The Husky and His White Cat Shizun - Chap 145
The forest was dyed red, and the busy farming season was over.
The villagers of Yu Liang Village prepared several large and small bags filled with dried meat, rice cakes, spices, and coarse cloth. They kept stuffing them into the arms of Chu Wanning and Mo Ran.
Although there was no lack of food and clothing at the Peak of Life and Death, this was the goodwill of the villagers, and it would be bad if they didn’t accept it. Thus, the two didn’t stand on ceremony and helped the village chief fill up the bags.
Ling ‘er also came with a bamboo basket in her arms. The basket was covered with a small piece of blue cloth, and when the cloth was lifted, it was revealed that there were steamed buns and ten or so boiled eggs with green shells.
She walked over to Mo Ran’s horse, her clear eyes darting around. She wanted to look at him, but when she thought of her bold confession when she was half drunk and half awake, she felt embarrassed. After dawdling for a while, she finally walked over and raised the basket over her head. She said to the handsome man who was already on the horse, “Immortal Master Mo, these … these were all cooked by me this morning. Take them with you and eat them with Immortal Master Chu on the road.”
Mo Ran didn’t know why she was doing this, so he hesitated, not knowing whether to refuse or accept.
Ling ‘er understood his concerns and suddenly raised her head. Her cheeks were red, but there was stubbornness and hurt in her eyes.
Although she used all her strength and wanted to get close to an amazing Immortal Master, she wasn’t a girl without dignity who would continue to pester after being rejected.
She said, “Immortal Master, don’t worry. Ling ‘er doesn’t have any other intentions. I just want to thank Immortal Master for taking care of Yu Liang Village this past month.”
Only then did Mo Ran accept the bamboo basket. He sat on the horse and looked at her with lowered eyelashes. He said sincerely, “Many thanks, Miss.”
“Immortal Master is too polite.”
Mo Ran saw that she was able to let go and felt a little touched. He asked, “Miss, what do you plan to do from now on?”
“Immortal Master, why do you ask?”
“I don’t think Miss is someone who is willing to stay in the village for long.”
Ling ‘er smiled, and fighting spirit appeared in her eyes again. “I want to go to the upper cultivation world to have a look. I heard that the Confucian Wind School’s Sect Leader is kind and benevolent, and he’s willing to help all the poor people in the world. As long as people like us from the lower cultivation world can find a job in Linyi, he won’t drive us away. I’m not bad at needlework, and I can cook too. I’ll be able to survive for a while. ”
Of course, she didn’t mention the most important thing — Confucian Wind Sect had the most disciples among the ten great cultivation sects. Their sect was vast, and they had a total of seventy-two cities, big and small. Linyi was also the capital of an immortal sect. Out of ten people walking on the road, five of them were cultivators. If she went there, it would be easier for her to find a good husband.
Chu Wanning did not know what she was thinking. Hearing that she wanted to go to Linyi, he knitted his brows and said, “The Confucian Wind School is very deep, it is not as simple as Miss thinks. If you want to stay in the upper cultivation world for a long time in the future, you might as well consider Lin Ling Yu in Yangzhou. ”
“I can’t survive in Yangzhou. The food and clothes there are too expensive,” Ling’Er said. “Thank you for your kindness, Sir Immortal. Ling’Er has her own considerations.”
Since she already said this much, Chu Wanning knew that it would be useless for him to say anything more, so he dropped the subject.
The two of them carried a lot of parcels and spurred their horses. When Chu Wanning passed by the vicinity of Colorful Butterfly Town, he paid special attention to the barrier there. Fortunately, the spiritual energy flow was abundant, so everything was stable. Therefore, the horses kept galloping all the way until noon. They finally returned to the Peak of Life and Death.
Chu Wanning went to report the situation to Xue Zhengyong. Mo Ran had nothing to do, so he strolled around. On the other side of the Bridge of Helplessness, he bumped into a person who was wiping the stone lions on the bridge’s pillar.
Mo Ran wondered who made a mistake and was punished to come here to do manual labor.
Those who were punished would generally feel embarrassed, so Mo Ran didn’t plan to walk to the bridge. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly heard that person call out to him from not far away.
