"Three of a kind."
"I'll top that."
"Crushed."
"I can't follow."
Accompanied by the tinkling and clinking music, Xu Qing taught Jiang He the rules of Fight the Landlord, and seeing her play with fresh interest, he didn't babble on and on beside her but stretched and went back to his room to rest.
The drawback of getting up early was that he tended to get sleepy in the afternoon and needed a nap. But taking a nap made it hard to fall asleep at night, and then he would sleep late and get up late, falling back into the cycle of late nights and late mornings.
Luckily, he hadn't found a job that day.
However, looking back, even if he'd succeeded in the interview, having come back to find Jiang He, Xu Qing would have had to quit that job anyway to properly research this ancient person at home.
It wasn't until the sun set and the orange sunlight slanted through the window that Xu Qing, rubbing his eyes, walked out of the bedroom to see what Jiang He was doing.
Fight the Landlord was turned off, and what was playing on the computer screen was Mrs. Qiong Yao's "Listen to me, let me explain!" "I won't listen!" and then the two people embracing and crying a river.
Jiang He expressionlessly hugged Winter Melon, watching the two people on the screen weep bitterly.
"This is no good stuff, better watch less of it," Xu Qing said with annoyance; he had saved this drama to find material for his videos.
You have to admit, it's pretty useful for making reaction memes.
Turning off the crappy drama for Jiang He, Xu Qing checked the playback history, which was already up to the Ming Dynasty. She was making good progress, which made him curiously ask, "What do you feel watching that about the Tang Dynasty being... umm... overthrown and the change of eras?"
Jiang He silently shook her head without speaking.
"Let's go, let's go out for a meal, this time to the east side. Right, you'd better change into another dress, it might help change your image."
Xu Qing saw Jiang He's expression and didn't ask further, pointing to her hair, "You don't have to tie your hair up either, just let it hang loose—did you have it tied up when you went out late at night a few days ago?"
"Mhm."
Jiang He nodded and stood up to go back to her room to change clothes.
A moment later.
Jiang He, in a pale green long dress, opened the door and came out, her previously brisk demeanor faded away, standing there quietly, seeming a bit cloying and tender to the point of dripping with allure.
"Uh..."
Xu Qing was startled, scratched his head, then waved his hand, "Never mind, change back into the previous clothes, that's too conspicuous."
With ancient people, temperament is truly a mystical thing.
"..."
Jiang He clenched her fists and went back to her room to change again.
As he watched her room door close, Xu Qing leaned against the door and took out his phone to browse on some shopping app.
Seems like it would be fun to buy more clothes and play real-life Dress Up Warm.
...
"Out shopping with your girlfriend again?"
Mr. Zhao was still smoking, holding a stick in his hand while sitting at the gatehouse entrance, a yellow talisman paper was stuck to the handle of the stick, no telling where he managed to get that within just a day.
"Friend, just a friend."
Xu Qing casually replied, glancing at the stick in his hand and feeling a bit guilty, "Mr. Zhao, is that... made of peach wood?"
"No, the peach wood hasn't arrived yet; this is just a stand-in."
"Ah, you've taken a lot of trouble."
"Hey, don't I look like that Qin Qiong from the new year paintings?" Mr. Zhao posed with the stick, quite proud of himself.
What was a simple security guard? Now, he was taking on the duties of Qin Qiong and Weichi Gong!
"Yes, very much so. It's getting dark soon; take care," Xu Qing affirmed.
"No worries, I also have the Great Compassion Mantra."
Mr. Zhao looked at the sky, feeling a bit uneasy, took out his big phone, and tapped it a couple of times, the chanting immediately emanated from the speaker.
"..."
Xu Qing looked at Jiang He with a complex expression.
This is really a mess.
After a brief chat, the two walked out of the gate, and as there was no one else around, Jiang He quietly asked, "What does 'girlfriend' mean?"
"It means 'friend'."
"Why add 'girl' to it?"
"Because you're a girl," Xu Qing answered with particular indifference.
"Then why do you say it's not?"
"Um..."
Xu Qing was at a loss for words, unsure how to explain the concept of dating to her.
Did they have dating in the Tang Dynasty?
"Don't ask about things you shouldn't. You'll understand later," he said.
"Oh."
The two walked quietly down the street, leisurely strolling around. No matter how many times she went out, Jiang He always found the various shops and decorations along the road fascinating.
There was no curfew here, no street vendors crowding the scene, no uneven, potholed mud roads. Pedestrians passed by with smiles on their faces or hurried along their way. A family of three walked hand in hand past them, and some people bowed their heads, chuckling foolishly at a device called a cellphone.
Everywhere, there was an indescribable atmosphere. Jiang He had never seen such a peaceful place, not even in the most prosperous eras.
Everything was serene, everything she saw seemed like a dream.
"Do you want some milk tea?" Xu Qing asked, stopping in front of a milk tea shop, and Jiang He stopped with him.
"Tea?"
"Come here."
Xu Qing didn't feel like explaining. After all, one sip would tell.
"One pearl milk tea, one kumquat lemon, less ice, less sugar."
After scanning the code to pay, the two stood quietly at the entrance waiting. Jiang He intently watched the bustling staff inside the shop, deep in thought.
When the milk teas were ready, Xu Qing inserted a straw into the pearl milk tea and handed it to Jiang He, "Here, you drink this one, mine is sour."
"Hmm..."
Walking a bit further, Jiang He finally asked, "Those people just now... do they earn money by doing that?"
"Yeah, that's a job."
"Can I also learn to do this kind of work?" Jiang He asked.
"You can't, because you don't have an ID card."
"..."
Jiang He fell silent.
"Issues with identity take time to resolve. It won't happen overnight. Don't worry, we'll find a way."
Xu Qing offered a few words of consolation and noticed she had barely sipped her milk tea, "Don't you like it?"
Jiang He took another big gulp, slightly frowning as she swallowed, "Hmm... it's a bit strange, and the things inside are hard to chew."
"Ha, great minds think alike!"
Xu Qing laughed, "I feel the same way. I can't understand why people like this stuff, and they say girls especially like it..."
"..."
Jiang He glanced at the kumquat lemon in Xu Qing's hand, then looked up at him.
This guy must have some issues.
"Uh... mine is sour, you might find it even harder to get used to," Xu Qing explained, seeing her skeptical look. He shrugged his shoulders, pulled out his own straw, and pushed it toward her.
"Don't believe me, try it—pull out yours and insert... it's a bit weird, just use your own straw."
With mixed feelings, Jiang He pulled out her straw, shook it twice, and placed it into his cup for a sip. The sweet and sour taste surprised her, and her eyes widened slightly. After thoughtfully tasting it, she looked at Xu Qing.
"It's really good."
"..."
Xu Qing touched his nose, "Then you drink it, we'll throw away the pearl one."
As he spoke, he had already taken Jiang He's milk tea and casually tossed it into the nearby trash can.
"I'm glad you like it."
Xu Qing grinned and turned to continue their stroll.
With the kumquat lemon in hand, Jiang He followed Xu Qing, occasionally taking a sip and then looking at him.
She felt something was slightly off...
But it truly was delicious.