Chapter 13 Heart to Heart Under the Moon

Chapter 13 Heart to Heart Under the Moon

Chapter Summary: The gentle breeze and bright moon are always captivating.

Filled with confusion, Pan Yue ignored Wu Dalang's endless ramblings on her way home. Once home, she locked herself in her room and went straight to sleep.

When I woke up again, it was already midnight.

The room was filled with moonlight as white as frost, and a new moon hung high outside the window, coldly surveying the world.

"Gurgle"

Having not eaten a single grain of rice all day, her stomach began to rumble uncontrollably. Pan Yue sat up, put on her coat and shoes, and headed for the door when she suddenly heard a loud crash from downstairs.

A thief broke in?!

Pan Yue suddenly woke up, grabbed a stool, crouched down to the door, and pushed it open a crack.

The moonlight trickled down the wooden stairs, and apart from the gentle night breeze and swaying shadows, the hall was deserted.

Pan Yue, her heart pounding, carefully stepped out of the doorway and tiptoed down the wooden stairs until she reached the dark stairwell.

"hiss!"

A gasp of cold air reached her ears, and Pan Yue paused, instinctively looking up.

Before the window, a solitary lamp flickers, and moonlight brushes against the swaying willows, casting silhouettes of people bustling about in front of the stove through the grid-like window frames.

Recognizing the man's profile, Pan Yue paused, then instinctively exclaimed, "Wu Song?"

Songsong, who was busy at the stove, twitched her ears slightly, turned around and saw the figure at the top of the stairs. Her clear eyes instantly filled with boundless spring moonlight, and she said happily, "Yunyun, you're awake?"

Before the other person could respond, he threw down the wooden spoon in his hand, and as he approached, he muttered, "Why are you holding a stool? Yunyun, sit down!"

He took the stool and placed it on the table, then pulled Pan Yue down to sit. He looked up at the bubbling stove and said with shining eyes, "The timing is perfect! Yunyun, please wait a moment!"

"you……"

Before Pan Yue could say anything, Songsong ran back to the kitchen like a gust of wind.

Another clanging sound followed, and Pan Yue finally understood where the thief-like commotion had come from. A gentle evening breeze, carrying the aroma of chicken soup, wafted over her. Pan Yue paused, then stood up and asked, "You made chicken soup?"

"Yunyun, please sit!"

Songsong returned with a steaming bowl of blue and white porcelain, nodding in response: "Yunyun was still asleep when I came back. My brother said she hadn't eaten dinner, and he was worried that she would be hungry when she woke up!"

He placed the blue-and-white porcelain bowl in front of Pan Yue, shook his red hands, pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her, looking at her with bright eyes and saying, "Yunyun, try it! Isn't the wild ginseng and chicken soup delicious?"

Wild ginseng?

Pan Yue lowered her gaze subconsciously.

With Wuhan University's wealth, how could they afford wild ginseng?

A half-burnt oil lamp on the table flickered and swayed.

Looking up, Pan Yue saw Wu Song's front was muddy and his hair was wet. Meeting his honest and clear eyes, which were like those of a mountain deer, Pan Yue choked up and couldn't speak.

"you……"

She looked down at the chicken soup in the bowl, her brows furrowed with confusion, and slowly said, "Did you go into the mountains again after your shift?"

"Um!"

With a completely matter-of-fact expression, Songsong got up and got a soup spoon. As she handed it to her, she nodded and said, "Yunyun, don't worry! Songsong grew up in Jingyanggang and knows the mountains very well!"

"No matter how familiar we are with each other!"

Pan Yue felt a sudden surge of fear and unconsciously frowned. She twirled the soup spoon in her hand as if it were burning hot before raising her head and saying, "The middle of the night is when wild animals roam. From now on, unless it is important, do not go up the mountain at midnight!"

Sensing the concern in her words, Songsong's bright fox-like eyes suddenly curved downwards. He sat down opposite her, tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said with bright eyes, "Yunyun, don't worry! Yunyun, have you forgotten that Songsong is a tiger-fighting hero!"

