The heat spread all the way to Xie Miao's heart through the clasped hands.
A look of bewilderment flashed on her face, and then she broke free from the shackles and politely said: "Thank you."
Zhou Niannan said nothing and looked at her leisurely.
Xie Miao stiffly changed the subject, "Where are my maids? What did you do to them?"
"Who do you think I am?" Zhou Niannan said, "It's just a few mice that ran into the front yard, and they are all busy catching them."
Xie Miao couldn't help grinding her teeth: ...I want to know where those mice came from, this guy!
The watchman beat the gong and shouted slowly: "The weather is dry and parched, be careful with candles, close the doors and windows to prevent burglary and theft..."
Second watch. (t/n: time from 9pm to 11pm)
Zhou Niannan glanced at the sky and urged: "Come out quickly, otherwise you won't be able to catch it."
Xie Miao didn't understand, "Why can't I catch it?"
Zhou Niannan said: "Of course it's a surprise."
Xie Miao turned around and said, "I don't care."
"Whether you care or not, you won't know until you see it." Zhou Niannan said calmly: "Or do you want me to shout and call everyone to the courtyard?"
Xie Miao: ...She really wanted to hit someone and make the person in front of her cry.
Ah, vexing!
She reluctantly walked to the front door, but heard Zhou Niannan say: "Climb out of the window, and I will catch you."
Xie Miao didn't know what kind of medicine he was selling in the gourd, but now that the matter had come to this, she had no choice but to swallow her anger for the time being. She put aside her usual image, and climbed onto the couch. She stepped on the window sill, and jumped out of the window.
She landed firmly and glanced at Zhou Niannan's empty hands with a stern expression.
Humph, does this young lady need your help?
Zhou Niannan asked: "Are you ready?"
Xie Miao:?
Zhou Niannan moved in front of her. He stretched out his arms to wrap around her slender waist, stepped on his toes and flew into the air. The night wind whistled by his ears, and before Xie Miao could recover from the weightlessness, he was holding her and sitting on the roof.
Before Xie Miao could get angry, Zhou Niannan recognized the situation and let go, hypocritically saying: "Don't sit too far away, or you may fall."
Xie Miao beat his chest and glared at him with murderous intent: God, can you send thunder to chop this scoundrel!
Zhou Niannan touched the bridge of his nose and pointed towards the sky, "Xie Miao, look up."
Xie Miao adapted to the situation and looked up. She saw that the moon was like a silver plate, shining brightly for thousands of miles, and the night was endless.
"It's so beautiful." She sighed.
He was proud of himself and said, "How about it? It's not a bad idea to come with me, right?"
"Hmph." Xie Miao remembered something, glanced at him from the corner of her eye, and asked, "Did you do something relating to Su Panyan and Wen Rubin's matter?"
"What you said is biased." Zhou Niannan said confidently without any guilt: "If you want others to not know, you have to do nothing yourself. If there is nothing wrong with that Su Panyan, it will be useless even if I try to trick him."
"Unreasonable excuses." Xie Miao didn't listen to his deception, "You tell me the truth, what unethical things have you done?"
Zhou Niannan expressed his injustice, "I just invited Su Panyan's cousin to the capital, and then let Wen Rubin overhear their conversation... After Wen Rubin knew that Su Panyan had another love, he immediately asked someone to go to the Su Mansion to cancel the engagement."
Xie Miao asked: "What reason did he use to cancel the engagement?"
Zhou Niannan said: "He is quite graceful. He took all the blame on himself and did not mention Su Panyan's fault."
She wanted to ask more details, but was stopped by Zhou Niannan, "Okay, don't mention irrelevant people to spoil the fun. Come on, focus on looking at the moon."
Xie Miao pouted and complained rudely: "What's so rare about the moon? It's the same every day. If you ask me, the full moon on the 15th is pretty good-"
Before she finished speaking, bursts of movement suddenly came from the distant sky. A moment later, dense and colourful fireworks bloomed, like magnificent gems, embellishing the night sky with brilliance.
In the bright sky, Zhou Niannan's words floated vaguely, "Xie Miao, look, the night sky tonight belongs only to you."
Xie Miao seemed to have heard it, but also seemed not to hear it clearly.
She looked up at the sky quietly, her dark pupils reflecting this unparalleled splendour. Regardless of worries or sorrows, all emotions disappeared, leaving only splendour. A short-lived but beautiful splendour.
She was watching the fireworks intently, completely unaware that Zhou Niannan was staring at her.
So beautiful, he thought.
There was a sigh of envy floating in the air, "Wow, what beautiful firework!"
"Some family must be having a happy event and setting off fireworks to celebrate!"
"With so many fireworks, I think they cost a lot of money. It's really lavish..."
