Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 760: Things are new, feelings are old
The girls downstairs were indeed still there, and the look of surprise on their faces had not yet faded.

The scene of the eagle catching the gray rat was so shocking that Doctor Qu was just introducing the new portrait to everyone on stage, and everyone was waiting for the next painting, "Nighttime Portrait," to be filmed. Suddenly, there were two "thumps," and she was pinned to the west wall and tied up by Young Hero Pei Ye.

Then, grabbed by the back of his collar like a mouse being pulled by the tail, he was dragged upstairs, the door closed, and he disappeared.

After a while, people saw Miss Changsun running downstairs in a panic.

A little while later, people saw Miss Changsun hurriedly leading Master Li upstairs.

After a while, people saw Master Li leading Young Hero Pei Ye down the stairs.

Although no one knew what had happened and no one spoke much for a while, the joy of seeing Young Hero Pei Ye again was genuine.

Young Master Pei Ye seemed a little shy. Sect Leader Li led him to an empty table and then invited everyone to sit together.

"The meeting just now was secretly arranged by Qu Xin. Young Master Pei Ye thought it was to instruct a junior swordsman. He was caught by Young Master Pei Ye just now, and President Cui and the others were also scolded." Li Piaoqing said with a smile, "Young Master Pei Ye only just found out about everyone in the Fellowship. He is very embarrassed, so I pulled him down to meet and chat with everyone."

The girls were surprised and delighted. In fact, they were more used to the model of paying ten taels of silver for a half-hour meeting, because Young Master Pei Ye must be very busy, and it was really rare for him to take the time to meet with everyone one by one.

Besides, I've heard that his family is poor, and he might be just trying to earn some money. Since everyone's money is just sitting there anyway, it would be more meaningful to use it to support Young Hero Pei Ye than to buy cosmetics.

Moreover, when we first met, Young Master Pei Ye was so gentle.

Nan Yingzhi was sitting very close to Pei Ye at this moment, and she was somewhat hoping that the boy would turn around and greet her. However, she was probably too close and a bit too far back, so she could only see the boy's neck and profile. She was probably just a glimpse of him in his field of vision.

After Pei Ye sat down, she noticed that the smooth, clean hand that had been holding his sleeve had let go. She then naturally smoothed his sleeve a couple of times and rested it on the table next to her.

The pleasant voice of Master Li rang out above us: "First of all, let me make it clear that Young Hero Pei Ye is not comfortable with overly intimate contact. Everyone should just raise their hands and ask questions, like in a classroom. He just saw the painting you're selling and his face turned bright red."

Nan Yingzhi looked at the hand that was resting next to Pei Ye's hand, which was almost only a few strands of hair away from him, but Pei Ye, who was "not used to close contact", did not notice it at all.

She was lost in thought when she realized that none of the people she knew—such as Dr. Qu's personal physician, Chairman Cui's good friend, or Miss Changsun's classmate at the Imperial Academy—had a relationship with this person that was far better than hers.

The girl was very sensitive to these small, intimate details.

A rustling sound filled the room; almost everyone who came here carried a portrait. They had all been quite lively when they were acting crazy behind closed doors, but now, with the portrait mentioned in front of Young Hero Pei Ye, they were all filled with shame. Several looked at Li Piaoqing pleadingly, hoping she would never mention it again in front of Young Hero Pei Ye.

However, the boy didn't show any anger on his face. After listening to President Li finish speaking, he clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Um, please don't make any more pictures or dolls of my work, and please try not to spend any money. As for the money that has already been spent, President Li will try to refund a portion of it. As for the pictures and dolls that have already been purchased..."

He hesitated for a moment, and everyone watched him nervously.

"...If you want to keep it, then keep it, but try not to pass it around to each other."

A small, suppressed cheer erupted from the hall.

Pei Ye had a rather strange feeling, so he smiled along with her.

For about 15 minutes, laughter and chatter filled the air around the tables. These faces, which Pei Ye had initially regarded as terrifying, were all gentle and polite when they sat down in front of him. One person would finish speaking before the other would ask a question. Pei Ye actually felt a gentle tranquility here.

Although many of the questions were from laymen, everyone had their own understanding of them once they were put into words, and each person had their own unique ideas when they spoke about them. With Li Piaoqing's assistance, the atmosphere remained quite harmonious from beginning to end.

"With the treacherous officials no longer in power, Young Hero Pei Ye will come to meet everyone again when he has time, so there's no need to spend any more money." In the end, Pei Ye stood up and left, and Li Piaoqing smiled beside him.

