Chapter 49 (Part 1)
The morning of a certain day.
I was lying in my room, limbs spread out before turning over to rub against the bamboo pillow, feeling pretty comfortable.
Suddenly, sothing pushed against the door from outside. The door caught on its bolt and refused to open. I gave a start as my ears rose to listen. From the space between door and doorfra I could hear the sound of rustling clothing. That person stood quietly outside for a bit, seemingly fixing their belt, before a soft and tired voice called out, “Is the one inside awake?”
“Not awake,” I covered my head and replied.
He sounded like he was smiling. “The food’s been left by the door.” Afterwards he hesitated, as if speaking to himself. “Soone not awake can still reply so smoothly, now that’s strange.”
Are you complaining?
“About that…” he wanted to say, but stopped. There was only the sound of his footsteps by the door.
It was pestering beyond endurance.
I knitted my brows, straightening up as I rubbed my eyes. “Hurry up if you’ve got sothing to say…” I didn’t hear the anticipated reply, but a light cough, sudden and unexpected in the deserted courtyard. It seed he’d already walked far away…
This person was so weird.
I struggled inwardly before dropping my shoulders to lift aside the bedcovers. My eyelashes drooped while my eyes opened, and I lowered my head to grope beneath the bed for my shoes. After putting them on, I opened the door and was hit with a blast of air that made shiver. My eyes were as sleepy as slits as I squatted dazedly by the door. I was too lazy to even look for my food, choosing instead to grope around until I my fingers felt a plate. Then I carried it into my room and placed it on the table.
I yawned and went back beneath the covers before falling asleep.
—
Afterwards, I felt sothing was off. My ears were pressed against the pillow, but there was a fine noise being carried my way. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to figure it out. It sounded like soone happily pecking at grain. My head turned and I clutched my pillow to look…
As I waited for my blurry vision to clear, I saw a green parrot perched gingerly on the side of a bowl atop the wooden table, burying his head to a rry feast.
So delicious…
This lousy bird, how did it get into my room? Wait, let think. When Fang Hua delivered breakfast this morning, I carried it inside as usual before sleeping. Could it be…
I rubbed my face with the covers, getting rid of crust from my eyes to sit up and stick my neck over. Huh…looks like I really did forget to close the door. Fang Hua was a good person but too hardworking. He was more tily than the wet nurses at the palace. Before daybreak, he’d finish preparing the food regardless of whether other people or animals were still sleeping. That should be anded.
I yawned again, giving a big lazy stretch. Then I draped my robes over myself and took a look. The food on the table was still warm…there were thick slices of red braised pork, slick with oil, and a small bowl of diced chicken with corn. A single parrot feather floated atop a large bowl of soup.
That little fellow stretched his wings with his back to , blocking my view completely as he buried his head in the food.
Wait a second…
Was this bird food? It was obvious that it wasn’t. Then whose was it eating…acting so shifty-eyed like that.
Curses.
I tightened the belt around my waist, body swaying as I sat by the table to grab a pair of chopsticks. A single hand wave was enough to brush him onto the table. “Get lost, keep your distance.”
The parrot seed stunned, then utterly discomfited.
I ignored him, lifting the bowl of red braised pork and stuffing it into my mouth…
It stretched out its wings, perching on the bowl of soup as it swooped at , scattering feathers everywhere as it cried shrilly, “Hooligan.”
I sucked up the last traces of oil before shooting him a glance and saying simply, “I am.”
It seed to be a sharp and clever animal who understood , because it suddenly turned sullen. Those small mung-bean eyes gave a devious glance at the kernels of corn in the diced chicken bowl.
Oi, this was a new dish that I hadn’t tried before. I moved aside my sleeves and placed a hand on my waist, grinning as I lifted the dish towards . The parrot grew indignant as it stuck a claw out to step on the edge of the bowl.
“You want to eat?”
It didn’t reply.
“This is…diced chicken!” I picked a piece up with my chopsticks, holding it in front of him. “Thousands of years ago, you two were the sa kind, but you’re still so greedy. If you really want to eat it, it’s just a dostic animal. Take it and go far.”
