Chapter 49 Reunion Under the Moon No matter when, will you catch me...?
Fu Sui and Tian Ganyou watched Wang Lingshu get married, while Madam Zhou was racking her brains about how to arrange things for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
Of the concubines left behind by the Marquis of Yue, all but Erlang's birth mother are still alive.
In the past, when Yue Shanling and Yue Shanfeng were not at home, Madam Zhou would invite her concubines to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together. With so many people, it was lively, and her illegitimate sons could also have a reunion dinner with their birth mother.
Not only that, Madam Zhou would also summon Shen Siming. The Shen family's ancestral home was in Hunan, and they had no relatives in the capital. Shen Siming had grown up in the Yue family, and although he now lived elsewhere, he would still return to the Yue family for the Mid-Autumn Festival and New Year's Eve.
But this year is different; Yue Shanling has returned. Madam Zhou is unsure whether spending the Mid-Autumn Festival with her father's concubine would be disrespectful to him, and she also doesn't know how to handle the relationship between Shen Siming and Yue Shanling.
Yue Shanzheng hadn't gone home yet. Yue Lingling spent some time playing with her fourth sister-in-law, who was about to give birth, before coming to find Madam Zhou.
"What's troubling Mother again?" Yue Lingling asked curiously. She felt that nothing had changed, and life was still as comfortable and leisurely as ever. Why was her mother suddenly frowning?
How could Madam Zhou tell Yue Lingling about her worries? She only asked, "Have you arranged all the social obligations for your girlfriends?"
Yue Lingling nodded.
Madam Zhou then asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to add to the Zheng family's household?"
The Zheng family had planned another outing, but it was canceled because Yue Lingling twisted her ankle while playing at home. Madam Yu, however, asked for several of Shen Siming's articles, saying she wanted to show them to Master Tao. Madam Zhou, hearing of Master Tao's joyous occasion, also sent a congratulatory gift.
Yue Lingling had no intention of giving anything to the Zheng family, so she shook her head, indicating that Madam Zhou could arrange it.
Looking at Yue Lingling, who appeared completely at ease and without any shyness when the Zheng family was mentioned, Madam Zhou sighed inwardly. How could Lingling seem to have no feelings for that young master Zheng at all?
Unable to figure it out, Madam Zhou could only inquire with Yue Shanling about any requests regarding the Mid-Autumn Festival. The reply was the same as always: Yue Shanling would leave everything to Madam Zhou's arrangements.
Now Mrs. Zhou was even more worried.
There is a three-day holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Fearing being recalled to the garrison during the holiday, Yue Shanling went to the market early on the fourteenth day to look for rabbit lanterns.
After searching through most of the capital, I finally bought a round, spinning lantern. After choosing the lantern, I went to Jixiang Bakery to buy mooncakes. Jixiang Bakery is famous in the capital for its seasonal pastries during festivals. By the time Yue Shanling arrived at the gate of the Princess's Mansion with the rabbit lantern and mooncakes, it was already late afternoon.
Fu Sui slept until the sun was high in the sky. She had sent fresh crabs from her estate in the south by fast horse. Fu Sui couldn't eat that many, so she shared them with everyone in the manor and set aside a basket to send to the Yue manor.
Upon hearing that Yue Shanling was coming, Fu Sui had someone bring Yue Shanling in.
The sun was still high in the sky when we crossed the mountains and entered the princess's mansion for the second time. This time, we were taken to a place completely different from the last time.
On an early autumn afternoon, the bamboo trellis was covered with gourd vines that had begun to dry, and the green fruits hung down, gleaming warmly in the autumn sun.
A gentle breeze blew by, and the hanging gourd, heavy with unspoken thoughts, swayed in his eyes, just as her skirt brushed against his restless heartstrings.
Fu Sui had no experience growing gourds for the first time, so the trellis was too high and a ladder was needed to reach the gourds.
At this moment, a ladder had already been placed under the gourd trellis, only lacking the four large characters "Invite the enemy into the urn" to be written on it.
"This one, and that one too!" Fu Sui lifted her skirt and twirled under the gourd vine, her slender fingers poking at the withered leaves and vines. "Not that one, but the one hidden behind the leaves on the very edge."
They crossed the mountains and found the gourd that Fu Sui wanted, and traced the gourd's stem upwards.
"It will look better if it grows a little longer and has more vines."
