Wei Heng carried the newly sorted memorials into the emperor's tent.
It was already midnight. The young man had finished bathing and sat behind the imperial desk wearing a loose robe. On the desk in front of him sat a basket of dried persimmons.
Wei Heng took a glance but said nothing, carefully placing the memorials from his arms onto the other side of the desk.
Lu Hexu's long hair was wet, dampening half of his casual clothes, but he did not care at all. Propping his chin on one hand, he raised his eyes to look at Wei Heng. "She is very angry."
"She told me not to go anymore."
Wei Heng stood respectfully to the side and bowed. "Where did Your Majesty go?"
"The casino."
Wei Heng's breath caught for a moment before he replied, "That place is indeed not good."
"Li Jinhuai said it was a delightful place, but I did not find it delightful at all."
Lu Hexu raised his hand, took a piece of dried persimmon, and put it in his mouth. The soft, sweet flesh carried a cloying, fruity aroma.
"Find someone to disguise themselves as me, go there a few times, and lose a lot of money."
Wei Heng was already accustomed to this emperor's unconventional orders.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Do you want a dried persimmon?" The young man took a piece and handed it to Wei Heng.
Wei Heng's expression paused. He stepped forward carefully, reached out with both hands to take the dried persimmon from Lu Hexu, and then, right in front of the emperor, took a gentle bite.
An extremely cloying, sweet taste.
"Is it good?" Lu Hexu tilted his head to look at him.
"It is delicious, Your Majesty."
The young man said flatly, "Liar."
Wei Heng trembled all over. Holding the dried persimmon, he fell to his knees. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Lu Hexu finished one dried persimmon and slowly ate another, the sweet, cloying taste spreading in his mouth. "Get out."
The night was pitch black. The young man, wearing dark casual clothes, sat in a specially partitioned cubicle on the side of the basement level.
Compared to the lively atmosphere outside, it was noticeably much quieter here.
A wisp of pale white smoke curled up from a celadon bamboo-joint incense burner. In front of Lu Hexu sat a small celadon cup with a bamboo-joint pattern, and opposite him sat a middle-aged man in a round-collared robe, likely the manager of this place.
"My Lord, we cannot lend you any more money."
Lu Hexu sat in an armchair, his eyes half-closed, his gaze falling on the table in front of him, where his IOUs were laid out.
Ten percent interest.
Plus the predatory lending rule of receiving nine but returning thirteen.
It truly squeezed people dry to the extreme.
"Tomorrow you must repay this amount, otherwise it will double in a few days." The man held up a few fingers. When mentioning repayment, the amiable expression on his face flipped as quickly as turning the page of a book.
Lu Hexu's expression remained indifferent. His gaze swept over the man's face. "And if I have no money?"
The man smiled. "Sell your sons, sell your daughters, sell your father, sell your mother, sell your house, sell your land, or sell yourself. It's up to you."
Lu Hexu walked out of the cubicle and happened to bump into Li Jinhuai, who had just come in.
Li Jinhuai naturally knew what had happened; he had experienced the same thing himself.
He still remembered that pain and remorse crystal clear to this day.
But there was no turning back for him anymore.
Rather than living alone in this quagmire, he would rather drag others down into it with him.
Li Jinhuai had come over specifically today after receiving the news. It was time to close the net.
As Lu Hexu stood by the river holding a glazed lantern, the Vice Commander appeared beside him with a smiling face.
"I heard you owe quite a bit of silver recently, My Lord? Well, gambling is all about winning and losing; it's not hard to win it back." Lu Hexu looked down at his dim reflection on the river surface and replied faintly, "Hmm."
Li Jinhuai felt the time was ripe. "Actually, I came to discuss some business with you today, My Lord."
"There are many sacrificial vessels in the warehouse. If one or two were to go missing, it wouldn't attract anyone's attention. What do you think?"
Mu Dan had the keys and was the one who registered the inventory of the sacrificial vessels, while he had the manpower. A collaboration between the two of them would undoubtedly be flawless.
"I know people outside who make these things, and they look exactly like the real ones. I can have the Embroidered Uniform Guards bring them in."
Lu Hexu looked at Li Jinhuai in front of him, his eyes landing on his face. "How do we split it?"
