Chapter 5

Early the next morning, Xiaowen and Brother Zhang visited Wanniang’s home.

“What brings the two of you here?” Wanniang had just spread some medicinal herbs across a drying tray when she saw them enter through the gate.

“It’s nothing serious. We just came to ask Little Yang to make up the numbers. Grandpa Li is renovating his house and needs a few more people to help,” Xiaowen explained with a smile.

Wanniang glanced at Brother Zhang and found him wearing a long face.

What were these two scheming? Why had they suddenly thought of asking Yang Lulong for help?

Noticing Wanniang’s surprised gaze, Xiaowen turned toward the visibly reluctant Brother Zhang and discreetly slapped him on the arm. Only then did he force a slightly friendlier expression onto his face.

At that moment, Yang Lulong emerged from her room while stretching her arms.

It had been a long time since she had been able to wake naturally. Her daily routine had not been this regular in years, so her mood had naturally improved as well.

“Well, you can ask her yourselves,” Wanniang told them.

“Hmm?” Yang Lulong looked at the two visitors in confusion.

…

Earlier, while Xiaowen and Brother Zhang were on their way there…

“Do we really have to invite her?” Brother Zhang complained reluctantly.

“I thought about what you said yesterday, and I think you’re right. She’s a Qianyuan, after all. It isn’t safe to let her continue staying in Wanniang’s home,” Xiaowen said.

Thinking about Sister Fang the previous night had reminded her of that scumbag Wu Yu. After considering the matter repeatedly, she decided that they still needed to remain wary of Qianyuan.

“But do we have to bring her to Grandpa Li’s house?” Brother Zhang remained unhappy.

“We need to test her first. I already discussed it with Li Cui’er. We’ll test her together.”

Li Cui’er was Grandpa Li’s granddaughter, as well as a Kunze.

“Isn’t that going too far? If Grandpa Li finds out, he’ll beat you.”

“Aren’t you the one who thinks she has bad intentions? I only want to test her. Think about it: if she’s some lecherous scoundrel, we can use that as an excuse to drive her back to wherever she came from. If she isn’t, you can finally stop worrying. We’re doing this for Wanniang’s future happiness, aren’t we?”

“What if she’s good at pretending and manages to fool us?”

“Impossible. If she’s genuinely lustful, she won’t be able to hide it.”

“But wouldn’t that put Li Cui’er in danger?”

“Do you think I haven’t considered that? We’ll hide nearby and watch them. If Li Cui’er is in any danger, we’ll rush out and beat Little Yang up.”

“Oh, you really are clever…” Brother Zhang said admiringly.

…

“Did you need something?” Yang Lulong asked timidly.

The ill-intentioned way they were looking at her made her deeply uncomfortable.

“We’re short on people to move some things, so we came to ask for your help,” Xiaowen replied with a smile.

Yang Lulong first glanced at Wanniang, who had already returned to her work. If she agreed to help them, it could probably be considered helping Wanniang as well.

With that thought, she agreed without hesitation.

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”

As soon as Yang Lulong agreed, Xiaowen rushed over, grabbed her, and ​read the original at bailiantales.com​pulled her toward the gate as though afraid she might escape.

“By the way, Wanniang, you don’t need to prepare lunch for her. Grandpa Li is feeding all the workers.”

Wanniang could only watch as the group departed in a whirlwind.

Ever since Yang Lulong had become a Qianyuan, physical labor had become effortless for her. While everyone else could carry only one log, she could carry several at once.

She did not slack off or avoid work, either. She remained diligent from beginning to end. Thanks to her help, the renovations were even likely to be completed ahead of schedule.

Before long, it was time for lunch.

Grandpa Li and Li Cui’er brought out the food they had prepared for everyone: large, fragrant flatbreads accompanied by some homemade pickled vegetables.

As they distributed the food, Xiaowen shot Li Cui’er a meaningful glance, indicating that she could begin.

Yang Lulong accepted her portion and found a quiet place with few people nearby to enjoy her lunch.

Li Cui’er had been watching her the entire time. She secretly followed and sat directly beside her.

Yang Lulong did not pay much attention, assuming that someone else had merely happened to choose the same spot.