He parted the branches and leaves, gesturing with his hands on the vine, until he received Fu Sui's permission before carefully cutting the gourd with scissors and placing it in the bamboo basket hanging on the ladder.
The ladder creaked slightly as he stood firmly, his strong arms reaching through the densely packed gourds to precisely grasp the one Fu Sui had chosen.
"Be careful not to scratch the gourd." Fu Sui's eyes, reflecting his busy figure through the gaps in the leaves, sparkled, yet he still insisted on giving him a bossy instruction.
With a slight effort, Yue Shanling plucked the gourd, along with a small, bent vine, from the gourd with a crisp snap. He then carefully placed it into the basket. The basket weighed heavily, already containing several plump and lovely gourds.
He straddled the ladder and deliberately asked, "You only need to watch out for the gourd, what about me?"
“You should be careful too.” Fu Sui stood outside the gourd trellis with his hands behind his back, looking nonchalant. “If you fall, I won’t catch you.”
Before he could finish speaking, the ladder suddenly began to sway. Fu Sui was terrified and hurriedly reached out to steady it. But before he could even touch the ladder, it stopped swaying and stood firmly on the ground.
With a mischievous lisp at the end, accompanied by the rustling of vines and leaves: "You really won't answer?"
Fu Sui immediately realized that the person was playing a trick on her. She angrily took a big step back, glared back fiercely, and said firmly, "I won't answer!"
The small basket couldn't hold many gourds. Fu Sui wanted Yue Shanling to hand her the basket, but Yue Shanling preferred to jump down the ladder herself, place the gourds in the basket in the pavilion, and then climb back up, rather than let Fu Sui do it.
After picking several gourds of all sizes, Fu Sui confirmed that she had picked all the gourds that Tian Ganyou and Qiao Zhenzhen had chosen, and then asked Yue Shanling to help her hold the ladder.
There was a gourd about the length of a finger that was plump, symmetrical, and beautiful. From the moment Fu Sui first discovered it, he would take a look at it from time to time, from summer to autumn. This little gourd did not disappoint, with neither blemishes nor crookedness.
The ladder made a sharp, gritty sound as it rested on the ground. She gently stepped onto a horizontal bar, and only continued climbing when she felt no wobbling.
The vine of the small gourd was sandwiched between the corners of the bamboo frame. Fu Sui was afraid that if the vine was left too short, it would be difficult to shape it, so he stretched out his arm and touched the gourd stem upwards.
Raising both hands at the same time made her feel insecure.
She looked down. Yue Shanling was gripping both ends of the ladder firmly; his large hands were exceptionally strong, giving one the confidence that "even if the ladder is off the ground, he can hold it steady."
Fu Sui straightened his back, stretched out his arm to cut off the small gourd, held the small gourd and half-lyed on the ladder, and lightly kicked the hand that was crossing the mountain ridge.
Yue Shanling was intently watching Fu Sui. Seeing that she had picked the gourd but hadn't come down, she leaned against the ladder and watched him with a smile. Her delicate embroidered shoes rubbed against his hands, the jewels on the toes scratching his knuckles, bringing an indescribable ticklish sensation.
"Hold on tight, be careful not to drop me." Fu Sui gripped the ladder and lowered one foot, his toes lightly landing on Yue Shanling's wrist.
Yue Shanling's arms were taut, so even if Fu Sui stepped on him, there would be no sway. He looked up to meet the cunning gaze, his eyes showing no anger at being mocked, only a gentle smile: "If the princess falls, I, Yue, will definitely catch her."
Will you catch me no matter what?
Fu Sui stepped back onto the ladder, looking down at the scene with a long, soft voice at the end.
She stood there high, her feet planted on a precarious foothold, her head shrouded in an impenetrable net. She probed lightly, waiting cautiously.
Such a questioning retort, if posed by a young and impetuous man, would have prompted him to pound his chest and make grand promises, even daring to steal stars and pluck the moon. But Yue Shanling was neither young nor sharp-witted; he simply stared intently at Fu Sui, his expression calm and sincere: "Yes."
Fu Sui laughed in the autumn wind, her wide dress fluttering wildly, making her appear as if she were about to fall. She whispered his name.
No one answered. The man named Yue Shanling stared in panic as she leaped down.
Her cheek bumped against a solid chest, and she clutched a piece of not-so-expensive fabric in her hand. Fu Sui lifted her head from the man's embrace, revealing a pair of eyes as clear as autumn water.
