Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 148

Upon hearing this, Little Su lowered her head while Tie Zi raised his, both with the same goal of suppressing the laughter at their lips.

Counting it up, these two had been by Qi Yun and Ye Jiao's sides the longest, following their respective masters for several years. Logically, they should have seen them in every possible state, but Second Young Mistress's soft, drooping voice paired with such a pitiful tone was truly something they'd never witnessed before.

Moreover, this statement made no sense from beginning to end, clearly drunken nonsense, which made it even more endearing.

But Little Su and Tie Zi didn't dare laugh openly, only able to hold it in. They found an excuse to run out the door, though they didn't go far, staying by the entrance in case their masters called them in.

Qi Yun didn't notice their movements at all, instead holding his Jiao Niang tightly, opening his mouth but unable to speak.

He could smell the wine scent on Ye Jiao, not strong, just faint, with a crisp quality that when mixed with the osmanthus fragrance as she spoke, actually created something quite unique.

The flush on her cheeks, the moisture in her eyes, and her slightly reddened nose tip all clearly told Qi Yun that she was drunk.

Qi Yun no longer had time to investigate who had given Ye Jiao wine. Right now he just looked down at her, softening his voice, trying to make his tone less tense, "Jiao Niang, be good. You haven't grown grass, it's nothing serious."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao blinked, then let go and buried her face forcefully into his chest, gripping the man's waist tightly, her voice muffled, "I clearly felt it... Husband is lying."

Qi Yun felt somewhat helpless but didn't move carelessly, instead holding Ye Jiao in his arms.

How to deal with a drunk person was something Qi Yun truly had no experience with.

If it were someone else, Second Young Master Qi would probably have someone cook sobering soup and pour it down their throat while pinching their nose, or simply blow cold air on them to sober up faster. But this was his wife, who he usually coaxed and protected before it was too late, so naturally he couldn't bear to do that.

Sobering soup still needed to be cooked, but the person also needed to be properly coaxed.

Holding Ye Jiao and settling on the soft couch, Qi Yun patted her back and said gently, "What does Jiao Niang want to do? I'll have them bring the pot back, shall we eat, okay?"

Ye Jiao nodded, then shook her head, looking up at him, "Help me pull out the grass."

Qi Yun gently reached out and removed the pearl hairpin from her hair. Without showing it to her, he casually placed it aside and said softly, "Pulled out, it's gone."

Ye Jiao leaned against him and reached up to feel around. Finding she indeed couldn't feel anything, she finally smiled.

But after smiling for a while, Little Ginseng stopped smiling. She looked at Qi Yun very intently and said to him, "Husband, don't you mind?"

Qi Yun was gesturing to Tie Zi who had poked his head in, indicating he should bring the copper pot back. Hearing this, he looked down at Ye Jiao and asked warmly, "Mind what?"

Little Ginseng leaned against him, her voice carrying confusion, "I'm a spirit."

Qi Yun looked at her and hummed in acknowledgment.

Ye Jiao then sat up straight and said to Qi Yun, "I, I really am, cultivated for a thousand years, very powerful."

But sitting up so suddenly made her dizzy again. She swayed slightly, and Qi Yun quickly caught her, saying, "Good, good, I believe you."

Ye Jiao pursed her lips slightly and asked softly, "Really?"

Qi Yun comforted her, "Really."

This seemed to make Ye Jiao a bit happier. She smiled and obediently followed Qi Yun to sit at the table.

The copper pot was brought over, and Qi Yun put ingredients in one by one, then fished them out, dipped them in sauce, and placed them in Ye Jiao's bowl. But Little Ginseng was too lazy to even move her hands, just staring at him. So Second Young Master Qi patiently picked up pieces, blew on them, tested the temperature with his lips, then fed them to her.

Just like this, one eating and one feeding, time passed peacefully.

But halfway through the meal, Ye Jiao stopped moving, didn't open her mouth, just stared straight at Qi Yun, her eyes suddenly becoming misty.

