After bidding Xiao Mo farewell, Bai Ruxue hummed a cheerful tune as she headed back to her cave.
At the entrance to the cave, Xiao Qing flicked her tongue, looking around expectantly.
"Sister..."
When Xiao Qing saw her sister return, her vertical pupils suddenly brightened, and she quickly slithered over to her.
"Xiao Qing~"
Bai Ruxue quickened her pace to meet her.
"Sister, where have you been now..." Xiao Qing sighed.
Xiao Qing had noticed that for the past few years, her sister loved to wander off whenever she wasn't hibernating.
"I went to see Xiao Mo~" Bai Ruxue said cheerfully.
"Huh?" Xiao Qing was startled. "Sister, how could you go see Xiao Mo? You've only just learned how to shapeshift, and you're not very good at it yet... What if he finds out what you are?"
"He won't," Bai Ruxue said, placing her hands on her hips with a proud look. "My shapeshifting skills are excellent."
"They are not..." Xiao Qing felt weary. "Sister, look at your feet."
"Hm?" Bai Ruxue looked down, only to see her feet had turned back into a tail.
"It's okay, it's okay." Bai Ruxue patted her tail, which turned back into human feet. "I must have just let my guard down on my way back. He definitely didn't notice."
"Really?" Xiao Qing flicked her tongue. "But you can be so clueless, Sister."
Bai Ruxue puffed out her cheeks. "You're the clueless one, Xiao Qing! I'm not clueless at all!"
Xiao Qing: "..."
"Xiao Qing, listen! I secretly slipped a piece of silver into his pocket today," Bai Ruxue said proudly, her eyes sparkling. "Once I find some more silver, I'll give it all to him. Humans use silver to buy things, so then he'll be able to buy lots and lots of stuff."
"You're going to see him again tomorrow?" Xiao Qing was at a complete loss with her sister.
"Of course I am," Bai Ruxue said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I haven't finished repaying his kindness yet. I am, after all, a good snake who knows how to show her gratitude."
"Then, Sister, how will you know when your debt is repaid?" Xiao Qing was starting to feel tired.
"Ummm..." Bai Ruxue seemed to think about it very seriously, then said quite frankly, "I don't know."
Xiao Qing: "..."
"Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing, when someone saves a girl's life, how is she supposed to repay them? Do you know?" Bai Ruxue asked her sister.
"Sister, I'm a snake... not a human..."
"Oh, all right then... I guess I'll just have to read more books."
"Read books?"
"Yes. He was reading a book today. I couldn't understand it, but he looked very impressive. Maybe the answer is in human books."
"But Sister, can you read?"
"Nope~ But it's okay, I have a plan."
With that, Bai Ruxue happily ran off again.
"Sister, where are you going? It's so late..." Xiao Qing called after her.
"To find silver and gather herbs..." The young woman's voice drifted through the mountain forest.
"Gather herbs?"
...
「The next day.」
After the village chief's morning lecture, Xiao Mo asked him a few questions about his books, then once again rode his ox up the mountain.
He planned to gather more herbs today, exchange them for some silver taels, and then buy some writing supplies.
When he returned yesterday, Xiao Mo had found a piece of Silver in his pocket.
He knew Xiao Bai had secretly slipped it to him.
Xiao Mo put the silver away in a small pouch.
The small silver piece wasn't worth much, and Xiao Mo didn't intend to spend it. Instead, he decided to save it for her.
Since Xiao Bai had said she would find more silver for him in the future, Xiao Mo wanted to see just how much she could collect.
He had no other reason for doing so. It was just for fun.
Once up on She Mountain, Xiao Mo let his ox graze while he gathered medicinal herbs.
"Xiao Mo..."
Just as Xiao Mo had filled a small basket, a bright, girlish voice called out from behind him.
Xiao Mo turned to see Bai Ruxue smiling brightly at him.
"Miss Bai," Xiao Mo greeted her with a formal bow.
"Come play with me, Xiao Mo," Bai Ruxue said with pure innocence, as if she didn't have a single worry in the world.
Xiao Mo shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't have time today. I have to gather some herbs to sell so I can buy some writing supplies."
"Yes, you do. Come with me..." Bai Ruxue grabbed Xiao Mo's hand and started pulling him forward.
"Miss Bai, wait, my ox..."
"Oh, okay. Then hurry up."
About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the young woman led Xiao Mo to a spot overflowing with the Purple Sun Grass and Cyan Dragon Flower he was looking for.
'How can there be so many of the herbs I'm looking for in this one place?' Xiao Mo wondered in surprise.
Crouching down, Xiao Mo picked one of the flowers. He noticed the soil around the plants was loose, as if they had just been buried there.
Xiao Mo turned his head, and his gaze fell on the young woman's hands. They were smudged with dirt, and the skin was scraped raw in places.
'So that's it.'
Xiao Mo understood now. She had planted all these herbs here herself.
'She must have spent the entire night gathering this much Purple Sun Grass and Cyan Dragon Flower.'
"Well? Is this enough? You have to spend the rest of your time playing with me now..." Bai Ruxue said, lifting her pale chin.
"It's more than enough," Xiao Mo nodded. "So, what would you like to play, Miss?"
"I want to read!"
"Read?"
"Mhm! I want you to teach me how to read. Is that okay?" Bai Ruxue stepped forward happily. From her small, dirt-covered hand, she produced a piece of silver. "I can pay for my lessons."
...
「The Minister of Rites' Mansion in the Zhou Kingdom.」
The maid, Xiao Chun, walked into her lady's private garden.
Every time she entered the garden, Xiao Chun felt as if she were stepping into another world.
In this world, there were only two colors: purple and cyan.
The purple of Purple Sun Grass.
The cyan of Cyan Dragon Flower.
And there in the garden pavilion, her lady was reading a book.
Xiao Chun had grown up alongside her lady. Her lady had loved books since she was a child and knew a great many things.
Before she knew it, her lady had grown up and become known as the most talented woman in the Zhou Kingdom.
"My Lady..." Xiao Chun approached and curtsied. "The Empress Dowager's Female Official has arrived. She says she is here to instruct you in the etiquette required for entering the palace."
"Mm, I know," Yan Ruxue said, continuing to turn the pages of her book. "I will go over once I finish these last few pages."
Xiao Chun watched her lady's profile, her own lips pursed lightly, and couldn't resist asking, "My Lady, are you really going to enter the palace?"
The saying goes that entering the palace is like entering the deep sea. In Xiao Chun's eyes, a woman as beautiful and talented as her lady should not be locked away in its depths.
Yan Ruxue closed her book. She didn't answer her Maid, but instead asked a question of her own. "Xiao Chun, if someone saved your life, how would you repay them?"
"How to repay them... How to repay them..."
As Xiao Chun was lost in thought, Yan Ruxue stood up and gently placed the novel of strange tales she was holding on top of the maid's head.
"The answer is written in a book."
The young woman clasped her hands demurely in front of her and walked gracefully out of the garden as the spring breeze gently rustled the flowers.
"The answer is to promise yourself in marriage, of course~"