Chapter 530 - 0316 Making People Feel at Ease (Two-in-One)_2

Xu Chang’an: "..."

"Ms. Zhu."

Xu Chang’an sighed: "Is there something you can’t just tell me directly?"

So after all this fuss, she wants him to personally cook for her.

It’s such a small matter, is it necessary to be so roundabout?

And also...

So Zhu Pingniang deliberately instructed him to dine in the private room to wait for him here?

If he eats hers, he has to cook for her?

Ms. Zhu, Senior Zhu?

Are you a little girl?

Xu Chang’an was rather tired.

He just assumed Zhu Pingniang was jealous because Li Zhibai went to his house for a visit, so she wanted to taste the cooking her teacher tasted. He wasn’t surprised by Zhu Pingniang’s request at all.

"Nonsense, you’re asking your sister for help, and you want sister to beg you?" Zhu Pingniang, seeing he finally understood, said irritably: "Moreover, up to now, have I ever seriously asked you to do anything?"

Xu Chang’an shook his head.

"So, if I request you to do something, that would be the first time." Zhu Pingniang smiled: "That’s very important for a woman... how could it be used for a meal."

Seeing Zhu Pingniang acting like a mischievous girl, Xu Chang’an pretended not to hear and said seriously: "Whatever Chang’an can do, I will not refuse."

Not to mention a meal, Zhu Pingniang has helped him so much, he’s not ungrateful.

"You don’t understand." Zhu Pingniang waved her hand.

She’s joking.

Xu Chang’an is so mysterious now; who knows what his background is, so... she wants to save this "first time" request for a critical time. Even if it’s a joke, she doesn’t want to say it.

"Alright, enough of the nonsense, what do I want to hear?" Zhu Pingniang stared at Xu Chang’an.

Xu Chang’an looked at Zhu Pingniang’s expectant eyes and smiled wryly, then said: "Ms. Zhu, when I return, Chang’an will prepare a dinner feast. If you grace us with your presence, I’ll make sure you’re satisfied."

"Great, I want to eat the buns Qian Cheng had, and... some of Ah Bai’s favorite dishes as well." Zhu Pingniang laughed, hugging the preserves on the table and said to Xu Chang’an: "I’m taking these preserves too."

Xu Chang’an watched Zhu Pingniang’s self-satisfied joy and was momentarily speechless.

She’s supposed to be a senior, a Hidden Immortal...

Perhaps this is just how women are; those thoughts are naturally beyond his grasp.

"Alright, do you have anything else to tell me?" Having achieved all her goals, Zhu Pingniang couldn’t wait to taste Xu Chang’an’s cooking and just wanted to send him to the kitchen: "Speak if you have something to say, if not... most of the ingredients have been prepared by Lu’Er, once it’s done, I’ll come to eat, and I’ll provide whatever ingredients you need..."

"Ms. Zhu, about Miss Yun..." Xu Chang’an reminded her.

"I won’t forget, isn’t it just a few cultivation techniques?" Zhu Pingniang thought for a moment and said: "I will tidy up my collection after dinner, then help you and Miss Yun look into her constitution, and select the appropriate ones to send over."

"That’s a hassle." Xu Chang’an breathed a sigh of relief, then suddenly remembered something.

"What is it?" Seeing this, Zhu Pingniang was a bit puzzled. She busied herself mixing the black and white chess pieces into chaos, lazily dumping them all into the chess basket without arranging them, prepared to leave the mess for the next group of girls to play.

After sitting upright, she asked.

"Chang’an, is there really something you want to say to me?"

"To Ms. Zhu, indeed there is." Xu Chang’an gave a light cough, then pointed at the curtain that Zhu Pingniang pulled up, indicating that their current situation was being watched by the girls outside, which might not be so convenient.

"What do you mean?" Zhu Pingniang blinked, turned her head, then was momentarily stunned.

While she was playing chess earlier, she casually pulled up the curtain, and now all the affairs inside the chess pavilion were visible for others to see.

It was clearly raining outside, yet that group of impertinent girls was crowded together, holding umbrellas, looking in their direction for amusement.

Oops.

With the curtain up, doesn’t it mean... they all saw her act pitifully to pull on Xu Chang’an’s clothes just now?

Zhu Pingniang looked down, seeing her disheveled long hair, and her eyes had a faint hint of red embarrassment.

