Miss Lu widened her eyes and couldnât help but ask, "Ms. Zhu, the Sikong Jing youâre talking about... is it the one Iâve seen before?"
"Youâve seen him?" Ms. Zhu was stunned and then remembered, "Oh, yes, thatâs him... LuâEr, you tell me, that kid is so silly, how could he match my Muyu Peakâs high cliff flower."
"..." Miss Lu didnât speak, because she recalled the details of that day.
At that time, she didnât think much of it, but afterward, some details seemed off, although she never had the opportunity to bring up the topic of the Immortal Sect, now seemed like a perfect chance,
"Ms. Zhu." Suddenly, Miss Lu asked, "You... you and that Young Master Sikongâs father, are you acquaintances?"
"Sikong Jingâs dad? Sikong Lixu?" Ms. Zhu waved her hand repeatedly, "I wouldnât exactly call us acquaintances."
Even if they had the camaraderie from studying together at Ah Baiâs place, they hadnât spoken in years, and the other party never looked at her seriously, so there was no real connection...
"But, why did you suddenly ask this?" Ms. Zhu was a bit puzzled, suddenly unable to understand Miss Lu.
With her understanding of Miss Lu, she thought Miss Lu should be full of interest in the gossip that Wen Li was once married, so why suddenly inquire about Sikong Jingâs father.
"Oh." Ms. Zhu suddenly understood and teased helplessly, "I mentioned Sikong Jing is the Young Sect Leader of the Profound Sword Bureau... You really have an eye for money, donât think about it, I donât know him well, you wonât get any benefits."
Miss Lu: "..."
She smiled helplessly, lowered her eyes, and said nothing.
Would she care about some Young Sect Leader?
Impossible.
Ms. Zhu really is, the only thing that could make her put down her interest in gossip would be Ms. Zhu herself... However, after hearing Ms. Zhu say she wasnât really acquainted with him, she did breathe a little easierâno other reason, Miss Lu later thought how Sikong Jingâs husbandâs might have feelings for Ms. Zhu.
Womenâs intuition?
Not really.
Itâs just that Ms. Zhu is overly dense, at that time Miss Lu was listening nearby, and more than once heard Sikong Jing mention âmy father this, my father thatâ, as the conversation paused, Miss Lu couldnât shake the feeling that the other was emphasizing his fatherâs presence.
Perhaps itâs not a detail worth noting, but Miss Lu just noticed it.
She also knew, maybe it was because she herself liked Ms. Zhu, so any random man appearing seemed to also like Ms. Zhu...
But women are like that, overthinking, imagining, feeling uneasy.
"Are you okay?" Ms. Zhu looked at Miss Lu who was not even interested in gossip, worriedly touching Miss Luâs forehead: "Could it be that these days making you do accounting tired you out?"
"Itâs nothing... Iâm just randomly speculating, no need to take it to heart, sister." Miss Lu coughed lightly.
She also found her unfounded assumptions quite amusing, how could there be such coincidences, how could any man from the Cultivation Realm randomly admire her Ms. Zhu?
If she told Ms. Zhu, wouldnât she be laughed at?
Just think about the sleazy man so fascinated by Miss Yunâs fingers... as long as thereâs someone she likes, itâs fine.
"What about that, what happened to Young Master Sikong? The girls donât seem to have any ill feelings towards him." Miss Lu shifted the topic.
"Oh, the kid is a nice kid, just didnât have a good father, raised him silly." Ms. Zhu waved her hand: "Ah Li, you donât even know what Sikong Jing looks like."
Wen Li nodded.
She didnât know him.
And found it somewhat strange.
Honestly, Wen Li didnât want to discuss men other than her junior brother with Ms. Zhu because itâs meaningless, purely a waste of time.
"The most foolish thing Sikong Lixu did was not understanding Ah Liâs status on Muyu Peak before proposing." Ms. Zhu chuckled, "Nor knowing your past, since youâve been married, how could you accept another proposal? No wonder the girls now get annoyed seeing people from the Profound Sword Bureau."
"...Mm." Wen Li nodded.
And with Wen Liâs acknowledgment, Miss Lu was stunned.
Admitted?
Fairy Wen was indeed married?
