"The sunrise on the mountain is magnificent." Yan Shu smiled, seeing Nie Qingyue's interested expression. "Would you like to come along?"
"...It's probably too late to see it after the rain." She said this, but her expression betrayed her anticipation.
The sky was still dark with a few stars, and the wind whistled past their ears, bringing a chill. Yan Shu walked very fast, carrying her up the mountain as if it were flat ground. When they reached the summit, they could only see layers of dark clouds, not a single ray of light peeking through.
Sitting down against the slightly damp roots of the large tree at the summit, Nie Qingyue rested his chin on his hand with some regret: "I'm afraid I won't be able to see it."
Yan Shu sat quietly beside her without saying a word. His expression was unclear, but his posture was extremely relaxed and at ease, as if he had come here a thousand times before.
The mountain breeze gradually subsided. The rustling sounds in the forest slowly faded away until they were completely silent, and in an instant, the surrounding wilderness seemed even more desolate.
It seemed as if it had traversed a vast army, overwhelming all the forbearance and silence before being pushed forward.
Then suddenly the view opened up before me, as if ten thousand thunderclaps had resounded from the depths of silence.
In an instant, the clouds broke, the sun rose, the wind rose, and the light shone.
The entire silent world awoke in the radiant light.
It seemed to freeze time and sweep across the world, making people hold their breath and feel their souls tremble, only coming back to their senses after a long time.
"Why didn't you bring me here sooner, my husband?" Nie Qingyue stared blankly at Weiwei and murmured, then leaned on Yan Shu's shoulder with a hint of satisfied regret: "That way I could have seen it a few more times."
Yan Shu looked down at her, his long eyelashes fluttering slightly, a warm golden hue reflecting quietly in his dark eyes. "Even the best scenery will become tiresome if you see it too often," he said, his tone light and understated.
"So that's why you used to wander the world like a carefree hermit?" Having seen different scenery in different places, such a life must have been extremely pleasant and carefree.
“Not entirely.” Yan Shu took her cold hand in his, his warm palm covering hers firmly. “The most beautiful sights in the world are often hidden in nameless places.”
"Wouldn't that mean we'd have to search until the end of time?" Nie Qingyue tilted her head to look at him.
“Madam,” he said softly, lowering his head slightly, a slow smile curving his handsome lips, his words brushing lightly against her reddened earlobe.
Some scenery, you only need to encounter it.
Like the vast sunlight that overflows across the land of China like a tide along the horizon, it brushes past the hurried people of the world every day and every month. Occasionally, when you stop and look back, that scenery travels light-years to arrive before your eyes.
Nie Qingyue remained silent, quietly grasping the warm hand in her palm.
What's rare and precious isn't just scenery; some people, a single glance or turn away, and they're gone forever.
Sifang Inn.
Nie Qingyue opened her eyes and woke up to find the pale curtains letting in the morning light streaming through the window. How many times had this happened? A little helplessly, she got up and walked to the window, pushing it open completely. Ever since she and Murong Luo left the small village more than half a month ago, the scene of watching the sunrise with Yan Shu that day kept recurring in her dreams.
If this counts as missing someone, wouldn't that be a bit too unambitious? Nie Qingyue pouted and walked downstairs with her hair disheveled.
"Shopkeeper, a customer is looking for you, saying it's your..." Xiao He was carrying a rag in one hand and a teapot in the other when he saw Nie Qingyue's gloomy expression, as if she hadn't slept well. He swallowed the rest of his sentence.
Nie Qingyue walked to the inner courtyard expressionlessly, slowly rinsing her mouth and washing her face with the boiled tea. The hot towel on her face slightly restored half of her exhausted mind.
"Who's looking for me?" He put on a faint smile, his tone clearly showing a lack of interest.
“He’s said to be the shopkeeper’s husband,” Xiao He added, noticing her puzzled look. “There’s also a young man traveling with him.”
"I understand." Nie Qingyue waved for him to go out and do his work, and then slowly strolled out.
