Su Qing had indeed intended to stay here for the long haul...
It wasn't that she planned to stay forever, but rather until Su Qingyu grew a bit older, became capable of surviving on her own, and could perhaps even manage the shop herself.
However, Su Qing was not so stubborn as to be incapable of adapting.
While that was the plan, if the area were engulfed in the flames of war and became unsuitable for living, she wouldn't recklessly insist on staying.
After all, a business like an infirmary fared much better during times of peace.
If caught in the midst of war... setting aside whether the infirmary could even remain open, the mere fact that she would be swept up in circumstances beyond her control was enough to make her loathe the idea.
Although she possessed world-shaking abilities, using them to bully a group of mortals felt somewhat beneath her dignity.
Furthermore, the Heavenly Court had explicit regulations stating that its immortals could not interfere in the wars of the mortal realm.
As an orthodox deity of the Heavenly Court, Su Qing naturally had to abide by this rule.
While she could choose to ignore it, doing so would inevitably lead to punishment... even if it were merely a token gesture in the end, it would still be a very embarrassing ordeal.
Hearing Su Qing’s words, Li Yichou couldn't help but smile and said, "I thought you would stay here forever, Miss."
"What kind of person do you take me for? I'm not that... well, I'm not that thick-headed," Su Qing said to her with a beaming smile. "While I personally don't care about the war, I have no desire to live in the middle of a conflict. Besides, it wouldn't be good for the little one's growth! Don't forget, it's not just us old folks here; we have little Su Qingyu to consider!"
As Su Qing spoke, her gaze drifted to the corner where Su Qingyu was practicing her calligraphy, stroke by stroke.
Noticing Su Qing's gaze, the originally slacking Su Qingyu immediately became more diligent, acting as if she had never been lazy and had been working hard the entire time.
Su Qing could naturally see through it, but she didn't say much.
She wouldn't truly push the girl too hard.
Strictness was one thing, but being overly harsh was never good.
Li Yichou followed Su Qing's gaze, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "You're right, I almost forgot about little Qingyu. But... you really do think of her in everything, Miss! Even though you aren't her mother, you're more of a mother to her now than anyone else."
Su Qing replied with a hint of helplessness, "I'm this good to all of you... and since I'm her master, it's only natural to pay more attention to her, isn't it?"
"Of course there's no problem. I was just marveling at how kind you are, Miss."
Su Qing rolled her eyes at that, decided to ignore the woman, and went back to stroking her little cat.
However, Li Yichou clearly wasn't done talking.
She spoke up again, "By the way, Miss, the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming up soon, isn't it? Have you thought about how we'll celebrate?"
Su Qing’s brow twitched. "It's almost Mid-Autumn?"
"Yes! It's almost here," Li Yichou confirmed with a nod.
Li Yichou wasn't surprised that Su Qing didn't remember the date, as she had long since become accustomed to her mistress's personality...
Su Qing lived as if nothing really mattered, never bothering to keep track of the month or day.
Only when she suddenly remembered would she specifically ask everyone what the date was or if a holiday was approaching.
Otherwise, most of the time, she wouldn't remember at all unless someone proactively brought it up.
Su Qing nodded and said, "Ah, that was fast! As for how to spend it? I haven't decided yet... but with the war going on, I doubt many people are in the mood to celebrate."
Su Qing truly hadn't decided how to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival here in Linzhou City.
However, as for how her main body back at the Changbai Mountains would spend it...
She had already made plans.
After all, Su Qing hadn't forgotten the promises she had made to Chang'e.
Every Mid-Autumn, she was bound to go visit her.
Although Su Qing often forgot due to her habit of not tracking dates, someone would usually remind her when the festival drew near. Thus, despite her poor memory, she had managed to keep the appointment every year.
Li Yichou didn't know what Su Qing was thinking. She simply watched the passersby outside, and after a moment of reflection, said, "What you say is true, Miss... but I don't think people will skip the celebration entirely. After all, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival! They might even celebrate more to drive away this oppressive atmosphere."
Su Qing shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter... whether the commoners celebrate or not makes little difference to me. I'm more concerned about what we'll do afterward."