Li Jinhuai smiled. "Naturally, I won't let you suffer a loss, Eunuch." He held out a hand. "Fifty-fifty."
In the sacrificial vessel warehouse, Su Zhenzhen stared at the gold vase in front of her, feeling that something was odd, but she could not quite say what it was.
It must be that she was too nervous and overthinking things.
This was a gilded gold vase with intertwined lotus patterns, intended to be placed in front of that tyrant as a purifying water vessel.
A slender gold chain hung on the vase as a decoration.
Su Zhenzhen carefully reached out to hook it and used a handkerchief to wipe away the accumulated dust.
"Alright, everyone put down what you have in your hands."
At the command of the eunuch managing them, everyone put down their items and stood at their respective workstations, waiting for inspection.
The door to the warehouse was opened, and the young man stepped inside.
Su Zhenzhen stood there with her head bowed, counting Mu Dan's footsteps.
When the inspection finally reached her, Su Zhenzhen turned slightly, revealing the several sacrificial vessels on the table behind her.
She had been responsible for these vessels recently.
Lu Hexu took a look and stepped closer, his body nearing Su Zhenzhen's as he reached out to touch the gold vase.
Su Zhenzhen's gaze fell on the young man's arm.
Those mottled burn scars had faded a lot; applying medicine a few more times should make them disappear completely.
"No problems." The young man withdrew his hand and registered the ledger. As he turned to leave her side, he asked in a low voice, "Does it look good?"
Su Zhenzhen's face instantly turned red.
Lu Hexu glanced at her and walked away from Su Zhenzhen in a cheerful mood.
After the inspection was finished, the blush on Su Zhenzhen's face had yet to fade. She left the warehouse, not waiting for Mu Dan, and headed straight out of the imperial temple back to her tent.
Sushan, a cat, was hiding on the bed, sleeping.
Sushan was a long-haired lion cat. Although still young, the fur on its tail was already showing a tendency to develop into a feather duster.
Su Zhenzhen held Sushan and combed the fur on its tail. The kitten loved being brushed, lying on her lap and purring like a tiny tractor.
After Su Zhenzhen finished grooming its fur, she brought it some dried little fish to eat.
After taking care of Sushan, Su Zhenzhen's mood also calmed down.
Why did she feel that the things Mu Dan said recently were becoming increasingly flirtatious and teasing? Just who was teaching him? How could they corrupt a child like this!
The sky was just growing dark. Su Zhenzhen sat in front of the vanity, looking at her somewhat dry face.
As soon as autumn arrived, she felt her skin become terribly dry, wishing she could drink several liters of water every day.
No, she needed to make a face mask to rehydrate her skin.
A noise came from the tent entrance. The young man walked in carrying a glazed lantern, only to be suddenly pounced upon by Sushan. The kitten started climbing up from his calf, making its way all the way to his chest.
Lu Hexu reached out and lifted Sushan off. The kitten meowed anxiously.
"Be gentle, be gentle."
Su Zhenzhen went to hug the kitten, her heart aching for it.
Seeing the woman act like this, Lu Hexu decided not to give the kitten to her after all.
Su Zhenzhen looked up at him, still maintaining the posture of reaching out with both hands to catch the kitten.
"It scratched me."
Lu Hexu held Sushan with one hand, and with the other, he revealed his chest where Sushan had scratched a tiny bit of skin.
Through the fabric, Sushan had exposed a bit of its claws to climb up.
Ah, this, if it was any slower, it would have healed already.
Su Zhenzhen felt helpless. She used soapy water to wipe the young man down.
"All done."
[Took the chance to feel him up.]
[Is this the legendary lean muscle?]
After finishing tending to Mu Dan, Su Zhenzhen turned around to look for Sushan again.
"What happened to your little paws?" Su Zhenzhen squeezed Sushan's paw.
The little cat limped on the ground.
Su Zhenzhen checked and found no problems; it might just have played too hard and gotten tired.
Mommy will hold you.
Lu Hexu sat on the trunk, watching Su Zhenzhen pace back and forth in the tent holding Sushan, just like coaxing a child.
Lu Hexu sat there waiting for a while, got up, walked behind Su Zhenzhen, and rested his arms on her shoulders.
The young man's wide sleeves fell down, revealing the area from his wrist to his forearm. "It hurts."
"Where does it hurt?"
[Did he really get scratched?]
