“Senior… Senior Sister, do I really have to wear this?” Shui Miaomiao asked weakly.

“Don’t you like it?”

Faced with Yu Yao’s question, Shui Miaomiao quickly shook her head. “No, it’s just… I’m not really used to dressing like this…”

Then, she cautiously glanced at Yu Yao and whispered, “And this outfit seems to be from the Spring and Autumn period, right?”

“Eh? You’ve read the Spring and Autumn too? Has it made its way to the Eastern Continent?”

Yu Yao’s lips curled slightly, a hint of embarrassment crossing her face. She had assumed that someone from the Eastern Continent like Shui Miaomiao wouldn’t have encountered the Spring and Autumn, which was why she had brought out this outfit.

“Not really, I… I haven’t. I just happened to see my maid reading it and caught a glimpse of a few pages.”

Shui Miaomiao’s face began to flush, her tone stuttering a bit.

“Forget it, forget it.” Yu Yao sighed, looking somewhat regretful. “Just take that off. I’ll get you something more normal to wear.”

“Okay…”

Shui Miaomiao felt a wave of relief wash over her—she had made it through!

If her Senior Sister found out that a princess from the Eastern Continent was secretly reading such books, her reputation would be utterly ruined.

A few minutes later…

Bai Feng, feeling that barbecued meat was a bit monotonous, had successfully set up a hot pot and turned to see Shui Miaomiao, who had changed into a light blue dress. The style was quite simple, lacking any extravagant decorations. She didn’t look much like a princess; instead, she resembled a lively girl from the neighborhood.

She walked over to Bai Feng, her face finally regaining the confidence and composure she usually had. “Aren’t you going to change, Senior Brother? I heard Senior Sister say we’ll be taking pictures for keepsakes later.”

“My clothes are pretty much the same. It doesn’t matter if I change or not.”

Bai Feng shook his head, continuing to control the flames to bring the hot pot broth to a boil.

“Hmm, you look quite handsome in that outfit, Senior Brother.” Shui Miaomiao complimented with a smile. To avoid an awkward silence, she quickly changed the subject. “By the way, where’s Senior Sister? Did she go to change too?”

“She’s in the kitchen helping to cut the meat. She should be out in a bit,” Bai Feng explained simply. “You can find a seat and sit down for now.”

“No, no, I’ll go help in the kitchen too!”

Shui Miaomiao waved her hands, determined. With a genius like Bai Yumo working, how could she dare to sit idly by?

This was also a good opportunity for her to ask about sword techniques.

So, she turned and hurried toward the kitchen.

Not long after Shui Miaomiao left, Yu Yao came striding over.

However, unlike Shui Miaomiao’s ordinary dress, she was wearing a dark blue coat that hung down to her calves, almost completely enveloping her figure.

And her hair was styled in an unprecedented double ponytail.

“Senior Sister, what’s with the contrast?”

Bai Feng couldn’t help but tease.

“Junior Brother, don’t you think this outfit looks familiar?”

Yu Yao placed her hands on her hips, and with the double ponytails, she undeniably appeared much cuter than before.

“Familiar?” Bai Feng stared at Yu Yao for a few seconds before suddenly realizing something.

He had indeed drawn a few characters wearing long coats, one of which was a loli figure.

But if he remembered correctly, the outfit underneath was a very short high-slit qipao, the kind that revealed the straps of one’s underwear.

Thinking of this, he looked at Yu Yao with newfound respect. “Senior Sister, you’re quite bold, huh? You dare to wear such a short qipao out?”

“Do you want to see it, Junior Brother?” A smile appeared on Yu Yao’s face as she reached for the first button of her coat. “If you want, I might just show you, you know~”

“...You’re not wearing that outfit underneath, are you?”

Bai Feng immediately rolled his eyes, feeling a bit disappointed.

If Yu Yao really dared to wear that outfit, she wouldn’t even have the nerve to touch the buttons.

“Junior Brother, at this moment, you should be looking forward to seeing it.”

Yu Yao replied somewhat dissatisfied.

Sigh, today’s Junior Brother is harder to fool!

Then she unbuttoned her coat, revealing a dark blue qipao adorned with golden patterns.