“Mo Ran!”
“… …”
When he took a closer look, he realized that the person wiping the stone lions was none other than Shi Mei. Mo Ran was stunned for a moment, but he felt an indescribable strangeness in his heart.
First, it was strange that someone like Shi Mei, who always followed the rules, would actually be punished to wipe the Bridge of Helplessness.
Second, it was strange that Shi Mei looked like now.
It had been a long time since he saw Shi Mei in his full form, but he still couldn’t recognize his current appearance. Instead, as time passed, he felt more and more unfamiliar with him, so much so that he didn’t recognize him at first sight on the bridge.
“Why are you here? Did you do something wrong? “Mo Ran walked in front of him and asked.
Shi Mei looked a little embarrassed. “Yes … I was punished together with Young Master.”
“Meng Meng?” Mo Ran paused and smiled.
This wasn’t strange. Xue Meng made a mistake, so it wasn’t anything new.
“What did he do with you?”
“He said he wanted to go to the forbidden area behind the mountain to catch a few ghosts to practice.”
“… … …”
“In the end, he almost broke the crack in the barrier that Master had sealed before he left.”
Mo Ran didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Does he think ghosts are like cats and dogs? He catches them as he pleases, and raises them as he pleases. You too, if he’s messing around, you shouldn’t be messing around with him. Why didn’t you persuade him? ”
Shi Mei sighed, his face full of helplessness. “Of course I tried to persuade him, but it was useless. I was afraid that something would happen to him, so I could only go in with him … … Forget it, I won’t talk about it. Fortunately, I didn’t cause any trouble. Mo Ran, let’s talk about you. A few days ago, you and Master went to Yuling Village to do farm work? ”
“Yes.”
“How was it? Did everything go well?”
“Yes, everything went well.”
The two of them chatted for a while. After bidding farewell to Shi Mei, Mo Ran walked alone on the tree-lined path. When he looked back, he realized that his feelings for Shi Mei were more of an obsession, a habit, and not love.
He used to think that when he looked at Shi Mei’s appearance, he felt that he was beautiful, shocked, and comfortable. This was his desire, but it wasn’t.
People always appreciated beautiful things. He admired Shi Mei’s appearance, but when he looked at it carefully, this admiration didn’t carry any sense of intimacy.
He liked to look at him, just like he liked to look at the red leaves that covered the mountains in autumn and the lotuses that filled the ponds in summer. All these years, he didn’t have any improper thoughts.
He was still the same as before, cherishing Shi Mei and loving Shi Mei tenderly.
But it was also different from the past. The current Mo Ran finally understood what love was all about. He wasn’t Liu Xiahui. His love should be moist and hot, accompanied by invasion, the collision of flesh, and the rush of blood.
He was a wolf dog, so he could smell roses.
But his teeth were ferocious. If he really wanted to eat, of course he wouldn’t eat flowers, but flesh and blood.
During dinner, Xue Meng finally finished editing all the books in the second scripture area of the library. He was so tired that he sighed. He lay on the Meng Po Lobby and complained. Even his favorite spicy chicken couldn’t make him happy.
He was playing with his chopsticks in boredom when he suddenly saw Chu Wanning enter the dining hall. His spirits were finally lifted. He straightened up and shouted, “Shizun!”
Chu Wanning glanced at him and nodded.
Mo Ran sat beside Xue Meng. He, Xue Meng, and Shi Mei usually ate together. But today, when Chu Wanning walked in, Mo Ran moved all the plates on the table away, leaving a large empty space.
“What are you doing?”
Mo Ran smiled at Xue Meng but didn’t say anything. He stood up and beckoned to Chu Wanning: “Shizun, come sit here.”
Xue Meng: “…”
Shi Mei: “…”
Respect was one thing, but having a meal together was another thing.
Most of the people who could sit at the same table and chew on bones often didn’t have a stiff relationship with each other. At the very least, they had to get used to each other smacking their lips. They had to be able to tolerate each other’s ugly table manners and occasional loss of self-control.
