Une jeunesse errante

Chapitre 9

"This is Tianyi Ranch, didn't you know?" Qing Jianyue said with some regret, the woman who was as beautiful as an angel was actually an idiot.

"Not here, not here."

The young woman in white cried out sadly and staggered away. Qing Jian Yue scratched her head; there was a large bowl of tofu dregs inside. The white fox leaped and bounded away like lightning, and Qing Jian Yue, fearing something might happen, chased after it closely.

Stepping onto the stone-paved path, passing through two moon-shaped gates, one arrives at an antique wooden bridge. After crossing the bridge, one runs along a long, verdant bamboo corridor. The delicate fragrance of osmanthus blossoms wafts through the air, and the air is filled with golden and silvery dust, making one feel as if transported to a fairyland. An autumn wind rises, scattering the golden and silvery dust, playfully lifting and tugging at its petals, as if saying, "Look! Delicious osmanthus sugar, osmanthus cake, osmanthus fish, osmanthus mooncakes, and fragrant osmanthus wine..."

Kiyoshi was overjoyed. His eyes were tinged with the colors of the sea of flowers that obscured the sky—one golden, one silver. He was happy, he was delighted, he was stunned, he was dumbfounded, he was mesmerized, and saliva dripped from his wide-open mouth.

The white fox leaped and howled in the distance, but its master's soul had already been captivated by the delicious food. Helpless, it laboriously returned to his feet, biting and tugging at his robes. Kiyoshi Tsuki awoke from his dream, looked down at the loudly howling white fox, and suddenly remembered the young woman in white. He hurriedly followed it into the depths of the osmanthus grove.

The young woman in white lay motionless on the flower-strewn ground, whether asleep or her soul had departed for the celestial realm, it was unclear. Qing Jian Yue slowly walked to her side, gazing at her exquisitely beautiful yet melancholic face, her heart overflowing with admiration yet also filled with pity. The white fox placed its two front paws on her fragrant shoulders, its golden eyes blinking tenderly, captivated by her beauty.

Kiyomi Tsuki sat cross-legged on the ground, resting her cheeks on her hands, admiring the painting of a sleeping beauty among osmanthus blossoms with a look of rapture. Unconsciously, her eyelids grew heavy, covering her dark eyes.

In a daze, everything seemed to be under a spell; the flow of time slowed down, and thousands of petals fluttered down, drawing countless beautiful arcs in the air, intertwining in a vibrant tapestry of colors. They collided with each other, producing a sound that only nature could produce. How magical! How beautiful!

Kiyomi Tsuki was so infatuated that she abandoned her physical body, and her soul, shining with a crystal-like brilliance, transformed into one of the thousands of petals, fluttering joyfully in the wind before finally returning to the earth.

When he woke up, his bright eyes met the sorrowful eyes of the young woman in white.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Kiyomizuki."

"Your smile is so peaceful, overflowing with happiness in its tranquility. Why?"

"Because I am happy. Why are you sad? You possess a beauty that others crave but cannot have, so why are you not happy?"

"I lost my happiness three years ago. I've searched desperately, but no matter how hard I try, I can't find it. Can you tell me where it is?"

"Why did you lose it three years ago? Did you lose it? Or did you hide it?"

"Girl, come back. Girl..."

"girl……"

Calls came from afar, growing more urgent with each call, growing louder as they approached. Hearing the calls, a peculiar expression appeared on the perfect oval face of the woman in white. Before Qing Jian Yue could figure out what was happening, a group of maids and servants arrived, panting. Suddenly, the woman in white threw herself into Qing Jian Yue's arms and hugged her tightly.

"Lei, it's you, Lei! I know, you've come to pick me up. You must have come to pick me up, Lei!"

The group of people gasped in shock at the sight. Qingjian Yue spotted Lei Yongxiang, who was brimming with rage and striding towards them as if he were about to kill someone, with Zhou Yanhua following behind him.

