The little princess was torn, and the demon emperor patched her up

Chapter 8: Business illness, long-term injury

The boy picked and chose among the ruins, finding some usable things.

Except for the old vermilion lacquered wooden box in the corner, the hairpins, ornaments, rouge and powder in the dressing table are all still in their original state.

He put the things in order, lit a fire, and said to Xiao Baojing with a warm smile, "I heard that the old lady in the county governor's mansion is going to celebrate her sixtieth birthday. Let's go to the city tomorrow and join in the fun."

Xiao Baojing admired his composure even when the sky was falling.

His house was burned down, but he could still laugh. It's obvious that he is either a lunatic or a genius. With his determination, he will definitely pass the imperial examination in the future.

It’s also good to go into the city.

She could sneak into the county magistrate's mansion and maybe even bring Yaoyao back.

The moon is bright and the stars are sparse, and the grass is covered with white dew.

The morning breeze blew away the stars and dew, and the fire that had been burning all night gradually went out.

The peddler wrapped Xiao Baojing's hairpins and cosmetics in cloth and put them into the basket, then carried her into the box.

Xiao Baojing was holding a small bag of persimmons in his pocket. He looked through the gap in the wooden box and watched the young man pick up the load.

At one end of the load was the wooden box where she was hiding, and at the other end was his basket of goods.

The young man had a narrow waist and long legs, and was wearing black cloth shoes, revealing a slender pale ankle. His dark blue Taoist robe brushed against the dew on the grass and trees, just like the bright sky in the east. A smile floated on his fox-like, elegant and charming face, and he walked lightly on the mountain road to leave.

The sound of the bells echoed between the mountains and rivers.

It was already dusk when we arrived at Julu City, and the city was very lively.

Xiao Baojing hid in the wooden box, finding everything new. He saw that the peddler was handsome and good-looking. From time to time, young wives and girls came up to chat with him and stuffed flowers, handkerchiefs and fruits into his arms. It took him even longer to walk through the already congested street.

Probably because she had no money to stay in an inn, the peddler took her to a dilapidated temple to rest.

The plaque engraved with the three words "Jile Temple" has long been mottled and faded, the incense burner on the altar has collapsed and the table cloth is dirty, and there are piles of rags and straw in the corner. It seems that some beggars and ruffians often stay here.

The statue enshrined in the temple was half smashed, and one can only vaguely recognize that the original deity enshrined here was a young man in a Taoist robe.

Xiao Baojing sighed quietly.

How can you bring a girl out to play and stay in a dilapidated temple? A peddler can't even afford to rent a room, so how can he take her to Beijing in the future?

It really made her worried.

"Don't be afraid," the peddler comforted her as he carried her out of the box, "treat this place as your own home."

Xiao Baojing: Psycho!
I've never seen anyone running a dilapidated temple. She is not a monk, nor is she a Taoist priest!
Eyes facing each other.

The peddler clearly caught the resistance in Xiao Baojing's almond-shaped eyes.

With a smile in his fox eyes, he used his little finger to pick up some bright red rouge and spread it on her lips carefully: "Little princess, you are a princess, it's a bit unfair to live here. Can you just put up with it for a few days? After the fun at the county governor's mansion, we'll go home."

The boy's fingers were as soft as jade and his fingertips were cool, outlining the girl's soft lips. His fox eyes contained passion and love, as if the girl's rouge lips were the most passionate and gorgeous color in the world.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside: "Yue Niang, if we continue to sell tofu for another two years, we will be able to afford our own house. We don't need to let you live in the dilapidated temple with me anymore."

Xiao Baojing looked over quietly.

A young couple walked in. Although their clothes were patched, they were neat and clean. They must be very much in love, as the way they snuggled together showed a very affectionate look.

"Yue Niang, haven't you always wanted a silver bracelet? This time, the old lady in the county governor's mansion is celebrating her birthday, and she asked us to order a lot of tofu. When I get paid, I will buy you a silver bracelet. Don't worry, I will never spend all my money to pray to gods for the illusory throne. In my heart, you are the most important..."

"Oh, there are people in the temple, please stop talking!"

The young woman blushed and quietly broke free from the man's hand, which was clasped with hers.

