Chapter 1017 - 559: Predicament (Double-Length) (Part 2)

The topic of body figures was one thing, and the other...

Destiny?

Fate?

The river of time?

Did she hear it wrong?

But what confused Zhu Pingniang now was that she had just stepped away for a moment... and how did the topic among the girls shift from discussing women’s body figures to something mysterious even she didn’t dare touch?

Do women’s minds jump around too much?

As for the part where Miss Lu casually mentioned wanting to see Xu Chang’an and Yun Qian grow old together, Zhu Pingniang simply ignored it, assuming she hadn’t heard it.

She’s seen plenty of girls like this; in the Flower Moon Building, on Muyu Peak, even now in the Hehuan Sect—there’s a pile of them.

Who enjoys seeing Yun Qian and Xu Chang’an getting close? What’s the matter?

All she feels witnessing their public displays of affection is jealousy because she and Ah Bai don’t have similar opportunities.

"Listen more? Haven’t you noticed you’ve already been discovered?" Li Zhibai reminded her.

"How could it be? They can’t hear us when we speak." Zhu Pingniang waved her hand dismissively—it was just Yun Qian and Miss Lu.

"And you’ve forgotten about Wen Li, haven’t you?"

Zhu Pingniang: "..."

She indeed forgot.

With a hint of helplessness, she said, "Isn’t it because your student Ah Bai has such low presence? Apart from eating, she hardly makes any noise, so who can remember her?"

"Former student," Li Zhibai corrected, then considered reminding Zhu Pingniang about the incident where her clone was severely beaten by Wen Li. However, deciding it was unnecessary, she proceeded first, pushed open the door, and entered the high platform in the banquet hall.

"Master Li."

"Miss Li."

"Ms. Li."

The three women present reacted differently when they saw Li Zhibai push open the door.

Wen Li directly stood up and walked to Li Zhibai’s side, respectfully bowing. Although she was not a student anymore, she couldn’t call her teacher, yet addressing her as Master Li showed the level of respect she held for it.

Miss Lu’s feelings toward Li Zhibai were quite complex—filled with admiration, a hint of jealousy, and an inexplicable sense of strangeness.

The admiration stemmed from discovering Li Zhibai’s gentleness towards her, the jealousy because of Zhu Pingniang, and as for the strangeness...

It was because Miss Lu suddenly remembered something.

Most of the women in Flower Moon Building were actually meant to accompany Zhu Pingniang as dowry.

So wouldn’t that mean, if Zhu Pingniang did succeed in a relationship with Li Zhibai, she... would eventually become a concubine to Li Zhibai? Upon realizing this, Miss Lu suddenly felt uneasy, her entire logic temporarily unable to sort through it.

But it was true that most women from Flower Moon Building would follow Zhu Pingniang as dowry.

They would trust Zhu Pingniang’s judgment unconditionally... Previously, because of Li Zhibai’s ’coldness’ towards Zhu Pingniang, she felt the idea of success was just wishful thinking, but now it seemed clear that Li Zhibai and Zhu Pingniang’s relationship was quite harmonious—that coldness was merely their unique way of interacting.

In the future, would she really need to marry this gentleman...

How could that compare to serving tea to Miss Yun?

At this moment, Zhu Pingniang’s dearly desired dream wasn’t even comparable to a cup of water in her daughter’s heart. Miss Lu was genuinely sincere, feeling that if she were to serve tea to Yun Qian, as a maid, she might even have the chance to witness the sleeping faces of Xu Chang’an and Yun Qian.

What she meant by sleeping was that in the morning, she would bring two cups of warm water into the room, seeing the sunlight cast on the faces of Yun Qian and Xu Chang’an as they slept.

If a maid could serve to such an extent, she wouldn’t trade it for anything—she could even forgo monthly salary, perhaps even paying silver instead.

What was Li Zhibai in comparison?

Now, Miss Lu was deeply fixated on Zhu Pingniang, worrying her fellow sisters in Flower Moon Building might one day be misled by the unreliable Zhu Pingniang.

"...?" As soon as Zhu Pingniang entered the room, she noticed Miss Lu staring at her intensely, with a tinge of resentment in her eyes, leaving her a bit puzzled.

This isn’t right.

