Chapter 98: The Moon is Truly Beautiful 

Eventually, after Jiang Nongqin calmed down, Lin Xun changed his clothes. With a slight squeeze, water literally wrung out of his sleeves.

The ancients said, “Women are like water.”

The ancients truly did not deceive me.

“Let Nong Qin wash them for the Young Master,” the girl said, her cheeks slightly flushed after calming down, as she looked at the clothes stained by her tears.

Recalling how she had just clutched Your Highness’s sleeve and cried incessantly, she felt so ashamed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I’ll wash them myself—”

Lin Xun intended to refuse, but seeing the flicker of disappointment in Jiang Nongqin’s eyes, he quickly changed his tune.

“Alright then. I’ll have to trouble Miss Jiang…”

Lin Xun ultimately agreed; after all, if Nong Qin started crying again, he really wouldn’t be able to handle it.

“Mhm… Nong Qin will wash them clean for the Young Master…”

Hearing that Your Highness had agreed to let her wash his clothes, the girl felt delighted, and a hint of joy sparkled in her eyes.

However, the joy quickly vanished as she remembered she had to leave early tomorrow morning.

Lin Xun also keenly caught this.

He knew Nong Qin definitely hadn’t just had a nightmare, but truly had something on her mind.

But this silly girl kept burying her worries deep inside.

“Would Miss Jiang like to take a walk with me?” Lin Xun suggested.

“Eh?” The girl, who possessed an incredibly wicked figure yet an extremely innocent gaze, blinked. “Go for a stroll with the Young Master?”

“Uh, I suppose. Although it’s late at night, there isn’t much to see.”

“Nong Qin will go!” The girl blinked brightly and quickly agreed, fearing Lin Xun might change his mind the next moment.

“Alright, let’s go then.” Seeing Nong Qin’s happy expression, Lin Xun’s mood also improved.

Jiang Nongqin’s pure and innocent soul formed a sharp contrast with her figure, which was more seductive than a vixen’s.

In fact, Jiang Nongqin had always disliked her own figure—which seemed like something out of a lost realm—feeling it drew too much attention and made her shoulders ache.

For the girl, she preferred to just be… quiet… but it was exactly this kind of girl who could better stir up a person’s protective instinct.

Moreover, such a girl was extremely easy to satisfy; it seemed that as long as one agreed to her small requests, she could be happy for an entire day.

And as long as Nong Qin was happy, your mood would shift along with her emotions.

Seeing the joy flashing in her eyes, you would gain a sense of fulfillment, feeling as though you could agree to anything as long as she was happy.

Lin Xun felt that his Dao Heart was resilient and the demon slaying saber in his heart was extremely sharp; otherwise, he might have already married her as a Secondary Wife.

Of course, Lin Xun felt that if he made such a request to Qinger, he would likely be buried alive… and Qinger would definitely not allow him to be buried with Nong Qin… But in the future, if Lin Xun’s demon slaying saber were to one day grow dull and could no longer be sharpened, no one knew what would happen then.

“Um, Miss Nongqin, please go change your clothes first. I’ll wait for you at the door.”

Lin Xun glanced at her thin nightgown and then quickly looked away.

At this moment, the slow-witted girl finally realized she had been standing before the Young Master in her nightgown, and white steam practically puffed from her head and ears.

“Young Master… Young Master, please wait a moment…”

The girl hugged herself and, wearing Lin Xun’s large slippers, ran out of the courtyard step by step.

Under the moonlight, the girl’s slender and delicate back looked beautiful, but Lin Xun was constantly worried she might trip.

Lin Xun also returned to his room to change into a set of green robes for going out, then locked his courtyard gate and waited at Nong Qin’s gate.

Half an incense stick’s time later, the girl finally emerged.

At this moment, Nong Qin wore a light blue form-fitting dress, her long hair pinned up slightly with a Deer God wooden hairpin, and a pair of cloud-patterned embroidered shoes covered her jade-dew-like feet.

She was tall and curvaceous, her demeanor elegant and refined. Her hair was black as lacquer, her skin like jade, her beautiful eyes shimmering, and every frown or smile revealed an indescribable charm.

The girl wore light makeup, looking like a budding peony—beautiful without being haughty, gorgeous without being vulgar, charming in a thousand ways, and unparalleled.

Lin Xun just didn’t understand why Nong Qin would put on makeup to go out late at night… and with her beauty, she didn’t need it at all… but perhaps this was just a girl’s natural love for beauty… However, Lin Xun felt a bit sorry for the fabric across Nong Qin’s chest; he felt it was enduring a tension it shouldn’t have to.

