novelraw Chapter 657 - 0379 Zhu Pingniang’s ’Interview’ (Two-in-One)_2
Chapter 657 - 0379 Zhu Pingniang’s ’Interview’ (Two-in-One)_2
"I’ve gotten used to it." Miss Aqing stood up, walked behind Zhu Pingniang, and gently kneaded her shoulders, "Isn’t there still you? You wouldn’t let me suffer, right?"
"Now you’re trying to please me?"
Zhu Pingniang relaxedly yawned, eyes smiling, "Indeed, you’re a clever and smart girl."
She knew Miss Aqing wouldn’t hide anything from her.
"If I weren’t clever, I’d have been buried behind the mountain long ago," Miss Aqing said honestly.
"Earn silver for me honestly, and when the time comes, I’ll find a good place to bury you," Zhu Pingniang laughed, "Keep trying hard."
"Alright." Miss Aqing applied more force with her hands as she massaged Zhu Pingniang’s shoulders, and whispered, "Ms. Zhu, Steward Lu... what does she mean? I don’t quite understand."
"She’s afraid of you; she’s quite timid," Zhu Pingniang remarked, pouting, "Clearly, you all fear her even more."
"Is that so." Miss Aqing nodded in agreement.
"So, are you not stealing anymore chickens?" Zhu Pingniang asked.
Miss Aqing’s eyes trembled, then she remembered something pleasant and smiled, "Huang Ni’s cooking is not bad, I like her dishes."
"You two, the green and yellow duo, will drive your aunt crazy sooner or later," Zhu Pingniang spat.
"I quite like her." Miss Aqing squinted her eyes, "And I like you too."
"That’s what I like to hear," Zhu Pingniang glanced back at the screen, "But some maids might get jealous."
"Steward Lu isn’t such a petty person," Miss Aqing said.
"Praising her won’t work, that girl is narrow-minded," Zhu Pingniang quipped with a smile.
——
Behind the screen.
Miss Lu’s knuckles were clenched white, twisting her embroidered shoes on the ground.
Ms. Zhu, what are you talking about?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a test for Aqing?
How did it turn out like this?
She thought Aqing would have her true nature exposed by Zhu Pingniang, losing her timid façade, yet faced with Zhu Pingniang, she was completely unguarded.
Furthermore, these two women seemed to have some sort of tacit understanding and were chatting happily.
Was she the one being scorned in the conversation?
Isn’t there something off?
What made Miss Lu feel even more unsettled was when Zhu Pingniang asked Miss Aqing to return to her seat, saying she wanted to feel her hand.
Miss Lu: "???"
She couldn’t resist leaning forward to look, then instinctively covered her heart at what she saw.
She saw Zhu Pingniang standing up, bowing her body, her waterfall-like smooth long hair spreading to either side of her waist as she lowered her head.
At this moment, Zhu Pingniang was holding Miss Aqing’s wrists with both hands, staring intently as if she were examining some kind of treasure.
Angry.
Miss Lu puffed her cheeks, almost about to explode on the spot.
Miss Aqing was also dumbfounded by Zhu Pingniang’s sudden action; her breathing gradually quickened, and a flush appeared on her face without her realizing it.
"Hmm, your hands are quite fair, suitable for playing the qin. It was indeed the right decision to make you a singing actor." Zhu Pingniang nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Have they ever been dirty?"
"..."
Listening to Zhu Pingniang’s words, the flush on Miss Aqing’s face slowly faded, leaving her pale and frightened.
After a long pause.
"They have," she said.
"Don’t be in a hurry to answer me." Zhu Pingniang held her hand, saying, "Think carefully about what I’m truly asking."
After a silence, the woman raised her head.
"Answering you, I want to live, I don’t want to lose my body... does that count as being dirty?"
"Of course not," Zhu Pingniang said seriously, "After all, I’m someone who protects her own... Besides that, is there anything else?"
"No more," Miss Aqing lowered her head.
"Hmm, I thought so..." Zhu Pingniang rubbed Miss Aqing’s fair thumb, "A girl like you who hasn’t awakened her Half-Demon bloodline, how could you have possibly killed someone."
