No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 985 Women’s Intuition
"Uh-huh."

After listening, Sha Ergou responded with a nod of approval, muttering:

"Hey, the old folks in the village always say, 'He who eats another's food is bound to him, he who takes another's money is bound to him...' Brother Liu, do you think the seniors and my fellow disciples are taking such good care of me, could it be that they want me to..."

Ouyang Rong thought for a moment and asked:
"To be honest, at least right now, you have no value to be exploited by others, so the scenario you're thinking of is unlikely."

Sha Ergou scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly:
"You agree, I think so too."

He lowered his head slightly, as if talking to himself:
"Actually, if I were to repay these favors in the future, I would feel more at ease. At least I would have a basis for it, and I wouldn't feel that my senior sisters did anything wrong. However, what's really troubling me is this current situation. I've been handed a sword again without even realizing it..."

He felt a pang of regret, and looking up dejectedly, he said:
"Brother Liu, if I had known, I would have refused. I'm so useless, I can't control myself."

Ouyang Rong shook his head and said:
"Since you've already accepted it, just like Lan Ruoxi said, keep it safe. When you get back, mention it to your master. Who knows, maybe she's helping you out because of your relationship with your master. You've found a good master."

Sha Ergou was silent for a while, then suddenly asked:

"If Senior Sister Lan is doing this because of her relationship with Master and the others, then who are Master and Senior Dongya considering, given their relationship with me?"

Ouyang Rong, who was walking at the front, immediately fell silent. After taking a few steps forward, he turned around and glanced at Sha Ergou.

The short-haired youth had a somewhat bewildered look on his dark face, as if he were yearning for an answer.

Sha Ergou is indeed slow-witted and dull, but he is not stupid.

Like most rural boys, his simple and honest character also hides a hint of cunning... This is a unique wisdom for survival in every group.

The two walked on in silence, and the atmosphere remained quiet for a while.
A short while later, the two arrived at the crossroads, about to part ways.

Before they parted ways and went their separate ways, Ouyang Rong nodded slightly and left a single sentence:

"We'll have to ask Senior Jia Shu and the others about that. Why not just ask directly if you're really uneasy about it..."

He said softly:
"This is better than us making wild guesses in private, and it's the right way to solve the problem."

Sha Ergou's expression froze for a moment, and he remained motionless for a long time, quietly watching the back of a certain calm and taciturn young man leave and disappear at the intersection ahead.

……

The afternoon sunlight, like gold, spilled into the courtyard.

When Ouyang Rong pushed open the door and entered, there was a strange noise coming from the main house, but it quickly returned to silence.

Ouyang Rong glanced at the kitchen, then at the main house.

The kitchen door was ajar, clearly having been opened before.

He silently washed his hands and then went into the main house alone.

The room was empty and quiet, the wardrobe door was ajar, and a stack of books was placed on the table by the window, with the sunlight lazily falling on the pages of one of the open books.

The pages were filled with dense text, and besides that, there were delicate handwritings of a woman taking notes, as well as annotations in red ink by Ouyang Rong.

This is not Wu Cui's sword manual, but the stack of scriptures that Ouyang Rong took back from Xiao Xuan.

Whenever he has free time, Ouyang Rong helps her with the corrections, preparing to return them to her the next time they meet.

Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze and walked into the inner room.

On the bed in the inner room, the bedding remained in an open position, a trace left behind when he hurriedly left in the morning.

However, a painting of Peach Blossom Spring lay quietly beside the pillow, and the ink stick that inspired the inspiration lay motionless beside the scroll, just like the scroll itself, as if it were asleep.

Until Ouyang Rong expressionlessly reached out his large hand to grab it, Mo Ding "whooshed" up, barely dodging the devil's claws, and fell to the ground, revealing Miao Si's figure again.

Her eyes widened, and she vehemently condemned:

"Little Rongzi, what... what are you trying to do? Are you trying to do something naughty while I'm asleep?!"

Ouyang Rong ignored her guilty conscience and continued his actions, grabbing the Peach Blossom Spring Map and examining it.

Miao Si realized that he had been feinting, deliberately trying to scare people. The female immortal jumped up and said:

"Don't think that explains it all. You're the biggest hypocrite, bar none..."

Ouyang Rong lowered his eyes to examine the scroll, and said indifferently:

"Stop searching. There's no food in the house. Even if there was, I've put it all away. You won't find it."

After saying that, he waved the Peach Blossom Spring scroll he was storing in his hand, and then pointed to the traces of the house being ransacked with one end of the scroll, gesturing to her.

Ingenious idea: ...

