Chapter 31 "Making friends?"...
During the meal, both of them drank some alcohol.
On the way back to Ye Garden, Xia Qingwan lay on Ye Peixiu and took a nap with her eyes closed.
He put his arm around her and whispered to the top of her head, "What time do you want me to take you home?"
During dinner just now, she said she was going home to sleep tonight because it's Grandma Xi's birthday tomorrow, and she needs to go back tonight to make some preparations.
Xia Qingwan didn't open her eyes, but stretched out her hand and made a "10".
Ye Peixiu raised his wrist to check his watch and said with a smile, "It's already 11 o'clock."
She kept her eyes closed and didn't say anything. Ye Peixiu teased her, saying, "You're not saying this on purpose because you don't want to go home, are you? Hmm?"
"Do you want to sleep at my place?" She still didn't respond, so he continued, his voice growing softer, "...It would be best if you slept in the master bedroom with me, wouldn't it? I can tell you're planning to do just that—"
Xia Qingwan finally raised her hand to cover his mouth, "The thief is crying 'stop thief!'"
The voice had a soft, drunken quality.
Ye Peixiu laughed, "...Is Wanwan so smart? How does she know what I think? How does she know me so well?"
She snuggled deeper into his arms, as if she were about to go to sleep.
I've been sleeping very little this week. I just had a little alcohol, and now I'm feeling sleepy, so I quickly drifted off to sleep.
-
After catching up on sleep in the car, Xia Qingwan felt refreshed and energetic when she got off at Yeyuan.
Ye Peixiu took off his coat, went to the kitchen island to pour her a glass of warm water, and then walked out of the French windows to find her in the yard.
Xia Qingwan was squatting under the ginkgo tree, carefully picking up fallen leaves. Like a child who, even late at night, still lingers in the roadside park, unwilling to go home.
Why would you pick it up?
"I want to make bookmarks."
She took the water glass, gulped it down, handed it back to him, and said, "The lilies you gave me last week have withered, so I made them into bookmarks."
Ye Peixiu chuckled, "There will be many more in the future. Do you have to make them into bookmarks every time? Aren't you tired?"
She didn't say anything, but instead looked up and smiled at him.
That smile was so bright and clear, it inexplicably resembled a faded image in an old photograph. Ye Peixiu was momentarily stunned.
Most of the time, not answering is also an answer.
Ye Peixiu vaguely understood what she meant, and without saying anything more, he walked back to the other side of the pond, sat down on the nanmu chair, and lit a cigarette.
I watched her from afar across the pond.
Xia Qingwan carefully selected two fallen leaves, put them in her pocket, and then lay down by the pond to watch the fish.
Ye Peixiu said, "Be careful, or I'll have to fish you out."
She asked, "Where's the fish food?"
Ye Peixiu tilted his head slightly to indicate that he was inside the house.
She shuffled around the pond to get it, then returned to the opposite bank, knelt on the wooden steps, bent down, and threw a handful of water into the pond in front of her.
The fish swarmed over, wagging their tails happily as they snatched the food.
"Get up," Ye Peixiu said, "Your knees are worn out from kneeling."
She was obedient and changed to sitting with her knees drawn up.
Look at the fish, then look at him.
Across the shimmering pond illuminated by the night light, Ye Peixiu sat relaxedly, the sleeves of his gun-gray shirt half rolled up, revealing a slender and well-proportioned forearm. The cigarette between his fingers was half smoked, and the scarlet light flickered as he raised his hand.
A calm, composed, and noble air about him.
"It's only been a short time, aren't you going to come closer to me?"
Xia Qingwan smiled, braced herself on the wooden steps, and stood up as instructed.
As soon as he braced himself, he suddenly let out a violent wail, then pulled his hand back, trembling violently in pain.
Ye Peixiu hurriedly threw away his cigarette and rushed around the pond. "What's wrong?"
His heart was pounding. He walked closer, pulled her into his arms, and held her hand, which she had been waving, in front of his eyes. "Let me see."
My middle finger got caught in a crack in the wooden steps, and my nail and fingertip are red, swollen and bleeding.
Her face turned pale, she kept shaking, her eyes were red, her mouth was half open, and she kept hissing as she breathed in and out. She must be in great pain.
