Chapter 17 Chapter 17 If you don’t like it, don’t read it…
"Can you make tea?"
"I know a little."
She occasionally makes tea for her grandmother at home, so she's quite skilled at it.
Did I show you the tea room?
"……No."
Ye Peixiu walked to the other side of the living room and tilted his head slightly to signal her to follow him. Xia Qingwan stood up and followed him.
The living room was spacious. As she approached, she noticed a rosewood mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer screen with eight folds. After passing the screen, a semi-open tea room suddenly appeared before her.
A low couch sits by the window, upon which sits a long huanghuali table, on which a complete set of official kiln tea utensils are laid out.
The white gauze curtain was half-open, and through the faint twilight, one could vaguely see clusters of bamboo shadows on the other side of the pond outside the window. In the secluded spot along the winding path, the pine trees stood firm and unmoving.
The entire tea room is simple and quiet, and its design must have taken a lot of thought. When you sit down to drink tea, you can see the sound of pine trees and bamboo outside the window, which is very elegant.
Just then, Ye Peixiu's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and said, "I need to take this call. You can try out the equipment first to see if it works."
Xia Qingwan nodded.
She had been a little nervous, but once he left, she finally relaxed a lot and had more time to appreciate the furnishings in the tea room.
The moon-white tea set is made of fine clay and is dignified and elegant.
On either side of the long rosewood table was a low, reclining chair with a backrest. Xia Qingwan sat down on the chair cushion and placed her bag under the window.
He leaned over, picked up the tea scoop, and poured some tea leaves onto the white tea bag.
The chair cushion was a little far from the long table. When she leaned over, a strand of hair fell from her temples and swung from behind her shoulders to the side of her face.
She seemed used to this minor disturbance and didn't pay it any mind.
Ye Peixiu, who was standing next to the antique cabinet and talking on the phone, turned sideways to glance over. From his angle, he could only see her straight nose.
He watched her half-kneel on the low couch, taking a hair tie from her bag and tucking it into a bun at the back of her head, then warming the cups and cleaning utensils, each step methodically. Her profile was elegant and calm, and the curve of her waist reflected the bamboo shadows outside the window, a combination of strength and softness, revealing a cool and sensual feeling like drizzling rain and green bamboo.
Ye Peixiu hung up the phone.
After pouring the tea, Xia Qingwan gently shook the covered bowl, lowered her head to sniff the aroma, and was about to savor it carefully when she noticed his figure approaching and couldn't help but look up.
She has a pair of very beautiful eyes, calm and deep.
Ye Peixiu stood by the low couch with his hands in his pockets, asking calmly, "What's that smell?"
Xia Qingwan raised her teacup.
There was a certain height difference between the low couch and the floor, but it was not high enough for her to lift the tea bowl to his face while sitting.
Ye Peixiu stretched out his hand and lifted the base of her palm slightly, then bent down slightly, opened the lid, and took a light sniff.
A delicate, sweet fragrance.
Cool tone.
Xia Qingwan withdrew her hand, continuing to brew tea, without looking at him, and asked casually, "Do you like this taste?"
"like."
Ye Peixiu sat down on the other side of the long table, relaxing against the backrest.
After pouring out the first brew and filling the second one to 70%, Xia Qingwan said, "Try it."
Silent tea tasting.
On a cool autumn evening, a gentle breeze rustles through the bamboo shadows outside the window, and the fragrant aroma of tea fills the air. Everything before my eyes is elegant and refined, a feast for the eyes and the palate.
Such a precious moment in life is rare, a cup of fine tea to enjoy.
The girl was wearing a grey long-sleeved dress, which made her skin look even whiter than snow. Her expression was calm, and when she didn't speak she looked aloof and cold.
She drank her tea intently, gazing out the window.
Is it pretty?
He suddenly asked aloud.
"Um?"
Xia Qingwan was puzzled.
Ye Peixiu laughed and said, "You've been looking out the window the whole time. Is the view outside so nice?"
Xia Qingwan looked away, her face flushed, and she lowered her eyes to explain, "...When I was enjoying tea, all I could see in my peripheral vision were the shadows of pines and bamboos in the courtyard, which was very meaningful. I suppose..." She took a light breath, "I suppose the designer put a lot of thought into it back then."
Ye Peixiu did not respond.
After a moment, she looked up at him.
Such a focused look made her heart beat wildly again.
