Fei Ni knew her alcohol tolerance was poor and was afraid of getting drunk, so she deliberately drank very slowly.
Fang Muyang thought she was drinking too slowly. He took a sip himself and fed it into Fei Ni's mouth. After several consecutive sips, Fei Ni felt somewhat dizzy. "I want to drink by myself."
Fang Muyang poured just a splash into Fei Ni's cup. "Then drink by yourself."
Fei Ni took a small sip, looked at Fang Muyang and smiled, "You wait, I'll go get the record player." Now she finally didn't have to worry about disturbing others.
"I'll go."
Fei Ni took off her shoes, sat sideways on the rug Fang Muyang had bought, and took small sips of her drink.
Soon enough, Fang Muyang returned with the record player and some records. He put on Debussy's "Clair de Lune" in the player.
Fang Muyang took the cup from Fei Ni's hand and downed the remaining alcohol in one gulp.
"Why are you stealing my drink?"
Fang Muyang poured Fei Ni another half cup. The two sat on the rug drinking, looking up at the moon through the skylight.
Fei Ni walked over barefoot to turn off the light, then returned to Fang Muyang's side by the moonlight streaming in.
"This Sunday, let's go to the music store to buy you a violin. From now on, you can play for me."
Fang Muyang tapped Fei Ni's nose with his finger. "You sure know how to enjoy yourself."
Fei Ni imagined herself drinking while watching the moon, with Fang Muyang playing the violin beside her. It would be the height of comfort. She really was being rather indulgent, and she smiled sheepishly.
Fei Ni lay with her head on Fang Muyang's lap, gazing up at the moon while listening to the music flowing from the record player. Fang Muyang stroked her hair, occasionally bringing the drink to her lips.
This life is too good, Fei Ni thought. She must be truly drunk.
Fang Muyang asked Fei Ni, "Why did you marry me?"
"If we got married, we'd both have a place to live. Only by marrying you could I have a home of my own."
"Wouldn't you have a place to live if you married someone else?"
"But that wouldn't be my own."
"So if it were your own house, you'd be willing, right?"
Fei Ni didn't answer, and Fang Muyang took it as agreement.
"You want a house so badly. Let's buy this one then."
Fei Ni nodded then shook her head. "If you want to buy it, of course we can. But if we buy it, I'd feel bad about still claiming my share of the other room."
"Is this house not better than the previous one?"
"It's different."
"How is it different? If we buy this house, it'll be yours too."
Fei Ni laughed. "That would make me feel like I'm taking advantage of you."
"We're married. I can live in your house for the rest of my life too. I'm not losing out at all. But I'd be delighted if you took advantage of me. I'd only wish you'd take more."
Fei Ni counted his fingers. "You really are a fool."
Fang Muyang asked, "Did you originally intend for our marriage to be real or fake?"
Fei Ni didn't answer.
"If it was fake, when you married me, were you so confident that I wouldn't try to make it real against your will?"
"I know you're not that kind of person. As long as I didn't agree, you wouldn't."
"But what if I were that kind of person? What would you do? Didn't you consider that possibility at all?"
Fei Ni only repeated, "You wouldn't."
"You still don't know me well enough." Fang Muyang picked up the bottle and took a swig. He asked Fei Ni, "Do you want some?"
Moonlight poured in. Fang Muyang's fingers traced Fei Ni's lips, which were slightly parted as if waiting for the wine to be offered."Or do you truly think that even if we fake it till we make it, it's still better than marrying someone else?"
Fang Muyang brought the wine bottle to Fei Ni's lips. Her mouth pressed against the bottle's opening, yet the wine inside couldn't flow into her mouth. As Fei Ni leaned in to drink, Fang Muyang instead brought the bottle to his own lips and drank.
"Pour me some too."
"Answer me, and I'll pour you some."
Fei Ni nodded. "Since you already know, why bother asking?"
"You're not marrying me just for the apartment, are you?"
"Being with anyone else wouldn't feel as comfortable as being with you." Fei Ni laughed. "With others, I'd have to hide even when reading a book. Playing the piano wouldn't be for my own enjoyment, but to prove I'm not completely useless. How utterly boring. Marrying me isn't bad for you either—you won't have to go to the countryside."
"So you're partly marrying me for my sake?"
"Of course it has to benefit you. If the deal were too unfair, you wouldn't agree, right?" Fei Ni shook her cup—not a drop remained. "Didn't you say you'd pour me wine if I answered?"
"Any more and you'll be drunk. Let me peel a pomegranate for you."
Fang Muyang fed pomegranate seeds one by one into Fei Ni's mouth. With her eyes closed, she parted her lips whenever his fingers brushed against them, waiting for the seeds.
Fang Muyang was too slow, pushing each seed individually into her mouth.
Fei Ni snatched the pomegranate. "You're too slow. I'll do it myself."
Fang Muyang handed her the pomegranate. Fei Ni cradled it, eating some herself while feeding others to Fang Muyang. Through the floor-to-ceiling window, the moon was visible, nestled among peach tree branches.
"Let's go outside to look."
"Can't we see it from in here?"
"It's not the same." Already five or six parts drunk, Fei Ni forgot to put on shoes and went out barefoot, still holding the pomegranate, to gaze at the moon. Fang Muyang followed her.
