Zhu Xian: They've all been reborn

"woke up?"

Lu Xueqi had woken up sometime earlier and was lying on her side, propped up on her elbow. Her silver hair cascaded down her back, with a few strands brushing against his face, tickling him.

She looked at him, her eyes clear and bright in the morning light, devoid of emotion, but Jiang Xiaochuan could see a hint of...satisfaction? and a barely perceptible hint of mockery in them?

"Hmm..." Jiang Xiaochuan mumbled a response, burying her face in the pillow. The sheets were still covered with her cool, refreshing scent and the faint, ambiguous lingering scent from last night.

"Still tired?" Lu Xueqi reached out and placed her fingertips on the back of his neck, pressing lightly. The slightly cool touch made his body stiffen for a moment, then he relaxed and hummed comfortably.

"A little..." he admitted honestly, his voice muffled by the pillow.

"Xueqi, you didn't sleep much last night..." He swallowed the rest of his sentence, "Did you not sleep much again?" because he felt a bit more pressure on the back of his neck.

"I'm fine," Lu Xueqi said calmly, her fingers slowly tracing down his spine, stopping at a sore acupoint, and gently massaging it. "But you, you seem to be... lacking energy lately."

Jiang Xiaochuan trembled, his ears burning.

Can you blame him?

Day after day... he felt like a spinning top, being whipped around by them.

During the day, she had to deal with Biyao and Xiaobai's bickering, make Tian Ling'er happy, talk to Linglong, and care for Jin Ping'er. At night, she also had to... "take turns on duty".

Although he was happy and content, even an iron body can't withstand this kind of rummaging!

"I..." he tried to explain, but the door was pushed open with a bang.

"Xiao Chuan! Get up! The sun's already high in the sky!" Bi Yao swept in like a gust of wind, still carrying the scent of morning dew and fresh grass, clearly having just returned from practicing her martial arts.

She paused for a moment when she saw the scene on the bed. Her eyes lingered on Jiang Xiaochuan's bare shoulders and Lu Xueqi's hand on his lower back. She pouted, but still rushed to the bedside and reached out to pinch Jiang Xiaochuan's cheek.

"Lazybones! Get up! I learned a new dessert recipe, it's so delicious! If you don't get up, I'm saving it all for Liu'er and Nian'er!"

"Yao'er, don't bother him." Lu Xueqi withdrew her hand, sat up, and began to slowly put on her outer robe. Her tone was calm. "He's tired."

"Tired? What's there to be tired about!" Biyao snorted, but she lightened the pressure on her hands and gently shook Jiang Xiaochuan's shoulders instead.

"Get up quickly and come to the kitchen with me to help out! That vixen Xiaobai is waiting to see me make a fool of myself, saying my pastries are definitely not as good as Sister Linglong's!"

Upon hearing "Xiaobai" and "watching the joke," Jiang Xiaochuan's survival instinct compelled him to struggle to sit up.

"Okay, okay, I'll get up, I'll get up." He resignedly grabbed his clothes.

"That's more like it!" Biyao smiled smugly, leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, leaving a wet lip print. She then gave Lu Xueqi, who was already dressed and tying her hair, a provocative look before humming a tuneless little tune and running out.

Jiang Xiaochuan, with the lipstick mark on his face, looked awkwardly at Lu Xueqi. Lu Xueqi had already tied her hair up and secured it with a simple wooden hairpin. She was wiping her face with a cloth when she glanced at him in the bronze mirror and said indifferently, "Wipe it off."

He quickly wiped his face with his sleeve. When he and Lu Xueqi finished getting ready and came to the dining room, several side dishes and congee were already laid out on the table. Biyao was wearing an apron and bickering with Xiaobai in the kitchen through the door.

"The heat! Don't you understand the heat control?! With such a high flame, the pastries will burn!"

"If you're so capable, why don't you do it yourself! It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one experiencing it!"

"I'll do it! Get out of my way!"

"No way! This stove is mine!"

"You vixen, you're asking for it!"

Just as a full-blown fight was about to break out, Linglong came out carrying a plate of freshly steamed, snow-white, and translucent rice cakes, and said gently, "Alright, the snacks are ready. Come out and eat, everyone. Ling'er, Ping'er, and Meng'er are ready to be fed."

Tian Ling'er carried the babbling Jiang Meng out of the inner room, with Jin Ping'er following behind, carrying a small bowl and spoon. Jiang Meng saw Jiang Xiaochuan, stretched out her little arms, and mumbled, "Daddy...Daddy..."

Jiang Xiaochuan's heart softened. He went over and took his daughter, kissing her tender little face. Jiang Meng giggled and grabbed his clothes with her little hands.

The dinner table was finally quiet for the time being.

Biyao and Xiaobai glared at each other, but their hands kept moving as they served food to Jiang Xiaochuan. Jiang Xiaochuan looked at the various breakfast items that had instantly piled up into a small mountain in his bowl, sighed silently, and began to eat with his head down.