Only then did the man notice the peddler and Xiao Baojing.

He quickly bowed and said, "My name is Gu Zhenliang. May I know your name?"

The peddler smiled and said, "Shangbing wine." Shangbing wine...

Xiao Baojing thought to himself, so this peddler's name is Shang Bingjiu.

Shang disease is caused by alcohol, and the injury will last for a long time.

This name is really not very auspicious. I wonder why his parents gave him such a name.

Gu Zhenliang looked at Xiao Baojing curiously again: "Who is this..."

The puppet was sewn too realistically, and the light in the temple was dim, so he momentarily mistook Xiao Baojing for a real person.

Shang Bingjiu still smiled: "This is my new wife."

Gu Zhenliang asked with concern: "Since we came in, my sister-in-law has not moved or smiled. Could it be that she has something on her mind?"

Shang Bingjiu imitated Gu Zhenliang and Yue Niang, interlocking his fingers with Xiao Baojing and gently stroking her hair: "My wife is born not to like to laugh."

Xiao Baojing: Who doesn't like to laugh? But she is such an evil spirit, how dare she laugh?!
Yue Niang looked at Xiao Baojing.

The girl was wearing a rouge-red gauze palace dress, her skin was snow-white, her hair was as black as ink, her face was delicately made up like a hibiscus, and she sat there motionless and without a smile, with her hands in her pockets. At first glance, she was a beauty, but after looking at her for a long time, she became creepy.

The young couple sat down on the haystack opposite, took out steamed buns and porridge from their sleeves, and started eating with pickled vegetables.

Seeing Shang Bingjiu not eating, but just sitting there sorting out the red silk thread, and seeing that he was not very old, Yue Niang reminded him, "Little brother, the county governor's office is preparing for their old lady's 60th birthday recently. They will give out free steamed buns and porridge every morning and evening. Go and get some for you and your wife, at least you can fill your stomach."

Shang Bingjiu went out for a walk and when he came back he was holding steamed buns and porridge in his hands.

The way he ate was so elegant, like a member of a royal family. He chewed his food so slowly, as if he was not eating coarse flour buns, but some kind of delicacy.

I even envied Xiao Baojing.

Yue Niang couldn't bear to see this, and whispered to Gu Zhenliang: "Why is that little brother only caring about eating for himself and not giving his wife any food?"

Xiao Baojing: Not to mention that Yue Niang is quite kind-hearted, she really wants to eat steamed buns.

Gu Zhenliang made the bed and said, "We should not interfere in other people's family affairs. Yue Niang, you sleep inside. It's warm inside."

Yue Niang had no choice but to lie down with her clothes on.

Perhaps because she felt that Shang Bingjiu and Xiao Baojing were acting strange, she couldn't help but turn her head to look at them again, but she saw Shang Bingjiu putting Xiao Baojing into a vermilion lacquered wooden box.

She widened her eyes.

How could it be possible that a husband sleeps on a mattress while his wife sleeps in a wooden box?
She was about to argue with Shang Bingjiu, but Gu Zhenliang quickly held her down and said in a low voice, "Yueniang, why should we interfere in the affairs of a young couple? Go to sleep quickly, because you have to get up early to sell tofu tomorrow!"

Xiao Baojing curled up in the wooden box. He waited until the three people in the dilapidated temple fell asleep before he sneaked to the edge of the box.

She picked up the half-eaten steamed bun left by Shang Bingjiu.

took a bite.

Melancholy.

She couldn't taste it.

She really wants to turn back into a human.

The next morning.

Shang Bingjiu glanced at the remaining red lip balm on the steamed bun, with his sharp teeth against his thin lips as if smiling, but pretending not to see it, he opened his mouth and swallowed the bun.

Gu Zhenliang went out to sell tofu.

Yue Niang was grinding tofu behind the dilapidated temple. She heard Shang Bingjiu getting up and leaned in. "Little brother, my husband said that the county governor's office is going to recruit acrobats on the street to perform at their old lady's birthday party. I see you have a lot of glove puppets in your basket. Can you perform the finger-pointing show? Why don't you try it too? If you are selected, there will definitely be a reward, and you can buy some delicious food for your wife."

(End of this chapter)