Chapter 13 Summer Solstice
Chapter Summary: A bizarre "marriage proposal".
The night was long, and Liu Shiyu was so sleepy that she couldn't keep her eyes open, so she gradually fell asleep under Xu Luchuan's restraint.
Unexpectedly, Liu Shiyu, who was always plagued by nightmares, slept unusually peacefully in Xu Luchuan's arms tonight.
At dawn, sunlight streamed through the carved window into the west room. Xu Luchuan awoke from his drowsy state, feeling a numbness in his arm. He turned his head inadvertently, and Liu Shiyu's sleeping face suddenly appeared before him.
He instinctively reached out and shoved her hard. Liu Shiyu, who was sleeping close to the edge of the bed, rolled onto the floor with a gurgling sound.
Xu Luchuan sat on the couch, looked at his feet and said angrily, "Liu Shiyu, why am I here?"
"What are you doing!" Liu Shiyu groggily got up from the floor. Looking around, she scratched her head in confusion. "Huh? How did I get on the floor?"
Looking up at the person on the bed, Liu Shiyu asked, "Did you kick me on purpose?"
Xu Luchuan ignored him and instead glared at him: "Answer me. Why am I here? What did you do to me?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu stood up, dusted off the hem of her skirt, and turned to sit on a round stool not far away.
She casually propped her elbows on the table to prop up her still-drowsy head, and said nonchalantly to the person in front of her, "What did I do to you? You should ask what you did to me! It was clearly you who did it, don't you even remember?"
"Speaking of which, Little Green, you not only have a loud voice, but your strength is also astonishing. That night was truly exhausting..."
These words were spoken without malice, but were taken to heart by the listener.
Xu Luchuan, who was on the couch, had clearly misunderstood Liu Shiyu's meaning. He was filled with shame and shouted, "Enough, stop talking."
"Why? You asked, so why won't you tell me?"
Liu Shiyu didn't notice Xu Luchuan's unusual behavior, nor did she realize there was anything wrong with what she said. Instead, she lazily leaned on the table and said, "Oh, I see, are you embarrassed? So, you can be embarrassed too?"
Xu Luchuan sat frozen on the couch, overwhelmed with mixed emotions. He knew that drinking had led to trouble. But he never imagined he would do something so shameless...
But what could he do now that things had come to this? Was he destined to spend the rest of his life with Liu Shiyu? Xu Luchuan dared not imagine it, but he had to shoulder this responsibility; this was the price he paid for his moral failings.
Lowering his eyes, Xu Luchuan rose from the couch and stepped closer to Liu Shiyu.
Liu Shiyu lay slumped over the table, tears still clinging to her eyelashes from when she yawned. She looked at Xu Luchuan, who had stopped in front of her, and said sternly, "Marry me, or send me to the authorities. Do as you please, I will have no objections."
"???"
Liu Shiyu sat bolt upright, terrified. Her eyes widened as she stared at Xu Luchuan.
What's he doing? Why is he saying that out of the blue? And what's with the "sending him to the authorities" thing... Did he get drunk yesterday? No, could it be that Liu Shijin really drugged his drink?
Liu Shiyu began to ponder the deeper meaning behind Xu Luchuan's words.
After carefully recalling everything she had just said, she blushed instantly. Suddenly, Liu Shiyu raised her angry fist and swung it at Xu Luchuan.
"Idiot, Little Green"
Xu Luchuan didn't dodge, taking the heavy punch from her, then feigned composure and said, "I suppose you wouldn't stoop to marrying me after doing something like this. Then just..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu stood up and said urgently, "You're so stupid! Take a good look! We're both dressed properly, how could such an unfortunate thing happen! Besides, you're drunk, I'm not. If you really did something improper to this princess, how could this princess let you see the sun today!"
In her haste, Liu Shiyu forgot to keep her distance. The two of them ended up staring into each other's eyes.
Although Xu Luchuan looked surprised, he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders. He figured that after this incident, he would never touch a drop of alcohol again.
Liu Shiyu remained silent. She hadn't expected that this man, who always seemed so fierce, would be so open-minded.
Unfortunately, the door to the west room was pushed open at that moment.
Lian Yue, who had been missing for a long time, appeared outside the door. She hesitated upon seeing the situation inside. Liu Shiyu looked away upon hearing this and said, "Come in."
Lian Yue nodded and walked to Liu Shiyu's side, whispering in her ear, "Your Highness, the matter has been taken care of."
Liu Shiyu nodded, then instructed, "Go and tell someone to boil water; I need to bathe and change."
"Yes." Lian Yue responded and withdrew.
Liu Shiyu seemed to have forgotten the awkwardness of just now, and teased Xu Luchuan with her hands behind her back, "What are you still standing here for? Do you really want to...?"
Xu Luchuan no longer dared to argue with her. He sneered and left.
Liu Shiyu stood inside the room and couldn't help but laugh.
But as she recalled his earnest and pleading words from the previous night, Liu Shiyu's smile gradually faded. She began to vaguely sense that Xu Luchuan harbored some unspeakable pain...
...
Before noon, Liu Shiyu, wearing a light blue phoenix-tail skirt embroidered with camellias, stepped into the east room.
The beautiful woman was lively and graceful, her hair flowing freely. Every smile and frown shone like a magpie at dawn. Since their reunion, this was the first time Xu Luchuan had seen her wear such a bright color.
"Let's go, Xiao Lü. It's time to eat." Liu Shiyu smiled and leaned against the square desk. Xu Luchuan rose from his seat, seemingly displeased. "I told you, you're not allowed to call me that name anymore."
