Chapter 16 The Heavenly Gift Festival fills my mind with jealousy, and the sour wind blows freely at the banquet.
On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the Tiankuang Festival, a day when a daughter returns home after marriage, with relatives and friends gathered together.
As dawn broke, Su Jinxiu shuffled home, her tired eyes rubbing lightly, her face showing signs of exhaustion.
Last night, troubled by worries, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Eventually, she got up, took her embroidery frame, and went to Huayun Pavilion to work. Under the dim light of a single lamp, she embroidered her trousers with colorful threads, stitch by stitch, into the brocade patterns. As her fingers worked, the tangled mess in her mind seemed to be slowly untangled.
Su Jinxiu collapsed onto the bed as soon as she arrived home, and soon fell into a deep sleep, unaware that it was already bright outside the bed curtains.
Suddenly, Lan Shexiang's voice came from outside the door, carrying a hint of hope: "Qiao Niang! Have you cut the paper yet?"
She was overcome with drowsiness, her eyes felt heavy, and she didn't even have the strength to open her lips to answer. In her daze, Lan Shexiang seemed to have lifted the curtain and entered, her soft fingertips gently pinching the soft flesh of her cheek, kneading her cheek until it puffed out slightly. Disturbed, Su Jinxiu murmured softly, her voice muffled: "What paper cutting?"
"Today is the Heavenly Blessing Festival, we need to put up the 'Sweeping Goddess' decorations to drive away dampness!" Lan Shexiang's voice drew closer. She lazily raised her hand and waved it, her voice muffled as she replied, "Go ahead and do it, I want to sleep a little longer..."
After saying that, he fell into a deep sleep again.
She was fast asleep and didn't realize that the sundial was setting. She could vaguely hear the sound of chopsticks and bowls clashing outside the door, mixed with the noise of people talking. It seemed that a group of people were preparing a meal. She only vaguely heard these sounds for a moment before falling back into a deep sleep.
Suddenly, the side of the couch sank slightly, as if someone had sat down.
The next moment, a pair of warm hands gently gathered the hair at her temples, smoothing the stray strands behind her ears. As the fingertips brushed against her earlobes, they caused a slight tickle.
"Still not awake?"
She mumbled a sleepy hum, assuming it was Lan Shexiang calling her, so she rubbed her sleepy eyes, softly and coquettishly wrapped her arms around the person's waist, and mumbled, "Still sleepy..."
A clear, low laugh suddenly came from above. The voice was deep and magnetic, and it was definitely not Lan Shexiang's.
Su Jinxiu felt a chill run down her spine, her drowsiness instantly vanished, and she touched it, feeling the sensation becoming increasingly clear.
Panic immediately washed over my heart like a tidal wave.
The man in his arms stood tall and straight, his muscles firm and muscular, and he exuded a familiar, crisp scent, like plum blossoms after a snowfall. Before he even looked up, he recognized him as Wen Shiqin.
But the way she had snuggled up to him and whispered sweet nothings was now impossible to take back, and to make matters worse, she was now resting her head on his lap.
Su Jinxiu froze, forced to hold her breath and pretend to be fast asleep, not daring to even tremble her eyelashes, hoping that this embarrassing situation would pass quietly.
Wen Shiqin looked down at her feigned sleep, a faint smile appearing in his eyes, but he did not expose her little trick.
Those few soft, melodious words just now were like celestial music lingering in his ears, making his heart itch.
He wanted to tease her a bit more, but when his fingertips touched her soft cheek, he realized it was inappropriate. So he suppressed his playful intentions and asked in his usual gentle voice, "While I was away these past few days, did you eat on time, sister?"
After saying that, he gently stroked the contours of her cheek with his fingertips, as if measuring whether the radiance she had painstakingly cultivated in the past few days had faded again.
She lay gently on her lover's lap; how could she not be pitied?
Su Jinxiu pursed her lips, enduring the ticklish sensation of his calloused fingers, her breathing becoming extremely light, pretending not to hear, and continuing to feign sleep.
"Why do you look so tired?" Wen Shiqin persisted, his voice drawing closer, tinged with inquiry, "What have you been busy with these past few days?"
She frowned upon hearing this, then quickly wrapped herself in the blanket, nimbly rolled over into the bed, curled up into a ball, leaving Wen Shiqin with only a cold, hard back view.
The rolling of the bedding was so fast and urgent that Wen Shiqin didn't react in time. His fingertips were still hovering in mid-air where they had just touched her cheek, his eyes filled with a stunned surprise.
Was it because he disturbed her sleep and made her grumpy in the morning, or was it because he had been away for several days and was angry with her?