Ye Peixiu took her to the living room and rummaged through the drawers to find the medicine box.
On the sofa, I held her in my arms, applied iodine, and put on a band-aid.
"I'll have someone tear that place down tomorrow."
Xia Qingwan laughed at his words and comforted him, "It's just a minor injury. It'll heal after the pain subsides. It'll be fine in a bit."
Ye Peixiu took her hand and kissed it.
Gradually, she recovered her strength, raised her hands, and said with a smile, "That's it. I was too 'polite'."
The middle finger stands alone, as if it is "greeting" everyone it meets.
Ye Peixiu was amused by her and said, "You still have the mind to joke around."
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
Ye Peixiu kissed her forehead.
This phase passed quickly.
They went to the study together, drank tea, and listened to records.
So much so that Ye Peixiu never imagined that two years later, in the dead of night, what would often appear in his mind was not the intimate afternoons and nights he spent with her, but the scene of her finger being pinched, trembling and screaming in pain.
My heart always breaks.
-
It was already two o'clock in the morning when Xia Qingwan returned to the compound.
Ye Peixiu drove her to the intersection of the compound, parked the car, and accompanied her to the outside of the Xia family's old house. He watched her go inside before leaving.
On Grandma Xi's birthday, Xia Huiqing and Xia Qingwan, the grandparents and grandchildren, invited her to have lunch at Manxianglou.
As soon as she sat down, Xia Qingwan heard a crisp voice calling out, "Sister Qingwan!"
She looked up and followed the sound. Pei Meizhu, adorned with jewels, jogged over with a big smile. "What a coincidence! You're eating here too?"
"Well," Xia Qingwan introduced her, "This is my grandmother, and this is Grandma Xi," and then said, "This is Mr. Ye's cousin, Pei Meizhu."
Pei Meizhu, sweet and charming, greeted everyone one by one.
Xia Huiqing and Grandma Xi greeted her with smiles.
Grandma Xi said, "I've heard Mr. Ye and Qingwan mention you many times. I finally saw you today. You are so beautiful."
Xia Huiqing asked, "Are you alone? Do you want to sit down and eat together?"
“No, I came with my aunt,” Pei Meizhu pointed in the distance. Everyone looked in that direction and saw a noble and elegant woman, who looked to be around forty years old, sitting by the window at one end of the hall, three seats away, ordering food. Pei Meizhu lowered her voice and said with a smile, “...Mr. Ye’s mother.”
Xia Qingwan paused, then couldn't help but glance at it a couple more times.
The woman was wearing a simple black dress with her hair tied back. When she looked up and spoke to the waiter, she had a calm and elegant air.
It's a very beautiful face; in today's parlance, it exudes a dignified and majestic beauty, like that of a prosperous and peaceful nation.
"I'm going back now."
Pei Meizhu said, "Sister Qingwan, remember to find me when you have time. I want to play with you."
Xia Qingwan nodded.
Pei Meizhu returned to her seat and, presumably speaking to Pei Yaxian, Pei Yaxian glanced over in their direction.
Just then, Xia Qingwan was also looking at her.
Their eyes met, and Xia Qingwan smiled politely. She couldn't quite remember if Mr. Ye's mother had returned the smile.
It's hard to tell clearly from a distance.
In Pei Yaxian's eyes, she was a delicate and graceful young girl, like a lotus emerging from the water.
Although her expression was elegant and pretty, under the illumination of the small yellow lamp on the table, her face clearly had a kind of charming and bewitching beauty.
She felt an inexplicable shock in her heart.
Xia Qingwan's table was very lively during the meal.
The waiter brought in the cake, put a birthday hat on Grandma Xi's head, sang "Happy Birthday," and helped her make a wish and blow out the candles.
It was full of ritual.
Halfway through the meal, a girl arrived late to Pei Meizhu's table.
She was adorned with the same jewels as Pei Meizhu and looked to be under 25. They must have known each other well, as Mr. Ye's mother held her hand and spoke to her affectionately.
The three of them were chatting and laughing.
Xia Qingwan withdrew her gaze and concentrated on eating.
Their table left first.