A moment later, she suddenly straightened her face and said coldly:
"Hmph, Zhao Xiao, it's true that I was pretending to be asleep, but I didn't rummage through your things because I thought they were dirty."

"Also, don't take my kindness for granted. The mother and son next door just came back. I was afraid they would come in looking for treasure again. Since I and the scroll were both here this time, just in case, I hid the scroll with me."

Ouyang Rong nodded calmly, raised his chin, and gestured towards the kitchen outside the door:

"You hid it, and then hid it in the most dangerous and easily exposed place—the kitchen, right?"

The brilliant idea went silent.

Before Ouyang Rong could even begin to lecture her, Miao Si suddenly skipped and hopped to the wardrobe and hid inside.

Just when Ouyang Rong thought that Xiao Mo Jing was going to take a nap like an ostrich and bury her head in the sand, the wardrobe door was suddenly opened.

After waiting for a while, Little Ink Spirit did not come out.

However, Ouyang Rong had no interest in going over to see it. He planned to rest and catch up on some sleep, as he still had to work the night shift and deliver food to Yun Xiangyi in the water prison.

Just then, a faint sound came from the wardrobe.

A soft, rustling sound.

It sounded like the rustling of mice gnawing on grain in the dead of night.

Ouyang Rong paused in his act of undressing, and frowned slightly.

Is the fairy goddess so hungry that she's eating wood?

That would be far too shabby.

Not only was she shabby, but the male head of the household also lost face.

Ouyang Rong turned around, frowned, and walked over to the wardrobe.

He glanced inside, and in an instant, his face froze.

I wonder if I'm seeing things.

"Where did you get these pastries?"

He couldn't help but ask the question.

But Miao Si, who was happily eating inside the wardrobe, ignored him and treated him as if he were invisible.

Little Mo Jing was holding a pastry in her hand, with a large bag of pastries next to her, ready for her to enjoy.

Ouyang Rong frowned even more as he looked around.

He doesn't remember hiding any pastries in the house. How did Miaosi find them? Where did she get them from?
"You didn't go out, did you? I've told you so many times not to run around outside, and you still..."

Brilliant ideas are dismissed with disdain:
"Hmph, you're slandering this fairy maiden again. The innocent will clear themselves."

She tilted her chin up, almost to the sky, and said in a haughty tone:

"Who am I, Fairy Maiden? I don't even need to go out; people bring me delicious food. Don't judge me by my own petty standards."

Ouyang Rong: ?

After thinking it over carefully, he asked with a serious expression:
"You've found a lover? Are there other ink spirits on this island?"

Ingenious idea: ...?
Ouyang Rong sighed to himself, "I never expected that such a small island would be so full of talented people."

Miao Si sneered: "Sorry, this fairy doesn't get aroused, unlike you. Besides, in a sense, these pastries were actually a gift from your lover."

Ouyang Rong's eyes narrowed: "What do you mean?"

Inside the wardrobe, which had been padded with bedding, Miaosi lazily crossed her legs, chewing on osmanthus cake, and mumbled indistinctly:
"That's the gist of it." Ouyang Rong stared at her for a moment, preparing to ask for clarification, when suddenly, the door outside opened, followed by a series of slightly heavy footsteps.

Ouyang Rong immediately turned around and walked over, then pushed open the door to take a look.

A slender young woman appeared at the courtyard gate and walked in without knocking.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her smooth forearms, and together she carried a bucket of water into the courtyard.

Ouyang Rong was stunned for a moment:

"Aqing?"

Aqing looked up and smiled sweetly:
"Brother."

No wonder the footsteps were so heavy; he almost thought they were strangers. Ouyang Rong realized what was going on.

"When...when did you get here?"

Ouyang Rong immediately stepped forward to help her carry water, but the pretty young woman politely declined, shaking her head.

"No need, brother, you go and rest, I'll take care of it."

Aqing went to the water vat and poured clean water into it.

Ouyang Rong looked back at the main house, then at the kitchen, and suddenly realized;
"You've been back for a while? Were you just fetching water for me?"

"Uh-huh."

Aqing smiled and nodded, her clear eyes fixed on the taciturn young man she hadn't seen for a while; she seemed to be in a very good mood.

Perhaps it's because I had a day off today and was able to come back to visit my brother, and since I didn't return in the middle of the night, we didn't have time to catch up properly.

Ouyang Rong asked helplessly, "Did you bring that pastry from Miaosi?"

"OK."

Aqing stepped forward, casually took Ouyang Rong's arm, and walked towards the main house, suppressing a laugh as she spoke:
"Brother, you won't blame me for acting on my own initiative, will you?"

"How could that be? It's just..."

"But what?"

"But that little guy took advantage of you again, spouting nonsense."