Wen Shiqin couldn't figure it out for a moment, but he knew that he should coax her gently. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Su Jinxiu, who was curled up like a silkworm in a thick quilt, into his arms. As soon as Su Jinxiu struggled, he tightened his arms around her and whispered in her ear, "Sister, don't make a fuss. There are still people waiting for us outside."
Su Jinxiu stopped struggling and asked in a muffled voice, "Everyone?"
“Yes, today is the Tiankuang Festival, a time for family and friends to gather and share a meal together.” Wen Shiqin gently patted her back, which was wrapped in a quilt. “Friends from Xiuxiang, including Xie Hongying, are all waiting outside for you to wake up, sister.”
Su Jinxiu suddenly realized why she had heard a lot of noise outside the door when she was half asleep.
But this feeling was quickly replaced by a sour taste.
So he returned to have a meal with others. If it weren't for this holiday, would he have stayed away for a long time?
The gloom that had just subsided surged back up, so she simply kept her lips tightly shut and refused to say another word to Wen Shiqin.
A hint of bewilderment flickered in Wen Shiqin's eyes. He had previously read the saying "A woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea" in a book, but had not deeply understood it. But now, the woman in his arms kept her lips tightly pressed together, remaining silent no matter how gently he probed. He racked his brains, but could not figure out where he had been impolite or what he had said that had offended her. He then realized that the ancient saying was indeed true, and was left with only a heart full of helplessness.
After a moment of hesitation and silence, he simply bent down and picked her up with one arm, blanket and all.
Su Jinxiu suddenly felt her body lighten, a sense of weightlessness washed over her, and she immediately exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing?"
Wen Shiqin let her sit in his arms and said calmly, "Sister, you are not willing to speak. Do you still want to sleep? If so, I will carry you out with the quilt. You can rest in my arms later. This will not disturb everyone's gathering. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?"
What kind of logic is this? If he really carries me out, and everyone sits around eating, I'll be sleeping soundly in his arms. Forget about eating, I'll definitely become the subject of everyone's gossip and become a laughing stock!
Su Jinxiu was momentarily speechless with anger, and called out loudly, "Wen Shiqin!"
But the last syllable of his voice carried a hint of lingering drowsiness and a touch of panic, making it utterly intimidating.
Wen Shiqin, however, was serious. He carried her steadily toward the door, his fingertips already touching it, and shouted loudly to scare her, "Coming!"
Su Jinxiu's heart leaped into her throat, and she hurriedly said, "I'll go wash up! Put me down to wash up first!"
"Wouldn't it have been better to do this earlier?" Wen Shiqin chuckled and gave up.
Su Jinxiu immediately sensed that this person harbored a lot of clever thoughts. His seemingly appropriate responses concealed a lot of cunning. He had only pretended to be obedient and docile in front of her before, hiding his scheming.
But by the time this understanding becomes clear, it is already too late.
After washing and dressing, Su Jinxiu stepped gracefully out of the inner room. Her slender figure was wrapped in a light peach-colored silk skirt, and a few half-open peach petals were embroidered on the hem of the skirt, so pink and fresh, as if they were newly picked from the branch and still covered with morning dew.
Wen Shiqin had already settled down at the table in the courtyard. Just then, he turned his head and saw that her hair was still damp with moisture, and her fair cheeks were flushed with a light pink, like a peach blossom in full bloom under the moon. He was suddenly stunned. Then his throat tightened slightly, but he quickly regained his composure, as if he already knew that she would be this beautiful after she had washed and dressed.
Su Jinxiu slowly walked into the courtyard. The summer night breeze, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees, brushed against her clothes, bringing a touch of coolness.
Around the round table in the courtyard, Yi Ruxu and Xie Hongying were already sitting and chatting, while Lan Shexiang was playing with the hanging string of lights. Only Wen Shiqin had an empty seat next to him, which was obviously reserved for her.
"Qiao Niang is here!" Xie Hongying called out first. "Quickly sit here. The freshly peeled lychees are still chilling in the ice chest, they're so sweet and delicious!"
Yi Ruxu also looked up and smiled, her eyes filled with a warm smile: "Judging from your complexion, it seems you've had a good night's sleep and are much more refreshed."
Su Jinxiu smiled and sat down, her fingertips touching the cool surface of the chair, and the chirping of cicadas filled the courtyard.
At this moment, Lan Shexiang turned around and joked, "Shi Qin is really good at this. I tried to wake you up several times, but you were sleeping soundly and wouldn't wake up no matter what I did."
Upon hearing this, Su Jinxiu's mind was immediately filled with the absurd thought of Wen Shiqin carrying her out, blanket and all. A hint of embarrassment crossed her face, but she quickly composed herself and replied softly, "I stayed up all night last night and I'm really tired."