It rose up, so angry that its feathers were standing on end. I silently ignored him and wiped my mouth with my robes, curses, to fall so low that I was fighting over food with livestock…thinking back, the palace had everything…tears…
For the sake of a single bowl, we glared at each other. I sighed with feeling as I finished, calmly continuing to finish up the table before like an autumn wind sweeping everything before it. A head animal was still an animal, and no match for a human, much less a high-quality hooligan like . Under its hostile gaze, I lifted my eyebrows, dizzy with my success. Before his face, I chomped loudly on the corn, then picked up pieces of chicken to chew. I didn’t spare the parrot a glance as I turned to scoop up so rice.
Suddenly, a piece of bird poop went flying through the air to land in my bowl…now that was what you called eye-catching… I lifted my expressionless face to look at the chief culprit. It joyfully flapped its wings, looking delighted–no, looking very delighted.
I was smiling too, lifting my index finger to wave it back and forth. The smile disappeared as I swooped and caught it, intended to pluck its feathers out.
“Yifuyifuyifuyifu,” its sharp little mouth cried out in a hurry, as it used all its strength to resist. It hurt when I got pecked, and its glossy feathers thrashed wildly beneath my hands. Its body was extrely smooth and slippery, and a swoop of its feathers had it staggering into flight before it added under its breath, “Curses!”
It had perfectly mimicked my voice when it learned this word. I laughed aloud. The table had long turned into a ss, food and soup splattered on the ground. A dark shadow fell from skies and a pair of wings struck behind my head, before the parrot flew towards the exit. I didn’t even have ti to react before I hear a voice from outside the door.
“I’m telling I’m telling I’m telling…”
This little animal.
If he wanted to tattle to Fang Hua, see if I didn’t pluck out all his feathers. I pulled up my robes and broke into a chase. But there was already no sign of the person…ah, I an the bird.
—
It was already late autumn.
Though the wind was extrely cool, it still felt warm when the sun shone on . A bamboo pavilion had been erected over a pond, accented with white muslin veils. Vaguely, one could make could a figure dressed in a moon-white robe inside, neither real nor unreal. Astonished, I went to take a look.
He sat on the ground in a thin layer of robes, looking over a few pots as if spacing out. There were many flowers by his side, their fragrance carried by the breath of the wind.
“You woke up?” he asked .
“Un,” I replied vaguely, looking around . I didn’t see anything, so I drew closer to crouch by his side. “What are you doing?”
Truthfully speaking, a person like didn’t have any hobbies beyond minding other people’s business.
He lifted his eyes to peer at . Beneath the folds of his white robes, I could see the tail of that parrot hiding behind his body. He only smiled, just looking.
He seed so cold that I started to have a guilty conscience. I wondered whether the intelligence and eloquence of this bird had already blabbed out everything to Fang Hua. Forcing a smile, I backed away and prepared to make a stealthy escape.
And yet, he chose this mont to open his mouth, eyes staring intently at as he spoke like a lonely gentleman of a good family. “I want to brew so wine, but I don’t know how.”
Ah…
If you didn’t know how to brew, would I know instead?! I was still an amnesiac.
I lifted my eyes to look at the skies, but couldn’t resist looking back to him again.he was dressed very simply, but the first rays of the sun that shone on his face outlined his jaw, forehead, and eyebrows, making it a bewitching sight. You could even say it was completely picturesque, like jade so fine it approached the appearance of snow. His charm stopped and my timidity in its tracks.
I shook my head.
“To want to brew wine…hehe, Lord Hua’s tastes are elegant and refined, however…” I pointed with my finger as I glanced uncertainly at his side. “This is the first ti I’ve heard of putting flowers in wine.”
He lowered his head, holding back a smile. The curve of his eyebrows seed to suggest a flirtatious air.
F…flirtatious air?
“Y-you drank alcohol?” I scooted over suspiciously.
“Just a taste,” he smiled gently, expression as mild as always. Yet that elegant profile held a different charm than usual.
That…’just a taste.’ I looked over and discovered a large jug of wine by his side, the top off and the contents completely empty. Right now he was leaning against the ground, looking at as he pointed at the empty wine jug. “There used to be a person who could brew delicious wine every ti. But I’ve wasted all the jugs…”
“I had a passing whim to drink again, I can’t capture the sa flavor when I’m brewing, even though I was the one who taught her how to make it in the first place. Now I keep thinking that I’m missing sothing.”
I crouched there as I listened, unsure of how to reply. His hands rested on mine, the mole beneath his eye dark red.
