El cuento de la princesa Song en Heian-kyo

Capítulo 21

"Little bean, you're amazing! I didn't realize your brain hadn't been corrupted by beans yet!" Hua Qianmo praised, raising her eyebrows, but she remained leaning against the toilet door.

Yu Zhou remained silent; if she continued to look at Hua Qianmo like that, she would be furious.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a "bang," and a scream was heard as Hua Qianmo was pinned to the ground. The person who appeared before Yu Zhou surprised him even more.

The person before her was fully armed, dressed in coarse cloth, with a white strip of cloth tied around her nose, looking much like a thief. She held a broom in her left hand and a bucket of water in her right. She was panting heavily, and her right foot was positioned directly on Hua Qianmo's buttocks. Every time she moved her foot, Hua Qianmo would howl. This made Hua Qianmo look at Yu Zhou with some confusion.

"Miss Xixiang, watch your footing." The person pointed to the door at her feet. The newcomer was Lantian Xixiang, who glanced down and saw something black moving—it was Hua Qianmo's head. Lantian Xixiang immediately jumped away.

Hua Qianmo crawled out of the grass gate with great difficulty. He was about to get angry, but when he saw it was Lan Tian Xixiang, he simply dusted himself off and said very politely, "Miss Xixiang, are you alright?" It seems he went crazy from the fall; he actually asked Lan Tian Xixiang if she was okay.

"It's alright, but are you alright?" He said worriedly, pointing to the two red ribbons under Hua Qianmo's nose, a stark contrast to his usual fiery temper.

Hua Qianmo tossed his hair stylishly and said, "Of course, I think I was the number one warrior back then!" As he spoke, two strands of red silk dripped down to his lips, and Hua Qianmo touched them curiously. Then, seeing the blood on his hands, he screamed, "Blood!" and nearly collapsed. Unfortunately, he fell right on top of Yu Zhou. Number one warrior? More like number one coward! Yu Zhou looked at him with annoyance. Meanwhile, Lan Tianxixiang was in a flurry of activity.

"Do you need wound medicine? No, where's the cloth strip? Do you need water too? Did I kill someone? I actually killed someone. What should I do?" Panicked, Lan Tianxixiang touched her entire body, trying to tear off the cloth strip but unable to. She spoke anxiously.

"Quiet, all you need to do now is stay quiet. Help him find the teacher. Make sure his head isn't tilted back or down, but rather that the blood flows smoothly from his nasal cavity. Pinch both sides of his nostrils towards his nasal septum. Now go in that position, and don't forget to get him some ice." Yu Zhou instructed Lan Tianxixiang while placing Hua Qianmo on Lan Tianxixiang's back.

But seeing Lan Tianxi carrying Hua Qianmo on her back with such ease, Yu Zhou's eyes widened in disbelief! He couldn't help but admire Lan Tianxi's strength.

But now that Hua Qianmo is gone, and Lan Tianxixiang is gone too, she's left alone to clean. After cleaning all the toilets in the courtyard, she really won't need dinner.

"Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust a great task to someone, it will first afflict their mind, exhaust their muscles and bones, starve their body, leave them destitute, and thwart their endeavors, so as to strengthen their resolve and increase their abilities. People often err before they can correct themselves; they are troubled in mind and weighed down by worries before they can act; their emotions are revealed in their expressions and voices before they can be understood. If a country has no capable ministers or advisors within, and no external enemies without, it will inevitably perish. Only then do we know that one is born in hardship and dies in comfort." Yu Zhou recited Mencius, Book 6, Part 2, while washing himself. He had originally wanted to sing a lively tune, but that was physically demanding. Plus, there was the possibility of being mistaken for a madman. So, Yu Zhou decided to just recite Mencius.

Yu Zhou, having just finished cleaning one toilet, was about to enter the second when he was surprised to find it already cleaned. He had searched the entire yard, and every toilet was clean. Until the last toilet, he saw Yuan Yang emerge, carrying a bucket and a broom, drenched in sweat. His white robe was soaked through. In the setting sun, glistening water droplets trickled down his cheeks. Surrounded by the golden sunset, Yuan Yang was as beautiful as an immortal, almost too beautiful to look at directly. Yu Zhou suddenly felt a pang of pain. What was this feeling? Looking at his sweat-soaked back, Yu Zhou's mouth moved, unsure what to say. He only felt a bitter, astringent feeling.

The black robe fluttered gently in the evening breeze, appearing so helpless and decadent in the setting sun. He simply stared blankly at the long white shadow in the distance.

[Wine Tasting]

Because of the previous incident, Yu Zhou didn't tell Qin Yan about the bed, and Yuan Yang didn't do anything out of line again. So Yu Zhou still lived with Yuan Yang, but the two remained silent. Even in bed, they faced away from each other. Yu Zhou couldn't face Yuan Yang and unconsciously wanted to distance himself from her.

In the noisy classroom, Hua Qianmo stood there wrapped up like a rabbit: "Yelü Longxu, you said whoever guesses the mixed wine can make someone do something." But even though Lan Tianxixiang's nose was injured, she still covered Hua Qianmo's head. Hua Qianmo was actually very annoyed because the whole class was staring at him.

"I said it myself, since it's not fun for just the two of us, why don't we all join in?" Yelü Longxu said provocatively.

"Alright! Qingheng (Xiao Han's courtesy name), how about we join in?" Zhan Ge asked Xiao Han, who nodded and said, "Do I have any other choice?"

