On Cuiyu Street, Xu Changāan had a storage pouch hanging from his waist and wore a straw hat, heading towards the rouge shop the girls from Piluo Residence had pointed out.
There were hardly any men around; everywhere were women walking with umbrellas in pairs.
Xu Changāan slightly adjusted his straw hat, letting the curtain hide his face completely.
Thinking about how the girls from Piluo Residence had been staring at him earlier, Xu Changāan sighed.
"I mustnāt steal the spotlight from Miss Yun."
The girls at Piluo Residence should care about Yun Qian, not him.
He said, holding an umbrella as he walked into the deep alley.
As for the hat...
Setting aside Xu Changāanās temperament, at least when facing the girls from Piluo Residence, he was certainly not a petty person, and would definitely not feel that they had overstepped the line just because they had glanced at him a couple of times.
Suddenly wanting a straw hat was purely to cover his face, because too many people here knew him, and he didnāt want rumors spreading among strangers at the rouge shop.
āā
Upstairs on the street.
Zhu Pingniang and Miss Lu sat facing each other in a pavilion, with some scattered snacks and a pot of floral tea in front of them.
Miss Lu couldnāt help but take a deep breath, thinking that the scent of osmanthus mixed with Ms. Zhuās presence really put her in a good mood.
"Ms. Zhu, I know youāre looking forward to dinner, but you should have something to pad your stomach," Miss Lu smiled. "After weāve had tea, weāll pick out evening attire that will surely amaze Young Master Xu tonight."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Pingniang rolled her eyes at Miss Lu and retorted, "Iāve mentioned, Iām going tonight to charm Miss Yun."
Miss Lu: "..."
She was silent for a moment, then lightly stuffed a piece of dim sum into Zhu Pingniangās mouth, after pulling her finger away she said, "Sis, you might as well focus your efforts on the young master, thereās a bigger chance there."
She felt very helpless.
Zhu Pingniang was simply trying to prove her allure after failing to impress Xu Changāan...
But there was no need to target Miss Yun, right?
"Sis, you know Miss Yunās personality too, I think..."
"I donāt want your opinion."
Zhu Pingniang swallowed the dim sum and said through gritted teeth, "Ah Bai said that in Changāanās eyes, I donāt come across as a woman. Okay, he didnāt react to my Dusk Rain Melody, so from his perspective, Iām not a woman... Iāve accepted that."
Zhu Pingniang took a deep breath.
"But I donāt accept it, it should blame Xu Changāan, that kid, for having no heart, not me for lacking charm... Hmph, heās abnormal, surely his wife should have a normal aesthetic?"
Zhu Pingniang didnāt have any grand ambitions; if she could get Yun Qian to say she looks good tonight, that would accomplish her goal.
"Moreover, donāt forget." Zhu Pingniang looked at Miss Lu and said, "Sis, I like women, so naturally I focus on enhancing my appeal towards ladies... If men donāt like me, then they donāt like me, itās not my concern."
Yun Qian is a lady, as long as Yun Qian thinks she looks good, thatās what matters; after all, Li Zhibai is also a woman.
"..."
Miss Lu looked at Zhu Pingniang for a while.
Clearly she liked Ms. Zhu, yet she brought up her crush in front of Lu, and talked about dressing up to charm a young manās wife in the evening.
Really made her not know what to say.
Jealous?
She knew enough about Yun Qian not to actually feel any jealousy.
Left feeling speechless.
"Ms. Zhu, you really know how to cause a commotion, it seems... even if a man could really take you in, youād never settle down," Miss Lu said, handing over another piece of dim sum.
Zhu Pingniang leaned forward, bit into the dim sum, swallowed it whole and gave Miss Lu a sideways glance.
"What nonsense are you on about? Have a man take me in? There used to be some in the Demon Sect thinking that, guess what happened to him?"
"I wonāt guess, such restless girls like you... whoever marries you might find happiness at an end," Miss Lu wiped away some crumbs from Zhu Pingniangās lips. "Only us girls donāt mind you being troublesome."
"What are you talking about," Zhu Pingniang discontentedly glared at her, then seriously said, "Actually, itās not hard for a man to calm me down..."
"Oh?" Miss Lu looked over curiously.
"As long as the man has enough skill to take Ah Bai in."
Zhu Pingniang giggled, "Even if he doesnāt like me, Iād be willing to accompany Ah Bai as his wife or concubine... Moreover, I promise to be stable, definitely not causing any trouble for him. Hmm, as long as I can sleep with Ah Bai, thatās fine."
Upon hearing this, Miss Lu couldnāt help but twitch the corner of her eye.
What does she mean?
As long as someone can win over Miss Ah Bai from the Immortal Sect, Zhu Pingniang would just offer herself?
Buy one get one free?
"Donāt look at me like that," Zhu Pingniang tilted her head, her silver earrings gently swaying.
She wasnāt joking.
"Ah Bai and I are different, her path in cultivation was sheer happenstance... others donāt know this, but I do. Nowadays, she wants to be an ordinary girl, so-called Alchemy Dao, to her, is just dull stuff."
Zhu Pingniang calmly said, "I canāt give her those things, but if thereās really a man who can win her heart, then if it means serving him with Ah Bai, whatās the harm."
"Ms. Zhu, you donāt need to put yourself through that," Miss Lu looked at Zhu Pingniangās serious expression with some fright.
"Putting myself through it?"
Zhu Pingniang clicked her tongue, smiling, "Not at all, you donāt know Ah Baiās personality, if thereās truly a man she likes, he surely is my type too, itās totally not an inconvenience, wouldnāt it rather be... double happiness."