What makes your heart flutter?
"How do you have so much poison?"
She recognized the medicine bottle; Mr. Yi had used it to carry the poison he used to trick the robbers. In recent days, she had also learned about Mr. Yi's habits: he used fancy bottles to carry poison and casually packed antidotes, making it difficult for ordinary people to notice.
"Of course, it's to avoid being poisoned."
Mr. Yi lifted the tip of her nose and boasted, "The anesthetic I developed, if sprinkled on a wound, will not cause any pain even if the area around the wound is subjected to slow slicing. Once the effect wears off, excruciating pain will rush to your head, guaranteeing that you will suffer unbearable agony."
Wen Ruo's throat tightened as she looked at the unconscious Shi Liu Niang. "So, Master, you want to break her legs and reattach them?"
"You weren't scared at all."
With an appreciative look on his face, Mr. Yi asked, still unwilling to give up, "You really won't come with me on this journey? It's not too late to come back and take care of her in her old age in three or five years. We can go to Miao territory, break your Gu curse, and maybe even find your master."
"Who wants to find him?"
Wen Ruo turned her head away. Even in the capital, she didn't come to find me. A scourge can live for a thousand years; she'll probably outlive me.
"Open the door!"
The clumsy voice carried a hint of alcohol. As soon as the door opened, Qi Guanlan swayed, carrying two jugs of wine in his hands. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes were half-open, and his expression was dazed.
Xiao Shun peeked out from behind him, carrying a lot of things in his hands, and said with sweat dripping down his face, "Young master is in a bad mood and is drunk."
"Who said I'm drunk?"
He swung his arm and walked straight in, saying, "Old man, come out for a drink."
Pomegranate Lady was still asleep, and Mr. Yi had just finished setting the bone and was resting. How could he have the strength to drink and chat with her?
"Want some alcohol? I like it."
"I am an old man who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."
Aside from his smug expression, he had just changed into a blue robe, his hair was tied up, and his beard was trimmed, making him look more like a learned scholar, or even a minister who had just finished court.
Wen Ruo tugged at Mr. Yi's sleeve, covered her mouth, and whispered in his ear, "He's drunk and doesn't remember anything, you don't need to exaggerate."
Qi Guanlan walked over, squeezed between the two, and put his arm around each of them like a good brother, shouting loudly, "We won't leave until we're drunk!"
Mr. Yi blew on his beard, exuding an air of great pride: "Girl, set it out!"
What kind of scholar is he? He's more like a charlatan, just like Tao Yuanming.
"Alright, the greatest kindness in the world is the greatest favor in life." Wen Ruo tidied the table with a helpless expression, taking away all the melon seeds and snacks to make room for the two of them. She also closed the door to prevent Young Master Qi from making a fool of himself after drinking and becoming a laughing stock again tomorrow.
During the two weeks that Qi Guanlan was running back and forth, the shop was so busy that, not to mention anything else, the cups alone could fill an entire eight-immortal table. Xiao Shun Ge finally had some relief.
The dishes were laid out on the table, but no one touched them. The two men raised their glasses to drink, but before long, Qi Guanlan suddenly clutched the wine jug and wept bitterly, “Old Man He is dead.”
Wen Ruo: "Please accept my condolences."
“Everyone dies eventually, it’s meaningless.” Yi Laotu sighed and took another sip, then shook his head in disappointment. “It’s not pure at all. Girl, go and get my treasured items.”
Wen Ruo sat alone in the corner. The porridge that Xiao Shun had bought was quite delicious, but she was completely confused by what he was saying. "What treasured item?"
She spends every day with him, how could she not know anything about treasures?
"The 30-year-old champion wine that I buried under the tree."
"quick."
"Otherwise, I'll be leaving." He stood up unsteadily, his hands resting on the table, his beard wet and glistening. Wen Ruo pressed him back into his chair. "I'll go right now."
He can't hold his liquor, yet he boasts about being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk.
When Wen Ruo returned, she was holding a candlestick in her right hand. She took out the wine gourd that the old man treasured so much and placed it in Mr. Yi's hand. "Scholar's Wine."
Mr. Yi took a sip, and said in a slightly tipsy voice, "Good wine!"
