Mythical Three Kingdoms

Zhen Mi and Chen Xi arrived at Chen Xi’s new home. As they entered, Zhen Mi seemed visibly a bit despondent, but soon began to look around. Overall, Chen Xi’s new home wasn’t bad—it used to be the residence of an aristocratic clan. Since Liu Bei had taken over Ye City, certain locations, regardless of which family they belonged to, had to be vacated.

This sort of arrangement had little to do with saving face for the aristocratic families. In fact, as long as the family heads were reasonable, they would undoubtedly offer any residence Liu Bei fancied to him—as long as it wasn’t a family ancestral home.

That said, no Feudal Lord would foolishly requisition an ancestral property from any family. Such an act wouldn’t just cross a line but would openly declare enmity and simultaneously challenge an entire class of people.

”Just like before, next door is Zijian’s house. You know him,” Chen Xi said casually. He didn’t bother informing the servants about the identity of the two people with him, merely mentioning to Zhen Mi that Hua Xiong lived next door.

”So is the residence across the street still Lord Xuande’s home?” Zhen Mi asked curiously. ”Does it need renovation? I recall that Lord Xuande’s residence—”

”It doesn’t need refurbishment in the short term, but it definitely will down the road,” Chen Xi shook his head and replied. ”It’s the same as before; Liu Bei still lives across the street. The only difference is that the door is now a bit farther away. But if you climb the wall, it’s pretty quick.”

The people overheard Zhen Mi’s words word for word and naturally understood how to treat her properly in the future.

”Take her to the kitchen and have her cook,” Chen Xi said, pointing at Xin Xianying, then turned to the cook. To be honest, chefs in Ye City could only make soups and stews—they couldn’t stir-fry dishes. Their cooking truly left much to be desired.

”I don’t want to! Sister Mi’er...” Xin Xianying, seeing that Chen Xi was about to hand her over to the cook, immediately made a face and ran to Zhen Mi’s side, clutching her sleeve and shaking it fervently.

”Alright, stop shaking. I’ll go with you,” Zhen Mi, understanding Xin Xianying’s intent, dismissed the cook outright. Here, she still held enough sway to do that. She then turned to Chen Xi and said, ”Later, I’ll help you with purchasing furniture.”

”Don’t bother.” Chen Xi nodded and replied, but then turned to Xin Xianying with a menacing expression. ”You little rascal, if your cooking turns out awful, you’ll be making steamed egg custard for me every day!”

”Then I’ll make it unbearably bad every time and watch as you eat it!” Xin Xianying’s eyes rolled mischievously as she grabbed Zhen Mi’s hand and declared.

”You little brat!” Chen Xi glared at her but eventually stopped teasing her. ”If you ever feel like visiting, just come on your own. Here, take this. My house doesn’t have many people, and the courtyard keeps getting bigger.”

”What is it?” Xin Xianying asked, puzzled, as she caught the gold medal tied with a red headband that Chen Xi had tossed her.

”Let me put it on for you.” Zhen Mi reached out for the gold medal, hesitated momentarily, then untied the red rope. Ignoring Xin Xianying’s squirming, she placed it around her neck.

”You’ll understand what it is later,” Chen Xi said with a smile. He was confident that with this, no one would dare harbor any ideas.

That evening, while Chen Xi was flipping through books, Xin Xianying brought over a small bowl on a tray. Chen Xi simply sat there watching her, not moving to help. Xin Xianying, now struggling to balance a large tray, kept shifting left and right, unable to set it down. Chen Xi’s desk was taller than she was.

”You could at least say something instead of just sitting there letting me struggle—I almost spilled it all!” Chen Xi grabbed the small bowl with a touch of irritation and addressed Xin Xianying.

”How was I supposed to know your desk was this tall?” Xin Xianying pouted, feeling wronged. She’d had no idea it would be this challenging when she brought it over.

”It’s okay.” Chen Xi didn’t add any soy sauce; he finished it in a few bites and set the bowl aside. ”Not bad.”

”Heh heh heh, I’m amazing, aren’t I?” Xin Xianying said proudly.

”It’s only steaming; still, I must admit, for you it’s pretty good. It’s getting dark—I’ll have someone escort you home.” Chen Xi didn’t burst her bubble entirely. Overall, it was just so-so, but she was just a kid, after all.

”I’m heading back now, but I’ll come find you again later,” Xin Xianying said, placing the tray down on the desk with a wave before darting off.

”Did she leave?” A while later, Zhen Mi came to light the lamps and asked.

”Yes, she left. There’s a carriage at the door, and someone accompanied her,” Chen Xi replied, closing his book. Looking at Zhen Mi, he asked, ”Do you need to head home too?”

”Yes, I’ll leave in a bit,” Zhen Mi said with a hint of resentment. She had already scrutinized the entirety of Chen Xi’s household setup, which was, in her opinion, disappointingly bland.

Chen Xi placed the book aside and glanced outside at the darkening sky. ”Let me walk you back. After all, I did have you come over to help me.”

Zhen Mi gave Chen Xi an exasperated look. Without that last sentence, she might have felt better. She wondered—did he really not understand?

Chen Xi escorted Zhen Mi back to the Zhen Family residence in Ye City. Only then did he realize their homes weren’t far apart. The Zhen Family house stood almost directly opposite Liu Bei’s, just across the back street. The linear distance was short, but getting there required a much longer loop.

As they neared the Zhen Family house, Zhen Mi suddenly asked, ”Marquis Chen, why did you give that little girl that thing?”

”I just felt like it,” Chen Xi replied with a smile. Giving Xin Xianying the gold medal was purely a whim on his part—once given, he wasn’t going to take it back.

”A whim?” Zhen Mi muttered with a touch of helplessness. ”Then can you give me one too? I want one as well.” As Zhen Mi said this, her frustration was plainly evident, and she stared at Chen Xi as she made her request.

”…” Chen Xi pulled a wry face. *This kind of thing is fine for a little girl, but for you? Giving it to you would turn into endless trouble for me.*

”Sigh, Marquis Chen, I hope you’ll reconsider. There are times when you shouldn’t just act on a whim,” Zhen Mi said with visible resignation. ”We’re here. I’ll help you organize furniture and other items tomorrow.”

”Thank you,” Chen Xi replied with a bitter smile.

”Mi’er, you’re back.” Just as Chen Xi was about to leave, Zhang Clan’s voice rang out. If this wasn’t intentional, Chen Xi didn’t know what was. He turned back to bow, only to hear Zhang Clan’s laughter. ”The Zhen Family lacks men, so it’s inappropriate for Marquis Chen to linger.”

At that moment, Chen Xi felt an intense wave of awkwardness. How could he not understand the implication? If the Zhen Family couldn’t host him, then the Chen Family could, and as for who exactly would stay… did it even need to be said?

”Sigh,” Chen Xi sighed heavily, turned around, and left without another glance.

After Chen Xi departed, Zhen Mi, face flushed with embarrassment, looked at Zhang Clan with a mix of annoyance and shyness. ”Mother, what are you doing?!”

”Your approach isn’t working. The way he looks at you isn’t right—it’s not how a man looks at a woman, but more like protective affection. That’s not normal,” Zhang Clan said, glancing at Zhen Mi. ”If this continues, you’ll never make any progress with him. Haven’t you noticed that the way he looks at you is similar to how I look at you?”

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)