Chapter 301: A Brief Stay

Chapter 301: A Brief Stay

Xianjin exclaimed, "Wow," as she took the cool tea and sipped it, smiling, "I didn't feel any rough spots on the wood carving at all!"

Qiao Hui also chuckled, his head lowered, "I specially polished it; the worst thing about wooden joints is showing any marks."

Xianjin nodded in understanding and didn't continue the topic. She handed the article in her arms to Qiao Hui, "...just some thoughts I had, could you take a look? When the teacher returns, at least we won't be scolded for idleness."

In the past, there was always the excuse of family business to delay things, but now, having quit without a second thought, she was just an idle person who needed to produce something, no matter how trivial.

Qiao Hui reached out to take it and skimmed through it roughly. It was purely theoretical, with some terms he didn't quite understand, such as "production relations," "productive forces," "value and price," and so on. The content was somewhat eclectic, entirely supported by ideas, not seeking solutions, only aiming to articulate these thoughts clearly.

It was somewhat like... a certain doctrine?

If submitted in the imperial examinations, it might be judged as a lower-grade essay due to its lack of practical application.

But if published, it would be a meritorious act of authorship.

After finishing his scan, Qiao Hui looked up at Xianjin. The young woman, around eighteen or nineteen, gazed at him with eyes like stars, intensely focused, which made Qiao Hui feel both melancholy and joy: he was truly fortunate to have such a perfect presence in this long, ordinary life, one that made him fall.

Qiao Hui remained silent for a long time.

Xianjin couldn't help but become anxious, "Is it really that bad?"

Qiao Hui's throat moved slightly as he carefully rolled up the article and placed it in a wooden box on the side table, "It's very well written, with a kind of... wisdom that transcends the present."

Of course!

A paper standing on the shoulders of Marx's economic theories would definitely surpass feudal economics!

Xianjin found writing this article to be painful, but how could she put it? The level of the thesis topic assigned by Master Qiao was at best an ordinary master's thesis.

This one, however, was at least on par with the best theses of her cohort.

Upon receiving Qiao Hui’s precise evaluation, it was evident that the young girl’s eyes and brows suddenly came alive, vibrant and flourishing.

Like a wintergreen tree, sprouting and growing, slowly yet firmly rooting downward and budding upward, gradually becoming a tall and independent tree.

For a moment, Qiao Hui was lost in thought and murmured, “It’s a good thing you didn’t end up with Erlang…”

His voice was low, some words blending together, making his speech somewhat muffled.

Xianjin didn’t catch it. “Huh?”

Qiao Hui waved his hand, lifted his gaze, and raised his voice, “I said, you’re like a vicious wolf sometimes!”

Xianjin: ?

What’s with the sudden wolf metaphor?

No, personal attack!?

Qiao Hui turned his face away, his mind racing, and tapped the paper on the table. “From the age of fifteen until now, tell me, have you ever stopped for a single day? Expanding your shop, making new paper, finding customers… Now, living in this quiet little village in the suburbs, you manage to find time to write an article—aren’t you just a vicious wolf? Have you ever, not even for a moment, rested?”

Xianjin was taken aback.

If she were to rest, wouldn’t that turn into a farming novel?

“I did rest,” Xianjin replied hesitantly. “A few months ago, I was confined at the Chen family’s place with nothing to do, and I finished reading Master Qin’s latest work, *The Explosively Cool and Awesome Bridegroom Who Ignites the Eight Major Gangs*… I even sent him a letter with my thoughts.”

The main criticism was directed at the book's protagonist for his unrealistic harem fantasies involving eight romantic interests and five servant girls.

"Oh, I did have a rest this morning—I walked a long way upstream along Longchuan Creek!"

Qiao Hui was at a loss for words.

He did feel that Xianjin seemed a bit too tense at times.

He had sensed this for a very long time, and this time after returning, with Xianjin having left the Chen family, this feeling had become even clearer.

