My Girlfriend is a Cold and Aloof Sickly Beauty 94

Chapter 94: You Tightened the Knot

The weather was favorable today. Not only was it not snowing, but the warm sun was also shining brightly.

Even by the river, there was no wind, only a crisp, moist air, reminiscent of spring.

“I used to come here often when I was little,” Jiang Xue said. “Not to the Taoist temple, but to the nearby children’s palace for extracurricular classes. Every spring, I would get willow catkins all over my face, so I had to wear a mask.”

She had a wide range of interests when she was little, and although she would quickly lose interest in things, during those less demanding school days, she had attended various classes for at least half a semester.

“Extracurricular classes?” Xiao Luohan asked with interest. “I heard that children in this world can discover their interests by attending these classes.”

“Yes, there are many different types of extracurricular classes, and the pace is fast. Usually, after three or four lessons, you’ll know whether you like it or if it’s suitable for you,” Jiang Xue nodded. “Actually, Wei Mommy initially enrolled me in a dance class, but I really didn’t like it, so the spot was given to A-Xi later.”

Seeing Xiao Luohan’s strong curiosity, she recalled and added, “The children’s palace also offers open classes, which anyone can attend, whether it’s parents, children, or tourists—after all, it’s located near a scenic area.”

“But there aren’t open classes every day. You have to check their announcements. I remember there’s a special section for open classes. It’s also a form of promotion.”

While walking, Jiang Xue searched for the children’s palace’s official account and shared it with Xiao Luohan.

As they continued walking, they arrived at the entrance of a temple fair.

Compared to the “New Year’s Goods Festival” near their home, this one was much larger. Antique-looking wooden stalls lined the riverbank, selling not only New Year’s goods and snacks, but also many “intangible cultural heritage” items.

Xiao Luohan stopped in front of a stall selling lacquer fans, her gaze fixed on a particular fan.

Two koi fish were painted vividly in clear water, seemingly forming a circle with their heads and tails connected from afar, but a closer look revealed a slight gap between them.

The stall owner was a chubby girl with curly hair, intently painting a fan. Perhaps because it was her first time running a stall, she didn’t even notice the customers approaching.

“Hello, how much are the lacquer fans?” Jiang Xue asked proactively.

The girl was startled and looked up, pushing up her glasses. “It depends on the complexity of the pattern. Simple ones are 20 yuan each. You can also have custom-made ones, and the price depends on the requirements, but it won’t exceed 40 yuan.”

Jiang Xue had only asked casually. Even a higher price wouldn’t matter, as long as she liked it, so she asked for the one Xiao Luohan was looking at and readily paid 25 yuan.

But before they could leave, Jiang Xue was handed a lacquer fan with a watermelon pattern.

“Thank you for being my first customers! This is a gift for you!” After handing over the fan, the girl sat back down, smiling and waving at them. “Have fun! See you again if fate allows!”

“We’re quite lucky today,” Jiang Xue said, turning over the double-sided fan in her hand. “The watermelon color is so refreshing, I like it.”

Xiao Luohan, however, thought of the commoner route in Non-Dream and, holding the fan, couldn’t help but murmur, “Even a simple pattern costs 20 yuan. Her painting is her hard work, yet she’s willing to give it to us…”

“It’s business, it’s all about mutual agreement and connection,” Jiang Xue said with a smile. “Maybe this is a good deed that will bring a returning customer in the future.”

On their way to the Taoist temple, she also bought many things that caught her eye, but they were all food: lamb skewers, stinky tofu, candied hawthorns, and even a grilled sweet potato skin with pickled radish and houttuynia cordata.

The candied hawthorns were made of orange segments and hawthorn berries, freshly coated in sugar, their color enticing. Xiao Luohan, who liked oranges, took them, and Jiang Xue also bought her a bag of boneless crispy fried chicken.

They found a bench by the river, laid down some tissues, and started eating.

The two-hour journey had made them both hungry.

Jiang Xue ate the skewers and stinky tofu with gusto. As she ate, she saw Xiao Luohan reach for the grilled sweet potato skin and hurriedly swallowed her food, stopping her and warning, “I asked the owner to add a lot of houttuynia cordata! —It’s also called fish mint. The owner said it’s very authentic, you might gag after eating it!”

“It’s alright, I’ve eaten fish mint salad made by my mother,” Xiao Luohan said.

Jiang Xue: …

She obediently handed over the steaming grilled sweet potato skin. She couldn’t handle raw houttuynia cordata and could only eat it cooked.

Afraid that Xiao Luo might choke on the dry sweet potato skin, she went back to the stalls and bought two cups of white fungus and pear soup.

After eating and drinking their fill, they continued their journey.

They arrived at Mingjing Taoist Temple a little after 2:00 PM.

As Xie Xitong had said, there were many cats at the temple. A row of cat beds was placed at the entrance of the main hall, with cats of all kinds. Three cats were currently huddled together in a large bed, basking in the sun.

Even when worshippers and tourists petted them, they didn’t react at all, seemingly completely accustomed to this life.

There was a black cat with particularly shiny fur that was especially popular. Black cats were traditionally a symbol of warding off evil spirits, and on the first day of the new year, it had become everyone’s favorite mascot.

Xiao Luohan had never seen so many cats at once, her eyes wide.

“I didn’t expect there to be so many cats outside a cat café,” she whispered to Jiang Xue. “I also want to pet them.”

