Volume 1: This Heart's Bent Chapter 16: A Person on the Road Like Jade

  Wangji's Baozi shop's buns, the wine of "Yingxiang" tavern outside the city.

  It's indeed a very good match.

  Tai Shi Lan was carrying a paper bag of buns, while the man was carrying wine. The two were strolling out of town together. Tai Shi Lan had always been hands-on with everything since childhood, and was about to carry both the buns and the wine, when the man calmly but firmly took over the wine jug.

  "Where there are men, it's not right for women to carry wine jars," he said.

  Tai Shi Lan's eyes narrowed, thinking that if the three dead parties were here, they would probably laugh and pat each other on the shoulder, whispering "born gentleman" in each other's ears. Jing Hengbo would definitely hook his neck and ask for his name, age, occupation, salary, address, whether his parents are deceased, and whether he has any older or younger sisters...

  However, what Tai Shi Lan liked was his inclusive attitude - the key is not that he helped the lady carry the wine jar, but in this patriarchal society where men are superior to women and it's difficult for women to show their faces, he calmly accepted a woman's invitation to drink.

  At this moment he is walking beside her, with his long fingers clasped around the wine jug, the overflowing fragrance of the wine not reaching the smile on his lips that intoxicates people.

  "It's nice here." He pointed to a small hill in front of him, with tender green land that had just been caressed by the spring breeze, dotted with light blue flowers, and weeping willows hanging down, with the soft lines of the creek flowing through.

  Looks like it suits him, just like his favorite place.

  Tai Shi Lan sat down on the floor, thinking he wouldn't sit, but he sat down beside her with ease, stretching out his long legs, even more at ease than she was.

  The paper bag was opened and the buns from Wangji Baozi Shop were indeed good.

  Thin skin wrapped around a large filling, snow-white pleats slightly transparent after soaking in broth, with a hint of green onion flowers peeking out from the delicate folds.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't let him, slowly ate one, and when he went to grab a second one, a pair of hands suddenly reached out.

  It was him, leaning forward, and somehow there was a small branch in his hand, the bark peeled off to reveal a clean white core. He used this as chopsticks, carefully picking out the scallions on top of the bun.

  Tai Shi Lan's hand paused for a moment.

  She just looked at the scallions a little more when she ate her first bun, so he knew she didn't like scallions?

  He, however, was very focused, puckering his lips to pick out the scallions. At this moment, the two of them were extremely close, with him leaning half his body forward in front of her, his breathing light and shallow. Unlike modern men, he didn't have any strong perfumes on him, just a hint of a very faint woody scent, a very clean and pure one that made people think of warm and dry wooden houses on winter days, the kind that was forced out by the deep red flames, giving off a unique warmth that only came from ancient wood.

  A strand of black hair scattered on his forehead, lit by sunlight, through the golden-plated hair, saw eyelashes slender and fragmented light.

  It's too quiet all of a sudden on all sides.

  The birds are silent, the flowers rest lightly, the brook water is quiet and peaceful, the wind whispers softly.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't let go and her face didn't turn red either.

  "What's your name?" she suddenly spoke up, still in her usual tone.

  "Li Jinxue." He picked off all the scallions and didn't think there was anything wrong with it, casually sat back down, and replied.

  "Why did you pick out all the scallions? You don't like them either?"

  "I like it," he said.

  Tai Shi Lan looked at him.

  "But I don't know which bun you'll choose next." He smiled, "Maybe you think this one is whiter and plumper, or that one looks more delicate."

  "Baozi are all the same." She shook her head.

  "No, it's not the same, it's not just about the buns." He smiled with a deep meaning, "All things in the world are different, it depends on whether you have the heart to distinguish and enjoy them."

  "What kind of mood?" She asked after a moment of silence.

  "Leisurely and good at discovering beauty." he replied.

  She didn't speak again, but this time carefully picked up a bun that looked very cute.

  The white bun made her think of something and asked: "Why is it called this name? It doesn't match you at all, snow is so cold."

  "I'm an orphan." His tone was as if he were saying he came from a good family, without any discomfort, his eyes curved and even with a smile. "When my foster father found me, I was lying under the snow-covered tree, my foster father was a private school teacher, knowledgeable in literature, so he named me Jin Xue."

  She took a sip of wine, the ancient wine was light, and what was called a good wine was just sweet rice wine. She frowned, put down the wine jar, and said: "Good name."

  "I think so too." He took a sip of wine and ate a piece of baozi, suddenly turning his head to look at her, "Don't you like this wine?"

  "I don't like it."

  "May I guess why?" he said in a low voice, "You like strong liquor, fiery and scorching hot, down the throat like throwing in a handful of steel needles, from the throat all the way to the stomach, then bang, it's on fire."

  She fell silent for a moment.

  "Very good, very vivid," she said in a somewhat chilly tone. "But I don't like others guessing me like this."

  "It's not a guess." He let out a soft breath. "Alright, since you don't like guessing, I'll ask you directly. I want to ask you a question."

  "Say."

  "You don't seem like someone who likes to interfere in other people's business, nor do you seem like someone who is easily moved by emotions. So why are you following me and inviting me to dinner just because I gave that kid ten copper coins?"

