Chapter 18 Red plum blossoms vie with snow to startle the spring's beauty. Ah Yu, sleep well tonight...
Today is cloudy, perfect for going out, and many men and women are taking advantage of the early summer season to go hiking and enjoy themselves.
On a deserted, overgrown path on the outskirts of the capital, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar.
The man on horseback was Chi Yanzhou.
He was secretly learning to ride a horse. Today there were no classes at the academy, and he thought that since he had some free time, he might as well learn to ride a horse so that it would be more convenient for him to travel in the future.
Most importantly, I can travel with Cui Fuyu!
Chi Yanzhou trotted slowly on his strong and powerful horse, practicing riding alone, just so he wouldn't ride with Cui Fuyu.
He preferred riding with her to riding together rather than riding together.
He has only just learned to trot on a horse, and is gradually mastering it. He specifically chose a deserted road to practice, and the horse was rented by him.
There is a fine horse in the villa where he can learn to ride, but Cui Fuyu will find out if he uses the horse. He wants to keep it a secret from her and give her a surprise.
Chi Yanzhou turned his horse around, spurred it on, and the horse gradually picked up speed. Holding the reins, he felt a little nervous as he accelerated for the first time.
However, he still managed to ride back and forth steadily.
Chi Yanzhou's tightly pursed lips revealed a smile, and his courage gradually grew. After running several fast laps, he gradually grasped his own insights and began to ride his horse even more recklessly.
However, learning to ride a horse is not an easy thing.
When Chi Yanzhou tried to speed up, an accident occurred. The horse got a little excited and became out of control, refusing to stop no matter how much he pulled on the reins.
As Chi Yanzhou watched the horse run further and further away, almost into the dense forest, he tried to twist the horse's head with all his might, but the horse only neighed, raised its front hooves high, and threw Chi Yanzhou heavily to the ground.
Chi Yanzhou landed on a small slope. When the horse threw him off, he didn't have time to think and used his hands to protect his head, but he also rolled down the slope.
The hillside was uneven, and Chi Yanzhou let out a muffled groan as he rolled dozens of times before finally coming to a stop on the slope.
His shoulder was already injured when he landed, and rolling down the hillside made the injury even worse.
Chi Yanzhou felt as if all the bones in his body were falling apart. He was in so much pain that sweat poured down his forehead. He tried to get up but couldn't, especially his right shoulder, which was the most severely affected.
Chi Yanzhou was in so much pain that he couldn't get up, so he simply lay on the ground and talked to himself slowly. He raised his hand and touched his right shoulder, but the intense pain made him afraid to touch it again.
Chi Yanzhou breathed heavily, gazing at the sky in a daze.
He was still too impatient.
——
Cui Fuyu has been staying at the Cui residence for the past few days, only occasionally having time during the day to visit Chi Yanzhou at the villa.
Unfortunately, Chi Yanzhou was busy with academy matters those days and didn't have much free time to spend with Cui Fuyu.
Only today did Cui Fuyu manage to coax her parents into agreeing to let her go.
Cui Fuyu rode alone to the villa, quickly searching for Chi Yanzhou's figure.
She searched the entire villa but couldn't find him. His room was empty, and he wasn't in the study either. She remembered that nothing had happened at the academy today.
Cui Fuyu summoned the steward to inquire, but the steward also shook his head and did not know.
No one knew where Chi Yanzhou had gone.
Cui Fuyu's joyful mood had already subsided by half. She crossed her arms and said, "Never mind, I probably forgot to tell you when I went out. I have some free time today, so I'll go ask Xie, the actor from the Pear Garden, if he's free to come to the villa to sing. It's been a long time since I've heard him sing."
In the past, she loved to invite actors to listen to plays when she came to the villa. Ever since she dreamed of the future of the Cui family, she has been busy with this matter and has not stopped for a moment.
Otherwise, he would be with Chi Yanzhou.
Cui Fuyu thought to herself: Today is a rare moment of solitude!
She looked at the most popular storybooks in the capital while eating appetizing soup served by servants in the waterside pavilion.
