Give You New Clothes

At the same time, in the early morning.

Under the peach tree in the side courtyard of the Shangguan family’s residence in the capital, Yun Mu sat cross-legged, murmuring incantations under his breath.

Around him, faint specks of light flickered, barely visible beneath the gentle sunlight of dawn.

This was the cultivation method Lin Xizhi had taught him for “Little Dumpling.”

Though he didn’t know its exact name, every time he meditated with it, he felt his breathing flow more smoothly, as if every pore in his body could finally breathe freely.

So, he decided to call it the “Lin Xizhi Breathing Method.”

Whether that was accurate or not, he didn’t really care.

Last night, after Shangguan Hongzhi brought him back, the man didn’t stay for long.

He hadn’t even carried out the so-called punishment before leaving in haste.

Instead, Shangguan Ce was the one who came to him first.

Strangely enough, the man—who had once been so cruel—seemed to have changed overnight.

He now grinned at Yun Mu like a three-year-old child, leaving the boy with the distinct impression that he had been beaten senseless.

Yun Mu, who had initially been worried, relaxed a little.

In his eyes, although Shangguan Ce was still alive, in this condition he posed no threat to Xie Yi or Xiao Chun and Xiao Qiu.

So Yun Mu simply ignored him, letting him roll around and throw tantrums in the stable.

Whether the man dirtied his clothes or hurt himself was no longer Yun Mu’s concern.

He didn’t like Shangguan Ce—

in fact, he felt a rare disgust toward him.

“Xiao Mu!”

When he opened his eyes, he saw Shangguan Qiuyue dressed in a bright red coat, skipping toward him.

He patted the dust off his clothes, stood up, and smiled.

“Miss Qiuyue, you’re here?”

In truth, he had come to the peach tree early that morning because of her invitation.

Back in the stable the previous night—while Shangguan Ce, covered in mud, was being led away by servants—the girl had appeared in a long coat under the moonlight, her face lit with joy.

She told him she had gotten her father’s permission to go out with him the next day and play for an entire day.

He had been puzzled at first.

Why would Shangguan Hongzhi let his daughter go out alone with a boy who had only just escaped captivity?

What if he had bad intentions?

But then he thought about Shangguan Hongzhi’s identity and laughed it off.

A man who ruled such a powerful family would surely have secret guards or hidden watchers following them.

Even if they weren’t watching him, they’d at least be protecting his daughter in secret.

Besides, Yun Mu truly had no intention of escaping.

Miss Qiuyue seemed more energetic than usual—

a state that suited her lively nature.

Seeing the girl in such good spirits, Yun Mu felt calmer inside and walked toward her with a faint smile.

But before he could get close, she let out a playful humph and pouted in mock complaint.

“Honestly! A few days ago you called me Qiuyue, and now you’ve gone back to calling me ‘Miss Qiuyue’? Or was that just an act, and you never really cared about me at all?”

Her sudden question left him momentarily flustered.

“Uh, Miss Qiuyue—no, Qiuyue…”

As he walked closer, he raised his hands awkwardly, his tone unsure.

Flashes of the girl’s kiss from a few days ago came to mind—

followed by Shangguan Xunyi’s two even bolder kisses.

The memories tangled in his head until his thoughts were a complete mess.

Of course, Shangguan Qiuyue had no idea what was going through his mind.

She found his nervousness amusing and giggled.

“Alright, alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Come with me~”

She grabbed his hand and led him toward the house.

Just as they reached the doorway, she suddenly moved behind him and covered his eyes with her hands.

Losing sight wasn’t a pleasant feeling, but her palms were soft and warm against his face, soothing his unease.

The faint fragrance that drifted from her made him relax completely.

So he obediently closed his eyes, following her guidance step by step.

One step. Two steps.

Until the warmth on his face lifted away, and her voice sounded again.

“Alright, Xiao Mu, open your eyes! Look at what I prepared for you!”

Before him, laid neatly on the bed, was a long robe of pale turquoise silk.

Its surface gleamed with a soft, warm sheen, embroidered with delicate bamboo leaves—simple yet elegant, with a refined scholarly charm.

“Miss, this is…?”

“It’s for you, of course! The one I sewed before was too big, right? So this time I bought a smaller size. It should fit perfectly!”

As she spoke, Shangguan Qiuyue cheerfully lifted his arms and began tugging at his clothes to help him change.

“W-wait! Miss…”

“Don’t talk~ This is from my own savings. You’re not allowed to refuse.”

“But… men and women shouldn’t…”

Clearly, his protest meant nothing.

And despite his words, he didn’t resist much—

he simply let her pull off the patched-up shirt he’d worn for so long.

(Though to be fair, it was a newer one that Hudelu had given him.)

When the cloth covered his face, her movements suddenly paused.