"My hand hurts."
Su Zhenzhen looked at the young man's hand, which only had a tiny mark left. She fell silent for a moment, then took his hand and applied some purple gromwell healing ointment on him.
Lu Hexu sat obediently on the trunk, kicked Sushan away with his foot, and then, taking advantage of Su Zhenzhen turning around to wash her hands, lazily threatened, "I will kill you."
"Meow..." The little cat didn't understand. The little cat loved mommy.
Sushan chased after Su Zhenzhen's footsteps, but Lu Hexu caught it with one hand and stuffed it into the wardrobe.
Su Zhenzhen returned after washing her hands and didn't see the little cat.
"Where is Sushan?"
"In the wardrobe."
Alright then.
Su Zhenzhen wiped her wet hands clean and then stroked her own face. It felt so dry.
She also casually touched Mu Dan's pale but flawless skin.
Why wasn't it dry at all?
Su Zhenzhen dug out a bag of almonds from the trunk and handed it to the young man. "Help me mash this into a paste."
Lu Hexu held the bag of almonds with one hand, took one out, and put it into his mouth.
It was very bitter and tasted awful.
He spat it out, sat on the trunk, and took the mortar and pestle Su Zhenzhen handed him.
The outside of the mortar was smooth, but the inner wall was rough, making it easier to grind.
Lu Hexu sat on the trunk, holding the mortar, and ground the almonds. He was strong, and soon he had ground all the almonds into a powdery paste, forming a flat clump.
"Do you know where to get milk?"
Lu Hexu thought about it, got up, and left the tent. After a short while, he returned with a bowl of fresh milk.
It is so good to have connections.
Su Zhenzhen felt gratified as she mixed the milk with the almonds, then added some honey and stirred.
The young man stood beside Su Zhenzhen, a spoon already prepared in his hand.
Su Zhenzhen: ...
"This is not for eating."
Lu Hexu glanced at her, reached out to scoop a spoonful, and put it in his mouth.
"It's bland."
Bland your head!
"Don't move." Su Zhenzhen used her fingers to scoop some almond-milk-honey paste and rubbed it onto Mu Dan's face.
The young man frowned but did not resist.
Su Zhenzhen continued to apply it. After finishing with Mu Dan's face, she started applying it to her own.
A bowl of almond milk and honey was enough for both of their faces, with a little left over, which Su Zhenzhen used for her hands.
Almond milk and honey could moisturize the skin and prevent cracking.
Su Zhenzhen sat on the trunk and glanced at the simple water clock in the tent.
Hmm, it would take about fifteen minutes.
Su Zhenzhen turned to look at Mu Dan sitting beside her.
The young man's face was covered in the paste by her. The white almond milk and honey blended perfectly with his skin; his pale complexion looked even whiter than the milk that had turned slightly yellow from the honey.
Like a little cream cake.
[Baby, you melt like cream.]
Lu Hexu tilted his head to look at Su Zhenzhen.
Cream almond candy.
She looked very much like a cream almond candy.
Lu Hexu licked his lips, tasting the almond milk and honey.
He looked at Su Zhenzhen resting with her eyes closed, leaning on his shoulder. The woman's face was smeared white, revealing only her small, delicate features, and a bit of the milky white substance stuck to her eyelashes.
Lu Hexu slightly turned his head and leaned in.
Su Zhenzhen felt like there was something on her face.
She opened her eyes, meeting the young man's pale face directly. He opened his mouth, and the red tip of his tongue lightly licked across her cheek.
It was wet, like a little cat's lick.
Her facial mask!
The tip of the young man's tongue moved up along her cheek and licked her earlobe.
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously let out a sound, trying to dodge.
Lu Hexu grabbed her shoulder with one hand. Su Zhenzhen felt her ear burn hotly, wet and dripping.
"Cream almond candy..." As the young man spoke, Su Zhenzhen's eardrums vibrated along with it.
"Brother Mu, I wondered why you disappeared in the blink of an eye. So you came to find sister-in-law." A voice sounded at the tent entrance. Su Zhenzhen turned her head and saw a man in a Flying Fish robe standing at the door. Who knew how long he had been watching.
Su Zhenzhen: ...Are you polite? Coming in without knocking? And not changing shoes? Is it fun to watch?
