“A Chu, I’ll always stand beside you at the top. You’ll never have to envy anyone.”
#
Holding a sprig of plum blossoms, Cui Yunchu hooked her little finger around Shen Xiabai’s and strolled contentedly through the plum grove.
“What did you and Lord Wang talk about on the way?”
Cui Yunchu released him, pulled a brocade box from her sleeve, and smiled until her eyes curved. “He gave this to me. Wasn’t that a good deal?”
Shen Xiabai’s gaze darkened. He held out his hand toward Yunchu. “What is it? Let me see.”
“It’s only a hairpin.” Cui Yunchu opened the box grudgingly to give Shen Xiabai one look, then stuffed it back into her sleeve.
“Good A Chu, that hairpin is hideously ugly and worth next to nothing. Throw it away. I’ll buy you a new one.”
“A new one would cost my money.” Cui Yunchu clutched her sleeve. “Your money will be my money from now on too. How could that compare with something I got for free?”
Shen Xiabai nearly choked. Her logic was flawless, and he did not know whether he ought to be pleased or displeased.
“Our household isn’t short of money for that worthless trinket.” He wrapped his arms around her and coaxed her gently, trying to take the hairpin away and throw it out.
Once gold landed in Cui Yunchu’s hands, asking her to give it back was tantamount to taking her life.
“From now on, you’re not allowed to spend your money recklessly either. You have to save it all for me.”
Cui Yunchu simply refused to budge.
Shen Xiabai narrowed his eyes at her. Then, unexpectedly, he agreed readily. “Then A Chu had better keep it somewhere safe. Don’t lose it.”
Cui Yunchu pressed a hand over her sleeve. “Of course I won’t.”
He pulled Yunchu into his arms and pointed out the distant scenery for her to admire, but his eyes slid toward Yu Feng, who was hidden nearby. Their gazes met briefly. Yu Feng immediately cupped his hands in salute and left.
Cui Yunchu leaned against Shen Xiabai’s chest, enjoying the peace of the moment. Suddenly, a faint rustling arose from within the plum grove. Like a startled rabbit, she shoved Shen Xiabai away and darted about, looking for somewhere to hide.
Shen Xiabai: “…”
Before long, a similarly furtive man and woman entered the grove. They glanced at Shen Xiabai and, after confirming that he was not someone they knew, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. They leaned against each other and continued on their way.
Shen Xiabai walked over to the tree behind which Cui Yunchu was hiding. He bent down and spoke in a low voice. “If I remember correctly, our affair is already known to everyone. At this point, shouldn’t we be meeting openly instead of sneaking around like lovers?”
“…”
Cui Yunchu looked up at him. “Is that so?”
“I’m just used to sneaking around.” She dusted off her skirts and stood, then tugged Shen Xiabai toward the place where the pair had just gone.
“What are we going there for?”
“To see how other people conduct their secret trysts. You need to learn from them. You’re hopelessly dense.”
“…”
Shen Xiabai was not particularly pleased, but he obediently followed Cui Yunchu. She led him to the end of the plum grove, where the wind blew strongly and not a soul could be seen besides the pair.
“Is this place all right? What if those two from before follow us?” the woman asked uneasily.
Cui Yunchu: Are they talking about us?
She exchanged a glance with Shen Xiabai that lasted several breaths.
The man reassured her, “Don’t worry. They barely have enough time for their own tryst. How would they have the chance to spy on us?”
With that, he wrapped an arm around the woman and began kissing her passionately.
“I’ve missed you so much.”
The woman responded just as fervently. “I’ve missed you too.”
Cui Yunchu watched without blinking.
“So secret meetings are just about kissing.”
But in the next moment, the pair began doing something else. The man started tugging hard at his waistband, while the woman slipped off half of her outer robe, revealing a fair shoulder as she gazed at him with dazed eyes.
“Big brother.”
“Little sister-in-law.”
“I—” Before Cui Yunchu’s view was blocked, she clearly saw the man’s hand placed on the woman’s backside, squeezing it hard. #
Shen Xiabai raised an arm to cover her eyes and led her away from the spot.
Cui Yunchu was still sighing in amazement. “That was intense.”
Shen Xiabai’s face had turned black. “Don’t say another word.”
Cui Yunchu was still reluctant to leave. “I hadn’t finished watching. Why did you drag me away?”
As she spoke, she looked Shen Xiabai up and down.
“We were already in bed together last night, yet you still managed to remain unmoved. You’re not impotent, are you?”