Pan Yue was taken aback. When she looked up and saw his serious yet innocent expression, she burst out laughing.

"I guess I was overthinking it!"

The pale moonlight, accompanied by the evening breeze, swept past the hall.

Their eyes met, and Pan Yue seemed to be burned by the intensity in his eyes. She subconsciously looked away, lowered her head, scooped up a mouthful of soup, and put it in her mouth.

Before I could savor it

"Pfft! Cough cough! Cough cough cough!"

"Yunyun?!"

Songsong jumped three feet high in fright. Seeing her panting and with tears in her eyes, he was so anxious that he didn't know what to do and kept circling around her.

Why is that? Did you choke?

"This soup..."

With great difficulty, Pan Yue suppressed the "distinct layers" of mixed flavors in her mouth, chewed the remaining dirt between her teeth, picked up the oil lamp on the corner of the table, and shone it on the blue and white porcelain bowl in front of her, whose heat was gradually dissipating.

Two ginseng roots floated on the chicken soup, the mud between them clearly visible; a chicken wing sat at the bottom of the porcelain bowl, the downy feathers on the wing joint clearly distinguishable.

Pan Yue's hand holding the candlestick trembled slightly, a drop of wax fell, and her internal organs churned.

"Hah!"

"Yunyun?!"

Songsong supported her shoulders, glanced at the greasy chicken soup in front of her, then looked at her suddenly pale face. Her eyes trembled slightly, and she asked in alarm, "Is it because of this chicken soup?"

Pan Yue suppressed her nausea, put down the candlestick, pushed the blue-and-white porcelain bowl away, glanced at it as if she couldn't bear to look at it, and frowned as she said to Wu Song, "Tiger-slaying hero, who taught you to make wild ginseng and chicken soup? Was it your mother-in-law?"

"Is it really for this soup?"

Songsong straightened up, looked at the chicken soup, then at her, her eyes brimming with barely suppressed grievance, and muttered softly, "Yunyun doesn't like it..."

"No……"

Upon seeing the glistening in his eyes, Pan Yue choked up and suddenly couldn't speak.

How come no one ever told her that the tiger-slaying hero Wu Song was such a straightforward, frank, and affectionate person?

She sighed softly, glanced down at the chicken feathers swirling in the bowl, and, suppressing her discomfort, softened her voice as she said to him, "Don't misunderstand, what I meant was, it seems like we forgot to put salt in the soup?"

"There was no need to add salt at all!" Songsong kept her head down, her fingers interlaced, feeling utterly aggrieved. "Having stayed in the human world for so long, even chickens have forgotten how to eat..."

"What?"

She vaguely heard something about the "human realm," and a strange look flashed across Pan Yue's eyes. Just as she was about to confirm, Wu Song seemed to suddenly remember something, waving his hands and hurriedly explaining, "Nothing! Nothing at all! Yunyun, wait a moment, Songsong will go get the salt!"

"etc!"

Before he could leave, Pan Yue noticed the blisters on his fingertips and frowned immediately. She grabbed his hand and asked in a low voice, "How did you get hurt?"

"It's alright..."

"Sit still!"

Pan Yue glared at him, and Songsong slumped down like a little animal that had been caught in the rain, letting her take his hand and sitting down opposite him in a huff.

Pan Yue sighed softly, took his hand, and examined the candlestick closely.

Cuts from vines, blisters and burns...

"you!"

Pan Yue was both anxious and angry. The words of blame were already on the tip of her tongue, but when she looked up, she met his clear eyes and innocent expression. She took his hand and tightened her grip slightly, pursed her lips, and couldn't say a word.

"...Seeing others injured, they rush to pick burnet roots, but how can they completely ignore their own injuries?"

Pan Yue unconsciously softened her tone, took his hand, and gently blew on the wound.

Songsong instinctively pulled her hand back, like a kitten being caught by the scruff of its neck by its mother cat, tilting its head and staring at her with innocent eyes.

"Are you stupid?" Pan Yue was furious.

