Water Reflects Peach Blossoms

Heaven.

It has been raining continuously in recent days, and Tiandu City is covered with a layer of gloom.

Nanzhi was walking down the street, carrying a vegetable basket in one hand and an oil-paper umbrella in the other. Her slightly outdated dress was a little faded from washing. She stopped in front of a small stall and asked the owner, "Boss, what's the price of fish today?"

"Same as usual, five cents!" The boss who was killing fish raised his head and smiled at Nanzhi with his honest face.

Thinking of the young man at home, his hair turned white. He counted the money in his purse and saw that there was still some money left. Nanzhi said happily, "Give me one!"

"okay!"

The man quickly picked out the largest fish from the wooden barrel filled with water, and with a sharp knife he gutted the fish and scraped off the scales.

After a few breaths, a processed fish tied with a straw rope was handed to Nanzhi.

The hand holding the basket took the fish, and Nanzhi raised the umbrella slightly, revealing her beautiful face that could not be concealed even in the rain.

"The money is on the stall." Nanzhi said, and left with the fish.

However, she did not notice the undisguised madness and paranoia in the eyes of the fish stall owner behind her, which were different from those of humans, and the crescent-shaped mark made of leaves that flashed by and disappeared without a trace.

The paranoid look in his eyes suddenly cleared up. The fish stall owner looked at the wooden barrel and gritted his teeth: "Damn it! Is this a ghost? The biggest fish is gone again!"

On the way home, when passing by a vegetable stall, an auntie with her hair tied up in a cloth called out to Nanzhi: "Buying vegetables, Nanzhi?"

"Yeah." Nanzhi stopped and greeted the aunt, "Auntie, how's your business today?"

"Hey, that's about it." The auntie said, picking up two carrots and putting them in Nanzhi's basket: "If you can't sell them, they will go bad. You can take them back and eat them!"

These vegetables were grown by Auntie with great effort. Auntie’s life was not easy. Nanzhi didn’t want to take them for free: “No way! Auntie has taken good care of me!”

Her aunt grabbed her hand as she tried to resist, and she stroked the back of her delicate hand twice: "If it weren't for your father, my wife would have been wronged in the past. Don't be polite to me, or I'll feel bad..."

"Thank you, auntie." Nanzhi withdrew her hand.

For some reason, even though her aunt's palms were dry and warm, she felt they were sticky and dangerous, as if she was being stared at by a poisonous snake!

"Now you're obedient." The aunt smiled and stuffed some fresh vegetables into Nanzhi's basket.

Nanzhi left with the basket.

The aunt watched her back as she walked away, then looked down at the hand she had just grasped Nanzhi, with a strange and obsessed smile: "That's great, I really envy you for being able to touch her hand."

As he spoke, his expression gradually became sinister: "It really makes me jealous..."

The leaf mark behind her ear disappeared, and the aunt's expression was confused for a moment, then she returned to her normal routine and continued selling vegetables.

……

After returning home, Nanzhi opened the door.

Standing in the yard, wearing a white fur coat and exquisitely embroidered black clothes, he was wrapped thickly from head to toe. His knee-length hair mixed with white silk was tied into a bun behind his head with a wooden hairpin. The handsome man with a hint of enchantment turned around and looked at the woman who pushed the door open behind him.

He stood alone in the drizzle, feeling as lonely and desolate as a mountaintop.

"Azhi?" Zhu Yan smiled elegantly, his expression mysterious. "I'm back."

Nanzhi looked at Zhu Yan and puffed out her cheeks: "Zhao Yuanzhou, if you don't come to pick me up, forget about eating."

"Go, go, go." Zhu Yan walked up to Nanzhi, his tall figure standing beside her, and extended his hand attentively: "Do you want me to help you?"

Nanzhi directly stuffed the rope into his hand and said, "We're having fish for lunch today."

Holding the straw rope, the demon had a keen sense of smell, and the smell of fish filled his nostrils. Thinking about the cooperation he had just reached with Ran Yi today, Zhu Yan's handsome face showed a forced smile: "Fish is good, I like fish the most."

