After My Thoughts Were Read, My Master Led Me to Change My Fate - Chapter 84

After Ran Fanyin left, all the steps for making dumplings proceeded in an orderly fashion. For several years now, Ning Songwu had often run to the kitchen, learning to cook some dishes. She stubbornly begged the cook to teach her and had picked up quite a few skills.

Cen Ran was fortunate enough to have tasted Ning Songwu’s cooking a few times. Ning Songwu’s culinary skills were excellent, but for some unknown reason, everything she made tended to be a little sweet. Cen Ran simply assumed Ning Songwu hadn’t grown up yet and still liked eating sweet things.

Luo Sheng suddenly ran in at this moment, sniffing around here and there, smiling with a playful, cheeky expression: “Junior Sisters, have the dumplings been put in the pot yet?”

Cen Ran, who was in the middle of wrapping, used her flour-dusted hand to lightly pat Luo Sheng’s head: “Out! Running in here only causes trouble.”

“Ouch, you’re something else! You dare to hit your Senior Brother?” Luo Sheng cried out, laughing loudly.

Ning Songwu was still annoyed by the flour covering her own body. Seeing the human target in front of her, she gave a cold smile. Senior Brother, don’t blame me for being unjust.

She directly picked up the bowl of flour nearby and fiercely dumped it over Luo Sheng’s head.

“Ning Songwu!!!” Luo Sheng roared.

Cen Ran laughed so hard she bent over, nearly spilling her guts, looking at Luo Sheng’s embarrassed appearance with his face covered in white flour.

He Lan Mianmian suddenly popped her head out from behind Luo Sheng: “Phew, good thing I let Gege (older brother) go in first. Ning Songwu, I told you to wait for me to come together. Could you really not wait that little bit of time?”

He Lan Mianmian was sixteen this year, and her features had matured. Her round eyes with long lashes were incredibly cute. Her features were exquisite and graceful, and like Ning Songwu, she was not suited at all for this quiet, aloof place of cultivation. Just by looking at her face, one would think she was about to wink and flirt with you.

As soon as Cen Ran saw He Lan Mianmian, she immediately restrained her smile and continued with the work in her hands.

Ning Songwu laughed: “I promised Shifu I’d be back to eat. Wait for you? If I waited for you, I’d miss dinner. Weren’t you busy flirting with Senior Brother Jing Xu back in Hong Fei Pavilion…”

“Shut up! I was not!” He Lan Mianmian quickly stopped Ning Songwu, glanced at Cen Ran, and saw that Cen Ran’s expression had become even worse.

“Luo He Lan Mianmian! It’s all your fault! If you hadn’t told me to bring you to find Cen Ran…” Luo Sheng roared.

He Lan Mianmian retorted with disdain: “Brother, could the culprit you’re looking for be any more accurate? Just say directly that you can’t bear to blame your Little Junior Sister Ning Songwu, but you’re willing to blame your own…”

“What’s all the noise? If you want to argue, take it outside.” Cen Ran glared at He Lan Mianmian.

Seeing this, He Lan Mianmian quickly ran over obsequiously and nestled up beside Cen Ran: “Sister Cen Ran, how can you bear to be fierce with me? …The last time you came to Hong Fei Pavilion to see me was half a month ago…”

“Don’t touch me. Go away.” Cen Ran shook off He Lan Mianmian’s grasping hands, her face cold.

“Sister Cen Ran… believe me, I absolutely did not do anything with Senior Brother Jing Xu…” He Lan Mianmian gazed at Cen Ran pitifully.

Ning Songwu was exceptionally perceptive. She stopped wrapping dumplings, grabbed Luo Sheng, who was still patting off flour, and said, “We’ll leave first, you two chat slowly,” while quickly exiting the kitchen. She even closed the door as she left.

He Lan Mianmian watched with satisfaction as her understanding roommate dragged her brother away, but the next matter was the one that troubled her most.

“Sister Cen Ran.” He Lan Mianmian shamelessly sidled up again.

Cen Ran was focused on the dumplings in her hands, showing no intention of paying attention to He Lan Mianmian.

“Sister Cen Ran, I really didn’t do anything with Senior Brother Jing Xu. Don’t listen to Ning Songwu’s nonsense,” He Lan Mianmian continued.

“Then you tell me, is it my fault that I’m pretty? They all like to send me those sappy love poems. I… I just smiled at them a few times. I really didn’t do anything with them.”

“…” Cen Ran still didn’t look up.

He Lan Mianmian didn’t care that Cen Ran’s hands were still covered in flour. She directly grasped both of Cen Ran’s hands, then, with a push, turned her around and held her against her chest, leaning over to press Cen Ran against the kitchen counter.

