55. The First Trial (I)

Libao stood on the top of the wall athletically, with Ye Lan sleeping in his arms. Libao looked down at Ye Lan who was sleeping so soundly. He weighed Ye Lan lightly and then chuckled, "Am I right? Women are all as shrewd as you! Do you admit it? Do you? Do you?" Libao weighed Ye Lan for a few times and couldn't get his mind off play.

He smiled from ear to ear. Ye Lan twitched her mouth and moved closer to his arms because she didn't feel comfortable of being weighed. Then she fell asleep again. Libao was amused by her cuteness and stopped messing with her. He flew into Ye Lan's garden lightly. The door had four words on it, "the small residence of peach blossom", which was also the garden where Ye Lan stayed in the Ye Maison. Ye Lan didn't change its name, not only to remember the former regret, but also in memory of the original owner of the body.

A strong aroma came after the door was pushed open gently. Xiao Hei thoughtfully put an everlasting luminous pearl in Ye Lan’s room, so the room gave out beautifully soft lights under which Ye Lan slept like a baby. Ye Lan liked sleeping with the lights on, but it was not good for her sleep. Thus, Xiao Hei put a small luminous pearl above her bed. The top of the bed curtain was like a starry sky at night, not dazzling but very clear.

Libao put Ye Lan onto the bed carefully and raised his hand to touch her hair. He smiled at Ye Lan with affection and covered her up with a quilt quietly. Then he got into the quilt as well and returned to Ye Lan's space. Ye Lan had a good sleep all night.

The simple room had a very open view, but it still handled the privacy of the boudoir well. Ye Lan liked to take a nap, so Xiao Hei added an embroidered couch with a mink cashmere on it during winter. The couch had a velvet quilt underneath it and an eiderdown on it. A fire crystal covered with sandalwood was put in the groove, so the warmth could slowly permeate into the whole blanket. It was warm and comfortable when people sat on it. The blanket was not unbearably hot and people only felt they were surrounded by warmth.

In summer, the fire crystal would be replaced with the ice jade. It was still covered with sandalwood, but it was now submerged sandalwood with a delicate smell that could help with sleep. The fluffy blankets would be replaced with a breathable mat. The only thing that didn't change with the weather was the thin blanket and three or four bolsters on the embroidered couch. Some fire crystals would be put into the bolsters during winter, just like hand warmers today. And in summer, bolsters would be changed into cotton and linen fabrics and filled with some ice jades, it wouldn't be freezing cold but always made people want to cuddle.

Xiao Hei's circumspection made Ye Lan feel ashamed of herself. She always thought that it would be great if he were a woman. She would definitely marry such a wonderful creature who would make a harmonious and orderly home.

The setting of Ye Lan's own bed was similar to her embroidered couch, except there were fewer bolsters and more sachets. The smells of those sachets suited Ye Lan's taste so well during the four seasons. These smells were delicate but not cheesy, strong but not bewitching, which were all her favorite.

Ye Lan was so exhausted that night, so she felt satisfied when she woke up late in the morning after sleeping through the night.

Her nose was suddenly filled with a thick fragrance.

Ye Lan narrowed her eyes, rubbed her nose and slowly exhaled. She turned over and pouted. She thought to herself slowly, what a strong peach blossom fragrance! Peach blossom fragrance! Ye Lan turned over to get up suddenly and sat on her knees firmly; then she saw Xiao Hei pushing the door with a bowl of peach blossom porridge on his tray.

Ye Lan jumped out of her bed and rushed towards him excitedly. She ignored the tray in Xiao Hei's hands at all and grabbed the bowl straight away. She jumped lightly to sit on the table in the hall without caring about Xiao Hei's worries. She dug a spoonful of porridge so hard and blew at it with her mouth. Then she put the spoon inside her mouth and ate so happily.

She hadn’t washed her face, let alone wearing any makeup, and she only wore her plain clothes with her long hairs to her waist. Her face was so fair and rosy due to her sleepiness. All of these made her not aggressive at all; in fact, she was so cute. You couldn't relate her to the decisive woman she used to be. She sat on the round table casually with one leg dangling in the air as if she was a little kid. She ate so happily and nodded to show her approval when she was eating. Ye Lan had a lovely way to eat with her cheeks plumping up occasionally. She was too pretty to be a mortal!

Xiao Hei was amused by Ye Lan's look and couldn't help laughing, "There's still some left, master. Take your time. I'll get some more for you." Ye Lan nodded to show her approval because her mouth was filled with porridge.

Xiao Hei turned back to the kitchen, put all the porridge into a blue and white porcelain bowl and cover it with a lid carefully. Then he packed some desserts that Ye Lan liked to bring them to Ye Lan.