The housekeeper was very efficient and soon invited the person to the house.
Besides Xie Lingren, there was also a girl playing the pipa accompanying them.
Xie Lingren arrived dressed and ready. After the two bowed to Cui Fuyu, Xie Lingren joked, "Sister Cui, it's been so long since we last met. I thought you had found a new love and forgotten about me."
The recent events surrounding Cui Fuyu have been widely publicized, making it difficult for Xie Lingren not to know about them.
Looking at his appearance, so delicate and beautiful, yet knowing his limits, Cui Fuyu couldn't help but laugh: "That won't do. I love your voice so much. If the troupe leader hadn't refused to release you, I would have redeemed you and brought you back to the villa for me to enjoy all of your music."
Xie Lingren covered her mouth and laughed: "It's good that you said that, Sister Cui. What would you like to hear today?"
Cui Fuyu leaned back in his chair, lost in thought, and suddenly said, "It's been a long time since I've heard you perform your best piece, 'The Romance of the Western Chamber.' Why don't we perform it today?"
After Xie Lingren agreed, the sound of the pipa gradually rose, tinkling and melodious.
Before long, Xie Lingren's opera singing voice came from the waterside pavilion. His singing skills were superb, no wonder Cui Fuyu favored him so much.
After a long while, it gradually got dark, and the streetlights lit up one by one. The villa was also brightly lit at this time.
Just as Xie Lingren was singing the climax of "The Romance of the Western Chamber," Chi Yanzhou returned.
As soon as Chi Yanzhou entered the gate, the butler pulled him aside and said that Cui Fuyu was waiting for him all afternoon and had not yet had dinner.
He endured the pain in his shoulder, withdrew his hand from his grasp, and asked anxiously, "Where is the young lady?"
When he arrived at the waterside pavilion, he found Cui Fuyu leisurely listening to the opera.
Cui Fuyu smiled and beckoned to Chi Yanzhou, gesturing for him to come over. In the candlelight, she didn't notice anything unusual about Chi Yanzhou's body, nor did she think much about where he had been today. She simply asked, "Why weren't you at the villa today?"
Cui Fuyu pointed at Xie Lingren, "That's Xie Lingren, a famous actor in the Peking Opera world."
"I had some personal business to attend to this afternoon and forgot to inform the housekeeper."
He had heard of Xie Lingren, but had never seen her in person.
Chi Yanzhou felt uneasy seeing how familiar Cui Fuyu was with him. He thought about how he had finally managed to get the horse back that afternoon, and how he had gone to the clinic to check his injuries and freshen up before returning.
She invited other men to perform at the villa, and they were quite familiar with each other.
Chi Yanzhou suddenly felt jealous of Xie Lingren.
He took Cui Fuyu's hand and couldn't help but mutter, "Ayu, I'm hungry."
Chi Yanzhou shouted "Ayu" loudly, declaring his sovereignty to everyone.
Cui Fuyu had eaten some pastries in the afternoon and wasn't hungry yet, but Chi Yanzhou was. So she waved her hand to stop and told the household to prepare a meal. "Thank you, musician, that's enough for now. We'll listen again next time."
Chi Yanzhou glanced at Cui Fuyu, then at Xie Lingren, a smile playing on his lips. The young lady hadn't asked him to stay for dinner.
Xie Lingren looked at Chi Yanzhou, who was hostile towards him, and nodded helplessly before leaving with the little girl.
After everyone had gone, Chi Yanzhou pulled Cui Fuyu into his arms, his voice slightly aggrieved: "Ayu..."
All the words he wanted to say were hidden in a tender and affectionate "A-Yu".
Chi Yanzhou missed her dearly after not seeing her for several days, unaware that she had returned to the villa today.
Chi Yanzhou only held him for a short while, afraid that Cui Fuyu would notice the smell of medicinal wine on him.
It's best not to tell Cui Fuyu about his horseback riding injury, lest she feel distressed.
Cui Fuyu raised her hand and patted his shoulder, laughing at him: "Jealous! How can you be jealous of even actors!"
