The three of them took a carriage to the most famous tavern in Bianjing, renowned for its fine wine, exquisite cuisine, and beautiful women. However, this was a place for refined and noble individuals to unwind. Though there were lovely women present, they were not there to sell their charms—merely to serve wine. These women were experts specially trained by the tavern, skilled in brewing, heating, and serving wine, and knowledgeable about the most elegant ways to enjoy each variety.
Hua Rongjian was a regular. As soon as he entered, a servant greeted him with a smile. "Young Master Hua, shall we have Xin Niang serve the wine today?"
Hearing this, Hua Rongjian glanced subtly at An Jiu's face. Seeing no reaction from her, he felt both relieved and inexplicably disappointed. For a fleeting moment, his mind wandered back to the days when he used to carouse with his rowdy friends, drinking in the company of courtesans. He recalled how one friend's wife had sent a servant to the tavern to publicly demand, in front of all the patrons, that her husband return home immediately—or else he'd be kneeling in the ancestral hall to repent to his forebears.
At the time, he and his friends had mercilessly mocked the man. But now, he found himself wishing An Jiu would do the same to him.
Snapping out of his daze, Hua Rongjian chided himself for being absurd. What a ridiculous thought!
An Jiu, standing on the stairs, turned to glare at him. "Are you coming or not?"
"What's the rush?" Hua Rongjian strode after her.
Whispers began to spread through the hall. "Look at how eagerly Hua the Second is following her. Could this be the woman who abandoned him?"
"She's stunning, no wonder Young Master Hua is so infatuated—enough to give up his fondness for men..."
After the infamous "carriage incident" and Hua Rongjian's bold declaration of intent to marry, there had been no further developments. Those eagerly awaiting the outcome were left scratching their heads. Then, someone spotted Hua Rongjian drinking alone, looking utterly despondent, and the rumors took flight.
Some claimed Hua Rongjian had been jilted by a woman. Others insisted no such woman existed—that it was all just an excuse for him to openly indulge in his preference for men.
Theories abounded, but none held water. As Hua Rongjian gradually faded from public view, so too did the gossip. The fickle nature of rumor-mongers meant they soon forgot about him entirely, their attention captured by fresher scandals.
"I only recently discovered this quiet spot," Hua Rongjian explained as they settled in.
An Jiu nodded, quickly distracted by the appetizers on the table. Without waiting for the others, she picked up her chopsticks, sniffed a bite, and popped it into her mouth.
Just as her cheeks were stuffed with food, there was a soft knock at the private room's door.
At Hua Rongjian's acknowledgment, a woman in a pale green silk dress entered, her head bowed. Her figure was slender and graceful, her dark hair half-pinned up with a sandalwood hairpin.
An Jiu's first impression of her was that she was very pale, with exceptionally beautiful hair. The glossy black strands cascaded over her shoulders without a single frizzy strand, smooth as satin and gleaming softly—tempting one to reach out and touch them.
The woman kept her gaze lowered, offering a polite bow before silently moving behind the long table to prepare the wine.
The light fell on her face, revealing a delicate fuzz along her profile—flawless skin. Her slender hands were elegant, with short, clean nails, unlike the long, meticulously manicured ones favored by noblewomen.
As she prepared the wine, her hands fluttered like white butterflies, so mesmerizing it was hard to look away.
An Jiu chewed her food while staring at those hands, an involuntary thought crossing her mind: one well-placed arrow could bring those white butterflies down.Hua Rongjian noticed her dazed expression and chuckled. "See the difference between you and a woman now?"
Upon hearing his words, An Jiu quickly used the method her former psychologist had taught her to dispel the thoughts in her mind—deep breath, the world is beautiful. Must not be too violent, must not be too violent...
She thought she wouldn’t be able to hold back, but unexpectedly, her emotions miraculously calmed down! This feeling suddenly reminded her of a pair of eyes—deep gray pupils, eternally gentle and serene, yet the hands behind them never ceased scheming and killing.
That was Wei Yuzhi.
Occasionally thinking of him troubled An Jiu somewhat.
Noticing the slight change in her expression, Hua Rongjian immediately dropped his playful demeanor and cautiously asked, "Are you angry?"
"No," An Jiu replied, lowering her head to continue eating.
Wu Lingyuan, sensing the strange atmosphere, kept his eyes down and mind focused, elegantly picking at a single vegetable and chewing slowly.
After the meal, the three returned to the Hua residence together.
Seeing that it was still early, An Jiu went to visit Mei Jiu.
When she was ushered into the inner chamber, she saw Mei Jiu coming to greet her, while a young girl crouched by the bed, teasing Mei Jiu’s adopted son with a cloth tiger, making his eyes dart around.
"You’re here," Mei Jiu said, giving her a reproachful look. "You left without a word, just a note, worrying me sick."
An Jiu didn’t respond. After studying her, she offered an honest assessment: "This time, you’ve really gained weight."
Mei Jiu shot her a glare before turning to call the girl over. "Yu’er, come greet your aunt."
The girl obediently handed the cloth tiger to a maid, smoothed her skirt, and approached An Jiu with poise, curtsying. "Auntie."
The girl’s features bore a three- or four-tenths resemblance to Hua Rongtian. An Jiu knew this must be his daughter from his previous marriage. "No need for formalities."
Mei Jiu poked her, feigning displeasure. "This is my daughter. As her aunt, shouldn’t you give her a gift?"
"Oh." An Jiu thought for a moment, then pulled a dagger from the pouch on her outer thigh. "Here, take this."
Before the dagger could reach Hua Yu’s hands, Mei Jiu blocked it. "My girl doesn’t engage in violence. Find a proper gift."
While the dagger was indeed an inappropriate gift for a young girl, its exquisite craftsmanship made it clearly valuable, so it wasn’t a slight in terms of worth. Mei Jiu stopped her because she knew the dagger’s significance—it could pierce an Inner Cultivator’s Body Shielding Qi, making it extremely important to An Jiu.
After rummaging around, An Jiu finally produced a small crystal tiger. Crystal was exceedingly rare in the Song market, and most pieces had visible flaws or impurities. One as clear and flawless as this, carved into an adorable, chubby tiger, was a treasure Hua Yu couldn’t put down.
Once Hua Yu and the maids were dismissed, An Jiu finally relaxed.
"Where did you get this odd little thing?" Mei Jiu knew An Jiu liked collecting seemingly childish toys but never expected her to carry one around.
An Jiu replied, "I dug it up last night in the study at Plum Blossom Village and carved it into a Da Jiu with my dagger."
Mei Jiu had also stayed in Plum Blossom Village but was unfamiliar with many areas, naturally unaware of Cloud Brake Residence’s peculiar study.
An Jiu moved closer to the bed, glancing at the little one lying there. Meeting his grape-like purple eyes, she grinned.
The little one, however, had the audacity to reject her goodwill, puckering his lips as if about to cry.Mei Jiu reached out to pick him up, not caring whether such a young child could understand her words, and said softly, "This is your godmother. Quickly greet your godmother—she has a gift for you!"
An Jiu promptly drew a long sword from behind her back and placed it horizontally in front of the mother and child. "Here."
She thought to herself, giving a Weapon as a gift to a boy couldn’t possibly go wrong! (To be continued...)
OpenNovel