"What's the matter?"
A huge sound of fireworks drowned out You Yuji's words, so Si Que didn't hear them.
You Yuji looked up at the huge fireworks blooming in the night. At this moment, the night faded and became as bright as day. She looked back at Si Que who was pulling her forward.
He held her wrist tightly and walked away from the crowd by the river with a quick pace.
You Yuji stopped asking and let him do what he wanted.
The banks of the Lianshui River were very lively tonight. Si Que walked with You Yuji for a long time with a cold face, and there were fewer people around them. But he kept walking and pulled You Yuji to a deserted alley.
The high courtyard wall blocks out the noise from the riverside.
Si Que didn't stop until he reached the end of the alley. He pushed You Yujie against the wall, took off her mask, and saw her delicate face.
"Sister..." he called out in a low, restrained voice.
You Yuji placed her hand on his upper arm, looked at him with a smile, and asked softly, "Didn't you ask me to dance?"
There was a charming smile between her eyebrows, and her tone was a bit like a light pant after dancing.
Si Que looked at her slightly opened lips and immediately kissed her.
His slender fingers pressed against her snow-white cheek, imprisoning her whole body in front of him, under his palm.
Behind You Yuji was a rough white wall, tinged with the coldness of winter. The person in front of her was like a ball of fire. She was caught in the middle, unable to breathe, and was invaded by another sense of plunder and oppression.
The fireworks rose to the highest point and bloomed in an instant, and the stream of light then gently and piecemeal fell into the night.
With a creaky sound, the back door of a nearby courtyard was pushed open. The person inside did not see the two people in the dark corner. He poured the half basin of water in his arms to the side of the door, then stepped back and closed the door.
The passionate kiss was interrupted by the basin of water. The two people stayed there, not saying a word or moving for a long time.
After a long time, there was no more sound coming from that house.
The two people looked at each other at the same time and smiled at each other at the same time.
You Yuji lowered her voice, and even with a reprimanding tone, her voice was still gentle: "Don't make a fuss like this outside."
"I can't help it." Si Que looked into You Yuzhi's eyes.
You Yuji's lips curled up slightly: "Are you a child?"
Si Que lowered his eyes and placed a light kiss on her forehead.
He just couldn't help himself.
A light tenderness was imprinted on You Yuji's brows. You Yuji quietly turned her face to one side and pursed her lips. They had done the most intimate things before, but at this moment, because of this light kiss, a little softness was born in her heart.
Si Que unfolded her cloak hanging in his arms, put it on her, and carefully fastened the buckles at her collar.
You Yuji quietly watched him adjust the collar of her cloak. His slender fingers stroked her collar from top to bottom until he let go and naturally took her hand at her side.
He led her out, through the dark alley back to the bustling Lianshui River.
The high courtyard wall receded, and the light along the river gradually appeared in sight, until the two people also walked into the light.
"It's snowing." You Yuji raised her face slightly, letting the fine snow foam fall on her face.
The snow was very small, with a few grains falling here and there, as if they were just joining in the fun.
The two of them walked along the river bank for a long time before the guards who were in charge of setting off the fireworks finally squeezed through the crowd and found You Yuji.
"lady!"
You Yuji was startled and instantly let go of Si Que's hand as if she was guilty.
"There are so many people here, but I finally found my wife!" Zhuo Wen breathed a sigh of relief.
You Yuji nodded casually, not really hearing what Zhuo Wen was saying.
She couldn't help but laugh at her guilty behavior just now. It's not like she had never been close to Si Que in public before, but she didn't know what happened just now. She forgot that he was wearing a girl's dress, and she felt a little unnatural in her heart, afraid of being seen by others.
She immediately looked at Si Que, not wanting him to think too much. He lowered his eyes, with no expression on his face.
You Yuji took his arm affectionately and said softly, "It looks lively in front, let's go there."
Zhuo Wen stood there, looking at the two figures cuddling together, and felt in his heart that his Madam and Princess Que had such a good relationship, they were closer than real sisters!
He didn't think any more and immediately chased after them with the two guards beside him, not daring to get separated from his wife. He was thinking in his heart - it would be unacceptable if these two beauties were treated rudely.
Not long after You Yuji and Si Que walked on, they saw the Albizia Julibrissin tree that Baohe and Zhenxu had mentioned.
It is not the season for blooming trees, so the tree should have been withered. However, strips of red silk hung densely between the branches, making the whole tree bloom with "red flowers".
Many people gathered under the tree, there were sisters in groups of three or four, and there were also couples, young and old.
You Yuji smiled as she watched an elderly couple with gray hair supporting each other as they slowly walked away. She looked away and looked at the Albizia Julibrissin tree that was surrounded by a crowd of people.
Zhuo Wen asked: "Madam, do you need to go over?"
There were too many people, and if Madam wanted to get through, he would have to clear the way first.
You Yuji shook her head.
Instead, a guard beside Zhuo Wen embarrassedly asked for leave from Zhuo Wen, slipped into the crowd, squeezed under the tree, and prayed for a good marriage for himself.
Zhuo Wen cursed with a smile.
You Yuji stared for a long time at the strips of red silk floating gently among the branches of the Albizia albizzia tree, with a faint smile at the corners of her lips.
After a long time, she turned her head and looked at Si Que's profile beside her.
Although she was still at the bustling bank of the Lianshui River, at this moment, You Yuji's heart slowly calmed down, away from the hustle and bustle that had nothing to do with her.
All those lively, soft, delicate, or other complex emotions were forced away by her.
At this moment, she felt peaceful.
In this calm, she asked herself—
You Yuji, do you like him
It's not admiration, sympathy or suitability, but the purest love between men and women.
Do you like him
Even though we didn't know each other, I admired him for his poems and songs.