Then came a light, unexpected touch.

Her hands were cool, colder than his skin, and the contrast made him shiver.

He couldn’t see her expression, but he could clearly feel his heartbeat speeding up.

“Qiuyue… what are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking I was right before—you really do need to eat more. You’re way too skinny.”

She withdrew her hand and gently wiped away the tears gathering at the corner of her eyes before helping him finish dressing.

Then, without a second thought, her hands went to his waist—

but before she could tug at the sides of his trousers, Yun Mu grabbed her wrists.

“Um… Miss Qiuyue, I should handle this myself. You really can’t be so reckless anymore…”

“But I bought the pants too! You won’t even let me help you try them on?”

Before she could unleash her full range of pouting and coaxing, Yun Mu had already pushed her to the doorway and shut the door.

Even as she banged on it and shouted “Xiao Mu, you big meanie!”, he quickly changed into the pants in a rush.

He even put on the pair of long boots that had been left on the bed.

By now, he was genuinely frightened of her persistence.

Then he noticed a few green hair ribbons laid beside the boots.

After a moment of hesitation, he picked them up and walked toward the door.

He wasn’t used to wearing boots, so even that short distance nearly made him trip several times.

But after wobbling and stumbling, he finally managed to open the door.

“Miss, you—”

“Thud!”

Before he could finish, she crashed straight into him.

Her perfectly timed “reckless charge” had collided with his attempt to open the door, and the two ended up in a heap on the floor.

She held her head and looked down at him.

Her cheeks flushed pink as her eyes swept over him.

She had always thought Xiao Mu was good-looking—

but seeing him in the new clothes, she realized just how handsome he truly was.

She cupped his face in her hands, staring into his obsidian-like eyes, and her thoughts began to spin wildly.

Hmm… Mother said that when a girl meets a good-looking boy, she might want to take action. If Xiao Mu went outside looking like this, other girls would definitely notice him… Suddenly, I don’t want him to go out anymore. Maybe I should just keep him to myself…

But… we finally got permission to go out together, and I don’t want to waste that chance. The Lantern Festival is today too. I missed it last year—if I don’t go this year, I’ll regret it.

But if I keep him here, and we just watch the moon and eat together… maybe do something private… Even though I’m not old enough yet… uwaa, that’s so embarrassing! I’m such a bad girl!

Ahh, what should I do? What do I do!?

Her thoughts spiraled out of control until she began clutching her own hair.

Yun Mu blinked in confusion, half startled by her behavior.

“Miss Qiuyue… Miss Qiuyue, are you alright?”

She didn’t respond.

“Your face is so red… are you feverish?” he murmured, brushing aside her bangs to feel her forehead.
He leaned closer. “Strange, no fever… am I imagining things?”

Just as he was about to check again, her cool hand pushed his face away.

“X-X-Xiao Mu, f-f-for that kind of thing, I need to mentally prepare myself first!”

“Hm? You mean… for taking your temperature?”

“O-of course… huh? Oh! Taking my temperature? I thought you meant—ugh, never mind!”

She pouted and quickly changed the topic.

“I’m fine! What about you, did you finish changing?”

“Yeah… fits pretty well.”

“Of course! I know your size perfectly. Hmph.”

“Haha… thanks. As thanks,” he lifted the green ribbons in his hand, smiling, “what kind of hairstyle would you like today, Miss Qiuyue?”

He asked even though she had already tied her own hair up.

“Hair ribbons?” she blinked, then laughed and waved one. “These are for you.”

“For me?”

“Of course! Your hair’s still kind of long, isn’t it? It might block your vision.”

As she spoke, she pressed a hand lightly on his chest to push herself up, picked up the rest of the ribbons, and walked behind him.

“Mostly… I just want to see you in different looks while I still can. You don’t mind, do you?”

Honestly, Yun Mu had never imagined that men could use such ribbons.

His father had short hair.

Shangguan Hongzhi had short hair.

Even the vendor who sold candied hawthorn had short hair.

The only person he’d ever seen with tied hair was his old teacher, and he had used a thick blue-white band, not something as delicate as this.

More importantly, Yun Mu had never seen Shangguan Qiuyue do any sort of braiding before, so he had assumed she didn’t know how.

That was why, when he first saw the ribbons, he had thought they were prepared for him.

“Miss Qiuyue, I don’t mind. Please, go ahead.”

It’s not bad to experience something new… I don’t have much time left, anyway.

“Even if you did mind, I’d still do it! And call me Qiuyue.”

Behind him, her small hands gently gathered his messy hair.

Her movements were soft and careful, and for a moment, he felt as if he were a child again—his mother’s hand gently stroking his hair as he drifted to sleep.

The memory stirred a tender ache in his chest, a wave of quiet longing.

“Alright, Qiuyue.”