Chapter 131: Qilin Clothes
Shang Wuyang had an inspiration and designed several outfits for Little Chubby Cub in succession.
“For kittens.”
“This one is for little tigers.”
“Little sheep!”
As he drew one, Qin Wanwan would crisply call out, her big eyes very bright.
“Daddy, are all these clothes for Wanwan?”
Shang Wuyang hummed in response, “These kinds of clothes suit you well.”
Qin Wanwan preened, “I look good.”
She looks good, and anything she wears looks good.
Shang Wuyang finished drawing the last outfit.
“This one is for pandas!”
“What pandas?”
Shang Wuyang blew on the paper and put it away. “This is a kind of black and white bear I once saw in the Shu region, also called an iron-eating beast. Legend has it that it was Chiyou’s mount.”
The little black and white bears were very cute, and he inexplicably thought of them when designing clothes, so he drew one set. It would definitely be very cute on Wanwan.
“These clothes can also be worn outside.”
Qin Wanwan nodded. It was cold, so these clothes would keep her warm, and wearing a skirt left her legs a bit exposed to the wind.
“Daddy, can you draw a set for little qilin too?”
Shang Wuyang asked, “Qilin?”
Qin Wanwan nodded. “Yes, yes! A little qilin’s head looks a bit like a dragon but not as big, it has two little horns and tiny whiskers, beautiful fur on its back, and a pretty tail…”
As Qin Wanwan described it, Shang Wuyang’s hand holding the brush moved unconsciously.
Soon, a qilin leaped onto the paper.
It was a cute little qilin.
Qin Wanwan’s eyes lit up with a smile after a single glance.
“That’s exactly it!”
Of course, black and white colors couldn’t depict the qilin’s complete appearance; only the general outline was similar.
Shang Wuyang’s gaze flickered as he looked at the image of the qilin on the paper.
A qilin, is it… a qilin?
Previously, Shang Wuyang had speculated about what kind of great demon the little one and her father might be.
Now, he was about sixty to seventy percent sure, likely a qilin.
This was because the little one’s description was too specific, as if she had seen it with her own eyes, and she seemed quite fixated on qilin.
He naturally knew of the divine beast qilin in folklore, but those were only brief descriptions.
The qilin drawn by some people based on those descriptions were somewhat abstract and even a bit ugly.
However, based on Little Chubby Cub’s description, he naturally drew the qilin’s appearance this way.
It was as if he himself was very familiar with qilin.
Shang Wuyang’s thoughts churned, and he didn’t ask Qin Wanwan too many questions.
He had servants take the blueprints to the embroidery women and then led Qin Wanwan out of the study.
After breakfast, Shang Wuyang had her wear this outfit and go out with him.
“Where are we going?”
This outfit perfectly showcased Little Chubby Cub’s figure.
Her round little buttocks, chubby little legs, and a slightly protruding baby belly.
She was truly cute, and truly plump.
Shang Wuyang pinched Little Chubby Cub’s fleshy short legs, unable to suppress his upturned lips.
“Didn’t you want to find sheep? Today, I have time to take you out to play.”
“Yay, Daddy, you’re the best~”
Qin Wanwan smacked Shang Wuyang on the cheek with a kiss.
“But we have to wait a moment. I’ll let Lord Rong send some persimmons to Brother Yuanli.”
Shang Wuyang didn’t stop her; he also wanted to see the resourceful Imperial Chancellor of Tianqi.
Qin Wanwan then ran next door and knocked.
“Is Lord Rong there?”
The guard at the door was stunned by the oddly dressed but very cute Little Chubby Cub.
“Yes, he is.”
Then Qin Wanwan, holding Daddy Shang’s hand, swaggered in.
Behind them followed a large walking chicken, Ying Laoda.
Rong Zhi was in the courtyard, playing the guqin and brewing wine.
As they entered, they heard a melodious sound of the guqin.
“My Lord, the Patriarch from next door and the young lady have arrived.”
Rong Zhi didn’t pause his guqin playing and said faintly.
“Let them come in.”
Having received the notification, Qin Wanwan ran in.
Shang Wuyang followed behind at an unhurried pace.
Rong Zhi looked up and paused his playing upon seeing Qin Wanwan’s current attire.
“Good morning, Lord Rong. I’ve come to see you.”
It had to be said, in this era, almost no one dressed like Qin Wanwan.
As she walked down the street like this, everyone, regardless of age or gender, would look at her several times.
Little Chubby Cub, so cute.
Rong Zhi looked a few more times before shifting his gaze to Shang Wuyang.
He had an ordinary-looking face, but his peach blossom eyes were very distinctive, and his aura clashed somewhat with his face.
A human skin mask.
Rong Zhi stared at Shang Wuyang’s face for a few seconds before reaching a conclusion.
“Imperial Chancellor, I’ve long admired you. My surname is Wu.”
Qin Wanwan widened her eyes in surprise, looking at him.
When did Daddy change his surname to Wu?
She scratched her head and didn’t ask further.
Rong Zhi’s lips carried a faint smile, making him appear approachable.
“Young Master Wu.”
With just one meeting, Rong Zhi knew this person was not simple.
His subordinates had investigated ‘Wu Ming’ and found him to be a merchant, but whether commoners or merchants, they all showed reverence and fear towards officials. The bolder ones would try to form connections and curry favor.
However, this ‘Wu Ming,’ fully aware of his identity, showed no trace of reverence, let alone any attempt to curry favor.
“Lord Rong, can you see the Crown Prince?”
Once they had finished introducing themselves, Qin Wanwan immediately ran to Rong Zhi’s side and asked.
“You know the Crown Prince?”
Qin Wanwan nodded. “Brother Yuanli and I are good friends. Yesterday, we picked so many persimmons we couldn’t finish them. I wanted to send some to Brother Yuanli, and I saved some for you too.”
She looked curiously at the guqin in front of Rong Zhi.
“Can I touch this?”
Rong Zhi nodded slightly.
“Go ahead and play with it, but be careful with your hands.”
“I can have someone help you deliver the things to the Crown Prince. Is there anything you need me to send?”
“Yes, tell him my home address. Last time I asked the Grand Tutor to pass on a message, I forgot to tell him the address.”
She imitated Rong Zhi’s posture and sat on the cushion with her short legs crossed.
Rong Zhi cleared a space for her, and he and Shang Wuyang sat opposite each other on either side of the tea table.
He poured tea, each movement graceful.
Rong Zhi sat upright, like a green pine, refined and elegant, a true young master from a noble family.
Shang Wuyang sat more casually, completely relaxed and languid.
“Young Master Wu, you’re not from Jiangnan, are you? I’ve been to Jiangnan, and your accent isn’t like theirs.”
Shang Wuyang said with a half-smile, “The Imperial Chancellor is indeed knowledgeable.”
He drank his tea. “Wu is just a humble merchant. To receive such attention from the Imperial Chancellor is truly overwhelming.”
Rong Zhi’s smile remained unchanged. “Young Master Wu doesn’t look like an ordinary merchant…”
Both of them were full of stratagems, probing each other’s depths.
“Scratch, twang…”
An ear-piercing sound came, and both Rong Zhi and Shang Wuyang froze, then simultaneously turned their heads towards Little Chubby Cub.
Qin Wanwan began trying to play after testing each string, just as she had seen her daddy do.
But imagination and reality were worlds apart.
The sound that emerged was enough to make one’s scalp tingle.