Shen Xiabai gripped her waist and pressed her directly against a plum tree. “You want me to learn from that man?”
Cui Yunchu was all talk. Now, she immediately grew timid.
Shen Xiabai gave her a smack on the backside. “You’re not allowed to watch things you shouldn’t from now on. Do you hear me?”
Cui Yunchu’s entire face flushed scarlet.
She turned her head toward Shen Xiabai. “Since everyone is against us being together, wouldn’t it be better if we made it a done deal?”
Shen Xiabai’s gaze grew dark. One hand held her firmly in place as he suddenly bent down and kissed her. Cui Yunchu turned her head aside, then answered his kiss.
Shen Xiabai’s voice was soft. “A Chu, I’ll take care of everything. All you need to do is remain as carefree as you are today—forever.”
#
“Boss, should we just rob her?” A servant outside the plum grove asked Yu Feng, his face creased with worry.
Yu Feng replied, “We can’t rob her. Madam was kidnapped once before, and she has a psychological scar from it.”
“Then what do we do?”
If they couldn’t rob Madam, were they supposed to ask her to hand over the hairpin?
Given Madam’s miserly, money-loving nature, would she actually give it to them?
Yu Feng glanced at the others and instructed them, “I can’t go. Madam would recognize me at a glance. This matter will have to be left to you. Dress up as bandits, and when Master and Madam come out, jump out and rob them.”
The servant: “…”
“Will that work? With Master’s abilities, he could probably pin us all down with a single finger.”
“There’s no other way. Hurry and hide—they’re coming out.”
*
Cui Yunchu and Shen Xiabai walked out of the plum grove hand in hand.
“Stop!”
Several men wielding broadswords suddenly leaped out and blocked their path.
“This mountain was opened by me, and these trees were planted by me. If you wish to pass through, leave behind a fee for admiring the flowers!”
Cui Yunchu: “…”
Shen Xiabai looked at the several fools glaring at them with fierce, menacing expressions. His temples began to throb.
Cui Yunchu glanced at Shen Xiabai, then pointed at herself. “You’re trying to rob me? Are you sure about that?”
The servants exchanged a few looks. Then, with a collective thud, they dropped to their knees and began to wail, tears and snot streaming down their faces.
“Miss, it really is our mountain, and we truly planted these trees ourselves. We’re counting on this plum grove to support our families. You’ve admired the flowers and picked them too, so just give us a little money. Don’t let our wives and children starve!”
Their drastic change startled Cui Yunchu, and she took a step back, hugging Shen Xiabai’s arm.
Wasn’t this plum grove owned by Anshan Temple? When had it become private property?
“Miss, please show us some mercy.”
Cui Yunchu cast a sidelong glance at Shen Xiabai. “What are you waiting for? Take out some money.”
Shen Xiabai looked at the men with distaste and coughed lightly. “I don’t have any small change on me. All my money is with Yu Feng.”
“Miss, you can just give us the box in your sleeve,” one of them said.
Cui Yunchu lowered her head to look at her sleeve, then glanced at the men. “You want this?”
They all nodded in unison.
“All right, then. I’ll give it to you. After all, I did pick your flowers.”
With extreme reluctance, Cui Yunchu pulled out the brocade box and handed it to one of them.
“Can we leave now?”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
The men hurriedly stepped aside.
As Shen Xiabai passed by the group with Cui Yunchu holding his hand, he still lowered his eyes and shot them a disdainful glance.
Yu Feng cheerfully helped the two of them into the carriage. “Master, Madam, are we heading back to the city now?”
Cui Yunchu gave a brief reply.
Yu Feng drove toward the capital. Suddenly, a loud crash came from inside the carriage, like the sound of porcelain shattering, startling him so badly that he nearly lost his grip on the reins.
Cui Yunchu’s voice followed immediately. “Shen Xiabai, who are you trying to fool? Do I look like an idiot to you?”
Yu Feng shuddered, and the reins nearly slipped from his hands.
Shen Xiabai looked at the broken teacup, then at the young woman staring fixedly at him. He lowered his head, pressed his lips into a straight line, and said nothing.
Cui Yunchu felt as though someone had ground her brain into the dirt.
“It was all Yu Feng’s doing. A Chu, I’ve been with you the whole time. When would I have had the chance to do this?”
Yu Feng: “……”
His master had found himself a wife, but he had no idea whether he would ever manage to marry his own bride in this lifetime.
