Chapter 44: Xiao Mo, I think I've fallen in love with you

By the second day, Bai Ruxue had mostly recovered.

Naturally, Xiao Mo felt a sense of relief at Ruxue's recovery.

However, after she got better, Xiao Mo couldn't help but feel that she was acting a bit strange.

He noticed that Ruxue was frequently stealing glances at him.

Whenever he looked her way, she would quickly avert her eyes, pretending as if nothing had happened.

As soon as he looked away, she would sneak another peek.

For instance, right now, Ruxue was out hanging the laundry.

Although Xiao Mo was flipping through a book, he could already feel Bai Ruxue's gaze upon him.

Xiao Mo lifted his head and met her eyes.

As if struck by an electric current, Bai Ruxue hurriedly pulled her gaze away and turned back to the laundry, even going so far as to pretend she was smoothing out clothes that were already flat.

Xiao Mo put down his book and walked toward her.

Feeling Xiao Mo approaching, Bai Ruxue's heart rate gradually accelerated.

The closer he got, the more nervous she became, and her movements with the laundry grew even faster.

"Ruxue, what's wrong? Is something the matter?" Xiao Mo asked as he reached her side.

"Ah? N-no, nothing..." Bai Ruxue's eyes darted around, and her fair, delicate hands waved incessantly. "What could be the matter? Nothing at all."

"Are you sure?" Xiao Mo pressed.

"Nothing, really." Her eyes shifted guiltily, and her face was flushed red.

Xiao Mo couldn't understand why she would blush just from hanging laundry.

Just as he was about to ask again—

A piece of clothing beside Xiao Mo wasn't hung properly and began to slide slowly off the bamboo pole.

Subconsciously, Xiao Mo reached out to catch it.

The dampness and the silky texture of the fabric caused him to freeze for a moment.

Looking down at what was in his hands, he realized it was...

"You lecher!"

Bai Ruxue's cheeks turned as red as strawberries. She snatched the camisole from Xiao Mo's palm.

Clutching the garment to her chest, she ran into her room and slammed the door shut with a loud *thud*.

"Something is definitely wrong..."

Xiao Mo looked at the tightly closed door, lost in thought.

Ruxue...

She actually knew how to be shy?

He remembered that once, when a camisole had blown into his face, Ruxue had laughed heartily and even tried to stuff it further into his mouth.

During lunch, Bai Ruxue continued her pattern of taking a bite of food and then stealing a glance at Xiao Mo.

When Xiao Mo took his bowl, he accidentally brushed against her hand.

Bai Ruxue recoiled as if shocked, her expression momentarily dazed, before she hurriedly sat down and began shoveling rice into her mouth.

Xiao Mo and Xiao Qing exchanged a glance, both filled with confusion.

"Brother Xiao, what's wrong with Sister?" Xiao Qing asked worriedly, seizing an opportunity to ask about her sister's departure.

"I don't know either," Xiao Mo shook his head. "Ruxue has been like this since she woke up this morning."

Xiao Qing: "..."

In truth, if Bai Ruxue were an ordinary woman, Xiao Mo would have thought her behavior today was perfectly normal.

But the once silly and simple Bai Ruxue had suddenly, overnight, developed a sense of shame—even a certain maidenly bashfulness of a first love. It felt very strange to him.

He even felt a bit unsettled by it.

That evening, after Xiao Mo finished his bath, he found that Bai Ruxue was missing; only Xiao Qing was in the courtyard feeding the silkworms.

"Xiao Qing, where is your sister?" Xiao Mo asked.

"Brother Xiao, Sister said she was going for a walk and would be back in a bit," Xiao Qing replied, looking up while holding mulberry leaves.

"I see." Xiao Mo thought for a moment. "I'll go look for her. Xiao Qing, is it alright if you stay home alone?"

"It's fine," Xiao Qing nodded, a flash of joy even crossing her eyes.

Once Xiao Mo left, Xiao Qing reverted to her true form and began looking for food.

Although her sister's cooking was quite good, she hadn't eaten a mouse in a long time and was feeling quite nostalgic.

Walking out of the village, Xiao Mo had a rough idea of where Bai Ruxue might be.

He headed straight toward She Mountain.

Sure enough.

On a large rock, he saw her in a white dress, hugging her knees and looking up at the stars in the night sky.

"Did something unhappy happen again?" Xiao Mo called out to her.

Hearing his voice, Bai Ruxue's delicate frame trembled slightly, and she pulled her gaze from the sky. "N-no..."

"Really?" Xiao Mo walked up to her.

"Really, nothing this time," Bai Ruxue said softly, lowering her head.

"But you've been very strange today, and it seems like you've been avoiding me. Why is that?"

"I haven't... you must be mistaken..." Bai Ruxue turned her head away.

Xiao Mo glanced at her profile. "Alright, maybe I was mistaken. It's getting late; let's head back, or Xiao Qing will worry."

"Oh..."

Bai Ruxue climbed down from the rock and followed beside Xiao Mo as they walked down the mountain.

As they walked along the mountain path, the moonlight poured down silently like flowing water, filtering through the layers of pine branches and casting dappled shadows upon them.

Xiao Mo intentionally or unintentionally slowed his pace, and the hem of Bai Ruxue's skirt brushed gently against the low grass by the roadside, as if afraid to disturb the sleeping creatures of the mountain night.

Their two shadows stretched across the dark ground, sometimes drawing close, sometimes drifting apart.

A faint green glow drifted by; fireflies had appeared at some unknown point, dancing lightly in the low air like tiny stars.

A firefly drifted toward the girl's temple, looking like a moving speck of starlight, resting there for a moment before drifting away.

The girl looked up, watching his profile.

Bai Ruxue felt as if the softest part of her heart had been gently touched.

It felt as though something was trying to break through the soil of her heart.

It was sweet, and it was sour.

She wanted him to know, yet she was afraid of him knowing.

"Xiao Mo..." Gathering her courage, Bai Ruxue parted her cherry lips and softly called his name.

"Mm?" Xiao Mo responded.

"N-nothing..." Looking into his eyes, she faltered again. "I just noticed the fireflies are quite beautiful tonight."

"They are indeed beautiful."

"..."

Bai Ruxue lowered her head, falling into silence, her small hands rubbing the hem of her skirt.

But soon, she found her courage again. "Xiao Mo."

"Hm?"

"N-nothing, I just noticed the moon is very round tonight."

Xiao Mo looked up. "It's alright, I suppose."

"Xiao Mo..."

"Hm?"

"I... I noticed there are so many stars tonight."

"There are indeed many."

"Xiao Mo... I noticed Auntie Wang seems especially happy today."

"It should be because her son's business in the county town is doing well."

"I noticed Xiao Qing doesn't like green peppers."

"I noticed that a long time ago."

"Xiao Mo, I noticed the big black ox in the village has become lazy."

"It's because it's old."

"Xiao Mo."

"Hm?"

"I noticed... I think I've fallen in love with you."

(End of Chapter)