"Thank you for your help, sir."
A sweet voice sounded in his arms. Yue Shanling's Adam's apple bobbed, and his arms tightened along the soft curve of her skin. He slowly said, "My lady, there's no need for such formalities."
Yue Shanling sat on the steps of the flower pavilion with his long legs curled up, peeling the gourd with a bamboo strip.
Fu Sui opened the box from Jixiang Bakery and started picking through the cakes. Every year, Jixiang Bakery would make several flavors of mooncakes, but they wouldn't label them on the cakes; they would just make them into different colors or shapes to distinguish them.
Fu Sui hesitated for a long time before finally picking out the moon-shaped cake she thought was the prettiest. She picked up the cake, admired it for a moment, and then held it to Yue Shanling's lips.
Yue Shanling was engrossed in his work when he touched the oily pastry on his lips and looked up in surprise.
Fu Sui gestured to him with his eyes to open his mouth.
He hesitated for only a moment before opening his mouth to bite, but his teeth met empty air. When he looked up again, he saw that Fu Sui had already stuffed the pastry into his mouth, one cheek bulging out, chewing hard as if showing off.
The man licked his back teeth, watching her triumphant expression after her success, and even the air he bit into seemed to taste sweet.
She carried the snack box to look at the rabbit lantern. The mooncake was so big that she stuffed it all into her mouth in one go, and even after chewing for a long time, she still couldn't finish it. She mumbled, "Why is this rabbit so fat?"
Yue Shanling turned her back to her without looking up and retorted, "I guess she's just a bit greedy."
Fu Sui could easily understand the hidden meaning in Yue Shanling's words. She brandished her fist at Yue Shanling, and regardless of whether he could see it or not, she punched the air behind him repeatedly.
After venting his anger, Fu Sui went to see the rabbit lantern again.
The rabbit lantern wasn't anything particularly innovative; it was just round and adorable, and Fu Sui found it pleasing to the eye, liking it more and more the more he looked at it.
The rabbit lantern had internal supports, so no matter how it rolled, the flame wouldn't go out. At this moment, there was only a small, unlit candle inside.
Fu Sui had sent everyone away, and there was nothing to start a fire in the lonely flower pavilion, so he had no choice but to ask Yue Shanling: "Do you have any flint?"
Yue Shanling's hands were covered in gourd juice and peels. When he heard Fu Sui ask, he raised his arm to make way for Fu Sui to take it himself.
The bag containing flint was hanging around Yue Shanling's waist, squeezed between his waist and legs due to his hunched posture.
Fu Sui didn't think much of it and bent down to take it, but realized it was inappropriate when his hand reached his waist.
Unlike the embrace when Fu Sui pounced on him, this time, although there was no physical contact between the two, it was even more unsettling than an embrace.
The gold hairpin in Fu Sui's hair brushed past his ear, down his jawline, and pressed against the old wound. His chest, covered by his clothes, heaved rapidly, his surging heart pounding against his taut muscles, creating ripples on the fabric.
A dense heat surged towards Fu Sui, carrying his scalding, pulsating life force, plundering every bit of air from Fu Sui's body.
He was so hot, and she felt so stuffy.
Chaotic thoughts drove away Fu Sui's rationality. She maintained the posture that seemed about to fall into his waist, and her slender fingertips finally touched the bag containing flint.
Yue Shanling's eyes were filled with Fu Sui's beautiful hair and hairpins. The setting sun shone brightly on the hairpins, making Yue Shanling squint.
All he could see was boundless golden light, but his body could feel Fu Sui's every move. Her hair brushed against his chin, her skirt swept against his boots, her breath mingled with his, and her fingertips touched his waist.
Yue Shanling's heart skipped a beat, and he stumbled backward, the hard stone steps slamming against his lower back with a thud. The sharp pain brought Yue Shanling to his senses for a moment.
Fu Sui's hand, which was reaching for the flint, struck Yue Shanling's leg. A short, muffled groan brushed past his ear.
She steadied herself, opened her hands and placed them on the man's legs, feeling the muscles tense up instantly, and a secret pleasure welled up inside her.
"Why are you hiding?" she asked him reproachfully.
Her hand reached for the bag of flint again. She opened the bag and reached in to retrieve the flint. Whether it was due to her awkward posture or because Fu Sui didn't use flint often, her fingers moved around in the bag, but she couldn't quite grasp the flint.
