klisemfg Chapter 256: Lantern
Chapter 256: Lantern
Chapter 256: Lantern
Hearing his words, Ji Meiqing rubbed her empty stomach, put the painting aside, washed her hands, sat down, and said, "I didn't feel that hungry just now, but seeing this food made me realize how hungry I am. Oh, and remember to remind me to take the painting home later." Lu Yu replied, "Okay, okay, let's eat!"
Ji Meiqing wolfed down her food without any regard for her image, while Lu Yu said to her from the side, "Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."
After the meal, Ji Meiqing gave the shopkeeper some instructions, saying, "It snowed today, so there must be some pedestrians with nowhere to go. Therefore, we will close later tonight." Then she took her painting and left with Lu Yu.
On the way, Ji Meiqing looked at the lanterns in front of each house and asked in confusion, "Weren't there none before? Why is every household putting up lanterns for lighting today?"
Lu Yu smiled and explained, "It's an agreement among the people here. Whenever it snows, every household hangs a lantern to prevent pedestrians from slipping and falling, since the ground is slippery. Oh? Isn't your house right here? How come I didn't know?"
Ji Meiqing was touched, but upon hearing Lu Yu's question, she explained guiltily, "Oh, I see. Although my home is here, I rarely leave the house, so how would I know these things? Also, it's not like this throughout Rongcheng. We were just lucky to be among the residents in the vicinity." Ji Meiqing said this because she had just observed that only this area was like this.
Lu Yu said without any doubt, "You're right. Okay, let's go home."
Seeing that he believed her, Ji Meiqing breathed a sigh of relief. Then, wanting to play, she asked Lu Yu to pull her along so they could slide home. Of course, because the ground was too slippery, she still fell quite a few times. Finally, Lu Yu couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up to stop her, saying, "Alright, you've had enough fun. We're almost home. Just walk home properly for a while."
Ji Meiqing had no choice but to give up, guessing with her hand. She patted the snow off herself. "Well, I'm tired too. Let's go home and rest."
When they arrived home, Grandma Mei was already asleep. Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu quietly took a hot bath each, then lay comfortably on the bed to rest. Ji Meiqing, feeling completely relaxed, lay sprawled on the bed and said, "It's so comfortable and warm at home." She fell asleep almost immediately after saying that.
Lu Yu was actually quite happy to see her becoming more and more childlike each day. After all, she had been so reserved when they first met, and for the first time they spent together, he always felt that she was distant from him. Now, she was showing her childish and ignorant side in front of him, precisely because she was gradually becoming dependent on him. Thinking this, Lu Yu's face unconsciously curled up into a smile.
He got up and went to check the stove. After confirming that there was no problem, he went back to bed, held Ji Meiqing in his arms, and fell asleep peacefully.
The next day, when Ji Mei woke up, Lu Yu was no longer beside her, but the bed was still warm, so he must have just gotten up. She pushed open the door, adjusted her eyes to the light, and realized that the snow that had fallen all day yesterday was still there. She saw a line of footprints in the thick snow leading to the kitchen. She followed the footprints. As expected, the footprints were indeed Lu Yu's. Watching Lu Yu busy in the kitchen, she went over and said...
"Actually, you could have asked Grandma Mei to come for a few days, so why did you cook for yourself again?"
Lu Yu had already noticed her arrival, and upon hearing her words, he replied, "Grandma Mei must be exhausted from managing all the big and small things at home all day. It's still early, so I didn't wake her. I was planning to cook for you myself. Anyway, I've always cooked for you before. What? You don't like it?"
Ji Meiqing found a small stool and sat down, saying, "Yes, you're right. Besides, how could I not like it? You're just joking." After the two of them joked around for a while, Ji Meiqing said, "I saw it snowing yesterday and thought it was the first snow and would stop soon. I didn't expect it to snow for so long. The traffic outside must be very chaotic now. It seems we'll have to postpone our wine."
Lu Yu placed the dishes and rice on the small table in front of her and said, "Yes, the roads outside are covered in snow right now, and even if it melts, the roads might not be easy to travel on. So it's not just a delay, it's probably going to be a while longer."
Ji Meiqing didn't reply, took a bite of the dish, and said, "Your cooking skills have deteriorated too much." Upon hearing this, Lu Yu picked up his chopsticks, took a bite, and then said with a wronged expression, "No, it's the same as before. You must have gotten used to Grandma Mei's cooking."
Speak of the devil, and he appears. Granny Mei pushed open the kitchen door and saw them eating. She stepped forward apologetically and said, "Young Master Lu, Madam Lu, I got up late. Please forgive me."
When Ji Meiqing saw Granny Mei coming over and saying this, she quickly said, "Granny Mei, it's alright. It's because Brother Lu saw that you were working too hard every day, so he didn't wake you up. Besides, it's snowing so heavily now, and it's not easy to move around. We're just sitting at home doing nothing anyway, so we might as well find something to do. We can do small things like cooking by ourselves. You go and do something else."
After seeing Granny Mei off, Lu Yu continued the previous topic, "Why did you let Granny Mei leave? Didn't you think my cooking wasn't good? You could have asked Granny Mei to cook again." He said this while eating the food in front of him.
Seeing his expression, Ji Meiqing asked mischievously, "Brother Lu, why are you sounding so sour? Are you jealous?"
Lu Yu stubbornly replied, "No, why would I be jealous?"
Ji Meiqing flattered her, saying, "I didn't say your cooking was bad. I just said your skills have declined. But your cooking technique is still top-notch. Even if your skills have declined, it's still so delicious."
Ji Meiqing's words pleased Lu Yu. He was clearly in a much better mood and said, "Stop flattering me. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
Seeing that he still had this attitude even after she had said so much, Ji Meiqing got angry and said, "Don't act innocent after getting the benefit. What are our plans for today?"
Lu Yu stopped joking and became serious, saying, "There's no plan. You just said that the snow is so heavy today, it will hinder our movements, so what plan could we possibly have? If we really have a plan, it's just to rest at home. After all, the journey to the capital is quite long."
Ji Meiqing finished her meal while he was talking. "Since you put it that way, I'll go back to my room to rest." She even took an apple with her before leaving.
After Lu Yu finished cleaning up the dishes, he went back to his room. Ji Meiqing was looking at a potted plant on the dressing table. She went over and asked, "What are you doing?"