Li Cui’er decided not to make the first move. She wanted to see how Yang Lulong would react.

However, Yang Lulong had nearly finished her flatbread without looking at her even once.

Ever since Li Cui’er sat down, Yang Lulong had occasionally noticed a faint osmanthus fragrance. She did not know that it was a Kunze’s distinctive scent, meant to attract Qianyuan. She simply assumed there was an osmanthus tree nearby.

Li Cui’er glanced behind her and saw Xiaowen and Brother Zhang hiding behind a large tree. She immediately made a face at Xiaowen and pointed toward Yang Lulong, who had not even noticed her presence.

Xiaowen waved a hand, signaling for her to make a direct move.

Upon receiving her instructions, Li Cui’er rolled her eyes helplessly. Then she cleared her throat theatrically.

“Ahem…”

Yang Lulong still did not notice her and continued eating.

“I heard they found you beside the river?” Li Cui’er finally asked directly.

“Hmm?”

Only then did Yang Lulong notice the person sitting beside her.

“I’ve never met a female [unauthorized copy]Qianyuan before. You’re quite handsome,” Li Cui’er said, deliberately adopting a bashful manner.

Yang Lulong merely looked at her in confusion. She still had no idea what everyone meant by “Qianyuan.”

“I’m Grandpa Li’s granddaughter. My name is Li Cui’er.”

Seeing Yang Lulong’s blank expression, Li Cui’er had no choice but to force herself to continue the conversation.

“Hello… My name is Yang Lulong…”

Silence fell between them, and the atmosphere became painfully awkward.

Seeing that Yang Lulong had no intention of continuing the conversation, Li Cui’er felt so embarrassed that she could hardly bear it.

“Are you not attracted to Kunze?” she finally asked.

From beginning to end, she had not detected even the faintest trace of Yang Lulong’s scent. Under normal circumstances, a Qianyuan would instinctively release her scent when facing a Kunze. Even the most disciplined Qianyuan would reveal at least a small trace of it.

“You really are a Qianyuan, aren’t you?”

Li Cui’er only knew that Yang Lulong was a Qianyuan because Xiaowen and Zhang Long had told her. However, those two were Zhongyong, so how had they identified her?

Li Cui’er carefully sniffed the air again.

There truly was no scent at all.

“What… is a Qianyuan?” Yang Lulong finally asked the question that had been troubling her all this time.

“You can’t be serious. If you really are pretending to have lost your memory, as they claim, then pretending you don’t even know what a Qianyuan is seems a little excessive, doesn’t it?”

Li Cui’er was astonished. Qianyuan, Zhongyong, and Kunze were basic concepts she had understood since childhood.

Hearing Li Cui’er accuse her of pretending to have amnesia made Yang Lulong nervous. She truly had lied about losing her memory, but she genuinely did not know what Qianyuan and Kunze were.

Li Cui’er studied her confused expression and the thirst for knowledge in her eyes.

She genuinely seemed not to know.

“Then let me explain it this way. A Qianyuan is…”

Li Cui’er promptly forgot all about the test and began earnestly explaining Qianyuan and Kunze to Yang Lulong.

Watching from behind the tree, Xiaowen saw the two of them begin chatting animatedly. A mocking smile appeared on her face.

A Qianyuan was still a Qianyuan after all…

“What are the two of you sneaking around and watching?”

Wanniang’s voice suddenly sounded behind them.

“!”

Xiaowen and Zhang Long jumped in fright. They hurriedly stood side by side, blocking Wanniang’s view of the two women.

“N-Nothing! Wanniang… why are you here?” Xiaowen stammered.

“I came to see how the renovations at Grandpa Li’s house were progressing.”

Wanniang curiously attempted to look behind them, but they kept blocking her view.

“Where is Yang Lulong?”

The honest Zhang Long started raising his hand to point behind them, but Xiaowen immediately slapped it down.

“I-I don’t know… Maybe she went to the outhouse…”

“Then I’ll ask Grandpa Li.”

Wanniang pretended that she was about to leave. The instant the two of them lowered their guard, she looked past them and saw Yang Lulong sitting beside Li Cui’er. The two appeared to be having an animated conversation.