She often made people feel like she didn’t deserve to rest.

You're not a machine; running at full capacity all the time will lead to problems.

Qiao Hui leaned back, his hands casually resting on the chair's backrest, his voice calm. "Let me think, these past few days, you've been up at the crow of dawn, starting with a set of Baduanjin or Tai Chi, then eating two large steamed buns, drinking a bowl of millet porridge, and either retreating to your room to read or walking along Longchuan Creek to scout locations. By noon, after eating, you'd nap for a quarter of an hour before repeating the morning routine. In the evening, you'd either read or write..."

A vivid but monotonous account of Xianjin's daily routine.

Xianjin crossed her arms. "You've been keeping tabs on me!"

Qiao Hui rolled his eyes. "Come on, Xianjin!"

"This courtyard of ours is no bigger than the palm of my hand, and your window faces my door. I can hear everything you do, even with my eyes closed, thanks to my sharp ears and keen senses!"

Xianjin remained arms crossed. "So you've heard everything I've said!"

Qiao Hui let out a cold chuckle. "Yes, including the many times you've called yourself a pretty useless vase—it’s enough to give anyone a headache."

Xianjin laughed heartily.

Qiao Hui, thrown off by the interruption, paused before steering the conversation back. "You fill every day to the brim, yet you have no extra demands or desires for food or clothing..."

"Those are external things," Xianjin murmured.

Qiao Hui nodded slightly, smiling. "External things... Xianjin, you don't seem like a young girl; you're more like an ascetic monk."

Living like a monk, always busy.

Qiao Hui's tone was light.

Xianjin was taken aback, but quickly replied, "I'm just being disciplined."

"Is it discipline, or self-imposed hardship?" Qiao Hui's expression remained peaceful. "What is it that you're busy chasing?"

What is it that you're chasing?

Xianjin was momentarily lost in thought.

Maybe you’re chasing the borrowed time of this life.

In her previous life, due to her health, there were so many things she couldn’t do, and so many ideas that never came to be. She had learned numerous skills but could only lie on her sickbed day after day, watching the whitewashed walls, merely existing.

She had died once and often felt that the life she was living now was borrowed, meant to repay debts. She cherished everything deeply, desperately trying to hold onto something, racing against time to catch what she can.

Just like Chen Jianfang.

If she had only waited a little, or spared a bit of energy to take a step towards him, perhaps things wouldn't have ended up this way between them.

Like food and clothing, to her, these emotions were also "external things."

Now that she had left the Chen family, although she didn’t say it out loud, the pressure on her shoulders skyrocketed.

It was like a CEO walking out without a plan, and not just quitting, but taking a whole team with her. Now, seven or eight people relied on her completely. Even though she felt confident inside, the pressure still felt immense.

She had to push herself to act faster.

There wasn’t a second to spare.

This mindset couldn’t be easily labeled as good or bad, but it was definitely unhealthy.

Xianjin hesitated, unsure of what to say.

A sudden gust of wind whipped through the window, forcing its way through the cracks despite the tightly shut windows on the east side. The wind tousled Xianjin’s hair, and Qiao Hui instinctively tucked it behind her ear.

The gesture was so natural that Xianjin didn’t even realize anything was off at first.

"Slow down," Qiao Hui said, his expression calm and attitude gentle. "Take a short rest, pause for a moment. It won’t kill you."

Xianjin frowned. "What should I do when I stop?"

"Look at the flowers, the trees, the water, feel the wind, sip some tea..." Qiao Hui said with a rare gentleness in his eyes. "Everything in the world is not easy. Taking a moment for those 'external things' is a kind of romance in itself."

And him.

He didn’t need her to stop; he would stand by her side with all his strength.

But, please, please, please don’t ever think of this 'external thing' as troublesome or unnecessary.

Qiao Hui’s eyes were as still as water.

After a moment, Xianjin nodded, still a little lost.