Chi Yanzhou forced a smile through his pain: "Only I can be by the young lady's side."
Upon hearing this, Cui Fuyu's smile faded slightly, but she didn't say anything. She took his hand and led him to the front hall for dinner.
After the two finished dinner and took a bath, it was already late at night.
Chi Yanzhou won't be sleeping in his own room tonight; he has to stay with Cui Fuyu.
After he got into bed, dressed in his undergarments and trousers, he was completely covered up.
Cui Fuyu frowned. Although she hadn't come for that reason, it was hot, and he was dressed far too warmly.
Chi Yanzhou, however, thought this was perfect. He washed away the smell of the medicinal wine from his body and accompanied Cui Fuyu feeling refreshed.
Cui Fuyu thought that Chi Yanzhou was guarding against her like a wolf, and she also had the idea of teasing him.
Cui Fuyu then approached him step by step, intending to unbutton his clothes.
"Chi Lang, why are you wearing so much? You'll have to take it off later anyway."
Cui Fuyu tugged at his sash, but Chi Yanzhou held her hand down, preventing her from moving: "Ayu, go to sleep well tonight, I'm tired!"
He had already stirred up her rebellious spirit.
Hearing him say that, Cui Fuyu insisted that he sleep shirtless.
"Is that so? Then I'll have the kitchen prepare some nourishing food for you tomorrow."
As the two played and tugged at each other on the bed, Cui Fuyu managed to pull off Chi Yanzhou's clothes.
But her smile froze, she withdrew her hand, and looked at him in disbelief at the bruises all over his body, the most severe ones on his shoulders.
Chi Yanzhou silently put on his clothes. Cui Fuyu frowned, his voice low and menacing: "Who hit you? Is someone secretly bullying you?"
No matter how much Cui Fuyu pressed him, Chi Yanzhou refused to say how it happened, only saying that no one had bullied him.
Seeing that Chi Yanzhou refused to speak, Cui Fuyu stopped pressing him and instead asked him where he kept the medicine.
No wonder Cui Fuyu smelled a faint scent of medicinal wine when Chi Yanzhou hugged her earlier.
Cui Fuyu stripped him naked again and looked him over. He found many bruises on Chi Yanzhou's body, some big and some small, which did not look like he had been beaten, but rather like he had fallen down on his own.
After asking and confirming that she had already seen a doctor, she got up and left without saying a word.
Wearing a cloak, Cui Fuyu went to Chi Yanzhou's room and looked for medicine on his desk.
Suddenly, I discovered an old, small portrait in the drawer!
After Cui Fuyu picked it up and looked at it, she stood there stunned.
The girl in the painting only shows her profile. She looks somewhat young and is wearing a pale yellow dress, holding a parasol amidst a sea of red plum blossoms.
At a glance, Cui Fuyu recognized herself in the painting.
It's all because of the Wanfu Umbrella; she was the only one in the entire capital who had it!
But I've been looking at the small painting for quite some time!
When did Chi Yanzhou paint this?
Cui Fuyu grabbed the medicinal wine and the painting, hurried back to her room, and displayed the painting in front of Chi Yanzhou: "Do you know that the person in this painting is me?"
Chi Yanzhou looked at the painting and sighed inwardly that Cui Fuyu had seen it after all; he should have hidden it better.
"Yes, I only found out recently."
Cui Fuyu was even more confused. What did he mean?
Why did you only find out recently?
Did they not know it was her when they were drawing it?
Cui Fuyu sat by the bed, applying medicine to Chi Yanzhou: "Why? Didn't you know it was me when you painted it?"
A note from the author:
----------------------
Chi Yanzhou: So, does Miss understand now...? She's always been Miss!
Cui Fuyu: So you've been keeping me hidden in your heart all this time! You're really good at hiding things! If I hadn't found out, were you never going to tell me?! (Beats up Chi Yanzhou)
Me: My dear girl, don't let him get away with this! And everyone, don't let me get away with this either! Please add me to your favorites! [kiss]
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