Looking at the expressions on Xue Meng and Shi Mei’s faces, although Chu Wanning’s table manners were usually calm and aloof, they were still not used to and did not accept sharing a meal with him.
To them, having a meal with their master occasionally was the same as having a social gathering. Both parties had to be tense and courteous. After a meal, their backs would often be stiff and they wouldn’t be able to taste the food.
Chu Wanning also understood this. He glanced at Mo Ran in surprise and shook his head. He still carried some light vegetables and went straight to his usual spot.
It had been five years since he last ate at the Meng Po Lobby. As soon as he sat down, Chu Wanning saw a small engraved copper plate on the corner of the table. On it were engraved the words “Elder Yuheng’s Exclusive Seat” in small characters.
“…”
Is Xue Zhengyong crazy?!
Chu Wanning slammed the wooden tray on the table and sat down gloomily. Before he could eat two mouthfuls, someone suddenly pulled out the wooden chair across from him and sat down at the “Elder Yuheng’s Exclusive Seat”. The tray was placed very close to Chu Wanning’s plate, almost touching each other.
Chu Wanning looked up. “… Why are you here?”
“It’s too crowded over there,” Mo Ran said, smiling as he picked up his bowl of rice. “Come and eat with Shizun.”
Chu Wanning glanced at Xue Meng and the others and was a little confused. How is it crowded?
Not only was he confused, but the other two people who were left behind by Mo Ran also had complicated expressions. They quietly looked at Chu Wanning and Mo Ran’s table.
Xue Meng muttered, “Is that dog crazy?”
Shi Mei was speechless.
Mo Ran didn’t care so much. He felt uncomfortable when he looked at Chu Wanning just now. Chu Wanning was a picky person and was especially pretentious when it came to food. He would often feel uncomfortable after eating this or that. Mo Ran felt that this wasn’t good. He would get sick when he got older.
He used to be too lazy to care about what Chu Wanning ate, but it was different now. Not to mention liking him, he had to properly feed his Shizun out of respect for his teacher.
But feeding Chu Wanning was a skill. It was like feeding a cat. He couldn’t force it. If Chu Wanning didn’t want to eat it, he couldn’t force it.
So Mo Ran had an idea. He picked up a piece of red braised pork and put it in Chu Wanning’s bowl.
“Shizun, try this.”
As expected, Chu Wanning frowned and said, “I don’t like streaky pork. Take it away.”
Mo Ran was prepared. He smiled and said, “I heard that it’s very sweet. It’s a Jiangnan style.”
Chu Wanning said, “Jiangnan cuisine is different from this.”
“You haven’t eaten it. How do you know it’s different?”
“You can tell from the looks of it.”
“But the chef said that it’s a Jiangnan style.” Mo Ran threw the net and was waiting for the cat to take the bait. He smiled and said, “The chef of Meng Po Lobby is an old chef. How can he be wrong? Shizun must have been away from home for too long. He must have forgotten what the red braised pork of his hometown looks like. ”
Chu Waning said, “… Nonsense. How could I possibly be wrong about this?”
Mo Ran ate a piece himself. He seemed to be tasting it seriously. He said sincerely, “I think that Shizun is wrong. This meat is very sweet. If you don’t believe me, why don’t you try a piece?”
Chu Wanning didn’t notice Mo Ran’s ulterior motive at all. He was a little indignant. He picked up the red braised pork in the bowl with his chopsticks and put it into his mouth.
“How is it?” Mo Ran held back his laughter and looked at the big white cat that took the bait.
Chu Wanning frowned seriously and said, “No, the star anise taste is too strong. I’ll go tell the chef. Jiangnan’s red braised pork is not made like this.”
“Hey, hey —” Mo Ran immediately pulled him back. He couldn’t help but feel a little speechless. Who knew that this guy would be so serious? If he really went to argue with the chef, wouldn’t he be exposed? He hurriedly said, “Shizun, don’t worry. The chef is busy right now. Since Shizun has tasted it and it’s not, then it definitely isn’t. I’ll go tell him in a while. Let’s eat first.”
Chu Wanning thought about it and agreed. He sat down again and continued to eat.
