"I told you not to climb the wall!" Pei Yuan flicked Qiu Su's forehead, the external pain aggravating the dull ache in her head from the alcohol, making Qiu Su's eyes well up with tears. Pei Yuan snorted and raised his hand to rub her temples, "You've been drinking until now, my wife, you're truly something else."
Qiu Su pursed her lips, reluctantly asking, "What's wrong, Miss Zhu Yuan? Did your mother-in-law say anything to you?"
Pei Yuan put his arm around Qiu Su and sat down, gently spurring the horse along the alley towards the main gate. When the horse reached the stone lion, he said, "What are you worried about? If there's anything, discuss it with me first. Don't go out with He Zhuo alone again."
Qiu Su sighed inwardly. Some things can't be explained just by wanting to, and besides, she didn't want to touch on them.
"Ziqing." Qiu Su was still confused. She pouted and stretched out her arms for Pei Yuan to help her down from the horse. As she pressed her cheek against his, she whispered coquettishly, "Good Ziqing, I don't want to share a husband with someone else."
Pei Yuan rarely saw her act so girlishly, and he was taken aback. Looking at her slightly dazed and alluring eyes, a surge of anger suddenly rose within him. She was probably seen naked by that scoundrel He Zhuo. That He Zhuo, always trying to steal her away, was utterly despicable. Pei Yuan took her hand and led her into the mansion, then after a long pause, he said sternly, not without a hint of reproach, "Don't be so delusional."
"Ziqing~" Qiu Su stopped in her tracks, pulling Pei Yuan's hand, and said casually yet with a hint of coquettishness, "I'm serious."
Pei Yuan turned to look at Qiu Su, who was pretending not to care but whose eyes were darting nervously and whose head was lowered, revealing her charming demeanor. He smiled and said, "I didn't lie."
Qiu Su hugged his arm, half-closing her eyes and humming softly, "Then you can't..."
"Yuan'er." Pei's mother called out, startling Qiu Su back to her senses and waking her from her daze. The coquettishness she had shown while dragging Pei Yuan away vanished instantly, and she transformed into a docile daughter-in-law standing with her head bowed.
"The person has been found?"
Pei Yuan glanced at Qiu Su, who seemed to want to disappear into the ground, and explained with a smile, "I found her as soon as I went out. She was waiting for me at the place we told her to go. I had lunch with her outside. Why did Mother come out?"
"Now that you've found her, why didn't you send someone back with a message? And you, you should have just come home for dinner after finding her, instead of taking her out to eat. You've made the whole family worry, and Zhu Yuan is still waiting to see Su Su."
Pei Yuan chuckled and said to Yu Hua, who was standing to the side, "Help Madam inside, the summer heat hasn't subsided yet."
"You silly child, I haven't even said two words to you yet..."
"My son will go to confess his sins in a little while, hehe, so I don't have to stand under the sun. I'll go with Susu to Zhuyuan's place now."
Madam Pei shook her head and followed Yu Hua into the courtyard. Pei Yuan took Qiu Su's hand and walked towards Zhu Yuan's courtyard. When they reached the courtyard gate, he stopped and stared at Qiu Su's black hair for a long time. He reached out and lifted her chin to make her face him. He raised his hand and tucked a strand of hair that had fallen to her cheek behind her ear. Then he sighed and said, "Su Su, you have to believe me."
Qiu Su felt a little dizzy, unsure whether it was because she hadn't sobered up from the alcohol or because Pei Yuan's words, "You have to believe me," had struck her heart hard. In any case, she felt lightheaded and unsteady on her feet.
Qiu Su raised her eyelids to glance at Pei Yuan, then at Xiao Qing who came out carrying a basin of water, then at the gentle-looking Pei Yuan, before glancing at Xiao Qing who had splashed water on the ground and was glaring at them. Her eyes then darted back, but Pei Yuan covered them with his hand. Pei Yuan nuzzled her nose against his, smiling as he said, "My wife's drunkenness is so wonderful. I should spend more time drinking with you in the future."
Qiu Su's face was slightly flushed, as if she had just drunk fine wine and was lounging on a colorful cloud, feeling indescribably comfortable. She followed Pei Yuan into the room in a daze, only snapping back to reality when Lingling grabbed her arm.
"I told you my sister-in-law would come back, but Sister Zhuyuan was so worried. Look, she's back now!"
Qiu Su turned her head and smiled at Lingling. Seeing Zhu Yuan propping herself up on her arms to get up, she quickly walked over and said, "You lie down. I just went for a walk in the street."
Xiaoqing snorted, "My young lady is bedridden, it's rare that the young mistress still has this thought."
"Ah." Qiu Su smiled and looked over, then said something completely unrelated, "Yes, I also think that Sister Zhu Yuan will definitely be alright."
Zhu Yuan's expression was not good, and she stared at Xiao Qing with her lips tightly pursed. Although she didn't say anything harsh, after staring at Xiao Qing for a while, she still bit her lip and went out, letting out a heavy snort as she passed Qiu Su.
Ah, someone dislikes her. Qiu Su blinked, feeling dizzy, and watched Xiao Qing sway her little waist as she left, waving goodbye in her heart, thinking, "Take care, don't bother seeing me out."
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow and led Qiu Su to sit down at the table. Zhu Yuan looked at Pei Yuan and Qiu Su's clasped hands, smiled and said, "I thought my sister was angry. My maid always speaks without thinking. I haven't said anything harsh to her, but she's become more and more ill-mannered these days."
"No, the girl is loyal, that's a good thing."
Pei Yuan interjected, "No matter what, it was Su Su's lack of consideration that caused your illness today. I apologize to you on her behalf."