The cooks in the kitchen were all surprised. People all said that gentlemen should've stayed away from the kitchen. They were cooks and that was what they lived on, so they had no choice. But why a handsome gentleman like Xiao Hei would ever wash his hands to cook? The porridge looked so plain but the strong fragrance of peach blossom diffused. When the porridge was just cooked, it looked so good with the light pink bottom, the glutinous rice and some fresh peach flowers. People couldn't bear to eat it.

This delicate job was carefully and orderly done by this handsome gentleman who showed no impatience. He was smiling during cooking, as if an elder brother looked at his sister or his lover. The cooks were confused but they knew they couldn't afford to mess up with him, so they just kept quiet and helped him occasionally without asking unnecessary questions.

Xiao Hei bypassed the corridor. He still witnessed many things on his way back, but he just avoided them indifferently. It was a brothel. Was it better for her to move back? Was it good for her to live here at all although she lived in the side yard? He made the porridge in the big kitchen today. Though there was a little kitchen in the small residence of peach blossom, the little kitchen was not used often, so there was nothing here. Thus, Xiao Hei didn't cook at the little kitchen; instead, he cooked under those cooks' curious eyes at the big kitchen early in the morning.

The jar in Feng Ming's hands was taken by Ye Lan as soon as he arrived at her room. Shortly after, the porridge was gone.

Feng Ming looked at Ye Lan and said jokingly, "You don't have to do this even if you want to flatter me, master! There's still some and please take your time. I feel guilty for mistreating you after seeing the way you eat."

"Mmm." Ye Lan ate so happily and listened to Xiao Hei halfheartedly. She looked up at Xiao Hei innocently. The gaze was so touching because of her black eyes, the pure white color and the innocence just after a long sleep. Her simplicity made Xiao Hei hold back his words.

"Eh, it's fine! Just keep eating. There's still some." Xiao Hei paused and grinned helplessly.

Ye Lan felt relieved and slowed down after taking on her second bowl. She sat on the table and didn't care about how she looked at the moment.

Finally, she could speak with Xiao Hei while eating. Both of her hands were occupied. One of her hand held the bowl and the other reached out for the desserts. "You don't know that I almost starved to death in that tower yesterday, Xiao Hei. I didn't bring any food with me and I went inside early in the morning with my stomach empty. I only came back at night. I was bullied so badly inside the tower. I didn't have anything to eat for the whole day and I almost starved. I couldn't help thinking of your peach blossom porridge all the time and my whole mind was filled with this idea. I couldn't wait to come back to have the porridge when I was thinking of it. The dean of the Fengtian Academy was really a talker and he just could never shut up. You have no idea how much I hate the students in the Fengtian Academy."

"Well, are you going there again today?" Xiao Hei sat next to Ye Lan and talked to her with a doting smile.

"Fengtian Academy? To study? I'll go there tomorrow, no, it's today! Well, I won't go!" Ye Lan shook her head and frowned when she realized she had to go back to study. She stopped eating the cake when she was thinking. She acted coquettishly and decided not to go on her second thought, "No! I won't go! I'm too tired today after getting through the Shilian Tower yesterday. Even god himself needs to rest for a while, and I'm so tired today. I'll go to sleep after I finish the porridge. I don't want to go."

Xiao Hei looked at Ye Lan helplessly, "Okay. It’s up to you."

"Really?" Ye Lan screamed excitedly and jumped on Xiao Hei. "You're so nice, Xiao Hei. I don't like studying. Really, I don't like it at all! Not at all!" Ye Lan claimed that she disliked studying strongly and her serious look made Xiao Hei laugh. He embraced Ye Lan who was just like a koala, put her back to the table carefully and then passed a bowl of porridge to her again. Ye Lan ate the porridge and laughed. Libao jumped out of the space to look at Ye Lan. He patted the dust off his hands and made fun of Ye Lan, "You just don't want to study. Why do you find so many excuses? You upgraded in the Shilian Tower and now you're a spiritual cultivator on the third level of the ninth stage. You're still so lazy. I'm convinced."

Libao looked at Ye Lan, "Just say it if you don't like studying. I'm not a good student myself. Why do you do this? Well, the old man can't punish you anyway."

Libao saw Ye Lan ignoring him. He turned around to give himself a bowl of peach blossom porridge from the blue and white porcelain bowl. He ate a few and then nodded, "You really know how to enjoy life, woman. The fair Hei is an assassin who kills people without compassion. Now he's forced to cook for you, and he can cook so well."

"Who says an assassin can't wash his hands to cook? Who says an assassin can't take a kitchen knife? And you know what you are doing? You're bullying your master. I'll put you back to the space and never let you out if you don't follow my guidance. You're just jealous." Ye Lan talked back straight away.