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墨書 Inktalez
As Su Jin'er walked, she touched the bracelet on her wrist. Although she had heard of Blood Jade, she had never seen it before. She recalled a story about Blood Jade, but she wasn't sure if it was true.
It was an ancient tale about a woman who, due to her aging, became known as the Yellow-Faced Woman. Her husband often stayed away from home because of this, leaving her heartbroken. One day, while shopping for groceries, she encountered a fortune teller who told her that if she could buy the Emerald Bracelet, she would win back her husband's heart. The woman was skeptical, but the bracelet was beautiful, with faint red threads inside that resembled blood. Despite her doubts, she purchased it in hopes of rekindling her husband's affection. The fortune teller also mentioned that when the bracelet turned completely red, her husband would return.
Days later, her husband unexpectedly came home. He had only intended to change clothes, but when he saw his wife emerging from the kitchen, he was stunned. The once beautiful woman had returned; although her skin was not as youthful as it had been in her twenties, it was noticeably fairer than that of the Yellow-Faced Woman.
The woman stood there in a daze, seemingly unaware of her transformed complexion. Seeing her husband gaze at her made her blush. "Is there something on my face?"
"No, nothing at all. It's just that your skin seems to have lightened."
Surprised, the woman quickly set down what she was holding and rushed to the mirror. Looking at her reflection with its renewed glow, she smiled joyfully. She remembered the fortune teller's words; the bracelet had indeed changed her skin back to its youthful state. Delighted by her appearance, she laughed.
She happily touched the bracelet on her wrist and noticed that the few red threads had increased in number.
Her husband began coming home more frequently and loved her even more than before. She cherished the bracelet and wore it almost constantly—even while bathing or sleeping. However, she gradually felt weaker; her skin went from tender white to pale, and her lips lost their color. Thinking it was merely anemia, she bought various Blood-boosting Medicines. Yet no matter how much she tried to replenish her blood, her complexion remained pale while the bracelet turned blood-red, with only a small part still unfilled. She thought that perhaps the fortune teller would soon return.
One day, she collapsed on the floor as the bracelet became entirely blood-red—a scarlet hue reminiscent of blood.
When her husband returned home, he found his wife barely clinging to life. He looked at her lying on the ground and wept. At that moment, the fortune teller appeared.
He gazed at the scarlet bracelet with excitement in his eyes and hurriedly took it from the woman's hand, exclaiming, "This is the most beautiful bracelet ever!"
"Who are you?" asked the man as he held his wife close.
"I am the one who granted her youth and here to reclaim what rightfully belongs to me," he said while shaking the bracelet in his hand.
"Master, why do I feel so weak?" the woman asked faintly.
"Because you have fed this bracelet with your own blood; having lost so much blood, how could you feel strong?"
The woman looked at the bracelet in his hand and asked, "What is its name?"
"Blood Jade!"
"Hehe!" The woman smiled weakly, "Although it took my life, I still appreciate it for bringing my husband back to me."
"You are really foolish!" The man then looked up at the fortune teller and said, "You killer, give me back my wife."
"It wasn't me who killed her, but you. If it weren't for your disdain for her age, she wouldn't have been so eager to make herself young again. That Blood Jade wouldn't have turned completely red in such a short time, hehe! So, the one who killed her is you."
After saying this, the fortune teller left the woman's house with the blood-red bracelet, and as soon as he left, the woman breathed her last.
Su Jin'er had been lost in thought and didn't notice when she had already sat down at the restaurant that Zhuang Lingtian mentioned. When she came to her senses, the dishes had already been served.
"Jin'er, what are you thinking about? I've already said at least ten sentences to you, and you didn't respond, so I ordered the dishes myself. You don't mind, do you?"
Su Jin'er shook her head and said apologetically, "I should be the one apologizing. I was just thinking too seriously."
"It's fine. I'm just curious about what you were thinking."
"I was thinking about a story regarding the Blood Jade Bracelet. It's a story I heard when I was a child, but I think it might just be a tale to trick kids."
Zhuang Lingtian showed a curious expression: "Oh? What kind of story is that?"
Su Jin'er thought for a moment and then recounted the story.
After hearing the story, Zhuang Lingtian laughed and said, "It does sound like a story meant to deceive children. However, if you really find that this bracelet sucks blood, make sure to throw it away!"
Su Jin'er nodded: "Is this what you call that delicious scrambled eggs with tomatoes?" She pointed at the dish in front of her and asked.
