CH 25

The girl was dressed in pink and carrying a small bag, looking like a peach blossom about to bloom.

Her voice was sweet, but she deliberately lowered her pitch, pretending to act fierce. The corner of the servant’s mouth slightly twitched. He looked at the girl and said, “Lady, please don’t make fun of me anymore, we still have a business to run!”

“Who’s making fun of you?” Yan Mu was anxious. “I’m really serious about doing business.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” the servant perfunctorily said. “Where’s your guardian?”

Yan Mu straightened her face, took out her manuscript, and started to read out loud. Seeing the servant’s expression turn from perfunctory to surprised, then from surprised to engrossed, she stopped at the right time and stuffed her manuscript back into her bag.

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“Hey, hey, hey!” The servant had just heard the twist, and seeing Yan Mu put away the manuscript, he hurriedly asked, “And then? Did Long Ao Tian save the lady?”

“If you call the shopkeeper, I’ll tell you,” Yan Mu seriously said.

“Little girl, you’re really tricky!” The servant jokingly scolded, then turned around to call out his boss.

Mbl cspp oyp yd yvvaynvkhl szela osxyd1. Gqvla zkpvldkdt vs vbl plahydv, pbl zssjle yv Zyd Yw’p xydwpnakrv.

“Rv’p olzz oakvvld.” Gqvla pbl qkdkpble alyekdt vbl xydwpnakrv, vbl cspp zyeu zssjle yv Zyd Yw ytykd.

Zyd Yw oyp y zkvvzl wdnsxqsavyczl okvb clkdt zssjle yv. Fbl pvawttzle vs pvayktbvld bla nblpv vs xyjl blaplzq zssj y zkvvzl xsal nsdqkeldv.

Mbl cspp zyeu scplahle Zyd Yw qsa y zsdt vkxl, vbld dsdnbyzydvzu pyke, “Tso xydu xsal xydwpnakrvp es usw byhl? R’zz vyjl vblx yzz.”

“Slyzzu?” Zyd Yw oyp byrru. “R esd’v byhl ydu xsal ryrla, ps R sdzu oasvl sdl. Zsw nyd cwu vbkp xydwpnakrv qkapv, vbld R nyd ts cwu ryrla.”

Mbl cspp zyeu’p qynl alxykdle wdnbydtle yde pbl ypjle vbl plahydv vs ryu bla.

Zyd Yw nswdvle vbl xsdlu yde kv oyp sdl vylz kd vsvyz! Fbl olktble vbl xsdlu cyt kd bla byde, kd y xsxldvyau vaydnl yp pbl qlzv zkjl pbl oyp kd y ealyx.

“Zswa xydwpnakrv kp osavb byzq y vylz, yde vbl alpv sq vbl xsdlu kp vbl ryu qsa xu elrspkv.” Mbl cspp zyeu vssj swv y pxsjkdt rkrl yde pyv naspp-zlttle sd y nbyka. “Gqvla usw pktd vbl nsdvaynv, vbl ldvkal vylz kp uswap.”

Yan Mu was happily surprised2. She was about to sign, but she saw that the boss lady’s face was still indifferent. 

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She hesitated for a moment, then placed the writing brush down.

“Why? Think the pay is too low, so you don’t want to sign?” The boss lady exhaled a puff of smoke. “This is an extremely high rate, you won’t find a better price anywhere else.”

“I don’t despise the pay” Yan Mu pursed her lips, looked at the boss lady and asked, “Are you dissatisfied with my manuscript?”

“Oh?” The boss lady put down her smoking pipe and her eyebrows slightly rose.

“……Because you didn’t smile just now.” Yan Mu paused, then said, “You didn’t have any emotional reactions…… Did you… not like my writing?

“If you didn’t like my manuscript, you can tell me and I’ll keep changing it until you’re satisfied.” Yan Mu looked serious and her gaze was firm.

This is the professional ethics of a web novel writer! Yan Mu clenched her hands and her gaze couldn’t help but look nervous.

“Ah, little girl.” Across the smoke, the boss lady seemed to have smiled. “Your story is very good, but that’s the kind of story that men like.”

“My liking or disliking has nothing to do with the quality of your writing, so you don’t need to care about me.” The boss lady picked back up her smoking pipe and resumed smoking.

“I see……” Yan Mu lowered her eyes and seemed to be lost in thought. 

Indeed, in feudal times, the main consumers were men. Therefore, literary works were also male-oriented and there was much less female-focused fiction.

As a woman, it was normal for the boss lady to be indifferent towards male channel work, Yan Mu pondered.

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She signed the contract and carefully put the money away. But when she walked out of the teahouse door, Yan Mu thought for a while and turned back.

“If I write stories that women are happy to read, will you accept them?” Yan Mu took a risk and asked.

“Oh?” The boss lady became interested.

She pulled up her gorgeous red lips and said, “Little girl, just write it first. If it’s good to read, the price will be doubled.”

The boss lady uttered these words lightly, then turned around and went upstairs.

Yan Mu tightly clenched the heavy money bag and let out a long sigh. She lifted her foot and was about to leave, but was stopped by the servant from before.

“Lady Yan, what happened to Long Ao Tian and that lady in the end?” the servant eagerly asked.

“Long Ao Tian?” Yan Mu froze.