It can’t be right.

When she first arrived, she overheard this troublesome girl saying she was not good enough, wasn’t it?

But now, it seemed as if she herself was the subject of the gossip—a thought even her memory couldn’t quite handle.

With a clear conscience, Zhu Pingniang glared back fiercely.

The troublesome girl would receive a beating she wouldn’t recover from for three days if Ah Bai and Yun Qian weren’t around.

Each of the women harbored their own thoughts, and even Li Zhibai paused momentarily, surprised at how Yun Qian’s address of "Ms. Li" seemed so smooth and natural with Xu Chang’an absent.

It appeared she was truly perceived as a sister by Yun Qian, making Li Zhibai quite delighted. Ignoring Zhu Pingniang’s slightly envious gaze, she took a seat beside Yun Qian.

Hmm.

Due to the chaotic seniority among these women, no one noticed that a few moments of addressing each other actually made Wen Li the youngest among all present. Miss Lu’s call of "Miss Li" implied equality.

Ultimately, she wasn’t Zhu Pingniang’s actual daughter, and when addressing Zhu Pingniang, it was merely "Ms. Zhu."

This inevitably led to an issue.

Previously, at the dining table, the high platform didn’t prioritize hierarchy, allowing everyone to sit freely, and nobody was bothered.

But once the food and table were cleared, replaced by seating suitable for viewing, the seating order among the women became crucial.

True, they didn’t care about chaotic seniority, but rules were rules, especially the strict regulations in Flower Moon Building that women tended not to care about internally but were required to follow rigorously.

As Li Zhibai naturally took her seat beside Yun Qian, she became the one with the highest status among them. Yun Qian’s seat naturally placed her below Li Zhibai. Zhu Pingniang, seeing Li Zhibai’s decisiveness, unwilling to vainly please, simply took a seat on the other side of Yun Qian.

Now, Zhu Pingniang ranked lower than Yun Qian in seating, but it had its rationale.

Yun Qian was recognized as Li Zhibai’s younger sister.

What was Zhu Pingniang in comparison?

Like Wen Li, just one of Li Zhibai’s former students—not quite comparable to Yun Qian.

The pressure shifted to Miss Lu.

She looked at the seat in front of her, glanced back at Wen Li, and intuitively sensed something.

"Sit." Zhu Pingniang patted the seat beside her, signaling Miss Lu to sit quickly, despite her current dissatisfaction with Miss Lu—the underlying jealousy made her more uneasy.

Li Zhibai had Yun Qian, right?

She still had Miss Lu.

Neither was inferior to the other.

But Miss Lu was stuck.

Who was she?

She was the steward of Flower Moon Building, nothing more important than all these little rules. At this moment, she regretted, deeply regretted.

Earlier, she should have addressed Li Zhibai as grandma; now, she’s dug a hole she jumped into.

"Uh, Ms. Zhu, I won’t sit. I’ll stand... Hmm, standing is good." Miss Lu said awkwardly.

"?" Zhu Pingniang looked at her strangely, not quite understanding what Miss Lu was hesitating about. Perhaps in her heart, Miss Lu’s status was naturally higher than Wen Li’s, how could it compare between her daughter and outsiders?

So Zhu Pingniang didn’t care.

Li Zhibai didn’t care.

Yun Qian didn’t care.

Even Wen Li herself didn’t notice, how she, the Senior Sister of Muyu Peak, had instantly dropped a generation, becoming the youngest junior sister as soon as the women sat down.

But Miss Lu cared.

Others might see her status as high—that was their concern. She didn’t believe a woman whose heart was entirely set on serving Yun Qian, devoid of ambition, deserved to sit above Wen Li.

If she was to sit down, she feared she wouldn’t sleep well tonight.

A woman’s heart is detailed in such ways.

"Why stand foolishly waiting—expecting Chang’an? He’s cutting fruit." Zhu Pingniang didn’t give Miss Lu time to think it through, pulling her down while saying, "You might as well take a careful look at Ah Qing, see if she has potential to be Qingyi. If not, let her learn something else."

"...Okay." Miss Lu replied helplessly, covering her face.

Sorry, Fairy Wen.

Wen Li gave her a curious glance, then took her seat directly.