"Yunyun, don't be angry!"

Seeing her frown, Songsong tilted his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head to comfort her, saying, "Yunyun doesn't know, Songsong grew up in the mountains, so the cuts from the vines don't hurt at all! But that stove," he turned to look at the stove that was still burning gently, looked at the burn on his hand, his eyelids trembled as if in lingering fear, and looked up, "it was indeed scalding hot!"

Pan Yue grabbed his hand, but before she could speak, Songsong grasped it back, looking worried. "Speaking of which, brother just said that Yunyun has accepted the order from Qingchen Academy? Does that mean Yunyun will have to stay by the stove for a long time? No way!" Songsong immediately straightened up, his face full of "righteous indignation," and said, "If we still need to fry wild mountain fruits, Yunyun, don't worry about it. Let Songsong and brother do it!"

"you……"

Pan Yue suddenly looked up.

Weary birds outside the window do not perch; with a whoosh, they take flight, accompanied by the flowing breeze and the evening moon. The evening breeze brushes past the willows by the window, entwining and pulling, creating fleeting and unique "beautiful moments" under the bright moonlight.

A gentle breeze and a bright moon are always captivating.

Gazing at her reflection in the moonlight shimmering in the other woman's clear eyes, Pan Yue's heart skipped a beat. She instinctively looked away, staring for a long time at the bowl of chicken soup on the table that had long since lost its heat, her expression flustered.

"I still have some burnt elm seeds left in my room, wait for me!"

Before the other party could respond, Pan Yue broke free from his hand, walked around the long table, and hurried away.

"Sigh"

A short while later, when Pan Yue returned downstairs with the burnet root bark wrapped in a brocade handkerchief, the bowl of "mixed flavors" ginseng chicken soup was no longer on the table.

Songsong sat upright in the same spot, staring intently at the small flame flickering on the corner of the table, seemingly engrossed in the moment.

Smelling the fragrance of grass, her ears twitched slightly, and Songsong suddenly raised her head, smiling to reveal her bright eyes and white teeth.

Pan Yue breathed a sigh of relief, stepped forward, pulled out a chair, and teased with a smile, "Is this tiger-slaying hero so obedient?"

"nature!"

Songsong obediently extended her hands, which she had washed first, so that she could apply the medicine to her. As a matter of course, she said, "Grandma said that Yunyun is the older sister, so Songsong should naturally listen to her older sister!"

Pan Yue paused slightly as she brought out the mortar and pestle, feeling inexplicably uneasy. She glanced up at him but remained silent, then quickly lowered her eyes again, took out some Sanguisorba officinalis root bark, put it into the mortar and pestle, and picked up the pestle.

"Knock knock knock knock knock"

The moon shines softly, the wind blows gently.

The pounding of pestles is slow and gentle, and shadows fall in pairs beneath the hall.

"Yunyun?"

After an unknown amount of time, Wu Song suddenly reached out and pressed down on the back of her hand as she pounded medicine in the mortar and pestle, and spoke in a deep voice.

Pan Yue was startled and looked up with a puzzled expression.

Why is Yunyun frowning?

Songsong looked into her eyes, tilted her head, and asked with concern, "Were you distracted while pounding the medicine because you were worried?"

He frowned subconsciously, thought for a moment, and continued, "Brother said that you two encountered that bully who was bullying Fan Cheng at Qingchen Academy... Yunyun was afraid he would cause trouble?"

Pan Yue's clear eyes flickered slightly. She gently put down the pestle, pondered for a moment, and shook her head, saying, "It's not just for Song Dai, but also... Songsong doesn't know, but I've been strong-willed since I was little. Even after arriving here for many days, I still can't accept the difference between superiors and inferiors. I am called 'this servant'..."

After an incense stick has burned.

After listening to her mutter about what happened in the South Garden that day, Songsong tilted her head, her clear fox eyes filled with confusion, and said, "Although Songsong doesn't know what Yunyun means by 'distinction between superiors and inferiors,' Yunyun, why does it sound to Songsong that Mr. Qingchen's actions might be out of good intentions?"

