I was approached by a cat-eared girl.

Bai Xiaoqi ignored him and continued to drink her yogurt through the straw. It would be difficult for a human and a ghost to be together in a movie because of the interference from Grandma and the Black Mountain Demon, so things definitely needed to develop quickly so that they could do everything they were supposed to do and not lose out.

But I'm different from him; I can take it one step at a time.

Besides, his...

Thinking of this, Bai Xiaoqi couldn't help but picture that wicked thing in her mind. The cat ears on her head trembled slightly.

It's so big, I don't even know if it can fit. Even if it does, it will definitely hurt a lot.

I'm most afraid of pain.

She bit down hard on the straw, glanced down at the screen, then quickly looked back at the computer screen.

“You get incredibly nervous and scared every time the topic of sex comes up.”

Chen Shuo gently rubbed her trembling cat ears. Having spent so much time together, he could accurately judge her current mood just by looking at the state of her cat ears.

If she stands upright naturally, it means she is relaxed and at ease. If she suddenly stands up straight, it means she has been startled or her attention has been drawn to something.

If only the tips of her ears tremble slightly, it means she is very shy.

But the fact that her whole ear is trembling like this indicates that she is afraid, nervous, and worried.

In addition, another sign that she is nervous, scared, or worried is that her ears are turned back.

However, there is a certain difference between the two: trembling ears indicate tension about something that will happen in the future, while pulling the ears back indicates tension about something that is about to happen or is happening now.

However, there are several types of this backward leaning posture. For example, if the leaning posture is not severe and it just droops to the sides, it indicates that she is depressed, unhappy, or very bored.

But if it's pressed tightly against her head, then you need to pay attention, because it means she's angry and you need to coax her. At times like this, her cat ears will be quite interesting, looking like an airplane.

It was really funny; Chen Shuo couldn't help but laugh out loud once, and he got a beating for it.

"Of course I'm scared. You know I'm terrified of pain..."

Bai Xiaoqi wrinkled her nose and spoke weakly, saying that she always felt a lot of pain in the two days before her period every month, and that she would definitely cry from the pain during that time.

"..."

Chen Shuo was at a loss for words. He couldn't very well say, "Just take some painkillers." He looked at the computer screen, then at her, and said dryly, "It only hurts the first time. It won't hurt after that."

"But there has to be a first time, which means it will still hurt."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Shuo thought for a moment, leaned close to her ear, and whispered something. Bai Xiaoqi's cat ears twitched twice, and she blushed, somewhat disbelieving, "Really?"

"Yes, I'm not lying to you."

"You can't fool me, I'm very clever."

"Yes, you are the smartest."

After their mysterious conversation ended, the two continued watching the movie, as it was nearing its end. On screen, Ning Caichen was burying Nie Xiaoqian's remains so that she could be reincarnated as a human.

This is also one of the more tragic parts of the film. No, the film itself is a tragedy. Humans and ghosts are destined to be apart, their love is deep but their fate is shallow. They can be together, but they cannot stay together forever.

Finally, Yan Chixia and Ning Caichen rode their horses into the distance, a rainbow streaking across the sky. The ending was profound and evocative.

But Bai Xiaoqi clearly didn't think so. She was only concerned about one thing: "If they liked each other, why did Nie Xiaoqian have to be reincarnated?"

"Because Nie Xiaoqian is a ghost and Ning Caichen is a human, when a ghost and a human are together, the human will slowly lose his yang energy, his body will become worse and worse, and then he will die."

"Wouldn't it be better if he were dead?"

"?"

"If they both become ghosts, they can be together forever."

"Okay, you're right."

Chen Shuo had to admit that what she said made sense. After thinking for a moment, he added, "Although that's how it's portrayed in the movie, in the original novel, Nie Xiaoqian didn't reincarnate. She became Ning Caichen's concubine and even gave birth to a big, fat son."

"Concubine?"

Bai Xiaoqi's eyes widened slightly. "Ning Caichen has a wife?"

"Yes, but she died later, and then Nie Xiaoqian went from being a concubine to the principal wife. Later, Ning Caichen took another concubine, and she continued to have a big, fat son. That's basically how it is."

I read Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio when I was in junior high school. I don't know if I remember it correctly, but the plot is pretty much the same.

Hearing him say that, Bai Xiaoqi quickly snapped out of her previous dilemma and even felt that her earlier struggle was not worth it.

No wonder he wanted to send Nie Xiaoqian to be reincarnated.

Because I have a wife, I don't want to die—I can't hang myself on one tree—if I die, I can't take a concubine.

She quickly pieced together a line of reasoning and expressed her contempt for Ning Caichen, calling him a scumbag.

"It's still early. How about we watch the second one? There are several parts to A Chinese Ghost Story." Chen Shuo checked the time; it was only a little past three in the afternoon, so he suggested.

Bai Xiaoqi shook her head; she had lost all interest in this film series.

Seeing this, Chen Shuo thought for a moment and understood, explaining: "The movie is different from the original novel. Ning Caichen did not marry in the movie. Moreover, the original novel was written by people in the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty or in ancient times, it was very normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines."

