Chapter 409 - 0256 Small Characters (2-in-1)

The rain outside the window was getting lighter and lighter, and by now, there was already a vague sense of dawn breaking.

Xu Chang’an finally drank the tea brewed by Qinling, after all, they had been talking for long enough.

Xu Chang’an put down the teacup, savoring the lingering fragrance on his lips and teeth, thinking that his Aunt was indeed worthy of being called Aunt. The same tea, brewed by her hand, could at least be enhanced by thirty percent.

Well, after all, Muyu Peak specializes in the Six Arts for Women.

Guqin, Go, Calligraphy, Painting, Singing, and Dancing — mastering tea as a conduit for the Six Arts, demonstrates the importance of tea.

Just what else does his Aunt know from the Six Arts for Women?

Xu Chang’an couldn’t quite imagine this Aunt... performing a dance on stage.

"You’re drinking tea, just drink tea, why are you staring at me so intently," Qinling felt a bit strange under Xu Chang’an’s gaze.

"It’s nothing," Xu Chang’an looked away.

"...Strange, forget it, I also have something I want to ask you." Qinling blinked, adjusted herself while holding Mao’Er, and asked with great interest, "You’re Miss Yun’s child foster husband, right."

"...?"

Seeing Xu Chang’an’s expression freeze, Qinling curled her lips then waved her hand, "Alright, I’m not joking... She’s your wife, why do you keep calling her Miss?"

If it weren’t for the fact that the couple’s life was just fine, and she even warned Xu Chang’an not to indulge in desires initially, she would have really thought he and Yun Qian were merely a couple in form.

Looking at Qinling’s sparkling eyes, Xu Chang’an felt that women were all gossipy after all, even this Miss Qin was no exception.

"Aunt, it’s just a title; it can’t mark my feelings for Miss Yun." Xu Chang’an was helpless.

"I know that, which is why I’m asking you... Is this a little quirk between you two?" Qinling tilted her head, meanwhile, the kitten in her arms followed suit, looking rather cute.

She was thinking, if she could take Xu Chang’an’s mode of addressing Yun Qian and recreate it for Zhu Pingniang, she wondered if it would be effective.

"It’s not any quirk, it’s just that I don’t know what to call her." Xu Chang’an said.

"...? Qinling paused for a moment, as if pondering the meaning behind his words.

Then Xu Chang’an explained to her, anyway, Aunt wouldn’t care about losing face in front of him, so he didn’t need to pretend either.

——

After a while, he clarified it.

Xu Chang’an just felt like Qinling was looking at him as if she were a lofty creature viewing a frog at the bottom of a well.

"Xiaochang’an." Qinling covered her face, "I’ve imagined all sorts of possibilities... except that you can’t call it out due to shyness... Truly remarkable of you."

Qinling found it hard to understand.

Isn’t this an old married couple?

He dared to do all those intimate things but couldn’t call out "wife."

While contemplating, Qinling heard Xu Chang’an say.

"Now that I’ve entered the Immortal Sect, I’ve been thinking it’s better not to call her so intimately," Xu Chang’an said slowly. "After all, Aunt, you know my reputation in Chaoyun Sect."

"I know, they say you’re the concubine of the girls," Qinling blinked, then understood.

Was it that he feared his bad reputation might affect Yun Qian’s reputation?

"Are you fooling yourself?" Qinling was somewhat helpless, "Calling her Miss doesn’t mean others won’t know you’re a couple."

Such things cannot be hidden.

"Can influence be minimized?" Xu Chang’an blinked.

"What ambition." Qinling looked at Xu Chang’an’s face, clenched her teeth tight but soon relaxed, "Does your wife have no objections?"

"Already used to it."

Qinling said, "Aside from calling her Miss, the title ’Miss Yun’ actually doesn’t pose a problem, it doesn’t make things seem distant."

Even within a couple, it can be used as a daily term.

"Really?" Xu Chang’an hadn’t expected Qinling could find any merits in his actions.

"Uh-huh, look at me, although occasionally I call out ’Ms. Zhu,’ externally, I still call her ’Miss Zhu’," Qinling thought not only about this, initially she called Yun Qian and now calls Li Zhibai both by ’Miss.’

This title can convey both closeness and distance.

As she spoke, she slightly changed her wording.

"However, you’re a man; it’s still not quite appropriate," Qinling sincerely wanted to give Xu Chang’an some advice to enhance the couple’s relationship, so she said, "Does Miss Yun have a second name? You can call her by that."

"...Second name?" Xu Chang’an paused for a moment.

"Second name is what we often call a courtesy name," Qinling explained, "After a boy’s coming-of-age ceremony, or a girl’s hairpin ceremony, it’s inappropriate to call just the name, thus another name is selected. Does she...? "

Xu Chang’an’s age is not even twenty, so it’s understandable he doesn’t have a courtesy name.

Yun Qian’s age definitely exceeds the age for the hairpin ceremony.

"No, she doesn’t," Xu Chang’an shook his head; of course he was clear whether Yun Qian had any other names.

"Really doesn’t?" Qinling was surprised, "Isn’t she the Miss Yun, how come she doesn’t."

By rules, men at twenty and women at fifteen can take a courtesy name, but in practice, courtesy names are used to express virtues, hence called courtesy names.

Although mostly the names here are meant for men, there are hardly any girls who genuinely have courtesy names in the world.

But judging by Yun Qian’s appearance and bearing, one can clearly tell she’s not from an ordinary family, not to mention a young noble lady. At least she is from a family with literary heritage, how could she live to this age without a courtesy name.

To Qinling, this was very unusual.

"Quite strange?" Xu Chang’an asked.

"Indeed strange," Qinling seriously replied, "Even I have a courtesy name, although I have long ceased using it since I started cultivation, but still, it’s there."

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