"As for that, I'll follow your lead, Miss."
"Great, so you don't know what to do either and just dumped the hard part on me?" Su Qing rolled her eyes, speaking with exasperation.
Hearing this, Li Yichou immediately countered, "How could that be? I simply believe that you will make the best decision, Miss. After all, you've always been my pillar of support!"
Su Qing remained speechless, feeling that this woman had become quite the smooth-talker lately.
She wondered who she had been learning from.
"Forget it, since I'm the one who has to make the final call anyway..." Su Qing waved her hand. "If you're too lazy to think, then so be it!"
Li Yichou smiled and said, "Then Miss, I'll get back to work."
Su Qing nodded and said no more.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival here... how should we spend it?" Su Qing stroked the cat in her arms, thinking seriously.
After a long time, she shook her head and muttered to herself, "Whatever. As long as I don't have to eat mooncakes, any way we spend it is fine."
Su Qing hated eating mooncakes because she ate them every year and had grown sick of them.
Every year when she went to the Moon Palace, the thing she ate most was various flavors of mooncakes...
She didn't understand why Chang'e loved making them so much. Didn't she get tired of them?
It was just like her drinking.
She never seemed to tire of that either.
"But besides mooncakes, what else is there to eat? Hmm... there's still some time. I'll figure it out slowly," Su Qing thought, putting the matter out of her mind.
She set down the cat in her hands and walked over to Su Qingyu.
Since she was idle anyway, she might as well continue guiding the little girl's calligraphy.
"Master..." Su Qingyu became even more serious when she saw Su Qing approach.
However, seeing the calm expression on Su Qing's face, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She assumed Su Qing hadn't realized she had been slacking.
Although it looked like she had been writing the whole time, in reality, after so long, she had only finished two pages.
It was clear just how much she had been idling.
Of course, she didn't know that Su Qing wasn't unaware of her slacking; she simply chose not to call her out on it.
Su Qing stood beside her and said, "I came to take a look and teach you a bit while I'm at it."
"..." Su Qingyu nodded, thinking to herself that she probably wouldn't be able to slack off anymore.
But she was already used to it, so it didn't bother her much.
"By the way, Master, when can I start learning martial arts with Auntie Yichou?" Su Qingyu suddenly asked.
Su Qingyu cared deeply about this matter...
Because she wanted to learn martial arts as soon as possible. That way, she wouldn't have to fear Su Qing's tyrannical power anymore.
She might even be able to pin Su Qing down and give her a beating!
It would be the perfect way to get revenge for all the times she'd had her bottom smacked in the past.
Su Qing merely glanced at her and said, "When you're a bit older."
"Just how much older! I feel like I'm already quite big."
"Not enough..."
"Eh...?"
Su Qing patted her head and said, "In any case, when the time is right, I'll naturally have Yichou teach you. So don't be anxious; being anxious won't help. If you're that restless, let's pick up the pace with your calligraphy!"
Su Qingyu pouted and said dejectedly, "I get it..."
Su Qing naturally knew why the little girl wanted to learn martial arts...
But Li Yichou was right; she was still too young, her bones and muscles were too weak and unsuitable for training.
Humans...
Were not demons, after all.
Time flowed slowly.
Night fell.
Su Qing felt no sleepiness.
Her body on the other side was somewhat excited and busy, making it difficult for her clone here to sleep peacefully as well.
"Sister isn't asleep either?" Jin Xin saw Su Qing and curled her lips into an imperceptible smile. "Are you waiting for me here?"
Su Qing gave a helpless smile. "Have you always been this narcissistic?"
"It seems you weren't waiting for me. I thought you had finally seen the light and were ready to give it a try with me!"
"You know that's impossible."
"Mhm." Jin Xin asked, "So what is Sister thinking about here?"
"Some plans for the future..."
"Oh, so you weren't thinking about me."
"..." Su Qing's mouth twitched uncontrollably. "What book did you learn those lines from lately?"
"If I tell Sister, will Sister give me a kiss?"
"..." Su Qing couldn't help but sigh. This girl was truly becoming more and more emboldened.
