Chapter 409: Chapter 385, Insomnia_1
Because of the Sun Family’s untimely remarks, Old Lady Yan and Madam Li both lost interest, and after chatting briefly, they dispersed.
Daohua took Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu back to her own courtyard.
“Hey, be careful, why are you staggering?”
As they passed the courtyard gate, Dong Yuanyao stumbled, and both Daohua and Su Shiyu hurriedly steadied her.
Dong Yuanyao laughed and said, “Isn’t it all because your home’s grape wine is so good? Served in the colored glass cups, it looks even more tempting, so I couldn’t help but drink a few more glasses. Who knew it had such a strong kick?”
Su Shiyu said, “Alright, no more talking, let’s help you get some rest.”
The two quickly supported Dong Yuanyao back to her room.
“My head is spinning, I’m going to sleep, you two make yourselves at home.”
Dong Yuanyao swayed towards the bed, not even bothering to wash up.
Seeing her like this, Daohua shook her head with amusement, “This one is really fond of her wine.” Then, noticing that Su Shiyu’s cheeks were also flushed and her brows showed a slight intoxication, she added.
Su Shiyu touched her heated cheeks and said laughing, “Your home’s grape wine is indeed delicious, I also couldn’t help but drink an extra two glasses.”
Daohua laughed and said, “Then when you leave, I’ll give you a few jars to take home.”
Su Shiyu gratefully nodded without any pretense.
Daohua continued, “You should rest up too.”
After coming out of the side room, Daohua stood in the courtyard thinking for a moment, then took Wang Manman with her towards the kitchen.
“Young Miss, what are we doing in the kitchen?”
“Let’s see if there’s any sobering soup left. Both Yuanyao and Sister Su are drunk, and I imagine it’s even worse upfront. We should send them some sobering soup to avoid a headache in the morning.”
They soon reached the kitchen.
The kitchen had ready-made sobering soup, but not much was left, so Daohua had to have someone make more.
“Manman, you keep an eye on this. Once it’s ready, take it to the front courtyard. I’m taking these two bowls back now, lest Yuanyao and Sister Su fall asleep.”
“Don’t worry, Young Miss, I will take good care of it.”
Carrying a lantern and two bowls of sobering soup, Daohua left the kitchen. As she passed by the Chuihua Gate, a small stone suddenly fell in front of her, giving her a fright.
“Who’s there?”
‘Bang!’
A second stone fell, and Daohua looked in the direction it came from, only then did she see Xiao Yeyang standing outside the Chuihua Gate, with Defu holding a lantern not far away.
“What’s the matter, throwing stones like that, nearly scared me to death.”
Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, “Since when did Miss Yan become so faint-hearted?”
Taking his tone to be somewhat inebriated, Daohua thought for a moment and walked towards the Chuihua Gate.
Xiao Yeyang was leaning against the Spirit Jasper Stone by the Chuihua Gate, watching Daohua with a cheerful expression as she approached.
After the third round of drinking and admiring the bright full moon, he felt that such a beautiful scene should be enjoyed with Daohua, so he took the opportunity of clearing his head to come here with Defu.
He was in luck, having waited only a short while before he caught sight of her.
“How did you end up drinking so much?”
As she got closer, Daohua could smell the alcohol on Xiao Yeyang.
With a somewhat lazy demeanor, Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, “It’s your father’s fault. He was in high spirits tonight, and naturally, I had to join him for a few drinks.”
Daohua laughed, “Since when did the Little Prince become so amiable? Even agreeing to drink socially.” She knew very well that this fellow has always been impatient with the intricacies of formalities like toasting.
Under the dim, flickering light, Daohua’s delicate laughter caught Xiao Yeyang in a daze. After a moment of silence, he chuckled, “Of course, no one else has such treatment, but isn’t that your father?”
The implications in his words were too clear, leaving Daohua somewhat stunned.
While she was still in a daze, Xiao Yeyang suddenly leaned in closer: “What happened to your face?” He took the lantern from Daohua’s hand to take a closer look.
“Why is there a red mark?” he asked, gently touching it, “Does it hurt?”
Daohua turned her head to avoid Xiao Yeyang’s hand and stepped back a bit, “It must be from playing with Yuanyao and Sister Su earlier, I accidentally got it, it’s nothing serious.”
Xiao Yeyang frowned, “You should be careful when roughhousing; such a noticeable red mark suggests it was done forcefully. Miss Dong has quite the strength. Be mindful in the future to avoid getting the short end of the stick.”
Daohua explained, “Yuanyao and the others didn’t apply much force, my skin is just a bit sensitive.”
Seeing Xiao Yeyang rubbing his forehead, Daohua set down the food box and brought out a bowl of sobering soup, “Quickly drink this bowl of sobering soup; it was originally prepared for Yuanyao and them. After you finish it, I will go get more.”
Xiao Yeyang took the bowl and drained it in one gulp.
“Alright, it’s getting late, you should head back and rest,” he said.
Daohua picked up the food box, took the lantern from Xiao Yeyang’s hand, glanced at him, and turned to leave.
Xiao Yeyang wanted Daohua to stay a little longer, but considering Dong Yuanyao and Su Shiyu living in her courtyard, he swallowed the words he was about to say.
Last time, during moon viewing on the roof, Daohua was alone, so coming back late wasn’t notable. But if she were to return late tonight, it would be problematic.
After Daohua entered Chuihua Gate, she turned to see that Xiao Yeyang was still standing motionless and immediately said, “Why aren’t you leaving?”
Xiao Yeyang smiled, “You go first, and after you’ve left, then I’ll leave.”
Daohua remained silent for a moment, then turned around and quickly walked away, not looking back until she reached the corner, where she turned to look at Chuihua Gate and saw that Xiao Yeyang was still standing there.
Daohua remained silent for a moment, then slowly walked towards her own courtyard, lantern in hand.
After returning to her courtyard and seeing the lights on in the side room, she immediately called for Bi Shi, “Go, get a bowl of sobering soup from the kitchen.” She then handed the food box she was carrying to Guyu.
“Take this to Miss Dong and have her drink it before going to sleep.”
After finishing these instructions, Daohua returned to her room. After washing up, she lay on the bed and stared at the bright moon outside the window, asking Lixia to extinguish the lamp.
Tonight, Daohua couldn’t sleep.
Her mind frequently revisited the events of the day as well as the scene of Xiao Yeyang standing and gazing from a distance just a while ago.
Bathed in the bright moonlight, Daohua rested her arms underneath her head, staring blankly at the lotus flower placed in front of the window.
With the affection Xiao Yeyang occasionally showed, she could no longer ignore or deceive herself into believing that Xiao Yeyang’s kindness was merely platonic friendship.
She thought, at this very moment, Xiao Yeyang must like her.
Only… this affection was too heavy and filled with too much uncertainty.
Putting aside all external factors, she was even unsure of the stability and exclusivity of Xiao Yeyang’s affections.
She didn’t know if Xiao Yeyang’s kindness towards her stemmed from adolescent infatuation or simply because there were so few girls around him, making her merely an emotional crutch for this period.
Of course, it was also possible that his feelings for her were sincere, but how long could such feelings last?
Keep in mind, a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old boy is at his most fickle.
Moreover, this is an era where polygamy is legal, and with Xiao Yeyang’s status, the temptations surrounding him are simply too numerous. Could he really ignore all other women for her sake?
The majority of love stories start off wonderfully but tend to be fleeting and short-lived.
How long could she and Xiao Yeyang keep this up?
Daohua tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. In the end, she got up and drank a pot of wine before finally drifting into a groggy slumber.