Heroic Wife Reborn Chapter 78

Chapter 78: A Gift of Fine Black Hair to the Gentleman

Jing Mo's meaning was clear: just bring a box of treasures back. Yet Yu Xiaoxiao's gaze merely swept across the boxes. Heaven knows why, but she wasn't interested in the treasure chests. After running for half the night, she was feeling hungry instead.

Jing Mo said, "Is one chest not enough? Then take two."

Yu Xiaoxiao said, "You want to give me two treasure chests?"

Jing Mo nodded. "Even a team of four horses can't chase back a gentleman's word once given."

Yu Xiaoxiao pointed at the few dishes of snacks on the tea table and said, "I want that."

Jing Mo stared at the table and didn't see anything valuable. "What do you want?"

Yu Xiaoxiao walked over and carried the tea table to the bed. "Do you still want these cakes?"

Jing Mo shook his head.

"Then fine, I'll bring them with me," Yu Xiaoxiao opened up a handkerchief and began placing pastries inside. 

Jing Mo stared blankly at her packing before he asked, "This is all you want?"

Yu Xiaoxiao said, "All the shops are closed right now, so even if you give me money I have no place to buy food."

When Jing Mo recalled how Her Royal Highness had polished off an entire table of dishes that night, he gulped and said, "This is too light of a gift." How much could a few cakes be worth?

"Fool," Yu Xiaoxiao said while stuffing a mouthful of pastry. "This is real, genuine stuff that'll save your life. What's more important than survival?" In the apocalypse, humanity used American dollars as toilet paper and gold bars as weapons. Diamonds were nothing more than toys and had no market value. What was the use of being rich? Someone who could raise crops from the earth was the real savior!

Jing Mo only felt that Princess Linglong was trying to enlighten him again.

"Do you agree to take good care of my family's Little Sixth?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked after she finished packing.

Jing Mo grew solemn. "Yes. I'll definitely do what I personally promised the princess."

"That's fine, then. I'll owe you one, so what do you want?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

"I want the princess to take away a treasure chest," Jing Mo replied.

"I'm not a person who likes money," Yu Xiaoxiao replied. "Forget it. If I'm poor in the future, remember that I stored two treasure chests with you. Just give it to me then." If he insisted on giving her the chests, then it'd be impolite to decline. It was better to store your money in different places anyways, just like how humans shouldn't hang themselves to death on one tree.

Jing Mo smiled. Here was someone willing to share their wealth. "Alright," he said, "I'll safeguard these two treasure chests for the princess."

"That's set, then," Yu Xiaoxiao said. "I'll take Little Sixth away now."

Jing Mo said, "Then shouldn't princess leave a gift for me too?" Now that they were officially allies, he needed a token of trust.

@!#**%@. Yu Xiaoxiao began to hold Jing Mo in contempt. I haven't even taken my presents yet and this b.a.s.t.a.r.d wants a return gift? That's not how a real man should act! She didn't have any accessories or even a copper coin in her pockets, so what was she supposed to give him?

Jing Mo could see that Yu Xiaoxiao's clothes were bare too, so he joked, "How about the princess leave me a few strands of ebony silk?"

"What's ebony silk?" Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

By now, Jing Mo was used to Yu Xiaoxiao's idiot act. "Ebony silk is the princess's hair."

Hair? Yu Xiaoxiao really had trouble understanding Jing Mo. Is hair worth a lot of money? She picked up his discarded sword and raised her hand to hack off a portion from her ponytail.

Jing Mo could only gape.

Yu Xiaoxiao offer the strands into Jing Mo's hands and said, "Take it."

Jing Mo replied, "Princess, are you sure you want to give that to me?" One's body, skin, and hair all came from one's parents; moreover, a woman giving her hair to a man was akin to pledging her love for him!

Yu Xiaoxiao felt that he was acting strange. "Weren't you the one who wanted it?" I've already cut my hair. You're not going to reject it, right?

