Niao Ni
Chapter 118: The Tale of the Bickering Demons (Cherry Chapter Four, Asking for Monthly Tickets)
So, the two gradually became one.
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Although there were waterside bushes providing cover, the lake and mountain scenery was so bright that the intimate scene of the young couple would occasionally fall into the eyes of the maids. The maids were smart; they each turned their eyes away. Some lowered themselves to flip the meat slices, some turned their backs pretending to check the young lady's makeup box, and some, unsure of what to do, could only lower themselves and softly call out, pretending to be pitiful little girls who had twisted their ankles.
Fan Siz辙 was happily munching away, not noticing the fairies arguing by the lake. Ruo Ruo was strolling near the forest's edge to digest her food, and didn't seem to notice either. The reason the maids didn't cough dozens of times to stop such a scandalous thing from happening was all thanks to Fan Xian's "stuffing the duck" policy these days.
If you want to plot state affairs, you must bribe the head eunuch; if you want to plot family affairs, you must bribe these personal maids. Fan Xian deeply understood this principle, so he rewarded them generously every now and then. Relying on the fact that his father was the Vice Minister of Revenue, and that the Danbo Bookstore was constantly raking in silver, he was extremely generous. The maids were delighted and had long tilted the scales towards the future son-in-law's side.
After who knows how long, the two by the lake finally separated, gasping for breath, their hair slightly disheveled, looking less like they had been intimate and more like they had fought.
Lin Wan'er reached out to smooth her hair, glancing at the maids in the distance, guessing that no one had seen, but she was still overcome with shame and annoyance, glaring fiercely at Fan Xian. She thought it was too outrageous to do this in broad daylight, but her lips seemed to still retain a sweet fragrance, causing a flurry of confusion and sweetness in the young girl's heart.
"What's there to be afraid of? I don't see you this uncomfortable at night," Fan Xian whispered teasingly in her ear, using a "small trick" to gently flick her white, jade-like earlobe.
Wan'er let out another soft cry and couldn't help but clench her little fist and hit him on the chest.
"Murdering your own husband." This was a joke Fan Xian and his friends had been making since his previous life, but saying it to his real fiancée by the lake had a special flavor.
Wan'er, full of vigor, took a bite, and Fan Xian's wrist throbbed. He endured it without crying out, saying with a wry smile, "It's not like fairies fighting, why so fierce?"
The allusion of "fairies fighting" comes from the 73rd chapter of *Dream of the Red Chamber*, where Silly Sister picked up a sachet in the Grand View Garden with a pair of naked men and women embracing. Silly Sister didn't know it was an erotic picture, but thought the fairies were fighting. Later, she handed it over to Madam Xing, which led to the search of the Grand View Garden.
Originally, no one in Qing Yu Nian should have known this allusion. But a few days ago, Lin Wan'er heard that her husband-to-be had opened a bookstore claiming to have the complete *Story of the Stone*, so she had already forced Fan Xian to "copy" out the last ten or so chapters. Hearing these four words today, her face immediately flushed red, and she said, somewhat sullenly, "What kind of person do you take me for?"
Fan Xian said with a grin, "Of course, a good person. Someone once said that fairies fighting is a fight of utmost goodness and beauty. Besides, we were just fairies arguing before."
"Bah! Where did you get this nonsense? And you're borrowing the name of a fake predecessor." Lin Wan'er chuckled. "Besides, what's the difference between fairies fighting and arguing?"
"Fighting naturally involves using your hands, feet, and every usable part of your body. Arguing, of course... only involves moving your mouth."
"Go die."
Fan Xian was secretly pleased, replying, "Then I'll die on you."
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During a summer retreat in a summer resort, lovers find it easiest to while away the time amidst beautiful lakes and green mountains. In the blink of an eye, it was noon. The old maids, who had been left at the front manor to play mahjong thanks to some trickery by Fan Ruo Ruo, finally remembered their duties and hurried over, beaming at Fan Xian, presumably having gained many benefits from the Fan family in the game.
But Fan Xian still found them unpleasant, because with these old maids around, there was no way he could steal another kiss. He had to be polite and keep a distance from Wan'er.
For lunch, Fan Xian couldn't be allowed to get away with just grilled fish. The group returned to the manor in a grand fashion, choosing an elegant courtyard. Servants went to prepare the food. As they were drinking tea and chatting idly, they heard the sound of carriages in the distance. Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er stood up and smiled at the same time, seeming to know who was coming. But when they realized the other had also stood up, they couldn't help but look at each other, quite surprised.
The visitors were guests, all guests, but Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er had invited them separately and didn't know about it beforehand. So, when they saw the people getting off the two carriages, Fan Xian and Wan'er were both a little surprised. Wan'er was surprised and a little nervous and sentimental, while Fan Xian was surprised and a little nervous... and had a headache.
