Fang Qiu scampered all the way to the street corner like a wisp of smoke.
"Phew, that was dangerous. Looks like I can't run around everywhere on book release days anymore."
Fang Qiu let out a long breath and wiped the fine sweat from her forehead.
Authors really are better suited to staying at home as shut-ins.
Unfortunately, in her haste to flee, she hadn't even managed to buy the juice and cakes.
She had originally planned to buy some Chinese-style and Western-style pastries to create a "Sino-Western co-production."
Now it seemed she could only buy some Chinese pastries.
Fortunately, she didn't encounter anything strange on the way.
Except for seeing a young girl wearing a red legal hat and white-fading-to-yellow antler headdresses extending from both sides of her head, dressed in a very revealing outfit, flipping through a copy of Liyue Law for a middle-aged man to see.
After the middle-aged man finished reading, he flopped onto the ground on his knees, crying bitterly and pleading that he was wrong.
"I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. I had no choice before, but now I want to be a good person. Give me a chance."
"Be a good person? Sure, go tell that to the Millelith and see if they give you a chance. This is the price for violating a contract. Those who break their contracts shall suffer the Wrath of the Rock."
Fang Qiu didn't dare to stay there for long. What if that middle-aged man refused to submit to the law and pulled out a knife to take a hostage?
Avoid all risks.
She went all the way to the dessert shop and bought Lotus Cake, Osmanthus Cake, Green Rice Balls, Layer Cake, Rice Cake, and so on.
The auntie selling snacks would pack a few extra pieces for her every time.
Besides snacks, Fang Qiu also went to the fruit shop and bought quite a lot of fruit.
Carrying two large bags of fruit, she returned to her room.
After locking the door, Fang Qiu flopped onto the bed with a thud.
So tired.
Her arms were so sore...
Clearly, the fruit was only about seven or eight catties, plus the snacks, it was only a bit over ten catties.
Yet she had to switch hands many times on the way.
She was seriously tired out.
"I'll pick a time when no one is around tomorrow to go to the bathhouse for a soak and relax," Fang Qiu muttered, lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling.
She had to pick a time when no one was around.
Otherwise, as soon as she entered the bathhouse, she would always be stared at by a group of girls, forcing her to wrap herself tightly in a bath towel every time she washed.
After resting for a while, Fang Qiu didn't court death by doing a sit-up to get up. Instead, she rolled over like a salted fish, then propped her body up with her hands to stand.
After washing up, she took off her clothes and changed into a nightgown.
Then, Fang Qiu collapsed onto the Jumpy Dumpty, staring at the ceiling in boredom, and began a new round of contemplation.
Ancient people in her past life, without mobile phones or computers—what did they do late at night?
Read books?
It seems there was no other entertainment besides reading books, right?
Such barren entertainment methods...
However, speaking of reading, Fang Qiu subconsciously glanced at the book she had forgotten to tidy away on the table: Junior Sister, Go Easy, Senior Sister Hurts.
Her face blushed slightly.
Seeing this book, she suddenly thought of an entertainment method other than reading...
However, amidst her wild thoughts, she suddenly remembered the box of ghost stories placed in the corner, and suddenly felt a creep of horror.
Her body couldn't help but shiver.
Fang Qiu's pupils constricted slightly, and her expression looked somewhat ugly.
It's over; tonight is going to be another difficult night.
She'd better dispose of these books tomorrow.
Otherwise, keeping them would make it hard to eat or sleep in peace.
The night scenery was rippling, and the evening breeze was just right.
Yujing Terrace, Yuehai Pavilion.
The leaves outside the window rustled under the breeze, and Glaze Lilies and Silk Flowers drifted gently with the wind.
Inside the office.
Under the warm, flickering candlelight, a line of clear tears slid down Ganyu's tender, fair cheek, then dripped onto the pages of the book.
The content of that page was precisely the day Xu Changqing became an immortal, standing atop Mt. Shu.
Amidst the waving of his long sword, he sent a vast snowfall to Zixuan.
Amidst the dancing snowflakes, under Fang Qiu's pen, the past of Zixuan and Xu Changqing spanning three lives and three worlds was constantly displayed before one's eyes.
It was as if the song Fang Qiu had sung to her in the wild that day was ringing in her ears.
The soft, moving singing voice resonated with the scenes described by Fang Qiu's pen, as if they were appearing right before her eyes.
Even if another ten thousand years pass, my deep affection will not change.
"So Miss Fang Qiu sang this song with such feelings that day. No wonder her expression was so sorrowful back then," Ganyu murmured.
She looked to her hand, where lay the two songs from Fang Qiu's book that she had transcribed.
"Wait until I meet Miss Fang Qiu next time, I'll ask her to sing these two songs again," Ganyu murmured.
After remaining silent for a long time, she wiped away her tears and continued reading.
Although Zixuan and Xu Changqing had separated, there were still Jing Tian and Xuejian.
They were still together.
Watching Tang Xuejian and Jing Tian frolicking mushily in the snow, Ganyu felt as if she could understand a little of the beauty of romance in the mortal world.
A faint smile curled up at the corner of her mouth as she continued reading.
Then, her gentle smile froze.
"Jing Tian... he's going to die?"
Meanwhile, outside Liyue City.
Tunnel construction site.
Construction was proceeding like a raging fire.
Keqing was currently holding blueprints, supervising the work on site.
The project was going very smoothly; it was estimated that it would be broken through in these two days.
Thinking of this, she also breathed a sigh of relief.
The pier side had already gotten on the right track. Once it was proven that digging the tunnel was feasible, and before those scholars finished surveying that big mountain, she could calm her mind and take a good rest.
She could ask friends to go shopping at the market and buy new clothes.
She could ask Miss Fang Qiu to go together.
Speaking of Fang Qiu.
Keqing couldn't help but cast her gaze toward a few scholars who were sitting by the fire reading books.
"Mn, not bad. This writing style is concise when it should be concise, and detailed when it should be detailed."
"I have to say, Miss Fang Qiu really lives up to her reputation. Clearly, it's a world completely different from Liyue, yet the local customs and practices of our Liyue are reflected everywhere."
"Indeed, indeed."
"Speaking of which, Brother Luo, doesn't your family have a daughter? I remember she's also writing novels, right? Why not introduce her to Miss Fang Qiu? Let Miss Fang Qiu give her a pointer or two?"
"Don't mention it. I really want to ask Director Hu to pull some strings and bridge the gap, asking her to introduce my daughter to Miss Fang Qiu. If she could learn even half a bit, she should be able to support herself."
"Haha, speaking of this Director Hu, if you ask her for help, she will definitely make you buy Wangsheng Funeral Parlor's services from her before she agrees to introduce you."
"So what? Buy it then. It's not like buying it means you'll really die. Many old folks over in Qingce Village prepare a coffin for themselves in advance so that their descendants won't be troubled after they pass away in a hundred years."
"True. We are all scholars; how can we blindly believe in sayings about what's auspicious or inauspicious?"
The scholars discussed animatedly.
Listening to their discussion, Keqing couldn't help but sigh slightly.
Miss Fang Qiu's new book...
She really wanted to read it too...
It was a pity that these scholars could rest, but she could not.
The engineering project was at its most critical period; she had to keep a close watch.
She could only wait until she was done with work to buy it and read.
After all, serious business matters most.
She let out a long breath, cast her gaze toward the construction site, and continued to supervise.
________________________________________
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