She rarely cried. Qi Yun had never even seen up close what his wife looked like when tears welled in her lashes.

Seeing this suddenly now, Qi Yun felt his heart pounding, his ears buzzing. He leaned over wanting to kiss away her tears.

But Ye Jiao pressed her hand against his shoulder, keeping distance, her voice carrying a crying tone, "Husband, will you not want me anymore?"

This question confused Qi Yun, "Why wouldn't I want you?"

"Little Fox said that if discovered to be a spirit, the big monks or stinky Taoist priests would catch you and make you into... into medicine to be eaten."

Hearing this, Qi Yun knew his wife's drunkenness hadn't worn off yet.

But he didn't know this was actually a hurdle Ye Jiao had always hidden in her heart.

She was human now, truly flesh and blood human.

Regarding this point, Ye Jiao had verified it countless times herself.

She could smoothly enter and exit temples and Taoist monasteries. The babies she bore were also soft little ones who didn't grow grass or flowers, clearly ordinary children with no connection to ginseng at all.

But Little Ginseng, who worked hard to learn to be more and more like a human, had some vague doubts and panic in her heart.

She used to be a little ginseng spirit, living in the mountains, with a fox friend, watching clouds roll and unfurl for a thousand years. These were indelible marks. Even if no one would discover it, Little Ginseng's mind was simple and her nature pure. Any secret kept in her heart for too long would make her uneasy.

If one day, if Husband found out, he wouldn't want me anymore...

Even though she was asking this question with the help of alcohol, this was also Ye Jiao's worry. And because she was drunk, what had originally been only one part worry was now ten parts, making her tears fall like rain.

These tears came too fast and too many, making Qi Yun somewhat panicked for a moment.

Second Young Master Qi, who was always calm and reserved, had tied his heart to this person from the day he met Ye Jiao, never straying far, rejoicing in her joy and grieving in her sorrow.

Now seeing Ye Jiao crying hard, Qi Yun immediately said, "I won't. We are husband and wife, we've bowed to heaven and earth, promised each other a lifetime. Naturally we won't separate."

But Ye Jiao just held him without speaking.

For Qi Yun, he took Ye Jiao's words as drunken rambling, and the man's comfort was mostly casual coaxing.

But after Ye Jiao shed tears, Qi Yun became solemn, saying every word from his heart, "Whether you're human or spirit, I don't care. In this world I only want you. Even if you really are a spirit, I still want you."

Ye Jiao finally rubbed her eyes, making herself able to see clearly the person before her, and asked softly, "Really?"

Qi Yun took her hand, afraid she might hurt her eyes rubbing like that. He picked up a handkerchief and gently helped her wipe her tears, his voice gentle, "Of course it's true."

There was another sentence Qi Yun didn't say.

He still remembered how this person had grabbed his hand and told him not to let him die.

Urgent, pure, those eyes beautiful as if they contained stars.

Now he could live because of Ye Jiao, his life was also in this person's hands. No matter what his wife was, he would protect her completely.

Whether human or spirit, since he had promised his life to her, it would be until death do them part.

But Qi Yun wouldn't say this sentence now, because Ye Jiao was drunk and probably couldn't listen to what he said. He would save this sentence for when his Jiao Niang was sober.

Ye Jiao held him tightly and said along with him, "Husband is so good."

Her heart felt like a great stone had fallen to the ground, and her face showed a smile.

This made Little Ginseng appear particularly well-behaved. Neither crying nor making a fuss, she obediently finished eating, then drank sobering soup, and let Qi Yun pull her to lie on the soft couch.

Ye Jiao's soft hand gripped Qi Yun tightly, unwilling to let go. Qi Yun also lay beside her, reaching out to pat Ye Jiao's back, saying like coaxing a child, "Sleep now, I'll stay with you."

Ye Jiao closed her eyes and prepared to sleep.

But just then, she suddenly heard the man's voice, "Jiao Niang, do you know dual cultivation?"

Ye Jiao drowsily opened her eyes and honestly shook her head, "No."