"I thought we'd gotten to know each other quite well," Ye Peixiu said, "but why do I feel that the more familiar we are, the more reserved you become?"
When they weren't familiar with each other, she assumed there wouldn't be any future entanglements, so she relaxed. But now, she feels that every step is heading in a direction she can't predict.
She shouldn't have any contact with him, but every interaction had an unavoidable reason. She needed help, wanted to express her gratitude, wanted to give a thank-you gift...
That's right, she just came to give a thank you gift, so why not get along with her normally like ordinary people with whom we have a casual acquaintance?
Thinking of this, Xia Qingwan shook his head, "...neither."
Ye Peixiu didn't continue the topic and asked, "Is the summer project going well?"
"It went pretty smoothly," Xia Qingwan said. "Even though I was doing free labor, I learned a lot."
"It's the beginning of the semester, are there many classes?"
Xia Qingwan explained it to him.
She plans to finish all the required general education courses before her sophomore year. Since she also minored in English, she has classes almost every day. After class, she often spends time in the library reading literature, papers, memorizing, and doing homework.
Almost 90% of her free time in life is spent on studying.
“You’re very hardworking.”
Ye Peixiu poured her a cup of tea and said as he took his hand back.
"This is my only goal; I want to get into research institute."
She said this with such conviction, as if it had already become her life goal.
Ye Peixiu smiled and asked, "Why? Do you like academic research?"
There are many reasons.
“I like doing academic research, but I don’t like dealing with people,” Xia Qingwan paused, then added, “...and Grandma also wants me to be like that.”
Perhaps the last point is the real reason.
Ye Peixiu did not comment on this matter, but asked, "Does this make you feel less free?"
After all, no one should be willing to live for the wishes of others.
"well enough."
Xia Qingwan smiled and said, "I think I'm quite adaptable. I don't really care what kind of environment I'm in."
As long as she was self-reliant and strong, nothing would be a problem. She had always lived this way.
After a moment of silence, she looked up at him with a smile and said softly, "Besides, I think there shouldn't be anyone in the world who can do whatever they want. Everyone's life is a kind of ascetic practice."
As he listened to her soft, clear words, Ye Peixiu stared at her intently, without uttering a word.
To outsiders, he appears aloof and powerful, but in reality, he has no sense of self in his life; he is entirely defined by his "roles."
The eldest grandson of the Ye family is a precious shackle inlaid with gold and jade.
Self-disciplined and pragmatic, full of ambition, yet also exhausted and disheartened.
"...If there were no other factors and you were free to choose, what would you want to do?"
“I still want to learn Chinese.”
She answered quickly.
Ye Peixiu laughed, "Is there nothing else?"
"But," Xia Qingwan slowly finished her sentence, "I want to live without a destination. I can learn Chinese, do research, rescue elephants in Africa, be an egg quality inspector, anything."
"Well, what about you?"
Xia Qingwan completely relaxed, holding his chin with one hand, and asked with interest, "If you could choose freely, what would you like to do?"
"To be a disheveled vagrant."
Xia Qingwan pictured the classic image of a long-haired, artistic man in her mind and couldn't help but laugh, "Really?"
"Of course it's true. I'm completely focused and wandering."
Ye Peixiu said with a casual smile.
Xia Qingwan tilted her head slightly, blinking as she thought about it. "The egg inspector and the wandering scholar," she noticed the intrigue in the story. "...it sounds like a philosophical story."
As she spoke, she suddenly burst into laughter, perhaps recalling some amusing image.
That smile was exactly the same as when I looked up at him under the umbrella by the pond at the restaurant.
Ye Peixiu held his breath.
Xia Qingwan thought to herself that she probably wouldn't have another chance to come, so she asked, "May I listen to... my dad's records?"
"Go."
Xia Qingwan went to the study alone.
Ye Peixiu stood on the low couch in the tea room, pushed open the old floral window in one corner of the French windows, and lit a cigarette.
After smoking half a cigarette, the phone on the table started vibrating again.
It's Pei Meizhu.
As soon as the call was connected, Pei Meizhu said coquettishly, "Cousin, I want to go to your house to play."
"Not allowed."
"I want to go, I want to go."
Pei Meizhu begged again and again.
Ye Peixiu frowned and listened for half a minute. After she finished speaking, he said indifferently, "Are you planning to annoy me as soon as you arrive in the capital?"
