Chapter 270: Shufang Night Talk, Love Warms the Deep Winter
By the time I left the guesthouse, night had deepened. Streetlights began to light up one after another, their warm yellow glow spreading across the snow, casting a gentle glow over the entire street.
"How about we go to Shufangzhai and sit for a while?" Xiaoyanzi wrapped her cloak tightly around her. The tip of her nose was red from the cold, but her eyes were bright as stars. "I'll ask the kitchen to stew some ginger duck to warm you up."
Ziwei looked at Erkang, and Erkang smiled and nodded: "Okay, it's been a long time since I last visited Shufangzhai."
Liu Hong kicked Ertai and said, "Are you going or not? If not, I'll go by myself!"
"Go, go!" Ertai hurriedly followed, "I'll go wherever you go."
Liu Qing scratched his head and looked at Jinsuo: "How about...we go join in the fun?"
Jinsuo smiled and said, "I'll do as you say."
The carriage moved slowly forward in the night, its wheels making a soft creaking sound as they rolled over the light snow. Inside Xiaoyanzi's carriage, Yongqi was warming her hands with a small charcoal stove. Her fingers, frozen cold, moved restlessly in his palm.
"Don't move." Yongqi patted the back of her hand gently, "If you move again, I won't warm you up."
Little Swallow stuck out her tongue and remained motionless, but she kept looking out the car window. "Do you think the wintersweet flowers at Shufangzhai have bloomed yet? They were so fragrant this time last year."
"It should be blooming," Yongqi said. "I asked Xiaodeng to check it out a few days ago, and he said the buds are swelling."
As they spoke, the carriage had already arrived at the entrance of Shufangzhai. Seeing that it was Prince Rong and Princess Consort, the guards at the gate quickly bowed. Xiaoyanzi jumped out of the carriage, took a deep breath, and indeed, she could smell the faint scent of wintersweet. Her eyes lit up, and she pulled Yongqi inside and ran, "Do you smell it? It's really open!"
In Shufangzhai, red lanterns hung high, and the snow under the corridor had been swept aside, revealing the bluestone pavement. A small group of people sat around a stove, roasting sweet potatoes on small stools and tables. They heard footsteps and turned around. Seeing them, they quickly stood up and said, "Prince! Princess! You're back!"
"Little Stool, go tell the kitchen to stew the ginger duck!" Little Swallow yelled, her eyes darting around the yard. "Where's the winter plum?"
"It's in the west corner!" The little table pointed there. "Look, Princess, it's blooming beautifully!"
As expected, Xiaoyanzi ran to the west corner, where several wintersweets were in full bloom. Their bright yellow petals stood out against the night sky, and their fragrance was refreshing. She reached out to pick some, but Yongqi stopped her.
"Be careful not to prick your hands." Yongqi took out a pair of small silver scissors from his sleeve, gently cut off the most blooming branch, and handed it to her, "Have it and play with it."
Little Swallow took the flower branch, put it to her nose and sniffed it, smiling with her eyes curved: "It smells so good!"
Ziwei, Erkang and others also arrived one after another. Ziwei walked into the yard and saw the familiar scenery. Her eyes were slightly warmed: "Shufangzhai is still the most comfortable."
"That's right." Liu Hong sat down on a chair in the corridor, picked up a small stool and started to eat the roasted sweet potato. "It's much better than those luxurious places."
Ertai sat down beside her, snatched the sweet potato from her hand and took a big bite: "Eat slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you."
"What do you care!" Liu Hong glared at him, but handed over the remaining half.
Liu Qing and Jinsuo walked slowly in the yard, looking at the swing in the corridor and the stone table in the corner. Jinsuo whispered, "Remember? We used to eat snacks here secretly."
"Of course I remember." Liu Qing scratched his head. "At that time, I was always afraid of being discovered. Now that I think about it, it's really interesting."
Little Mosquito came over with tea and saw the lively scene. He started shouting again, "Wow, boom! It's been so lively in Shufangzhai! I'll go urge the kitchen to bring the ginger duck up quickly!"
"Hurry up, hurry up!" Little Swallow waved her hand and turned to the crowd, "Come on, sit inside. It's cold outside."
Inside, the stove was already burning brightly, and the room was warm. Everyone sat together, eating melon seeds and chatting, as if they had returned to the days of Shufangzhai.
"Honestly," Erkang looked at Xiaoyanzi and Ziwei, "It's great to be here today."
"Yes." Ziwei nodded and held Xiaoyanzi's hand. "I always thought it would be great to recognize the emperor again, but I didn't expect..."
"You didn't expect to marry someone as good as me, right?" Erkang said with a smile, causing Ziwei to blush and hit him.
Xiaoyanzi laughed heartily. "Erkang, you're so shameless!" She turned to look at Yongqi and blinked. "But, Yongqi, what he said makes sense. I think it would be great to marry you, too."
Yongqi's ears turned slightly red, and he reached out and ruffled her hair: "Naughty."
As he was speaking, Little Mosquito came in with a large pot of ginger duck, and the aroma instantly filled the entire room. He placed the pot on the table and lifted the lid: "Here it comes! Hot ginger duck! Your Majesty, Princess, everyone, please try it!"
Xiaoyanzi was the first to grab a spoon, filling a large bowl for herself and one for Yongqi before passing it to the others. The ginger duck was stewed to tender tenderness, the broth rich and juicy, and each mouthful warmed her whole body.
"Delicious!" Liu Hong ate until her mouth was full of oil. "It's even better than the one in the guesthouse!"
"That's right," Xiao Dengzi said proudly, "This is the secret recipe that the princess taught us. It uses rice wine from Jiangnan!"
As they ate, they chatted about past anecdotes and future plans. Erkang said he wanted to open a school in the suburbs of Beijing to teach orphaned children, while Liu Qing said he wanted to open a restaurant in Jiangnan so more people could experience his cooking.
Xiaoyanzi listened to their plan, feeling warm inside. She looked at Yongqi and met his gentle gaze. She smiled and leaned close to his ear, whispering, "Yongqi, look, everyone is doing well. That's great."
Yongqi held her hand tightly and whispered in her ear, "Well, it's even better with you here."
Outside the window, the fragrance of wintersweet wafts through the air, the night is gentle; inside, the lights are bright and laughter is constant. In this life's Shufangzhai, there is no longer the disputes and separations of the previous life, only warmth and tranquility.
As the night deepened, everyone began to say goodbye. Yongqi walked Erkang to the door, and Erkang patted his shoulder: "Be good to Xiaoyanzi, she is a good girl."
"I will." Yongqi nodded solemnly.
When he returned to the house, Xiaoyanzi was sitting by the window, holding the wintersweet branch in her hand, carefully examining it in the light of the lamp. Yongqi walked over and gently hugged her from behind.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I was thinking," Xiaoyanzi turned around and leaned into his arms, "it would be nice if it could always be like this."
"Yes." Yongqi bent down and kissed her forehead, "It will always be like this."
The fire in the fireplace was still burning, casting their shadows against the wall. The fragrance of wintersweet wafted in from outside the window, blending with the warmth of the room, creating a most heartwarming scene.
In this life, they finally grasped their own happiness. There was no regret, no missed opportunity, only full of love and warmth, flowing quietly in this deep winter night.
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