Early the next morning.

When Xiao Mo was reading in the courtyard, he saw Bai Ruxue leading a young woman in a green dress, walking step by step toward the courtyard.

Bai Ruxue's fair little face was full of joy.

The young woman being led by Bai Ruxue, however, kept her head down, her expression showing some nervousness and even a hint of reluctance.

Seeing Xiao Mo, Bai Ruxue quickened her pace and pulled the young woman into the courtyard, "Xiao Mo, this is my little sister, named Bai Qingliu. She just came of age this year. I usually call her Little Green, so you can call her Little Green too."

Both sisters were exceptionally beautiful, but their styles were different.

Bai Ruxue had a graceful figure and charming appearance, looking naive and adorable, as if she would be easy to deceive.

Little Green, on the other hand, had a more slender figure, her eyes filled with wariness and caution. At a glance, she seemed much smarter than her sister.

"Greetings, Miss Little Green." Xiao Mo stood up and bowed respectfully.

"Hmph!" Little Green raised her small chin.

It's you, this stinky man, who stole my sister away.

Because of you, I can only see my sister once or twice a month, and every night I sleep alone as a snake!

If I didn't miss my sister so much, and cultivating alone as a snake is indeed too boring, I wouldn't have come down the mountain at all!

Seeing her little sister's mouth pouting toward the sky, Bai Ruxue secretly transformed, using the tip of her white tail to pat her sister's bottom.

Little Green winced slightly in pain, bit her thin lips, and performed the human etiquette her sister had taught her, curtsying, "Little Green... greets you, young master. In the future, Little Green and sister will be much trouble..."

"Miss Little Green speaks too seriously. It's your sister who has been taking care of me all along." Xiao Mo smiled, "It's just that my rooms might not be sufficient. I can only trouble Miss Little Green to sleep together with your sister."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all." Bai Ruxue quickly spoke for her sister, "We two have slept together since childhood and are already used to it."

Little Green also nodded, "I like sleeping with sister."

"That's good then." Xiao Mo smiled, "Miss Little Green, please treat this as your own home. From now on, we're all family."

"Who's family with you... hiss..."

Just as Little Green was muttering softly halfway through, the tip of Bai Ruxue's tail patted her sister's bottom again.

Little Green's eyes brimmed with faint tears.

She felt her bottom must have been slapped red by her sister.

"Then Xiao Mo, you read your book. I'll take my sister to familiarize herself with the room."

With that, Bai Ruxue quickly pulled Little Green into the room and shut the door with a "bang."

Looking at the tightly closed door, Xiao Mo couldn't help but smile, "It seems Miss Little Green has some opinions about me."

In the boudoir, Bai Ruxue put her hands on her hips and pouted at Little Green, "Little Green, do you still remember what you promised sister?"

"I remember." Little Green rubbed her bottom.

"Then tell me what those things were."

"The first thing: don't expose my true identity."

"Mm-hmm, and then?"

"The second thing: treat Xiao Mo like I treat sister, and don't cause trouble for Xiao Mo."

Bai Ruxue leaned forward, "So you must behave well, not only listen to sister's words, but also listen to Xiao Mo's words, understand?"

"I understand, sister." Little Green said reluctantly.

"Little Green," Bai Ruxue patted Little Green's head, "Xiao Mo is a very good person."

"But sister, we're demons and he's human. How can demons and humans live together? What if he discovers us?"

"Don't worry." Bai Ruxue straightened her slender waist and patted her sister's shoulder, "He's very silly, a bookworm. He won't discover us. Look at me, sister, I've been here so long and haven't been exposed, right?"

"..."

Little Green looked at her sister's smug expression, wanting to say something but not knowing where to start.

Right.

Why hasn't sister been discovered despite being so silly?

Could it be that Xiao Mo is even sillier?

"In any case, as long as you don't show your tail and eat mice secretly, you won't be discovered, understand?" Bai Ruxue instructed again.

"I understand, sister."

Little Green sighed inwardly.

Things being as they are, I'll listen to sister for now and live with this human for a while...

"Come, sister will take you grocery shopping, and at noon I'll teach you to cook and wash clothes. Sister will tell you, there's deep knowledge in all of this."

Bai Ruxue pulled her sister out of the room.

About half an hour later, Bai Ruxue and Little Green, carrying a basket, arrived at Huang Village.

