Sang Zhi saw Jia Zhu standing motionless in place, suspecting he was heavily intoxicated.
She called out softly again, "Jia Zhu, it's time to drink the soup."
Pei He'an silently shifted his gaze away from the swaying earlobe.
He raised his hand, preparing to pick up the bowl of soup on the stove.
However, the heat from the soup inside had thoroughly transferred to the porcelain bowl.
The moment Pei He'an's pale fingertips touched it, they were scalded crimson red.
It was as if a touch of rosy blush had appeared on fine white jade.
Seeing this, Sang Zhi couldn't help but believe that Jia Zhu must indeed be very drunk.
Noticing that Jia Zhu was about to pick up the bowl despite the heat radiating from it,
Sang Zhi quickly stopped him, took a spoon from the side, and gently stirred the soup in the bowl.
She blew on it, waited for a while until it felt less scalding,
and only then handed the soup to Jia Zhu.
"It's not too hot now, but you should still drink it slowly."
She wasn't sure if Jia Zhu understood, but his drinking and swallowing did indeed slow down.
After finishing the bowl of soup, Sang Zhi looked at the sugarcane pieces left in the porcelain bowl.
She instinctively said, "You have to eat them to feel better."
Only after speaking did Sang Zhi realize that the person before her was not Pei Xiyue, but Jia Zhu.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jia Zhu's brow slightly furrow, and she instantly grew tense.
How could she have spoken so carelessly?
She quickly raised her hand to take back the bowl and opened her mouth to explain.
But in the next moment, she saw Pei He'an withdraw the bowl again.
He used the spoon to finish all the remaining sugarcane in the bowl.
Only then did he hand the empty bowl back to Sang Zhi.
Sang Zhi took the bowl in a daze, seemingly surprised that Jia Zhu had been so obedient.
Though she shouldn't use the word "obedient" to describe Jia Zhu,
the intoxicated Jia Zhu truly fit the description perfectly.
In the past, she had often brewed sobering soup for Pei Xiyue.
She would almost always offer such reminders.
If Pei Xiyue was in a good mood, he would eat everything.
If he was in a bad mood, he would furrow his brows and scold her for meddling too much.
And most of the time, she received the latter.
"Thank you."
Sang Zhi placed the bowl on the stove and, hearing Jia Zhu's thanks, quickly waved her hand. "It's nothing, no need to thank me."
As she finished speaking, the cook who had gone to deliver the sobering soup returned, her voice audible from afar.
Sang Zhi suddenly remembered she should return to her room to take care of Lang Jun.
She hurriedly put down what she was holding and said, "Jia Zhu, I'll take my leave now."
Pei He'an gave a soft hum, standing in place as if still somewhat intoxicated.
Sang Zhi considered whether she should help Jia Zhu back, but then thought he might see it as flattery.
Besides, given their respective statuses, it really wasn't appropriate for them to be too close.
Otherwise, rumors might arise, which wouldn't be good.
Finally returning to the courtyard, Pei Xiyue, lying on the bed, saw that she had been gone for so long.
He had long grown impatient.
Seeing her enter, he said, "Why don't you come back at dawn?"
Sang Zhi was accustomed to Pei Xiyue's nitpicking words and pretended not to hear them as she approached to help Lang Jun wash up.
But the moment she drew near, Pei Xiyue keenly caught the scent of alcohol on her, mixed with a hint of another familiar fragrance.
He couldn't recall what it was.
However, merely catching a whiff of alcohol was enough to make him furious.
"Why do you smell like alcohol!"
Sang Zhi remembered the scent of alcohol from being close to Jia Zhu earlier and wondered if she had been around it for too long.
She had lost her sensitivity to that faint smell of alcohol.
Had Pei Xiyue not brought it up now, she would have almost forgotten that she might have carried the scent of the Jia Zhu.
"I just went to the kitchen. The eldest branch wanted sobering soup, so I got it on me."
