The Nightmare Experience of a Useless Person

For two days in a row, Qingjun was unable to leave her bed. Only when the morning sun shone into the courtyard for an hour would Jiang Zhiyang allow her to sit under the peach tree to bask in the sun and listen to his lessons.

Once the sun had set, Jiang Zhiyang would coax her into bed. Even when he went out in the afternoon as usual, he would instruct Xiulian to stay by his side.

"Sister Qingjun, do you know why Brother Zhiyang keeps asking me to stay by your side?" Xiulian leaned against the quilt, pressed herself against Qingjun's legs, and moved closer little by little.

"Do you hope I recover quickly?"

"Yes, but that's not the point," Xiulian said, raising her eyebrows and leaning closer with a mysterious look. "He's afraid that Brother Jiang Shuo will take advantage of him while he's away!"

"Make a move? Hahaha, are you going to kill me?" Qingjun was amused by Xiulian. He never expected that the quiet and gentle girl who was obsessed with storybooks would be so lively and imaginative.

But the younger sister sighed, looking annoyed at her lack of ambition, and muttered to herself, "Still doesn't get it."

Qingjun didn't know what kind of enlightenment Xiulian was talking about, but she seemed to be able to sense that something was different.

The deity took human form, but lacked humanity; fundamentally, she was not human. Yet, it seemed that she truly possessed a heart within her chest.

It feels fear, joy, and bittersweetness. When it sees someone, it pauses for a moment before hurrying on, like a seedling breaking through the soil, bringing a wave of ambiguous itch.

Her heart is alive.

She placed her hand on her chest, feeling its thumping rhythm.

Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump-thump, thump-thump...

The door opened, and there was Jiang Zhiyang; he had returned.

Without needing anyone's prompting, almost the instant Jiang Zhiyang entered the room, Xiulian jumped to her feet. "I'm going to read! My sweetheart is waiting for me!"

She tilted her shoulder and deliberately bumped into Jiang Zhiyang's arm, then turned around, raised an eyebrow slightly, and repeated very deliberately, "My beloved!"

Jiang Zhiyang tapped her on the forehead with disdain, "You're always so disrespectful. Go help your Aunt Dong pick vegetables."

Thump thump, even such a simple conversation seemed different from before; it was sweet, with the taste of happiness.

Jiang Zhiyang's gaze naturally fell on Qing Jun's smiling lips, and he was stunned for a moment, forgetting to look away from her eyes.

He held a box in his hand, his fingers fiddling with it repeatedly, moving his feet with an extremely awkward posture—he had been so timid ever since Qingjun discovered Yu Niang's letter.

Such a tragic background is not important. After all, no matter what happened in the past, Jiang Zhiyang has grown into such a warm and upright person, right? But this is Qingjun's opinion. If Jiang Zhiyang could let go, he wouldn't have been secretly wiping away tears in the middle of the night all these years.

Qingjun felt a mix of emotions. Looking at the young man before her, she felt he seemed more three-dimensional, and she seemed to have a clue as to why Jiang Zhiyang was staring blankly at the Jiang family of three...

Nostalgia? Envy? Sadness?

"This is for you." Jiang Zhiyang handed over the box in his hand.

Inside the box was a butterfly hairpin. Upon closer inspection, however, there were a few scratches on the hairpin. No, it wasn't new; it was the one Qingjun had given to the wonton stall.

"I bought it back from that shop owner." Empty-handed, Jiang Zhiyang could only nervously clutch the hem of his clothes.

Why buy back something that's been sold off? Qingjun raised his eyes, and Jiang Zhiyang immediately understood.

"Just consider it a gift for Laba Festival, to bless you with good health and a long life."

Does it mean to bless the gods with long life? That's really strange. Qingjun didn't understand, but she was happy and couldn't take her eyes off the hairpin in her hand.

"Thank you, I will definitely return the favor tomorrow."

