Chapter 13: What is Called Liking

“You want to learn how to weave flower wreaths?” Hu Youning asked curiously, “But didn’t you say you had no feelings for Li Niang? Once you give this wreath, you’ll be accepting the Mountain Goddess’s blessing.”

He stared at the stunned young man, “Jiujiu, don’t you want to separate from Li Niang?”

“How, how could that be.”

Meng Jun lowered his head, secretly took a breath, and lied, “Of course I want to separate.”

“This flower wreath, I want to learn to make it to give to Wei elder sister.” The young man finally spoke without much stumbling.

Hearing this, Hu Youning’s expression relaxed, and he immediately leaned closer to Meng Jun, gossiping, “Wei elder sister? Is she the woman you’re thinking of?”

“Mm.” The young man nodded somewhat nervously, casually plucking a small red flower beside him and bringing it to his nose to smell.

The scent that entered his nose was sweet and clear, quite similar to Li Ruantang’s hair fragrance.

These past two days, the young man would wake up in the morning on her pillow, so he was very familiar with it. He wondered how a woman could smell so fragrant, it was extremely pleasant.

She had only been using his bathwater to bathe.

Meng Jun puzzledly lifted a lock of his own hair to smell, then dejectedly let it drop. His mind wandered as he was distracted.

The young man continued to pluck several flowers of the same color, carefully cradling them in his robe. In the end, he was muttering about using them for a bath tonight.

How could he, as a man, be outdone by Li Ruantang.

“Jiujiu.”

Hu Youning glanced at the young man who was focused on picking flowers and said softly, pursing his lips, “Tell me, what does it feel like to like someone?”

“I’ve read some novels, but each book describes it differently.”

Hu Youning tugged at his sleeve, quite troubled, “There’s passionate entanglement, there’s lovesickness like red beans, and even life and death togetherness. But no matter which kind, the books only write that feelings arise without knowing why.”

“I can’t very well ask my father about this.” He paused, his eyes filled with confusion, “Jiujiu, how did you know you liked Miss Wei?”

“Me?!” The young man’s flower-picking hand paused, and for once, he seriously pondered.

In fact, he wasn’t very familiar with Wei elder sister. They had only written a five-character quatrain together at a poetry gathering, inspired by the scenery. They hadn’t even had a proper conversation.

Moreover, if it weren’t for going to Qingshan Academy last year with his male friends to watch the female students shoot arrows, he wouldn’t have known that there was such a talented woman in the capital.

It was all by chance.

He happened to see Wei Yunruo, who excelled in both horsemanship and archery, as well as in literary talent, standing out among her peers in both appearance and character.

Just a single glance and faint smile on the archery field had caused many young men to blush.

Additionally, in the spring examination this March, she had topped the national rankings and was retained in the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. It was known that the current Prime Minister, Su Jin, had risen step by step from the Hanlin Academy.

With such glory and promising prospects, which young man wouldn’t be moved?

Earlier, Han Fushi had told him that many noble young men in the capital had their eyes on Wei elder sister. But she valued loyalty and was willing to observe a year of mourning for the young man she was engaged to who had died, which put an end to the noble families’ thoughts of forming alliances through marriage.

Thinking of this, Meng Jun cautiously said, “Well, about that.”

Sitting on a large rock, he counted on his fingers as he spoke to Hu Youning, “Wei elder sister is of upright character and has achievements to her name. She has a promising future and is gentle, naturally the best choice for a wife-master.”

Although he had only seen Wei Yunruo three times, he still had to blow his own trumpet a bit.

Meng Jun raised his eyebrows slightly, “Moreover, so-called liking is when you think of her, your heart becomes very happy. Every time I see Wei elder sister, I feel very happy, so naturally, I like her.”

“Then……” Hu Youning listened with confusion and asked, “What about Li Niang?”

“You’re asking about my wife-master?”

The young man rested his chin on his hand and spoke without thinking, “Now, she’s very good at peeling potatoes, and she takes care of me attentively, helps me wash my clothes, and even helps me remove small bones from fish.”

He spoke without any particular order, simply saying whatever came to mind. Each and every thing was a tiny detail.

The young man remembered them clearly.

At this moment, he seemed to have thought of something again. Those beautiful phoenix eyes were bright and shining, as if inlaid with the night sky’s stars, brilliant and dazzling, yet unexpectedly quiet, just secretly smiling.

Hu Youning fell silent.

Although Jiujiu hadn’t said he was happy, the corners of his lips were raised much higher than when he had mentioned Wei elder sister earlier, incomparably happier.

If according to what Jiujiu had just said about how one behaves when they like someone……

Hu Youning shook his head slightly. Jiujiu had no reason not to know his true feelings. He suppressed this absurd thought and asked again, “Jiujiu, from what you’re saying, was Li Niang not like this before?”

“Not exactly.” Meng Jun furrowed his brows as he recalled. Actually, Li Ruantang’s personality when she was young wasn’t much different from how she was now with her lost memories.

It was just that since she returned from the military, her entire person had a cold sharpness about her, like a frost-covered blade.

She was indifferent to everyone, expressionless, giving off an unapproachable aura. As a result, whenever he encountered Li Ruantang near their home, he felt somewhat afraid.

Unlike now, when she would smile at him with curved eyes and gently call him Jiujiu.

Thinking of Li Ruantang’s anxious appearance last night when she apologized and offered him a flower wreath, the young man’s ear tips secretly turned red.

Actually, she was a thoughtful and gentle person, just a bit slow. But this wasn’t a big deal, so the young man looked solemnly at Youning and very seriously concluded, “My wife-master, she was just a bit unromantic before.”

“But, Youning, you’re asking this, do you have someone you like?” Meng Jun winked at him mischievously.

“No. I, I was just asking casually.”

Hu Youning, his heart’s secret touched upon, was startled and stumbled over his words. Those naturally smiling eyes darted about nervously. Glancing at the grass, he immediately brightened up and changed the subject, “Jiujiu, look, it’s astragalus!”

This wild astragalus was rare and excellent for nourishing blood and qi.

Hu Youning took a few steps forward and dug into the soil with his hands, “Jiujiu, it looks like we should go home first to get a small shovel. With astragalus, we can help nourish Li Niang’s body tonight.”

He spoke excitedly, but the young man behind him had no reaction.

He stood quietly, the small flowers that had been neatly tucked in his robe now scattered on the ground.

“Youning.” Meng Jun secretly clenched his fingers, “Didn’t you say no one at home could identify medicinal herbs? So where did you learn this from?”

“……”

Hu Youning lowered his head in silence, inwardly blaming himself for being careless. He had promised Li Niang, but now he had let slip, and feared he had betrayed her trust.

The young man’s eyes gradually cooled. Youning wouldn’t lie without reason; it must be that the place Li Ruantang went was dangerous, that’s why they were hiding it from him.

Meng Jun recalled the dream he had this morning and felt increasingly uneasy.

He frowned, not waiting for Hu Youning to explain, and said, “Youning, where exactly did my wife-master go?”

***

When he discovers Jiang Yang has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…

(Female-dominant)

One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.

Synopsis

During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.

Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.

Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”

Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.

Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”

With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.

Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?

He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”

_____

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