The tent was very messy, with nowhere to sit. There were only two trunks; Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan sat on one, and the other was covered in clothes.
Seeing that the two had no intention of making room and the pile of clothes remained motionless, Li Jinhuai found a place to sit himself.
On the bed.
[Ahhhhhh he sat on my bed with his outside pants on!]
Su Zhenzhen stood up abruptly.
But upon seeing the Flying Fish robe on Li Jinhuai, she sat back down.
Vice Commander of the Brocade Guards. Her not kneeling on the ground to greet him was already considered a special favor.
Su Zhenzhen felt her bed was now tainted.
"What is this you two are applying?" Li Jinhuai looked at Su Zhenzhen with a smile.
Are we that close?
Lu Hexu, wearing an almond-milk-honey face, frowned at Li Jinhuai. "Do you need something?"
Li Jinhuai smiled and gestured to Lu Hexu. "Of course I need something. Brother Mu, come out with me for a trip."
Su Zhenzhen subconsciously grabbed Mu Dan's hand and gave him a look.
[Don't play with him!]
The young man nodded and said right in front of Li Jinhuai, "I won't play with him." Then he stood up and gestured to Li Jinhuai, "Let's go."
Li Jinhuai: ...
Su Zhenzhen: ...
Su Zhenzhen sat on the trunk, watching Mu Dan and Li Jinhuai walk out of the tent together.
She sneaked out to follow them.
The two didn't go far, just standing and talking not far from the tent.
Su Zhenzhen squatted at the tent entrance, but she really couldn't hear what the two were saying.
She slowly edged out of the tent, taking a few steps closer to them.
Still couldn't hear clearly.
Su Zhenzhen continued to edge forward.
Couldn't hear clearly.
Continued to edge forward.
Now she could hear.
"What is wrong with sister-in-law?"
Su Zhenzhen looked up and saw Mu Dan and Li Jinhuai only three steps away from her.
That's right, she did it on purpose.
"Just coming out for some exercise." Su Zhenzhen stood up, leaned close to Mu Dan, and reached out to hold his hand. Her fingers slipped into the young man's wide sleeve, grabbed the back of his hand, and gave it a hard pinch.
[I told you not to play with him!]
Lu Hexu frowned and said to Li Jinhuai, "You can go."
Li Jinhuai's gaze swept over Su Zhenzhen's face, then landed on Lu Hexu's face.
If you talk about being a good match, these two are indeed a top-tier match in terms of looks.
What a pity, he is a eunuch after all.
"I haven't had dinner yet. Have you and brother Mu eaten?"
"We've eaten," Su Zhenzhen refused outright.
Even if they hadn't, she would say they had.
Just looking at you makes me want to throw up, I can't eat at all.
The smile on Li Jinhuai's face faded a little. "If that's the case, then I won't disturb you." As he spoke, Li Jinhuai turned to leave, but finally said to Mu Dan, "Don't forget, brother Mu."
Lu Hexu nodded.
Li Jinhuai finally left.
Su Zhenzhen angrily kicked at the air behind Li Jinhuai's back, and then grabbed the young man's ear.
[Angry, angry, angry.]
"What was he discussing with you?"
Lu Hexu tilted his head, but couldn't move it because his ear was being held.
"Something about the sacrificial vessel storehouse."
"Nothing else?" Su Zhenzhen looked suspicious and lowered her voice. "You didn't go to the casino with him again, did you?"
The woman's voice brushed softly past his ear.
"Mhm."
I'll believe you for now.
Su Zhenzhen and Lu Hexu returned to the tent. After they washed the almond milk and honey off their faces,
Su Zhenzhen took out a white porcelain bottle. When she opened it, a faint scent of roses wafted out.
Su Zhenzhen poured some out, sprinkled it on her face, and patted it in.
Only the sound of Su Zhenzhen patting the rose water could be heard in the tent.
This was the rose water she had made herself.
After applying the rose water to herself, Su Zhenzhen turned her gaze to Mu Dan.
She took his hand and pushed him down onto a trunk.
"I don't need..."
As soon as the words left Lu Hexu's mouth, a palm full of rose water was slapped onto his face.
Su Zhenzhen used both hands to pat the floral water onto the young man's skin.
[His face is all red from the patting.]
[So cute.]
"Done."