Many people were still worried about Doctor Qu's situation. Some inquired about it, some pleaded for him, and some were saddened to hear that Young Hero Pei Ye no longer needed everyone's money. They huddled around the girl and whispered questions about the young man's financial situation.

However, the gathering of young hero Pei Ye ended successfully, making everyone's trip to the Sword Banquet worthwhile. As for the remaining four paintings by Qu Xin, they were, after all, the masterpieces of that great painter. Li Piaoqing arranged for everyone to draw lots, while Pei Ye stood to the side, smiling helplessly.

Then he sent people to socialize in the garden, while Pei Ye and the girl cleaned up the scene and returned upstairs.

Two large bags of tools used in the crime were placed in front of Qu Xin.

Qu Xin stood by the wall, looking down at the small pens, knives, and seven or eight half-carved puppets.

“You are no longer allowed to do business,” Pei Ye said. “Your reputation has already been ruined within the enthusiasts’ association.”

Qu Xin pondered.

"Don't even think about recruiting new members to scam people."

Qu Xin looked up at him in surprise.

Li Piaoqing said, "Pei Ye has already handed you over to me. Starting today, you will sleep with me at the Tianshan Villa."

"Little male duck, what is she going to do to me?"

Li Piaoqing said, "All your illegal gains will be confiscated and you must stay by my side for two months. If you dare to leave without permission, I will report you to Taishan Medicine House and have them arrest you and take you back."

Qu Xin was silent for a moment: "Little Duck, how are robbery and kidnapping judged? I want to report it to the authorities."

"For the next two months, you must follow my instructions to treat the Tianshan disciples who were injured earlier, the Immortal Terrace Feather Guard, and the Eight Waters Gang outside the city."

Qu Xin: "There were also privately established forced labor services."

“I have returned most of the silver you earned from your association, leaving more than six hundred taels, which I will temporarily keep with me. I will return it to you once you have finished treating your injuries,” Li Piaoqing said. “However, this snow silver will melt. Today it is six hundred taels, tomorrow it may be ten taels less, and in a few days it may only be five hundred taels left.”

Qu Xin's eyes widened: "How could silver melt?"

"I don't know, but it will melt in my hands anyway."

"...How much will be left when you give it to me?"

"That depends on how hard you try to treat your patients."

"I'll go now." Qu Xin turned around and presented his bound hands to Li Piaoqing.

Li Piaoqing bent down to untie her clothes and smiled, "Not now. I have things to do this afternoon. I'll explain everything to you in detail tonight."

"So my silver will start melting today?"

“It still needs to melt,” Li Piaoqing said.

Qu Xin lowered his head, rubbed his wrist, and without saying a word, squatted down to wipe the little dolls on the ground clean one by one, stacked them up, and carefully wrapped them up again in a bundle.

Pei Ye frowned curiously: "Didn't you only earn three or four hundred taels of silver for your consultation when you went to the palace? What do you need so much silver for?"

"Buying things," Qu Xin said, head down.

Pei Ye glanced at her; her hair was always tied with a single hair tie, and her clothes had no ornaments.

Rouge and face powder were completely excluded from this young girl's life.

What are you buying?

"Medicine. And some other things you won't understand."

"When you buy medicine, doesn't Taishan Pharmacy pay you?" "They won't let me buy it."

"...Then you'd better not buy it—wait, are you planning to try these things on me later?"

"..." Qu Xin looked up at him.

"Don't just stare at me without saying anything."

Qu Xin said earnestly and calmly, "Little male duck, you are so clever."

"Don't worry, I won't kill you," she reassured again.

"Do you have any fellow students or colleagues? I'd like to switch doctors," Pei Ye said earnestly.

Qu Xin thought for a moment: "None of them are as young and good-looking as me..."

Li Piaoqing slapped her little green hat onto her face, silencing her.

“You are now a criminal; if you say another word, another tael of silver will melt down.”

Qu Xin lowered his head.

Cui Zhaoye and Changsun Jue sat upright, one dignified and the other noble, and clapped their hands together. Cui Zhaoye said, "President Li is wise and brave. He has finally eliminated the villains and restored justice to the Tonghao Association!"

Li Piaoqing smiled, but Pei Ye ignored her and turned to say, "Classmate Changsun, I have a question for you."

"Ok?"

"I heard from Yin'er that you can play the zither, is that true?"

"I do know some." Changsun Jue was slightly taken aback. "I learned to play the zither when I was five years old, and I practiced it frequently after that, but I practiced less after I started school... However, I still play it twice a month."