For some reason, Sang Zhi instinctively lied.
Perhaps she felt it was inappropriate for her to be alone in a room with the Jia Zhu. To avoid trouble and prevent Pei Xiyue from making an issue of it, she chose the simplest way out.
Pei Xiyue didn’t doubt her. The second Lang Jun of the eldest branch often went out for social engagements, so it was common for him to request sobering soup from the kitchen even late at night.
Getting the scent on her was normal.
Moreover, he didn’t think Sang Zhi would dare lie to him.
He snorted lightly and turned his head away.
However, Sang Zhi’s lie was heard in its entirety by Pei He’an, who was just a wall away.
The lingering sweetness on his lips and tongue mixed with something else surged up again.
A cold, solitary moon hung in the sky, its gauzy moonlight cascading down.
Pei He’an sat at the table, his fingertips rubbing the Bodhi wristlet on his wrist.
The moment the prayer beads collided, they emitted a crisp sound, magnified infinitely in the silent night.
Finally, they fell to the ground, shattering into pieces.
No candles were lit in the room, leaving it dim and chaotic.
Pei He’an’s figure had long merged with the darkness, but the lingering effects of the alcohol had gradually dissipated along with the sweet soup.
His suppressed rationality resurfaced.
Coldly, he scrutinized his actions that night.
It seemed Xie Shi’an’s words weren’t without reason.
She wasn’t without her methods.
A smooth, lustrous mutton-fat jade ring lay on the table, its original ribbon long gone.
Only a slightly charming goose-yellow ribbon was hastily tied around it.
At a glance, it was clear this was the work of a woman.
Pei He’an sneered coldly. His slender fingertips landed on the charming ribbon, and without hesitation, he peeled the goose-yellow strip away from the jade ring.
Then, he discarded it like worthless trash.
The next day.
The morning mist had not yet fully dispersed when Sang Zhi yawned and pushed open the door.
The Lang Jun’s injury was starting to improve, but there were still dietary restrictions, so she needed to keep an eye on the kitchen.
As soon as she stepped outside, she suddenly felt she had stepped on something, a soft sensation underfoot.
Before she could look down, she heard a sharp, urgent meow.
A pitch-black Linu bared its sharp teeth, but upon seeing who it was, its raised fur instantly flattened again, and even its meow turned pitiful.
Sang Zhi quickly crouched down, picked up Linu, and carefully examined the tail she had stepped on.
She ran her fingers along the tailbone for a moment. Good, it was fine.
"Linu, next time, don’t crouch by the door."
Otherwise, if someone heavier-footed stepped on it, the tip of its tail might really get hurt.
Linu couldn’t understand what this two-legged creature was saying.
It meowed perfunctorily a couple of times, then suddenly jumped out of her arms.
Elegantly pacing forward, it occasionally stopped to see if the two-legged creature behind was following.
Seeing her still standing motionless, it impatiently meowed a few more times to hurry her along.
Sang Zhi was puzzled but followed Linu’s steps.
Soon, they arrived at a spot. Linu stopped under a flower bush.
Its black paw pointed under the bush but seemed reluctant to dig through the damp morning soil for fear of dirtying its claws.
So, it directed the two-legged creature in front of it to do the work.
Seeing Linu like this, Sang Zhi couldn't help but feel a bit curious.
What exactly was hidden here?
It was currently the season when roses were in full bloom, and the gardeners of Pei Mansion had also planted roses in the estate to align with the natural timing.
The pale pink, vibrant petals slowly unfurled, carrying a subtle fragrance that drifted in the wind.
Sang Zhi stood beneath the bright red roses, intently pulling aside the hidden object.
In the process, she inevitably tugged at the flower vines, causing the crimson, radiant petals to flutter down onto her.
Leaving her covered in the scent of roses.
When Sang Zhi finally managed to part the flower bushes, she saw that lying within them was none other than the jade ring she had returned to Jia Zhu yesterday!
