Chapter 57 The Stubborn Woman's Lament (Part 7) The emotion that made him tremble was called "...

Only one oil lamp was lit inside the room, flickering uncertainly in the dim light.

As Song Qiling strode closer, the lamplight flickered, and the interplay of light and shadow made Gu Lianzhou's profile appear even more profound. In the dim light, his long, narrow eyes were exceptionally clear.

"Late-night snack?" He looked at his senior brother, who was walking unsteadily, his face blank for a moment, and then he smelled a faint smell of alcohol.

"Have you kept the crab shell pastries I packed?" Song Qiling swayed over and felt as if his junior brother in front of him had grown three heads and six arms. He couldn't help but rub his eyes. "Take them out quickly, let's share them."

After saying that, he sat down next to his junior brother, leaning on the table. Still feeling that the bench was not spacious enough, he moved over and squeezed in a little more.

Warm body heat emanated through their clothes. Gu Lianzhou glanced sideways at their arms pressed together, his fingers, which were pressed against the book, curled slightly, and his voice tightened, "Senior brother, have you been drinking?"

"I've had a little." Song Qiling picked up the teapot on the table and poured herself a cup of water, saying nonchalantly, "It's only half a pot, it's nothing. I've been so busy drinking tonight that I haven't eaten a single bite, and I'm starving right now. Quickly bring out those pastries, go ahead."

Urged on like this, Gu Lianzhou finally stood up, took the oil paper package from the antique shelf, returned to the table and handed it to his senior brother, "Why are you drinking wine instead of eating? Could it be that you've really gone hungry just for this piece of 'crab shell yellow'?"

He sat down again and watched his senior brother intently studying the knot of the oil paper wrapping. He couldn't help but reach out to help, and in no time, he tore open both ends of the thin rope, peeled off the paper wrapping, and revealed the golden pastries inside.

"Thank you... Junior Brother." Song Qiling blinked slowly, his tongue seeming to swell, and he stammered, "I already told you... I was worried you'd be lonely, so I kindly kept you company for a late-night snack..."

Gu Lianzhou was speechless.

Then I saw my senior brother carefully pick up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth. His lips were tightly closed, and his cheeks bulged slowly with the chewing motion, just like a squirrel eating.

The pastries were crispy, and with Song Qiling's movements, they made a "crunching" sound as the crispy crust fell off like snowflakes, leaving a thin layer of crab roe powder clinging to the corners of her lips.

Gu Lianzhou watched silently for a while, and seeing that his senior brother had no intention of wiping it away, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to him.

Song Qiling stared at the handkerchief in his hand, puzzled, and said, "I only ate one piece..."

Why are we just going to wipe our hands and leave like this?

The misunderstood junior brother didn't explain, but just sighed softly as he looked at his dizzy senior brother and raised his hand to wipe away the apricot yellow stain.

The handkerchief barely brushed past her lips before falling empty.

"What are you doing? You won't let me eat, so you're trying to shut me up?" Song Qiling turned her head away, her words stammering as she quickly protected the oil paper package, acting as if she were guarding her food.

This person is completely unreasonable when drunk.

Gu Lianzhou was speechless. He decisively raised his hand and pinched his senior brother's chin. Under the other's bewildered gaze, he pressed a handkerchief against the corner of her lips.

Warm breath brushed against the back of his hand, bringing a slight tingling sensation. Gu Lianzhou looked down at her rosy lips, his fingertips trembling slightly, and he unconsciously tightened his grip.

"Ouch." Song Qiling frowned and said unhappily, "Be gentle."

The handkerchief had already been hastily put away, becoming wrinkled along with its owner. Gu Lianzhou crumpled it up and stuffed it into his sleeve.

He nervously squeezed his knuckles, feeling the lingering warmth on his fingertips, and his heart pounded with anxiety.

This inexplicable panic made him restless, so while his senior brother was busy preparing the pastries, he took a long breath.

It seemed that only in this way could he feel better.

His gaze fell on the shadows beneath his feet, and his heart leaped into his throat. Gu Lianzhou jumped up and walked around the table toward his senior brother.

The dark shadow still lingered around Song Qiling's feet, with a few particularly active ones silently climbing up and slowly tightening their grip on her trouser leg...

His symptoms are getting worse.

Fortunately, these tangled "dodder" vines had no intention of harming anyone; they simply clung tightly to their senior brother, and a secret and absurd sense of excitement rose from the bottom of his heart.

After enduring it for a while, Gu Lianzhou turned his head and cursed. Although his voice was not loud, it was very clear in the quiet room.

Song Qiling's chewing motion suddenly froze, and then she looked up in disbelief at her junior brother across the table.

Gu Lianzhou: "..."

Is it too late for him to explain now?

Just as he was feeling annoyed, he saw Song Qiling take a whole pastry from the oil paper package, stand up, prop herself up on the table, and move towards him, muttering, "Look at me... I was so busy eating that I forgot about you."

His words, spoken in a drunken stupor, took on an air of awkwardness when uttered by his senior.

As the person moved closer and closer, Gu Lianzhou leaned back slightly, hesitating whether he should dodge, when he heard a dull thud as his senior brother swayed and lunged at him.

His clothes were suddenly gripped tightly, and in a flash, he suffered a heavy blow to his chest.

Their breathing became erratic.

"Why are you hiding?" Song Qiling lifted her head from his embrace and said resentfully, "Are you still angry that I ate alone?"

