Old Madam Yu looked at the calamus wine on the table. “This is the medicinal wine that Yao Yao brewed. There’s realgar in it. Just drink a cup as a token of appreciation. Don’t drink too much, especially the few of you…”
As she spoke, her gaze swept across Yu Youyao and the other sisters. At their age, they shouldn’t be drinking, but the few of them were making a fuss and wanted to try it. With the elders present, it was fine to drink a little.
Hence, she did not disturb them.
Zhou Linghuai tilted his head and saw the little girl looking at the wine glass with sparkling eyes, full of anticipation.
He recalled the night he first came to the Yu Residence. When the residence held a banquet for him and the little girl secretly drank the green plum wine, she looked as cute as a cat. Even though she only had two glasses of green plum wine, she was still drunk. She sat obediently at the table, her face soft and red and her eyes moist. She looked obedient and cute.
For some reason, he suddenly wanted to laugh.
After Old Madam Yu finished speaking, Yu Youyao, who had been waiting impatiently, picked up her wine glass and quickly took a sip.
Before Zhou Linghuai could stop her, he saw Yu Youyao take a sip of wine and immediately widen her eyes. Then, she suddenly choked and coughed a few times. She stuck out her tongue and shouted, “So spicy, so spicy…”
Zhou Linghuai reacted quickly and quickly handed her a cup of water.
Old Madam Yu was already laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.
Madam Yao also pinched her handkerchief and gently pressed the corner of her mouth. She couldn’t stop smiling.
Yu Shuangbai and Yu Shanxin, who were usually jumpy, laughed even harder.
The table was filled with laughter.
Yu Youyao gulped down a few mouthfuls of water and felt a little better. She looked at her cousin with teary eyes. “Cousin, this wine tastes terrible. It’s bitter and spicy, and has a strange taste. It’s not as good as plum wine…”
Zhou Linghuai did not know whether to laugh or cry. “Do you think all wine tastes the same as plum wine? How can realgar wine taste sweet? Why are you drinking it so quickly?”
Yu Youyao blinked, her eyes watery. She looked at her cousin innocently, pouted, and stopped talking.
Zhou Linghuai was stunned for a moment before he realized that realgar wine had a higher alcohol content. The little girl had drunk it in a hurry just now and was a little tipsy.
He watched helplessly as the little girl’s face seemed to be covered with a layer of pink rouge from inch by inch. For a moment, her face was completely dyed pink. Her wide eyes were covered in a layer of moisture. She tried her best to open them, but the fog was getting thicker, making her eyes look sparkling.
The little girl’s eyelashes suddenly trembled slightly, and a tear finally fell like an apricot flower in the rain.
The wet marks streaked across her pink cheeks, revealing a different color.
However, she was still looking at him innocently.
Pure and innocent, like a child.
Yu Youyao blinked her misty eyes. “Cousin, I don’t want to drink realgar wine. It tastes terrible!”
“Alright, don’t drink it if you don’t want to.” Zhou Linghuai held his breath and scooped a bowl of white jade ginseng soup for her. “Have some soup first. You’ll be fine in a while.”
Yu Youyao obediently lowered her head and drank a few mouthfuls of soup. Indeed, she felt much better.
At this moment, Old Madam Yu had had enough of laughing. “You greedy little girl, let’s see if you still dare to do it in the future and stuff everything into your mouth.”
Yu Youyao felt embarrassed. She pouted and looked at her cousin, feeling aggrieved.
Zhou Linghuai quickly comforted her. “Everyone has to drink, not just you.”
When Yu Youyao heard this, she was indeed happy again.
The others at the banquet were speechless. They stared at the small cup of realgar wine in front of them and immediately did not dare to touch it.
Madam Yao covered her handkerchief and smiled. “It was originally because you weren’t allowed to drink realgar wine. I wonder who was the one who insisted on drinking it. Now that you know that you’ve been tricked, that won’t do…”
With Madam Yao’s words, Yu Shuangbai and the others did not want to drink anymore.
Moreover, they were also curious. Was realgar wine really that bad?
They had both fear and curiosity…
Then, there were choking, coughing, and exclamations at the table.
“Wow, this wine is terrible.”
“So spicy, so bitter…”
“It’s all Big Sister’s fault. Why did she instigate us to drink…”
The table was filled with laughter.
As there was a dragon boat competition in the moat at noon, they had to have lunch earlier today. After lunch, it was not long after noon.
Madam Yao chatted with Old Madam for a while to digest her food. Then, she brought her children back to the second house and set off to the moat to watch the dragon boat race.
Old Madam Yu wanted to take a nap at noon.
Yu Youyao did not want to disturb her, so she returned to the Jade Courtyard with her cousin.
The noon sun was too bright, and the room was hot. Yu Youyao and her cousin sat under the Parasol Tree. He guided her in her studies, while she studied seriously.
About an hour later, Yu Youyao was drowsy from the wind under the shade of the tree. She couldn’t help but yawn and feel a little sleepy.
“Cousin, I’m so sleepy. I’ll sleep for a while. Wake me up later.” With that, she curled her legs on the chair and fell asleep against her cousin’s lap.
Zhou Linghuai put down the book in his hand and lowered his head.
The little girl’s black hair was piled on her cheek like clouds, covering half of her face. His fingers trembled slightly as he gently brushed this strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her beautiful and delicate face.
Her dark eyebrows were curved. She had used the brow powder that he had previously mixed. Her dark green eyebrows matched her green clothes, making her look extremely delicate.
He recalled how the little girl had drunk a mouthful of realgar wine and sat on the chair obediently and innocently, looking dazed and cute. Her pale lips curled up slightly.
When Nanny Xu was done, she looked out.
The canopy of the parasol tree was as green as the clouds. Young Master Zhou was sitting in a wheelchair with a book in his hand. He did not move at all and maintained a posture. His long eyebrows were as beautiful as a painting, and under the mottled sunlight, they were dyed with a faint smile. Although his eyes were on the book, he would occasionally lower his head to look at the little girl sleeping soundly on his lap.
Her face was red, and her eyelashes were like small fans that covered her eyes. No one knew what she was dreaming about, but her lips were slightly curved and she looked extremely sweet.
Nanny Xu’s eyelids twitched, and she lowered her head, not continuing to look.
Perhaps because she had slept too well. Yu Youyao slept for nearly two hours.
When she woke up, she met her cousin’s deep eyes.
She couldn’t help but be stunned. Suspecting that she had seen wrongly, she blinked. A smile appeared on her cousin’s lips. It was faint, but it made her stare.
Her cousin was not in good health, and his lips were always pale.
However, at this moment, her cousin smiled lightly. From her angle, she happened to be able to see a trace of red between his lips, making his smile look like it was full and revealing faint emotions.
It was really too beautiful!
Zhou Linghuai looked at her with a smile in his eyes. “You’re awake!”