Qi Guanlan raised his head, his eyes gleaming with a strange light. He stretched out his long arm and handed the wine gourd to him. He shook it, gulped down a few mouthfuls, frowned, and said with disdain, "What a terrible taste. It's not as good as Elder He's wine gourd."
"Yes, Old He also has a wine gourd."
"It's made of purple jade, and it was a gift from me."
His voice grew lower and lower, as if he were talking to himself. Suddenly, he raised his head, his eyes, which had just been misty and glistening, became unusually excited, as if he had suddenly come to his senses. "Xiao Shunzi, go buy two jugs of the old man's favorite wine."
Xiao Shun hesitated for a moment, seemingly uneasy, then turned to Wen Ruo and whispered, "Is there any?"
Wen Ruo shook her head, "Why don't you take him back?"
Xiao Shun glanced at the sky. "Young Master, we have some at home. Why don't we go back to the manor and pay our respects properly?"
"No." Qi Guanlan sat back down. "Mother is already heartbroken enough."
Wen Ruo was stunned for a moment and missed Xiao Shun's pleading look.
"Go quickly."
"Otherwise, I'll kick you out of the manor."
Xiao Shun took off running.
Mr. Yi muttered to himself, and for some reason, he was provoked by that sentence. He suddenly stood up and said, "I'll walk by myself."
Before Wen Ruo could react, she heard the wine pot crash to the ground and shatter.
In the blink of an eye, the wine jug on the table was empty. Qi Guanlan's face turned as red as if he had applied rouge. He foolishly raised the empty wine cup above his head and looked at Wen Ruo with a smile, "Is what he said true?"
"Don't believe me?" Mr. Yi was so drunk that he didn't even know what day it was. Wen Ruo felt a pain in her wrist. "Wen Ruo, let's go. What's the use of keeping Gu and such?"
"Wen Ruo cannot leave."
Qi Guanlan threw down his wine glass and quickly grabbed Wen Ruo's other hand. Wen Ruo looked left and right. They were all so quick to answer questions, leaving her to suffer alone and deal with two drunkards.
When will Brother Xiaoshun arrive? Hopefully, he'll be quick-witted and come directly to pick up Qi Guanlan and take her home.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Mr. Yi looked stunned and let go. Wen Ruo breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Qi Guanlan. But instead of letting go, he pulled even harder, and Wen Ruo fell directly onto him.
"I won!"
"Yes, you won. Can you let go now?"
Wen Ruo quickly stood up, but Qi Guanlan still held her wrist firmly. She tried to pull away, but he didn't budge. He muttered, "I won't let go. You're a liar."
What will I do if you leave?
"Okay, I won't leave."
“I hate people with the surname Fu, and you can’t marry him.”
"Okay, I won't do it."
Wen Ruo nodded perfunctorily, and the next moment, her warm breath fell on her face, so close that Qi Guanlan could count her lower eyelashes.
His eyes narrowed to slits, and his nostrils flared slightly. To be honest, he looked a bit like the yellow dog in front of her house. He used his nose to confirm the scent, "Are you Wen Ruo?"
It's all nonsense.
Those eyes really need to be gouged out; they're completely useless on him. Wen Ruo's eyes widened, and she leaned back slightly, feeling so drunk she could hardly breathe.
She gritted her teeth. "Who else could it be?"
Even if he went along with what he said, he could still be wrong. Wen Ruo slowed his breathing, but the smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of medicine still entered his nostrils. It was familiar yet strange. A cold wind blew by, and he sat back down.
Is this confirmed?
Wen Ruo breathed a long sigh of relief. He was drunk; why bother arguing with a drunkard?
Qi Guanlan weighed the wine gourd in his hand, tilted his head back and took another swig. He rested his chin on his hand, his eyes fixed on Wen Ruo, his eyebrows lowering and lowering, pressing down on the corners of his eyes, looking somewhat annoyed.
"How could Wen Ruo possibly listen to me?"
"......"
Why don't you get treatment?
Wen Ruo rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not sick."
Her wrist tightened, and Wen Ruo quickly changed her tune, "I'm healed."