"This is clearly not normal at all; it's very wrong."

"It's wrong now, but it was a prevailing value at the time."

"I still think it's wrong."

"You can't judge the past by today's values. We need to put ourselves in the context of that time and look at those things through the lens of ancient values. A historical perspective is very important, just like..."

Seeing that he was about to launch into a long-winded argument, Bai Xiaoqi felt a headache coming on and pouted, asking, "Do you also want to have three wives and four concubines?"

"..."

Chen Shuo choked on his words halfway through, then sat up straight and replied righteously, "How could that be? I've never even thought about it. I hate having three wives and four concubines the most. I'm a staunch supporter of monogamy, meaning I only marry one wife."

"Whom should I marry?"

"Whoever takes advantage of me every day, whoever keeps pestering me for kisses and hugs, I know who it is but I won't say."

Chapter 143 Going Bad

As evening approached, the rain intensified, turning from a light drizzle into a moderate downpour.

Bai Xiaoqi held her phone and scrolled through her video status again. The three videos combined had less than twenty likes and a little over a hundred views, and the only comment was still from that Ya Ya Ya.

Feeling somewhat dejected, she put down her phone and nudged Chen Shuo next to her.

"Ok?"

Chen Shuo snapped out of his writing and turned to look at her.

"How do we cook that fish?"

"Either is fine. Carp is a bit fishy, ​​so how about sweet and sour or braised? Anyway, something with a stronger flavor."

"Ah."

Bai Xiaoqi nodded and decided to make it sweet and sour. Last night's rabbit was braised, so today's carp definitely needs to be sweet and sour, and it would be so delicious with its sweet and sour flavor.

She went to the kitchen, tied on her apron, and then squatted down to look at the carp in the bucket. It was still alive, but motionless. She felt that the fish had probably accepted its fate.

After staring at it for a while, she returned to the living room, took out scallions and ginger from the refrigerator—these were for removing the fishy smell—and then, after thinking for a moment, took out a carton of yogurt.

"Drink less, you've already drunk four boxes today."

My relative isn't coming until next week.

"You can't drink too much of that either. Drinking too much cold food is bad for you, and drinking yogurt can also make you fat."

"I only weigh 90 pounds, it doesn't matter if I'm a little chubby."

"Oh, so you weigh ninety pounds..."

With a sudden realization, Chen Shuo asked again, "Who was that person who weighed forty-eight kilograms and ninety-six jin?"

"..."

Hearing him accurately reveal his current weight, Bai Xiaoqi was instantly stunned. She looked at the scale with a somewhat bewildered expression, then turned her gaze back to him.

How did this guy know?

I clearly weighed him secretly while he went to the bathroom in the afternoon.

"Do you want to know how I know?"

As he spoke, Chen Shuo took his phone out of his pocket, turned on the screen, and waved it at her.

“The scale can connect to a mobile phone. Around 5 pm, someone in our family secretly used the scale while I went to pee. I won’t name names, but I hope she can recognize her weight and stop talking about weighing 90 pounds.”

"..."

Bai Xiaoqi felt she had made a mistake due to her lack of worldliness. She hadn't expected the scale to connect to her phone. Of course, the main reason was that this person was too cunning and hadn't even told her about it.

"Humph."

With a pout and a huff, she put the yogurt back in the refrigerator, gave Chen Shuo a reproachful look, and then took the ginger and scallions into the kitchen.

She scooped the fish out of the bucket. The carp didn't seem to accept its fate; its tail started thrashing wildly. Bai Xiaoqi clenched her fist and pounded the fish's head a few times. After a few muffled thuds, the fish stopped moving.

Then she stuck two chopsticks into the fish's mouth, placed a plastic bag on the ground, picked up a kitchen knife, and began to scrape off the scales.

After cleaning the fish and placing it on the cutting board, Bai Xiaoqi smelled her hands and frowned slightly.

If she were in the mountains, she would probably really like the fishy smell. No, it's not so much that she likes the fishy smell; to be precise, what she likes is the umami flavor hidden within the fishy smell.

When we lived in the mountains, conditions were poor, and we couldn't find anything with pure umami flavor, so we could only enjoy the fishy taste. But now it's different; we can eat a lot of delicious things.

So she stopped liking the fishy smell, and Chen Shuo also hated the fishy smell.

Now her first preference is sweet, and her second preference is fresh.

As we all know, steaming is the best way to cook fish. However, due to their living environment, carp often have a muddy taste, which is even stronger than that of sea fish.

Although there is a fishy line on each side of the fish, removing it can reduce the fishy smell, but it will still be a little fishy.

Therefore, you need to make incisions on the fish with a knife, marinate it with scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine for a period of time, and make sure to add a strong flavor when cooking it so that the fishy smell can be completely suppressed.

While waiting for dinner, Bai Xiaoqi took out her phone again, filmed a video, and posted it on Douyin. Chen Shuo didn't need to look to know what the title of her video would be: either "Eating fish with my boyfriend" or "Me and my boyfriend eating fish."

Chen Shuo said, "Send the video you just filmed to the family group chat as well."

"why?"