Chapter 60: Closing the Gap

Chapter 60: Closing the Gap

"Go on," Song Que replied after a moment's thought.

With nothing better to do, he might as well listen.

Qin Xiaoyao's eyes brightened as he began to speak.

"In ancient times, far in the east, there was a Flower and Fruit Mountain in the kingdom of Aolai. On this mountain stood a mystical stone that absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, nurturing within it a celestial embryo."

"One day, it cracked open with a resounding boom that echoed through the heavens, giving birth to a stone monkey..."

As Qin Xiaoyao recounted the tale of Journey to the West, he narrated it aloud.

Song Que listened by his side.

Initially, he had intended to subtly probe for more leverage over Qin Xiaoyao while passing the time, but soon found himself genuinely interested.

"Well, that's enough for today. To find out what happens next, you'll have to wait for the next installment."

After recounting the Monkey King's havoc in Heaven, where Sun Wukong left his mark at the edge of the sky with the words "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven Was Here," Qin Xiaoyao yawned and decided to end the story for the night.

Song Que, however, was fully engaged.

Hearing Qin Xiaoyao's words, he felt a tinge of reluctance for the story to end but did not interrupt.

Then, before Qin Xiaoyao could start snoring, he closed his eyes.

As expected, before he could fall asleep, the familiar snoring sound reached his ears from beside him.

To his own surprise, he no longer harbored the urge to strangle the noisy person next to him as he had done previously.

The next day.

When Qin Xiaoyao woke up, the rain outside was still pouring down.

After breakfast, Li Danni arrived later than usual, clad in a straw raincoat.

"Since you're here, help me toss these ramie plants into the stream."

"We won't venture into the mountains until the rain stops," Qin Xiaoyao said.

"Alright!" Li Danni quickly agreed.

"Also, in the future, when it rains, we'll take a break, so you don't need to come over." Qin Xiaoyao added after some thought.

Li Danni's face lit up with joy.

"Deal!"

Then, she started working alongside Qin Xiaoyao.

Together, they carried the ramie plants from the courtyard to the stream and tossed them into the water.

To prevent the ramie from floating away, they took measures to secure it.

Once the work was done, Qin Xiaoyao let Li Danni return home.

Back at the Song residence, she enjoyed her first day of leisure.

But Qin Xiaoyao wasn't one to sit idle. Uninterested in weaving straw shoes with her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she decided to brew medicine for her beautiful husband instead.

And she planned to change Song Que's medicine ahead of schedule.

After preparing the tools and ointment, Qin Xiaoyao headed to the adjacent room.

Song Que was sitting at the head of the bed, copying the book he had brought back from town.

Upon seeing Qin Xiaoyao enter, he didn't frown as he usually did.

He merely glanced at her before looking away.

"I'm here to change your medicine," Qin Xiaoyao said.

She felt a sense of delight inside.

It was a good sign that he didn't immediately frown upon seeing her, wasn't it?

Song Que lifted his head again and looked at Qin Xiaoyao.

Then, he put down his writing brush and shifted his body.

Next, he cooperated with Qin Xiaoyao, placing his leg on the small stool she had brought.

"Thank you," he said.

Qin Xiaoyao froze momentarily, suspecting she was experiencing an illusion.

Had her beautiful husband just spoken to her?

"N-no problem," Qin Xiaoyao stammered in response.

Then, she got to work.

"Can you continue the story from last night?" Qin Xiaoyao heard Song Que's voice above her head.

"Sure." Qin Xiaoyao agreed readily.

Immediately after, while changing the bandages for Song Que, she continued telling the story from last night.

She was focused on her task, her eyes fixed on Song Que's leg.

But she didn't notice that Song Que had been looking down at her the entire time.

His expression was filled with curiosity and seriousness.

Suddenly, the wound was pulled, causing Song Que to furrow his brows in pain.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?! I—I'll be more careful from now on!" Qin Xiaoyao looked up, only to meet Song Que's deep gaze instantly.

Her heart then began pounding wildly once again.

"It's fine. Please continue," Song Que quickly adjusted his expression, speaking gently.

For the first time, he realized that he didn't find it annoying when this woman gazed at him like a lovesick fool.

Instead...he felt—

Forget it...

Qin Xiaoyao regained her composure.

"Alright." Blushing, she lowered her head.

Then she continued helping Song Que change his bandages and narrating Journey to the West.

The bandage-changing process ended quickly.

Qin Xiaoyao made a move to help Song Que sit back in his previous position.

Just as she realized that her action might not be entirely appropriate, unexpectedly, Song Que extended his hand in cooperation.

Qin Xiaoyao's heart skipped a beat.

She then reached out to support Song Que, not daring to look at him throughout the entire process.

Song Que, however, stared straight at Qin Xiaoyao, his eyes still filled with curiosity.

Finally, Qin Xiaoyao helped Song Que to his seat.

"That's it, I—I'll leave first." Bowing her head, Qin Xiaoyao still didn't dare to look at Song Que.

Damn it, was Handsome Husband staring at her just now?

They were so close that she could feel his breath.

"Mm-hm." Song Que replied indifferently.

Qin Xiaoyao hastily gathered her things and fled in disarray.

It wasn't until she stepped out of the room and the cool air brushed against her face that she calmed down.

This won't do! Qin Xiaoyao, you can't keep going on like this!

You need to build up some resistance gradually.

Otherwise, how will you interact with Handsome Husband in the future?!

After reminding herself internally, Qin Xiaoyao made up her mind.

From now on, she couldn't avoid Handsome Husband anymore.

Moreover, she should talk to him more and get used to being around him.

By noon, the sky finally cleared up.

As Qin Xiaoyao was washing dishes, Li Danni came over again.

A basket was strapped to her back, containing a sickle and a small hoe inside.

"The sun has come out after the rain; there must be plenty of mushrooms sprouting in the mountains now. Third Sister, let's not go far today. Let's just pick mushrooms in the few mountains behind us," Li Danni said with a smile.

Mainly because the paths in the deeper mountains were even harder to navigate, and it was easier to slip after the rain.

Qin Xiaoyao nodded.

"Deal! I've been craving mushroom soup. Besides, Lucky Mansion Restaurant must also buy mushrooms."

Even if they didn't buy them, drying them for storage would work too.

Thus, after Qin Xiaoyao tidied up the kitchen, the two of them headed into the mountains together.

However, upon reaching the back mountain, they discovered that there were quite a few people picking mushrooms.

Most of them were half-grown children from the village.

Upon inquiry, they learned that the children often went up the mountain to pick mushrooms after the rain.

Some took them home to cook, while others actually fed them to chickens.

Seeing some children picking a considerable amount of mushrooms, an idea formed in Qin Xiaoyao's mind.

"Do you think if we publicly buy mushrooms at one coin per catty, would anyone be willing to sell?" Qin Xiaoyao asked Li Danni.

The mushrooms in the mountains were generally small and light.

For one catty, quite a considerable amount would be required to make up the weight.

If she and Li Danni picked mushrooms, even if they worked quickly, they likely wouldn't gather much by midday. It would be more efficient to directly purchase them.

One copper coin per catty might not catch the interest of adults, but children should find it appealing.

Li Danni pondered over this.

"It's worth a try," indicating her agreement.