Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Not long ago, I met someone who gave me a jar of wine. After drinking it, you could forget anything you had ever done. I found it strange that such a wine existed. The greatest trouble for a person is having too good a memory; if everything could be forgotten, each day would be a new beginning. Just think how happy that would be.
I don't know why, but after leaving that place, I recalled a conversation from Wong Kar-wai's "Eastern Evil, Western Poison."
I thought of that jar of Drunken Dreaming.
I asked Xiao Quanzi to bring me a few bottles of Blossom Plum Wine, my favorite before entering the palace. Strangely enough, Brother Sima always brought me Blossom Plum Wine from Spring Garden, which came from the palace. It was a rare variety that few knew about; if I hadn't specifically asked Xiao Quanzi to pay attention, I probably wouldn't have found it. As I drank, I remembered the words of the nameless swordsman in the movie: "Do you know the difference between drinking wine and drinking water? Wine warms you up the more you drink; water makes you colder." I didn't know why it was this way, but I couldn't control myself.
Does wine really warm you up? Why then did I feel increasingly exhausted?
Would there come a day when I could lightly say: "Actually, Drunken Dreaming is just a joke fate plays on me; the more you want to know if you've forgotten something, the clearer it becomes." Just like now, I'm gradually starting to forget that I don't belong here, that I'm not from this world, that I cannot fall in love with anyone here. Yet in reality, I have fallen in love—mysteriously so—without even realizing it until now. Through the illusion belonging to Drunken Dreaming, I admitted my weakness and avoidance. I dared not acknowledge that even now, I'm still fantasizing about returning one day to the world I know, back to my family and to the person I've loved for nine whole years.
As I got myself thoroughly drunk, my vision began to blur and my head felt heavy. Looking at Yun Ying's worried face, I—
My body had clearly softened, yet why did closing my eyes lead my mind back into a clear dream? It was such an odd extreme. But I knew I was recalling the moment I left that strange house.
I remembered abruptly asking: "Does Young Master Li know Mu Wanyan or Mu Cai Nu?"
His face turned pale, and his body suddenly swayed. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity.
After a long pause, he forced a smile and said, "Miss must know Miss Mu; therefore, you must also know about my youthful folly back then and are using it to mock me for being overconfident?"
Hearing his words made me regret revealing someone else's scar out of momentary impulse. Immediately, I felt ashamed and said, "I'm sorry."
He calmly shook his head. Looking into his eyes now devoid of earlier panic and fleeting pain, he remained pale.
He sighed deeply and self-deprecatingly smiled. "Miss need not feel this way. Indeed, it was my overconfidence that led me to fail against Miss Mu's talents; the bitter fruit I've sought must be borne by myself."
I had been staring at him without blinking since just now, and I certainly did not miss the fleeting glimmer of hope and pain in his eyes when he mentioned the evening smoke, along with a hint of confusion. Could it be that he had once provoked her but ended up falling for the talented and beautiful Miss Mu?
The more I thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Since he bore no resentment and willingly chose to hide away here, he must have harbored thoughts that should not exist. Yet, having been defeated by the woman he adored, he lacked the courage to express himself and could only escape.
I cautiously probed, “Why don’t you travel the world like Miss Mu and gain knowledge? Spending your life in solitude here is such a waste. Your youth is nearly spent; if this continues, you will truly squander your life.”
He gazed blankly ahead and softly replied, “At first, I lacked the courage and could not be broad-minded. When everything became clear and I understood it all, I found myself unable to act.”
“Miss Mu is indeed special—a true flourishing talent, both in beauty and intellect,” I sighed as we stood side by side.
He looked at me strangely, as if doubting my words because of my appearance.
“A few years ago, I heard that a young man named An Jin made her willingly concede defeat,” he suddenly turned to me with an abrupt gaze. “You’ve heard of him, right?”
I was startled by his question and after a long pause, I chuckled awkwardly. “That’s just a rumor; that An Jin isn’t that impressive. It’s Miss Mu who is too humble. In any case, don’t believe it.” I laughed. Sigh… If I had known that borrowing from a timeless poet would lead to such a result, I wouldn’t have followed Brother Sima into this mess. But then again, if I hadn’t gone, I wouldn’t have met Sister Dan Yi.
“Do you know him? Are you sure Feiming would humbly concede to him?”
“That’s not the point we’re discussing today,” I interrupted his speculation. “Are you sure you don’t want to find her?”
“Her?! Who are you talking about?!” He looked at me in confusion.
I stared into his eyes, trying to see if he was pretending, but I was mistaken. This fool had no hint of ambiguous feelings in his gaze. I guessed that in this era, an old-fashioned scholar often couldn’t even distinguish his own emotions. The books never taught me these things. If I were to ask him, I imagined he would innocently tell me so.
It turned out he hadn’t even realized his own feelings yet.
I looked at him with some sympathy, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat before leaving. "In any case, failure is the mother of success. Stay strong; don't let one setback defeat you completely. Remember this: when you fall, get back up from where you fell." I smiled at him gently and walked away without looking back.
My hint was stronger this time; I almost wanted to say directly, "You fell because of Mu Wanyan. Go find her and reclaim your lost dignity; rise up from her." Haha. I just hope that one day he figures it out. That way, the world would have another pair of golden boys and jade girls, a lifetime of good fortune.
A shadow hid in the corner, quietly watching the drunken fool not far away, who was foolishly dancing with a broom in the yard, twisting her little waist uncontrollably. She was mumbling something that sounded neither like a song nor coherent speech. I couldn't help but wonder what was going on in that little girl's head as she called out and jumped around. The most intolerable part was that she had already stripped down to just a white undergarment while dancing. Even more ridiculous was that despite being so drunk she could barely stand, she continued to jump and twist around. I worried she might end up shedding that last thin piece of clothing too.
This mischievous girl always had such a quirky nature. I couldn't help but smile as I recalled past events.
Her body swayed left and right, spinning in circles, and just as she was about to fall flat on the ground with a loud crash, someone nearby gasped in surprise.
Standing not far away, Yun Ying saw the young lady about to tumble and couldn’t catch her in time. Just as she exclaimed "Miss!" in shock, a white figure suddenly dashed out from the shadows and caught the young lady before she could meet the ground.
"Master Sang," Yun Ying recognized the figure—it was her long-lost master, Sang Qin. What a close call! Yun Ying patted her chest to calm her racing heart.
"How careless can you be?" Sang Qin held the slipping girl tightly, frowning with concern. The girl in his arms had no awareness of the danger she had just escaped; she remained blissfully drunk and eventually fell into a deep sleep in his embrace, even mumbling softly in her unconscious state.
Looking down at the peaceful face that resembled hers so closely, Sang Qin couldn't help but press a kiss on her forehead, murmuring to himself, "Ranran, Ranran... I've finally found you."
Comment 0 Comment Count