Mo Ran began to plan to coax him again. This time, he picked up a piece of fish.
Chu Wanning’s chopsticks paused. “Shad?”
“Yes.”
“Not eating. Take it away.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t like it.”
Mo Ran laughed. “Is it because it has too many bones?”
“… No.”
“But every time Shizun eats fish, he always picks those without bones or those with big bones that are easy to pick. Could it be that Shizun doesn’t know how to eat small bony fish? Hahaha.”
He knew the weakness of Chu Wanning’s personality very well and grasped it very well. As expected, Chu Wanning fell for it again. He was a little angry and said, “That’s ridiculous.” He picked up the shad that Mo Ran gave him and ate it. He showed that he was not someone who did not know how to eat fish with many bones.
Just like that, under Mo Ran’s coaxing, Chu Wanning unknowingly ate many more dishes than usual. He ate almost all kinds of vegetables and meat. What was supposed to be a fast meal for one person was dragged on for more than an hour without finishing it.
By the time they cleaned up and left, Xue Meng and the rest had already left. There were only two or three disciples left in the Meng Po Lobby. Mo Ran accompanied Chu Wanning on the path back to the Red Lotus Pavilion. The sun was setting and dusk was everywhere.
The evening wind blew. He put his arms behind his head and walked leisurely. Suddenly, he smiled.
“Shizun.”
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not doing anything. I’m just calling you.”
“… I think you ate too much tonight.”
Mo Ran smiled even more gently. “Yes, I’m very full. Shizun, can I eat with you in the future? ”
Although he knew that Mo Ran did not mean anything else, Chu Wanning’s heart could not help but skip a few beats. Fortunately, his gaze remained calm.
“Why? Did you have a fight with Xue Meng?”
“No, no.” Mo Ran waved his hand and smiled. “It’s just that it’s been too long since I ate with the two of them. After five years, it’s a bit awkward to sit together again. If Shizun thinks that I’m a hindrance, then I’ll find another seat tomorrow and eat by myself. ”
“… …”
Of course, he could not say, “I feel pity for you to eat by yourself.” Nor could he say, “I want to feed you more food.” These words did not need to be said. Mo Ran knew that it would not work. He could only soften. He had to say that he was pitiful to be alone. He had to say that he needed someone to accompany him. Chu Wanning had always had a kind heart. He would not refuse.
Mo Ran could practically see the wavering in his eyes. He was just a little bit away from being convinced.
Thus, he continued, “But actually, I really don’t want to eat by myself.”
“Why?”
Mo Ran lowered his soft eyelashes. Half of the emotions in his smile were real, while the other half was made to coax Chu Wanning. “Shizun, don’t you think so? If a person casually eats something, that’s called filling the stomach. ”
He paused. Under the beautiful red clouds, he swept away the strands of hair that had been blown to his forehead by the wind. His dimples deepened as he gazed at the other again.
“If two people eat together, chat, and talk, the food will taste in the mouth and be warm in the stomach. That’s what eating is. ”
“… …”
“Shizun, can I still eat with you tomorrow?”
The little wolfdog’s heart-warming words were really irresistible.
Mo Ran’s stubbornness moved people’s hearts. He said,
“Shizun, I spent five years alone outside. When you woke up, I always ate with you.”
“I’m not used to not having you.”
“I don’t eat rabbit heads, and I don’t eat duck necks.” At the end of his words, he burst out laughing. He tugged at Chu Wanning’s sleeve like a rascal. “I’ll eat shallot tofu with you, osmanthus and sugar-lotus root with you. Just promise me, okay?”
It would have been better if he had not said this. Once he said this, Chu Wanning suddenly thought of some old grudge. His face sank. In the end, he laughed coldly and said, “I can, but you have to eat the same as me in the morning.”
Mo Ran did not react. He first agreed, then said, “Okay, what’s the same?”
“Salted tofu pudding.” Chu Wanning was cruel. “Add seaweed.”
Mo Ran: “…”
It turned out that this was a grudge from when they ate hot pot together when he was still Xia Si Ni!
Chu Wanning grinds his teeth and says, “And dried shrimps.”