When a kid who doesn't cause trouble is needed urgently, he is the perfect person to go to.
They spent time together day after day, sympathizing with his situation, giving in again and again, and coaxing him.
She seemed to have almost forgotten that one of the important reasons why she initially thought Si Que was the most suitable candidate was that he was dying.
At that time, she wanted a child and didn't want to be involved with the child's father.
But now, when she thought about his impending death, she felt sad. Was this sadness really just because she felt guilty for stopping his medication? Was it really just because she felt sorry for the early death of a talented person
More than that.
With the intricate entanglements, it is not easy to separate other emotions and measure how much pure love there is.
"Sister?" Si Que looked over.
You Yuji smiled slowly and said softly, "It's late, we should go back."
"Okay." Si Que said in a normal tone, as if he had not noticed You Yuzhi's long contemplation just now.
There are boats going downstream and boats going upstream. The boats going upstream are different from the boats going downstream, and are slightly more spacious. However, the lively crowds along the river are often used to walking upstream. There are not many boats going upstream.
You Yuji and Si Que, like the other tourists, walked up the river. You Yuji heard Si Que cough lightly, and was worried that he might not be able to hold on, but was too embarrassed to say anything, so she immediately asked Zhuo Wen to prepare the boat.
She and Si Que sat on the small boat, listening to the boatman humming an ancient tune.
You Yuji looked at the river lanterns floating on the water and picked up a blank one. She turned around and asked, "Old man, do you have any writing materials on your boat?"
"No, no. Madam, do you want to write on the river lanterns? You can use a burnt stick!"
You Yuji thanked him, lit a stick of fire, burned it for a while, then extinguished it with a slight shake of her wrist. After waiting for the temperature to drop, she laboriously wrote the word "peace" on the paper of the river lantern.
"Who are you praying for peace for, sister?" Si Que suddenly asked.
"That's too many people." You Yuji smiled. She bent down and carefully placed the river lantern on the river. The water rippled, and the small river lantern swayed.
Cuiyu and Lin Yingying loved the hustle and bustle. They ate at all the snack stalls along the river, then held hands and squeezed through the crowd. They stood on the bridge, pointing at the fireworks blooming in the night sky and smiling happily.
A small boat was moored at the shore, and the boatman had gone somewhere. The scholar in blue stood alone at the bow, squinting his eyes slightly, looking at the pink figure standing on the bridge.
Cluster after cluster of fireworks illuminated the scenery on the bridge again and again.
Soon, his servant squeezed through the crowd of people releasing river lanterns by the river and boarded the boat.
"Sir, I found out. She is the concubine of Prince An."
The scholar frowned.
The servant hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It was one of the two prostitutes that Prince An brought back to the mansion on the day of his wedding..."
The scholar's frowned brows slowly relaxed.
She was not someone's wife, but a concubine, and the concubine of Prince An. This made things easier.
He looked up at the bridge again, but the pink figure was gone.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu walked down the bridge hand in hand to look for Chunxing. They searched for Chunxing in the crowd for a long time before they saw her squatting by the river, holding a river lantern in her hand.
Two people went over immediately.
"Hey, why did you draw a moon on the river lantern?" Cuiyu asked.
Chun Xing was startled, and her hand holding the river lantern began to tremble, and the river lantern almost fell to the ground.
"No, nothing." Chun Xing smiled awkwardly. She placed the river lantern in her hand on the rippling water and watched it slowly float away.
Lin Yingying and Cuiyu looked at each other.
"Madam and the others are here." Lin Yingying's maid spoke.
Several concubines immediately went to welcome You Yuji. They all knew that they had been out for too long tonight and it was time to go back.
On the way back in the carriage, Lin Yingying and Cuiyu kept telling You Yujie what interesting things they saw and what delicious food they ate.
"If we find something delicious, we will buy it for my sister!" Lin Yingying patted the big box in her arms.
You Yuji smiled and nodded.
Si Que felt a little cold after staying by the river for too long. As soon as he got on the carriage, he drank hot tea to warm himself up.
"The fireworks tonight are so beautiful!" Cuiyu said, "I wonder which official is trying to cheer up the young lady!"
Si Que, who was drinking Longjing tea, coughed lightly and almost choked.
"Be careful." You Yuji suppressed her smile and gently wiped away the tea stains that splashed on his fingers with a handkerchief.
"Is it hot?" she asked.
Si Que shook his head.
You Yuji put down her hand and said casually, "I don't know if I succeeded in making that young lady happy."
After saying this, she turned and looked at Si Que with a smile.
Si Que's slender fingers pinched the teacup in his hand and slowly turned it around. He looked into You Yuji's bright eyes and said slowly, "I think... you must be happy."
Lin Yingying yawned and said casually, "It's so late, I'm so sleepy."
Cuiyu suddenly burst out laughing and spoke without restraint: "The official spent so much money to make the young lady happy. This young lady must serve him comfortably tonight. Maybe she won't be able to get out of bed tomorrow."
Si Que raised his eyelids and glanced at Cui Yu.
You Yuji took the cup of tea from Si Que's fingers, drank it herself, and then said seriously: "That makes sense."
Si Que really turned his head and looked at her.
The carriage stopped in front of the mansion. Lin Yingying and Cuiyu shouted that they were tired and jumped off the carriage immediately. Chunxing followed them down. Only Si Que and You Yuji were left in the carriage.
You Yuji leaned over and gently touched the corner of his lips.
It has a strong sense of comfort.
Si Que lowered his eyes, not very happy.
He still hoped that she would pull at his clothes with red eyes and beg for a kiss from him.
The author has something to say: No need to cry and worry about be in the comment section anymore, the thoughtful author has added the two letters he to the text [well behaved]