Jing Mo reached out and took the cl.u.s.ter of hair as long as a pinky into his hands. Yu Xiaoxiao then leaned forward to pluck the sleeping Yu Ziming by his collar and said, "I've given you an authenticating token. We have to do as we promised, ah."

Jing Mo nodded.

"Then see you later," Yu Xiaoxiao held the little beansprout in one hand and her handkerchief full of snacks in the other, ran to the window, and jumped out of the bedroom. By the time Jing Mo chased her outside, there was no one except a mess of unconscious guards on the ground. Wrapping his robes around himself, he walked barefoot to the banisters of the balcony. Currently, Complacent Winery was aglow in lanterns. He leaned against the railings with a handful of hair between his fingers and broke into a sudden smile. Yu Linglong. As expected, she's a clever and nimble beauty.1

A flash of lightning lit up the skies. The storm clouds that had been gathering since dusk finally gave way to a light rain that fell as a fine curtain weave across Fengtian's capital city. Yu Xiaoxiao had barely taken Yu Ziming out of Complacent Winery when she felt a few drops on her face. In the end, she decided to head for the Gu Estate first since that was closer. She could always deliver Little Sixth to the palace tomorrow.

—

In the terrace atop the tower at Safeguard Temple,2 Junior Master Fenglin watched the autumn rains fall while speaking to State Preceptor Cheng. "A dash of autumn rain brings a spell of chill; you should wear more layers, Cheng Guan."

Cheng Guan was only dressed in a single layer of black robes, which was far too thin for a rainy autumn night. He picked up the boiled water and steeped two cups of tea for them, then murmured, "Why has Junior Master come to Fengtian?"

Junior Master Fenglin tasted a mouthful of refres.h.i.+ng tea before he remarked, "Master says that the Heavenly fates3 have changed and that its origin comes from Fengtian. He took me to come have a look."

Cheng Guan raised his eyes to look at the young monk. 

"You're right here in Fengtian," Junior Master Fenglin continued. "Haven't you noticed anything?"

Cheng Guan smiled indifferently. "If the Heavenly fates have changed, then they naturally have their reasons. Why persist in finding the cause?"

"The injured general was destined to die, but didn't," Junior Master Fenglin looked at Cheng Guan. "You don't think a change in fate like that deserves an explanation?"

"He was wrongly accused to begin with," Cheng Guan replied. "Where did this 'destined to die' business come from?"

"Then what about Princess Linglong?" Junior Master Fenglin asked next.

Cheng Guan was astonished. "What's wrong with Her Royal Highness?"

"She said Eternal Life Temple wasn't worth mentioning."

"Esteemed Empress died in childbirth," Cheng Guan explained, "After getting nothing from Eternal Life Temple despite her prayers, Her Royal Highness changed her regard. That's to be expected of human feelings."

A few raindrops fell into Junior Monk Fenglin's teacup, splas.h.i.+ng bits of hot tea into the air and against his skin. He looked down at his hand.

"If Junior Master is unwilling to tell me some things, then I won't ask," Cheng Guan said then. "There are many temples in Fengtian, so Junior Master should look around some more."

Junior Master Fenglin raised his head to stare at Cheng Guan again. 

State Preceptor Chen was still affecting a disinterested air, his tone flat and unruffled. "The head monk told you to look for variable factors, so please allow me to speak bluntly, Junior Master. How can ordinary mortals see through the workings of Heaven? If anything, it's better to take things as they come."

"I asked you about Princess Linglong, but you tell me to take things as they come," Junior Master Fenglin's voice sounded chilly in the rain as he glared at Cheng Guan. "You're protecting her. Why?"

A Chinese pun here, because Linglong (玲珑) literally means "ingeniously and delicately wrought, exquisite, clever and nimble."Safeguard Temple (护国寺) – huguo si, literally "protecting the country temple" but that sounds awkward and weird so I chose this. Alternative names: Ward Temple, Aegis Temple, Protector Temple, etc.Heavenly fates here refers to 天数 (tianshu), which could range from alignment of stars in the skies to Chinese numerology to basically anything astrology or fortune-telling related.