You've Fallen for Him, Haven't You? (4,000 Words)

Early the next morning.

While Xiao Mo was reading in the courtyard, he saw Bai Ruxue approaching with a young woman in a long green dress.

Bai Ruxue's fair, tender face was lit with happiness.

The girl Bai Ruxue was leading, however, kept her head lowered. She looked a little nervous, and perhaps even a bit reluctant.

When she saw Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue quickened her pace and led the girl into the courtyard. "Xiao Mo, this is my younger sister, Bai Qingliu. She just came of age this year. I usually call her Xiao Qing, so you can call her that too."

The sisters were both exceptionally beautiful, but their styles were different.

Bai Ruxue had a graceful figure and alluring features. She looked adorably clueless, like someone who would be easy to fool.

Xiao Qing was more slender, and her eyes were wary and cautious. At a glance, she seemed much cleverer than her older sister.

"Greetings, Miss Xiao Qing." Xiao Mo rose and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Hmph!" Xiao Qing lifted her little chin.

So you're the stinking man who stole my sister away.

Because of you, I only get to see her once or twice a month. Every night, I have to sleep alone in my snake form!

If I didn't miss my sister so much, and if cultivating alone as a snake weren't so dreadfully boring, I'd never have come down from the mountain!

Seeing her little sister's mouth practically sticking up into the sky, Bai Ruxue secretly transformed. The tip of her white tail smacked Xiao Qing on the bottom.

Xiao Qing winced slightly and bit her lip. She performed the human greeting her older sister had taught her, dipping into a curtsey. "Xiao Qing greets you, young master. From now on, I'll be staying with my sister. I hope we won't cause you too much trouble."

"Miss Xiao Qing, you're too kind. Your sister has been the one looking after me all this time." Xiao Mo smiled. "It's just that I may not have enough room, so I'm afraid you'll have to share a bed with your sister."

"That's no trouble at all." Xiao Bai hurried to speak on her sister's behalf. "We've slept together since we were little. We're used to it."

Xiao Qing nodded too. "I like sleeping with my sister."

"Good." Xiao Mo smiled. "Make yourself at home, Miss Xiao Qing. From now on, we're all family."

"Who's family with you? Hiss."

Just as Xiao Qing was muttering under her breath, Bai Ruxue's tail tip smacked her bottom again.

A faint mist of tears welled in Xiao Qing's eyes.

She was sure her sister had smacked her bottom red.

"Xiao Mo, you can keep reading. I'll show my sister around the room."

With that, Bai Ruxue hurriedly pulled Xiao Qing into the room and shut the door with a bang.

Looking at the closed door, Xiao Mo couldn't help smiling. "Looks like Miss Xiao Qing has something against me."

In the bedroom, Bai Ruxue put her hands on her hips and pouted at Xiao Qing. "Xiao Qing, do you remember what you promised me?"

"I remember." Xiao Qing rubbed her bottom.

"Then tell me what those things were."

"First, I mustn't reveal my identity."

"Mm-hm. And then?"

"Second, I have to treat Xiao Mo the same way I treat you, and not cause him any trouble."

Bai Ruxue leaned forward. "So you have to be good and do as you're told—not just listen to your sister, but listen to Xiao Mo too. Understand?"

"I understand, Sister," Xiao Qing said reluctantly.

"Xiao Qing." Bai Ruxue stroked the top of her head. "Xiao Mo is a really good person."

"But, Sister, we're demons and he's human. What kind of demon lives with a human? What if he finds out?"

"Don't worry." Bai Ruxue straightened her slender waist and patted her sister on the shoulder. "He's silly—a bookworm. He won't figure it out. Look at me. I've been here all this time and I haven't been found out, have I?"

"..."

Xiao Qing looked at her sister's smug expression. She wanted to say something, but didn't know where to begin.

Right.

How had someone as silly as her sister never been found out?

Could Xiao Mo be even sillier?

"Anyway, as long as you don't let your tail show and sneak off to eat mice, you won't be found out. Got it?" Bai Ruxue reminded her again.

"I got it, Sister."

Xiao Qing sighed inwardly.

Things had come to this. She'd listen to her sister for now and live with this human for a while.

"Come on, I'll take you grocery shopping. At noon, I'll teach you how to cook and do laundry. I'll tell you, there's a lot of know-how to all this."

Bai Ruxue led her sister out of the room.

About a quarter of an hour later, Bai Ruxue and Xiao Qing arrived at Huang Village with a basket over their arms.

"People from all the nearby villages set up stalls in Huang Village. I usually buy vegetables here, but some of the aunties try to rip you off, so you have to haggle. Watch closely, little sister."