"Kindness?" Pan Yue suddenly frowned, looking puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

Songsong looked out the window where the moonlight was bright, pondered for a moment, and then turned to Pan Yue and said, "I remember my mother-in-law once mentioned that she had lived in the forest for many years and had seen all kinds of hunters, strange mechanisms and traps."

Pan Yue was startled. Before she could ask why her mother-in-law was also in the woods, she heard Songsong say...

“When encountering unruly and mischievous juniors, even if she knew there was a trap ahead, the old woman would not say much and would just let them be captured by the hunters, as it was their fate to suffer this calamity.”

"But if a bird or beast that has won her favor encounters a trap, she will surely stir up a strong wind and scatter fallen leaves, occasionally causing several of them to fall over... This way, they will learn a lesson and not fall into the hunter's trap again next time."

He looked up at Pan Yue, thought for a moment, and then said, "To be honest, although I haven't been to the yamen for long, I often hear people there say that officials, especially superiors, must be observant and shrewd. Mr. Qingchen was once a fifth-rank official, though not one of the top ranks. If he were truly a prudent person, he should have had you two expelled from the academy as soon as he heard you were causing trouble at Chunhui Hall. Why did he allow you to get close to Miss Zhou and then appear before him? Why did he bother to pretend to be a villain and make you understand the so-called hierarchy and the ways of the world?"

Pan Yue suddenly looked up and gazed at her face illuminated by the candlelight, feeling as if she had been enlightened.

A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts.

Mr. Qingchen truly deserves to be called a great Confucian scholar of our time. Perhaps he could see through her confusion and obsession at a glance from the very first meeting.

Confused about where they came from, confused about where they will return, confused about how to get along with the people and things here.

Unbeknownst to her, she seemed to have contracted the common ailment of time travelers: firmly believing that she was different from and superior to this world; with the arrogance of an outsider, she looked down upon all living beings.

Mr. Qingchen tried to subtly remind her that having ambition alone was not enough, and having pride alone was not enough; to change the various injustices and unfairness here, one must first integrate into the community!

No matter how unwilling you are, the next time you see a fifth-rank official, you should humbly refer to yourself as "this humble servant" instead of "I." Only in this way can you be seen and heard by others, instead of digging your own grave and cutting off your own path to survival from the very beginning!

"Hearing your words..."

The huge weight that had been pressing on her heart for hours was suddenly lifted, and Pan Yue's eyebrows lifted abruptly. Holding the mortar and pestle, she pounded the medicinal root and said with a smile, "Go wash your hands and apply the medicine!"

After bandaging Wu Song's wounds and tidying up the surroundings, it was another half an hour later when they returned to the second floor.

The snoring from Wuhan University, just a wall away, was deafening.

Pan Yue rubbed her sleepy eyes, just about to fall asleep, when a thud came from the window.

Pan Yue looked up and saw the little fox she hadn't seen for several days, bathed in the soft glow of the spring moon. Its fluffy tail was idly brushing against the windowsill, as if it were bored.

"A little fox?!"

Pan Yue's eyes lit up, and she ran to the window to pick up the fox. When she saw that there were small bows tied on its two front paws, she was stunned.

"You're injured too? This bow..."

The late moon is almost visible, its bright light captivating.

Looking into his eyes, Pan Yue felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of familiarity wash over her. Her eyes widened slightly as she kissed the little fox's head that nestled against her. As she walked back, she murmured to herself, "Speaking of which, I've been calling you 'Little Fox, Little Fox' all this time, but I haven't given you a name yet..."

She gently placed the little fox on the quilt, snuggled into bed, propped her head up with one hand, and lightly scratched his chin with the other.

"Songsong!" Pan Yue curled her fingers slightly, a hint of something unreadable hidden in her eyes as she held the little fox, her clear eyes sparkling.

"How about I call you Songsong?"

The little fox rested its head on her neck, its tail swaying gently, and the tips of its ears twitching slightly.

The man and the fox slept soundly through another night.