“Can I entreat you…to brew together with ?”
“What entreating?” I rolled up my sleeves. “I’ll just go ahead and help you.”
I took the chance to glance at the parrot burrowing into Fang Hua’s robes and bared my teeth in a show of strength. Since I was helping its master, its tattling wouldn’t have much effect on him.
Fang Hua stared at in a daze. He was very attractive. Blood rushed upwards as I lowered my head, focusing on grinding, picking, and laying out the flowers to dry. He stayed silently by my side, not speaking. Occasionally, I’d look his way and catch his gaze on every ti.
Strangely enough, an odd feeling rose in my chest. It almost resembled fernting wine, slowly growing sweeter and more llow. Ti flew by like water until the evening sun cast its oblique rays upon us. He quietly watched as I foolishly continued to work, wasting half my day by his side. My legs had long turned numb by the ti the wine jug was full. Taking advantage of my work, he grabbed a small dish with his long, slender fingers and ladled out so wine. Giving a broad smile, he lowered his head to taste a sip.
“How is it?” After working for most of the day, I was using my sleeves to wipe my face.
“It’s been a long ti since I’ve tasted this flavor.”
“Really.” I took a sip from his plate.
Huh?
This flavor was very queer…it was obviously astringent and not tasty at all, extrely clashing for the taste buds. I choked and started to cough uncontrollably, ladling up a large spoonful of water to rinse my mouth.
The liquid that had just been brewed in the jug tasted like nothing except flowers. There wasn’t a hint of alcohol, yet he raised it to his lips and drank greedily…as if it was excellent wine.
This person was pretty weird, enjoying himself like this so much…
I stared at him while he was totally unawares. After a while, it seed he’d been reckless enough. His body relaxed and sluggishly collapsed in my lap. I stiffened in response, my scalp turning numb as my face grew hot in surprise. “Aiya, what are you doing…a man and woman…” Shouldn’t be so intimate together.
My voice gradually faded out.
He raised his head to look at , not knowing where to point with his hand holding the jug. He ended up hugging the container to his chest instead. Even his gaze seed intoxicated, and my attempts at persuasion gave up to let him do as he wanted…
He didn’t seem to have any alcohol tolerance at all.
“What exactly is romantic love in this world…?” A soft voice asked searchingly.
Yeah, what exactly was it? My heart echoed his question.
His hand clutched at the front of my clothing as he scooted closer. That tipsy gaze turned towards as he spokely indistinctly. “How far have you and Zichuan gone? Have you tasted the flavor of romantic love?”
I lowered my head to look at him, probably wearing a strange expression on my face. This guy…what exactly did he want to hear? When I didn’t reply for a long ti, he drew closer, making topple backwards from the weight. In the end, he ended up lying on top of . He seed to regard with a disdainful glance that almost seed a bit cold…and yet, it was a distressful look as well.
Why did he always make my heart pound and ache?
“He’s my husband,” I forgot to dodge the question and replied honestly. “The two of us are blood relations[1].”
“Teach . I can do it too…”
He flipped over, hand resting around my neck. His cheeks were as red as peach blossoms, and his eyes seed to shine with a light that was both intoxicated and stupefied beneath his slender eyebrows. He was looking at with an expression of suffering…
My chest felt stifled as it strove to beat out of my chest. I hastily pushed him aside and got to my feet in a panic, back facing him as my heart pounded like thunder until it was hard to breathe.
Too shocking.
There was a laugh, but it sounded imasurably lonely.
Astonished, I turned my head. He was half-lying on the ground, head propped in his hands with effort. Soft light illuminated his features and his beautiful expression of longing as he gave a self-ridiculing laugh. “Look at …” Fang Hua kept laughing until his body trembled, before finally hiding his face away. His voice was low as he spoke. “It seems that we’ve only t recently. Yifu shouldn’t scare you like this…”
He was drunk, so I couldn’t tell whether he was laughing or crying. At the very least, he was still clutching the wine jug to his chest, and that laugh was cold enough to chill the liver. For a long ti afterwards, I rembered the words he spoke.
He said, in the lonely dusks to co, only that jug of wine could be ward…
I didn’t understand him then. By the ti I did, it was too late.
-o-
[1] blood relations (肌肤之亲) －jifu zhiqin, basically bonded by blood, or family.
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