I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

Hmm... maybe it's just my imagination.

Finally, there comes the most anticipated moment of the day: the wedding night.

The groom took a jade ruyi, which symbolizes "everything goes smoothly," and gently lifted the bride's veil.

Unfortunately, the scene ends there, and the bride's appearance is not seen during the day.

Judging from the smile on her face, she must be both happy and content.

If I return at fifty-five, I will surely come back; if I die, I will forever yearn for you.

"Alright, half an hour has passed. Go take your medicine."

As soon as he put down his pen, Xi urged Bai Zhou to hurry up.

"Ah."

Recalling what he had just seen and heard, Bai Zhou ran to the table, picked up a bowl, and bitterly drank his medicine.

"..."

After glancing at Bai Zhou, Xi looked at the painting she had just created, "Ten Miles of Red Makeup".

What appears on the scroll is the final scene of the painting.

The groom was handsome and dashing, with a joyful expression on his face.

The bride could only see a faint smile on her red lips; when she looked up, her face was blurred and her features were impossible to discern.

The only thing visible was a glimpse of white and blue scales half-exposed beneath the red dress.

Xi knew what the groom looked like, but she didn't know and couldn't draw what the bride looked like.

She can't draw people she hasn't met.

She could roughly guess what he would look like when he grew up based on the current daylight.

but……

The bride he would happily marry... she couldn't draw her...

"Sir...the medicine is even more bitter..."

Xi slowly put the painting away, then pulled Bai Zhou, who had been hugging her from behind, to the front.

"We have apricots, would you like some?"

Xi raised her hand and flipped it over, and two sour green apricots fell into her palm.

"Oh!"

During the day, I took one and chewed it; the sour juice dispelled the bitterness in my mouth.

It's actually quite good as it is now; right now, he only has her.

Xi ate another apricot.

The apricots were sour, but had a sweet aftertaste.

"Ah Xi, what kind of woman do you like?"

Xi suddenly asked this question.

She was very curious. Born in the capital city, Bai Zhou must have seen many outstanding women of all races since childhood. So... what kind of woman would he like?

"Ugh?"

Bai Zhou tilted his head and thought for a moment, then replied matter-of-factly:

"I like you, sir."

"...I'm asking what kind of woman you like."

While this answer would be pleasing, it wasn't what she wanted.

"Um...that..."

As the daylight watched the sunset, he counted on his fingers and said:

"I hope she is as outstanding as her husband, as knowledgeable about painting as he is, and as gentle as he is..."

During the day, it chattered on and on, and the more it listened, the more its tail shook happily, and its pointed ears turned as red as cherries.

"Enough, enough... I just can't do anything with you. Someone like me..."

Xi is quite self-aware of her own personality; most of what the little devil said has nothing to do with her.

"Well……"

He looked at Xi during the day, then tiptoed toward her.

"Sir, you are the best woman I have ever met in this world. I don't know what kind of woman could replace you in my heart."

"..."

Xi wanted to back down, but she was also secretly hoping for something.

He gently embraced her, and whispered in her ear during the day:

"You tell me... who else could I possibly fall for besides you?"

"Waaah..."

The evening has passed.

She pushed away the daylight and, somewhat flustered, hid inside the painting.

She was afraid she wouldn't be able to resist actually responding to that statement.

"Hmm, this gentleman... is really cute."

Bai Zhou smiled and lay on the table waiting for Xi to return.

■

"It shouldn't be like this..."

Sitting alone in a small boat, gazing at the calm lake, Xi splashed the water, reflecting on her actions just now.

She shouldn't have backed down like this.

Where have you been all these years?!

She berated her reflection in the water.

"You panicked because of just one child and a few words from one child! Your mind went blank!"

"What about your knowledge and experience over the years?"

“You should argue with him… if you really… really…”

Xi suddenly raised her hand, splashing water everywhere.

"..."

Lying on the boat, gazing at the sky she had drawn herself, Xi's mind was once again filled with the image of him looking so pitiful and heartbroken when she abandoned him that day.

If... he isn't a real dragon...

If... I am not myself...

If... there were no time barriers between them...

How wonderful that would be.

The wind blew across the lake, carrying the small boat to the shore.

“Ah Xi.”

"Sir, you're back."

When Xi returned to the inn, she saw Bai Zhou waiting for her.

"Ah."

Their relationship remained unchanged.

"We will set off this afternoon."

"I'll listen to you, sir."

###

It was still just a small boat, and still just the two of them.

"Um, sir."

Leaning against the boat, I gazed at the dazzling Milky Way in the sky during the day and habitually called for dusk.

"what happened?"

Xi casually agreed.

"What do you think of the two moons in the sky? Did Xi'e really go to the moon to find her husband? Are there really people living on the moon?"

"The moon isn't anything special. Xi'e... that's about it. There were people on the moon... but now... they're probably gone."

Xi may still remember, or she may have forgotten.

She's lived too long, that old woman has lived too long.

A mere century is but a fleeting moment in their long lives. If one is not careful, the child who met them for the first time will be shocked to find that their grandchildren have already passed away when they look back.

She had seen far too many stories like Xi'e's; she couldn't remember them all, so she naturally forgot them. As for whether there were any living people on the moon... who knows?

"Like a mayfly in the vastness of the universe, or a grain of millet in the boundless ocean."

It's self-deprecation, but also a way of revealing one's true feelings.

"..."

"Sir, is the sun eternal?"

Bai Zhou seemed to have overheard something, yet it also seemed like he was just asking casually.

"Perhaps."