——
Miss Lu: "..."
Hiss.
She was stunned for a while before realizing what Zhu Pingniang was discussing with Miss Aqing.
Dirty hands?
Was she asking if her hands have ever been stained with blood?
And Aqing... really had... had really killed...
Someone?
The reason was no longer important. After her surprise, Miss Lu actually felt a sense of relief.
Because she found a reason.
Maybe it’s because her hands have been stained with blood that she felt that Aqing was different from ordinary women and felt an unconscious dread of her.
Now, everything made sense.
Miss Lu wasn’t afraid that Aqing had been stained with blood; she was only afraid of her own irrational dread of her. As long as she had a reason, she found it acceptable.
As expected, she heard Zhu Pingniang sigh outside, "I suppose this is the reason Lu’Er is afraid of you, saying you’re strange."
After all, there is a difference between a Half-Demon who has been stained with blood and one who hasn’t.
Miss Aqing stared into Zhu Pingniang’s eyes for a long time before looking down, curiously asking, "Ms. Zhu, aren’t you blaming me?"
"Blame you for what?" Zhu Pingniang smiled and pointed to her own eyes, "Your body doesn’t have a trace of malice."
Thus, she was quite confident that, even if this girl had been stained with blood, she remained pure.
"I don’t understand these things, Aqing," Miss Aqing said, raising her hand to touch the corner of her eye. Her fingertip picked up a bit of moisture, and as she lowered her hand, she blinked much more frequently.
"Why are you crying?" Zhu Pingniang saw the tears in Miss Aqing’s eyes and suddenly felt a bit flustered.
She wasn’t interrogating her maid, just having a heart-to-heart conversation.
"The mood," Miss Aqing said, retracting her tears, "Ms. Zhu, look... tears are actually meaningless to a Half-Demon."
Zhu Pingniang: "..."
She paused for a moment before angrily saying, "You cheeky girl, you dared to fool me."
"I’m not fooling you; I just think you’re too fond of us maids, Ms. Zhu," Miss Aqing couldn’t help but sigh, "Just rubbing my eyes a bit made you so nervous... You can’t be like this. What if some maid wants to harm you?"
"So, you think just like Lu’Er, that I’m doomed? Pah." Zhu Pingniang spat:
"Are you worthy? For a Little Cyan Snake like you, even if you awakened, you wouldn’t be a match for me. Go play elsewhere."
"That’s for the best." Aqing looked at her, "After all, the stronger you are, the more at ease the sisters can be."
"So, regarding your Half-Demon bloodline, leave it to me." Zhu Pingniang put away her playful demeanor and said earnestly, "Don’t worry, when your bloodline shows signs of deterioration, I will find a way... So, until then..."
"Until then, Aqing will focus on earning silver for you," Miss Aqing interjected.
"Exactly." Zhu Pingniang nodded in satisfaction, then propped her face up to gaze at the girl in a blue dress before her.
She couldn’t help but sigh, "You’re truly a girl who has suffered, smart, meticulous, bold... completely different from other girls."
Though other girls have also endured hardships, ultimately, the hardships they faced and those a Half-Demon suffered are on completely different levels.
Overall, she was very pleased with Aqing’s candidness and cleverness.
Though this girl wasn’t as calm as she appeared, if you looked closely, she was actually quite nervous, her body trembling slightly without her even noticing.
Especially when she asked her if her hands had ever been stained with blood, this girl’s eyes shrank, clearly quite frightened.
So her gentle timidity might not be just an act.
"Aqing, have you ever considered coming to my side as a maid?" Zhu Pingniang asked with interest, "Help me with accounting."
"Cough, cough."
Just then, there came a violent sound from behind the screen again.
"Forget it, someone’s fallen into a vinegar jar." Zhu Pingniang sighed and said to the disappointed Aqing, "We’ll talk about it some other time... Hold on."
Zhu Pingniang remembered something else, looking at Aqing’s fine figure.
In this world.
A bit of beauty, a Half-Demon, and still pure?
Is it that easy?
"Aqing, in the past, have you ever had a man?"
"..."