28 - Little Peasant Wife

Jing Ao Xue was jolted and thought she had frightened Shen Lu Man with her rashness. Upon closer inspection, she noticed Shen Lu Man was injured, so she quickly pulled her aside, gently touching her waist and hand, and asked, "Where did you get burned?" Shen Lu Man, thanks to her quick reflexes, had barely been burned. She had swiftly moved away when she felt the heat, so it wasn’t anything serious. Seeing Jing Ao Xue looking so alarmed, she couldn't help but find it amusing. Just as she was about to assure Jing Ao Xue that she was fine, Jing Ao Xue's hand made its way to her chest. Shen Lu Man: "..." Jing Ao Xue: "..." Instinctively, she gave it a squeeze, finding the texture quite pleasant. Startled, she looked up to see Shen Lu Man's face flushed with embarrassment. Hastily, she withdrew her unruly hand, stammering, "I... I didn't do it on purpose. I just wanted to check if you were hurt. It was... it was my hand that acted on its own." Veins popping, Shen Lu Man forced a smile and said, "Oh, is that so? Well, since that hand isn't behaving, how about I help you chop it off?" Jing Ao Xue quickly shook her head, hopping backward like a startled rabbit. She darted to the doorway and said, with flickering eyes, "No need. I'll discipline it myself. Don't let me interrupt your cooking... good luck!" With that, she turned and bolted. Shen Lu Man watched her retreating figure in disbelief, unconsciously touching her burning cheeks, her thoughts a whirl, lightly biting her lip. It wasn't until the aroma of something burning wafted from the pot that she snapped back to the present, hurriedly stirring the contents with a spatula. Once she managed to salvage what she could from the pot, she inwardly cursed, convinced that Jing Ao Xue was undeniably a rogue, who had been teasing her repeatedly. Though she felt both embarrassed and annoyed, there was not much she could do about Jing Ao Xue. Determined, she resolved to ignore her for the time being. Dinner was prepared quickly, and just as she was ladling dishes into bowls, Jing Ao Xue sneakily slipped back in, at a safe distance, saying, "Or... should I help you instead?" Help with what? Eating? Shen Lu Man shot her an icy glare, paying her no mind. Misinterpreting Shen Lu Man's silence as anger, Jing Ao Xue hurriedly approached, "I really didn't do it on purpose. Please don't be angry with me. It's not worth it to upset yourself. If you’re still upset, you can have my hand and punish it." Listening to her absurd offer, Shen Lu Man couldn't help but crack, "Enough with the nonsense. Here, take this plate of braised duck to the table." "Yes, ma'am!" Jing Ao Xue responded with exaggerated politeness, intending to please Shen Lu Man. However, the graceful bow she attempted proved more challenging than anticipated. As a beginner, she lost her balance, nearly toppling into Shen Lu Man. Fortunately, she managed to steady herself by grabbing onto the counter. Once she was standing upright, she met Shen Lu Man's squinted eyes and laughed awkwardly, "An accident, really... I'll, I'll go now." She rushed out of the kitchen with the bowl, feeling the urge to scrape the walls in frustration. Today was truly a day full of mishaps, and all in front of Shen Lu Man, no less! Ah! With a deep sigh, she dragged her heavy feet to the main hall, placing the bowl on the table. Liu Er, drawn by the delicious aroma, emerged without her usual companion, the little rabbit. Jing Ao Xue beckoned her over, asking, "Where’s your little rabbit?" "It’s in the study, eating grass," Liu Er replied sweetly. Once Liu Er was in front of her, Jing Ao Xue took her hand and led her to wash up again, seating her at the table to wait for dinner. She returned to the kitchen, smiling at Shen Lu Man as she managed to carry out a pot of chicken soup without incident. Shen Lu Man followed her out, balancing a tray with three bowls of rice and chopsticks. With that, dinner was ready. As the family chatted and enjoyed their meal, Jing Ao Xue eventually took on a more serious demeanor, beginning to prepare the medicinal pills for Liu Er. Chapter 24: A Stealthy Kiss Jing Ao Xue added the prepared medicinal herbs into the pot, poured in well water, and began brewing the concoction. Meanwhile, Shen Lu Man busied herself washing dishes. After finishing, seeing that Jing Ao Xue would take a while, she went to Liu Er’s room to fetch some fresh clothes. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jing Ao Xue infused a bit of her wood element power into the mixture. The water had reached its halfway mark of boiling when Shen Lu Man returned, proficiently channeling her wood energy into it. Jing Ao Xue watched her every move without breaking her gaze. Noticing Jing Ao Xue's intense focus, Shen Lu Man felt a tad uncomfortable and shifted slightly to avoid her eyes. Yet, with her heightened senses, she was acutely aware of Jing Ao Xue's attention still lingering on her. Though her expression remained composed, her earlobes flushed slightly. She wondered why Jing Ao Xue kept gazing at her, thinking how much easier it was when Jing Ao Xue was merely being noisy earlier—at least then, her heart wouldn't flutter as wildly, and even if it did, Jing Ao Xue’s racket would drown out the sound. Unlike now, where Jing Ao Xue's half-lidded, slanted eyes lingered on her with a mirthful curve at the corner of her lips. Catching this from the corner of her eye, Shen Lu Man felt irritated, yet there was an indescribable feeling she couldn’t quite place. This wasn’t the time to be distracted, though, so she refocused her attention entirely on the medicine pot. After seven days of immersive herbal baths, the effects were indeed astonishing. Her long-stagnant cultivation level in the mortal realm had slightly advanced. She could feel her meridians expanding, her internal wood