How could it have ended up here?
Sang Zhi widened her eyes and turned to look at Linu, the suspected culprit.
She picked up the jade ring and waved it in front of Linu for a moment, asking, "Did you take this?"
Linu raised its short, plump neck, its fluffy fur proudly showcasing its capabilities.
Yesterday, as soon as it returned to the place of that black-hearted two-legged creature, it saw that person holding the jade ring it had given away.
In their hand, they were also stroking a ribbon stolen from who knows where.
It must have been that this two-legged creature in front of it hadn't kept the jade ring properly, so the black-hearted two-legged creature had discovered it.
And taken it back.
Perhaps the black-hearted two-legged creature would even punish them.
So, while the black-hearted two-legged creature was asleep, it took the jade ring out again, "returning it to its rightful owner."
After all, this was the food allowance it had given to the two-legged creature.
Sang Zhi looked down at the jade ring, which had been round and lustrous white yesterday but was now covered in flower mud.
It looked as if it had been defiled by some scoundrel.
Yesterday, she could still find some excuse to return it to Jia Zhu, but what excuse could she use today?
She couldn't very well say she had found it again, could she?
Sang Zhi was troubled. She glanced at Linu, standing tall and proud before her.
Jia Zhu was also to blame. Last time, Linu had taken it, so why hadn't they been more careful this time?
Wait, no—last time, Jia Zhu hadn't known it was Linu who took it either.
So, it wasn't really Jia Zhu's fault.
If anyone was to blame, it could only be Linu for being too agile.
Sang Zhi thought for a long time in her room, gazing at the now-cleaned jade ring in her hand.
The lustrous, warm jade ring, after being washed, appeared even more translucent.
Like soft jade held in a jade bowl.
After thinking for a long time, Sang Zhi still couldn't come up with a solution, so she decided to put the jade ring away for now.
She thought she would find a suitable opportunity to return it to Jia Zhu later.
But unfortunately, just as Sang Zhi had put the jade ring away and stepped out the door,
she ran into Pei He'an, who was also leaving his courtyard at the same time.
Even though she hadn't done anything wrong, Sang Zhi felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.
Her almond-shaped eyes unconsciously avoided his gaze, and even her long, delicate eyelashes trembled incessantly.
She whispered softly, "Greetings, Jia Zhu."
"Are you going out?"
Sang Zhi shook her head lightly. "No, I'm going to the kitchen to check on Lang Jun's meals."
Pei He'an's brows furrowed slightly for a moment, and his tone turned cold.
"If the servants in the estate are incompetent, just sell them off."
"No, it's because Lang Jun is injured and has dietary restrictions, so I'm going to check."
Pei He'an fell silent for a moment.
Then he spoke again, "How has Sanlang been these past few days?"
"Lang Jun is doing well."
As Sang Zhi replied to Jia Zhu, the corner of her eye unconsciously glanced at the decorative belt around his waist.
Sure enough, there was no trace of the jade ring there.
It had been replaced by another accessory hanging from the belt.
Had Jia Zhu put the jade ring away, or did he know it was missing?
Sang Zhi dared not ask directly, but she remained uneasy.
She abruptly changed the subject, saying stiffly, "Jia Zhu, you…"
"What is it?"
Sang Zhi lifted her gaze and met Jia Zhu's indifferent eyes. The words she wanted to ask vanished instantly.
She quickly shook her head and said, "It's nothing, Jia Zhu. I'll go to the kitchen first."
With that, she turned and hurried away.
Meanwhile, Pei He'an stood in place, his nose still catching the faint, sweet scent of roses.
He hadn’t noticed it yesterday, yet today it had inexplicably appeared.
Pei He'an remained where he was, his eyes fixed on the figure retreating in slight panic.
So soon, and she could no longer hold back.
Author's Note:
Shuishui: That black-hearted two-legged creature actually dared to covet the meal money it sent—must steal it back [angry]