Her eyes were already incredibly captivating, and with a slight effort, they became even more alluring. He couldn't help but feel a mix of excitement and irritation.
"You're supposed to be fair, so why are you starting to influence my thoughts?"
"Where?" she feigned ignorance.
"It's rare for you to play tricks on me like this, Zigui. I love you just the way you are." He said bluntly, making her blush. "If you want to play tricks, go ahead. You know I hate being bored." He grabbed her hand and forced her to intertwine her fingers with his.
"Whether I push you along this road or you pull me down, it doesn't matter."
The only one whose daughter should marry is Shangguan Yi; that is the most important thing.
Zigui, Zigui, now you understand.
The river wind grew increasingly fierce, and the air carried a faint, earthy smell—a sign of impending rain. In the stormy night, two figures walked one after the other, it was unclear whether one was holding the other's hand or pulling the other along. They seemed to be competing, yet also quite intimate, as they slowly made their way up the embankment.
The slender figure opened the wine jar in her arms.
"Father, Mother, does this jar of osmanthus wine smell good? I specially brought this fine wine from Sichuan."
She reached out and scooped up a handful of yellow earth. The fine dust drifted westward with the wind, westward, accompanied by tears and soft sobs.
The man who was blocking the wind took the slightly heavy wine jar.
Rest in peace.
With a flick of his wrist, he poured the soil from the jar directly into the river.
"You!" The woman tried to snatch the empty jar, but he tossed it into the waves.
"Shangguan Yi!"
He held her delicate body tightly, which was trembling so much she could barely stand.
"Cry, Zigui, now it's all me left."
Volume Two, Chapter Four of Guan Ju
Just as Ping County was once again submerged, the two were about to enter Zhili Province.
By then, it was already late, and those who had missed the evening drum had no choice but to light wildfires on the dry ground outside the city and sit around them in small groups.
Noticing that she was being watched, Shangguan Yi raised her head and met those moon-like eyes that were tinged with firelight.
"What, you've noticed?" He moved closer with delight and affectionately took her small hand. "Zigui, if you want to take things further, I'm not unwilling to oblige."
Her pretty face suddenly flushed red. "You're doing it again."
Yu Zigui glared at him with displeasure, which made him burst into laughter. His loud laughter filled the night, making even the dark clouds seem a little lighter.
"I just didn't expect you to abandon the carriage and travel with me." Yu Zigui said softly, looking at Shangguan Yi, who was wearing a turban and a blue cloth robe.
“What are carriages and horses? If you can walk, so can I.” He leaned closer, his eyes full of expectation. “It’s just the two of us on this journey, and you’ll only see me. After a while, how can I not fall in love with you?”
Knowing his arrogance, Yu Zigui was not annoyed, but instead said frankly, "It seems there is a little bit."
"Oh?" Even though it was only a little bit, he was pleasantly surprised.
“Now that you’re holding my hand, I don’t even think about my senior brothers anymore.” Seeing his pale face, she explained, “When we were young, whenever there was a festival of the Sea Goddess, my senior brothers would always hold our hands so that we wouldn’t be separated from Eleven by the crowd.”
"How should we hold hands? Like this." He spread his five fingers, domineeringly wrapping her hand tightly, then gently pulled her closer. "Still like this."
His breath hit her face, and she felt uneasy and tried to distance herself, but this time, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push him away.
"If you just clap your hand, I'll fly away."
Although he was hinting at it, she knew that if she actually did it, the consequences would be dire. So even though the close proximity made her scalp tingle, Yu Zigui didn't make any further moves.
Unfortunately, someone wasn't going to let the matter rest.
"How old are you?" he asked casually, his fingertips tracing the lines on her palm, gently caressing the marks left by years of wielding a sword.
She paused, as if she was thinking seriously.
"Ten or fourteen? Why count so carefully?" He was annoyed and grabbed her slender wrist tightly.
"Ziyu?" Unaware of his unpredictable temper, she frowned slightly.
"Once we enter the city tomorrow, we will travel down the Grand Canal to Jiangdu and all the way to Jinling."
When they arrived in Jinling, no matter how many senior brothers she had, the only one she could hold onto was him, only him. Even Shangguan Yi, who had been arrogant for over twenty years, had a day when he felt anxious and uncertain.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but chuckle, his tightly clenched fingers relaxing slightly.
"Disaster victims are not allowed to enter the city." Someone whispered not far away.
"This year, both rivers flooded. I heard that the four routes in western Beijing, Hebei, Shaanxi, and Huainan were all submerged."
"No wonder these people fled here." His gaze drifted to another wildfire below the city, where men, women, and children, their faces covered in dust, huddled together, occasionally letting out the soft cries of infants.
"But it's no use escaping here. The government doesn't allow disaster victims to enter Zhili. What if the epidemic spreads to the capital?"
"Too."
"What are you doing?" Shangguan Yi said in a low voice, pulling her back as she tried to get up.
Yu Zigui gripped the steamed bun tightly and looked at a crying, begging little child over the wildfire.