Who else could you love besides me

Chapter 33

The veranda is lined with purple and white flowers, and a faint fragrance fills the air, making one feel slightly intoxicated. Occasionally, lush vines lazily climb up the veranda roof, providing a shady and comfortable shade.

Upon reaching the end of the covered walkway, a completely different world unfolded before them, leaving even a worldly young lady like Xi Ri momentarily stunned.

What came into view was a vast pond filled with water lilies, some half-open and others still in bud.

Looking out, the pond is filled with water lilies. In late summer, the buds are ready to bloom, their leaves swaying in the breeze. At this moment, bathed in golden sunlight, the water lilies resemble beauties yet to awaken, languidly alluring, dreamlike and enchanting. A faint, sweet fragrance wafts through the air, intoxicating and delightful to those who smell it…

Xi Ri composed herself slightly, glanced at the butler who had stopped and was waiting for her with a smile because of her dazed expression, nodded slightly to express her apology, and the butler immediately returned the greeting, saying, "Young Master Li, please." He continued to lead the way.

The waterside corridor leads directly to the octagonal pavilion in the center of the pool, which is draped with gauze curtains. At this moment, Minglu and his three companions are sitting in the middle, chatting and laughing. Fu Jin's loud laughter can be heard from afar.

The butler led her along the covered walkway to the pavilion. Along the way, lanterns hung on both sides of the covered walkway and the pavilion. He imagined that when all these lanterns were lit at night, drinking fine wine by the water lily pond would be a unique experience.

Minglu is indeed someone who knows how to enjoy life.

When Minglu saw her arrive, he immediately stood up to greet her, and the servants waiting around the pavilion immediately paid their respects to the two of them.

After exchanging pleasantries, Minglu welcomed her into the pavilion.

As soon as she entered the pavilion, a woman pulled out a seat for her, respectfully welcoming her to her seat and pouring her a cup of hot tea, serving her with great attentiveness.

As soon as she sat down, Fu Jin said, "Brother Yu, you're the last one to arrive, so you'll have to drink three cups first as punishment."

Xi Ri laughed heartily and said, "That's easy. I'll punish myself with three cups in a bit."

Fu Jin waved his sleeve, patted Xi Ri on the shoulder, and said loudly, "Ah, drinking with Brother Yu is so enjoyable! It always gets me into a drinking mood in no time. Alright, Ming Lu, Brother Yu has arrived too. Quickly clear away this table full of rubbish pastries and serve the wine and dishes!"

Nalan chimed in with a laugh, "Fu Jin has been eagerly waiting for this for a long time, haha..." His words were loaded with hidden meaning.

Xi En smiled and said to Xi Ri, "Today, Fu Jin urged me to come very early, saying that there would be a special program tonight. I originally thought that Fu Jin was just interested in watching Madam Lan's dance, but I didn't expect that when he told me that you, Yu Di, would also be performing, he praised your zither skills all the way here, saying that your performance with Madam Lan would be even better than the Queen Mother of the West's Peach Banquet in heaven!"

Everyone burst into laughter.

Fu Jin said loudly, "Xi En, don't disbelieve me. You didn't hear it that day. If you had heard Yu Di play the zither, you would know that I wasn't exaggerating!"

Nalan nodded in agreement.

Minglu smiled and ordered, "Take it away and serve dinner."

The woman behind him smiled sweetly, curtsied in response, turned and walked out of the pavilion, instructing the waiting servants to serve the meal.

Xi Ri saw the woman behind Ming Lu, young and beautiful, with a graceful figure and a natural charm in every gesture. She was clearly of a different status than the maids standing behind Fu Jin and the other three. Xi Ri secretly wondered about her.

Minglu suddenly said, "Brother Yu, this is your first time visiting my residence, so please don't be so reserved. If you need anything, just ask Ruyan." The woman just now was indeed Ruyan.

Minglu then instructed Ruyan, "Ruyan, this is our new acquaintance, Li Yu."

Ru Yan smiled and immediately curtsied, greeting Xi Ri with best wishes.

Xi Ri suddenly realized that this was Lady Ru. He immediately stood up, offered a slight gesture of support, returned the bow, and said, "Lady Ru."

Seeing Xi Ri's politeness, Lady Ru quickly returned the greeting, saying, "I dare not accept such courtesy from Your Highness. Brother Li, please sit down, and I will personally serve you tea."

One day, I took a closer look at this concubine. She had a face like a lotus flower, a graceful figure, and a dignified and proper demeanor. My heart was filled with mixed feelings.

The table full of dried fruits, candied fruits, and pastries was quickly cleared away, and the dishes and drinks were served one after another. First, four cold dishes were served, followed by candied fruits and dried fruits. Then, the main dishes were served: bird's nest and shredded duck soup, mutton stew with spinach, sea cucumber and shredded duck soup, scrambled eggs with meat, white sugar oil cake, fried noodles with fish, stir-fried broad beans with meat, and roasted pork. After that, chicken skin stewed with frozen tofu, casserole with gravy, sliced deer tail, bamboo-shaped steamed buns, jujube strips with white cake, and sunflower flower-shaped side dishes were served.