More than half a month ago, she and Murong Luo were about to leave the village. Firstly, the epidemic in the village had gradually stabilized, so she wouldn't be of much use if she stayed. Secondly, as winter approached, her body was gradually unable to cope.
Most of the village doctors were preparing to return to the city to reunite with their families for the New Year, leaving only Yan Shu and a few other doctors who volunteered to stay in the village. Modern medical technology is advanced, but it would still take at least half a year to completely eradicate an epidemic; Yan Shu's stay would likely take even longer than two or three months. Before parting, both men were fully aware of the future, yet they didn't exchange any words. They didn't mention how long they would be apart or where they would meet again.
Furthermore, her decision to stay at the Sifang Inn to look after the business while Murong Luo returned to the city was a last-minute one. Yan Shu was unaware of this, and it was too early to leave the village now. Could it be that Murong Luo's husband's family had chosen the wrong place? But there was no reason why Xiao He wouldn't recognize it.
Puzzled, Nie Qingyue had already reached the inner hall on the first floor of the inn. Two people were sitting at a table in front of the door. Nie Qingyue squinted to make sure she could see them clearly, and a surge of joy filled her heart – it was Shu Song. She immediately quickened her pace to greet him, "Your injury is healed?"
"Little Yue, my dear sister." Shu Song stood up, smiling, and was about to pounce on her. Nie Qingyue ducked down and found an empty seat to sit down.
"Tsk, so cold as soon as we meet."
"Go find the girl from Wangyoulou with enthusiasm." Seeing that he looked well, Nie Qingyue felt relieved, picked up her cup, and poured herself some tea.
At the same table as Shu Song was a dashing man in a black robe, with thick, dark eyebrows and bright, piercing eyes; his face had distinct features and a deep, defined contour. Ever since she approached, his gaze had been fixed on her without wavering.
Nie Qingyue quickly reviewed her memories and concluded in the blink of an eye: she didn't recognize either the Nie Qingyue who came here or the original Nie Qingyue.
"May I ask who you are...?" She frowned, considering her words.
"So you're Nie Qingyue, the youngest daughter of the Nie family?" the man interrupted her first, his voice firm.
Nie Qingyue felt a sense of foreboding; the man seemed to know everything perfectly well. He didn't appear to have any ill intentions, but his expression revealed a slight disdain and impatience.
"Yes." Nie Qingyue put down her cup and looked directly at him: "Who are you?" Whether she was disappointed that she didn't see Yan Shu or dissatisfied with this person's attitude, she unconsciously became unfriendly in her tone.
The man raised an eyebrow slightly: "Zhao Linwei of the Zhao family."
The Zhao family. Nie Qingyue blinked, a thousand questions swirling in her mind, when suddenly a loud exclamation exploded in her heart.
She rubbed her forehead, a little confused. "You, you, you didn't die of illness?" The man in front of her was clearly strong and healthy, showing no signs of being sick or weak.
"It's a long story."
"so?"
"Before my father passed away, he felt guilty for deceiving the Nie family and failing to establish a marriage alliance. He instructed me to come and find Miss Nie as soon as I returned to the country to fulfill my promise."
Nie Qingyue was a little confused. "Wait a minute, how did you find me?" She didn't have a note stuck to her head saying she was the daughter of the prime minister. How did this complete stranger find her so accurately?
Zhao Linwei turned to look at Shu Song.
“A-Shu asked Murong to pass on a message to me, telling me to keep an eye on you. It just so happened that Brother Linwei was there at the time... and said he wanted to come over together.” Shu Song smiled ingratiatingly and innocently, almost raising her hand to swear, “I only just found out about your old story. Little Yue, if I had known beforehand, I definitely would have stopped him from coming.”
Nie Qingyue glared at Shu Song fiercely, saying that she had said she was watching over her, but it was already good enough that this person hadn't caused her any trouble a couple of times.
However, it really is a long-forgotten story that's almost closed to the public.