energy circulating naturally, converting her pre-existing wood energy in her dantian. Moreover, using the principles of the yin-yang and five elements cycle—wood generating fire, fire generating earth, earth generating metal, metal generating water, and water generating wood—she had also transformed the other four elemental energies within her dantian. Now, the qi within her dantian was full of vitality, able to circulate and generate energy on its own, even if the surrounding environment lacked it. If she were still in the cultivation realm, she might reach the fourth level of Qi Refinement in another three to five months. Considering it took from age six until now, in her early twenties, to reach the third level, advancing within a few months to the fourth level was hyper-speed. However, she was now in the mortal realm... Reflecting on this, Shen Lu Man shook her head, telling herself to be content. Life now was much better than in the cultivation realm. Jing Ao Xue was improving, Liu Er was growing up, smart and understanding; her life was joyous and fulfilling. Fantasizing about unrealistic things was unnecessary. When the water inside the pot was nearly gone, Shen Lu Man withdrew her hand, leaving the finishing touches to Jing Ao Xue. A moment later, Jing Ao Xue produced a luminescent green pill and a bowl of leftover medicinal dregs. Nodding to Shen Lu Man, she took the pill and dregs with one hand and scooped up the spare clothes with the other, taking Liu Er to the bath. Jing Ao Xue carried in the hot water and well water, adjusting the temperature before adding the medicinal dregs to Liu Er's special bath tub. Then, she gave Liu Er the pill to swallow and had her undress and climb into the tub. The water was just a little warmer than body temperature, making it quite comfortable to soak in. Curious, Liu Er splashed about in the pale green bath, feeling it wasn’t much different from her usual baths. Recalling Jing Ao Xue's words from this afternoon—that soaking all night wouldn’t cause puffiness—she began to play with the water. Jing Ao Xue watched her antics, seated on a stool, and turned to Shen Lu Man, "I’ll keep watch until midnight tonight. You should rest. Once you’re ready to trade shifts, come get me." Shen Lu Man replied, "Why don't you rest first? I'm not tired yet." Jing Ao Xue leaned back and looked up at her with a grin, "No need to argue, just go. The sooner you sleep, the sooner you can relieve me." Unable to contest Jing Ao Xue’s insistence, Shen Lu Man nodded and left the room. After a short time of playing with the water, Liu Er began to feel drowsy. Jing Ao Xue added some hot water to adjust the temperature and told her, "If you're sleepy, you can rest your head on the side of the tub. Your mother’s here, and I won't let you slip under." Hearing this, Liu Er blinked sleepily. She usually went to bed around this time, so with Jing Ao Xue’s permission, she leaned her head against the wooden edge of the tub, murmured a goodnight, and dozed off. Jing Ao Xue, feeling quite awake, kept vigil with a rested chin on her hand, maintaining her watch until Shen Lu Man came to relieve her. Only then did she let out a yawn, "Alright, keep an eye on Liu Er. I'm heading to bed. After finishing the bath in the morning, you and Liu Er can rest a bit longer. Let’s conserve energy in town so we can return by nightfall." Noting the dark circles under Jing Ao Xue's eyes, Shen Lu Man felt a tug of sympathy. Jing Ao Xue truly had been overexerting herself recently. Nodding, she said, "I understand. Get some rest." As Jing Ao Xue passed by Shen Lu Man on her way out, she unexpectedly leaned in and pecked her cheek. The sudden action caught Shen Lu Man off guard, causing her to jump back and bump into the door frame, her eyes wide with a mix of embarrassment and indignation as she glared at Jing Ao Xue. Jing Ao Xue, however, just laughed. She had wanted to do that since the afternoon and had failed earlier in the kitchen. Now, she finally seized the chance. Winking playfully at Shen Lu Man, she sauntered off to her room with a satisfied grin. Left alone, Shen Lu Man touched her cheek, blushing furiously, thinking How impudent! If she dares do that again, she’ll see what I'm capable of! She sat there for a while, waiting for the redness to fade from her face. Looking over at the sleeping Liu Er, realizing there was little to do, and with her restless nature, she recalled the bolts of cloth Jing Ao Xue had bought in town. Feeling idle, she decided she may as well make new clothes. Since Jing Ao Xue awoke, she’s been rotating between just two outfits. Noticing that the sleeves of one were quite threadbare, she thought she’d take advantage of tonight’s free time to make her a new set of clothes. Putting thought into action, Shen Lu Man glanced at Liu Er napping, then quickly fetched a bolt of plain-colored fabric and her sewing supplies, retreating to the bathroom to work. She placed the fabric across her lap, recalled Jing Ao Xue's frame from memory, and began cutting. The night passed quietly. Jing Ao Xue awoke earlier than usual, rubbing her eyes as the sky was just starting to brighten. Normally, she would have only just gone to sleep around this time, waking up closer to noon. Her schedule was in complete disarray, and if not for her ever-circulating wood powers, she would have likely succumbed to exhaustion by now. Despite that, she felt weak in both body and spirit. Such days truly wore on her, and she found herself wondering how the original Jing Ao Xue managed to endure days and nights without sleep in the cultivation realm. Yawning, she went to the courtyard to fetch water for washing. Shen Lu Man had already prepared breakfast and was now seated in the main hall, sewing. Jing Ao Xue picked up her chopsticks, glanced over, and remarked, "You’re making clothes, huh?"