He impatiently leaned against the wheel of the carriage behind him, tightened his abdominal muscles and straightened up, then walked towards Qu Yue with his arms crossed.
As he got closer, Mu Wang saw her deathly pale face clearly, and his pupils suddenly shrank.
But he quickly regained his composure, curling his lips and sneering coldly, "Who are you trying to play the victim for?"
Qu Yue was already used to his occasional sarcasm and simply ignored it.
She calmly nodded in greeting and walked straight into the shop.
As she walked, she untied the purse around her waist. "Shopkeeper, how much do all these outside cost?"
The shopkeeper was fiddling with the abacus, and the clattering sound filled the whole room.
Without even raising his head, he directly reported the price, "Ten wen."
Ten wen?!
Qu Yue was so shocked that her hand trembled, and the money bag almost slipped out of her hand.
This price could only buy a pair of hemp shoes at most. Any single item among those displayed outside was worth more than that.
As the eldest legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion, Mu Yuan's funerary objects must not be shabby. She had already prepared to empty her purse.
Qu Yue blinked her bright, watery eyes. "Shopkeeper, did you miscalculate?"
The shopkeeper took out a pair of hemp shoes from under the counter and handed them to her. "Aren't these shoes just this price?"
"What about the funerary objects outside..."
The shopkeeper turned his head and pointed at Mu Wang outside the window. "Your younger brother has already paid for them."
Mu Wang paid for them?!
The successive shocks made Qu Yue's pupils contract when she looked at Mu Wang.
Under the glaring sun, the young man was dressed in plain clothes. His high - tied ponytail hung on his left shoulder. The hair strands glowed with light and ran all the way down along the fabric, outlining a slender and strong waist.
At his waist, a short flute hung horizontally, hidden beneath the plain clothes.
She was just about to withdraw her gaze when she suddenly met a pair of almond - shaped eyes full of disdain.
Mu Wang lazily drooped his eyelids, glanced at her briefly and then quickly looked away.
As if she were some extremely vicious and unlucky person.
Qu Yue pinched the hemp shoes. The inferior material pricked her delicate palm, piercing through the unwarranted gratitude as well.
She lifted a smile, as charming as a newly blooming peach blossom. "Thank you, boss."
Having said that, she walked away gracefully.
Her manner was natural and generous, cultivated by the gentle and wise princess step by step. She walked with grace, especially her slender waist, which was so slender that it could be held in one's hand, looking like water and jade.
But in Mu Wang's eyes, this appearance was exactly the evidence of her restlessness.
He sneered playfully, "What are you wiggling for? No one wants to watch."
Qu Yue was startled. Her body lost its balance, her feet slipped, and she fell heavily to the ground!
Liu Xu quickly stepped forward. "Miss, are you okay?"
Before her hand could touch Qu Yue, she was knocked aside by a sudden black shadow.
Mu Wang lifted Qu Yue from the ground with one hand as if she were a chick. His handsome face was full of annoyance. "Fall just because I said one sentence? Are you planning to pester me like you pestered my elder brother?"
Qu Yue also didn't expect him to come over. She stared blankly at him with her gentle eyes for a while before thanking him softly. "I didn't... Thank you for helping me up."
As soon as the words were out, she didn't dare to delay for a moment and withdrew her arm.
Mu Wang felt a sudden emptiness in his palm. The delicate touch like a soft lotus root disappeared, and his face became even darker. "You're smart enough!"
Qu Yue was indeed smart. She smiled sweetly at Mu Wang. "Thank you, Second Young Master, for paying for me."
She opened her purse and poured out all the silver. Her delicate palm could hardly hold it all.
"I don't know if this is enough. You can take it first."
She stretched out her palm. Her watery eyes reflected the figure of the man in front of her.
The warmth like a hot spring enveloped Mu Wang. He felt inexplicably flustered and impatiently pushed her hand away. "I don't want it!"
Qu Yue was caught off guard. Her hand trembled, and all the silver in her palm fell out, clattering all over the ground.
She stared at Mu Wang in disbelief.
There was a bit of anger in her black pupils. Mu Wang subconsciously wanted to help her pick up the money. Just as he bent down, he realized it was wrong and immediately retracted his hand, crossing his arms and raising his chin. "Didn't the Mu Mansion feed you enough? You can't even hold these few coins."
Qu Yue slowly clenched her palm, took a deep breath and squatted down to pick up the money.
The scorching sun baked her self - esteem. Humiliation turned into a powerful force on her teeth, making her bite her lower lip until it turned white.
After picking up the money, her eyes were slightly red.
When she straightened up, her grievance erupted. She shouted angrily at him, "I know that you, Second Young Master, didn't want me to spend money on the funerary objects today, probably because you're afraid that if the First Young Master knows in the underworld that the funerary objects were bought with the money of someone he disliked, he won't be at peace for generations. But no matter what, you can't throw away my money!"
Mu Wang subconsciously wanted to apologize, but the words on his lips took a turn. "Isn't your money all from the Mu family? Why can't I throw it away?"
Qu Yue took a deep breath. Her eyes were glistening with tears. "Second Young Master Mu, no matter whose money it is, it can't be thrown away."
Mu Wang was scared by her tears. His usually sarcastic mouth became quiet. "I won't throw it away then."
"Why are you crying?" He panicked. "I've even helped you choose all the funerary objects. You should be secretly happy."
Qu Yue forced a fake smile on her pretty face. "Then thank you very much, Second Young Master."
"I've spent money and put in effort..." Mu Wang wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Qu Yue.
She didn't want to argue with him anymore. Her delicate eyebrows frowned slightly. "Then I'll be responsible for transporting the things back home. Is that okay?"
She got straight to work. Qu Yue rented a carriage from the shopkeeper and walked straight towards the heaviest porcelain.
Mu Wang was annoyed that his so - called comfort was ignored. He also got angry. "If my elder brother knew that all these things had been touched by you, he'd surely come back to life out of anger!"
Qu Yue retorted, "I'm carrying these things precisely to express my apology to the First Young Master and hope that he can forgive what I've done."
Her rosy lips moved. With the theory that "only by facing up to one's mistakes and sincerely apologizing can the deceased rest in peace", she successfully silenced Mu Wang.
Seeing that he stopped talking, Qu Yue continued to stagger and carry the funerary objects with her small body.
Mu Wang: "..."
Her ankle was swollen high, but she still insisted!
She'd surely regret it later!
Qu Yue didn't know what Mu Wang was thinking. She carried the things back and forth diligently.
Just as she was about to wipe the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand and was about to carry the big box, her body was suddenly pulled.
She looked up and met Mu Wang's gloomy face. "Stop carrying! Otherwise, people will say that the Marquis Mansion is oppressing a lame person!"
As he said, he picked up the box. The young man's muscles flexed, and the strong force stretched open the collar in front of his robe, revealing his collarbone.
Qu Yue shifted her eyes. "I can carry it myself."
Mu Wang carried one item on each shoulder and deliberately walked past Qu Yue, snorting. "Sit aside. Don't get in the way here."
Being young and energetic, he piled all the things onto the carriage in a short time.
When he turned around, he saw Qu Yue standing beside the carriage. She had fair skin. After working for a while, the heat had risen to her face, making her cheeks blush. Her face was like a peach blossom, with white teeth and red lips. Her bright eyes were like clear autumn waters.
A drop of fragrant sweat ran down her small nose and dripped onto the dry ground.
It also dripped onto Mu Wang's heart, turning into ripples that spread out, touching a deep place that he himself couldn't explain.
His breath caught in his throat. He took out a handkerchief and walked up to her, wiping her face.
"How can you still sweat even when I told you to rest?"