"Several nearby villages all set up stalls in Huang Village. Sister usually buys groceries here, but some aunties will cheat people, so you need to bargain. Sister, watch carefully."

Bai Ruxue turned around and called to an auntie, "Auntie Li, how much for this crucian carp?"

"What! Thirty-three wen?"

"I know this fish is very plump and weighs about three catties, but this is too expensive!"

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

"Really no good, twenty-eight wen is still too expensive."

"Just twenty-five wen."

"Auntie Li, please sell it to me, please sell it to me... Look how pitiful this fish is, if it's not eaten soon it will suffer more, Auntie Li~~~" Bai Ruxue shook Auntie Li's arm.

"Alright then, thank you, Auntie Li."

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

"How was that? Did you see? That's how you bargain." Bai Ruxue looked at her sister with a face full of pride.

"..." Little Green felt complicated.

Although she hadn't had much contact with humans but is this really how you bargain?

"Sister, this doesn't seem very difficult." Little Green said.

"Who says it's not difficult? It's very difficult! But ever since Xiao Mo passed the provincial examination, sister's bargaining has indeed become easier. People from ten miles around all take good care of Xiao Mo." Bai Ruxue said.

"Then sister, when other males sell you things, do you also act coquettish like this?"

"How is that possible?" Bai Ruxue rolled her eyes at her sister, "They can sell or not sell as they like. If they don't sell, I'll go to other shops. Sister only acts coquettish toward one man."

"Who?" Little Green asked curiously.

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

With that, Bai Ruxue happily walked forward to continue shopping.

And just as sister had said, sister would only act coquettish with some aunties and elder women.

As for male vendors, sister would generally state a price, and if they agreed, they'd sell. If they didn't agree, sister would turn and leave.

After buying groceries, Little Green followed her sister home to cook.

Little Green knew her sister was quite silly but seeing sister so skilled at cooking and tending the fire, she knew sister must have practiced many times and suffered quite a bit.

During lunch, sister would deliberately leave the meat in the dishes for Xiao Mo to eat, not touching a single piece herself.

Only after Xiao Mo put down his chopsticks would sister eat the remaining meat but Little Green also discovered that this human man would deliberately leave quite a bit of the dishes sister liked to eat.

In the afternoon, Little Green began helping sister clean the courtyard, from the rooms to the yard, sister cleaned meticulously.

After cleaning the courtyard, sister would also take a book and sit in the yard reading together with Xiao Mo.

However, Little Green noticed that although sister was reading, her attention was always on Xiao Mo.

When Xiao Mo reached out, sister would pour him a cup of tea.

When Xiao Mo twisted his neck, sister would stand up to massage his shoulders.

It seemed that sister knew what he was going to do with every movement Xiao Mo made.

As evening approached, Little Green had to follow sister to the kitchen to cook again.

After dinner, sister would roll up her sleeves and heat water for Xiao Mo's bath.

These were all trivial matters, and Little Green found them boring and troublesome just watching.

"Sister, don't you find it monotonous doing all this every day?"

Seven days after coming to Stone Bridge Village, Little Green was bathing with her sister in the wooden tub and couldn't help asking.

"Monotonous? Why?" Bai Ruxue blinked, "I feel very happy."

"Why would you be happy?" Little Green didn't understand, "Washing clothes, cooking, cleaning the courtyard, and having to heat water for his bath, what's there to be happy about..."

"Well..." Bai Ruxue scrubbed her sister's back while thinking about how to answer, "Sister doesn't know either. It's just that as long as I can be by his side, as long as I can do things for him, even insignificant little things, sister feels very happy."

"..."

Little Green didn't understand what her sister meant by these words but as the days passed, Little Green discovered that this man seemed quite decent...

This man had a very good temper. He always wore a gentle smile.

And when she wanted to learn to read, he would patiently teach her.

After another ten days, Little Green found that she had actually gotten used to this kind of life...

But on the seventeenth day after Little Green came to Stone Bridge Village.

That night, when Bai Ruxue was absorbing the essence of moonlight, she accidentally made an error.

When she woke up in the morning, Bai Ruxue's face was pale, and she was listless, like a mortal who had caught a cold.

"Sister, you should rest well today. I'll take care of the housework." Seeing her sister's condition, Little Green said with concern.

Fortunately, sister's condition wasn't serious, and she would recover after resting quietly for two days.

