never expected them to adopt it.”
Thinking of the riddle they would face when descending, contemplation flashed through Shengsheng’s eyes.
Her dear Imperial Brother’s head should have recovered by now, shouldn’t it?
“What is the riddle for descending the mountain?” she asked with an exceedingly gentle smile.
The two chatted all the way to the riverbank.
Along the way, Zhiyu accidentally tripped over a stone, scattering white radishes everywhere.
Shengsheng tried to help pick them up, but Zhiyu refused. “Shengsheng, go on ahead.”
She ran to the river first, crouched down, set aside her basket, and began washing radishes.
The pale, tender radish had barely entered the water when something even thicker and whiter than the radish suddenly appeared beneath the surface.
Shengsheng stopped moving. “Unless I’m mistaken, that’s a leg.”
“The young lady is remarkably clever.”
As soon as Shengsheng finished speaking, a face suddenly floated to the surface.
His skin was almost translucent, the veins beneath it faintly visible. His face was smooth and delicate enough to bruise at a touch.
Shengsheng Zhou met his gaze. The face asked her, “Am I beautiful?”
Shengsheng pointed to her own face and countered, “Do you think you’re more beautiful than me?”
The face studied her seriously. Reluctance entered his eyes, but he answered honestly, “No.”
Shengsheng gave him a look that said he knew what was good for him, then waved. “Kindly move aside. I need to wash my radishes.”
The big white face agreed and genuinely moved aside.
Shengsheng wondered why Zhiyu Jiang was taking so long. Then the radish slipped from her hand and dropped into the water.
At that tiny mishap, the big white face that had been watching quietly beside her abruptly plunged beneath the surface.
Shengsheng had no idea how deep the water was. She failed to find the radish at once, then the person bursting from the water drenched her from head to toe.
“Pfft.” Shengsheng wiped her face and opened her eyes to discover a naked man standing before her with only his important parts covered.
The naked man held two radishes and asked solemnly, “Oh, young maiden washing vegetables, did you drop this silver radish made of silver, or this golden radish made of gold?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Shengsheng answered, “I dropped both. Hurry and return them.”
The big white face nodded. “Neither one belonged to you. You are an honest… Wait. What did you say?”
Shengsheng thought, *If you don’t hand them over, I’m going to snatch them.* “I said I dropped both.”
The big white face: “…” Why did she refuse to follow the script?
Just as Shengsheng stared at the two enormous radishes in his hands with gleaming eyes, Zhiyu finally arrived after collecting the others.
She also held the hand of a little boy whose eyes lit up the moment he saw Shengsheng.
Seeing the big white face, Zhiyu exclaimed, “Third Uncle! Did Third Aunt let you out to embarrass yourself again?”
The big white face addressed as Third Uncle: “…”
This child truly did not know how to speak politely…
Siran Ming trotted over, caught Shengsheng’s sleeve, tilted his head back, and stared up with two glossy black eyes. “Are you satisfied with my betrothal gifts?”
Standing in the river, the big white face pointed a radish at Siran. “She and I haven’t settled our business yet. Get in line.”
Zhiyu turned pale with shock. “Third Uncle! You’re already this old. How dare you flirt with a young girl outside? I’m telling Third Aunt!”
When Zhiyu genuinely turned to leave, the big white face panicked. He threw both radishes over and hurriedly said, “Fine, I’ll give them to you! My good niece, please don’t tell her.”
The moment he finished, he came ashore, produced a set of clothes from some unknown place, dressed at lightning speed, and fled.
Zhiyu’s expressionless face suddenly broke into a smile once he was gone. “Well?”
Shengsheng gave her a thumbs-up. “Good job!”
Then she happily stroked the silver and golden radishes, only to feel that something was wrong.
Looking at the gold and silver powder coating her palm, she and Zhiyu stared at each other.
They were fake.
“Who was he?” Siran’s childish voice interrupted their stunned silence.
Zhiyu looked down at him. “My third uncle, Heshen Duanmu. He’s unbelievably good in the water–true to his name. Recently, he’s taken to cosplaying the River God.”
“My affection was misplaced after all…”
Looking at the two radishes whose color had rubbed off, Shengsheng murmured sadly.