Chapter 235: A Gift for You
Chapter 235: Chapter 235: A Gift for You
Fortunately, Nan Zhi didn’t care how Lu Shixu got the chores done.
Whether he hired a housekeeper or did it himself, the task was completed all the same.
However, that incident had revealed Lu Shixu’s picky and fussy nature.
No matter how well he hid it, deep down, he was still a young master who had been coddled and pampered his whole life.
This understanding was practically ingrained in her.
That was why she was so surprised and even moved to see Lu Shixu now, with his sleeves rolled up, awkwardly clearing the plates and bowls.
But she hid it well. Only a flicker of emotion passed through her eyes; anything more was imperceptible.
Fu Chao didn’t notice.
His attention was entirely focused on Lu Shixu.
Seeing Lu Shixu make the first move, he felt as if he had fallen behind and rushed into the kitchen, crowding in.
"Alright, what does a distinguished man like you, Mr. Lu, know about washing dishes? Let me handle it!"
Fu Chao patted his arms, showing off his past work experience at Nan Family’s Small Restaurant.
That’s right! He was different from young masters like Lu Shixu, who had never done a day of manual labor in their lives!
He was a working man who had truly experienced the hardships of a corporate drone!
Fu Chao proudly lifted his chin, glancing at Lu Shixu out of the corner of his eye.
Fu Chao had now commandeered the spot in front of the sink, leaving no room for Lu Shixu to intervene.
So, Lu Shixu had no choice but to place the cleared dishes in the sink.
"Here you go."
To Fu Chao’s ears, this sentence was practically equivalent to "I surrender."
Fu Chao was fired up. He energetically began the series of kitchen cleanup tasks, from washing dishes to wiping the table.
Nan Zhi could hardly bear to watch.
She had even less desire to comment on Fu Chao’s passive-aggressive remarks.
’Has he forgotten that he used to be a young master too?’
"I’m going out back to pick some wild vegetables."
Leaving this remark, she picked up her bamboo basket and went out.
Fu Chao’s voice rang out from behind her:
"Go on! Make sure you have some fun!"
Nan Zhi: ...
’I just said I was going to pick wild vegetables, not to play!’
But once she was truly out of the house, had climbed to a high spot, and was gazing at the distant scenery, Nan Zhi squinted her eyes in contentment, feeling pleasantly lazy under the gentle sun.
She decided to just set the bamboo basket down and climbed onto a large rock to sit.
It had rained continuously for the past few days, and with the fresh mountain air, the surface of the large rock was almost dust-free.
So, Nan Zhi treated it like her own personal beanbag chair. She propped herself up with her arms, bent one leg, and let the other dangle freely over the edge, swinging it leisurely.
She tilted her face up, inhaling the faint scent of jujube blossoms, and a wave of drowsiness washed over her...
When Lu Shixu quietly found an opportunity to follow her out of the house, he saw Nan Zhi sitting on the rock with her back to him, curled up in a bonelessly lazy posture.
Her head was tilted back, and the mountain breeze intermittently swept across the ends of her hair, brushing back and forth, teasing the small of her back—so slender it looked like it could be encircled by one hand.
In that moment, Lu Shixu actually felt jealous of the wind that could lift her hair.
SNAP.
He unconsciously took half a step forward, stepping on a dry twig and making a sound.
Nan Zhi lazily glanced back.
"Oh, it’s you."
Lu Shixu’s throat felt terribly dry.
He looked at Nan Zhi’s long hair, like a waterfall of thick ink, and felt a strange yearning.
Then, as if recalling something, he turned and walked away.
Nan Zhi heard his footsteps but paid them no mind.
She changed her position, pulling up her knees and resting her chin on them. Her eyes were half-closed, looking as if she could fall asleep at any moment.
Just then, a fresh, delightful fragrance of plants and flowers wafted over.
It even swept away much of Nan Zhi’s drowsiness. She slightly raised her eyelids.
"A flower crown?"
That’s right. It was a flower crown, woven by Lu Shixu’s own hands.
Green blades of grass formed the frame, and colorful wildflowers fleshed it out with their beauty.
At this time of year, the mountains and fields were covered in flowers, both familiar and unknown, their colors dazzling and overwhelmingly beautiful.
Lu Shixu had a good aesthetic sense. In his hands, the different colored flowers were arranged so that, no matter how rich the palette, they never looked chaotic. Instead, they possessed a harmonious, just-right kind of beauty.
Even Nan Zhi couldn’t help but feel a sense of joy looking at it.
She had always liked plants; back home, the vase was never without fresh-cut flowers.
So, seeing such a breathtakingly beautiful flower crown, it was hard not to be captivated.
Lu Shixu could tell.
He offered the flower crown forward again.
"It’s for you."
Nan Zhi hesitated.
She felt that the flower crown was like a hot potato—accepting it would just lead to trouble.
Lu Shixu seemed to understand her concern and reminded her:
"It’s just a flower crown I whipped up."
Of course, it wasn’t something one could just "whip up." It required patience, an eye for beauty, and the perfect set of circumstances.
Nan Zhi knew this perfectly well.
But she couldn’t resist; she truly did like it.
So, she took it and held it in her arms.
"It’s beautiful."
Lu Shixu moved a little closer.
"Aren’t you going to put it on?"
Nan Zhi shot him a look.
Lu Shixu’s eager, restless feet quickly became still.
Nan Zhi ignored him. After a moment’s thought, she lifted her hands and placed the flower crown on her head—
Twelve years of treading on thin ice in the Otherworld had made her cautious in all things, even after her return.
Her mind had become mature and strong, but she also inevitably felt world-weary. Her state of mind was no longer what it once was.
Yet, she hadn’t expected that a small flower crown could make her feel so light and joyful again, as if she had returned to her girlhood, safe under her grandfather’s wing.
It was... a feeling she truly missed.
So, when Lu Shixu offered to take a picture of her with his phone, she agreed.
She sat cross-legged on the rock, the splendid flower crown on her head a burst of color. Her dark hair flowed ethereally as she glanced sideways, her eyes slightly narrowed...
In an instant, it was as if all of spring had prostrated itself at her feet, weaving a sweet and beautiful dream just for her.
This aura suddenly pierced Lu Shixu’s heart like an uncontrollable electric current, spreading from his chest through his entire body, leaving him stunned for a long, long time.
Nan Zhi raised a hand to steady the flower crown.
"What’s wrong?"
Lu Shixu calmly collected his thoughts and pointed to the side.
"There’s a butterfly."
Nan Zhi followed his finger with her gaze.
CLICK.
The image of Nan Zhi steadying her flower crown with one hand as she looked up at the butterfly was captured and frozen in his phone’s photo album.
Just then.
Fu Chao, in the middle of washing dishes, suddenly realized something was wrong. It was too quiet.
He turned around to find that Lu Shixu, who had been helping him just a moment ago, was long gone.
The house was empty, leaving him, the fool, to wash the dishes all by himself.
Fu Chao instantly understood that Lu Shixu had tricked him. Without even taking the time to wash his hands, he stormed out of the house, furious and ready to settle the score with Lu Shixu.
But then, in the distance, he saw Lu Shixu crouching on the ground in an awkward position, holding up... hmm? A phone?
Looking closer, he saw that Lu Shixu was taking pictures of Nan Zhi.
And Nan Zhi was casually directing him.
The godlike Mr. Lu, who could command the wind and rain in the eyes of the outside world, was nothing more than a tool to Nan Zhi.
Fu Chao felt a faint, secret thrill of satisfaction and decided not to go over and disturb them.