Qi Yun held her tighter, thinking that it was probably really drunken talk. Otherwise, how could a little spirit not know dual cultivation?

Though every time after doing that thing, he indeed felt like his yang had been harvested to supplement yin, leaving him exhausted...

When Ye Jiao fell asleep, she was still gripping Qi Yun's chest clothing, breathing gently, her cheeks warm, looking well-behaved and harmless.

Qi Yun leaned over to kiss her face, then closed his eyes and entered dreamland too.

When Ye Jiao woke up, the rain outside was still continuous, and the sun had already slanted west, casting a patch of red sunset glow.

Ye Jiao wanted to rub her eyes but felt her eye corners hurt a bit.

The next moment, her hand was gently held by the man, "You used too much force earlier and rubbed them red. I just applied medicine for you. Don't touch them for now, they'll be better by evening."

Ye Jiao obediently put down her hand and looked at Qi Yun.

Qi Yun, who had woken early, was propping his head with one hand, lying on his side looking at her. When their gazes met, the man curved his lips and asked, "Do you remember what you said earlier?"

Ye Jiao blinked, tried hard to recall, then shook her head, "I don't remember."

Qi Yun thought, indeed, his wife really wasn't suited for drinking. Not remembering anything meant she was someone who got drunk easily.

But Qi Yun didn't plan to mention it, just smiled and said, "It doesn't matter, it wasn't anything important anyway."

Ye Jiao smiled and leaned over to let him hold her as she sat up, her eyes inadvertently glancing at the table.

It was already empty, with no copper pot or dishes.

Ye Jiao unconsciously touched her stomach and muttered, "Did I eat already?"

Qi Yun nodded, "You ate."

Little Ginseng immediately showed a regretful expression, "It must have been delicious." But she couldn't remember how she had eaten it.

Seeing this, Qi Yun curved his lips, leaned over to lightly kiss the corner of her mouth, then said, "Hot pot can't be eaten often, or it's easy to get heated. We'll have it again in a couple days."

"No more drinking." Ye Jiao could guess that she had drunk a couple cups of wine and ended up with "amnesia," wasting a table of good food.

Qi Yun naturally agreed.

Even though Ye Jiao was very cute when drunk, getting drunk was suffering, and he couldn't bear that.

After clinging to Qi Yun for a while longer, Ye Jiao got up, looking at the rain outside the window and saying, "I wonder when it will stop."

Qi Yun asked, "Does Jiao Niang want to go out?"

Ye Jiao shook her head, "I was thinking that when the rain stops, we can invite the neighbors for tea, and Third Brother's imperial examinations will go more smoothly too."

Hearing this, Qi Yun smiled and took an umbrella. Without having Little Su and Tie Zi help, he held the umbrella himself and sheltered Ye Jiao as they left the study, saying gently, "All these things can be done slowly. I see the rain has lessened somewhat now. The back garden has also been cleared out, why don't we go take a look?"

Ye Jiao's eyes lit up, "Can I plant medicinal flowers?"

Qi Yun smiled and nodded, "Of course."

Tie Zi, following behind, silently looked up at the sky. Actually, the garden had been beautifully landscaped scenery that was very attractive, but his Second Young Master had come and had it all leveled, leaving nothing.

To win his beauty's smile, Second Young Master was really going all out.

Little Su looked at Tie Zi and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

Tie Zi immediately smiled, "I'm thinking, when I go out later, what good thing should I bring back for you."

Hearing this, Little Su immediately shook her head, "Please don't. You're always giving me things. Nanny Mo is already teasing me about it. Clearly you only think of me as a sister, but Nanny Mo keeps trying to put us together."

When she said this, her face carried some carelessness and full trust and closeness toward Tie Zi.

Tie Zi said nothing, just looked at her, and after a long while sighed.

Fine, he'd take it slowly.

This rain finally stopped after several days, and the weather cleared. The servants took advantage of the good sun to take out quilts to air, while Ye Jiao picked up her brush to prepare invitation cards.