The fireworks lasted for a full quarter of an hour. When the last light faded from the sky, Xie Miao still kept looking up.
Zhou Niannan wisely remained silent.
She smiled softly, as if she was relieved of a heavy burden, and said sincerely: "Zhou Niannan, thank you for your gift."
This kind of gratitude was definitely not what Zhou Niannan asked for.
He leaned back and put his hands behind his head, "Thank you for what? You have to pay this back. It's my birthday next month. You must think of how to celebrate for me."
Xie Miao refused to accept the invitation and declined tactfully: "You are the young master of the Marquis family. There are many people to celebrate your birthday."
He said casually: "What if I have never celebrated my birthday?"
She subconsciously replied: "How is that possible?"
He smiled, a look of loneliness flashed across his face, and it was rare that he didn't make a teasing retaliation.
Xie Miao's thoughts were slightly stagnant, could it be? Is it possible? Isn't he kidding?
Zhou Niannan said: "Guess, why I only have one brother, but I am ranked third?"
Xie Miao said: "It is sorted according to your family clan."
"According to my family, I should be ranked fifth."
"Well, then you have a sister."
"In large families, men and women are divided into different ranks."
Why?
Xie Miao vaguely realized that if they continued to talk, they might come into contact with some unknown secrets. She pinched her sleeves and stopped the topic hastily, "I'm tired and want to go back and rest."
"Xie Miao." Zhou Niannan's eyes were so bright that she couldn't dodge them, "What are you afraid of?"
Xie Miao choked for a moment, "I-I-"
It's really rare to see her stuck.
Zhou Niannan did not try to be mysterious and said directly: "I have a second brother above me. He and I are twins."
Xie Miao was deeply surprised. Is Zhou Niannan a twin? Never heard of it!
Zhou Niannan said: "At that time, my mother was pregnant with twins. She gave birth prematurely before the eighth month and gave birth to two identical baby boys. However, the baby boy born first was weak and sickly, while the baby boy born later was strong and healthy. The imperial physician said that I was too domineering and robbed my second brother of his nutrition, causing him to be born with deficiencies..."
He fell silent suddenly, then spoke again, his voice as soft as the wind, "Second brother only lived for three hours. The time spent by others in the blink of an eye became his whole life."
The second brother only had time to cry a few times before he passed away with the regrets of countless people. His father and mother remained strong after experiencing grief, and they loved him even more when he survived. However, facing the past, not only they could not forget it, but he also could not let go after knowing it.
If he had stopped being so domineering when he was in the womb and was willing to part with some health, maybe the second brother wouldn't...
It's a pity that there are no assumptions in life, and it is in vain to talk about these empty words.
They all pretended as if nothing had happened, as if there had never been an episode in their lives. Only on their birthdays every year, white banners would be hung in the Marquis's Mansion. Mother could temporarily let go of her restraint and remember her second son who died young. And he would tell himself over and over again, this is his birthday, but it is also the death anniversary of his second brother.
Those who survive should remember the grief.
Zhou Niannan closed his eyes and his Adam's apple moved slightly. After a moment, Xie Miao's firm voice sounded in his ears.
She said: "Because of this, you have to be thoughtful and forge ahead, and live up to every moment."
"He didn't have time to appreciate the beauty of the world, so it's up to you to hear and touch it on his behalf. He didn't have time to make great achievements, so it's up to you to work hard and make plans. You are the one chosen by God, so you should live more diligently with his expectations."
......Is that right?
His dazed heart gradually returned to normal. He covered his face with his sleeves and said hoarsely: "Xie Miao, his name is Zhou Nianxi."
"Zhou Nianxi, I will remember him." Xie Miao sat hugging her knees and said with a smile: "From now on, there is one more person in the world who remembers him."
The chirping of cicadas composed music, and the summer night was noisy and beautiful. He was glad to have her by his side, and hoped that he would always have her by his side in the years to come.
He moved his fingers over the tiles and tried to hold her hand, but was hit by a sudden pebble——
Zhou Niannan jumped up, glanced into the darkness, and smiled thoughtfully.
"It's time to go down." He helped her up and ruffled her forehead. "After the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, I will go hunting in the autumn with the Emperor. You stay in the capital and wait for me to come back."
Wait for me to come back.
Xie Miao was stunned. When he regained his ambition and set out for Northern Xinjiang that year, he said the same words. He——
Zhou Niannan hugged her and dropped back to the ground. Before the person got angry, he quickly jumped over the wall and left.
Xie Miao stared at the direction in which he was leaving, with a confused expression and disbelief until someone stood in front of her.
"A-Miao."
Xie Miao came back to her senses and was surprised again, "Cousin Cui, you are back?"