"No need." Jiang Zhiyang twisted the wrinkled hem of his clothes into a circle with his fingers, then gently loosened it.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"You see me off, I return the favor, you see me off again, and I want to return the favor again..."

One gift after another, one gift after another, an endless entanglement... Doesn't he want this kind of entanglement? He didn't say anything more, and even before he refused, he began to secretly look forward to it.

He was truly conflicted, Jiang Zhiyang thought. He wasn't as straightforward and generous as Jiang Shuo…

"Dinner's ready!" Jiang Shuo pushed open the door and called out loudly. Qing Jun looked in the direction of his voice and saw an extremely bright smiling face. When she turned her head again, sure enough, Jiang Zhiyang had a sour face again.

Why? They shared joys and sorrows, grew up together, and were like brothers, yet Jiang Zhiyang was always angry with Jiang Shuo.

It seems that people are far more complex than Qingjun imagined.

Winters in the South are always cold and damp. Qingjun stretched out her hand, and water droplets fell on her fingertips.

Perhaps it was because she had rested too much during the day, or perhaps her mind was filled with problems she couldn't understand, but she couldn't sleep, so she sat on the doorstep and enjoyed the night view alone.

The night under the wall... there was nothing there, but when you looked up, you could see a pitch-black sky.

The darkness cannot confine anything; the eaves, branches, walls, and sky are all blended into the same blackness. Only a faint firelight streaks across the sky, vaguely outlining the edge of the wall.

One, two, three sparks—the sparks of light trailed colorful tails across the sky. Shooting stars? Can you see shooting stars on a rainy day?

No, it wasn't a shooting star, but a blessing rain, a faint spiritual energy descending from the peak of Blessing. It's already the seventh day, and I've lost count of how many days I've been away from the Divine Realm.

She couldn't help but sigh. It seemed she needed to find some time to return to the Divine Realm. She wondered if Ah Wu could hold on, and if Ah Liu was causing trouble. She felt a little worried and a little nostalgic.

However, whether we worry or not, whether we miss them or not, the sun will still rise as usual, and time will still pass as usual. Today is Laba Festival, and before the rooster crows, several children are already getting restless.

The young women were busy getting ready, helping each other comb their hair. The colorful hair accessories and floral ropes were things they wouldn't normally use.

"Sister Qingjun, I'll comb your hair today!" Xiulian, who had just finished her work, ran forward excitedly, followed by Xiaotao and Xuanxuan. "We want to help too!"

The three children fussed over Qingjun's head, adorning it with peach blossom hairpins, peony hairpins, and tassel hair ornaments—one on the left, a pair on the right. But that wasn't glamorous enough; a pearl flower ornament was also needed on her forehead.

"Although the item is fake, it's still beautiful because of your beauty!" Xiulian was extremely satisfied with her craftsmanship and kept circling around Qingjun.

"She's a young lady from a wealthy family!" Xiao Tao said sweetly.

Xuanxuan was equally impressive, exclaiming, "She's a celestial being lingering in the mortal realm!"

To match these jewelry pieces, Qingjun shed her old clothes from Aunt Dong and put on the dress she wore when she first arrived at Leshan Hall. She looked like an exquisite porcelain doll, a unique beauty that stood out even on the entire long street.

As night fell, darkness descended from the horizon. Once daylight faded, the lights of the city grew ever brighter, reflecting on the shimmering river and creating a dreamlike, hazy scene.

"Each of you form groups, the older ones with the younger ones. Gather in front of Mingxiang Pavilion in half an hour and we'll go home together!" Jiang Shuo gave the order, and a group of children burst into action like firecrackers, running around, shouting and screaming, scattering into the bustling crowd.

"Sister Qingjun, let's go this way!" The three children hopped and skipped around Qingjun, grabbed her hands, and ran towards the stage.

Jiang Zhiyang stood there, gazing longingly, but could only brush past her. However, he found a paper dumpling in his hand!

"At the second quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), at the pavilion by the water."

At the second quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM)! A pavilion overlooking the water!