"But Little Green, can you really manage?" Bai Ruxue worried.

Back then, it had taken her a full two months to completely learn all these household tasks.

Little Green had only been learning for a little over half a month.

"I can do it, sister. You just rest well. Otherwise, how can you work in this condition? What if you accidentally show your tail?"

"Then... alright..."

Bai Ruxue could only agree.

Little Green tucked her sister in and walked out of the room.

Xiao Mo had also just gotten up.

Little Green told Xiao Mo that sister was sick, but it wasn't serious, no need to call a doctor, and she'd be better in a couple of days.

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

Bai Ruxue also said she was really fine, would recover quickly, and had experienced this before.

Xiao Mo thought it was probably some issue with Bai Ruxue's cultivation, but it shouldn't be serious.

Otherwise, Little Green would be more worried than he was.

After Xiao Mo left, Bai Ruxue sat in the room, looking through the window at Little Green collecting Xiao Mo's clothes, folding them one by one.

Little Green was doing very well but Bai Ruxue felt strange inside.

These things should be done by her...

At noon, Bai Ruxue felt much better, and she kept feeling restless, wanting to go to the kitchen to cook for Xiao Mo but Little Green pushed sister back out, "Sister, you rest. I'll cook."

Soon, Little Green brought the food out from the kitchen.

"Big Brother Xiao, sister, my cooking isn't very good. Please don't mind."

"Not at all, Little Green, your cooking is delicious."

"Really? Then Big Brother Xiao, please eat more."

"Alright."

"Sister, you eat more too."

"Ah, okay..."

Bai Ruxue picked at the food in her bowl with small bites.

Little Green's cooking was indeed delicious.

It was good that Xiao Mo could enjoy Little Green's cooking but Bai Ruxue just felt stuffy inside, as if something was blocking her heart.

In the afternoon, lying back in bed, Bai Ruxue watched through the window as Little Green poured water for Xiao Mo and massaged his shoulders.

Watching Xiao Mo teach Little Green to read and recognize characters.

Hearing Xiao Mo occasionally praise Little Green with "Miss Little Green is really very smart."

Bai Ruxue felt even more stuffy in her chest.

Why?

What was wrong with her?

Could it be that her illness had gotten worse?

In the evening, Aunt Chen heard that Ruxue had caught a cold and specially came to Xiao Mo's courtyard to visit Ruxue.

"You girl, your body is usually quite strong, isn't it? How could you catch a cold in the middle of summer? Auntie brewed some medicine for you and put it in this gourd. Drink a bowl before bed, and heat it up tomorrow morning to drink another bowl. You'll get better quickly."

In the room, Aunt Chen said to Ruxue.

"Thank you, Aunt Chen." Bai Ruxue took the gourd and smiled slightly but soon, the young woman lowered her head as if she had something on her mind.

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

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

"Don't try to fool me." Aunt Chen rolled her eyes at her, "You're simple by nature and wear everything on your face. Don't I know whether you have something on your mind? Speak up quickly. When you're sick, you can't keep worries in your heart, or the illness won't get better."

Bai Ruxue gently bit her thin lips, her eyes showing some hesitation, her fingers constantly fidgeting with the blanket.

Aunt Chen wasn't in a hurry and waited patiently for her to open her heart.

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

"Mm."

"Today Little Green took care of Xiao Mo for me. She folded the clothes very neatly, cooked delicious food, and cleaned the courtyard very well. I should be happy, but why, why do I feel empty inside? And sometimes my chest feels stuffy, I can't even catch my breath."

Bai Ruxue gripped the blanket tightly with her small hands.

"Aunt Chen, what illness is this?"

"Eh?"

Aunt Chen was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something, the corners of her mouth curving up with a knowing smile.

"Auntie will guess, is it when Little Green gets close to Xiao Mo and becomes intimate with him that your chest feels blocked?"

"Mm-hmm."

"When Xiao Mo praises her, you know you should be happy for your sister, but inside you also feel an inexplicable sense of loss."

"Yes, yes."

Aunt Chen pointed to the young woman's undulating chest, "Does it sometimes feel sour here too, like you've drunk vinegar?"

"That's right. I never felt this way before. Aunt Chen, how do you know?"

"Silly girl..."

Aunt Chen sighed and gently tapped the young woman's brow.

"You've fallen in love with him."