“Behave! Have you forgotten who taught you your skills?” Cen Ran said coldly.

He Lan Mianmian brought her lips very, very close to Cen Ran’s ear, smiling: “I haven’t forgotten, Sister Cen Ran. It’s you, you always ignore me. How long has it been since you came to see me? Don’t you miss me? Hmm?”

Cen Ran’s eyes held a trace of coldness, and also a hint of sadness: “He Lan Mianmian, don’t be so presumptuous again.”

He Lan Mianmian bit Cen Ran’s earlobe, licking and nibbling while saying indistinctly: “You still don’t believe me.”

Cen Ran’s face turned half red. She turned her head, avoiding He Lan Mianmian’s intimacy: “I believe you? Believe what? Should I believe you can stop being so brazen, stop flirting with others, or should I believe that you, the pampered daughter of the Royal Family, can give me any possibility?”

“I like you. I told you a year ago that I like you.” He Lan Mianmian turned her head, looking seriously into Cen Ran’s eyes.

“How many people have you liked?” Cen Ran averted her gaze, raised her hand, and gently pushed He Lan Mianmian away.

He Lan Mianmian used one hand to hold Cen Ran tighter against her chest and the other to cup Cen Ran’s chin, kissing her fiercely.

Cen Ran did not resist, but she also did not respond, as if indulging a child’s mischievousness.

He Lan Mianmian bit Cen Ran’s soft lips, wishing she could swallow them whole. She mercilessly ground and gnawed on Cen Ran’s lips, nearly breaking them, yet she wouldn’t stop until she almost did.

The scene of the two stunning women passionately kissing in the kitchen made one’s heart race. An intense, ambiguous atmosphere flowed through the air.

Cen Ran finally pushed He Lan Mianmian away. Her lips were swollen and wet from the kissing, like delicate flower petals dampened by dew.

“Are you still angry?” He Lan Mianmian asked cautiously, panting slightly.

Cen Ran tidied her messy clothes, but her expression had already softened. After a while, she finally spoke:

“Have you eaten yet?”

He Lan Mianmian’s eyes lit up with surprise, and she quickly answered: “Not yet.”

“Sit aside. I’ll cook a bowl of noodles for you first.” Cen Ran put down the dumplings she was wrapping, wiped her hands, and went to the counter to start boiling water for noodles.

He Lan Mianmian obediently sat nearby, relishing the memory of Cen Ran’s soft lips and smiling: “Sister Cen Ran, you are truly suited to be a wife.”

Cen Ran said plainly: “Yes, a wife who constantly has to clean up after a husband who likes to cause trouble.”

He Lan Mianmian blushed, but seemed very pleased with the comparison, and continued: “Actually, you know that I just like socializing with people. But the one I like the most is you. Sister Cen Ran, why don’t you marry me?”

“That is impossible. Don’t you dream about it,” Cen Ran was seven years older than He Lan Mianmian. Naturally, her thoughts were not as simple as He Lan Mianmian’s, and she wouldn’t entertain such jokes.

“Then, you can marry me, too. You wear men’s clothes, I’ll take you back to the Imperial City, and ask Father to grant you the title of my husband-in-law (fuma),” He Lan Mianmian laughed.

“Impossible. If you want a fuma, you can pull one back from Hong Fei Pavilion at random,” Cen Ran said indifferently.

He Lan Mianmian got up, wrapped her arms around Cen Ran from behind, and pressed her lips to Cen Ran’s ear: “I don’t want anyone else… I only want you… Marry me…”

Cen Ran blushed, but she continued to tend to the noodles in the pot. She remained silent.

Ning Songwu and Luo Sheng decided to go write the couplets first, leaving the kitchen to Cen Ran.

Luo Sheng had been writing couplets when He Lan Mianmian ran to Rong Ku Pavilion, and the couplet he was half-finished with was left there. When he and Ning Songwu returned together, they found Ran Fanyin actually sitting in his seat, examining the stack of red paper.

Ning Songwu couldn’t help but smile: “Shifu, can’t you just rest? Running around everywhere, you just have to find something to do?”

Ran Fanyin looked up at her, only saying plainly: “Are the dumplings finished wrapping?”

“Yes, we’ve wrapped quite a few. We put some copper coins inside the dumplings this year. Let’s see who has the fortune to eat them,” Ning Songwu laughed.

Ran Fanyin pointed to the half-written couplet on the table: “Zisheng, did you write this?”

