"Changâan, you say... if Qingluo has a child in the future, I think Liu Yiyi is a pretty good name." Zhu Pingniang suddenly said, "Willow Trees, she seems like she canât survive without someone to rely on."
Willow Trees, originally meant the feeling of reluctance in parting.
It also fits her emotions.
Zhu Pingniang clapped her hands lightly for her own idea, obviously very pleased.
Xu Changâan was at a loss.
Does this Ms. Zhu really know what she is talking about?
Xu Changâan had been trying very hard, but he still couldnât keep up with her train of thought. She made even less sense than Miss Yun. At least Yun Qianâs way of thinking could be understood if explained, but Zhu Pingniang was completely beyond human comprehension.
However, in one respect, Xu Changâan felt that Zhu Pingniang was not quite right.
In his view, Miss Liu seemed like an introverted woman who occasionally wore makeup, enjoyed daydreaming, and sometimes blushed, but beneath that delicate and frail appearance was a resilience that even moved him.
If a soul could shine, she would be radiant.
Even Lian Yunqian could remember her name and mention it occasionally, having even said she liked the woman... How could she be the "Liu Yiyi" that Zhu Pingniang described?
But Zhu Pingniang is her mother, and it was not his place to refute her judgment of her daughter.
"Donât look at me like that, what do you know." Zhu Pingniang seemed to guess Xu Changâanâs thoughts. She shook her head gently, twisting her long hair that hung at her waist with her fingers, and said slowly, "Qingluo, that girl, is like a dodder plant by nature. She canât survive without attaching to something."
The dodder plant, like Cyan Rattan, is a lifeform that thrives by clinging to others.
But dodder is an annual parasitic herb that doesnât live long, just a fleeting scene. In this respect, itâs different from Miss Yun.
However, purely in terms of "living by relying on others," Liu Qingluo and Yun Qian should have some common ground for discussion.
ââ
Xu Changâan instinctively felt that Zhu Pingniang talked a bit too much about Liu Qingluo, as if she wanted to explain Liu Qingluoâs importance to her.
Just like her attitude towards Li Zhibai.
Xu Changâan was puzzled why Zhu Pingniang was discussing Liu Qingluo with him since, for him, his connection with Miss Liu was limited and should not involve too much interaction.
And besides.
How could that strong Miss Liu be the weak dodder plant?
Zhu Pingniangâs opinions on people seemed quite different from his own?
However, in medical books, the dodder plant is sweet and warm in nature.
It indeed matches Miss Liuâs disposition. Xu Changâan felt there were some similarities in that aspect.
Zhu Pingniang could sense Xu Changâanâs confusion, so she gave him a deep look, then exhaled a turbid breath, her eyes carrying a hint of disappointment.
How could this junior not have a flirtatious nature?
If he were a bit more flirtatious, things would solve themselves, making everyone happy.
But Zhu Pingniang was only thinking. The foremost problem was if Xu Changâan were truly flirtatious, a man with amorous adventures everywhere, how could the girls at Muyu Peak, including herself and Li Zhibai, be so fond of him?
It was even more impossible for a former Artiste-Courtesan from the brothel like Liu Qingluo to give him a second glance.
So this matter was destined to be unsolvable.
Yet Zhu Pingniang always felt that Liu Qingluo couldnât continue like this.
After being sold into the brothel, LiuâEr lost her lifeâs support, appearing strong while secretly being frighteningly fragile.
Only after losing her host would the strong dodder realize its own weakness.
If she were truly tough to the bone, she couldnât have almost been forced into surrendering herself with just a few words.
This weakness was most evident just after Liu Qingluo redeemed herself. As the girl whose Zither Skill in the Flower Moon Building was second only to her own, Zhu Pingniang paid twelve times more attention to Liu Qingluo.
The brothel work was once what Liu Qingluo relied upon for life, but after redeeming herself, she became lost. So she began obsessively adopting the orphaned girls roaming Beisang City, finding them a path so they wouldnât end up in a brothel.
For a long time before Xu Changâan appeared, this was Liu Qingluoâs spiritual pillar.
Then, upon discovering that the girls didnât need her help, and some even sought to approach the Flower Moon Building actively, Liu Qingluoâs mindset cracked open a breach.
Fortunately, someone later filled this gap.
This was Willow Trees.
Because she was "Liu Yiyi," she would often go to the temple to pray to Buddha for the well-being of her beloved.
Because she was "Liu Yiyi," she was able to adapt to the Immortal Sect so quickly.
A dodder plant only needs a goal to become strong and have no taboos.
But after being told by Xu Changâan that he would be leaving Beisang City to reside permanently in the Immortal Sect, that girl seemed to revert to a dodder plant with no opinion, bewildered and unsure of her path forward.
Zhu Pingniang saw it more clearly than anyone.
The reason Liu Qingluo was willing to cultivate was not just because she wanted to be useful, but more importantly, she wanted to be useful to "him."
To rely on doesnât necessarily mean becoming husband and wife or lovers.
Living for this one purpose without approaching is also an option.
But undoubtedly, the dependency target that Liu Qingluo sought again was too fragile, like a flower in a mirror or a moon in the water, shattering at the slightest touch.
This was very dangerous.
"What a bother, I really owe that girl." Zhu Pingniangâs face turned a bit ugly, muttering, "If that girl had ordinary talents, I could support her, and if her temperament had some issues, it wouldnât matter..."