Chapter 96 Chapter 96 Jinjiang First Release

Chapter 96

The sun rises earlier in the mountains, and the birdsong is louder than in the inner courtyards.

Su Li's eyes were stung by the sunlight. When she woke up in a daze, she found herself still curled up in the man's arms.

Su Li looked up in surprise, meeting a pair of cold eyes of a man.

Why is Cui Jue still at home? !

Cui Jue had already woken up. He just held Su Li motionlessly, and even held her tighter when she woke up and struggled to get up.

Cui Jue was busy with state affairs, and every day when Su Li woke up, he had already ridden back to the palace. Today, it was strange that he stayed so long.

"Master, don't you have to attend the court?"

Perhaps having just woken up, Cui Jue's voice was low and cold. He said, "We will be leaving for Jianye County tomorrow. Today is a recess. Please allow me to stay home and prepare my carriage and pack my bags."

Su Li understood. No wonder he had been able to stay in Meihua Village for so long.

"When will the eldest young master return to the fort today?"

"at night."

Su Li thought about it and realized that she had been working too hard recently and was tired. She could put the pancake baking aside for the time being and rest at home for two days.

Besides, she was worried about leaving Cui Jue alone in the courtyard, for fear that he and Lin Yin would have another quarrel or conflict.

Thinking of this, Su Li curved her lips and smiled: "Then I won't sell cakes today, and will stay at home with the eldest master for a day."

It was also a way to repay his kindness in escorting my grandmother and Qiu Gui.

Hearing this, Cui Jue's dark eyes were filled with a hint of clarity and warmth. He was obviously very pleased. He put his arms around Su Li's slender waist, rested his chin on the top of the girl's head, and rubbed it gently for a while.

Perhaps because the sex last night was too intense, Su Li was very tired and took a nap with her head resting on Cui Jue's arm.

When he woke up this time, Cui Jue was no longer on the bed.

Su Li got up in a daze.

There was a creaking sound from the door, and Cui Jue came in with the prepared tea.

Looking at the side of the bed again, I saw that the skirt and jacket I was going to wear today had already been neatly folded and placed aside.

Su Li reached out and touched her dress. She put on the skirt embroidered with lavender grapes and then put on the jacket with a plain Yao Huang background.

She hadn't washed yet, and her soft black hair was draped over her shoulders, as if wrapped in an eggshell.

Su Li looked obedient, like a yellow bird that could nimbly spread its wings and fly into the mountains at any time.

Cui Jue handed over some throat-moistening tea, and then took out a peach wood comb to help Su Li tie her hair.

Su Li was flattered and was about to refuse, but Cui Jue had already gathered all her black hair in his palm.

The elegant fragrance of the green lotus came over, mixed with the fresh scent of orchid, which was the unique herbal scent between Cui Jue's sleeves.

Su Li was distracted for a moment, and soon her hair was tied into a bun by Cui Jue.

Very simple hairdo.

It's just a matter of dividing the black hair into two strands, and making a bun with the extra hair into it, which is fixed with a silver hairpin with a Buddha's hand lantern tassel; on the other side, use osmanthus hairspray to smooth out the frizzy parts, and then wrap it with an emerald green silk ribbon, and then make it into a small braid that hangs down to the chest.

Su Li looked at herself in the mirror and felt satisfied.

Although it is not a complicated bun, Cui Jue has good taste and knows how to match colors and clothes. Today's outfit makes Su Li look more beautiful and graceful than usual.

Su Li still didn't want to be too conspicuous to the outside world, so after washing her face and cleaning her teeth, she changed her face to look ordinary, suppressing seven points of her gorgeousness.

Su Li and Cui Jue walked out of the room together, which surprised Lin Yin and Mrs. Hu a little.

Mrs. Hu brought out steaming vegetable buns for the two of them and also scooped two bowls of sweet soy milk and passed them over.

Mrs. Hu: "Sanniang, Yang Dalang saw that you were still asleep today, so he drove your ox cart to the inner city to work..."

Mrs. Hu was worried that Su Li still had to bake pancakes to sell, and it would be delayed if the ox cart was driven away.

Su Li nodded: "I understand. I won't be setting up the stall today. Brother Yang, please feel free to use the car."

Mrs. Hu: "Okay, since you happen to be home, can you help me deliver a basket of eggs to Aunt Liu in Xiaguang Village later? The pheasant you used to make soup last time was given by Aunt Liu, and I haven't returned the gift yet."

Su Li: "Okay, it's a small matter."

Before Su Li took the eggs, Lin Yin had already reached out and picked up the bamboo basket.