Su Zhenzhen withdrew her hands and carefully put her rose water back into the trunk.
Rose water was the condensation obtained after distilling fresh flowers. The process was tedious and lengthy; it took several days to produce a pure bottle of rose water.
Although it was a bit tedious, its efficacy was excellent, equivalent to modern essence water.
After applying the rose water, Su Zhenzhen took out another palm-sized ceramic box containing face cream she had made herself.
After soaking cloves and patchouli in sesame oil, she had added her favorite floral scents to create a modern-style face cream.
When Su Zhenzhen made this box of cream, it was jasmine season, so she added some jasmine floral water. The heavy jasmine scent perfectly masked the smell of the sesame oil.
Su Zhenzhen used a bamboo slip to scoop out a little and rubbed it on her face, naturally not forgetting to give Mu Dan his share.
After applying it, Su Zhenzhen felt fragrant all over.
They hadn't had dinner yet, and the autumn dryness was severe, so Su Zhenzhen decided to stew some pear soup.
She glanced at the sky; it was dark outside, looking like it was about to rain.
"Let's go fetch a bucket of mountain spring water to stew the pear soup."
Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan hadn't gone far from the door when it started raining.
Su Zhenzhen hurriedly ran back. After three steps, she saw the young man slowly looking up at the rain.
The misty rain of Jiangnan was beautiful, but getting sick was no joke.
Su Zhenzhen grabbed Mu Dan's hand and ran back.
The fine rain fell on them, getting them slightly wet.
Su Zhenzhen used a handkerchief to wipe the rain off her face and then handed it to Mu Dan.
Lu Hexu reached out, took it, and slowly wiped his face.
"I'll go get an umbrella."
Su Zhenzhen held the umbrella in one hand and the young man's hand in the other.
Mu Dan carried the wooden bucket in his other hand.
It wasn't completely dark yet.
The two arrived at the mountain spring pool. Mu Dan drew a bucket of spring water. Su Zhenzhen squatted on the ground, noticing some black things growing on a nearby dead log, which looked like black fungus.
"This looks like black fungus." Half of her body leaned out from under the umbrella.
Lu Hexu saw the woman's hair getting gradually wet by the rain. He raised his hand, took the umbrella from her, and held it over her.
Su Zhenzhen squatted by the dead log, picking the fungus.
She hadn't brought a basket, so she simply used her skirt to hold the fungus.
After picking some fungus, Su Zhenzhen stood up, saw the umbrella over her head, and then turned to see the young man standing entirely in the rain.
"Didn't I tell you not to stand in the rain? You'll get sick."
"Mhm, you will get sick."
The sound of the rain was fine and dense as it slanted across the umbrella.
Su Zhenzhen's heart skipped a beat, like a river surface disturbed by the rain, tingling with ripples.
"When you get sick, you're hard to coax, very troublesome, very..."
Su Zhenzhen: ...If my heart doesn't beat, I'll die! Shut up!
-
The two returned to the tent. Fortunately, the rain wasn't heavy. After wiping off the splashed water droplets with her handkerchief, Su Zhenzhen changed out of her rain-soaked shoes.
The mountain roads were hard to walk on, and her shoes had gotten wet quickly.
She asked Mu Dan to wash the newly picked fungus while she went to slice the pears.
After putting the sliced pears into a small pot to stew, Su Zhenzhen added a few spoonfuls of sugar.
After adding the sugar, Su Zhenzhen glanced at Mu Dan, thought for a moment, and added two more spoonfuls.
The black fungus was washed, and Su Zhenzhen took out two eggs.
She had spent money to get these from the kitchen tent because she was craving them.
After the pear soup was done, Su Zhenzhen brought over a washed small pan, instructed Mu Dan to pour in some oil, then added the eggs, followed by the fungus.
A plate of scrambled eggs with wood ear fungus was ready.
"You didn't add honey."
"You don't put honey in scrambled eggs with wood ear fungus; it's supposed to be salty."
Su Zhenzhen began to suspect that Mu Dan had never eaten normal food.
"When did your sense of taste start going bad?"
Lu Hexu chewed on the stewed pear in his hand and thought for a moment. "A long time ago."
That meant he couldn't remember clearly.
Human memory fades. Once you get used to a broken sense of taste, you can no longer recall what it was like when it was normal.
