Ci Jinzhi

  Chapter 72 Revisited

  The layout of the living room looks the same at first glance, but it is different in every detail. For example, a pot-bellied vase with flowers on the table against the wall, and a green cloth cushion on the chair.

  In the words of my buddy Liu Zhou, it was really a waste of time to let the old man in the living room use it.

   "Sister Ji, sit down." Xin You greeted with a smile, lifted the teapot and poured two cups of tea.

  The chrysanthemum tea has two grains of rock sugar, which tastes sweet and refreshing. Ji Cailan took several sips and praised without hesitation: "Sister Kou's tea here is really delicious."

   "Sister Ji must come here often."

   "Sister Kou doesn't think I always bother you."

   "Why, I'm not busy. There are shopkeepers, staff and craftsmen in the bookstore, and I'm the only idler."

  Ji Cailan only felt that her new friends were agreeable everywhere, and she smiled more: "That's good. Sister Kou, has the second part of "Painted Skin" been written? Can it really be sold in early September?"

"should be no problem."

   "Great!" Ji Cailan clapped her palms, trying not to ask Wang Sheng whether what she saw from the window was a beautiful girl or a ghost with fangs.

  She is not so ignorant, asking such embarrassing words.

  Xin You took a sip of tea: "By the way, why didn't sister Zhou come with you?"

  Hearing Xinyou mentioned Zhou Ningyue, Ji Cailan sighed: "Cousin is not in a good mood recently, and she doesn't say anything when I ask her. I asked her to come here today, but she doesn't want to go out."

   "I saw that sister Zhou was in a good mood that time."

   "Yes, who knows what happened." Ji Cailan was a little worried.

  She has only two older brothers, and has always treated her cousin as her own sister. The cousin is not happy, and she is a little bit boring when she plays.

   "I have something, sister Zhou may be happy when she sees it."

"what?"

   "Sister Ji, wait a moment."

  Xin You walked out and whispered a few words to Xiao Lian who was staying in the study hall. Xiaolian nodded and walked away quickly.

   "Sister Kou, can't you tell me what it is first?" Ji Cailan couldn't help asking curiously.

  Xin You smiled: "If I say it, there will be no surprises. Sister Ji will see it later."

  Xiao Lian didn't keep the two of them waiting long, she walked in through the curtain, handed an object wrapped in green cloth to Xin You, and silently exited.

  Xin You opened the green cloth outside, revealing a booklet without a cover.

  Ji Cailan's pupils trembled.

What's this! Could it be the legendary comic book? The one with no clothes on!

  Although she hasn't read it, she has accumulated rich experience in reading so many story books over the years, and occasionally knows the existence of that kind of comic book from a sentence or two occasionally mentioned by those story characters.

  This... Sister Kou invites her to watch, will she watch it or not?

  Ji Cailan hurriedly glanced at the door, momentarily conflicted.

  Although Xin You knows a lot, comic books and so on are really her cognitive blind spot. Looking at Ji Cailan's reaction, big doubts arise in her heart.

  Why did Miss Ji suddenly become furtive?

   "What happened to Sister Ji?"

   "No, nothing."

  Xin You pushed the booklet over: "Open it and have a look."

   "Ah, this, is this appropriate?" Ji Cailan sank an extra booklet in her hand, and she was a little incoherent.

   She's not ready yet!

  Xin You became more and more confused: "Why is it inappropriate? I showed it to Sister Ji, and Sister Ji will not show it to others casually."

  Ji Cailan:!

   Ke Kou's kindness is hard to turn down, or... just take a look.

  Ji Cailan was heartbroken and opened the booklet.

  The entrance is a man dressed as a scholar stopped on the road and was chatting with a woman. The woman has a graceful figure and is very beautiful.

  This picture is not black and white, but colored. Whether it is the hairpin in the woman's hair or the skirt embroidered with flowers, they are all very detailed and lifelike, as if the man and woman are right in front of them.

   Ji Cailan unconsciously turned to the second page, and there was another vivid picture.

   "How is it, does it look good?" Xin You's voice sounded with a smile, pulling Ji Cailan's mind back.

  Ji Cailan raised her head sharply, and pointed to the picture on the brochure: "This, is this the scene where Wang Shenglu meets Mei Niang?"

   "It's kind of like the description in the article, right? I drew the scenes from the upper part of "Painted Skin" on a whim, what does Sister Ji think?"

  Ji Cailan blinked in embarrassment.

   She was thinking too much, she just kept turning backwards, thinking that the naked one was behind!

  But the excitement soon overwhelmed the embarrassment, Ji Cailan's eyes were burning, and she pressed the booklet with both hands: "Sister Kou, you are too good, how did you think of drawing the story!"

   "Maybe it's too busy. Sister Ji, do you think Sister Zhou will feel better after seeing this?"

   "Of course." Ji Cailan nodded vigorously, and blurted out the invitation, "If Sister Kou is okay, let's go find my cousin together, and let her be surprised by this too."

   "Okay." Xin You readily agreed.

  The two walked out of the bookstore together, without hiring a carriage, talking and chatting, and walked to Zhou Ningyue's house without knowing it.

   "Cousin, look who's coming!" Ji Cailan shouted happily while still in the yard.

  Although Xin You has a lot of thoughts, she doesn't even feel a genuine smile when she's with a simple and lively girl like Ji Cailan.

  The door of the west wing was pushed open, Zhou Ningyue came out, and saw Xin You beside Ji Cailan with a surprised face: "Sister Kou?"

  Xin You didn't respond immediately, the scene changed before her eyes.

   is daytime. Standing outside the door, Zhou Ningyue seemed to have seen something. The basket in her hand fell to the ground, stumbled and ran while turning her head, ran to the courtyard and fell to the ground, with a face of pain and panic.

   It was her father Zhou Tong who chased him out of the house.

   "Sister Kou—" Seeing that Xin You was silent, Zhou Ningyue yelled again.

  Xin You regained consciousness, the girl with a sweet smile in front of her eyes coincided with the terrified girl in the picture, the contrast made people feel extremely complicated.

   Fortunately, Xin You has been here since she was a child. Although she can't be calm about those sudden scenes, she can be calm on the surface.

   "I haven't seen you for a few days, sister Zhou seems to have lost some weight." Xin You exchanged greetings calmly, while quickly analyzing what she saw in her mind.

   Zhou Ningyue's movement from dropping the basket to falling down was not small, but no one else showed up when Zhou's father chased her into the yard.

  Mother Zhou, maidservants, doormen, cooks, servants, none of them appeared.

   Could it be that Zhou Tong and Zhou Ningyue were the only father and daughter at home?

  This situation is very strange.

  Xin You noticed the basket that fell to the ground with doubts.

  The small wicker basket turned sideways, the floral cloth covering the basket slipped, and the mooncakes were scattered all over the floor.

  Moon cake——Xinyou's heart beats.

  Is that day the Mid-Autumn Festival?

  If it’s the Mid-Autumn Festival, the possibility of Zhou’s mother not being at home is very small if no one else mentions it.

  Thinking of Zhou Ningyue standing outside the door and suddenly dropping the bamboo basket and running out in panic, Xin You had a guess in her mind.

  (end of this chapter)