“Does… does Nong Qin look strange in this?”

Noticing Lin Xun’s gaze, Jiang Nongqin lowered her head and lightly pinched the hem of her skirt.

Is this dress not pretty enough? Or does the Young Master prefer more extravagant dresses?

But I dressed in simple colors, following Sister Qinger’s style.

“No, it suits you very well.” Lin Xun quickly looked away. Although he didn’t know why Nong Qin’s clothes had a hint of Qinger’s style, perhaps that’s how best friends were—their styles became similar. Besides, Nong Qin truly looked good in anything.

“Let’s go, we’ll take a few laps.” Lin Xun led the way.

“Mhm.”

Hearing Your Highness praise her, the girl felt a ripple of joy, as if she had eaten candy. She took two quick steps to keep up with Lin Xun’s pace.

On the streets of Luo City, Lin Xun deliberately slowed his pace as he walked ahead. Nong Qin followed behind with her head lowered, subconsciously trailing by half a step, like a girl on her first date with a boyfriend.

However, the two of them seemed to just be wandering the streets; they didn’t say a word the whole way, and Lin Xun felt a bit awkward.

Especially since there were hardly any people on the street, which made it even more awkward.

But when they passed the street with the Spring Breeze Tower, it became lively!

Men who had appeared from nowhere, greeted by scantily clad women, “reluctantly” slipped into the Spring Breeze Tower.

There were also several women who had brought their family servants specifically to catch their husbands… The “seafood customers” who were pulled out by their ears by their wives hadn’t even fastened their belts properly.

This made Lin Xun imagine what would happen if Qinger came to catch him one day.

No! At most, he would only listen to some tunes! He would absolutely never come to a place like this that inflated market prices to “eat seafood”!

Lin Xun didn’t dare linger in front of the Spring Breeze Tower. A few scantily clad women were about to come over to solicit customers, but after seeing Nong Qin and then looking down at themselves, they immediately lost interest.

Lin Xun could even see a deep sense of inferiority on their faces.

Lin Xun figured they must be new recruits in the “seafood market” who were seeing Nong Qin for the first time; otherwise, they wouldn’t be so insecure as to question their life choices. They should have been mentally prepared.

After passing the Spring Breeze Tower, the street became quiet again, and Lin Xun felt awkward once more.

He even felt that his suggestion of “late-night strolling” was incredibly stupid.

However, beside Lin Xun, Nong Qin didn’t feel that way at all.

To this girl, who had a proud figure but lacked confidence in her heart, being able to walk slowly on the street alone with Your Highness was already extremely rare.

However, looking at the large palm ahead and to her side, the girl’s eyes blinked softly. Her small, fair hand at her side really wanted to just slip into his palm.

But the girl shook her head vigorously.

She knew she couldn’t do that; she didn’t have the right.

How could she take the liberty of slipping her small hand into Your Highness’s palm?

But would Your Highness’s palm be very warm?

Your Highness’s hand looked so large; it felt like it could completely envelop hers.

If Your Highness enveloped her small hand, would she faint from happiness?

“If it were Sister Qinger walking with Your Highness, they would probably be holding hands.”

The girl couldn’t help but think, a flash of envy and disappointment crossing her eyes.

It would be so nice. If only she could be like Sister Qinger and have Your Highness hold her hand… even if just once.

If…

If she used the promise Your Highness had given her to ask him to hold her hand, would Your Highness agree?

“Young… Young Master Lin.”

The girl plucked up her courage, stopped in her tracks, and looked up to speak timidly. Her heart was beating fast, filled with the same nervousness she felt when she wanted to confess to Your Highness before.

But no matter what, she wanted to use that one promise before she left, at least to let Your Highness hold her hand.

If she couldn’t come back then, she wouldn’t leave behind so many regrets.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Miss Jiang?” Lin Xun also stopped and turned to look at her.

Unknowingly, the two had reached the banks of the Luo River. Moonlight fell upon the water, shimmering with ripples. Their reflections were cast onto the river’s surface; without needing wine cups, the two of them formed a pair with their shadows.

But after a short while, night clouds obscured the bright moon.

“Young Master… that hand… could you…” Nong Qin stammered, her cheeks instantly turning crimson. Fortunately, it was hidden by the night, otherwise steam would have been rising from her head and ears.

“Could… hand…” She really wanted to say the full sentence, but she was so nervous her words were incoherent.