"What a pity, looks like I won't be getting one." Jin Xin smiled and said, "So, do you want me to keep you company, Sister?"
"Suit yourself," Su Qing said nonchalantly.
Jin Xin nodded, then lit a candle, brightening the courtyard.
"By the way, Sister, could you hold out your hand?"
"What do you want to do?"
"Don't worry, I won't do anything perverted like licking your fingers."
"..."
"I just want to do your nails for you..."
"That's fine then."
Su Qing nodded and didn't think much of it, simply extending her hand.
Her other side was so busy that much of her mental energy was diverted... naturally, she didn't have much focus left to ponder what this girl was actually up to.
After Jin Xin took Su Qing's hand, she didn't do anything out of line.
She simply held her hand, took out a bottle of dye, and carefully began to apply it to her nails.
At the same time, she asked, "Does Sister need help with her toenails as well?"
"Whatever..." Su Qing answered distractedly.
"Then I'll take the liberty."
"Mhm."
Tonight passed quickly.
By the time Su Qing snapped out of it, the sun had already risen...
And as a clone, she had fallen asleep in the courtyard at some point.
A blanket had been draped over her...
Fortunately, she hadn't been stripped of her clothes.
"It seems... Jin Xin actually has some principles after all," Su Qing smiled.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
In the courtyard of the Changbai Mountains.
After Su Qing finished reflecting on the situation with her clone.
She saw Chen Nianxin again, looking resentful and clearly having lacked rest...
"This is a rare sight. Why didn't you sleep well again today?" Su Qing asked Chen Nianxin with an amused expression.
Ever since Chen Nianxin arrived, she had frequently suffered from poor sleep...
Su Qing had expressed concern about this more than once.
But Chen Nianxin always refused to answer directly, turning her head away with a blushing face.
Su Qing shook her head and didn't bother asking further. She simply stretched and said, "Mid-Autumn isn't far off. We'll be making a trip to the Moon Palace then... and during that time, you'll be coming with us."
Chen Nianxin was stunned. She looked up at Su Qing and asked, "Why? Didn't you say I wasn't allowed to leave this courtyard?"
"I did! But if we all leave and you're the only one left here, I won't be at ease!"
"Worried I'll run away?"
"Exactly~ Although your magic is sealed, who knows if you have other tricks up your sleeve?" Su Qing admitted with a smile. "By the way, have you ever eaten mooncakes?"
"I haven't... why are you asking?"
"How pitiful. Tell you what, come with us to the Moon Palace, and we'll give all our mooncakes to you."
"Why?"
"Because you've never had them!" Su Qing said with mock seriousness.
"...Are you pitying me?"
"No, I just want to be a bit nicer to you."
"Then why don't you just let me go?"
"Go talk to the Buddha and Wukong about that!"
"..." Chen Nianxin pouted and stopped bickering with Su Qing.
Simple bickering was one thing, but she didn't dare to go too far. What if she actually provoked her and got punished?
"By the way, let me ask a question... you... forget it, it's nothing." Chen Nianxin had intended to talk to Su Qing about that matter.
But the words reached the tip of her tongue and she still couldn't say them out of shame...
She was incredibly frustrated. She clearly feared nothing in heaven or earth, so why was she so useless in this one area?
Su Qing looked at her with confusion and asked, "What's wrong? Are you curious about what mooncakes taste like?"
"No..." Chen Nianxin looked away from Su Qing, turned, and left.
Watching Chen Nianxin's retreating back, Su Qing stroked her chin and muttered to herself, "It seems Chen Nianxin's resentment toward me isn't small at all."
Su Qing had thought that after staying here for so long, Chen Nianxin's resentment would have faded significantly, but she hadn't expected the girl to still be so bitter.
After Chen Nianxin returned to her room, she lay back on her bed with an exhausted expression.
But as soon as she was back here, those terrible sounds would echo in her mind...
And once she thought of those, her imagination would run wild... especially since that one time when she was cleaning the study and accidentally stumbled upon a few 'forbidden books'...
Her associations had become even more numerous, and the things she imagined were becoming increasingly inappropriate.
She shook her head, hurriedly shaking those thoughts away.
"It must be that woman's conspiracy!"
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