It's still the first lunar month. The sunlight at noon is not hot, but it makes people feel warm all over.
Xue Rui held the reins of the horse and accompanied Yu Shu to walk along a street lined with shops and merchants towards the Forgotten Opportunity Building.
"Brother, why did you come out on a horse? Isn't Lao Chui driving?"
"I have something else to ask him to do, so I rode by myself."
Xue Rui casually found an excuse, but in reality, he had seen Yu Shu and Jing Chen leave the Supreme Court an hour ago. He could not be at ease, so he hurriedly went in to tidy up the case file and passed it to his colleague before rushing back on his horse. Unexpectedly, he didn't meet the carriage from the palace on the way back. Instead, he saw Yu Shu's lonely figure in the crowd in front of him on a street on the way back. Seeing that something was wrong, he didn't rush to catch up with her. Instead, he followed her for two streets until he found that she was walking aimlessly. Then he caught up with her to call her.
Yu Shu said she wanted to drink. Xue Rui readily agreed. He didn't ask her where Jing Chen was or why she suddenly wanted to drink. He was a smart person. Although Yu Shu didn't show any unhappiness on her face, he could still guess that she had separated from Jing Chen on the way back.
In fact, Xue Rui probably knew the reason. It was nothing more than the tragic death of Ji Huaishan, which made them have differences.
Xue Rui wasn't surprised by this, as he'd discerned since long ago that the Daoist with a pure disposition and the cunning Yu Shu were utterly not the same kind of people. One was an unworldly immortal that had received deep enlightenment in the Dao Sect, and the other was a fierce woman that struggled in the streets and was competitive. These two people had vastly different views towards right and wrong. It was fine if one party was able to accommodate the other, but if both of them were similarly stubborn in their own opinions. It could be imagined that there would be a dispute sooner or later.
Xue Rui had known Yu Shu for a long time. Based on his understanding of her, he was sure that she wouldn't change her mind about dealing with the Ji family because of anyone, not even that person. Even the person she once told him that she liked couldn't make her waver in this right and wrong, as long as she felt it was right. She would continue to persevere. She would not give up until she reached the Yellow River. She would not shed tears until she saw the coffin.
And this point. This was exactly what Xue Rui admired most about Yu Shu. One of them.
Yu Shu did not know that Xue Rui had guessed the conflict between her and Jing Chen. Whenever she was in a bad mood, she always wanted to find something to talk to distract her. "Do you still have the ten-year-old Huadiao wine we drank during the Lantern Festival?"
Right now, she really wanted to get drunk and not think about anything. She wanted to have a good sleep and wait for her to wake up. Then she would think about other problems.
Xue Rui said, "Yes, but the wine was too intoxicating. When we go back, I will ask Old Lin to go to the wine cellar to find a jar of osmanthus wine for us to drink."
He mentioned the wine. Yu Shu turned her head to look at him. Suddenly, she remembered that he took advantage of her when he was drunk a few days ago. She whispered, "The Huadiao wine is intoxicating, but it's not as strong as the golden spring."
Hearing her words, Xue Rui couldn't help but feel lucky. That day, he pretended to be drunk to get close to her and drank the golden spring. Fortunately, the golden spring was famous for its strong aftereffects. Otherwise, he would have been exposed.
Between these two people, one pretended to be confused, and the other pretended to be confused. Unexpectedly, neither of them mentioned what happened that day.
As they talked, time passed. Because they took a detour back, they didn't go through the back door. When they passed the front door of Wangji Tower, they were seen by Gui Qi, who was standing in front of the door to welcome the guests. He hurried to help Xue Rui hold the horse. Yu Shu and Xue Rui walked in together. It was just past lunchtime, and there were not many guests downstairs. No one recognized them. Lin Fu, who was beside the counter, saw them. He quickly put down the silver plate and came out to follow them.
"Young master, young lady."
Generally, guests were not allowed to enter the backyard. Even if there were guests, they would stay in the elegant room. Therefore, it was a bit deserted at noon. Downstairs, Xue Rui asked Yu Shu, "Do you want to go to your room or my room?"
After asking, he felt that this sentence was not appropriate. It seemed to be caressing, so he quickly added, "Let's go upstairs. I slept here a few nights ago to read official documents. The room is a bit messy."
"Okay." Yu Shu didn't have any objections. The arrangement of the elegant room was originally for people to gather and drink. It wasn't a girl's boudoir, so there was nothing that couldn't be entered. Therefore, she went upstairs with Xue Rui.
Yu Shu always carried the key to the door here with her. Some of her valuable items were stored in Wangji Tower, including the mathematical formulas and calculation books that she sorted out a while ago. Therefore, she didn't forget to lock the door when she went in and out.
This little habit was only discovered by Xue Rui today. He saw her take out a key with a rope tied around her neck and lower her head to open the door. Her behavior was slightly childish. He couldn't help but laugh and said, "I haven't seen anyone wear a key around their neck. Isn't it heavy?"
"This is what you don't understand."
Yu Shu took off the key, straightened her back, and led him into the room. Only then did she close the door. She turned her head and shook the rope around her neck. She smiled and said to him, "I stored a lot of valuable items in this room, so this key is very valuable. And I have always liked to hang valuable items around my neck."
Xue Rui asked, "Why?"
Yu Shu stuffed the key back into her clothes and said casually, "Tell me, is there anything more important than the head on a person's body?"
Xue Rui thought about it and smiled in understanding. He said, "You're right."
The head couldn't be lost, so the things that could be hung on the head naturally couldn't be lost.
The two of them sat at the table and chatted for a while. Then, Xiao Die and Xiao Qing brought over the warmed wine pot and a few dishes to go with the wine. They placed the dishes on the table beautifully in delicate bowls and plates.
The two little servant girls stood at the side and served the dishes. Yu Shu took the initiative to lift the wine pot and filled both her and Xue Rui's cups. The green porcelain wine cups were small, and the rim of the cup was only the size of a circle formed by the thumb and index finger. The edge of the cup was suffused with a layer of golden color, and it was as sticky as honey, making one's appetite aroused.
"Come, Eldest Brother, let me toast you first." Yu Shu held the cup and was about to touch her cup with Xue Rui, but he nimbly avoided her.
"Let me make this clear first." Xue Rui raised his wine cup and stretched out a finger in front of her as he made a promise with her. "No matter what you're unhappy about, after you finish drinking this wine today, it's over. When tomorrow comes, you're absolutely not allowed to drown your sorrows in wine because of the same matter. If you agree to this, then I'll accompany you to drink to my heart's content today. If you don't agree to this, then put down your cup right now. Don't wait until I bump into you in the future.
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