‘Nong Qin, say it! If you don’t say it now, there really won’t be another chance.’

Anxious enough to stomp her feet in her mind, moisture filled her eyes again. The feeling of being unable to express her thoughts made her heart ache, as if she were about to burst into tears again the next moment.

“Are your hands cold?” Lin Xun asked.

“Eh? Yes…” Nong Qin lowered her head and nodded.

“I see.” Saying this, Lin Xun’s large palm reached out toward Nong Qin. As his palm drew closer, her heart beat faster and faster.

In her nervousness, Jiang Nongqin instinctively wanted to pull her hand back, but thinking that this was her last chance, she stood her ground, though her gem-like eyes were tightly shut.

“There, this should do it.”

“Eh?”

The girl opened her eyes and found that her small hands had been fitted with large gloves.

“I knew it. With your delicate body, you’d definitely feel cold in this late autumn season,” Lin Xun said with a proud look. “Luckily, I brought a pair of gloves.”

“…”

Clutching the gloves tightly, her small hands encased in Lin Xun’s gloves held against her chest, her heart was still beating fast. However, she slowly let out a sigh of relief, and the warmth from her palms gradually calmed her down.

But when she looked up and saw Lin Xun’s proud little expression that said, “I truly am meticulously thoughtful,” she felt a small sense of grievance in her heart.

Yet, she also felt a slight urge to laugh, and the remaining tension in her heart seemed to vanish instantly.

It seemed that in some aspects, Your Highness was truly and cutely dense.

“Young Master… can we sit down and rest for a bit?” This was the first time she had ever made a small request.

“Mhm.”

Finding a patch of grass by the river, Lin Xun took off his outer coat, folded it, and placed it beneath her, then sat down on the grass himself.

But how could Nong Qin sit on Lin Xun’s clothes? She moved to pick up the coat.

“It’s fine, the grass is cold. Miss Jiang, please don’t mind.” Lin Xun gave her wrist a gentle tug, and she sat down right next to him.

“Do you dislike my clothes, Miss Jiang?” Lin Xun said with a smile just as Jiang Nongqin was about to get up again.

Now, Jiang Nongqin could only sit obediently on Lin Xun’s clothes, her arms wrapped around her knees. Half of her small face was buried between her thighs, leaving only her large eyes visible, blinking as she watched the river.

Especially when she realized she was wearing Your Highness’s gloves, sitting on Your Highness’s clothes, and was only half a body’s length away from him—even feeling his warmth from her arm—her heart began to race again.

A sense of happiness kept spreading through her heart.

If… if only this moment could become eternal… that would be wonderful.

“Young Master,” the girl called out softly after a long while.

“Mhm,” Lin Xun responded softly.

“Tomorrow… what would the Young Master like to eat tomorrow?”

“Hmm, beef stew with potatoes?” Lin Xun said after thinking for a bit.

“The Young Master really does like that dish.” Nong Qin chuckled, covering her mouth.

“Actually, Yaya and I like everything you cook, Miss Jiang,” Lin Xun said with a laugh. “But this dish, you make it exceptionally well!”

“Mhm, Nong Qin understands.” She stole a glance at Lin Xun’s profile.

Actually, she really wanted to say, “If Your Highness wants to eat it, Nong Qin is willing to cook it for Your Highness for a lifetime.”

But the timid girl never managed to say those words.

“Young Master, Nong Qin will wash your clothes and give them to you tomorrow.”

“It’s fine, no rush.”

“Do you like white very much, Young Master?”

“I quite like it. White is simple, though it gets dirty easily. I also like White Album.”

“Young Master.”

“Hmm?”

“Is Nong Qin talking too much?”

“No, I talk even more. Once, Qinger couldn’t take it and used her little foot to block my mouth.”

“Ah…” Nong Qin looked at her own feet. Inside her shoes, her small feet gently curled against the soles, and a blush swept across her cheeks.

At the same time, a gentle breeze blew, and the night clouds obscuring the moon were softly pushed aside by the breeze’s “small hands,” allowing the bright moonlight to spill over the riverbank once more.

As the clouds cleared to reveal the moon, Lin Xun and Jiang Nongqin looked up simultaneously at the perfect, full moon.

The bright moon was reflected in the girl’s eyes, and her brilliant eyes mirrored the moon; it was no longer clear whether the moon was watching the person or the person was watching the moon.

Before long, the girl’s cheeks turned bright red because she remembered a line from “Your Highness’s Quotations.”

“Young Master.”

“Mhm.”

“The moon is truly beautiful.”