As Bai Feng guessed, the qipao underneath was not the one from the Spring and Autumn period, but rather a more conventional one. Although the hem wasn’t long, it covered just below the knees, and the slit wasn’t too exaggerated. However, the black stockings wrapped around her legs added a touch of elegance, giving even petite Yu Yao a more mature aura.

“How do I look?” Yu Yao slid the coat down to her shoulders, exposing her fair shoulders and arms. “Am I not charming enough to captivate you?”

“No, with your figure, you’d probably only charm certain loli enthusiasts.” Bai Feng shot back without mercy.

“Tsk! It seems I’ve been too nice to you these past few days, making you forget that Senior Sister’s dignity is not to be trifled with!” Yu Yao clenched her small fist. “If you don’t grill me a whole plate of meat, don’t even think about resting!”

“Sounds like you have some dignity.” Bai Feng muttered under his breath. “And I think with your figure, you’d look better in white stockings or even white tights. That would highlight your cute features.”

“Shut up and grill the meat!” Yu Yao placed her hands on her hips. “Today, I’m going to show you what it means to respect Senior Sister’s dignity!”

“Sure, sure.”

While Bai Feng was grilling the meat, Yu Yao pulled over a small chair, crossing her legs and sitting beside him, looking every bit the supervisor.

But after a moment, she watched Bai Feng busy at work, moved her chair a few steps forward, picked up some chopsticks, and placed the sliced meat on the grill:

“Watching you grill alone, I have no idea how long it’ll take, so let Senior Sister help out!”

“Shouldn’t you reduce the amount of meat then?”

“No way! Punishment is punishment, and help is help. They don’t conflict!”

“…”

---

Chapter 143: I’m Knocking! The Backyard is on Fire!

“Brother, everything is cut up!”

Bai Yumo and Shui Miaomiao each carried a plate of thinly sliced meat over. Seeing this, Bai Feng immediately dropped the grilling tools in his hands.

“Senior Sister, stop eating the grilled meat and come have hot pot!”

Yu Yao instantly became alert. “You’re not trying to pull a fast one on me, are you?”

No wonder this Junior Brother was so obedient; he was waiting for her here!

“Just try it first. If you don’t like it, I’ll grill you more meat.”

Bai Feng picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, dropped it into the bubbling red broth, and after a few seconds, retrieved the cooked meat, dipping it into the sesame sauce before taking a bite.

He glanced at the three watching him and popped the meat into his mouth, nodding in satisfaction. “Hmm, not bad.”

“Um, wasn’t that for me to try?” Yu Yao mumbled, but she didn’t dwell on it. She picked up her chopsticks and imitated Bai Feng, placing a slice of meat into the red pot. “I’ll trust you this once.”

Meanwhile, Shui Miaomiao sat nearby, frowning at the red broth—this stuff isn’t too spicy, is it?

“Hmm… it’s actually quite delicious.” Yu Yao’s eyes lit up, and she quickly grabbed several pieces of meat and tossed them into the pot. “Junior Brother, you’ve got some good ideas!”

Seeing how happy Yu Yao was, Shui Miaomiao couldn’t hold back any longer and followed suit, picking up a slice of meat and dropping it into the pot.

Senior Sister didn’t seem like someone who could handle spicy food, so this pot should just look red and not be spicy!

That’s what she reasoned.

A few seconds later, she endured the fiery sensation on her tongue and quietly looked over at Bai Feng. “Um, Senior Brother, do you have any water?”

“...Here, this is the milk I prepared for Senior Sister.”

Bai Feng glanced at Yu Yao, who was enjoying herself, and silently handed the milk to Shui Miaomiao.

“Thank you.” Shui Miaomiao looked down at the milky liquid, lost in thought. After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally picked up the milk and gulped it down, nearly finishing the whole bottle. She set it down with a sigh of relief. “Phew, saved!”

And it really was milk.

“If you can’t handle spicy food, just eat some grilled meat.”

“Okay…”

Shui Miaomiao nodded, glancing at Yu Yao, who showed no signs of stopping, and suddenly understood what it meant to not judge a book by its cover.

A few minutes later, she stared at the charred meat in front of her, lost in contemplation.

Why did it seem so easy when watching Bai Feng grill, but so difficult when she tried it herself?

“Maybe I should help out…”

Bai Feng couldn’t bear to watch any longer; that meat was quite expensive!

Even though it was Yu Yao treating them, he couldn’t stand the thought of wasting good food!

“...Thanks.”