He nodded in satisfaction, loosening his grip slightly. It was November, and the weather was getting colder, but Qi Guanlan's palms were still burning hot, and his wrists felt a faint burning pain. Wen Ruo tried it out, "Can you loosen your grip now?"
He acted as if he hadn't heard, still pressing down on the table, showing no intention of letting go. Wen Ruo looked at the other drunkard.
Mr. Yi seemed lost, standing there like a stone statue, looking dejected from head to toe. Could it be that he also had something sad to say?
Wen Ruo sighed, turned to Qi Guanlan, propped her elbow on the table, tilted her head to find a comfortable position, and asked, "Are you very sad?"
Qi Guanlan half-closed his eyes, blaming her for having such sharp eyesight that she could even see the color of the moisture on his lips clearly. They were full and plump, with a faint smile on them, just like the pastries from Leng Hua Lou, a feast for the eyes.
"My father hurt my mother's feelings."
"..."
"You should not get married."
Wen Ruo was startled, her wrist and body swaying slightly. He sounded like he was being coquettish when he spoke, a thought that made her hair stand on end.
Qi Guanlan approached again, the familiar scent of alcohol mixed with a faint sandalwood fragrance lingering around my nose, and his breath filled my left ear. "I'll tell you a secret, no man is any good."
Wen Ruo was amused by his words, "You too?"
Qi Guanlan was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this. He pondered for a moment, looked at Wen Ruo, and slowly shook his head, "I will not get married."
"How heartbroken that princess must be."
Wen Ruo glanced at her numb wrist. "Want to make your mother happy?"
"Let go, and I'll tell you."
Qi Guanlan was a bit slow to react after getting drunk, so Wen Ruo deliberately slowed down her speech to take care of him. It took him quite a while before she let go of his hand.
There were a few fingerprints on her pale wrist, but at least she was free. Wen Ruo rubbed her wrist.
Qi Guanlan's waiting gaze was exceptionally quiet, her wide eyes resembling those of a bewildered and curious fawn, making one reluctant to bully her. "If you're happy, she'll be happy too."
Qi Guanlan's eyes went blank for a moment, then he lowered his eyes in disappointment and murmured, "I'm not happy."
Wen Ruo slowly swept her gaze over the two of them, and beckoned with her finger, "Since I'm in a good mood, I'll coax you a little."
"Watch closely, and learn from me."
With a slight upturn of her lips, Wen Ruo looked at him as if she saw Shi Liu Niang, and then she couldn't stop herself. Her eyes almost curved into crescent moons, and her dimples, which were barely visible, held a subtle tenderness.
Qi Guanlan slowly lifted his eyelids and looked up, unexpectedly meeting her smiling face. Her features were exquisite, completely different from her during the day. He was reluctant to blink.
Seeing that he was motionless and seemed to be frightened by her, Wen Ruo immediately stopped smiling and belatedly realized that she had just done something stupid.
Fortunately, he didn't remember anything after waking up. She coughed lightly and said casually, "Anyway, no one has a smooth life. Think about happy things, smile, and it will all pass."
The moon was high in the sky above the willow branches, and the charcoal fire was about to go out. If he went to sleep, he might have a stroke. Qi Guanlan was unreliable. Wen Ruo went to great lengths to finally move Mr. Yi back to his room.
The starlight was sparse, dotting the moon's side. A few more pieces of charcoal were added to the stove. The noise around the shop began to subside. Wen Ruo waited quietly with Qi Guanlan for a while. She pricked up her ears and listened carefully to the door. There were no footsteps, only the cold wind banging against the door, making a rumbling noise.
"Qi Guanlan?"
"Qi Guanlan!"
Qi Guanlan lay on the table, covering his head and pretending to be asleep. His ears and cheeks were getting hotter and hotter. He secretly breathed out, his heartbeat became more and more uncontrollable, and his fingers unconsciously curled up, with crescent moons hidden in his palms.
What's going on? His name sounds so nice?
The old man's wine is problematic!
No wonder he boasted about being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk; he was cheating.
"Still not awake?" Wen Ruo shoved him a few times. "Idiot!"
She got up and left.
Qi Guanlan's face darkened. He buried his face in his arms and finally revealed it, staring intently at her back as he fell into deep thought.
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