Lin Yin said to Su Li, "Sister, go have fun."

Su Li was surprised.

"I happen to be free, so leave this little thing to me. You can't just stay at home and eat and drink for free every day."

"Well, please help our Ah Yin!" Su Li readily agreed and didn't refuse. She was also afraid that when she delivered the eggs later, Cui Jue would insist on coming along. The mountain roads in Xiaguang Village were difficult to navigate, and the paths in this remote and poor village were muddy, which would dirty Cui Jue's clothes.

It would be better to take advantage of Chixia's presence and go to Liuzhou City with Cui Jue to buy some clothes and food for Grandmother and Qiu Gui.

Lin Yin sent the two out. Before parting, he looked at Cui Jue strangely. The latter had a cold and frank expression and was not afraid of his prying eyes at all.

Lin Yin couldn't help but frown, thinking about what happened this morning.

When the sky was just getting light, the fire was burning in the kitchen. Lin Yin got up early and lit the fire to boil water.

Before he finished adding firewood, Cui Jue put on his clothes to keep warm and walked slowly into the smoky kitchen.

When Lin Yin saw the ferocious man, he immediately became alert, as if facing a great enemy.

Lin Yin was not at all nervous, but he would not allow himself to be killed.

After much deliberation, Lin Yin still held the stick in his hand, taking a defensive stance, and stared at Cui Jue warily: "What's wrong?"

He thought that Cui Jue had murderous intentions and wanted to kill Lin Yin here while Su Li was sleeping.

But Cui Jue just glanced at him indifferently and handed him a jade token with the word "Cui" written on it.

"This is a secret order to mobilize Cui's secret guards. Seeing this order is like seeing you. Although I have deployed troops here and left a team of one hundred death squads, there will be omissions. If there is any unrest, you can summon the troops according to this order to protect Su Li."

Lin Yin took the jade token with doubt in his eyes and couldn't help asking, "Why don't you just tell my sister?"

Cui Jue said calmly, "Why make her worry?"

He remembered Su Li saying that she had been imprisoned in the cage of the aristocratic family for many years because of the debts of favor owed to those family members.

She was trapped in her own web, she surrendered without a fight, she was suffocated by the debt and guilt, and she finally managed to break free from the shackles.

He couldn't possibly... make her feel guilty again.

He couldn't possibly... trap her again.

-

Lin Yin and Cui Jue did not argue, which really made Su Li feel relieved.

After Lin Yin left, Mrs. Hu took Yuan Ge'er to the village head's wife's house to do handicrafts. Only Cui Jue and Su Li were left at home.

Su Li suddenly smiled playfully and shouted towards the empty forest: "Chixia——!"

It was just a casual try, but unexpectedly the biting cold wind carried Su Li's cry away, and a fiery red horse as bright as a cloud actually appeared at the end of the mountain path.

The BMW came galloping, its fluffy mane swaying in the wind, as gorgeous as fire.

Chixia's limbs and horse hooves spread out, and his horsetail swept up a cloud of sand and gravel, and he looked extremely excited and happy.

Su Li successfully summoned Chixia. Her eyebrows immediately lit up with joy as she gave Cui Jue a smug smile: "So what? The eldest son's mount actually recognized its master and obeyed my orders."

Cui Jue curled his lips slightly, letting her take advantage of him without answering.

This scene reminded Cui Jue of what happened at the birthday party of Princess Li many years ago.

That day, Cui Jue planned for the emperor's great cause and wanted to participate in the polo match so that the king would mistakenly think that he was interested in the princess.

Cui Jue is indifferent to others and does not like to interfere in other people's affairs.

Therefore, even though he knew that Su Li was being bullied, he did not step forward to help.

In Cui Jue's eyes, Su Li was humiliated in public because she did not see the secular rules clearly and deliberately squeezed into the circle of upper-class nobles. Because she was not worthy of her position, she suffered all kinds of grievances.

This is his own fault, why should he take action?

But the young lady was cunning and had bribed the BMW under Cui Jue's command without anyone noticing.

Su Li was so bold and presumptuous that she summoned Chi Xia away in public, humiliating Cui Jue in front of everyone.

Cui Jue watched this scene coldly and felt unhappy.

He could have stopped her, destroyed her, killed her.

But when he saw the young lady's pretty almond eyes, and watched her dyed with golden sunlight, bathing in the mountain breeze, her light gauze robe blown by the wind, highlighting her graceful figure and slender waist, Cui Jue, for some reason, suddenly remained silent, but still gave her some respect.

Now that he thinks about it, his indulgence and partiality towards Su Li seems to have been ingrained in him... He really treats her differently.