“But I really like this title.” Liu Shiyu smiled brightly, but her words showed no sign of backing down.
Xu Luchuan slammed his hand on the edge of the desk and said sternly, "Liu Shiyu, don't push your luck."
Liu Shiyu was not intimidated by his slap. She looked up and stared directly into his eyes, asking softly, "Xu Luchuan, why are you afraid to go back to Liyang?"
Xu Luchuan was taken aback by Liu Shiyu's words. He wondered what Liu Shiyu meant by this. Could such a question be considered a threat?
After a long while, amidst endless suspicion, Xu Luchuan took a half step back and lowered his eyes.
Who told you I'm afraid to go back to Liyang?
Liu Shiyu keenly sensed that his drunken ramblings last night weren't entirely untrue. It seemed everything had a basis in reality. But before she could speak, Xu Luchuan retorted, "But whether I'm afraid or not, what does it have to do with you?"
"Is it none of my business?" Liu Shiyu smiled as she walked away from Xu Luchuan, stepping out the door. "But the person who told me was you."
Xu Luchuan remained silent. Liu Shiyu waved her hand from outside the door, "What are you still standing there for? This princess is starving. If you don't leave now, I'm not waiting for you."
Through the door, Xu Luchuan gazed at Liu Shiyu, vaguely recalling the events of the previous night. It was he who, in his drunken stupor, had revealed the truth, and it was he who had pulled Liu Shiyu close into his arms.
Awkwardly lifting his foot and stepping towards the door, Xu Luchuan said, somewhat calmly, "Let's go."
...
After the two left Jingming Hall together, they did not go to Juhezhai, but instead followed the path and left Guangling Marquis's Mansion through a side gate.
Outside the gate, Lian Yue waited patiently on horseback.
Xu Luchuan followed Liu Shiyu out the door, and before he could speak, he saw Liu Shiyu excitedly step onto the stool, ready to board the carriage. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, grabbing Liu Shiyu's sleeve and demanding, "Why are you going out? Where are you taking me?"
Liu Shiyu was in such a hurry to get on the bus that when he was pulled like that, she fell backward without any warning.
Seeing this, Lian Yue was about to reach out to pull him up when she realized he had already safely fallen into Xu Luchuan's arms. She immediately turned her head, stroked the horse's mane, and pretended not to have seen anything.
Liu Shiyu curled up her arms and complained, "You did this on purpose."
"You're just being presumptuous." Xu Luchuan said, lifting the person up and placing them on the carriage.
Liu Shiyu slipped into the carriage, then poked her head out again. She looked at Xu Luchuan with narrowed eyes and smiled, "It's a rare day off, and I, the princess, don't want to waste it in this marquis's mansion. I'm going out for a stroll. Little Green Gentleman, if you really don't want to go, I certainly won't force you. You can stay and keep your elder sister company, or you can stay with her."
"Are there any other options?" Xu Luchuan crossed his arms, while Liu Shiyu shook his head, lifting the bamboo curtain. "No."
This option meant that Xu Luchuan had no choice. Compared to Liu Shijin, who had too many variables, he would naturally choose the person in front of him.
Without saying a word, he boarded the vehicle.
Before Liu Shiyu could dodge, Xu Luchuan suddenly pressed his hand against her forehead and shoved her back into the car. Xu Luchuan didn't release her until she was seated.
As soon as he released her, several red marks appeared on Liu Shiyu's forehead. Enraged, she raised her eyebrows and shouted, "Xu Luchuan! What exactly do you want with this princess's head?"
Xu Luchuan simply smiled and ignored him, then closed his eyes and said nothing more.
...
Before long, the carriage stopped on the banks of the Xiao Qinhuai River.
Lian Yue lifted the bamboo curtain, about to speak, but hesitated over the form of address. She recalled the last time she had mistakenly called him "wife" and "husband," and how the two of them had given her the same look, as if they wanted to devour her whole. She couldn't afford to make a mistake today.
After a moment's thought, Lian Yue said, "Gentlemen, we've arrived."
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiyu's joy was practically written all over her face. She nimbly stood up, completely disregarding Xu Luchuan beside her. As she passed by him, she even deliberately stepped on his foot, venting her pent-up resentment.
"you"
Xu Luchuan opened his eyes in pain, but the person who "committed the crime" had already left in a hurry, leaving him alone pointing at the empty carriage.
"Young Master Xu, please."
After being invited again by the carriage for several months, Xu Luchuan finally got up and got off the carriage.
But as soon as he stepped off the carriage, Xu Luchuan looked at the several bustling but poorly furnished open-air eateries in front of him and exclaimed in surprise, "Liu Shiyu, don't tell me we're going to eat in a place like this today..."
“Yes. Is there a problem?” Liu Shiyu’s mouth watered as he stared intently at the wisps of smoke rising from the inner city river. “There’s a folk saying that goes, ‘Wontons for the summer solstice and dumplings for the winter solstice, for peace and family reunion throughout the four seasons.’ So, I specifically asked Lian Yue to inquire. In the whole of Guangling, only the wontons here are the most authentic. Let’s eat these today.”
Xu Luchuan stared silently at Liu Shiyu, unable to understand her. Why was she, though seemingly a sparrow on the ground, more carefree than a wild goose soaring in the distant sky?
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Shiyu turned around and smiled, "Let's go, or there won't be any seats left."
Still silent, Xu Luchuan followed Liu Shiyu forward. But they had only taken a few steps when their path was blocked.
Xu Luchuan lowered his eyes and saw a child with his hair in two buns smile at him and say, "Young master, would you like to buy a bunch of jujube blossoms for your wife?"
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