"Yes! Although it looks similar to ordinary scrambled eggs with tomatoes, you'll know once you take a bite."
Although it looked ordinary, for some reason, she felt a bit afraid when she looked at the plate of eggs.
Noticing Su Jin'er's expression seemed fearful, he jokingly asked, "You're not scared, are you?"
She was indeed scared because the color of the tomatoes was too intense, making her think of blood. Coupled with the story she had just recalled, she felt a bit nauseous.
Zhuang Lingtian confidently urged Su Jin'er to eat. She felt embarrassed not to, so she carefully picked up a piece of egg and put it in her mouth. After chewing a few times, her eyes widened in surprise. Usually, when she made scrambled eggs with tomatoes at home, although the tomatoes masked some of the egg's fishy taste, it was still noticeable if one paid attention. Therefore, she didn't like eating eggs. However, strangely enough, she couldn't tell what method this restaurant used to completely eliminate the egg's fishiness and enhance its flavor. The taste of the tomatoes was not very prominent either; it felt refreshing in her mouth and was not greasy at all.
"It's really delicious!" she exclaimed in surprise.
"Right? You can trust me on this."
"Do you know how it's made?"
Zhuang Lingtian shook his head and said, "Boss said this is their signature dish, so the recipe cannot be revealed."
Su Jin'er looked a bit disappointed towards the kitchen, where a somewhat plump woman stood watching them. When she turned to chop something, Su Jin'er smiled at her friendly.
Su Jin'er returned her smile.
"That's the Landlady here," Zhuang Lingtian explained.
"So the one cooking is the Boss?"
"No, the one cooking is a chef they hired. This dish is made by the Landlady. There is only the Landlady, not a Boss."
"What about the Boss?"
She asked while eating.
"I heard he passed away a few months ago; it seems he died of illness. The exact cause is unknown. Strangely enough, after their Boss died, the business actually improved, and this dish became famous around that time."
Su Jin'er nodded and glanced at the Landlady. It wasn't easy for a woman to manage a hotel alone. She looked around the establishment, realizing she hadn't paid much attention when she first entered, and now she began to observe it.
Suddenly, she felt that the place seemed familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where and had to give up on the thought.
"You are such a lovely girl," Zhuang Lingtian said with a smile.
"What do you mean?"
"You always easily enter your own world, and no one can get in; it's just you inside."
Su Jin'er didn't quite understand his words. Tilting her head, she asked, "What does that mean?"
"Hehe!" Zhuang Lingtian chuckled but didn't answer.
By the time they walked out of the hotel, it was already three-thirty in the afternoon. The sun outside was blazing, and she shielded her eyes with her hand, saying, "It seems like the weather is getting hot early this year."
"Yeah, a bit."
The two fell silent and quietly walked out of the alley, seemingly forgetting about their search for Ruan Hongmei.
As soon as they entered the school, they spotted Ruan Hongmei standing at the entrance with a mysterious figure in black. The black clothing glared in the sunlight, giving off a heavy feeling as if they were trapped in a room filled with black cloth, unable to breathe.
"Hongmei!" Su Jin'er called out.
Ruan Hongmei was facing them. She waved at Su Jin'er in surprise while the figure in black opposite her showed no intention of leaving.
When they approached and saw the face of the figure in black, they were even more astonished because the so-called black-clad person was none other than Zuo Yi.
"Zuo Yi, why are you dressed like this? I thought you were some kind of mysterious person!" Su Jin'er said somewhat helplessly.
"Ha ha!" Zuo Yi chuckled twice, then looked at Zhuang Lingtian, who was standing next to Su Jin'er, his gaze turning sharp. "I thought I was only hearing rumors from students, but it seems you two really are together?"
He glanced at Su Jin'er, his fierce eyes making people uneasy.
"You misunderstood; we just went to find Hongmei," Su Jin'er explained, her words sounding somewhat weak.
"You didn't misunderstand. We are together. So what? Even her incompetent boyfriend hasn't said anything, so why are you shouting?" Zhuang Lingtian retorted without backing down.
As the tension between the two men escalated, Su Jin'er could no longer hold back.
"I will decide my own matters. Who I choose to be with is my business, and you don't need to interfere." Her expression changed, becoming unfamiliar as if she had transformed into a different person.
Both men turned to look at her, surprise evident on their faces.
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