Sushan smelled the food and struggled out of the wardrobe. Su Zhenzhen boiled an egg for it and carefully broke it into small pieces.
Sushan squatted on the ground, eating the egg.
Su Zhenzhen also kept some rice cakes in a vat.
She took out a few strips, had Mu Dan slice them, and then made steamed rice cakes, which could be eaten dipped in sugar and honey.
Outside the tent, a fine rain was falling. Inside, Su Zhenzhen and Mu Dan sat together, with a gauze lantern hanging at the front of the tent.
The lantern light was hazy, illuminating their figures sitting together.
The young man had a sweet tooth. The pot of stewed pears almost entirely went into his stomach, as well as the steamed rice cakes, which he rolled in the honey jar and ate clean.
Su Zhenzhen preferred eating the plate of scrambled eggs with wood ear fungus.
Tossing the pots and bowls into the wooden bucket, Su Zhenzhen watched as Mu Dan held an umbrella and went out to wash them. She walked over to the bed, looked at her bedsheets and quilt covers that had been tainted by Li Jinhuai, felt incredibly disgusted, and changed them all in one go.
Ugh, no. Just thinking about Li Jinhuai made her feel like the whole tent stank.
Lu Hexu returned carrying the washed pots and bowls.
As soon as Su Zhenzhen saw him, she buried her face in his chest.
[Let me smell.]
Lu Hexu looked at the woman burying her head in his chest. He reached out, his wet fingertips twining around her long hair.
Su Zhenzhen smelled a hint of rose water and jasmine water on Mu Dan, but deeper still was that strange, sweet, metallic scent.
Su Zhenzhen felt that something was a bit off with her hair.
She pulled away from the young man's embrace, only to see him holding her long hair in both his hands. "Twin tails."
In the past, he would only tie her hair up secretly while she was sleeping, but now he was doing it openly.
Su Zhenzhen suddenly realized that everything Mu Dan had learned seemed to have been taught by her.
Tomorrow was the day of the Autumn Sacrifice. Officials from the Court of Sacrificial Worship came to do a final inventory, only to discover that the sacrificial vessels were fakes.
The theft of sacrificial vessels was a capital offense. Li Jinhuai, the Deputy Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, found the real golden vase in the tent of a eunuch named Mu Dan, who served under Wei Heng.
Su Zhenzhen was still on her way to fetch mountain spring water when she heard the news.
She was just a low-ranking palace maid, so her access to information was limited.
The weather had been extremely gloomy lately. Taking advantage of the fact that it had not yet started raining, Su Zhenzhen carried a wooden bucket to fetch water from the mountain spring pool up ahead.
As she walked past the tents, she saw several Embroidered Uniform Guards gathered together, whispering among themselves.
Su Zhenzhen frowned and walked past them, only to notice their gazes landing on her.
Su Zhenzhen sensed that something was wrong.
She carried her wooden bucket and kept walking, but instead of going far, she quietly circled around to the back of a small tent.
"Is that her? That Mu Dan's partner?"
"Yes, that is her."
"She is quite pretty. It is a pity she ended up with a eunuch. Now that eunuch is about to lose his life. Tell me, just how much nerve must he have to actually dare to steal the sacrificial vessels?"
Su Zhenzhen instinctively tightened her grip on the water bucket.
She waited until the men left before stepping out from behind the tent.
She remembered now.
In the original plot of the novel, there was a part where Li Jinhuai, driven into a corner by gambling debts, gave in to his wicked greed and took the risk of stealing the sacrificial vessels.
"What does it matter to me whether Zhao Lingyun succeeds or not? Naturally, I have to solve my own urgent crisis first."
In the original story, the theft of the sacrificial vessels was discovered by the Court of the Imperial Stud, and Li Jinhuai managed to suppress the matter himself.
However, someone had to take the fall for the theft, and the scapegoats were naturally the palace maids and eunuchs.
Su Zhenzhen sprinted all the way back to her tent without stopping for breath and began rummaging through her chests and cabinets for anything of value.
Halfway through her search, she broke down a little, hugging Sushan as she cried out, "I told you not to play with him!"
The cat in Zhenzhen's eyes: fair skin, beautiful face, slender waist, long legs, obedient, cute, gullible, tasty, occasionally murderous, and possesses a very strong ability to learn.