Those two fidgety fingers poked at Yue Shanling's leg again and again, but Fu Sui was completely unaware. She was only thinking about why the flint was deliberately going against her and wouldn't obediently fall into her hands.
Just as he was working hard, a rough, large hand, covered in the greenish peel of a gourd, gripped Fu Sui's fingers through the cloth bag. The hand suddenly exerted force, snapping the rope tying the bag, and a crumpled bag was held up in front of Fu Sui.
Fu Sui turned to look at Yue Shanling. He exuded an aggressive sharpness she had never seen before, like a wild beast eyeing its prey. His deep, pool-like eyes churned with intense emotions, as if he wanted to capture Fu Sui in his gaze and etch her into his heart.
Fu Sui finally realized the backlash from her repeated teasing. She nervously swallowed, grabbed the cloth bag, and fled, her face flushed. She didn't stop until she reached the rabbit lantern, pressing her hand to her chest, where a heart was struggling to break free and rush towards the man behind her.
It took Fu Sui a long time to calm down. He tried several times but couldn't light the fire. His fingers trembled and wouldn't obey him, and the flint was also extremely difficult to use.
It's all his fault. If it weren't for his own restlessness, even his flint would be causing trouble. A wave of grievance washed over her, and Fu Sui pouted, tears welling in her eyes. She turned away, huffing and puffing, "I can't hit it."
Yue Shanling got up and came over. He didn't take the flint from Fu Sui's hand with his dirty hands, but simply opened his hand and let Fu Sui give him the flint.
Once the fire was lit, he took the long incense stick that the shopkeeper had given him for lighting and carefully lit the candle inside the rabbit lantern. The warm light filled the plump rabbit, making the lantern look even more rounded and adorable.
Fu Sui threw himself onto Yue Shanling's arm and wiped the tears from his eyes with his clothes. He then happily picked up the lantern and ran out of the pavilion.
The rabbit lantern would roll when it was in the wind. Fu Sui hopped and skipped around among the bamboo frame and flowering trees. The rolling rabbit lantern cast its light on her, making it hard to tell whether she was playing with the rabbit lantern or whether she was the rabbit lantern that was unknowingly provoking tigers and wolves.
"Look, the wind seems to have picked up a bit, and it's spinning faster." Fu Sui held the lantern high, and the autumn breeze made the rabbit lantern spin around and around her, creating swirling halos of light.
“Few people give me these kinds of trinkets. They give me jewelry, gold and silver, all sorts of rare and unusual things, but they never give me these most common trinkets. You are the second one.” Fu Sui thought of the clay whistles that were given as a birthday gift and couldn’t help but laugh.
Yue Shanling's face showed no smile; his voice was low and hoarse, carrying a competitive spirit unique to men: "Who's the first one?"
Fu Sui was somewhat surprised and looked back at Yue Shanling: "You're jealous of Qin An too?"
Yue Shanling then realized he had misunderstood, and could only awkwardly bury his head in the gourd peels, making a rustling sound as he hung them up, pretending he hadn't asked the stupid question.
As dusk fell, all the gourds were scraped clean and neatly arranged in the flower pavilion. Only the small gourds that Fu Sui had personally picked were placed in his bamboo basket.
After tidying up the bamboo knife and gourd peel, Yue Shanling couldn't help but look at the lonely little gourd again, wondering who would peel it and what it would be used for. A secret anticipation arose in Yue Shanling's heart, and he even thought that he might as well secretly take it away.
Fu Sui placed the rabbit lantern on the table in the flower pavilion. The warm yellow light enveloped the two of them. She tilted her head and asked Yue Shanling, "General, will you stay the night or climb over the wall tonight?"
Yue Shanling's Adam's apple bobbed. Why didn't she ask him if he wanted to stay for dinner? If she had asked that, he might as well have stayed; it was just a meal, no big deal.
But she didn't ask. Yue Shanling couldn't say whether she was disappointed or not: "If we leave now, it won't be considered breaking the law."
“In that case, I will not keep the general,” Fu Sui replied with a smile.
Since Fu Sui said that, Yue Shanling could not stay any longer. He bid farewell to Fu Sui and turned to leave.
Just as they were about to leave the open space where the flower pavilion was located, Fu Sui's voice suddenly came from behind: "Next time General Yue comes, would you like to stay for a meal?"
He didn't turn back after crossing the mountain ridge; he simply answered earnestly, forcefully, and firmly.
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