According to her inherited memories, the Zhao family of Yingmo produced many good generals, while the Nie family produced many civil officials. The two families, which were originally incompatible in terms of civil and military affairs, suddenly became friends in her father Nie Anru's generation, and even arranged a betrothal for the Zhao family's eldest son who was born but died halfway.
The reason it was said to have been cut short was because both of the Nie family's wives had given birth to sons, and just as she was about to be born, Zhao Linwei, the eldest son of the Zhao family, suddenly fell seriously ill and died. The engagement was thus called off, and the relationship between the two families became subtly distant. Of course, Nie Anru told her all of this later, when she was a little older.
Nie Qingyue smiled gently, trying her best to appear like a well-bred young lady: "Young Master Zhao, I am already married." Before getting married, one must inquire clearly that Yingmo allows polygamy but does not allow a woman to marry twice.
Nie Qingyue didn't know whether the neighboring country was open-minded or not. She only knew that Zhao Linwei seemed to have expected this, and immediately gave a bright and nonchalant smile: "I don't mind."
Nie Qingyue seemed to hear the grating sound of her own teeth grinding.
And, Zhao Linwei will never like Nie Qingyue. = =
(The holiday was moved to Monday, so I'm sorry for the late update~~~~ *crawling away*)
Rouge, peach-blossom cheeks, pear blossom powder
Several early-blooming plum trees stood in the courtyard of the inn.
The small, round blossoms, adorning slender branches, were not the bright red seen in typical traditional Chinese paintings, but rather a delicate, pinkish-white. If it weren't for their vibrant blooming amidst the desolation of winter when all other flowers had withered, Nie Qingyue would never have recognized them as plum blossoms.
“Little Yue, you’ve been looking at it for a long time. Do you want to pick it to make plum blossom tea next year?” Shu Song leaned closer to her, her phoenix eyes narrowing as she carefully examined the plum tree in full bloom.
Plum blossom tea? That's too much of a compliment. Nie Qingyue rubbed her stomach. "I just remembered plum blossom cake."
Shu Song chuckled, put his hands behind his back, turned and left: "The cook has finished cooking the rice."
"Okay, I'll go right away," she replied absentmindedly.
As the Lunar New Year approached, the merchants and travelers who had stayed at the inn gradually returned home to reunite with their families. The large inn was left with only a few staff members and Shu Song and his companions, making it seem rather deserted.
Nie Qingyue sat at the table, somewhat unaware of his appetite. Looking up, she noticed that Zhao Linwei hadn't touched his rice bowl, only casually picking at the vegetables with his chopsticks. "Young Master Zhao, if you don't like this, you should return to Mojing. This humble inn is nothing special to offer."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Linwei put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "If Miss Nie is willing to come along, I will go and fetch the horse now."
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Nie Qingyue sighed, put down his chopsticks, and said sincerely, "Young Master Zhao, I can't outlast your patience. I give up."
"So Miss Nie has decided to change her mind?" Zhao Linwei's tone was neither surprised nor pleased, but rather ambiguous.
Nie Qingyue tried her best to put on a sincere expression and tried to speak in a consultative tone: "Marriage is a big deal and it has to follow the rules. How about this, you go to my father. If my father agrees, you go to my husband. If my husband agrees to the divorce, then I won't say anything."
Since the young master of the Zhao family had been staying at the inn for half a month, he had been seeing her every day. Nie Qingyue was annoyed by this and gritted her teeth, tripling the inn fee, but the meals she provided for him were extremely crude and simple. The young master of the Zhao family didn't even blink an eye, spending money like water every day, clearly disdainful of the three meals a day but making no demands.
She was initially happy to help Murong Tian with his business, but Zhao Linwei persisted in discussing the old marriage agreement with her every day, and even when she was exhausted, she couldn't shake his determination to fulfill his father's last wish.