Chixia ran to Su Li, rubbed the girl's cheek affectionately, and then silently chewed Su Li's sleeve with his long horse mouth, signaling her to get on the horse quickly.

"Master, could you please take me to the inner city of Liuzhou?"

Cui Jue responded: "Okay."

Cui Jue did not hesitate. He jumped onto the horse with swift movements. After sitting firmly, he gripped the reins with one hand and stretched out the other hand with his palm open towards Su Li.

Su Li stared at the big hand as white as jade, then followed his wrist and looked at the man on horseback who was full of vigor.

Cui Jue rode on Chixia, with his shoulders straight and his back upright, as upright and unrestrained as before.

Su Li didn't know what she was thinking about, she smiled at him with pursed lips.

The girl's eyebrows and almond eyes curved into crescents, and her smile was as beautiful as a flower.

When holding Su Li's soft and boneless hand, Cui Jue suddenly realized something.

It turned out that one day, Su Li would be able to smile at him so brightly.

-

Today's shopping trip is under the full command of Su Li.

Su Li took Cui Jue to West Street in the outer city.

The streets and alleys are bustling with people, and there are steaming snack shops, wine shops, teahouses everywhere, and even peddlers pushing carts and carrying loads, moving back and forth in the bustling crowd.

Su Li wanted to entertain Cui Jue, so she took five taels of silver with her.

Although this amount of money is not even enough to pick one's teeth in front of princes and nobles.

Su Li couldn't afford a fine meal at a restaurant, but it was more than enough for her to take Cui Jue to eat some street snacks such as pastries, grilled meat skewers, etc.

Cui Jue didn't care much about food, so he would only take a quick bite of most snacks with a frown, then put them back in the oil-paper wrapper without moving.

Su Li secretly cursed him for wasting food, but then she changed her mind and remembered that Cui Jue used to look down on these street snacks, and now that he was willing to condescend to take a bite, he was already giving him face.

Su Li ate the barbecued meat skewers, her cheeks puffed up as she asked Cui Jue, "Young Master, when is your birthday?"

She had never asked about Cui Jue before, and the first time she took the initiative to speak, Cui Jue was slightly stunned.

Cui Jue didn't know what to think, and after a long while he said, "The end of June is the height of summer."

Su Li raised her eyebrows and laughed secretly in her heart. No wonder she was so hot-tempered all the time. It must be the sweltering heat that had entered her womb!

But it’s almost April now, and Cui Jue probably won’t be able to make it back to Liuzhou for his birthday this year.

Thinking of this, Su Li took Cui Jue and took him to an embroidery shop that specialized in selling fragrant tassels and pendants.

Su Li carefully selected the sachets embroidered with cherries, green bamboos, and tiger heads, and picked out a silk sachet made of sparrow silk stuffed with dried osmanthus flowers, and tied it to Cui Jue's waist with a thin belt.

Su Li spread her hands and said helplessly, "My Lord, you know that my family is poor and we are struggling financially. I can't afford an expensive birthday gift. The most I can give you is a silk sachet..."

Cui Jue lowered his eyes, and gently stroked the embroidery on the sachet with his slender fingers. His tone was gentle: "It's already very good."

He likes it.

Su Li was very happy to see that he looked gentle and not unhappy.

Su Li paid the money and was about to leave the shop when she saw Cui Jue stretch out a long finger and silently hook it around her sleeve.

The elegant and subtle fragrance approached, and the aroma of orchids wrapped around Su Li.

The next moment, a crane jade pendant, which was glued together with jade rivets, was hung on Su Li's waist again.

Su Li lowered her head and touched it with her fingertips. The jade was warm and cool, and the cracks were closed.

This was the jade pendant that Cui Jue had given her as the head of the Cui clan... After her "death", he went to the snowy area of ​​Pingyao City, picked up her relics, and kept them for several years.

Su Li originally thought that Cui Jue's words like "it's okay to have no children" and "just adopt one" were just jokes to coax her.

But he actually still had the selfish desire to marry Su Li.

He actually still had the thought of reconciliation.

Su Li lowered her head and stroked the jade pendant.

Cui Jue stood by without saying a word, seemingly waiting for Su Li's reaction.

No matter if Su Li threw the jade pendant, glared at Cui Jue, or spoke rudely, he would not blame her...

Su Li held the jade pendant tightly, feeling hesitant. Should she pull off the jade pendant and throw it back into Cui Jue's arms, or let it hang on her body?

Cui Jue saw Su Li's hesitation.

