The girl's first attempt at cooking ended in disastrous failure.

And she nearly burned down the kitchen in the process.

Fortunately, Xiao Mo reacted quickly and put out the kitchen fire.

Actually, even if there hadn't been a fire, Xiao Mo felt that what Bai Ruxue had cooked this time was not fit for human consumption.

Because in Bai Ruxue's understanding, the so-called "cooking" really just meant cooking until done.

Bai Ruxue's original plan was to boil water, then directly throw the rabbit and wild chicken into the pot to cook but even boiled fish doesn't involve literally throwing a live fish straight into the pot to cook.

However, seeing Bai Ruxue hanging her head in self-reproach, Xiao Mo didn't scold her. Instead, he encouraged her, saying, "It's fine, I'll cook today's meal."

"Xiao Mo, I'm sorry. I'll definitely learn how to cook good food in the future," Bai Ruxue raised her delicate head, her eyes misty with tears, as if she would cry if Xiao Mo scolded her even one more word.

Xiao Mo nodded, "No rush, take your time."

He fished out the rabbit and wild chicken from the pot and began preparing the ingredients.

Bai Ruxue watched from the side to see how Xiao Mo cooked, looking for places where she might help.

The girl watched as Xiao Mo gutted the rabbit and chicken, washed them clean, then cut them into small pieces and stir-fried them with scallions, ginger, and garlic.

Only then did she understand that human cooking was so particular.

After that, Bai Ruxue began learning to cook in the human way.

And Bai Ruxue's teacher was the village chief's wife, Aunt Chen.

As for how Bai Ruxue came to connect with Aunt Chen.

This was because of the village chief's second daughter, Wang Ying.

Wang Ying heard that a fairy sister had come to Brother Xiao's house, and she was very beautiful, so she came to take a look.

Bai Ruxue was simple-minded by nature, so she quickly became friends with the little girl Wang Ying.

When Wang Ying heard that the fairy sister wanted to learn cooking, she directly led Bai Ruxue to her mother.

Faced with such a beautiful girl's request, Aunt Chen naturally couldn't refuse.

So Bai Ruxue became Aunt Chen's "disciple."

Aunt Chen was also very enthusiastic, coming to Xiao Mo's courtyard every day to teach Bai Ruxue how to cook.

At first, Aunt Chen was quite patient.

After all, looking at Bai Ruxue's tender, delicate hands, Aunt Chen knew that Bai Ruxue must have been a pampered young lady who had never done any work.

So Aunt Chen was mentally prepared, knowing that this young miss definitely wouldn't know how to do anything but gradually, Aunt Chen began to get irritated.

"Wrong, wrong! You have to scale the fish first! And remove the innards! You can't just throw it straight in the pot!"

"S-sorry."

"Why are you putting so many dried chilies? Are you trying to burn Xiao Mo's mouth off?"

"Sorry!"

"Stop adding salt! Is salt free? Are you trying to make Xiao Mo die of thirst?"

"I didn't mean to."

"Alright, alright, now add the cilantro. Xiao Mo likes eating cilantro."

"Enough! Cilantro is for seasoning, not for you to stir-fry cilantro like it's cabbage!"

Every day at noon, while Xiao Mo read in the courtyard, he could hear Aunt Chen scolding Bai Ruxue.

Each time, Aunt Chen would leave grumbling and cursing, saying things like "So stupid, I'm never coming to teach you again."

Each time, Bai Ruxue would be scolded to tears by Aunt Chen but Aunt Chen would come again the next day, and Bai Ruxue would wipe away her tears and continue earnestly learning how to cook.

There was no other reason, although Bai Ruxue was clumsy, she was beautiful and studied seriously.

Moreover, Aunt Chen had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. After her anger subsided, she would think of this beautiful little girl again.

As the days passed one by one.

Aunt Chen scolded Bai Ruxue fewer and fewer times.

Three months later, at noon one day, Aunt Chen didn't scold Bai Ruxue even once.

It was also on this day at noon that when they watched Xiao Mo pick up his chopsticks, both their expressions were very nervous.

"Delicious," Xiao Mo nodded after taking a bite of the rabbit meat.

"Wonderful!" Bai Ruxue jumped up happily.

Aunt Chen couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

She had finally graduated, it wasn't easy.

Besides cooking, Bai Ruxue also washed Xiao Mo's clothes.

Every morning when she got up, Bai Ruxue would take her own and Xiao Mo's clothes to the riverside to wash.

The aunties and older women in the village were also very enthusiastic, teaching Bai Ruxue how to wash clothes clean.

Going back and forth, the aunties and older women all became familiar with Bai Ruxue.

They would even occasionally say some risqué things to Bai Ruxue but she couldn't understand them at all.