On the way back to the compound, Xia Qingwan leaned on Grandma Xi's shoulder and fell asleep.
Half an hour later, Pei Meizhu's table finally dispersed.
On the way back, Pei Meizhu was furiously texting her friends on her phone when her aunt suddenly spoke up, asking, "Meizhu, you said that little girl is very close to your cousin?"
"Hmm?" Pei Meizhu reacted for a moment, "You mean Sister Qingwan?"
"That girl we were eating with earlier, is that her name?"
“Oh,” Pei Meizhu’s brainstorming went on and on, “…I don’t know either, I just heard Wang Jingzi mention it.”
Pei Yaxian nodded thoughtfully and said, "She's really beautiful, a rare beauty."
Pei Meizhu pretended to be angry, "Huh? More beautiful than me? Auntie, what's wrong with you!"
Pei Yaxian gave a perfunctory smile and said nothing more.
-
Back at the Xia family's old house, Grandma Xi went to take a nap, Xia Huiqing was reading in the side hall, and Xia Qingwan went upstairs to her room.
With her right middle finger bandaged, she could only eat with her left hand. Since her left hand was not very dexterous, she didn't eat much for lunch. She spread out her yoga mat and did stretching exercises while listening to a podcast.
In the evening, I received a call from Lin Xiangyu.
Lin Xiangyu said cheerfully, "I submitted my application to NYU. I'm going to have a drink to celebrate. Come on, come on."
Ever since she said she wanted to talk to Mr. Sheng in person and asked Xia Qingwan to ask Mr. Ye about the hospital, the two of them haven't had a detailed conversation.
Xia Qingwan was also unsure whether she ever saw Mr. Sheng again.
Where is it?
Lin Xiangyu mentioned the name of an alley, "Thanks to Yingxue, I was able to come here. It's much more upscale than that club in Beiguanfang."
Xia Qingwan thought back carefully and realized that Mr. Ye had taken her here before.
After kissing her forehead in the study, he invited her to dinner under the name of Pei Meizhu.
"...Okay, I'll be there in a bit."
"I'll be waiting for you."
-
Xia Qingwan rushed into the alley and stepped into the second courtyard, where she heard a burst of laughter and chatter.
Beneath the flower stand, seven or eight people sat around, candles burning on the coffee table. The atmosphere was warm, and loud laughter rose like wisps of fragrant mist.
"Qingwan!" Lin Xiangyu saw her first and immediately pushed aside the people around her to make room for her. "Come and sit down."
She was sitting opposite Qiao Yingxue.
Qiao Yingxue snorted coldly before condescending, "You're so arrogant! Only Xiang Yu could hire you."
Xia Qingwan pretended not to hear and smiled slightly, "Good evening."
Lin Xiangyu knew that she couldn't hold her liquor, so she called a waiter to order her a glass of juice.
The two huddled together and chatted. Lin Xiangyu told her in detail how hard he had gone to get several recommendation letters, and so on.
Qiao Yingxue insisted on having a drink with Xia Qingwan.
Lin Xiangyu understood her and knew that she was intentionally taking this opportunity to get familiar with Xia Qingwan, so she said with a smile, "Yingxue, could you be a little nicer? Someone who doesn't know you would think you were looking for trouble."
Qiao Yingxue stood up, leaned over the coffee table, and handed Xia Qingwan a margarita glass. She poured the wine, raised her own glass, and declared boldly, "I've already said my piece, are you going to drink or not?"
Jiang Miya beside her laughed and said, "Yingxue, Xia Qingwan doesn't give you face."
"Shut up—"
Before she could finish speaking, her gaze froze, and she stood there motionless.
Just then, Xia Qingwan heard a familiar low voice sound not far behind her, "Making friends?"
She turned her head and saw Ye Peixiu walk around the sofa to her side. He took the wine glass from her hand, raised his head and drank it, and said casually, "Can you drink for me?"
Everyone seemed to freeze, and Qiao Yingxue was a beat slow to react before hurriedly nodding.
Ye Peixiu patted Xia Qingwan's head, "Have fun! I'm in a private box inside. Come find me after the show."
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The author has something to say: It’s coming ah ah ah ah
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