In the end, he made the decision for her: "Keep it... Consider it my return of favor."

He didn't push her.

Su Li couldn't bear to be cruel after all.

She no longer cared about the whereabouts of the jade pendant, letting it hang heavily and lifelessly around her slender waist, just like an ordinary piece of jade that held down her skirt and prevented her from walking.

-

For lunch, Su Li and Cui Jue ate Hubing outside.

After eating the pancakes, Su Li first went to the herbal medicine shop to buy some medicinal herbs for treating women's gynecological diseases, such as chicken blood vine, hawthorn, etc., and then took Cui Jue to visit a remote family.

The blind old woman in the yard heard the footsteps from afar, tapped her bamboo stick, and said to her daughter-in-law, "It's Sanniang!"

Su Li pushed the door open and walked in, saying with a smile, "Grandma has really good hearing. She can actually hear me from such a distance."

The old woman smiled and said, "Not only do I have good hearing, I can also tell that Sanniang is in a good mood today..."

Su Li couldn't help but glance at Cui Jue behind her. Her ears felt strangely hot. She didn't want Cui Jue to misunderstand her, so she could only smile awkwardly and explain quietly to Cui Jue, "Grandma's ability to identify people by voice isn't that accurate..."

Cui Jue knew that she was hiding her embarrassment, so he did not expose her and only greeted the blind woman politely.

The old woman pulled Cui Jue aside and asked him all sorts of questions. Su Li, seeing that he was trapped, did not help Cui Jue. She simply handed the herbs in her hand to Madam Yu, reminded her of the precautions for decocting the herbs, and then asked, "Madam Yu, have you had any other symptoms recently?"

Madam Yu said to her privately, "Thanks to Sanniang's prescription, I am now fully recovered."

"That's good." Su Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Since Madam Yu gave birth, she has had constant lochia. Most doctors in Liuzhou are men, so it is not convenient for them to examine women. Therefore, when others learned that Su Li was a good doctor, they came to her specifically to ask for help.

Su Li only prescribed a few medicines based on medical books, but she was quite relieved to see that Madam Yu's condition had improved.

After greeting Madam Yu, Su Li planned to take Cui Jue away.

Unexpectedly, when Su Li went out, she saw Cui Jue bowing, allowing the elderly woman to reach out and touch the Wu emperor's brow bone with a trembling hand...

Su Li was so frightened that she almost lost her soul.

She cursed herself inwardly for her rude behavior in leaving Cui Jue in the yard. She wondered if he would blame the old lady.

Just as Su Li was about to go up and pull Cui Jue away, she saw the old woman let go and smiled and praised, "Sanniang, your husband is so handsome! No wonder you looked down on none of the young men we recommended to you."

Su Li's head was buzzing and she couldn't react for a moment... How did Cui Jue become her husband?

Before Su Li could say anything, Cui Jue had already responded: "My wife is usually confused, so please take good care of her."

"Oh, what do you mean by taking care of me? You are really putting it too seriously, young master!"

To prevent the two from saying anything out of line, Su Li quickly took Cui Jue's arm and dragged the pretentious man out of the yard.

However, Su Li's efforts to cover up the rumors not only failed to quell the rumors, but also gave her the impression of being "thin-skinned and shy", which really made her very angry!

-

Su Li knew that Cui Jue would be leaving for Jianye County tomorrow, so he would not stay in Meihua Village tonight to avoid missing the auspicious time for departure.

Therefore, tonight's dinner can be considered a farewell banquet.

Until now, Su Li and Cui Jue have gradually begun to get along harmoniously.

While Su Li was at the market, she asked Cui Jue about his preferences. Do you eat river fish? Do you eat shrimp? Do you like pig's tongue or offal? If not, what would you like to eat? "I don't have any delicacies from the land or the sea; I don't have enough money."

Su Li was open about her poverty and looked fearless, which made Cui Jue laugh.

Cui Jue changed his mind and asked her, "Do you have a bow and arrow at home?"

Su Li thought about it and nodded: "Yes! Brother Yang goes into the mountains to hunt from time to time to give us a snack. Do you want to hunt in the mountains? I'll go with you! We can also call Ah Huang, he has a keen nose and can smell the scent of wild boars, and then we can run faster."

Cui Jue was suspicious: "Who is Ah Huang?"

"The old dog at the village entrance."

Cui Jue felt a slight headache and subconsciously pressed his forehead: "..."

After a long pause, Cui Jue said, "I can hunt wolves with my bare hands, so I probably don't need a hound to help me."