Kiyomi Tsuki's heart pounded. Good heavens! This is terrible! Lei Yongxiang looks like he's about to rip my head off.

The young woman in white seemed overjoyed, hugging him and crying out, her tear-stained red lips kissing his face indiscriminately. Qing Jianyue was stunned! Lei Yongxiang, who had approached, also stopped in shock, his eyes filled with sorrow and disbelief.

The white fox, enraged, tugged at her dress and cried out in protest: "I am the Fox King! Why won't you kiss me? This is so unfair!"

A few seconds later, Kiyomi Tsuki came to her senses, pushed her away forcefully, and said angrily, "Hey, men and women shouldn't touch each other, stop doing this. You'll have to take responsibility for violating me like this."

He pushed her away, but she rushed over and clung to him desperately, crying and pleading, "Lei, don't go, don't leave me. Please, take me with you. Lei, Lei."

Qing Jian Yue said with a headache, "Sister, you've mistaken me for someone else. My name is Qing Jian Yue, Qing Jian Yue, I've already told you twice. My name isn't Lei, who would have such an awful name?"

"You lied to me, you are Ray. Ray, please, don't abandon me, please, take me with you."

She clung to him like a drowning person, and no matter how hard he pulled, he couldn't get rid of her.

"Let go, stop this. You're a noble beauty, making such a move will make people spit on you. Besides, I'm not Lei. If you don't let go, I'm going to throw you. Even if you're a woman, I won't be polite."

"Why? You keep saying you love me, but you go to see other women. You lied to me, you're trying to lie to me again." Her eyes turned crazed, and suddenly she bit his neck hard.

"Wow!"

Qing Jianyue screamed in despair and struggled with all her might. The woman in white was ultimately a weak woman and was shoved away. Lei Yongxiang rushed over and caught her in time, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"Sherry." Lei Yongxiang's eyes flashed like lightning as he stared at Qing Jianyue's face. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah? Fox found her." Qing Jianyue jumped up and down in fright, shaking her hands desperately. "It wasn't me, it was her, she bit me."

The young woman in white broke free from Lei Yongxiang's support, rushed over and hugged Qing Jianyue, crying sorrowfully, "Lei, you're leaving me again, how cruel you are. Lei..."

Kiyomi Tsuki was terrified. "No, no, let go! Please don't bite me again!"

Lei Yongxiang reached out and grabbed the young woman, saying, "Xueli, wake up, she's not the big brother."

“Girl, he’s not your son-in-law. Listen to the wet nurse’s advice. He’s not your son-in-law. Go back.” An older woman also chimed in to persuade her.

"It's Lei! Brother Xiang, Nanny, look! It's Lei! But he's leaving me again. Brother Xiang, help me, help me! Lei..."

She desperately reached out to Qing Jian Yue, crying her heart out. The maids and servants around her also began to weep. Qing Jian Yue couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow, and tears almost welled up in his eyes as well. If he hadn't been afraid that this woman might bite him, he would have gone over to comfort her long ago.

Lei Yongxiang was heartbroken and gritted his teeth, gently coaxing, "Be good, don't cry. Wake up, he's not your older brother."

Zhou Yanhua also ran over and called out, "Xueli, he's not Brother Yongqing, he's Qingjianyue."

"Who are you?" The young woman in white suddenly stopped crying and glared at her fiercely.

Zhou Yanhua trembled as if she had been swept by a strong wind. "I am Yanhua, Xue Li. Don't you recognize me?"

"You're that vixen who tried to steal Lei. I'll kill you."

The girl in white pulled out the phoenix hairpin from her hair and lunged at her, stabbing her without thinking. Zhou Yanhua turned pale, and Lei Yongxiang grabbed the young woman in white and pulled her into his arms.

"Sherry, calm down. She is Yanhua, Grandma Cai's sister."

"Let me go, I'm going to kill her, I'm going to kill her."