Seeing Bai Ruxue's innocent expression, the aunties and older women didn't explain, they just smiled.

Bai Ruxue was very puzzled, so she ran back to ask Xiao Mo.

"Xiao Mo, why does Aunt Wang say men have three legs? But you only have two legs. Where's your third leg? Show me."

"Xiao Mo, why does Aunt Chen say I'm good for childbearing, and that as long as I get pregnant, the whole family won't starve to death?"

"Xiao Mo, Aunt Sun asked me if you sneak into my room at night to do naughty things to me. What are naughty things? Will you come to my room tonight?"

Faced with Bai Ruxue's questions, Xiao Mo didn't know how to answer and could only remain silent.

Sometimes Bai Ruxue would also return to the mountain to visit her little sister, bringing some delicious persimmon cakes from the village and telling her about interesting things she had encountered.

When it was hot, Bai Ruxue would fan Xiao Mo with a fan. Even when she herself was sweating profusely from the heat, she would only wipe herself briefly before continuing to fan him.

When the weather was cold, Bai Ruxue would crawl into Xiao Mo's blankets to warm the bed for him.

Although Xiao Mo said it wasn't necessary, Bai Ruxue always insisted.

The expenses for buying brushes, ink, paper, inkstones and books were high, so Bai Ruxue would go hunting, then give the game to Aunt Chen to help sell.

Or Bai Ruxue would learn from Aunt Chen to raise silkworms and weave silk.

When Bai Ruxue fed the silkworms, she would always mutter, "Silkworms, you must spin lots and lots of silk~"

Because the village chief had nothing more to teach Xiao Mo.

So Xiao Mo often needed to go elsewhere to study, listening to other teachers' lectures.

Studying required money. Fortunately, the county magistrate of Qingshan County very much wanted to win the favor of the local scholars.

So some tuition fees and travel expenses could be sponsored by him.

When Xiao Mo went to other places to study, Bai Ruxue would follow him.

The two walked through the mountains and forests, with Bai Ruxue hunting for Xiao Mo, roasting food for him, and fetching water for him.

Xiao Mo only needed to keep walking forward and study well.

When winter came, Bai Ruxue began to feel drowsy.

Every night, Bai Ruxue would go to sleep early, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky before getting up in a panic and blaming Xiao Mo, "Why didn't you wake me up? I haven't even washed the clothes yet."

Without realizing it, Bai Ruxue became more and more skilled at washing clothes, cooking, and doing housework, like a virtuous wife.

In the depths of winter.

One morning Bai Ruxue woke up to find her skin covered with a layer of crystalline, transparent snake skin.

The girl was startled and quickly looked in the mirror, finding that her face also had a layer of white snake skin, and her eyes were cloudy.

"Oh no! I'm about to shed my skin! What do I do, what do I do?"

Bai Ruxue paced back and forth in the room, her small hands tightly gripping her sleeves.

Finally, Bai Ruxue stopped pacing, her eyes showing determination, "It seems I can only run away!"

Bai Ruxue picked up paper and brush to leave Xiao Mo a letter, roughly meaning "there's something at home, my little sister is sick, I need to go back to take care of her, I'll return in spring."

Then Bai Ruxue transformed into a snake, quickly slithered out through the window, and crawled up the mountain.

"Ruxue, get up, Ruxue."

It was already past noon and Bai Ruxue still hadn't gotten up, so Xiao Mo knocked on the door, only to find the room empty, with only a letter left on the table and white crystalline snake skin on the floor.

After returning to the mountain, Bai Ruxue quickly slithered into the cave.

At this time, her little sister had already entered hibernation. Bai Ruxue lay down beside her sister, looking at the heavy snow outside the cave, beginning to worry.

"Without me cooking for him, won't he go hungry?"

"What will he do about washing clothes with no one to do it?"

"And there's no one to warm his bed, will he be uncomfortable?"

Thinking and thinking, Bai Ruxue's head grew heavier and heavier, finally falling into hibernation.

In spring, Bai Ruxue opened her eyes and shed her skin again.

When she saw her own form, Bai Ruxue was shocked.

At this time, Bai Ruxue was already fifteen feet long and one foot thick.

The knowledge carved in Bai Ruxue's bloodline told her that she was no longer a snake, but a python.

Transforming into human form, Bai Ruxue looked down and found she couldn't see her toes.

Walking to the water's edge, Bai Ruxue looked at herself in the water.

The woman had a graceful and enchanting figure. Below her slender shoulders, her jade peaks were full and round, outlined by the silk sash around her waist into a breathtaking curve. Beneath the thin gauze, the voluptuous contours could be faintly seen, rising and falling gently with her breathing like fragrant warm jade.

