#nk reading

[hadalplumes]

Some undereye bags Jinshi for your viewing pleasure

[xiaonme]

many, many things.

[hadalplumes]

Jinshi being tormented by Lakan is my new favorite thing!

[hadalplumes]

Nice wonderful delicious!

thank you for the fucking food!

[hadalplumes]

I don't know if historically there was a preference for women/smaller women for poison tasting, but this remark actually makes sense

And wouldn't it also make sense to have someone who's already kinda "physically weak" to begin with so you'd be able to more readily tell if they've been affected by a poison in contrast to someone fit and in perfect health (considering they're dispensable either way)

That being said:

ARE YOU SURE ABOUT THAT GIRLIE!?

Because it's starting to make sense why she's portrayed to always be eating and always hungry, yet remains concerningly thin the whole time

I wonder whether it's something chronic at this point if not directly related to her continuous experimentation and the stress she puts her body through when injuring herself

[hadalplumes]

From a mangy stray cat to a house cat 🥺

[hadalplumes]

Jinshi seems to be aware of her "I'm of humble birth, submissive and beheadable" talk by this point (especially after her pointing out that he can have her executed), and this is perhaps the first time he's aware of the power imbalance

And here's the other thing, she's already being kept in a place she doesn't care for against her will due to the kidnappers. Jinshi already knows that, and he knows it angers her from their conversation in the Garden Party, but this time, he'd be the one to entrap her

This is a very interesting decision to make because his inaction, just letting things go as they are, is what will free her, not getting involved in her life more than he already is. This makes it worse for him because he'd be actively keeping her locked rather than just making use of the circumstances in which she's already trapped at the rear palace, and he's just not freeing her

I usually dislike "miscommunication" as a trope/shipping trope because it's usually handled very lazily to create some drama. But here Jinmao has an entire chapter titled "miscommunication," because it has and will continue to be, for a long time, a big problem for them

This isn't Jinshi misunderstanding her; this is Maomao miscommunicating

And another interesting thing, from Maomao's pov, her groveling about doing anything she's asked to do is framed as "negotiations." Except in a real negotiation, you have to state what you want and what you're willing to give for it. Maomao only states what she gives and not once what she wants (to stay)

[hadalplumes]

ngl Gaoshun has been getting on my nerves the past few chapters

Perhaps, to Gaoshun himself, framing the things Jinshi loves as toys, whether they're actual toys/tools or a human being, makes it easier for him to justify taking it from Jinshi

After all, toys are just for fun and entertainment, no matter how much you enjoy them or get attached to them. There will always be something else that's fun, that's novel, and that's interesting

But what this approach, malicious or not, ignores is the real emotions Jinshi attaches to things, as a child, but also in general as a person; that some things and some people just cannot be replaced with an alternative that serves a similar purpose, and that Jinshi wasn't being a spoiled brat for wanting a beloved toy back, as much as he was asking for his emotions to be considered valid and worthwhile to prioritize