Lin Wan'er had invited Ye Ling'er. She knew about the fight between the two outside the imperial villa a few days ago, so today she deliberately used the opportunity of an outing to let Ye Ling'er and Fan Xian get to know each other better, to eliminate the animosity between them, and also to act as a sickly peacemaker. Fan Xian naturally understood Wan'er's intention, smiled, stepped forward, cupped his hands and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Miss Ye."
After that day, Ye Ling'er, although her nose still seemed sore, showed no signs of coyness, but instead clasped her fists like a female knight: "Greetings, Young Master Fan. Young Master Fan's skill is impressive, this younger sister admires it."
Fan Xian chuckled, but felt a little strange in his heart, thinking, is this preparing to film an ancient costume drama in ancient times?
Fan Siz辙 watched Ye Ling'er get off the carriage and greet his brother, and whispered to Ruo Ruo, "Sister, I understand. The future sister-in-law wants to be a peacemaker." Fan Ruo Ruo gave a "hmm" and smiled, preparing to step forward to greet, but she paused when she heard Fan Siz辙's next sentence. Fan Siz辙 said lewdly, "I'm afraid that sister-in-law will open the door to welcome guests, but will welcome a younger sister for herself."
Fan Ruo Ruo spat and heavily knocked Fan Siz辙 on the forehead, scolding in a low voice, "Not to mention what brother is thinking, even if he wants to marry, with Miss Ye's status, is it possible for her to be a concubine?" In her heart, it didn't matter who her brother married, as long as he was happy. This was similar to Fan Xian's expectations of her.
A large fat man got off the other carriage, supported by servants, looking around somewhat flustered. Fan Xian gave a look, signaling Ruo Ruo to take Ye Ling'er to rest, while gently tugging on Wan'er's sleeve.
Lin Wan'er looked at the large fat man, couldn't help but put her hand to her lips to cover it, but still let out a very low cry. When she looked back at Fan Xian, her eyes were full of gratitude.
"Go ahead." Fan Xian encouraged her with a gentle smile, and the two walked towards the carriage. When the large fat man saw Fan Xian, the somewhat terrified expression on his face immediately turned into a beaming smile. The already somewhat wide distance between his eyebrows was stretched even longer. He took a few steps forward, grabbed Fan Xian's hand, and shouted, "Little Xian Xian, it's you!"
"Da Bao, didn't we agree not to call me that?" Fan Xian said with a bitter face.
Lin Wan'er was a little sad, thinking that her silly brother, whom she hadn't seen a few times, seemed to have forgotten about her, but when she heard Da Bao calling Fan Xian, she couldn't help but laugh and asked, "Little Xian Xian?"
Fan Xian nodded helplessly.
"Thank you." Lin Wan'er looked at Fan Xian gratefully. "You know it's not convenient for me to see him."
"I know." Fan Xian smiled, turned around and patted Da Bao's tall shoulder. "Da Bao, there's no polo to watch today, but there are other fun things to do."
This courtyard was located at the foot of a mountain slope, with a door to the hall, from which one could see the blue lake in the distance. Da Bao sniffed and shook his head. "Little Xian Xian, the water is green, not blue."
Fan Xian sighed, "Because the water is not deep enough."
"Then let's go see how deep it is."
Fan Xian's wishful thinking was to bring Da Bao here today, first to prevent his brother-in-law from feeling suffocated at home every day, and second, to let Fan Siz辙 take him to play, since they were both children. Who knew that Fan Siz辙 had an innate sensitivity to losing out, and when he saw a big fool coming, he had already hid far away. Fan Xian, dragged by Da Bao, had no choice but to walk down the mountain, thinking that lunch was probably ruined.
Just as the silly son-in-law and the silly brother-in-law were about to walk out the door, Da Bao suddenly turned around and looked at Lin Wan'er very seriously, "Sister, why aren't you coming?"
Lin Wan'er was stunned for a moment, then her heart ached. It turned out that her silly brother, whom she hadn't seen a few times, still remembered that he had a sister. She quickly responded crisply, stepped forward, and took Da Bao's other hand.
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At night, a very faint sound of mahjong tiles falling came from the distant pavilion. The guards gathered together to drink, their duties were light, and the world was peaceful, so they were completely relaxed. The maids were tired from playing all day and had drunk a few cups of yellow wine, so they went to sleep. As for the masters they served, they had long since retired to bed. Occasionally, the sound of frogs croaking came from the ponds by the forest, and the sound of fish breaking the water while swimming at night in the lake, which made the royal summer resort even more peaceful.
Near the lake in an extremely remote place, a tent was hiding from the moonlight, quietly hidden in the woods, receiving the breeze from the lake. It was the time for lovers to whisper at midnight, and the young couple in the tent were saying sweet nothings.