"Then do you have time to teach me?" Pei Ye smiled. "I can give you a tuition fee... ten taels."

Qu Xin looked up: "I can play the piano."

Li Piaoqing said, "Deduct one tael."

Changsun Jue's eyes widened with surprise: "Young Master Pei Ye, do you want to learn to play the zither...? No need for tuition."

She was a little embarrassed.

"Well, I want to learn a sword now. Dean Qiu said it would be best to learn the zither first, and then learn swordsmanship after mastering three pieces."

Changsun Jue asked with interest, "Which three poems are they?"

"Guangling," "Yu Hui Tushan," "Shuiyun Zhijun," Pei Ye said, "Can my classmate Changsun play these pieces?"

"..."

"what happened?"

The girl smiled helplessly: "Classmate Pei, you really are good at everything... I don't even have the sheet music for these songs, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to learn them myself, let alone teach you."

She thought for a moment and said, "To play this kind of piece well, Pei needs to find a real master of traditional Chinese performing arts."

There should be no shortage of masters of traditional performing arts in the capital... but hiring one to teach you would certainly cost more than ten taels. Pei Ye thought to himself, and smiled, "Alright, then I'll look around some more."

Then Qingying, who was leaning against the table with a smile, tugged at his arm. Pei Ye clasped his hands in a fist salute and said, "Then Piaoqing and I will leave first. We have some things to do this afternoon."

"Goodbye, Young Master Pei."

"Goodbye, Chairman Li."

Pei Ye and the girl in the green dress went down the stairs. Everyone in the building had left, and it was empty and quiet.

The sun outside was no longer so bright, and it drooped lower. The two walked out of the building, and the sounds from the garden in the distance seemed to have subsided considerably.

"I was quite surprised when I first met them," Li Piaoqing said with a smile. "I thought to myself, there are so many novel things in Shenjing. Does every swordsman have their own hobby club?"

Pei Ye said in a muffled voice, "I think only I have it."

"So many young girls like him, isn't Young Master Pei happy?" Li Piaoqing laughed, "Don't pretend to be innocent after getting such a good deal."

"Oh, so that's how you see me... Whether I'm a girl or not, whether you like me or not, I don't care."

"I didn't really look at you. That's only natural. It's just that Young Master Pei has always been a bit stubborn."

"...How did you end up hanging out with them? I really didn't expect to see you just now."

“I went to Leyouyuan yesterday and ran into Miss Cui and Miss Changsun,” Li Piaoqing said with a smile. “You must have felt so ashamed when you saw them. There was such a group of beautiful women surrounding the pavilion, with a big flag next to it that read ‘Peiye Friends Association’ in five big characters… I stopped in my tracks immediately.”

"...I already feel a little dizzy just listening to you talk about it."

The girl was clearly eager to share what she had heard and seen yesterday, laughing and talking non-stop beside him. The fresh fragrance was faint and elusive. For a moment, Pei Ye was a little dazed. The girl beside him seemed very unfamiliar, yet they were so familiar with each other, without any sense of distance. They unconsciously put their shoulders together.

It was as if the six-month separation had never happened; all the anxiety and trepidation he felt when they didn't meet were just his own overthinking.

“Piaoqing, you seem to have grown up a bit,” Pei Ye suddenly said.

The chattering girl stopped abruptly, looked at him with a smile: "Oh, so you didn't listen carefully to what I was saying just now."

"...I was daydreaming."

“You’ve grown up a bit too.” Li Piaoqing looked at his face and smiled. “You’re even more handsome now.”

“…What?” Pei Ye felt he shouldn’t have blushed at such a joke, but his face did feel hot, and he subconsciously looked away.

Li Piaoqing also shut her mouth. The two walked along the path in the courtyard. The willow breeze was gentle, and a wisp of yellow was painted on the horizon. The entire horizon looked like a piece of jade with yellow stains, perfect for carving.

"What are you going to do? I'll go say goodbye to He Zhenchuan and Yin'er first." Pei Ye withdrew his gaze. Even if everything has changed, the sky in Bowang and the sky in Shenjing will never be any different. Eight months ago, they often walked on the road like this, looking at the sky.

“I saw He Zhenchuan when I came up just now; she was standing at the door waiting for you.” Li Piaoqing paused, then asked curiously, “Who is Yin’er?”

"Oh, this is my new friend, Shi Mei."

"A new acquaintance... how come it's another 'Sister Shi'?" Li Piaoqing smiled, puzzled. "How do you have so many strange and unusual relationships?"

"..."

(End of this chapter)