“Go ahead, we don’t have a cat at home,” Jiang Xue said with a smile, reaching out to a chubby orange cat.

They petted all the cats in the beds, until a soft cough from an elderly person came from behind them: “Are you Little Friend Jiang and Little Friend Xiao?”

Jiang Xue turned around and saw a gray-robed elderly woman with white hair standing behind them, her face kind and her hands clasped together.

Taoist Master Xuan Nuo had been waiting for the two girls since receiving a call from her old friend that morning.

These two were the rare “same soul, different bodies” case! And one of them had even just traveled from ancient times in another world. Even if they never met again after today, just witnessing this was enough for her, she had no regrets in this life!

So she had instructed her disciple guarding the gate to keep an eye out for the visitors. She had waited until the afternoon, and when the two girls finally arrived, they were so captivated by the temple’s cats that they couldn’t move.

Taoist Master Xuan Nuo, itching with anticipation, simply came out to “catch” them herself.

She was one of the “elders” who had been at the temple since its establishment and had her own office in the quietest part of the temple, fully equipped with all the necessary items for her daily life and rituals.

“I’ve selected some jade accessories. See if any catch your eye,” she said, opening a wooden box she had prepared beforehand. “Today is an auspicious day, but the auspicious time will be a little later, but not too long.”

Jiang Xue and Xiao Luohan hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly. They exchanged a look, each waiting for the other to choose first.

Taoist Master Xuan Nuo sat aside, drinking tea, and secretly observing them. Seeing that they had hesitated for almost a minute without making a choice, she picked up a string of hair ties from the table and randomly tied one around the jade bracelet. “If you can’t choose, then let’s leave it to fate.”

It happened to be a jade bracelet, as clear as ice, with dark green veins inside, shaped like willow leaves. In their opinion, it was the most stunning piece among the jade accessories.

“It seems I’ve chosen your favorite,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo said, her mood brightening after seeing their reactions. “Let’s go perform the ritual. My disciple will guide you.”

Neither of them knew the specific procedure for consecration, so they simply followed Taoist Master Xuan Nuo’s disciple out of the office, went to the main hall, and bowed respectfully according to the instructions in front of the altar, then lit three incense sticks together, and were then led back to Taoist Master Xuan Nuo’s office.

The whole process only took about ten minutes, but as soon as they entered, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo handed over the jade bracelet. “Here, Little Friend Xiao can wear it now. The spiritual power I’ve imbued is enough to ward off one calamity. If the bracelet breaks, remember to bring it back to me as soon as possible.”

Actually, going to Grandma Xie would have the same effect, but Taoist Master Xuan Nuo, still fascinated by the two girls, had shamelessly taken on the task.

“Thank you, Elder!” Jiang Xue thanked her first, then, after Xiao Luohan put on the bracelet, asked, “By the way, the price for the bracelet and the consecration is…”

“Whatever you feel is appropriate,” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo said languidly. “Follow the Dao, everything is predestined.”

Even though she might not actually care about the money, Jiang Xue couldn’t just give her a small amount, so she transferred the amount she had budgeted for the consecrated accessories.

Hearing the amount of the transfer, Taoist Master Xuan Nuo chuckled.

She instructed her disciple to leave, then pointed at Jiang Xue. “Although you were brought to her side by fate, you had countless opportunities to leave. The initiative was actually in your hands, but… you tightened the knot instead, willingly paying a ‘heavy price.'”

Then she pointed at Xiao Luohan, her comment much more subtle: “You didn’t intend to become the rope at first, but now it’s hard to say. But the bond between you two is unprecedented. Even if there are conflicts, you’ll still be entangled due to various factors.”

Jiang Xue was stunned by her words, then, after recovering, didn’t get angry, but smiled. “You’re right, our relationship is hard-won. Our vastly different backgrounds have shaped us into completely different people. Disagreements and conflicts are inevitable. As long as we spend enough time together, we’ll definitely encounter them.”

She had already mentally prepared herself for conflicts with Xiao Luo. After all, even between blood relatives, it was impossible to be completely without conflict from birth to death—those weren’t family members living together day and night, but guests who rarely visited.

Xiao Luohan, however, was very nervous. While Jiang Xue was responding, she lowered her head, caressing the jade bracelet, afraid that her feelings for Jiang Xue would be seen through by this elderly woman.

Taoist Master Xuan Nuo clicked her tongue, pointed at her own lips, and asked slowly, wagging her finger, “You haven’t told your parents about what’s happening between you two, have you? Although you’ll both be adults soon, making lifelong commitments at such a young age… should I say, ‘truly the impulsiveness of youth’?”

The words “lifelong commitments” were like a clap of thunder to Jiang Xue. She instinctively denied, “No! It’s not like that!”

“But it’s close, isn’t it?” Taoist Master Xuan Nuo countered, then changed the subject. “Forget it, judging by your reaction, I was just joking because I see that you two have a good relationship. Don’t take it seriously.”

Since neither of the girls seemed to want to talk about it, she would just stop there. The Xie family elder probably also knew what was going on and might have sent them here just to let her watch the show.

The older generation’s “just joking” seemed to be a universal way to end a conversation. Jiang Xue opened her mouth, then realized that anything she said would only make things worse, so she simply excused themselves and left with Xiao Luo.

As they were leaving, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but look back at Taoist Master Xuan Nuo.

She saw the elder smile and give her a “good luck” gesture, seemingly… supportive of them?