Chapter 109: Wine
Song Hemei traced the delicate fabric of the undergarment, scrutinizing it closely, when suddenly her hand was caught. She lifted her gaze sharply, meeting the solemn intent in Yu Yeqing's lowered eyes.
"This is yours. I would never treat it lightly."
He spoke with such gravity that Song Hemei felt he might swear an oath with his next breath. Hastily, she set the garment down, a bit chagrined. "I was just asking casually…"
He really had no flair for romantic play.
She folded the garment away. "Alright, alright, I believe you. How proper you are—what would you even do? At least you haven't enshrined my undergarment on an altar."
She closed the box lid. "Anyway, this embroidery style is three years old, and the fabric isn't new. There's no need to keep it."
But Yu Yeqing only gripped her hand tighter. She looked at him quizzically and saw his long lashes tremble as he hesitated before speaking. "Then… could you give it to me?"
"What would you keep that for?" Song Hemei found it amusing and leaned in closer. "I'm right here in front of you. Why do you need to keep something else?"
"It's different."
Yu Yeqing crouched down to her eye level. "The meaning is different. That was the first time you truly looked at me. I want to keep it—may I?"
His words made her ears burn. She could hardly keep her thoughts from wandering. A gaze that made use of an undergarment—how innocent could it be?
She simply thrust the box toward him. "Do as you please."
Yu Yeqing gazed at her with a smile. His eyes traced from her averted glance down to her nose, then to her lips. His Adam's apple bobbed. After only a moment's hesitation, he leaned in and lightly kissed her lips, then rubbed his nose against hers.
"Are you hungry?"
Song Hemei's heart raced. As he pulled back, she instinctively leaned forward a little—only to see him smoothing his wide sleeves, preparing to roll them up.
She was genuinely speechless… Was he addicted to cooking? Why was he in such a rush to make a dish at a time like this?
But with his gaze so tenderly warm, she could only sigh softly. "I am a bit hungry. Go ahead and make something."
Yu Yeqing was delighted.
As if anything he could do for her brought him joy.
Song Hemei disliked the smoky air of the kitchen, so she didn't follow him in. But he was truly quick—he made both meat and vegetable dishes, plus a bowl of soup, all simple home cooking.
She had tasted Yu Yeqing's cooking three years ago. It couldn't compare to the chefs hired at lavish expense by her family's restaurant, but it certainly made the rice go down. The consequence of a hearty meal, however, was that once she put down her chopsticks, drowsiness set in, and she was the first to take a nap on the bed.
Perhaps it was because the day had been too relaxed, or the sun outside had softened the bedding, but she slept very deeply. When she woke, dusk had already fallen. It was too late to ride back, so she had no choice but to stay the night.
When she awoke, Yu Yeqing wasn't beside her. That feeling was somewhat unpleasant, but she heard movement outside. She slipped on her embroidered shoes, pushed open the door, and saw him digging with a hoe under a tree in the yard.
"What are you doing?"
Yu Yeqing turned his head and broke into a smile. "There are still many old things stored here. It'll be at least another year before we come back, so I might as well take them all to the Capital."
Song Hemei looked at the round table in the yard and approached to see small items: a cloth tiger, a bamboo dragonfly, and some girlish trinkets—presumably things from his and Minglian's childhood.
Before long, Yu Yeqing set down the hoe and carried over two jars of wine.
Song Hemei looked over in surprise. "I was meaning to ask you earlier—I thought you were going to take that tree to the Capital as well. But where did this wine come from?"
"After Minglian was born, Father buried this 'Daughter's Wine' for her." Yu Yeqing stroked the jar. "I heard that Mother also had a Daughter's Wine once. Later, my birth father forcibly took it, insisting on drinking it. She would rather shatter the jar than submit, and she smashed it on the ground. Father knew of Mother's regret, so he made up for it with Minglian. That's why we came back. I'd better take these away."
Hearing this, Song Hemei felt a pang of melancholy. She looked at the jars and saw that one was engraved with "Lian" and the other with "Qing."
She reached out to touch it, making sure she wasn't seeing things. "Why is there one for you?"
"When I was watching nearby as they buried Minglian's, my father thought I would feel left out, so he buried one for me too. He truly treasured me."
Yu Yeqing pushed the jar toward her, his voice pausing for a moment. "So this one of mine should rightfully be drunk by you."
Song Hemei immediately laughed. "Alright, go find two cups. If we're going to drink, we should drink together."
Yu Yeqing obediently got up. Soon he returned—there were no proper wine cups, so he had to make do with two teacups.
When the seal was broken, the aroma was indeed rich and fragrant.
Perhaps it was in her blood as a merchant's daughter; she took after her father and had drunk wine since childhood without getting drunk easily. She had tasted many kinds since, but never Daughter's Wine.
She could drink, but she didn't particularly like it. Yet on a day like this, mood mattered more than preference.
Once the two cups were poured, a crescent moon had climbed over the horizon. On a whim, Song Hemei pulled his hand and linked arms with him for a nuptial toast. As she downed the cup, she looked up to see that the back of Yu Yeqing's neck had turned red.
She reached up and touched his Adam's apple, feeling it bob under her fingertip. She laughed. "Why are you blushing?"
She looked up and saw what seemed like misty tears in Yu Yeqing's eyes.
Surely he wasn't so overwhelmed that he was about to cry?
She found him extraordinarily amusing. Leaning over, she kissed him on the cheek. "What a rarity—will you shed a tear for me to see?"
She teased him lightly, then looked up at the curved moon.
In such a scene, a full moon would have been more fitting for completeness, but sometimes it was all about the state of mind. When times were bad, even the fullest moon felt harsh to the eyes; when times were good, even a slender crescent seemed lovable and endearing.
Her cup was empty, and she hadn't really tasted it yet. "You don't know this, but some thick, throat-burning wines actually have a little arsenic added. But yours, home-brewed, certainly doesn't—it goes down much smoother. I just don't know if it'll make one drunk. You—"
Before she could finish, a heavy weight fell on her shoulder. Yu Yeqing had slumped entirely against her.
Stunned, she turned her head to look at him. His eyes were closed, and the tip of his nose and his ears were flushed a deep red.
Song Hemei was silent for a long moment, then let out an exasperated laugh.
So he didn't drink at banquets because his tolerance was ridiculously low?
She reached up to stroke his cheek, then pinched it lightly. "How embarrassing, Young Master Yu. I should just leave you here so everyone can see what it means to be downed by one cup."
As soon as she spoke, a tear dropped onto the back of her hand, startling her.
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