Chapter 1142: Chapter 1142 Happiness
Qin Sisi lifted her eyes and glanced at Jiu Ge before turning to leave. Suddenly, Jiu Ge reached out and grabbed her arm, asking in a low voice, "Qin Sisi, will you rember ?"
Qin Sisi turned back to look at him and replied, "I will. You are my friend."
A mix of indescribable emotions welled up in Jiu Ge’s heart—it was impossible to discern if it was joy or sorrow. He couldn’t help but raise his hand, his fingers slowly moving closer to Qin Sisi’s face.
Qin Sisi tilted her head to avoid his touch, instinctively showing a hint of nervousness.
Jiu Ge’s expression froze, and he imdiately withdrew his hand.
He knew that her heart belonged only to Ye You, and naturally, she would only want to be close to him.
Jiu Ge’s other hand slowly released Qin Sisi’s arm as well. Reluctantly, he looked at her one last ti before biting his lip and turning away, leaving her with only the view of his back.
Qin Sisi opened her mouth as if to speak but ultimately couldn’t find the words. Clutching the Fairy Snow Zither tightly, she descended the Soul-breaking Cliff one step at a ti.
Their two figures turned their backs to each other—one gazed at the sky, the other stared at the ground—as the distance between them grew farther and farther.
To make it easier to assist Ah Xia in managing the Chief Mansion, Ye You and the others had also been staying within the mansion during this period. Gong Zhuo had arranged for them to live in a quieter courtyard on the eastern side.
When Qin Sisi returned to the courtyard where they lived, the gate was ajar. Ye You stood with his back to the entrance, under a withered vine. He was looking up at the desolate, dried tendrils.
The courtyard was empty except for Ye You, his figure paradoxically tranquil yet tinged with a faint loneliness.
Qin Sisi sighed softly, her heart aching, and walked toward Ye You with the Fairy Snow Zither in hand.
At the sound of her approaching footsteps, Ye You turned around. When he saw her, the deeply furrowed brows on his face eased slightly, and the worry in his eyes dissipated.
Standing in front of him, Qin Sisi held up the Fairy Snow Zither for him to see. She didn’t want to hide anything from him, so she deliberately kept the zither in her hand instead of storing it in her storage ring.
Ye You glanced down at it and asked softly, "A gift from Jiu Ge?"
Qin Sisi nodded. "Mm."
The expression on Ye You’s face shifted several tis before he said, "It’s a fine zither. You should keep it."
Qin Sisi hesitated for a mont before explaining, "Jiu Ge said it’s his repaynt for
teaching him to play the zither. Last night, he played it for a whole night."
Ye You’s eyes flickered. Though he didn’t say anything, Qin Sisi could tell that he had relaxed a lot compared to earlier.
She placed the Fairy Snow Zither into her storage ring and moved a little closer to Ye You. Raising a hand, she placed her palm against his cheek and found it cold as ice.
"How long have you been standing out here?" Qin Sisi quickly asked.
Ye You avoided her gaze and replied, "Not long."
Qin Sisi knew he wasn’t being truthful, but she didn’t press him. Asking further would likely yield no honest answer, and the timing didn’t feel right.
She took his hand in hers, only to find it as cold as a block of ice. Although she had spent the whole night outdoors herself, she had used a sliver of Fire Attribute Magic Power to keep warm when she felt cold. Ye You, however, seed to have been enduring the freezing cold without such asures.
Wrapping his hands tightly in hers, she gently said, "I’m a little hungry. Are you?"
Feeling the warmth from Qin Sisi, Ye You found his heart beginning to thaw as well. The corners of his lips curved slightly as he replied, "I’m hungry too. I want to eat the food you cook."
Qin Sisi nodded. "Alright. But I’m not very familiar with the ingredients from the Demon Sacred Realm. Will you help
out in the kitchen?"
"Sure." Ye You agreed readily, his expression gradually brightening.
The two of them headed to the small kitchen in the courtyard. Usually, Ah Xia would send soone to deliver a lavish al at alti, so they had never actually used the small kitchen before.
The kitchen, however, was well-stocked with a variety of ingredients: fragrant rice for porridge, dough for pastries, at for grilling, spirit grass for cold dishes, and more.
Though Qin Sisi’s culinary skills weren’t particularly exceptional, she was quite experienced with cooking. After Ye You explained the main uses of each ingredient, she quickly got the hang of it.
She cooked so porridge with the fragrant rice, stead pastries, and cleaned the spirit grass to make a few refreshing vegetable dishes.
Ye You, on the other hand, was in charge of grilling the at. Although he wasn’t skilled at much else, his expertise in roasting at—gained during his adventures in the wild—ca in handy.
Their teamwork paid off, and before long, a delicious al was ready. The aroma wafted through the air, even attracting Yun Wang and Yun Cheng over.
Ye You hadn’t slept the entire night and had stood outside in the cold the whole ti. As Ye You’s personal guard, Yun Wang hadn’t dared sleep either. However, since Ye You wouldn’t let him watch over him in the open, Yun Wang had stayed in his room, peeking out through the window to check on Ye You from ti to ti.
Yun Cheng shared a room with Yun Wang. Since Yun Wang didn’t sleep, Yun Cheng also felt too embarrassed to rest. Furthermore, Yun Wang’s pacing back and forth in the room kept Yun Cheng from getting any proper sleep. By now, both of them were utterly exhausted and starving.
Qin Sisi warmly invited them to eat with her and Ye You. Just as Yun Wang and Yun Cheng were about to express their delight, Ye You cast a cool glance in their direction. Yun Wang quickly swallowed his words and said, "We’re not hungry yet. We’ll eat later."
With that, he dragged Yun Cheng back toward their room.
Qin Sisi glanced at Ye You and, stifling her laughter, called Yun Wang and Yun Cheng back. She served them two bowls of rice, so pastries, and vegetable dishes, and told them to eat in their room. She also asked Yun Cheng to deliver a portion to Qing Xun.
The two brothers, feeling as though they had been granted amnesty, eagerly took the food Qin Sisi had prepared and happily left for their room.
When Qing Xun received the al Yun Cheng delivered, just inhaling the warm aroma made him feel reinvigorated.
Smiling, he gazed through his window at the partially closed kitchen door, silently reflecting. To have such a kindred spirit, to share warmth during cold tis—how fortunate it must be to have soone like this by one’s side.
After sending Yun Wang and Yun Cheng away, the cozy small kitchen returned to an intimate world for two. Sitting across from one another at the modest round table, Ye You and Qin Sisi sampled the al they had made together, exchanging complints on each other’s cooking skills.
Their occasional conversations strayed only to topics of food, avoiding anything else.
It was the dead of winter, and Midair City’s winter was exceptionally harsh. Bitterly cold winds carried the icy chill of snow mountains to the northwest, but in this simple, humble kitchen, with a small table and two chairs, warmth filled the air—it was peaceful, harmonious, and full of joy.
There was no hatred, no fear, no magic, no battles—only a hearty, homade al. Both Ye You and Qin Sisi felt a rare sense of calm and warmth.
Sipping the hot porridge Qin Sisi had cooked, Ye You felt the bone-deep chill of the night slowly lt away. And in that mont, he suddenly realized—this feeling was what people called happiness.
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