Standing under the moonlight, Fei Ni looked up at the moon while continuing to eat pomegranate seeds. Not content with eating alone, she stood on tiptoe to feed some to Fang Muyang.
Fang Muyang's mouth sought Fei Ni's, but whether the moonlight was too dim or something else, he couldn't find it, only brushing against the corner of her lips. Tickled, Fei Ni had to rise on her toes, steadying herself against Fang Muyang's shoulders to help align their mouths, still holding half a pomegranate in her hand. Gradually, her hands slid from his shoulders to the back of his neck, the remaining half pomegranate forgotten.
Forced to tilt her head back toward the moon, Fei Ni felt Fang Muyang kiss the mole on her collarbone. Sounds from beyond the courtyard grew distinctly clear—neighbors celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival while moon-gazing.
She heard a child say, "I don't want Zilaihong mooncake. I want Fanmao mooncake."
Looking up, Fei Ni saw not only the moon but also a pair of cat's eyes, brighter than the moon in the night. The cat lay on the peach tree before the floor-to-ceiling window, meowing incessantly in high-pitched, drawn-out notes.
Clenching her teeth to suppress any untimely sounds, Fei Ni said, "Let's go inside."
"But don't you like watching the moon outside? Right now, I prefer it out here too."
The cat leaped down from the tree, scurried to Fei Ni's feet, and began playing with pomegranate seeds she had accidentally dropped.
Barefoot, Fei Ni felt the cat's paws brush against her toes—scratching lightly, then scratching its own head, intermittently showcasing its musical talents.Fei Ni's toes curled tight, but the cat continued to rub against her from time to time, heedless.
"Let's go inside," her voice carried a pleading tone.
"If we go inside, I won't be able to control myself. Do you agree?"
Fei Ni didn't respond, so Fang Muyang made no move to go in.
It wasn't until Fei Ni let out a soft "mm" that Fang Muyang carried her into the studio.
Fei Ni's hands braced against the floor-to-ceiling window, she could still see those cat eyes, even ignoring the moon. Fei Ni closed her eyes, refusing to look at the moon.
Inside the studio, she could still hear the noises outside. A child was calling for the cat, their voice loud, as if afraid the people in the alley wouldn't hear.
Fei Ni guessed it was the cat that had come to her house.
But the cat didn't leave. It climbed up a tree, still staring inside, occasionally letting out a cry. The pitch wasn't as high as before, but it was even more unsettling.
Fei Ni freed one hand to draw the curtain, completely separating the studio from the outside.
The only light source in the entire studio was the moonlight filtering through the skylight.
Even drunk, Fei Ni instinctively clenched her teeth. Fang Muyang offered his fingers for her to bite.
Fei Ni probably couldn't bear to bite too hard, her teeth not clamping down tightly. Sounds escaped her, fragmented and out of tune.
Outside, the cat, summoned by its owner, leaped down and crawled out of Fei Ni's house. Seeing its young owner, it rolled over, exposing its soft, fluffy belly. The owner scooped it into their arms, and it began meowing again, this time with a distinctly coquettish tone.
On the morning of the sixteenth, Fang Muyang showed Fei Ni the painting he had made—a full moon. The moon from the skylight.
It looked like something a third-rate photographer had taken, the lens constantly shaking, unclear. It didn't fit the beautiful symbolism of reunion.
But this was exactly the moon Fei Ni had seen. Looking at it now, she could still feel that dizziness, the kind of moon a drunk person unable to control their balance might see.
"What do you think about giving this to my sister as a wedding gift?"
Fei Ni's face turned cold. "No."
"Do you mean the painting isn't good?"
"Let's give something else."
"Then how about giving them the pen I bought for you?"
"Is one pen appropriate?"
"I bought one for myself too, so I'll have to give both together."
Fei Ni knew Fang Muyang wouldn't buy a pen for himself, so the gift had been prepared long ago. The painting was just a pretext.
After the moon painting was framed, it ended up hanging in Fei Ni's bedroom. She had to experience that dizzying feeling every night before sleep.
Old Fang had originally planned to visit his in-laws, but before he could make the trip, he was assigned a job—though it was just a nominal position that didn't require daily attendance. He didn't use the car provided by his unit; occasionally, when he went to meetings, he took the bus.
The house became lively again. Old Fang had previously found it too lonely, but now he found it too noisy—nothing ever suited him. The living room displayed his unfilial son's painting, and visitors couldn't help but praise it. Old Fang modestly dismissed it as mere doodles. When someone asked about Fang Muyang's job, Old Fang frankly said he worked as a waiter in a restaurant. He didn't avoid the topic, as his son's job rather highlighted his own selflessness.Thank you to the little angel who threw the shallow water bomb: Winter Rose 1;
Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmines: sabraps, aily, Wang Yuejin from the Mountain Foot, Dong Budong 1 each;
Thank you to the little angels who irrigated with nutrient solution: Chinese Cork Tree Bark 10 bottles; I'm Watching I'm Watching 9 bottles; Orange Cat Is Not a Cat 6 bottles; Nonsense Talker, My Brain Has Big Bubbles, Fan Shiyi 5 bottles each; Dong Budong, lighter 2 bottles each; por, Mumujun!, Wang Yuejin from the Mountain Foot, Two Cats One Dog 1 bottle each;
Thank you very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!
OpenNovel