"No." Gu Lianzhou looked away with difficulty, feeling the dodder spreading wildly under his feet, his heart pounding more and more erratically. "Senior brother, let go of my hand, I can't breathe."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiling belatedly realized what she had been holding onto, and couldn't help but smile awkwardly, "I'm really sorry, I used you as a handrail."

After saying that, he quickly let go of his hand, smoothed out the wrinkles in his junior brother's clothes, stood up straight, and handed over the snacks in his hand, saying, "Here you go."

The originally plump and lovely pastry was squeezed and looked quite pitiful. Gu Lianzhou glanced at it and obediently took it, stuffing it into his mouth without thinking.

Song Qiling blinked and smiled, "Is it delicious? After eating the snacks, you won't be angry with me anymore."

The dough of this "crab shell yellow" pastry is kneaded with lard to make it flaky, resulting in a salty, crispy texture. The inside is moist and fluffy, and when you chew it, you can feel a slightly grainy texture on your lips and teeth. It is indeed a unique flavor of the southern part of the city.

However, Gu Lianzhou preferred sweets and was not used to savory snacks. So, after swallowing it whole, he nodded and said, "It's alright."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiling's expression changed drastically. "Only 'acceptable'?"

Gu Lianzhou, not understanding his meaning, replied truthfully: "Senior brother, when it comes to taste, some people have the same preferences, while others have their own unique ones."

Song Qiling was intoxicated and felt drowsy after listening to these classical Chinese phrases. He stared blankly at the empty space for a while before swaying and turning around to sit down, leaning on the mortise and tenon stool.

This time, however, he didn't spare a single glance for the pastries on the table, staring blankly at the vermilion door.

Following his senior brother's gaze, Gu Lianzhou asked in confusion, "What are you looking at, senior brother?"

"Shh—" Song Qiling put her index finger to her lips, her eyes shining like stars, "Keep your voice down, don't attract that person."

"Who is it?" Gu Lianzhou lowered his voice to cooperate, but felt that his senior brother was talking nonsense and couldn't help but feel a little worried.

I had heard that when people get drunk, they become confused and lose all six senses. If they just lie down peacefully, that's fine, but if the effects of the alcohol kick in in the middle of the night and there's no one around to take care of them, it could be dangerous.

Normally, he would have left his senior brother behind to look after him, but the thought of that unruly dodder made him feel uneasy.

Just as they were hesitating, they suddenly heard their senior brother say, word by word, "My master is Chu Yue."

Gu Lianzhou was immediately stunned, looking at the gate in disbelief, "The people from Tianji Sect have also come to Nancheng?"

"Yes." Song Qiling nodded. "It's right here at the Murong residence, just outside the gate."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lianzhou slowly opened his eyes, about to say something, when he suddenly saw his senior brother collapse onto the table and fall into a deep sleep.

He took a few steps forward, squatted down beside his senior brother, and softly called out, "Senior brother?"

His response was a series of increasingly heavy breaths.

"..."

This time, he didn't have to worry about it; his senior brother was clearly unable to leave on his own.

He remained in a half-squatting position, brazenly scrutinizing the person in front of him.

The dim candlelight flickered gently, casting a soft glow. The senior brother leaned on the table, his face turned to the side, half of his face squeezed into a rounded, bulging shape. His moist lips parted slightly, revealing two neat, white teeth.

His deep gaze lingered there for a moment before moving downwards, finally settling on his senior brother's waist.

Before I knew it, the dodder had grown wildly and entangled itself here.

"What do you want..." he murmured to himself, his eyes slowly closing. Then, his chest heaved as he exhaled a breath of stale air. When he opened his eyes again, there was a hint of despair in them.

He had to admit that the feeling of fullness and sourness that made him tremble, transmitted through the dodder seed, was called "joy".

He just couldn't understand why the dodder was so entangled with his senior brother, and why it made him feel such... indescribable feelings.

-

The clapper had struck twice, but the firelight in the bedroom was still burning.

Gu Lianzhou helped the person to the couch, bent down to take off a pair of black boots, thought for a moment, then pinched the edge of the footwear and pulled it off.

A small, delicate, white foot was conspicuously exposed to the air.

Gu Lianzhou paused, his hand holding the foot garment stopped, and then he raised his other free hand, his five fingers together, hovering lightly beneath the drooping foot.

After comparing for a while, I couldn't help but marvel to myself that my senior brother's feet were as long as my own hands.

Then, considering that his senior brother was not tall enough and it was not surprising that he had small feet, Gu Lianzhou folded up his socks and stuffed them into his boots.

Straightening up, Gu Lianzhou looked at the person lying on the couch in a terrible sleeping position and scratched his head in annoyance. His senior brother had once shared a bed with him in Huanxi Village, where there was still room on the bed. But now the bed was spread out in a "big" shape, leaving him no room to lie on his side.

There was only one bed in the room, not even a chaise lounge, so I'm afraid I'll have to squeeze in with my senior brother tonight.

After struggling with himself for a long time, Gu Lianzhou seemed to have made a huge decision. He said "I'm sorry" to the person on the bed, bent down and covered the person with the quilt. Then, like wrapping a spring roll, he tucked the person's hands and feet into the quilt, rolled them around, and pushed them further in, finally clearing half of the bed board.

Gu Lianzhou breathed a sigh of relief and lay down fully clothed.