Wen Shiqin curled his lips, picked up the celadon teapot on the table, poured half a cup of warm water with his fingertips touching the rim, and then pushed it in front of Su Jinxiu.
As soon as the words were spoken, a warm orange light suddenly streaked across the sky overhead, and everyone looked up.
Originally a sky lantern released by someone else, the candlelight spread a soft halo in the dark sky, carrying unknown wishes, and rose higher and higher on the night wind, eventually becoming a warm star in the sky.
As Su Jinxiu watched the orange light fade into the distance, a warm feeling suddenly spread through her heart. She felt that this summer night, with a few close friends sitting together and the lights warm and inviting, was the most comforting and peaceful happiness in the world.
Xie Hongying, oblivious to everything, exclaimed, "Qiao Niang is now the second-in-command of Huayun Pavilion!" As she spoke, she picked up a piece of juicy braised pork with her chopsticks and put it into Su Jinxiu's bowl. "Tomorrow I'll have Father send over those sets of sandalwood screens inlaid with mother-of-pearl and marble from the mansion, so our mistress can practice and see if she can come up with any new designs!"
Su Jinxiu was amused by him and chuckled, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Wen Shiqin turned his head to look at Su Jinxiu, and saw her smiling as she picked up the braised pork that Xie Hongying had picked up. He suddenly felt a lump in his throat.
The second-in-command of Huayun Pavilion?
I've been busy for four days and haven't been by her side, so how could I have missed such an important matter? How come she hasn't mentioned a single word of this wonderful news to me? Even Xie Hongying knows about it, could it be that Xie Hongying's importance in her heart has already surpassed that of me?
The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became. His eyes, filled with gloom, swept over the braised pork before he glared at Xie Hongying. The latter, however, was completely oblivious, simply holding his chopsticks and picking up food, utterly unaware that he had become a thorn in Wen Shiqin's side.
Then, Wen Shiqin's chopsticks stopped moving and he kept adding food to Su Jinxiu's bowl, trying to cover up the trace of the braised pork. In no time, the food in Su Jinxiu's bowl was piled up like a small mountain.
"Alright, alright," Su Jinxiu said helplessly, protecting the bowl. "How can I eat so much?"
Wen Shiqin's hand, which was holding the meat, suddenly stopped, his knuckles turning white from the force, and his eyes filled with even more melancholy.
She was willing to eat what Xie Hongying served, but found it too much when it came to her own food. It seems that her previous speculation was not unfounded!
Seeing the tense situation, Lan Shexiang quickly put down her chopsticks to smooth things over: "Shi Qin is too doting on your sister. If we keep adding more, she'll have a hard time tonight."
Yi Ruxu was savoring a bowl of quail soup. Finely minced quail meat and bamboo shoots floated in the milky white broth, and the fresh and mellow aroma lingered on his lips and teeth. Just as he was about to praise, "The pepper in this soup is wonderfully complemented," Lan Shexiang quietly nudged him with her elbow.
Yi Ruxu suddenly realized something and quickly put down her soup bowl to smooth things over: "Ah, yes, yes! I heard that the most important custom of the Tiankuang Festival is for the bride to return to her family home after marriage. If Qiaoniang gets married in the future, you must..."
Well, you're really bringing up the very thing I don't want to talk about.
Before he could finish speaking, Lan Shexiang hurriedly tried to salvage the situation: "That's right, we'll still have to..."
"Smack!"
A sharp crack suddenly interrupted the conversation; it was Wen Shiqin who slammed down his chopsticks.
Everyone present was stunned. Su Jinxiu was also startled by the commotion and looked up to ask, "What are you doing?"
"I'm full, I'm going out to digest my food."
He finished speaking coldly, then suddenly stood up and strode out of the courtyard gate.
Lan Shexiang turned to look at Yi Ruxu, her eyes filled with a helpless disappointment.
Xie Hongying was still gnawing on half a piece of roasted meat when she was startled by Wen Shiqin's commotion and asked Su Jinxiu, "Qiaoniang, what's wrong with him? Why did he suddenly get angry?"
Su Jinxiu gripped the chopsticks handle with her fingertips, recalling his disappearance for four days and his inexplicable rudeness now, and the anger she had just suppressed rose up again.
A note from the author:
(Gasping for air) Wen Shiqin, you have too much liver fire. Drink some loofah soup. [Green heart][Green heart]
Note: The line "婉伸郎膝上，何处不怜怜" in this chapter is quoted from "Midnight Songs, Forty-Two Poems, No. 3".
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