  Tai Shi Lan noticed that when he mentioned the beggar, he used the term "child". This changed her mind and she decided to answer.

  "The answer is very sentimental, I don't like to say it, but I can tell you." She stared blankly into space, her eyes straight and piercing, like a needle, no matter what was in front of her, she would pierce through. "I and three companions, we were all orphans before, I was the oldest among them, they were taken into the orphanage as infants, but I was already three years old. Three years old, I remember many things."

  She paused, he handed over a bun, she took a bite, fiercely.

  "I remember I was a beggar, sleeping under the bridge with my mother. She would go out during the day and bring me food at night. We didn't live badly because I had some skills, she could rely on these skills to sell some scrap goods and fill our stomachs."

  Because she was doing well among the beggars, it caused some people to be jealous. Beggars also need to pay protection fees. When the big brother of that street came to collect money, others would say that she had money and let her pay more.

  The wind was a bit cool and the buns should have been cold, but the ones he handed over were still very hot, emitting a fragrant aroma, which she didn't notice either.

  "That day I brought a dog back home, mom said the dog looked like a valuable breed, a beggar raised it and was afraid of trouble, I didn't agree, just then, the protection fee collector came."

  She pursed her lips, her eyes calm and cold, a sheet of ice that had long since frozen.

  Past events shattered through time and space, fiercely colliding.

  "Got no money?" The young punk picked up the Chihuahua, laughing loudly as he spun around. "No money for the fare, but got money to raise a dog? And it's this kind of rich lady's dog? You dare to cheat me?" His tone suddenly turned vicious, and with a fierce throw, he slammed the Chihuahua to the ground!

  "Don't hit my dog!" She rushed over and was kicked away by the thug, crashing into the bridge pier with a dull thud.

  "Don't hit my daughter!" The woman, who had been smiling and pleading with a humble expression, suddenly let out a sharp cry and pounced on him, leaving several deep red scratches on the back of his hand.

  "Ah yo! Dare to touch me!" The thug grabbed her hair, baring his teeth, "You damn well go die!" He pushed her frail body out.

  Just then, a small car whizzed by.

  From then on, she often saw a splash of blood red in her dreams.

  ……

  Her silence made him silent too, as if he understood her mood at the moment and didn't ask any further questions. It was Tai Shi Lan who spoke up after a long while, "I've avenged myself."

  "That little rascal fell down later and when he hit the ground, there was a broken light tube with its sharp end pointing up."

  The words are faint, but the heart is slightly cool. The spring light in front of me is bright and beautiful, but it seems like that winter evening when snowflakes fell on the street corner. That street corner was very cold, and there were no sharp-headed lamp posts on the ground, only a piece of glass shattered into countless pieces. The little rascal pushed out her mother, but because she used too much force, she also lost her balance and fell down. As she fell, she stretched out her hand in an instant and covered it over the broken glass, saying softly: "Come back."

  The broken light tube instantly returned to its original shape, first piercing her tender palm and then stabbing into the back of the fallen man.

  That day, the turbid blood flowed through her palm, and her arm was also crushed. She listened to the sound of her flesh being pierced and her bones being crushed with a expressionless face, biting her lip.

  That day, someone happened to be passing by the laboratory and saw her restoring the light tube. They took her back to the lab.

  From now on, it's an unknown whether fortunate or unfortunate new life.

  ……

  She speaks only in terms of what she wants to say and what she doesn't want to say, never hiding anything, so she says "I avenged myself" instead of "Heaven helped me avenge myself."

  The heavens are unjust; why should I be concerned with its welfare?

  He didn't know if he had understood, slowly took a bite of the bun, and the smile at the corner of his lips faded. Suddenly, he handed over the wine again, softly saying: "A sip will make you feel better."

  Tai Shi Lan looked at him with some surprise, although they had only been together for a short time, she could see that Li Jin Xue was a very considerate person who always thought of others and would never force anyone to do something against their will. She had already clearly expressed her dislike for the wine, yet he still encouraged her to drink it.

  However, at this time, a sudden heat rose in her heart, and she felt that the wine was also very tempting. She took it over, gulped two mouthfuls, and the heat dissipated a lot immediately.

  Just as she was about to bid farewell, Li Jinsnow's face suddenly changed, "Be careful!"

  Before his eyes, a flower appeared, and he had already arrived in front of him. A faint scent of wood wafted over, and the next moment, Tai Shi Lan was pulled up by him to run wildly for several steps. Only the sound of rushing wind could be heard behind them, Li Jin Xue didn't even turn his head as he pulled her along, but Tai Shi Lan stubbornly turned back to look, only managing to catch a glimpse of the place where they had just sat, with a row of arrows inserted into it in unison.

  Li Jinyue's hand rested on her waist, steady and yet not losing an inch, she felt a surge of heat flow from her waist, suddenly her body was light as a swallow, running without any effort - this is the legendary martial arts.

  "Go up the mountain!" Li Jinsnow shouted, pulling her towards the nearby Luming Mountain. She didn't have time to think much, as people behind were catching up relentlessly.

  "Whoosh!", a feathered arrow whizzed through the air, its deep blue head spinning fiercely as it shot towards her shoulder!