Her waist was slender, perfectly sized for a single grasp, like a delicate willow swaying in the wind.

Below her skirt, her two jade legs were slender and long. Even under the concealment of her pomegranate skirt, one could glimpse her graceful, statuesque bearing.

Those peach blossom eyes gazed with deep affection, like newly bloomed peach petals, with slightly upturned corners that held a natural romantic charm, as if stained with rouge, creating an alluring blush.

"Is this me?"

Bai Ruxue looked at herself in the water with surprise.

She turned around to look at her profile, and the woman in the water had curves that undulated like mountain ranges.

"It's beautiful, but my shoulders feel so sore."

Bai Ruxue frowned and supported the two mountains in front.

"Never mind, I should hurry down the mountain. Half a year has passed, I wonder if Xiao Mo has been eating properly."

When she came down the mountain to Xiao Mo's courtyard entrance, Xiao Mo was reading as usual.

"Xiao Mo."

Bai Ruxue called out to the man in the courtyard.

Xiao Mo looked up and saw the woman in white dress outside the courtyard. He was stunned for a long moment before reacting, "Miss Bai?"

"Who else would it be but me?"

Bai Ruxue walked into the courtyard.

However, wherever Bai Ruxue went, Xiao Mo's gaze followed.

"Why do you keep looking at me? Am I strange?" Bai Ruxue felt a bit embarrassed under Xiao Mo's gaze, feeling her body growing warm.

"No, it's just that after not seeing you for half a year, I feel Miss Bai has changed quite a bit, and I need time to adjust," Xiao Mo said, withdrawing his gaze. "Sorry, I was being improper."

"So compared to before, have I gotten more beautiful or less beautiful?" Bai Ruxue asked playfully, just as she always had.

"More beautiful," Xiao Mo was honest.

The former Ruxue had the pure innocence of a young girl.

The current Ruxue had fully matured, with a touch of charm mixed into her pure innocence.

"If I'm beautiful, then look at me more," Bai Ruxue's eyes curved into crescents. "If it's you, Xiao Mo, I don't mind~"

"That still wouldn't be proper," Xiao Mo smiled and shook his head.

"What's improper about it?" Bai Ruxue tilted her head. "I'm beautiful just for you to look at."

Xiao Mo was momentarily speechless.

"Miss," Xiao Mo tried to think how to explain, "there should still be distinctions between men and women."

"I don't understand."

Bai Ruxue didn't comprehend.

If it were other people, she would naturally observe proper distinctions between men and women but she didn't dislike Xiao Mo, so did she still need to be particular about such things?

Xiao Mo always had these strange principles.

Without realizing it, another two years had passed.

In winter, Bai Ruxue would go up the mountain to hibernate.

Each time she woke from hibernation, Bai Ruxue would become thicker and longer, but her human appearance remained fixed.

One day, Bai Ruxue went to wash clothes by the river.

Who knows what the various aunties and older women in the village said to Bai Ruxue.

After Bai Ruxue returned, she kept staring at Xiao Mo.

She stared while eating, and stole glances while hanging clothes.

When she had nothing to do, she would sit in front of Xiao Mo and watch him.

"Is there something Miss Bai needs?" Xiao Mo put down his book and took a sip of tea from the table.

"Mm-hmm," Bai Ruxue nodded. "Xiao Mo, when are you going to marry me?"

"Cough, cough, cough," Xiao Mo choked badly. "What did you say, Miss Bai?"

"I said, when are you going to marry me?" Bai Ruxue asked.

"Why does Miss Bai ask this?"

"Because Aunt Li told me to ask~"

Bai Ruxue straightened her willow waist, casting shadows on the stone table.

"Aunt Li said I'm unmarried and you're unmarried, and we live together every day, and we're both adults now, so why haven't we gotten married yet? Aunt Li said when her son was your age, his son could already run errands."

"This..." Xiao Mo thought for a moment and explained, "Miss Bai, only when two people like each other can they get married."

"But I like you," Bai Ruxue blinked. "Don't you like me?"

Xiao Mo smiled, "Then what kind of relationship do you think we have, Miss Bai?"

"Friends," Bai Ruxue answered without hesitation.

Xiao Mo shook his head, "But Miss Bai, just liking as friends isn't enough."

"Then what kind of liking is enough?"

Bai Ruxue was confused. Did liking come in different types?

"Well," Xiao Mo pondered, "it's hard to say, but if one day Miss Bai understands, then you'll know whether you want to marry me or not."

"Then when I understand someday, and I still want you to marry me, will you marry me then?"

Xiao Mo paused, looking gently at the girl's peach blossom eyes.

"Yes."