If you can't give her what she wants, don't give her any hope.
He Zhuo pursed his lips and walked forward. Looking around, he realized that Qiu Su was nowhere to be seen. He frowned and carefully examined the people on the street. Finding nothing amiss, he quickened his pace and searched each shop.
Meanwhile, Qiu Su was dragged by Pei Yuan all the way back to the city. As soon as she turned into the alley, she pressed against the wall, pressed her waist, and started laughing out loud.
Why are you running?
"Didn't you run away first?" Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow innocently. "Why were you walking so fast? I thought there were relatives you had visited inside."
Qiu Su's face tightened, but she couldn't hold back and burst out laughing again.
Qiu Su rarely smiled so broadly in front of outsiders. She usually preferred to stand with her hands behind her back, looking calm and serene like an old Taoist priest, at most offering a slight smile. Pei Yuan was also seeing her smile like this for the first time, and in an instant, he believed the saying, "A woman's beauty is captivating, simply because of her smile." People say that there are many beautiful women in the world, but none truly stunning. He used to think this was true, but now it seemed that it was simply because they lacked this kind of bright smile that made everything around them seem vibrant.
Beauty is something that resides in the human heart.
Pei Yuan looked at the two dimples at the corners of Qiu Su's lips, lowered his eyes and said gently, "I've never seen you smile like this before."
Qiu Su glanced at him, her smile gradually fading. She covered her mouth, coughed lightly, and put her hands behind her back, saying, "I have no relatives in this city."
Pei Yuan grinned, revealing his teeth. "I thought you'd have relatives everywhere. Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
"What?"
"A tavern. I had a drink there once before. It was fruit wine, quite extraordinary."
"Oh~~, the Cheng Family Tavern you mentioned." Qiu Su pressed her lips tightly together, and after walking a short distance, she hesitated before speaking, "How did you run into enemies? The imperial court? Or..."
"Don't ask. I can't explain it clearly either. Susu will understand in time."
Pei Yuan reached out and pulled her hand from behind, holding it as he leaned closer and asked, "What kind of wine does my wife like?"
Well……
"Green plum wine."
"Does my wife prefer sweet and sour flavors?"
Seeing Pei Yuan's strange look, Qiu Su quickly explained, "I also like spicy food."
"Oh~~" Pei Yuan seemed to suddenly understand, but after that "oh," he said nothing more, making Qiu Su's heart skip a beat. She wondered if he was just deciding the sex of their future children based on his own taste? Wow~~ that's quite a straightforward thought.
Cheng's Tavern is the best place in Pingcheng to brew fruit wine, as well as the best place to brew baijiu and huangjiu (yellow wine), so it's always packed with customers. Even when most people are out in town visiting the farmland, the tavern remains bustling with activity.
The shop has private rooms, specially prepared for wealthy ladies and wives who come out to enjoy fruit wine, or for literati who want to compose poems. Qiu Su thought of He Zhuo, who had gotten separated from her, and chose a table by the window.
The waiter quickly brought out plum wine and the bamboo wine Pei Yuan had ordered, along with two plates of wild vegetables and pheasant meat. Pei Yuan frowned as he looked at the honey-yellow liquid in Qiu Su's small white porcelain bowl and asked, "Is it really that good?"
Qiu Su picked up the wine pot and handed it over, saying, "Have a taste."
Pei Yuan didn't take it. Instead, he picked up the small white porcelain bowl in front of her, took a sip, frowned, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Sour!"
Qiu Su glanced at the faint lip print left on the rim of the white porcelain bowl, pursed her lips, and put the wine pot back in, but paused because of the conversation coming from behind her.
"Have you heard? General Ji, whose entire family was wiped out? It turns out that Ji's only son didn't die. He's currently in the capital seeking revenge on the person above him. Apparently, one of the palaces above him was burned down, and now all the city gates in the capital are closed."
"Didn't they say the Ji family didn't even spare a rat back then? How could a little child have escaped?"
“Alas, you don’t understand. Who is General Ji? He’s a god! A general whose family has served for generations, achieving numerous military exploits, a national protector general passed down from ancient times. He’s a man with a spirit. How could such a legendary figure have his lineage die out so easily?” The man lowered his voice. “It is said that the late emperor knew about this beforehand, so he switched his own prince with the young master of the Ji family, saving his life. He just ended up living among the common people.”
"If that's really the case, tsk, the late emperor did a good job for the Ji family by going to such lengths. But aren't the people on the throne now also descendants of the late emperor?"
"Tch, don't you see who holds the real power? The one who came to power now didn't even have teeth when he was young. That regent didn't let the other princes live. Sigh, with the reappearance of the Ji family's descendants, the world is going to be in chaos again."
"The chaos won't affect our Pingcheng. As far as we're concerned, it doesn't matter who's in the position."
The waiter brought over the dishes, smiling as he said, "Oh, gentlemen, you seem to have nothing better to do. Here's another dish for you. The boss said it's on a free basis. Hehe, just don't say anything more about hierarchy; our shop hasn't been open for many years yet. Please forgive us, gentlemen. Tell me about the fine wine and beautiful scenery of Pingcheng, and the lovely girls of the Wanhua Pavilion in Pingcheng."
The burly men chuckled and, without any ceremony, took the dishes and immediately changed the subject, talking about Xiao Hongye, a prostitute who had just entered the Wan Hua Lou brothel.
Pei Yuan glanced at Qiu Su, who was standing motionless with her eyes lowered, and asked softly, "What's wrong? Do you have to show some appreciation before drinking the fruit wine?"
Qiu Su curled her lips without looking up. "Yes, the best plum wine is honey-yellow. There's also red one, but that's because there are too many fruits and it's too sour, not as refreshingly sour as Cheng Family Tavern's."
"My lady seems to know a lot about these things."
Qiu Su picked up the small bowl, took a big gulp, frowned, swallowed slowly, and looked up, saying, "I didn't expect you to bring me here."
Pei Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "I'm glad my wife likes it. Try this bamboo wine, I liked it the first time I drank it, I didn't expect the fragrance of bamboo to be preserved so completely."
Qiu Su curled the corners of her lips, glanced back at the diners as if by accident, tightened her lips, and then lowered her eyes again.
When Qiu Su and Pei Yuan arrived at the foot of the mountain, He Zhuo had already been sitting on a rock for a long time. Seeing the two of them slowly walking over, he rolled his eyes without any politeness.
Qiu Su glanced behind him and let out a soft "Eh?" and said, "Just one person?"
"What do you think?" He Zhuo said, stepping on a large rock with a bandit-like air. "Where did you guys go?" He then sniffed Qiu Su and snorted, "Su Su, you actually went to drink? Leaving me here waiting for half a day, my scalp is all sunburnt!"
Qiu Su looked up at the lush locust tree above her head and rubbed her forehead.
“You didn’t see us. We even specially chose a window seat.” Pei Yuan straightened his cuffs. “I just remembered something that looks exactly like you.”
He Zhuo raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Pei Yuan curled the corners of his lips, "That mountain lord guarding the edge of the pit."
He Zhu gritted his teeth, glanced at her sideways, and then looked at Qiu Su with a wronged expression, saying, "Su Su, have you really forgotten about me?"
Qiu Su smiled but didn't say anything. He Zhuo had known her for many years, and seeing the smile on her lips but a faint frown between her brows, he put his leg down and said, "I won't hold it against you. But Su Su, you have to roast rabbit meat for me when we get back. It's been a long time since we roasted meat together."
"Okay." Qiu Su looked around. "Let's go back. He Zhuo, have you had lunch yet?"