"Little bean, hurry up!" Hua Qianmo looked excitedly as Yu Zhou and Yuan Yang arrived. But Yu Zhou seemed to see a rabbit waving at her. Hua Qianmo's appearance was truly unique.

"Hua Qianmo, don't forget I'm your young master. And this look of yours..." Yu Zhou was annoyed; why did he always call her "Little Bean"? "Never mind the look, you look like a rabbit, don't you? If you win this competition, I won't call you Little Bean anymore," Hua Qianmo said righteously.

"What competition?" Yu Zhou blurted out.

"You can tell the wine by its aroma," Hua Qianmo said, pointing to several cups beside her.

"Okay!" Yu Zhou's expression remained unchanged, but many people didn't know that Yu Zhou's nose was even more sensitive than a dog's; she was determined to win this competition.

Ye Yan smiled and handed the wine to Yu Zhou, saying, "You try to guess which one I have. But you can only smell it along the rim."

“No need, mead,” Yu Zhou said without picking up the glass.

"Don't you need to smell it?" Ye Yan looked at Yu Zhou in disbelief, then at Yelü Longxu.

"The mead has a clear color, a fragrant honey aroma, and a sweet and refreshing taste. It's Jin Yao's tribute wine. Mead is effective for insomnia, forgetfulness, lethargy, and sexual dysfunction; it significantly improves chronic gastrointestinal diseases; it also has a good effect on chronic bronchitis and asthma, making the skin rosy and delicate, enhancing resistance to colds and anti-aging, and having health benefits such as maintaining youth." Therefore, Yu Zhou often drinks this wine; she knows it intimately.

"Brother Yu, what do you mean by chronic bronchitis and sexual dysfunction?" Meng Tianfang, ever the curious child, asked again.

"Uh!" Yu Zhou's face flushed red, and the others also blushed slightly at the question. Only Meng Tianfang stared blankly. Ye Yan then gave Meng Tianfang a hard knock on the head and said, "You pighead, why are you asking so many questions?"

"I was just asking, you just asked me what it meant too," Meng Tianfang said, feeling wronged. Actually, many people wouldn't know what it meant, but anything with the word 'sex' in it was definitely not something to ask, and seeing Yu Zhou's flushed face made it even more inappropriate to ask.

"Next glass!" Hua Qianmo immediately handed over a glass of wine. This was his proudest possession, and no one could have guessed it.

Yu Zhou finally escaped the awkward situation and picked up Hua Qianmo's wine glass: "Wine." Wine didn't exist on this continent yet, which was why Hua Qianmo had such a confident expression. However, Yu Zhou already knew about this purplish-red color even without hearing it.

"How...how did you know?" Hua Qianmo was shocked. Even royalty might not know the name of this wine. Moreover, the recipe was passed down through generations and only a few people knew it, but no one had ever made it.

"I learned this by chance from a book, and it's best to use a luminous glass if you're drinking wine," Yu Zhou said, holding up his wine glass.

"Then Cang Shi (Jing Xie Shang's courtesy name), why don't you try this cup of wine?" Shen Si had been watching Jing Xie Shang, who had been silent all along.

Jing Xieshang picked up his wine cup and said, "Du Kang wine."

"What can dispel sorrow? Only wine." Hua Qianmo began to show off his literary talent again. But Shen Si smiled and said, "Wrong. This is not wine."

"If there is leftover rice, leave it in an empty mulberry tree. It will ferment and develop its flavor. It will accumulate and develop its fragrance over time. It is naturally produced and not made by any strange recipe. This Dukang wine is definitely right! Wuyue (Shen Si's courtesy name), you must have misremembered." Hua Qianmo was still fiddling with the poem when she snatched the wine from Jing Xieshang's hand and said.

Yu Zhou took the wine, smelled it, and said, "Yes, this is not Dukang wine. It is Dukang wine mixed with a little barley wine. Although it is only a little, it can still be distinguished."

Shen Si was slightly taken aback, but still nodded.

"Then Cang Shi (Jing Xie Shang's courtesy name) has lost this round. Shen Si, state your demands." Yelü Longxu said slowly, his eyes narrowed. But his eyes remained fixed on Shen Si.

"Yuan Yang, you drink this glass of wine." Hua Qianmo solicitously handed the wine to Yuan Yang. His rabbit-like head tilted as he looked at the glass Yuan Yang accepted. "I admit defeat, I don't drink." Yuan Yang's words were quite unbelievable. He didn't drink.

“Xingzhi (Yuan Yang’s courtesy name), won’t you reconsider?” Hua Qianmo asked.

"I concede," Yuan Yang said again, his tone now filled with deep anger. "But..." Hua Qianmo wanted to ask further. But Yuan Yang had already gone beyond his usual irrationality, smashing his wine glass on the ground, his eyes blazing with fury. This was completely unlike the Yuan Yang of the past. The gentle and refined man was now like a raging lion, angrily smashing the wine glass on the ground.

“Let’s do it,” Feng Youhuang said.

"Excuse me, I'm feeling a bit unwell. I'll take my leave now." With that, Yuan Yang disappeared from sight. This wine wasn't difficult to make; it was baijiu, the simplest kind of liquor. Even someone who doesn't drink should be able to guess its taste. So why did Yuan Yang react so strongly?

"Yu Zhou, where are you going!" Feng Youhuang saw Yu Zhou about to run out as well. "I'm going to check on him." Yu Zhou felt that Yuan Yang's behavior today, or rather, in the last few days, was very abnormal. Could it be that his menopause had come early? He thought to himself as he searched for the white figure.

[surprise]