At first, Wanniang found it strange.

Li Cui’er had once told her that she hated Qianyuan and had no interest in them whatsoever. She had even confided that she preferred Kunze.

Yet seeing how enthusiastically the two were talking made Wanniang feel inexplicably uncomfortable.

Yang Lulong had never spoken that much to her…

“Do you think… two Qianyuan or two Kunze can be together?” Li Cui’er asked with a trace of sadness.

Yang Lulong considered the question.

“It shouldn’t matter…”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Wanniang was the only other person Li Cui’er had ever told about her preferences. Yang Lulong was now the second. She wanted to know how a Qianyuan would react.

“Why should it matter to me? Who someone chooses to be with is their own business.”

Yang Lulong’s response surprised Li Cui’er. It was the first time she had ever heard such an opinion.

“Do you truly believe that?”

…

The two continued discussing the subject. After listening to Yang Lulong’s perspective, Li Cui’er felt as though everything had suddenly become clear.

She bid Yang Lulong farewell and hurried over to Xiaowen and Zhang Long.

“You don’t need to worry anymore. She’s a good Qianyuan and someone worth befriending. She’s definitely nothing like that scumbag Wu Yu… Why are the two of you making those faces?”

Li Cui’er had not yet noticed that Wanniang was standing there. Upon spotting her, she hurriedly changed the subject.

“I just remembered… I still need to make tea for Grandpa. We’ll talk later…”

She hastily invented an excuse and escaped.

“Now, why don’t the two of you explain what you were doing?” Wanniang asked, raising an eyebrow at the two schemers.

Once the renovations were finished, Grandpa Li distributed some sweet potatoes he had read the original at bailiantales.com stored away to thank everyone for their help.

Yang Lulong had just received her share and was about to leave when Grandpa Li stopped her. He stuffed several more sweet potatoes into her sack.

“Consider these Wanniang’s share. She has helped me plenty of times in the past. I tried giving them to her before, but she refused to accept them. You can take them on her behalf.”

“Thank you… Grandpa Li…”

Yang Lulong had not expected to encounter Wanniang the moment she stepped through the gate of Grandpa Li’s home.

Wanniang was still dressed entirely in white, her ink-black hair drifting gently in the breeze.

She had been waiting for her.

As soon as Yang Lulong emerged, Wanniang approached and looked at the sack in her hands.

“What’s that?”

“Sweet potatoes.”

Yang Lulong did not dare meet her eyes and merely stared down at the sack.

“Shall we have roasted sweet potatoes tonight?”

“Mm…”

The two walked home side by side.

Wanniang gradually moved closer, narrowing the distance between their shoulders.

“I saw you talking to Cui’er. What were you discussing?”

“She explained Qianyuan to me…”

Yang Lulong recounted everything Li Cui’er had told her.

“If there was something you didn’t understand… why didn’t you ask me?” Wanniang asked, sounding slightly unhappy.

“I…”

Yang Lulong was too embarrassed to admit that she had been shy.

The sun eventually set.

Wanniang busied herself in the kitchen while Yang Lulong ​Read on BaiLianTales​fed the chicks in the courtyard, feeling peaceful and content.

Xiaowen and Zhang Long, those two uninvited guests, arrived once again. They handed Yang Lulong two woven baskets filled with medicinal herbs and told her there was no need to call Wanniang outside. She only needed to tell Wanniang that they had stopped by.

After giving those instructions, they immediately ran away. They moved so quickly that Yang Lulong barely had time to react.

Wanniang emerged carrying steaming roasted sweet potatoes. The instant she saw the two baskets, she understood what had happened.

“They came by?”

“Mm. What are these?”

Yang Lulong looked at the baskets full of medicinal plants in confusion. She could not understand why those two would suddenly deliver medicinal herbs to Wanniang.

“Medicinal herbs. They’ll be bringing more over for the next several days.”

Wanniang casually blew on the hot sweet potato in her hand before peeling away its skin.

Yang Lulong did not give it much thought. She merely found it strange that Xiaowen and Zhang Long had disappeared after lunch.

Now she understood.

They had gone to gather medicinal herbs.