Linglong's rice cake was soft and sweet, Biyao's newly learned jujube paste pastry was a bit burnt but tasted good, Xiaobai's pickled bamboo shoots were crisp and refreshing, and Tian Ling'er's pickled cucumbers were sour and spicy and appetizing. Jin Ping'er silently served him a second bowl of porridge.

"Xiao Chuan, try this. I added extra sugar." Bi Yao placed a piece of the most golden jujube paste pastry near his mouth.

"It's too sweet. Eat this to cleanse your palate." Xiaobai immediately handed over a chopstick of pickled bamboo shoots.

Jiang Xiaochuan looked left and right, and finally made his choice—

They opened their mouths, took a bite of the pastry that Biyao offered, and then stretched their necks to eat the bamboo shoots on the small white chopsticks. Only then were they satisfied, each humming a soft hum, and lowering their heads to eat their own food.

Lu Xueqi quietly drank her porridge, occasionally wiping Jiang Meng's mouth beside her. Linglong and Tian Ling'er were talking in hushed tones. Jin Ping'er ate in small bites, her gaze occasionally drifting towards Jiang Xiaochuan. When she saw him looking over, she quickly lowered her eyes again.

After breakfast, Biyao dragged Jiang Xiaochuan along, insisting that he evaluate whose dessert was the best.

Forced into a corner, Jiang Xiaochuan had no choice but to say, "They're all delicious! Yao'er's pastries are sweet but not greasy, Xiaobai's pickled bamboo shoots are refreshing and appetizing, Linglong's rice cakes are the most authentic, Ling'er's pickled vegetables are perfect with rice, and Ping'er's porridge is cooked to perfection!" He finished in one breath, almost out of breath.

Biyao and Xiaobai were clearly not satisfied with this "fair play" answer, but they let him off the hook for the time being because he had praised it.

The two started arguing again about who should accompany Jiang Xiaochuan to the back mountain to collect herbs in the afternoon.

Finally, Linglong stepped in to smooth things over: "I'm going with Xiaochuan this afternoon. An'er and Xin'er sent a message from Xiaozhu Peak saying they need a few specific herbs to aid their cultivation. I was just about to go find them, and Xiaochuan is familiar with the back mountain, so he can come with me."

Linglong spoke up, and Biyao and Xiaobai glared at each other before stopping their argument. Tian Ling'er said she needed to take care of Jiang Meng, while Jin Ping'er said she needed to organize the dried medicinal herbs.

So in the afternoon, Jiang Xiaochuan followed Linglong to the back mountain. The mountain path was quiet and the trees were lush.

Linglong carried a small medicine basket on her back and walked beside him with light steps. Today she wore an indigo-colored cloth dress, and her hair was wrapped with a cloth of the same color, revealing her fair neck and beautiful profile. In the light and shadow of the mountain forest, she was as gentle and graceful as an ancient painting.

"Sister Linglong, are An'er and Xin'er settling in well at Xiaozhu Peak?" Jiang Xiaochuan asked, casually pushing aside the thorns that were blocking the road.

"Yueyao wrote that they are working very hard. An'er has grasped swordsmanship quite quickly, and Xin'er is calm and has some talent in array formations and runes." Linglong's voice was soft and chuckled. "It's just that An'er is sometimes a bit impatient, and Yueyao said she needs to work on her temper. Xin'er is too quiet, and Yueyao told her to interact more with the other disciples on the peak."

"With Yueyao watching over me, I feel at ease," Jiang Xiaochuan said with emotion, watching Linglong carefully identify the grass, bending down to pick a small, light purple grass with star-shaped leaves, her movements skillful and gentle.

"Sister Linglong, thank you for your hard work. You've been taking such good care of the children."

Linglong straightened up, carefully placed the herbs into the medicine basket, turned to look at him, her gaze gentle: "It's not hard work. Watching them grow up and become successful makes me happy."

She took two steps closer, raised her hand, and used her sleeve to wipe a bead of sweat from his forehead. "You too, don't overwork yourself. Biyao and Xiaobai are mischievous, so please be understanding, but don't spoil them too much. Your health is the most important thing."

Her fingertips were slightly cool, carrying the fresh scent of grass.

Looking into her gentle and concerned eyes so close to his, Jiang Xiaochuan felt the weariness he had felt from days of "hard work" disappear.

He held her hand and whispered, "I know, with you all here, I'm willing to endure any hardship."

Linglong blushed slightly and tried to pull her hand away, but Jiang Xiaochuan held it tightly.

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. After a moment, she softly hummed in agreement and let him lead her as they continued deeper into the forest. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, dancing on their clasped hands.

After gathering the herbs, we returned to the bamboo house in the evening.

The setting sun bathed the bamboo house in a warm golden-red hue. Tian Ling'er was teaching Jiang Meng to walk in the courtyard. The little girl wobbled and fell into Jiang Xiaochuan's arms, giggling. Jin Ping'er had set out the bowls and chopsticks under the eaves.