Cherishing You As Always - Chapter 30

Maybe when someone hasn’t been needed for a long time, they begin to question whether their existence even matters. When others approach, they start to wonder if they’re just being a bother.

No matter what decision she was going to make, I firmly grabbed her hand and tied the ribbon on.
“No matter what you decide, this thing is yours. Whether you want to be friends with me or not, you can think about it later.”

Let the red string be the start of a friendship.

I shot her a sharp glance, warning her not to return the gift. Once something is given, there’s no taking it back.

In return, she gave me a look full of tenderness, mixed with gratitude. It made my heart feel uneasy.

I quickly shook my hand and tried to act indifferent, saying, “Alright, alright. Let’s go carry more water.”

I picked up the water buckets and started walking down by myself. She called out behind me, “Hey!”

I didn’t turn around honestly, I was scared she’d try to give the gift back. This was the first time I’d ever asked someone to be my friend. It’d be too embarrassing if I got rejected. But hearing her voice, I almost stopped immediately.

Fine, let’s see what she wants to say.

“Um, what about the tub of water we played in?”

Relieved, I laughed loudly and replied, “Let them enjoy your bath water then, my fair lady!”

We didn’t get dinner anyway. There’s no way we could carry all the water jars in one day. The teacher clearly wanted to give me a hard time. And Yin Yunchi just got dragged into it for no reason.

After a whole day’s work, we could finally rest. Even though we weren’t allowed dinner, Zihui had heard I was being punished and snuck me some fruits and pastries, so I wouldn’t go hungry.

But standing now on the stone path leading back to the dorms, smelling the aroma of food in the air, I couldn’t help but lick my dry lips.
“I really want to eat…”

But then I remembered the water used for cooking today came from the tub that Yin Yunchi and I soaked in. That thought somehow made me feel better.

The teacher’s going to eat that food too, right? Ha! Serves him right for punishing us.

The mountain wind passed through, bringing a cool evening breeze. If I wasn’t so tired, I’d love to just stand here and enjoy it for a while.

Zihui stood next to me, adjusting my clothes, while Yin Yunchi had probably gone to help serve food to the students.

Suddenly, Zihui leaned closer and started sniffing around me. I tapped her on the forehead.
“Do I have something weird on me?”

Zihui rubbed her head, then laughed.
“You usually don’t use perfume. What’s with the fragrance today? Come on, tell me is there a young master you’ve got your eye on? Trying to doll yourself up for someone?”

Though she was smiling, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

I ignored her expression and replied slowly,
“Nope. I just live with Yin Yunchi, remember? That’s his natural scent. We’ve been together so much it must’ve rubbed off on me. It’s not perfume. Do I look like the kind of girl who throws herself at men?”

Zihui finally seemed reassured and patted me on the shoulder with a sigh.
“Yeah, true. Who could you possibly fall for? Any guy you do like is doomed. You’d probably make his life miserable.”

…Was that a compliment or an insult?
Annoyed, I said, “Do I really seem that scary to you? Like a tiger or something?”

Carrying the lantern, she laughed sweetly.
“No, you’re not a tiger. You’re just a monkey.”

A monkey? Do I really look like a monkey? I touched my face. I may not be a beauty, but I’m still a bold and heroic young woman. Not that bad-looking. Surely not that bad.

Zihui just laughed, her voice echoing across the mountain.

“Master is the tiger. Ever heard that saying? ‘When the mountain has no tiger, the monkey becomes king.’ Since the master isn’t here, wouldn’t that make you the monkey?”

Her giggle danced on her lips, and suddenly, another light, ethereal laugh joined hers — a woman’s voice.

We raised the lantern higher and looked up the steps. A figure stood there. More precisely, a woman.

Zihui and I spoke at the same time,
“Who’s there?”

The figure walked down the steps. Judging by her build, she didn’t look like Yin Yunchi. Could it be that girl who gave him a hard time the other day?

We’d seen her a few times around the school. Whenever she saw me, she’d always have a look of disdain, and I’d just glare back coldly.

But when she spoke, her voice sounded familiar.
Wasn’t this the female teacher?

“You two have such an interesting conversation. It’s quite entertaining.”

Her voice was sweet, but her expression was cold. She was one of the most striking sights in the whole academy.

She was unbelievably beautiful!
She made even Yin Yunchi, Zihui, and some noble ladies look plain in comparison.

Such a beautiful woman why hadn’t she married? Why was she hiding out in this remote place as a teacher?

“Teacher, you jest. Letting you witness such a scene is truly embarrassing.”

The hazy light fell on her face, casting soft shadows. The mountain wind fluttered her robes. Looking at her, one felt as if seeing something out of a dream.

“It’s nothing really,” she replied.
“But such a close relationship between master and servant that’s rare around here. Most students are self-centered brats.”

How much older could she possibly be than us? Yet she called us “kids.” That made her seem rather cute mature on the outside, but still a bit childish inside.

“Teacher, it’s getting late. Wandering around like this… aren’t you afraid of running into something scary?”

I knew most girls feared ghosts and such. Back home, I used to trick the maids with scary stories all the time until my father caught me and scolded me harshly.

But now that my father wasn’t here, I could play around a little, right? Not bullying just teasing. A little playful scare.

She really did look spooked. Glancing around nervously, she pulled her robes tighter. The wind blew again, and after shivering a bit, she said,
“You’re right. It’s late. I shouldn’t be lingering out here. I’ll go back now. You should, too.”

I held in my laughter, waiting until she walked away. Once she was out of sight, I burst out laughing.
How could she be so adorable? I was just joking!

I was laughing hard until Zihui shot me a look. She held the lantern and walked down the path silently.

I was confused and hurried to catch up.
“What’s wrong? Are you mad? I was just joking with the teacher. Please don’t go telling my father…”