Luo Sheng quickly nodded: “Yes, I only wrote the first line. I hadn’t finished yet when He Lan Mianmian ran over…”

“Very well written,” Ran Fanyin nodded approvingly, “Ning Songwu, you write the second line.”

Ning Songwu slightly raised an eyebrow, looking at the first line of the couplet, which read: ” (Men ying xiqi xi ying men – The door greets joy, joy greets the door)

Ning Songwu smiled. It’s still a palindrome couplet. She stepped forward, took the brush, and wrote on another sheet of red paper:

(Wu man chunfeng chun man wu – The house is full of spring breeze, spring fills the house)

Luo Sheng laughed: “Ning Songwu, your literary talent is as bad as ever, not fresh and refined at all.”

“Where is the first line you wrote, Senior Brother, fresh and refined?” Ning Songwu scoffed, “Besides, it’s the New Year. For the New Year, being a little common and festive is appropriate.”

Ran Fanyin said: “Ning Songwu is right.”

Luo Sheng muttered resentfully: “All you women in this house just bully me… bully me…”

Ran Fanyin ignored Luo Sheng, took a sheet of red paper for herself, took the brush from Ning Songwu’s hand, looked at Ning Songwu, and with a hint of a smile, wrote the horizontal banner:

(Yishi Ning Songwu – Lifetime of Ning Songwu)

The brushstrokes were vigorous and powerful, the penmanship thick and dominant, truly worthy of the character written by a dignified Venerable Lord of Bei Fa.

“A Lifetime of Ning Songwu…” Ning Songwu slowly murmured the four characters. Just reading them made her heart feel like a ray of sunlight had been injected into it, warm and comforting.

Ran Fanyin put down the brush, seemingly quite satisfied with her literary talent on the horizontal banner: “Take it and paste it above the door.”

Ning Songwu carefully picked up the red paper, gazing intently at the beautiful calligraphy. After a long while, she said: “Shifu, why don’t I take this one back to keep as a collection, and you write another one?”

“What nonsense are you speaking? Hurry and take it with Zisheng to paste on the main hall door of Rong Ku Pavilion,” Ran Fanyin smiled lightly, “I’m still waiting to eat dumplings tonight.”

“But, now isn’t the time to eat dumplings… it still needs a couple more days…” Luo Sheng spoke weakly.

“If Shifu says she wants to eat them, we’ll eat them tonight,” Ning Songwu spoke quite domineeringly, interrupting Luo Sheng.

“Oh… alright…” Luo Sheng obediently took the two lines of the couplet and went with Ning Songwu to paste them on the main hall door.

After Ning Songwu finished pasting the couplets, she rushed non-stop to look through the large batch of New Year’s goods Cen Ran had brought back a few days ago. Cen Ran was also a good homemaker. She had taken care of everything: paper-cuts, palace lanterns, firecrackers, fireworks, and several bright red, exceptionally festive new clothes.

Ning Songwu smiled as she rummaged through the pile of things. She was actually a person who liked excitement. If she had the chance, she would very much like to go down the mountain to see the prosperous martial world written about in storybooks. But alas, ever since she could remember, she had stayed in this vast, white Bei Fa mountain. Now, seeing such a large batch of bright red New Year’s goods, she truly felt a sense of the secular world.

Perhaps she was truly not suited to stay in such an overly quiet and secluded place. However, since Shifu was here, she would stay here her whole life.

Ning Songwu’s hand suddenly touched a dark brown paper bag. Quite curiously, she picked up the bag. The bag was very narrow and long. She stuck her fingers inside to feel around, grasped a bamboo stick, and pulled out the contents.

It was a string of bright red tanghulu (sugar-coated hawthorns).

Fortunately, the weather in Bei Fa was cold, and the tanghulu hadn’t melted despite being here for so long.

It was the first time she had seen tanghulu. It was truly exactly as described in the books.

Wait…

No… it’s not the first time I’ve seen it…

Something flashed quickly in her mind: a white-robed figure, much taller than her. The surrounding environment seemed very noisy, like on a bustling street. That person held a string of tanghulu similar to this one and shoved it whole into her mouth.

Then, the image was gone.

Was it an illusion?

Ning Songwu stared blankly at the tanghulu in her hand. After a long while, she lowered her head and took a bite.

The thick sugar coating mixed with the sour hawthorn was incredibly delicious, crunchy yet soft, and sweetly cloying.

Ning Songwu chewed slowly. She had eaten this before. She had eaten this before.

For some unknown reason, as she chewed, her eyes became sore, and a sudden urge to cry welled up.

It felt as if… the person who fed her tanghulu all those years ago had abandoned her.