Chapter 152: Fall
She said, "This game is unfair. I was the one drinking. Now it's my turn."
Zhao Yan didn't say anything and nodded.
She said, "Guan Gong beheaded Diao Chan (guess a word) under the moonlight."
Zhao Yan thought for a moment and said, "I don't know either."
Yu Huatang rarely saw him get humiliated, so she chuckled for a long time and said, "Drink. It's the word 'Zhen'. But luckily no one else heard it tonight."
The next sentence was that Zhao Yan lost again. After five rounds, Zhao Yan lost again.
However, in the interval between pouring the wine, Yu Huatang felt something was strange. She clearly said that the answer to the riddle "Two trees are not a forest, but their hearts are connected (guess a word)" was "think", which was a very simple word. She didn't believe that he couldn't guess it.
He would know if he just used his brain a little. She looked at him and saw that he was drinking with his eyes slightly narrowed.
He is pretending.
"I don't want to play with you anymore. You obviously know how to do it, but are you teasing me?" She was a little angry and stood up to leave with the cloak.
"No, I didn't..." He denied it immediately.
"Of course not. You are a top scholar, but you can't even solve such a simple riddle? Well, I guess you are pretending to be very hard."
Indeed, these things were very simple for him. He just wanted to talk to her and didn't want to win all the time, otherwise she would lose interest.
He hurriedly grabbed her and said, "These are indeed very simple for me. Maybe I drank too much tonight and just didn't want to guess anymore. Don't be angry, I'll teach you how to guess these. It's very simple."
"Really?" she asked in disbelief.
"Really? How dare I lie to you? Look." He told her a few more riddles, how to guess the words, how to explain them. After listening for a while, she understood.
Finally she said, "You seem to know everything. What is there that you don't know?"
Zhao Yan quickly said, "Of course there are many, like playing Pai Gow. I can't operate that. How about we play this?"
Yu Huatang thought for a while and said, "Are you sure you don't know this?"
He shook his head and laughed, "Sure."
Perhaps fearing that she would leave later, he pulled her to sit closer. Yu Huatang only knew a few simple ones. In the past, the noble ladies in the capital all played these. When she returned here, Madam Hua also taught her some.
The two quickly stacked the cards. Yu Huatang won the first round. She asked, "Where was your favorite place when you were a child?"
He said, "When I was little, my favorite thing was playing in the Shicha River in Beijing. When it froze in winter, we would go there to cut ice. But now I like this place the most because there are people I want to see here."
Yu Huatang felt a little embarrassed listening to this, and pretended not to hear. The two played another round, and Zhao Yan won this time. He asked, "Did you ever like anyone when you were a child? I mean, before you got married."
Yu Huatang thought about a young man from the neighboring village she had once been fond of, also a scholar, but he had since moved away and probably had a large family now. She said nothing, just drank a glass of wine.
In the next round, she lost again. Zhao Yan asked, "If I leave, will you miss me?"
Yu Huatang lowered his head and said nothing, just picked up the wine glass and drank.
Later, she continued to lose, and Zhao Yan asked, "Why don't you say anything? Are you unable to let me go?"
"I remember that time, you would often come to see me. Now, if I leave, will you miss me and think about every little detail of these days?"
"You don't say it, but if I do, I will think about it. I will think about the time we spent here, especially at night. I will wonder if you will be lonely here alone, and who can help you if you are in trouble. What if someone bullies you?"
Yu Huatang said nothing, just drinking. When the last pot was finished, it was finally her turn to ask. She felt a little tired and at a loss. Looking at the darkness outside the window, she asked, "When are we leaving?"
"In a few days, I'll be gone. What will you do? Will you be sad to see me go?"
She didn't say anything else, but stood up and said calmly, "It's too late... I have to go back. Take care, my Lord."
"No, don't go. Answer me." Zhao Yan pulled her, but she broke free. "This wine is a bit strong. I want to go back and rest."
When she stood up, she felt a little fuzzy and dizzy. In order not to embarrass herself or say something, she turned around and reached for her cloak.
But she overestimated her alcohol tolerance and was staggering before she took two steps.
Zhao Yan immediately came over to support her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say these things to upset you. I was just thinking about how hard it would be for you to be left here alone after I left. On days like this, you have no family and nowhere to go. You can only watch the dim lamp alone, bit by bit, and wait until the sun rises, and then you can count the day as over. But days like this are so long, do you want to endure this again and again?"
"Huatang, I can't let you go, and I feel bad for you. But I don't have any reason to stay any longer, and I can't even find any hope you give me. Please tell me, please, even just a little bit, I beg you to tell me."
Yu Huatang lowered his head and turned his face away, hiding the tears in his eyes. "You've just stayed here too long. When you return to the capital and find a woman you love, you'll feel that everything you have now is just a mirage and worthless. When your career is successful and you have a beautiful woman by your side, you'll forget everything here. Zhao Yan, don't be like this."
"No, I don't agree with you. We've been divorced for so long, and I still haven't married in four years, have I?" He turned her around, caressing her eyes and said, "I'm already twenty-eight years old this year. I know what I like and what I want. Let me be clear, if I must marry one person in this life, that person can only be you, and only you. I'm not some young man who gets amorous with everyone he sees, nor am I some playboy who leaves debts of love everywhere. I only want you, and only you."
Yu Huatang wanted to escape, but he hugged her and leaned on her shoulder, "Don't go... Answer me, do you really not love me anymore? Are you really going to leave me and abandon me? Even if I love you now, you are not willing to look at me again..."
She didn't say anything, tears flowed silently, her body wanted to break away and leave but she couldn't take a step.
"Huatang... tell me, you were lying to me, weren't you..." He raised his head, wiped her tears tenderly, and said to her forehead, "I don't believe you love me anymore. Give me another chance, okay..."
She cried even harder, almost unable to support her body, and he held her tightly and slid down.
How could she not love him?
Seven years ago, I fell in love with him at first sight.
After the divorce, he is the one in my dreams every time.
But she told herself to forget it.
When she thought she had finally forgotten, he came, he came to her hometown.
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