In a single sentence, the closeness or distance between them became immediately apparent. Zhu Yuan's face paled slightly, and she shook her head with a bitter feeling in her heart, "My sister meant well."
Pei Yuan nodded and looked at Lingling, who was clinging to Qiu Su's side, and asked, "Ling'er, would you like to have an older sister?"
"Yes, I do!" Lingling, being an elf herself, glanced at Zhu Yuan, whose expression had changed, and pouted without saying anything more.
"Zhu Yuan has always been your older sister, it's just that we haven't officially recognized her..."
"Brother Yuan!" Zhu Yuan hurriedly interrupted Pei Yuan, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She coughed violently from standing up too abruptly. Lingling glanced at Pei Yuan's face, then moved over to pat Zhu Yuan's back.
Zhu Yuan remained silent, only biting her lip as she looked at Pei Yuan. Lingling glanced at Pei Yuan, then at Qiu Su, who seemed rather out of sorts, and pursed her lips, saying, "Um, it seems Mother wants to see me. I'll go out and check."
Qiu Su looked at the lovely girl with tears in her eyes, then got up and followed her unsteadily. When she reached the door, she remembered her reason and turned her head to say, "I, uh, someone is looking for me."
Pei Yuan watched Qiu Su leave, leaning against the doorframe, and a smile played on his lips, his eyes filled with undisguised tenderness.
Lingling slowed her pace, waiting for Qiusu to catch up before lowering her head and saying softly, "Sister-in-law, if—I mean, if—brother married Sister Zhuyuan, would you run away from home?"
"Huh?" Qiu Su looked over, bewildered. "Why did you run away from home?"
"If that's the case, my sister-in-law will definitely be angry. There's no need to ask. No woman wants to share a husband with someone else. If you think that the person you're sleeping with still has someone else in their heart, especially if they've held someone else like they've held you, you'll always feel bad. Anger is inevitable. The only question is whether my sister-in-law will run away from home."
Qiu Su blinked. "What if it's Lingling?"
Lingling turned and sat down by the flower bed, kicking her feet in confusion as she whispered, "I don't know either. But Sister Zhuyuan is different. She's lived in the manor for five years, and she's suppressed her feelings for Brother for five years. She's so beautiful, I always thought she was going to be my sister-in-law, but Brother has never mentioned marrying her. I used to think it was because Brother disliked her illness, but Brother said I was too naive. Brother said, 'How can you start a family before you've established yourself?' He's been very busy all these years. But Sister-in-law seems different. Brother not only started a family, but he seems quite satisfied."
Lingling glanced at Qiusu, who was half-asleep with her eyes half-closed, and pouted, saying, "Sister-in-law, I didn't mean anything by it. I like you very much too. You're not one to pretend, unlike Sister Qing'er, who always acts all high and mighty. But Sister Zhuyuan won't live much longer. I can't understand the despair of a dying person facing love, but I still hope that she can find a good home."
"What about Lingling? If Lingling were in your position, what would she do?"
"I don't know!" Lingling said in frustration, breaking off a rose and throwing it on the ground. "I didn't want to, but I felt sorry for Sister Zhuyuan."
Qiu Su looked at the rose she had thrown to the ground; its petals were already curled, and it was on the verge of withering. Zhu Yuan was also a flower, a pure white lotus untouched by worldly concerns; even as it neared decay, its beauty remained undiminished. What place did Pei Yuan place her in that allowed him to remain unmoved by the thought of marrying her after five years together? Perhaps he did, but her involvement disrupted their destined outcome, ultimately leading them astray.
Ugh, my head hurts.
Qiu Su frowned, closed her eyes, and tilted her head for a while before sighing and saying, "Lingling and I think the same way, but if your brother is willing, I won't stop him." This was the biggest concession she could make. As for what would happen after he actually brought her into the family, that was a matter for later.
Lingling hugged Qiusu's arm and leaned on her shoulder, sighing, "It's so difficult. What I said was only from an outsider's perspective, just like what Mother said, 'It's easy to talk when you're not in that situation.' If I were really in that situation, I probably would have run away in a huff. Sister-in-law, no matter what, you'll always be my good sister-in-law."
Qiu Su rubbed her forehead against Lingling's, letting out a heavy sigh. Why couldn't she have taken a nap first before thinking about this? Uh, she really felt dizzy. Could she go back to sleep first?
In the courtyard, a sleepyhead leaned against a sleepyman, both with their eyes closed, feigning sleep. Inside the room, however, were two awake people, one staring at the person at the table, and the other staring at the table.
Zhu Yuan looked at Pei Yuan for a long time, then sighed inwardly and said, "Brother Yuan, I have no improper thoughts, but please don't make me your younger sister, okay? I'm fine as I am."
"I married Susu, so I will protect her for the rest of my life."
"I know." Zhu Yuan burst into tears, lowered her head, and choked out, "Sister Susu is a lucky person. She got a promise from Brother Yuan and became his wife. Brother Yuan is a man of his word. In five years, he never made a promise to me. But you would always come to see me every month and talk about things outside. I thought, I thought... The day you left, you told me to wait for you to come back. I thought it was just a promise, but I didn't expect... Brother Yuan, I have no other requests. I just want to stay quietly in the courtyard like this, okay?"
Pei Yuan lowered his eyes. Before leaving, he had indeed had that thought. His mother said she was over twenty and couldn't wait any longer; if he was willing, she would move him directly from the courtyard to the east courtyard. Pei Yuan didn't reply then, but the thought truly took root in his mind. He wouldn't live a stable life for the next five years, or even longer, and he couldn't guarantee his own survival, but if he could give her something to look forward to, something to rely on, he was willing. But…