"Come, let us toast to the General with our first cup, congratulating him on his new bride," Nangong Wu stood up. "Let us make the most of our time here today."
"Just drinking is boring. How about we play drum-and-flower? The one who beats the drum will pose a riddle, and whoever receives the flower has to answer. If they answer incorrectly, they'll be fined a drink!" Pei Qianyun suggested.
"That's a good idea. Do you all have any objections?"
"None."
"As for who poses the riddles, I've already thought of it. Yin Zhu, you'll be in charge of the riddles," Xiao Man called to Yin Zhu. "No slacking off allowed."
"Yes, Miss."
"And the one who beats the drum..."
"The drummer can't be one of your people. If it's someone from your side, how can we be sure you're not cheating?" Bai Yanran immediately said. "The drummer must be impartial and not favor anyone."
"If impartiality is what you seek, why don't I, your humble servant, be the drummer? How about that?" Nangong Yi had, at some point, snuck into the backyard. As soon as Xiao Ling saw Nangong Yi, she felt uneasy and turned her face away. Everyone else also felt it was rather abrupt, considering this backyard was for ladies only. Prince Qi had a notorious reputation, and if he were to mingle with them, who knew what rumors might spread.
"Go, go, go! This is a place for us girls to play. Where did you come from, go back there," Xiao Man unhesitatingly shooed him away. Only then did the others continue discussing the game rules.
"If you're worried about someone cheating, why not simply blindfold the girl who beats the drum?"
"Good idea."
And so, it was finally decided that Ying Xue would beat the drum, Yin Zhu would pose the riddles, and Xiao Man ordered someone to pick a vividly blooming cherry blossom as the flower to be passed. As the drum sounded, Xiao Man quickly handed the flower in her hand to Nangong Wu, who, startled, threw it to Pei Qianyun. Pei Qianyun caught it and passed it to Bai Yanran, who was just reaching out to take it.
The drumming stopped, and the flower was still in Pei Qianyun's hand. Bai Yanran quickly retracted her hand.
Yin Zhu smiled and said, "One person wears a bow on their waist."
Pei Qianyun pondered for a moment and immediately answered, "Yi."
After Pei Qianyun answered, she immediately passed the flower to the next person. The drum continued to beat, and after a while, the flower landed in Nangong Wu's hand again. Nangong Wu didn't have time to throw it.
"The seventh day of the first month."
"What?" Nangong Wu scratched her head and looked at Xiao Man. Xiao Man moved her lips, and Pei Qianyun immediately said.
"Xiao Man is cheating, telling the Ninth Princess the answer. Both of them will be punished!"
Both of them drank a cup of wine and then passed the flower down.
"An arrow pierces the heart."
"Bi."
"Seven people with grass growing on their heads."
"Hua."
"A beautiful girl of sixteen."
"This... Cong?"
"Wrong! Penalty drink! It's Miao!"
Everyone was having a grand time, some guessed correctly, and some guessed incorrectly. Nangong Yan, unable to find Nangong Yi, went with Nangong Yu to look for him and discovered Nangong Yi peeking into the backyard by the corner gate of the garden, craning his neck.
Nangong Yu's face darkened. This person really didn't learn his lesson. He'd forgotten the incident at the General's mansion where he was tricked and had come to the backyard alone again.
Nangong Yu patted his shoulder, but Nangong Yi showed no reaction, merely twitching his shoulder to indicate not to disturb him.
Nangong Yan felt puzzled and leaned in to look as well. He saw several young ladies in the garden playing drum-and-flower, guessing riddles. To make it more lively, the maids beside them had also joined in. Three full tables of people were having a joyous time.
Nangong Yu frowned. They were drinking again. He clearly had a poor tolerance for alcohol, yet he always loved to drink. This habit needed to change!
Thinking this, Nangong Yu scanned the crowd for Xiao Man's trace. After searching, he couldn't find her, and a sense of unease washed over him. Had that girl gotten drunk again?
Nangong Yu, taking advantage of no one paying attention, leaped over the wall into the garden to look for Xiao Man. As he walked out of the garden, he saw someone lying on a large flat stone under the cherry blossom tree. As he got closer, he realized it was Xiao Man. She had spread her cloak on the stone and was lying on it. Cherry blossoms drifted down, covering her with a thin layer of petals, making her look like a fairy among flowers.
Nangong Yu reached out and removed a petal stuck to Xiao Man's face. Looking at her sleeping figure, he chuckled, "Get up quickly. It's cold on the stone. Be careful not to catch a chill."
Xiao Man mumbled and turned over, continuing to sleep, ignoring Nangong Yu's words. Nangong Yu casually sat down on the stone and reached out to poke Xiao Man. "Lazy little thing, get up."
Xiao Man was very sleepy, feeling as if mosquitoes were buzzing in her ears. She waved her hand, intending to swat them away, but accidentally slapped Prince Qin across the face.
Prince Qin's expression turned somewhat ferocious. He had come with good intentions, and this brat dared to slap him. He really needed to show her what's what, and she wouldn't know why the flowers were so red!
"Xiao Man, get up!" Nangong Yu tried to pull Xiao Man up. Unexpectedly, Xiao Man rolled over and tumbled off the large flat stone. Nangong Yu tried to catch her but ended up rolling to the ground with her.
The sudden accident finally opened Xiao Man's hazy eyes. As soon as she opened them, she saw a familiar face. After staring at the face for a long time, she suddenly smiled and pecked Nangong Yu on the lips, smacking her mouth. "Sweet indeed."
Nangong Yu swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. Did this girl know what she was doing? Tempting a man who constantly wished he could devour her, did she know the consequences?
Xiao Man, in a daze, snuggled into Nangong Yu's embrace, looking utterly content. "A'Yu."
Nangong Yu trembled all over. "What did you call me?"
However, Xiao Man did not answer him. Nangong Yu turned his head and looked at Xiao Man, who had fallen asleep again. His eyes were filled with deep affection. "How long has it been since I last heard you call me that? The last time I heard you call me that was six years ago."
"A'Yu, you are mine."
The smile on Nangong Yu's face gradually widened. A hot tear slid down and landed on Xiao Man's face. "Yes, I am yours, and I always will be yours."
When everyone discovered Xiao Man was missing, they came out to look for her. They found Xiao Man sleeping soundly under the cherry blossom tree and quickly shook her awake. Qiu Tong immediately brought hot water to wash her face and tidied her hair.
"Miss, how could you sleep here? What if you catch a cold? You must drink a bowl of ginger soup when we get back to ward off the chill."
Xiao Man touched her face. "Has it rained?"
"Miss, you're still groggy from sleep. When did it rain?" Qiu Tong said while fixing Xiao Man's hair. "However, there was a rain of flowers. Look at all these petals on you."
Xiao Man touched her face, bewildered. "I really felt like it was raining. The rain hitting my face felt a little warm."
"In my opinion, you're truly muddled from drinking. Rainwater is ice-cold. How could it be warm?" Qiu Tong picked up the makeup box and applied makeup for Xiao Man. Once she confirmed it was perfect, she helped Xiao Man out.
Soudan Novel Network