Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Careful Not to Dig Up Her Grave by Mistake!
How many drinks does it take to see the fairy before my eyes?
Shen Hua admired it for a while, then exchanged glances with Cui Yun, but quickly lost the battle and scurried forward. The tip of her nose was met with the rich aroma of wine.
Shen Hua’s craving for alcohol immediately surged: "You didn’t call me to drink together."
"How come there’s such a distance between us now?"
Shen Hua unexpectedly retorted: "I went out to buy you a gift today."
Yingwu: How come she didn’t know?
She’s been following Shen Hua all the time without leaving her side!
Cui Yun wasn’t sure if he believed it, and he asked in a low voice: "What did you buy?"
Shen Hua said confidently: "I bought you a pair of earrings!"
"Crafted from warm jade."
"Exquisitely carved, the white jade is flawless and translucent."
"Would you like to take a look?"
Cui Yun: ... "There’s no need."
He could understand the thoughts of Shen Hua.
Indeed,
Shen Hua showed her disappointment.
"Then I can only keep them for myself."
Yingwu learned something new again.
Cui Yun pressed against his throbbing forehead and looked down at the girl: "There is still one jar of wine left. But you can’t have too much of it."
It was brewed by himself six years ago.
Back then, he had spent half a year recovering from his injuries in the pear garden before returning to the Marquis Mansion.
By that time, the signs of decline in the Marquis Yangling Mansion were already evident.
Yet, during that half a year, commoners continuously came to the firmly closed doors of the mansion to kowtow. Not to mention, when the Cui family father and son’s coffins were transported back to Chi City, half of the city’s populace arrived.
A massive crowd followed behind the coffins on this journey, wearing off countless pairs of shoes.
These were the people that the father and son had protected with their lives.
They traversed mountains and rivers to bid them one last farewell.
At that time, the commoners from Shengjing, Hengzhou, Chi State... all came rushing over.
A vast tide of people.
The scale was unprecedented. It was a grandeur which perhaps even an Emperor never witnessed.
It was as if, those two deceased individuals, had not been forgotten. At least in the eyes of these people, they were brave and fearless.
But, what of it?
Cui Yun couldn’t muster any gratitude for this. With his father and brothers gone, what was there to be thankful for?
He didn’t hear the mournful cries of those people, nor could he smell their loud lamentations.
— General, walk slowly.
Then, Cui Yun only noticed Cui Rong crying in Qiao Si’s arms, her tiny sobbing. Despite her lack of understanding, she couldn’t be consoled.
Qiao Si was dressed in plain hemp clothes, holding Cui Rong tightly, sobbing incessantly.
Dowager Cui, heartbroken, fainted on the spot.
Half a year later, Cui Yun stepped into the threshold of the Marquis Yangling Mansion, and the big door behind him closed slowly again.
He returned to Sui Courtyard and personally brewed two jars of wine. They were buried under the crooked tree
Only then did he take a thick stack of books to the main residence. During his recuperation, he never slacked off. Ying Yi freely came and went, and Cui Yun had read almost most of the books in the Book Collection Pavilion through Ying Yi.
Old Master Cui’s temples had turned completely white, but he still stood erect. Just like how during Cui Yun’s absence, Old Master Cui had stood in front of the womenfolk, supporting the entire Marquis Yangling Mansion. His spine... dared not bend.
Cui Yun was no longer the indolent youth in his memory; he greeted his ancestor properly, with a faultless gesture and posture.
Dignified and composed.
"Grandfather."
Old Master Cui hid his teary eyes: "Come in."
"Yes."
These two jars of wine had been buried for many years, and Cui Yun had just drunk one of them. The other jar continued to be buried under the tree.
Shen Hua looked over and saw a disturbed patch of soil, still bearing the hole left by Cui Yun when he retrieved the wine, which had yet to be filled back in. She did not hesitate to walk over and started digging with a shovel while squatting down.
From Cui Yun’s perspective, he saw the serene profile of the girl.
For the sake of wine, the girl was really giving it her all.
Shen Hua’s hands were sore. The dug up soil piled up into a miniature mound.
Just as the girl’s patience was about to run out, a voice carried on the wind: "The two jars of wine are not buried in the same place."
Shen Hua suddenly lifted her puzzled face.
"Cousin, why didn’t you say so earlier?"
She threw down the shovel, and saw Cui Yun sitting on a chair brought by Ji Qing at some point, holding a cup of tea that could sober one up. He gently ran his fingers over the pattern on the cup’s surface, contemplating how long he had been watching her: "Seeing you busy as a bee, it just didn’t seem right to interrupt."
Shen Hua: ???
She almost couldn’t catch her breath.
The girl tightly pursed her lips.
She observed the vixen in front of her with caution.
"So I... thank you?"
In return, she received a muffled chuckle from Cui Yun.
Shen Hua could not really take issue with a drunkard.
She wiped the mud from her fingertips with a handkerchief and circled around the crooked tree several times. She couldn’t help but wonder, "Is it truly buried under the tree?"
"Hmm."
"Where exactly?"
Cui Yun: "Take ten steps back."
Shen Hua did as told. Then she began to dig again.
A moment passed.
"There’s nothing here."
Cui Yun: "Perhaps I remembered it wrong."
Shen Hua did not blame him: "Then you think carefully."
Cui Yun: "Go five steps to the right."
This time, Shen Hua was cautious; her skirts revealing the delicate patterns on her embroidered shoes, she tapped the ground with her toes, "Here?"
Cui Yun rose and walked over, his steps slow yet steady.
He halted about ten paces from her, then walked a few steps to the right.
"It might also be here."
Shen Hua: ??? "Why not just tell me to dig up the entire area?"
Before long, she had a guess and suddenly glared wide-eyed.
"Are you deliberately making things difficult for me because you don’t want to give it to me?"
She threw the shovel aside.
"I won’t dig anymore!"
Her temperament was as impatient as ever.
The corners of Cui Yun’s eyes flushed slightly, carrying an indescribable implication with the night’s breeze.
"The wine brewed from water lotus and snow water, as recorded in ancient texts, just those two jars, stored for many years. I tasted it for you: the initial flavor is rich and mellow, and the aftertaste is refreshingly clear."
Unable to help herself, Shen Hua gulped, and she carefully dug here and there, east a bit, west a bit.
Cui Yun watched her intently, never having thought this day would come, not even daring to dream it.
People never dare to harbor too many vain hopes.
To ask for extravagance.
But heaven had mercy after all, sending her back.
As lively as before, as willful as before.
After a long while with no findings, Shen Hua looked up, her little face full of dissatisfaction.
Cui Yun: "Give me the shovel."
You should have done this long ago!
Shen Hua instructed, still somewhat uneasy as she handed it over: "Be careful."
Don’t accidentally dig up her grave!!
————
Cui Yun swiftly unearthed the wine jars.
A lamp was lit in the room.
The dim yellow light flickered unbridled, casting the man’s features in a more intense and profound light, as if carved with a gentleness Shen Hua had never seen.
The two sat facing each other.
The girl’s long eyelashes cast deep shadows, her lips red and teeth white, tender and fair. Shen Hua, as if in her own home, cupped her face in her hands, eyes fixated on the wine jar.
The wine brewed from water lotus was a deep red. As soon as the cork was removed, a strong fragrance spilled out.
"It smells so good."
Cui Yun heated the wine: "It’s still cold out; it would be better to drink it warm."
Shen Hua waited contentedly.
"Cousin said it right."
"Your health is delicate; you should not drink too much."
"Mhm, mhm."
Under Shen Hua’s anticipatory gaze, Cui Yun poured her half a cup.
Shen Hua: ?