The Hidden Immortal Leisurely Life

The scent of damp linen filled the air as Yue wrung out the last of Shen Xu's robes, shaking it slightly before hanging it over the wooden rack to dry. The sun was high now, its warmth pressing against her skin as she wiped a stray drop of water from her cheek.

She stretched, rolling her shoulders. It wasn't hard work, just... different. She had never really done housework before, at least not for someone else.

Inside, Shen Xu sat at the table, quietly sipping his tea. He hadn't said much all morning, just watching as she went about cooking, cleaning, and now washing his clothes as if she had always belonged there.

It was a strange thing. She had always been a wanderer, never staying in one place for too long. Yet now, she found herself slipping into the rhythm of this little teahouse as if she had always been a part of it.

Yue leaned against the doorframe, watching him. "You really don't talk much, do you?"

Xu glanced up from his cup. "I talk when necessary."

She smirked. "And right now, it's not necessary?"

He didn't answer, taking another slow sip of his tea.

Yue shook her head, amused. She stepped inside, brushing dust off her sleeves before sitting across from him. "Alright, since you're so bad at conversation, I'll do the talking. Let's see…" She tapped a finger against the table, pretending to think. "What kind of man runs a teahouse all alone in the mountains?"

Xu didn't react.

She narrowed her eyes playfully. "A hermit? A monk? A man hiding from an angry wife?"

That, at least, earned her a glance.

"No wife," he said simply.

Yue grinned. "Good to know."

Silence settled between them again, but it wasn't uncomfortable. The quiet of the village hummed around them, the occasional sound of footsteps or a distant voice drifting through the open window.

She sighed, resting her chin in her palm. "You're a strange one, Shen Xu."

He didn't respond, but there was the slightest hint of a smirk at the edge of his lips.

Maybe this wouldn't be so boring after all.