Pei Meizhu fell silent, hesitating for a long time before changing the subject and saying, "Cousin, aren't you going to introduce me to a sister?"
"Another day."
Ye Peixiu said, "You are not allowed to call me in the future. If you have any questions, go find Wang Jingzi."
"I don't want to find him—"
Before she could finish speaking, Ye Peixiu hung up the phone.
He bent down and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray on the table, went to the master bedroom to wash his hands and brush his teeth, and then went to the study.
The study door was half open, and faint music could be heard from inside.
Ye Peixiu pushed open the door.
Xia Qingwan stood in front of the desk, supporting the table with one hand, lowering her head, and a strand of hair scattered on her temples.
Seeing that she was probably engrossed in listening, Ye Peixiu didn't disturb her. Instead, he walked to the bookshelf and picked up a book to read.
Xia Qingwan had already spotted him out of the corner of her eye, but he didn't bother her, so she continued listening to the song.
After a while, Ye Peixiu turned around and looked at her. Seeing that she still had her head down, he walked over, put the book on the desk, raised his hand very naturally, lifted the strand of hair on her temple with the back of his fingers, and smoothed it behind her ear.
Her porcelain-white face was fully revealed, displayed before him.
Xia Qingwan had already felt his hand approaching, but dodging it at this time would make it more obvious, so she forced herself to remain calm and pretended nothing had happened.
Her hair was shoved behind her ear, and his fingertips accidentally brushed the tip of her ear.
Such a subtle movement felt like an eternity. Her heart nearly leaped out of her throat; her eyes were lowered, but her gaze was unfocused and unfocused.
Why aren't you looking up?
The voice is low and extremely gentle.
Xia Qingwan raised her face and met his gaze.
Ye Peixiu smiled slightly and said, "I thought you were crying."
When he said this, Xia Qingwan couldn't help but recall that she had cried for a long time in this study, and not only that, she had also cried in the shower room in his master bedroom.
Thinking about these things makes me feel a little embarrassed.
She patted her cheek and said self-deprecatingly, "I've cried twice in your house."
For some reason, she could always speak her mind easily when she was with him.
"I only know of one time in the study," Ye Peixiu asked casually, flipping through the books on his desk. "Where was there another time?"
"When I took a shower in the rain last time."
Ye Peixiu paused in turning the pages of his book. "...While taking a bath?"
Xia Qingwan didn't think there was anything wrong at first, but when he repeated it, she felt embarrassed again.
She gave a soft "hmm," wanting to change the subject, and leaned over to look at the book he was flipping through. "What book is this?"
Ye Peixiu turned the cover over and showed it to her.
It's actually "Dream of the Red Chamber".
"You like watching this?"
She asked.
"Just flip through it."
I happened to turn to the fifth chapter, stopping at the page with Qingwen's judgment.
"A clear moon is hard to come by, and colorful clouds are easy to disperse..."
Xia Qingwan felt as if she had been stabbed in the heart.
She pursed her lips and said nothing.
Ye Peixiu turned his head to look at her, "What's wrong?"
She shook her head.
Ye Peixiu chuckled and said, "If you don't like it, don't read it. I'll throw this crappy book away tomorrow."
Of course, it was just a teasing remark. Xia Qingwan laughed and couldn't help but glance at him. Then she realized that the two of them were too close, both standing by the desk. She leaned over to read the book in his hand, and he turned his head to look at her.
Their faces were so close that they could almost feel each other's breath.
Her heartbeat quickened, as if the temperature around her was rising. She could smell his fragrance, the sandalwood scent amplified by the heat.
You can even see his eyelashes clearly now.
At such a close distance, his deep eyes seemed almost affectionate.
She could feel Ye Peixiu's gaze fixed on her lips.
Then it rose inch by inch, landing in her eyes.
She tried to look away, but her eyes seemed to be bewitched by him, unable to look away, and could only stare blankly at him, being stared back at by him.
After an unknown amount of time, Ye Peixiu lowered his head slightly and moved closer.
Xia Qingwan felt a sudden jolt in her heart, and her whole body felt numb. She abruptly closed her eyes.
A kiss as light as a feather landed on her forehead.
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Author's note: "A clear moon is hard to find, and colorful clouds are easy to scatter..." This is from the judgment on Qingwen in Chapter 5 of "Dream of the Red Chamber".
Great progress, I’m giving out red envelopes to celebrate this chapter!
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