Beside her, Yun Qian blinked a little faster, she sat up slightly, looking at Wen Li, "You... also have a husband?"
"Is this considered having or not having one..." Wen Li hadnât responded yet, when Ms. Zhu interjected first, then snapped her fingers and turned to Miss Lu, "Ni Zi, Changâan really likes Li Hua, right?"
Miss Lu: "..."
Wen Li remained very calm.
She knew what Ms. Zhu wanted to say, but itâs okay, it wasnât something shameful, so even if it was about her, she had no psychological fluctuations.
Upon hearing this, Yun Qian squinted, pondering the term Li Hua, glanced at Wen Li.
Miss Lu couldnât help but grit her teeth.
What Li Hua?
Sheâs waiting for the gossip, who would care about Li Hua or not.
"The Young Master really likes Li Hua."
"Right." Ms. Zhu stretched lazily: Above her was a shadow of lamp light, the scenery under her long dress in full view, her slender legs swaying to the rhythm: "Then, just like the ceremony of apprenticeship, you have many MaoâEr in Flower Moon Building, sometimes wanting to gift MaoâEr also requires etiquette, right."
"Etiquette?" Miss Lu was stunned, then nodded, "Yes, isnât it called proposal for raccoon, proposal for cat."
"Proposal for cat?" Yun Qian seemed interested, "Whatâs that?"
Proposal, she understood.
MaoâEr... Itâs about Wen Li then.
At this point, Yun Qian vaguely guessed what Wen Li meant by being married.
"Explain it to Ms. Yun." Ms. Zhuâs smile became even more vibrant.
Miss Lu was originally a bit impatient, but seeing Yun Qianâs interest, her attitude changed completely, she remembered the gentle tone Wen Li used to explain the apprenticeship ceremony to Yun Qian previously, now itâs her turn.
Fairy explaining the apprenticeship ceremony.
She explains the proposal ceremony.
With a slightly softer tone, Miss Lu slowly spoke.
"Miss Yun, Proposal for Cat as the name suggests, according to the rules, to get Li Hua from a maidenâs hand requires giving a betrothal gift."
Ms. Zhuâs eye twitched.
Tsk.
This girl speaking softly really is enough to disgust people.
But as a mother, she wouldnât intentionally embarrass Miss Lu now, so she quietly listened.
"Betrothal?" Yun Qian blinked and said, "Books say betrothal is the exchange of property and money at engagement, how is it related to Li Hua."
"Thatâs an age-old rule." Miss Lu thought for a moment and said, "This little thing, Raccoon Slave, has been raised in Flower Moon Building for years, because it can catch mice, itâs somewhat valued... After all, outside, the mouse plague is still terrifying, Li Hua happens to be a good hand at catching mice, can protect the seedlings in the fields."
"Protecting seedlings?" Yun Qian nodded, her husband also farmed on the island, though there were no mice, she thought of the characters Xu Changâan wrote, pondering: "So, the right half of the character for cat is the character for seedling? How interesting."
"Eh? Is that a thing?" Miss Lu was surprised.
"It is a thing." Ms. Zhu snorted, "You didnât study much, always embarrassing me."
Yun Qian didnât know the apprenticeship ceremony, but she understood character meanings.
"Whatâs there to be embarrassed about?" Miss Lu didnât mind at all, she was going to be Madam Xuâs maid, isnât it the norm to not compare to the madam?
She continued:
"Since it can protect food, Li Hua is important, so those who read referred to leading cats as âproposal for catâ, using âproposalâ to make it look more dignified... And because itâs a proposal for a cat, if you lead a kitten back from somewhere, you have to buy fish and thread willow as a gift."
Using YuâEr as a betrothal gift to "propose" Li Hua home, buying fish threading willow for the raccoon slave is the meaning.
"Wrap salt and obtain a little raccoon slave, fully protect the study with ten thousand scrolls." Ms. Zhu glanced at her for you, agreeing while saying, "But the brothel girls only raise Li Hua because theyâre cute, although they donât quite understand pleasing the owners, they are easy to care for... And the more brothel girls, the more they care about etiquette, hence when they gift cats to each other, they use the term âproposalâ."
"I see." Yun Qian nodded, showing she understood, then asked, "Whatâs included in the betrothal gifts?"