Bai Ruxue turned and called to an older woman. "Granny Li, how much for this crucian carp?"

"What! Thirty-three copper coins?"

"I know it's a fat fish, about three jin, but that's still way too expensive!"

"Twenty-five coins, and I'll take it."

"Really, no? Twenty-eight is still too expensive."

"Twenty-five."

"Granny Li, please sell it to me, please, please! Look how pitiful this fish is. If no one eats it soon, it'll suffer so much, Granny Li~~~" Bai Ruxue shook Granny Li's arm.

"Deal. Thank you, Granny Li."

Bai Ruxue happily handed over twenty-five copper coins, picked up the fish, and put it in the basket.

"So, did you see? That's how you haggle." Bai Ruxue looked at her little sister, brimming with pride.

"..." Xiao Qing was at a loss.

She hadn't had much contact with humans.

But was that really how people haggled?

"Sister, that doesn't seem so hard," Xiao Qing said.

"Who says? It's really hard! But ever since Xiao Mo passed the provincial exam, haggling has gotten easier. Everyone in the surrounding villages treats him well." Bai Ruxue said.

"Then, Sister, do you act all coquettish like that when other men sell you things?"

"Of course not." Bai Ruxue rolled her eyes at her sister. "They can sell or not. If they don't, I'll go somewhere else. I only act coquettish with one man."

"Who?" Xiao Qing asked curiously.

"Silly girl." Bai Ruxue lightly flicked her forehead. "Of course it's Xiao Mo~~~"

With that, Bai Ruxue happily went on to buy more vegetables.

And just as her sister had said, she only acted coquettish with the aunties.

As for the male vendors, she usually named a price. If they agreed, she bought from them. If they didn't, she turned and left.

After buying groceries, Xiao Qing went home with her sister to cook.

Xiao Qing knew her sister was clumsy.

But her sister was so practiced at lighting the fire and cooking that Xiao Qing could tell she must have practiced countless times and suffered plenty along the way.

At lunch, her sister always made a point of leaving the meat in the dishes for Xiao Mo, without eating a single bite herself.

Only after Xiao Mo put down his chopsticks would her sister eat the leftover meat.

But Xiao Qing also noticed that this human man deliberately left plenty of the dishes her sister liked.

In the afternoon, Xiao Qing helped her sister clean the courtyard. From the rooms to the yard, her sister cleaned every last corner.

After they finished cleaning, her sister would take a book and sit in the courtyard with Xiao Mo to read.

But Xiao Qing noticed that although her sister was reading, her attention was always on Xiao Mo.

As soon as Xiao Mo reached out, her sister poured him a cup of tea.

As soon as he turned his neck, her sister stood up and massaged his shoulders.

It was as if her sister knew what Xiao Mo was about to do with every little movement.

Near dusk, Xiao Qing had to follow her sister to the kitchen again to make dinner.

After dinner, her sister rolled up her sleeves, heated water, and helped Xiao Mo bathe.

They were all such trivial chores. Just watching made Xiao Qing feel bored and bothered.

"Sister, you do all these things every day. Don't you find it dull?"

Seven days after arriving in Shiqiao Village, Xiao Qing was bathing with her sister in the tub when she couldn't help asking.

"Dull? Why?" Bai Ruxue blinked. "I think it's nice."

"How can you enjoy it?" Xiao Qing didn't understand. "Doing laundry and cooking, cleaning the courtyard, even heating water for him to bathe—what's so nice about any of that?"

"Well..." Bai Ruxue rubbed her sister's back as she thought about how to answer. "I don't know either. It's as if just being by his side, just being able to do things for him—even the tiniest things—makes me happy."

"..."

Xiao Qing didn't understand what her sister meant.

But as the days passed, she found that this man seemed pretty decent.

He had a good temper and was always wearing a gentle smile.

And when Xiao Qing wanted to learn to read, he patiently taught her.

Ten more days passed, and Xiao Qing realized she had actually gotten used to this life.

But on the seventeenth day after Xiao Qing came to Shiqiao Village,

Bai Ruxue had a mishap while absorbing the Essence of the Moon that night.

When she woke up in the morning, Bai Ruxue's face was deathly pale, and she was weak all over, as if an ordinary person had caught a chill.

"Sister, you should rest today. I'll take care of the chores." Seeing her sister like this, Xiao Qing said with concern.

Fortunately, her sister's condition wasn't serious. A couple of days of rest would be enough.

"But, Xiao Qing, can you really manage?" Bai Ruxue asked worriedly.

It had taken her a full two months to learn all these chores.

Xiao Qing had only been learning for a little over half a month.