"Talking nonsense?"

"Mmm, I'm fine now."

Ouyang Rong shook his head, and the topic was dropped.

Ouyang Rong tilted his head, looked the somewhat lively Aqing up and down, and couldn't help but say:

"Why didn't you send a message before you came back? I didn't even prepare any food..."

Within Jianze, because many islands are far apart, there are special servants who act as messengers, sailing back and forth between Jianze to deliver letters. Although they haven't met during this time, Aqing has delivered a few letters to Ouyang Rong.

“No need, brother, I ate some pastries on the way, I’m not hungry yet…” She paused, her eyes curving into crescents, and said softly, “I didn’t send the letter in advance because I wanted to give you a surprise… It’s a pity you went out to eat, only Miaosi is here.”

Ouyang Rong was silent for a moment, then said seriously:

"Aqing, you're not allowed to give surprises anymore. You have to tell me in advance."

Aqing tilted her head slightly:

"Brother, don't you like things that aren't planned?"

Her eyes visibly dimmed: "Did I frighten you, brother?"

“No, I like surprises too, but…” Ouyang Rong turned to her and said seriously, “But if you could tell me you were coming back a few days in advance, I would be happy for days and could prepare a good meal to welcome you.”

He shrugged helplessly and said:
"If it's such a pleasant surprise today, I'm happy, but I can only be happy for a day or two."

Aqing's face froze for a moment, she let go of the hand that was holding her arm, and stood there speechless for a moment.

A moment later, she ran forward and followed Ouyang Rong into the house.

As Ouyang Rong pushed open the door, the girl behind him spoke softly:

"Brother, Qing knows. She'll tell you in advance next time."

Ouyang Rong casually rubbed her little head.

It was only then that I noticed that her hairstyle today was somewhat unusual, a retro-style side bun.

This refers to a style where the hair is combed to one side, tied up, and then coiled into a bun.

Some of them are pretty and cute, and are the styles that unmarried girls in the Wu and Chu regions used to wear while staying in their boudoirs.

Most of the Yue women in Yunmeng Sword Marsh, including some of the female rulers, have their hair styled in a uniform bun.

The so-called "hanging bun" refers to the hair being tied up at the back of the head, then the ends are styled into a loose bun, secured with a hairpin, and then left to hang down naturally.

This was more popular in the ancient Wu and Chu regions, and was a symbol of young women shedding their girlish innocence.

As Ouyang Rong scrutinized her, A Qing muttered to herself:

“Brother, stop rubbing. If you keep rubbing, it will fall apart. This is how Master combed my hair. Master sometimes likes to comb my hair.”

Ouyang Rong slowly nodded.

"She quite likes Aqing and is willing to do this."

"Yes, although Master is strict, she is..."

Aqing's eyes lit up, as if she wanted to say something nice about Xuezhongzhu, but when her gaze met Ouyang Rong's calm face, she swallowed her words.

The pretty young girl lowered her eyelids as if she had made a mistake.

There was a moment of silence between the brother and sister.

Seeing Aqing's unusual behavior, Ouyang Rong didn't say much. After letting go of the hand that was rubbing her head, he turned around and carefully tidied up Aqing's side bun, which was favored by Xue Zhongzhu.

Aqing silently observed the movements of the dull young man in front of her.

She suddenly realized that although her brother was sometimes stubborn, like a patriarch who had the final say and whose reasoning was not open to others, he was also sometimes incredibly gentle... The girl with her hair in a side bun was lost in thought for a moment.

Once inside, Miaosi, having eaten and drunk her fill, happily jumped onto Aqing's shoulders.

Little Mo Jing couldn't resist showing off to Ouyang Rong with a smug grin:

"Apologize! Quickly bow your head and apologize to this fairy! How dare you slander this fairy!"

Aqing looked at her and Ouyang Rong with curiosity.

The latter ignored him and went into the inner room.

"Brother, are you going to rest? I heard from Miaosi that you have to work the night shift in the dining hall and deliver vegetarian meals to Qingliang Valley."

Ouyang Rong showed no intention of resting. He went to the basin, washed his face, and shook his head.

"I'm not sleepy, I'll stay with you for a while."

Aqing let Miaosi chatter on her shoulder, then quietly walked into the inner room and took the initiative to help Ouyang Rong make the bed and fold the quilt.

"Let me do it."

Ouyang Rong tried to stop her, but A Qing stubbornly shook her head and refused.

He could only stand aside, arms crossed, leaning against the bed frame, watching the well-behaved and sensible girl busily working.

After a moment of silence, Aqing suddenly asked:

"Brother, whose are those scriptures on the table?"

(End of this chapter)