He squeezed his tall frame forcefully under Nanzhi's umbrella and said pitifully, "I was almost freezing to death standing in the rain alone just now."

Nanzhi was puzzled: "Then why don't you hold an umbrella?"

She remembered that he carried with him an exquisitely crafted black umbrella.

Zhu Yan pointed at his thick white fur coat and said, "I was wearing enough clothes, so I thought I wouldn't be cold. Who knew the rain would be so cold?"

As he spoke, he leaned towards Nanzhi and said seriously, "Only Azhi can warm my cold and lonely heart."

Nanzhi: "..."

Zhao Yuanzhou always said things that others could not understand and made jokes that made people feel cold. Nanzhi thought he was sick again, so she ignored him and went straight to the kitchen.

Zhu Yan hunched under the umbrella, taking small steps to keep pace with her.

While Nanzhi was washing vegetables with her back to Zhu Yan, Zhu Yan used magic to prepare the fish on the chopping board.

Hearing the sound of hot oil, Nanzhi turned around and found that the fish was already in the pot. She stood up in surprise and praised Zhu Yan: "I didn't expect that your cooking skills are getting better and better!"

"Thank you." Zhu Yan, holding a spoon and pretending to be serious, pushed Nanzhi out of the kitchen and winked at her gently: "The kitchen is not a place for women. Ah Zhi, please leave this place to me."

Bewildered by Zhu Yan's charming eyes for a moment, Nanzhi was annoyed: "Don't wink at me in the future, it makes me uncomfortable!"

Zhu Yan came close to her, chuckled and whispered in her ear: "You don't understand romance."

After saying that, without waiting for Nanzhi's reaction, he pushed Nanzhi out the door directly, his voice low but surprisingly pleasant: "Wait for me, we will have a big meal later."

Nanzhi secretly cursed Zhao Yuanzhou for flaunting himself in front of her like a peacock with its tail spread out. She returned to the room and saw the show stand in front of her.

Her white bird screen will be completed in two days. Once she delivers the goods to the Qi family, her master, and receives the payment, her life will be more relaxed.

Zhu Yan used some magic in the kitchen, and soon, a delicious fish soup came out of the pot, along with a few side dishes.

"Azhi, it's time to eat!" he shouted to Nanzhi.

"Here I come!" Nanzhi put down the needle, raised her hands above her head to block the rain, and ran to the kitchen.

As soon as he entered the door, he bumped into Zhu Yan!

Embracing the woman who had bumped into him, Zhu Yan gently wiped the raindrops from her cheek with a handkerchief and said affectionately, "Why are you running so fast? The food won't run away."

"Or are you afraid that I'll run away?"

"It's best if you run away, so you don't have to keep eating my food and living in my house!" Nanzhi glared at the handsome man who had fallen ill and pushed him away: "What are you doing blocking the door?"

Zhu Yan smiled and said, "You said you would welcome me. If I don't, you won't have anything to eat."

The southern branch was choked.

Zhao Yuanzhou always had so many words to shut her up.

She walked around Zhao Yuanzhou and took the bowl and chopsticks to serve the fish soup.

Zhu Yan followed behind her and teased her leisurely, "So, will I have food to eat today?"

Handing Zhu Yan the fish soup in her hand, Nanzhi said softly, "Drink some fish soup to warm you up, so you don't catch a cold. I'll have to find a doctor for you."

Zhu Yan took the fish soup, and the warmth of the soup was transmitted to his body through his fingertips. He felt warm in his heart and spoke even more boldly: "Azhi is the doctor."

"You can cure any disease I have."

"Then I can also cure your problem of talking nonsense?" Nanzhi looked at Zhu Yan.

"Of course." Zhu Yan tapped his lips with his finger.

Nanzhi understood: "I'll get the embroidery needle and sew your mouth shut."

Zhu Yan: “…”

Zhu Yan lowered his head: "I'd better drink the fish soup. It would be bad if I caught a cold."

Timeline: Three days before the plot begins.