She gritted her teeth and said: "You little rascal, why didn’t you remind me earlier."

"I just remembered too." Xu Chang’an coughed lightly.

In fact, he had noticed earlier when Zhu Pingniang pulled the curtain, but since he was a junior, he thought Zhu Pingniang did it on purpose, so he didn’t say anything.

The reason he mentioned it now was because his next action could easily be misunderstood, prompting him to want her to pull down the curtain... Unexpectedly, Zhu Pingniang hadn’t deliberately done it for the girls outside to see.

"...Damn it, I wonder what they’ll laugh about me now." Zhu Pingniang tossed an angry glance at the rain outside the window, then pulled the curtain shut.

Thus, the light in the chess pavilion dimmed once more, and Zhu Pingniang muttered: "Tell me what you have to say later, let me fix my clothes first."

"Okay." Xu Chang’an nodded, courteously closing his eyes.

Zhu Pingniang gave him a satisfied look. In the slightly dimmer environment, the hint of red on her ears was not very apparent, and her black hair draped over her shoulders softened her appearance slightly.

"Those darn girls, if rumors spread, watch me tear their mouths." Muttering, Zhu Pingniang took out a red hair tie, quickly tying her hair into a neat ponytail, simple yet beautiful.

Then she arranged her disheveled clothes.

"Alright, what’s the matter, tell me." After Xu Chang’an opened his eyes again, Zhu Pingniang curiously spoke: "I’m quite curious what matter requires such discretion that others shouldn’t see?"

She didn’t want to be teased by the girls, and Xu Chang’an wasn’t afraid of misunderstandings because this child is always upright and fearless.

But just as Zhu Pingniang finished speaking, she saw Xu Chang’an take out an exquisitely beautiful letter and present it in front of her.

"...???"

Zhu Pingniang was stunned for quite a while, even forgetting to reach out to take it, dumbly staring at the letter in Xu Chang’an’s hand.

With just a glance, she saw a line of fine print on it, written in the common script of the Chaoyun Sect.

[To Miss Zhu, with fond thoughts during this long absence...]

Such a phrase, expressing one’s affectionate sentiments, often implies expressing admiration or love.

"Chang’an." Zhu Pingniang moved a little farther from Xu Chang’an and, without realizing it, her voice turned slightly serious: "What... is this?"

No wonder he insisted on closing the curtain.

"Ms. Zhu, open it, and you will know." Xu Chang’an felt helpless, but this was something he promised Qinling, to make sure Zhu Pingniang opens the letter without learning beforehand that it was written by Qinling.

Otherwise, Zhu Pingniang might not read it.

Because of this, Qinling didn’t use her own handwriting on the envelope.

He had to deliver the letter.

This was also why Xu Chang’an didn’t take it out in public. Those girls outside couldn’t hear what he was saying to Zhu Pingniang, but if they saw him giving a letter to her, they would undoubtedly imagine all sorts of stories, so naturally, he had to be cautious.

"..." Zhu Pingniang shot Xu Chang’an a curious glance, then opened the letter.

Immediately, she saw the all-too-familiar handwriting inside, from the "Rebellious Daughter," along with some cheesy words that made her eye twitch.

So that’s how it is.

No wonder she had a momentary misunderstanding; she wasn’t aware of Xu Chang’an’s good relationship with Qinling—so much so that Qinling would have him deliver her letters.

So...

While she had asked Xu Chang’an to help her approach Li Zhibai, she hadn’t realized that Qinling had earlier sought Xu Chang’an’s assistance for the same cause?

Rebellious Daughter.

How did she manage to raise such a rebellious girl?

Miss Zhu gritted her teeth in anger.

Fortunately, Qinling’s over-the-top, mushy chatter didn’t go on for long. Apart from the beginning, the rest explained her acquaintance with Xu Chang’an, some matters concerning Yun Qian, and the information she’d helped Zhu Pingniang gather about Li Zhibai’s recent activities.

Qinling took it upon herself to help her investigate Li Zhibai...

For a moment, Zhu Pingniang felt a complex array of emotions.

But soon, her expression turned grim, and she clenched her teeth till they made an audible sound.

"Chang’an, how did the Jade Dew Wine I gave to Ah Bai end up in her hands!"