The dishes were plentiful, which shows that Minglu usually pays quite a bit of attention to his meals.

The most special thing tonight is the wine, which is actually a Western wine – red wine.

I had drunk this kind of wine once before, but only once. At that time, I only took a small sip and only remembered that it tasted a bit sour and astringent, but after tasting it carefully, it was sweet in the aftertaste, unlike the spiciness of baijiu.

This time, however, Minglu prepared a lot of such wine.

I've heard that this kind of wine is very difficult to get drunk on, and it also has some health benefits. Xi Ri secretly felt relieved.

As soon as the banquet began, Xi Ri raised his wine glass and said, "I am late tonight and have kept you all waiting. I will first punish myself with three cups to apologize."

Nalan said, "Brother Yu, don't listen to Fu Jin's nonsense. It's not that you're late, it's that he's early."

Just as Fu Jin was about to retort, Xi Ri chimed in with a smile, "Regardless of who is late or early, the moment I saw this precious foreign wine, I was overcome with greed. I'll take your advice and drink three cups first."

Xi En slammed his hand on the table and exclaimed, "Good! Brother Yu is so straightforward!"

Fu Jin laughed smugly to himself.

Minglu raised his wine glass and said, "Brother Yu, it's clear you're a worldly person who recognizes this as wine. Since this is your first time visiting my home, you shouldn't drink this first glass alone. Come, let me toast you."

He came with a cup in hand, and Xi Ri left with a cup in hand. The two cups clinked slightly, and Nalan suddenly said from the side, "You two are drinking together? It's a great fortune to have met such a generous person as Brother Yu. Come, I'll drink this cup with you too."

As soon as he raised his cup, Xi'en and Fu Jin followed suit, and the five of them drank three cups in succession. Behind them, the maids served food and added wine, and the atmosphere became more and more lively.

During the meal, the group chatted about interesting stories from the capital. These four young masters from the capital knew a great deal about the people and things they knew. Although Fu Jin was sometimes reckless, he was very entertaining when he told gossip stories. Everyone burst into laughter several times because of him. Xi Ri almost lost his composure and spat out his wine.

Fu Jin recounted: Last winter, the ice football competition at Taiye Pond was incredibly exciting. Countless high-ranking officials, nobles, ladies, and women came to watch. On that day, although the sky was cold, it was very clear. During the third match, everyone was fiercely competing when, unexpectedly, the trousers of the head chef's son suddenly fell down during the game. Everyone was stunned. Some women immediately covered their eyes and screamed. The head chef's son hurriedly pulled up his trousers, disregarding the game, and ran onto the field, forgetting that he was still wearing ice skates. As soon as he left Taiye Pond, he fell flat on his face.

At this point, Fu Jin made an exaggerated gesture of lying on his back. Everyone at the table burst into laughter! Xi En laughed until tears streamed down her face.

Last year, Xi Ri wasn't in the capital, so she didn't know about this incident. Hearing Fu Jin recount it so vividly, she burst into laughter. Suddenly, her gaze fell on Madam Ru, who had been standing behind Ming Lu, covering her mouth and giggling. Her smile was as gentle as a spring breeze, incredibly charming. However, her eyes were always on Ming Lu in front of her. Whenever she noticed that Ming Lu needed something or lacked something, she would immediately and carefully make up for it. For some reason, seeing this scene, Xi Ri suddenly felt a pang of sadness, and her smile faded.

They then recounted how they had encountered a thug who had recently arrived in the capital harassing respectable women on the street earlier this year. The thug, it seemed, hadn't bothered to burn incense before leaving home or pray to Buddha during the New Year, and had become so blind that he dared to harass the Sixteenth Prince's newly acquired concubine. Fu Jin happened to witness this and taught him a lesson on the spot, intending to let it go. However, the thug became insolent, threatening to take revenge in the future. Fu Jin, enraged, wanted to chop off the man's manhood and ordered his servants to remove his pants. But just as the servants were about to pull down his pants, the thug was so frightened that he let out several earth-shattering farts, nearly knocking the servants unconscious.

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter again.

Fu Jin continued, "That wasn't all. In the struggle, the bully lost his shoe. And what was worse, those feet were so smelly that even he, several meters away, almost fainted from the stench. The servants nearby were even worse off; they were vomiting from the stench and couldn't eat for days afterward. He didn't even bother to clean the man's feet; he just rushed off."

Fu Jin was interrupted by Ming Lu as soon as he finished speaking. Ming Lu laughed and said, "Stop talking. If you keep talking, we won't be able to eat anymore."