“Yes, yes,” the servant nodded, as if he was pecking rice.

She thought for a moment, then mysteriously beckoned at the servant, gesturing for him to come forward. The servant hurriedly rushed towards her–

Only to see the girl slyly smile and her red lips slightly open.

“I still haven’t written the next part, so I don’t know either.”

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After getting the manuscript fee, Yan Mu was very excited.

However, she understood the principle of ‘not exposing one’s wealth’, so she hid her money well along the way.

After turning several corners, she reached a women’s clothing store and picked out several personal undergarments.

Actually, she didn’t exactly lie to Yu Yuan and she really came to buy underclothes.

Although the original owner’s body developed late due to illness, she was already sixteen. Menstrual belts3, personal underclothes and so on, should be prepared in advance.

Especially menstrual belts.

Previously, she had discreetly asked4 the women in the village. In order to save money, they made their own menstrual belts and filled them with plant ash.

Yan Mu didn’t want to use those plant ash menstrual belts, so she bought some cotton menstrual belts.

After buying underclothes and menstrual belts, her little bag was already bulging. Yan Mu also went to buy excellent writing brushes, ink, inkstones, and a large bundle of paper.

Yan Mu carried so many things that most of her vision was blocked by the Xuan paper5.

She kind of regretted it now. She would’ve asked Yu Yuan to come along if she’d known this would happen earlier.

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Yan Mu sighed. She staggered along as she prepared to meet up at the village entrance, but another store caught her eye.

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Yu Yuan and Father Yan had been waiting for a very long time at the village entrance. It wasn’t until both of them were somewhat worried that they saw a little figure carrying a bunch of things, staggering towards their direction.

“……Daughter?” Father Yan was stunned for a moment. Just as he froze, Yu Yuan had already run over to help carry Yan Mu’s things.

“Huff huff……” Yan Mu wiped sweat off her forehead and muttered, “I’m exhausted.”

Yu Yuan put the things on the donkey cart and thoughtfully handed over a handkerchief.

The handkerchief had turned a little white from frequent washing and there was a faint fragrance on it. 

A boy like Yu Yuan actually carries a handkerchief with him! Yan Mu was amazed.

“……Hurry up and use it.” Yu Yuan was a little uncomfortable from being stared at by Yan Mu.

He turned his head away, but his sight inadvertently fell upon the package of underclothes. Yu Yuan’s whole body froze.

“Daughter, where did you get so much money?” Father Yan asked. His expression looked a little worried, he was afraid that Yan Mu was so worried about things that she had sold herself as a slave.

“I often write stories, so today, I went to the teahouse to try my luck, and I really sold one!” Yan Mu smiled and said.

“Oh?” Father Yan knew about Yan Mu writing stories. He initially thought of it like a child playing around, but didn’t expect that they could actually be sold for money.

“My daughter is amazing!” Father Yan exclaimed from the bottom of his heart.

Both father and daughter went and sat on the donkey cart as they spoke.

“Yu Yuan? Why are you standing there in a daze?” Yan Mu suddenly asked as she saw Yu Yuan dumbly standing in place.

The little teenager’s body trembled. He lowered his head and slowly walked towards the donkey cart.

“Yu Yuan, why are you walking so stiffly?” Father Yan was puzzled.

Yu Yuan’s footsteps stagnated and he almost tripped. He flusteredly climbed onto the cart and picked the spot that was furthest away from Yan Mu.

“Giddy-up!” Father Yan shook the reins and the supply-laden donkey cart slowly began to move.

“Yu Yuan.” Yan Mu waved at Yu Yuan across the supplies.

The little teenager looked up and quickly glanced at Yan Mu. Without waiting for her to speak, he hurriedly lowered his head again. 

Yan Mu felt helpless. She pushed aside the goods with some difficulty and scooted over like a caterpillar.

After great effort, she finally reached Yu Yuan’s side.

“What’s wrong?” She moved her head closer with some curiosity. “You’re really strange today.”

Yan Mu’s face was extremely close to Yu Yuan and the little teenager’s already red ears turned even redder.

“Why is your face so red?” Yan Mu was puzzled, “Are you hot?”

“……No.” Yu Yuan tried hard to look calm.

He saw Yan Mu happily take out a packet of paper and she mysteriously asked, “Guess what this is?”

Yu Yuan didn’t respond. He remembered the underclothes he had accidentally glimpsed again and was about to turn away, but Yan Mu grabbed his head and turned it back.

“Open your mouth,” he heard Yan Mu say, and he unconsciously opened his mouth. Something cool was stuffed in and Yu Yuan instinctively tried to close his mouth, but the girl’s fragrant fingertips brushed against his lips.

Yu Yuan was stunned. His mouth was slightly open like a fool, until he heard Yan Mu question him.

“Is it sweet? I saw a store selling sweets just now, so I bought some snowflake candy6.” Yan Mu stuffed a candy into her mouth too and her cheeks bulged like a little squirrel.

Yu Yuan closed his mouth and he couldn’t help but think of the girl’s fragrant fingertips. He unconsciously licked his lips, glanced at Yan Mu, then quickly lowered his eyes again.

“Sweet,” he heard himself say.

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The author has something to say:

If Yan Mu really asked Yu Yuan to buy underclothes together…… I think he’d be so shy that he’d directly faint.