"I can do it, Sister. Just get some rest. Besides, how can you work when you're like this? What if your tail slips out?"

"Th-then all right."

Bai Ruxue had no choice but to agree.

After tucking her sister in, Xiao Qing left the room.

Xiao Mo had just gotten up too.

Xiao Qing told Xiao Mo that her sister was sick, but it wasn't serious. There was no need to call a doctor; she'd be fine in a couple of days.

Xiao Mo went into the room to check on Bai Ruxue.

Bai Ruxue assured him that she really was fine and would recover soon. It had happened before.

Xiao Mo figured Bai Ruxue had probably run into a little trouble with her cultivation, but it shouldn't be serious.

Otherwise, Xiao Qing would be even more worried than he was.

After Xiao Mo left, Bai Ruxue sat in the room and watched through the window as Xiao Qing gathered his clothes and folded them one by one.

Xiao Qing was doing a good job.

But Bai Ruxue felt strange.

These were things she was supposed to be doing.

By noon, Bai Ruxue felt quite a bit better. She also couldn't seem to sit still and wanted to go to the kitchen to cook for Xiao Mo.

But Xiao Qing pushed her sister back. "Sister, rest. I'll cook."

Before long, Xiao Qing brought the food out of the kitchen.

"Brother Xiao, Sister, I'm not very good at cooking. Please don't mind if it doesn't taste nice."

"It's fine. You did a great job, Xiao Qing. This is delicious."

"Really? Then, Brother Xiao, have some more."

"All right."

"Sister, you should eat more too."

"Oh, all right."

Bai Ruxue picked at the rice in her bowl.

Xiao Qing's cooking really was delicious.

It was a good thing Xiao Mo liked the food Xiao Qing made.

But...

Bai Ruxue just felt a dull heaviness in her chest, as though something were lodged there.

In the afternoon, Bai Ruxue lay back down and watched through the window as Xiao Qing poured water for Xiao Mo and massaged his shoulders.

She watched Xiao Mo teach Xiao Qing to read and write.

She heard Xiao Mo praise her from time to time: "Miss Xiao Qing is really clever."

Bai Ruxue felt an even heavier pressure in her chest.

Why?

What was wrong with her?

Could she be getting even sicker?

At dusk, Aunt Chen heard that Ruxue had caught a chill and came to Xiao Mo's courtyard to visit her.

"You silly girl, haven't you always been in good health? How did you catch a chill in the middle of summer? I brewed some medicine for you and poured it into this gourd. Drink a bowl before bed, then heat up another bowl and drink it tomorrow morning. You'll be better in no time."

In the room, Aunt Chen spoke to Ruxue.

"Thank you, Aunt Chen." Bai Ruxue took the gourd and smiled faintly.

But soon, the girl lowered her head as if something were troubling her.

"Ruxue, what's wrong?" Aunt Chen asked.

"Nothing, Aunt Chen." Bai Ruxue hurriedly shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Oh, stop that." Aunt Chen rolled her eyes at her. "You've always been simple-hearted, and every little thing shows on your face. Do you think I can't tell when something's bothering you? Come on, tell me. When you're sick, you can't keep your troubles bottled up, or you won't get better."

Bai Ruxue gently bit her lip. Her eyes were filled with hesitation, and her fingers kneaded the quilt restlessly.

Aunt Chen wasn't in a hurry. She waited patiently for her to open up.

"Aunt Chen." After a long while, Bai Ruxue raised her head.

"Mm?"

"Xiao Qing took care of Xiao Mo for me today. She folded the clothes so neatly, cooked such delicious food, and cleaned the whole courtyard spotless. I should be happy, but why—why do I feel so empty inside? Sometimes my chest feels tight, too, and I can hardly breathe."

Bai Ruxue clutched the quilt tightly in her small hands.

"Aunt Chen, what's wrong with me?"

"Huh?"

Aunt Chen froze for a moment, then seemed to understand. The corners of her mouth curled up in a knowing, half-amused smile.

"Let Aunt Chen guess. Is it only when Xiao Qing gets close to Xiao Mo and the two of them are intimate that your chest feels all blocked up?"

"Mm-hmm."

"When Xiao Mo praises her, you know you should be happy for your little sister, but you still feel this inexplicable pang of loss inside."

"Yes, yes!"

Aunt Chen pointed at the woman's chest, rising and falling with every breath. "And sometimes it even feels sour here, like you've drunk vinegar?"

"Exactly! I never used to feel this way. Aunt Chen, how did you know?"

"You silly girl."

Aunt Chen sighed and gently tapped the woman between the brows.

"You've fallen for him."