A Noble Gentleman

Beside a peach tree, Ming Xu sat cross-legged beneath its flourishing blossoms, leaning against the trunk. Shou Jing rested his head beside Ming Xu and languidly opened the Book of Songs, reading softly:

"Look at that bend in the Qi, the green bamboo lush and fine.

There stands a noble man, cut and filed, carved and polished.

Solemn and dignified, brilliant and splendid,

There stands a noble man, forever unforgettable."

"Isn’t that talking about me?" Ming Xu said from beside the tree.

"What, have you finally realized you can’t become a sage, so now you’re trying to be a gentleman?" Shou Jing replied without even looking up.

"Am I not a gentleman?"

"Even if you weren’t a woman, you’d still be nothing but a lecher." Shou Jing closed the Book of Songs as he spoke.

"Well, I admit it. I really am a lecher." Ming Xu said, gently stroking Shou Jing’s soft, waterfall-like black hair.

This is the tender story of two literary women: one who looks the part and one who doesn’t. A mildly sweet romance.

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