Cui Muli's self-cultivation is like bamboo, and as clear as the moon, but he is holding a bowl of Yangchun noodles in his right hand, which is incompatible with the immortal demeanour around him.
His calm, handsome face was filled with emotions, but he pretended to be nonchalant and said with a smile: "Today is your birthday, so I cooked a bowl of longevity noodles for you."
Xie Miao's eyes moved down and fell on the noodle bowl in his hand. This meant that he cooked... noodles with his own hands?
She declined without thinking, "I appreciate my cousin's kindness, but I don't want to eat pass youshi." (t/n: youshi is 5pm to 7pm)
"Just have a taste." Cui Muli moved the bowl forward gently, "I know you have become a vegetarian recently, and I specially used rapeseed oil to avoid any trace of meat -"
Xie Miao interrupted him, "Cousin, no need."
Cui Muli ignored it and continued: "This is my first time cooking, and the taste is still lacking. If you give me more time, I will work hard to improve my cooking skills."
Xie Miao frowned, "Cousin Cui."
He lost his composure and his tone was a little urgent, "A-Miao, you believe me, I will do better and better."
But she shook her head and said, "Cui Muli, let's stop here."
*
The wind gathered into sharp blades and rushed towards him from all directions.
The scene of her being intimate with Niannan was still in front of him. His heart couldn't help but drop, as if he was testing the bottom line of loss and jealousy. However, after waiting and waiting, there was no end.
He was smart and wise since he was young, cherished by his father and taught carefully by his grandfather. Praise from his elders, envy from his peers, admiration from the opposite sex... He can get what others dream of without any effort.
He has a calm nature and is accustomed to taking the initiative in his hands. Almost no one or thing can actively arouse his emotions. Even if there is, he can easily take it back if he wants to.
Even when facing the former Xie Miao, he could still calm down. However, this freedom disappeared in the past year. He was unaware of when he became attracted to her. After realizing it, not only did he not think about escaping, but he longed for a more intimate relationship.
He wanted to embrace her and possess her completely.
Obsession was like a wildly growing vine, wrapping around him layer by layer. He fell into deep gloom. In his thin and narrow red phoenix eyes, jealousy almost burst out, but was soon covered up by reason.
Everything seemed to be an illusion, he is still the upright and self-disciplined Second Young Master Cui.
"A horse can't take ten steps with one leap. A horse can ride ten steps, but it's hard work." He said, "A-Miao, I'm not someone who gives up halfway."
Xie Miao quickly thought about the reasons that could persuade him, and then an idea came to her, "Cui Muli, you just came back. Maybe you don't know that the marriage between Su Panyan and Wen Rubin is cancelled."
Cui Muli said: "So?"
Xie Miao said: "So you should seize the opportunity and go to the Su family to propose marriage!"
Cui Muli said: "Absurd words."
Xie Miao misunderstood that he had concerns and persuaded him earnestly: "You and she are obviously in love, why should you back down because of outsiders' gossip? After you get married and live happily for a few years, who will remember these old things?" "
Cui Muli said: "If I get married, there will be no other candidate for my wife except you."
"..."
Xie Miao pressed her forehead with a headache, and then heard him say: "Where did you hear that Su Panyan and I are in love?"
Xie Miao said: "Anyone with a discerning eye can see it."
Cui Muli said: "People with discerning eyes have unclear eyes. It seems that the eyes are unnecessary decoration."
Xie Miao: ...Threat, this is definitely a threat.
Cui Muli's left hand hidden in his sleeve trembled slightly, but he quickly stabilized it and said, "A-Miao, if I like someone, I will try my best to marry her back home, regardless of whether she is engaged or not."
What are you doing that troublesome matter for?
Xie Miao said helplessly: "Now she has broken off the engagement and is free to get married!"
Cui Muli said: "I don't like her. Whether she is engaged or not, what does it have to do with me?"
Xie Miao couldn't defeat him. She was tired, forget it. It won't happen anytime soon, so she was going to sleep.
She rubbed her eyes sleepily, "I'm sleepy. Cousin, walk slowly."
Cui Muli blocked her way. He put the noodle bowl on the ground, and slowly took out a silver hairpin from his sleeve, "A-Miao, I wish you a happy birthday and everything you wish for."
Xie Miao: "Thank you, the gift will be waived."
Cui Muli narrowed his eyes and stretched out his hand insistently, "I give it to you every year, and this year is no exception."
He stood motionless, no matter how Xie Miao tried to persuade him, he didn't respond.
Xie Miao had a headache.
She clearly knew how strong the other party's perseverance was. If she didn't give in, he would really be able to stand until dawn.
In the end, she chose to compromise for no other reason than she was sleepy and wanted to go to bed early.