In her haste and fright, he hadn't seen clearly. It was only when Zhang Miao'er turned around that Ling Muzhu realized how daring her attire was.
Her dress was more revealing than what women in entertainment districts wore. How could a lady from a respectable family be dressed like this?
For a moment, Ling Muzhu's gaze darted around, unsure of what to do. He scanned the room, then his eyes landed on the tablecloth on the desk. He yanked it off and, closing his eyes, draped it over Zhang Miao'er.
"Cousin, what do you mean by this?"
Zhang Miao'er looked at the ink-stained tablecloth draped over her. Her brows furrowed in disdain, and she suppressed the urge to turn and leave. A smile still played on her lips.
"The wind is strong at night, it's better to wear more clothes and not catch a cold," Ling Muzhu said with a cold face, his gaze never lingering on Zhang Miao'er.
"Thank... thank you for your concern, cousin..."
Although embarrassed, Zhang Miao'er tried her best to maintain her smile. She subtly removed the tablecloth, placed it aside, picked up a bowl of porridge, and walked over to Ling Muzhu.
"Cousin, you must drink this porridge while it's hot. It's not good for your stomach if it cools down. Cousin, taste this porridge that Miao'er made. Does it suit your taste?"
Zhang Miao'er scooped some porridge with a spoon and brought it to Ling Muzhu's lips, forcefully trying to feed him.
Ling Muzhu was completely taken aback by Zhang Miao'er's actions. He instinctively recoiled a step or two, holding up his hand to stop Zhang Miao'er from approaching. However, he dared not make any sudden movements, fearing he might touch her.
"Cousin, please taste this porridge first..."
With no other way out, Ling Muzhu hardened his heart and pushed Zhang Miao'er's hand away. The spoon fell to the ground and shattered.
Ling Muzhu finally gained a moment to breathe. He quickly retreated a few steps, maintaining a distance from Zhang Miao'er. This woman was truly terrifying. Someone who forced themselves upon him was the most dreadful. He shook his head, unable to get rid of her.
"Cousin... you..." Zhang Miao'er changed her approach, forcing a few tears from the corners of her eyes. She put on a pitiful act: "I know cousin dislikes me, but I didn't expect you to hate me so much. I just saw that the porridge was getting cold and wanted elder brother to drink it quickly..."
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have made this porridge, nor should I have brought it to you. It made cousin uncomfortable. It's all my fault. I'll leave now."
Zhang Miao'er acted as if she were deeply hurt, appearing truly pathetic. Unfortunately, Ling Muzhu had seen too much of this and remained unmoved.
After acting for a while, Zhang Miao'er realized that Ling Muzhu wasn't falling for her tricks and became anxious. Her suspicious eyes darted around.
New ideas flooded her mind. Zhang Miao'er took small steps and walked to Ling Muzhu's side. She remembered her mother's words, urging Ling Muzhu to drink the porridge.
"Cousin, Miao'er spent a whole hour making this porridge. Please drink it for Miao'er's sake."
Ling Muzhu was at his wit's end, having never encountered such a woman.
He irritably put down the book in his hand and sighed. It seemed that if he didn't drink this bowl of porridge today, Zhang Miao'er would never leave so easily.
After a moment of hesitation, having made up his mind, Ling Muzhu picked up the bowl and drank it in one gulp, then tossed the empty bowl in front of Zhang Miao'er. "I've drunk it, you can go now."
A smug smile curved Zhang Miao'er's lips. She maintained her demure facade. "Cousin drank the porridge, so Miao'er will... will..."
Before she could finish speaking, Zhang Miao'er suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.
Startled by this sudden turn of events, Ling Muzhu instinctively caught Zhang Miao'er as she fell towards him. "You... what's wrong?"
Zhang Miao'er in his arms was like a corpse, showing no signs of life.
Ling Muzhu's brows furrowed, his face etched with helplessness. A moment later, Ling Muzhu felt a fire burning in his chest, a suffocating pressure. His entire body felt as if it were burning, intensely hot.
In contrast, Zhang Miao'er in his arms exuded a chill. Ling Muzhu immediately realized something was wrong. Why was he feeling this way? His body felt utterly strange.
...
"Young Madam, will this pastry do?" Chu Qing selected a few dishes of pastries from the food basket. They all seemed to be favored by the Second Young Master.
"Just prepare a few at random."
Feng Jin put down the bottles and jars in her hands and then glanced at the food basket. A quick look was enough. These were almost sufficient. Just prepare a few at random.
"This will do. What time is it? Hurry up and go."
After delivering the pastries, she needed to get back quickly and get a beauty sleep. Feng Jin stretched. Staying up late was truly exhausting.
As soon as she stepped out of her room, Feng Jin felt a chill. "The weather has really turned cold. What month is it?"
"By the way, Chu Qing, what's the climate like in your Xiliang?"
"Most of our place is sandstorms. The climate is arid, and water is scarce. Unlike Dongchu, where there are trees everywhere and flowers blooming in vibrant competition, ours is mostly sand."
Before coming to Dongchu, she had never seen such beautiful flowers, trees thicker than a water vat, nor experienced days of continuous rain.
Dongchu was a very comfortable place to live, unlike Xiliang, where the sun blazed perpetually.
From Chu Qing's description, Feng Jin roughly surmised that Xiliang was located in the northwest, with hot weather and vast expanses of desert.
"In short, the weather in Xiliang is extremely harsh, mostly arid. Sometimes it doesn't rain for a very, very long time."
"The environment of every region is determined by natural factors. No place is perfect. Although Xiliang is arid, it has vast deserts and tall camels. The fruits there should be the sweetest. Dongchu, while having distinct seasons, flowers, and water, experiences severe cold in winter..."
Feng Jin patiently explained. After all, the climate had been decided long ago. Everything in nature was predetermined. All things are born, grow, and conquer each other; everything is fated. There are pros and cons, and only through mutual complementarity and assistance can things endure.
"Young Madam is truly wise. You know all these things. The fruits of Xiliang are indeed the sweetest, and there are tall camels. When I was young, I rode camels with my father across the boundless desert. The desert at sunset is the most beautiful."