Su Li thought of Cui Jue's bravery in shooting arrows continuously, and she understood. She was generous with her words and praised him lavishly: "It is I who look down on others and look down on you, young master! Come on, I will lead the way for you!"

Su Li led the horse in front, Cui Jue followed behind, and the two of them traveled into the mountains at night.

Before Su Li saw the prey and gave orders, Cui Jue had already sharpened his hearing and locked onto several targets ready to move in the dense forest.

The man's phoenix eyes were filled with cold murderous intent. He just raised his arm and drew the string. The simple longbow made by the farmer was like the sharpest divine weapon in the world, and it opened quickly in his palm.

The bowstring is fully drawn, with a wooden arrow tucked inside. The arrowhead is shining with the cold starlight, looking ready to be launched.

The mountain breeze blew Cui Jue's flowing wide sleeves, and also blew his black hair flying behind him, like flowing wind and snow, pure and elegant.

Cui Jue was swallowed by the darkness, merging into a gloom. He stood in the shadows, listening for sounds and locating his position, his eyes slightly closed.

But in an instant, a long arrow came with a sharp whistling sound and rushed away like a stream of fire.

The shrill howls of wild beasts rang out in the forest, deafening.

Su Li was overjoyed: "I hit it!"

Just as she was about to step forward to seize the prey, Cui Jue pulled her behind him.

Cui Jue warned: "Be careful, if the prey is on the verge of death and still resists the attacker... just wait."

"Okay." Su Li obeyed and followed Cui Jue honestly.

Fortunately, Cui Jue's judgment was correct.

Before this, Cui Jue drew his bow and shot an arrow, which pierced the deer's brain and killed it long ago.

Cui Jue picked up the beast in a few moves and threw it onto Chixia's saddle.

Blood splattered all over the ground, and the weeds were also covered in scarlet.

Su Li quickly dodged away, not wanting to be contaminated by blood.

But Chixia was calm and composed.

Chixia had been helping Cui Jue carry things for many years, so he was already accustomed to seeing bloody corpses. So when he smelled the blood, he rode steadily without panicking.

Su Li was amazed and admired in her heart.

At night, Su Li and Cui Jue returned home together with a full load.

Along the way, Su Li was thinking about how to "divide" today's spoils.

First, stew a pheasant for Cui Jue to nourish his body... After all, Cui Jue is the one who is doing the hard work.

As for the rest of the wild animals, Su Li could skin them and make fur coats. The leftover meat would be salted and cured into bacon, which would then be hung on bamboo poles to dry slowly.

It's hot and rainy in summer, so Su Li is worried that the pickled meat won't keep.

If it really comes to this, let Yang Dalang go to the restaurant and ask if there are any stores that want to buy game.

Su Li's abacus beads clattered.

A quarter of an hour later, Su Li realized that she had neglected Cui Jue for a long time and was even taking all the credit for Cui Jue's hunting. She quickly thought of a topic and asked Cui Jue, "Young Master, how did you celebrate your birthday in the past?"

It was also strange. Su Li had stayed in the Cui family in Wudong for such a long time, but she had never seen Mr. Cui hold a banquet to celebrate the birthday of his eldest grandson... Logically speaking, Cui Jue's birthday was a big event, and it would definitely be planned in a grand manner.

Cui Jue was silent for a moment, his voice low and hoarse: "I haven't celebrated my birthday in a long time."

Su Li was surprised and turned to look at him: "Is it because of the busy government affairs?"

Su Li certainly knew that Cui Jue was in charge of state affairs and was busy with all kinds of things every day. He probably didn't even have time to prepare a banquet.

But Cui Jue hesitated for a moment, then gently called her name: "Su Li."

Su Li was confused: "What's wrong?"

"My mother didn't die of illness; she actually committed suicide."

Su Li was puzzled: "Why did you bring this up?"

Cui Jue fell silent again.

Many years have passed and Cui Jue rarely thinks about the past, but he still recalls the past today.

At that time, Cui Jue was still a young boy.

On his birthday, Aunt Huirong sent longevity noodles to Cui Jue, who was marking papers in the study.

After delivering the noodles, Huirong closed the door and left. Outside the house, she gave instructions to the servants to keep their mouths shut and not to let anything slip in front of their master.

Countless white banners were raised in the house, and the chanting of Buddhist scriptures for the deceased could be heard in the distance. The servants of the Cui family were silent as a mouse, looking terrified as if they were trying to keep the secret.

Cui Jue was not stupid, so how could he not understand what was happening?

…

After several years, Cui Jue had long forgotten about this matter.

But when Su Li asked, he thought about it and said calmly: "The day my mother passed away... happened to be my birthday."