Fine, she wouldn't make a futile attempt; passing the buck to someone else was easy enough. Regardless of Yan Shu's attitude, given that she was already married and her life was saved by Yan Shu, Nie Anru would never be foolish enough to take back this favor to pay for another debt. If she couldn't outlast him, she could simply find someone else to do it. If Young Master Zhao wanted to run into a wall, he should go find her cunning and calculating father.
While Nie Qingyue was making her own plans, Zhao Linwei remained completely unmoved, raising the corners of his mouth and saying calmly, "No rush, as long as Miss Nie nods first, everything else will be fine."
Well, I saw right through it and we've come full circle again. How long ago was the last time I had the urge to slam my fist on the table? Nie Qingyue rubbed his forehead, trying to calm himself down, and saw Shu Song eating happily beside him, as if what was happening now had nothing to do with him.
Soon, Shu Song's scream echoed through the empty inn.
"Little Yue, why are you pinching me?"
"What? Come on, let's eat."
Not everyone who transmigrates is destined to be the female lead, and naturally, Nie Qingyue didn't think she was so special that Zhao Linwei would marry no one but her. She racked her brains every day, bewildered and confused, but still couldn't figure it out.
Even if the Zhao family patriarch is terminally ill, surely he wouldn't be unaware of Prime Minister Nie's daughter's marriage. Leaving this will clearly shows the eldest son is in a difficult position. Hmm, something's fishy. Lost in thought, Nie Qingyue rolled off the bed without noticing.
She lay sprawled on the floor, wincing in pain, like a corpse. The afternoon sunlight, devoid of warmth, shone through the window, casting a faint, round, thick shape under half of the bed. Huh? Nie Qingyue poked her head in and discovered two tightly sealed Jun porcelain jars.
"These are plum blossoms that Manager Murong stored last year, one jar of them preserved in honey and the other dried in the wind." Xiao He, who came in to add fuel to the stove, saw Nie Qingyue tilting her head and examining the jars for a long time, and explained with a smile, "A regular customer used to love to drink this, so Manager Murong made it every year. This year, that customer moved elsewhere, and Manager Murong told me to throw the jars away. I had forgotten about it."
"It's such a waste to throw this away after storing it for a year. We might as well all drink it together." Nie Qingyue carefully lifted the lid, and a sweet aroma slowly wafted out. The honey sealed with plum blossoms wasn't as pure and clear as modern honey, but it was pure and natural. The other jar didn't have a strong aroma, and when the lid was lifted, it even exuded a damp and cool feeling, full of dried plum blossoms.
Nie Qingyue's heart skipped a beat: "Could it be that Murong still has snow water stored up?"
Xiao He recalled for a moment: "It seems so, but once the shopkeeper lost his temper and smashed the jar."
Nie Qingyue was initially puzzled, then belatedly smiled with a touch of admiration. She wondered which familiar guest was so influential that Murong would go to such lengths. The water had to be taken from the first snow of winter, and the flowers were soaked in snow water before being placed under the shade of plum blossoms to dry slowly in the dappled sunlight, thus acquiring a touch of earthy aroma for a richer flavor. Back in the modern era, she had read some of these steps in her miscellaneous notes; even the most meticulous families would put in considerable patience for the initial steps.
A small earthenware pot heated by charcoal, with clear well water boiling in no time.
Nie Qingyue put the lid on to let the boiling steam return to the water, mixed it well, and then poured out some to open the plum blossom lacquer. After rinsing it briefly, she poured away the first batch of water before starting to brew the tea.
The dried plum blossoms are much darker in color than those planted in the courtyard, like a young girl's rouge dots, clearly not the same variety.
Sparse branches, slender as jade, and tiny calyxes, glistening with pearly light.
Without the slender branches to set them off, the tightly closed flower buds slowly unfold in boiling water, creating a different kind of beauty. The crimson plum blossoms, after being submerged in boiling water in the cup, have their color diffused, leaving only a touch of rosy red amidst the pink and white, inexplicably captivating.
It was as if she had stolen a year's worth of beauty, storing it away until someone with the right mindset could unleash it all. She lowered her head and thought quietly, but her hands never stopped moving.