The question, which was originally mundane, made Huo Rou blush under the smile on his face.
She never thought of her two identities as being particularly impressive. For a long time, she was too ashamed to see her teacher and could only express her longing by making and delivering zithers in an awkward way.
"I..." Huo Rou smiled at him, about to explain her concealment. Qin Ningyi, however, pulled her seatbelt and affectionately nuzzled her nose.
"A Rou, you're putting a lot of pressure on me like this." He had always found most things easy since childhood, rarely experiencing much frustration.
After meeting Huo Rou, his life was not only full of surprises, but he even found himself frequently plagued by insecurity.
Huo Rou watched him close the car door with a troubled expression, her face unable to suppress its smile.
The drive back was exceptionally quiet. After being out for a while, An An couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Huo Rou took out her phone and fiddled with it for a while before looking at Qin Ningyi, who was driving. "I have several guzheng in my courtyard, much better than Dragon Phoenix Presents Auspiciousness. Find someone to pick one up and send it to Grandma."
She had checked online earlier and found that her zithers had unknowingly reached such a high value.
Feeling less insecure, she was now willing to take out her inventory to give as gifts.
"Much better?" Qin Ningyi asked with a smile, "So Dragon Phoenix Presents Auspiciousness isn't considered good?"
Although he wasn't an expert, he had some understanding of the guzheng after spending time with his elders. Apart from those displayed in museums and difficult to obtain, Deng's were almost the best on the market.
Not only was the tone and quality well-controlled, but the carving was also exquisite.
If this wasn't good, what was?
"Of course not," Huo Rou said, seeing no problem with her words. "The carving on this was my practice piece. I only made this guzheng to avoid wasting wood."
Qin Ningyi thought about the effort and money he had spent to purchase this guzheng from the Classical Research Institute in Yu Chang City. He sighed softly, wondering how many people Huo Rou's words would anger.
Deng's guzheng were produced in limited quantities, and everyone said it was craftsmanship spirit, valuing quality over quantity. Therefore, this Dragon Phoenix Presents Auspiciousness was treasured by the Classical Research Institute.
Now, this treasure had become a practice piece...
Qin Ningyi could not imagine the turmoil in Huo Rou's heart. She genuinely didn't think Dragon Phoenix Presents Auspiciousness was that great, only that it was barely acceptable.
It was good that the zither was damaged by Guo Xiu. With someone covering the cost of Qin Ningyi buying this guzheng, she could give an even better one to Qin Ningyi's grandmother.
"Well, Xiao Zhuo has been busy with other things lately. Can you find a couple of people to help with the transport?" Huo Rou thought it was increasingly urgent. "What patterns does Grandma like? I can do some secondary creation..."
Along the way, Huo Rou inquired a lot about the preferences of Qin Ningyi's grandmother and grandfather. She could see the respect and affection Qin Ningyi had for the two elders.
On their first meeting, these details were important to get right.
Upon returning home, after Qin Ningyi had settled An An in his room, he took a stack of cards from his study to the bedroom.
"Take these," he placed the entire stack of cards into Huo Rou's hands.
"Hmm?" Huo Rou was stunned for a second before smiling, "Did you really take your teacher's words to heart?"
She pushed the cards back with a smile, "It's the salary card. It's not too late to give it later."
In the past, her father's salary card was always in her mother's purse, which she would see when buying clothes. For her, giving a salary card was a solemn matter that required a specific identity and occasion.
She had a thought in the car earlier; giving the salary card should happen when she puts that idea into practice.
Qin Ningyi saw the cunning and sweetness on Huo Rou's face but did not withdraw the cards as she expected.
"A deposit."
Huo Rou was still contemplating her idea when she suddenly heard Qin Ningyi say these words and looked confused. "What deposit?"
"A custom-made guzheng from Deng's master, isn't it worth this much?" Qin Ningyi moved closer, encircling her. "But don't overwork yourself."
He then kissed Huo Rou's lips. The kiss, however, was a little unrestrained.
Stars fell upon the willow branches. Just as the clouds were about to completely engulf the moon, Huo Rou, panting, finally found her voice, "Something's not right."
"This is a gift for Grandma," she said, knowing something was amiss. "Why are you giving a deposit?"
A vein throbbed on Qin Ningyi's forehead. He lowered his head and buried it in the crook of Huo Rou's neck.
The crescent moon hid behind the clouds.
After a long while, when the moon reappeared halfway, Qin Ningyi swallowed and whispered into her hot ear, "Just take it, spend it however you want."