books44 Chapter 246: Shangri-La
Chapter 246: Shangri-La
Chapter 246: A Paradise on Earth
The two took the Yuqing wine to the peach blossom grove, with Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu walking deeper into it. They reached roughly the center of the grove when a small thatched hut came into view. There was a small table at the door of the hut, and Lu Yu placed the wine on it. Ji Meiqing glanced around, surveying her surroundings.
After returning, he took a sip of the wine that Lu Yu had poured and said in a relaxed tone, "I didn't expect this old man to know how to enjoy life so much. Look at this place, it's so beautiful and quiet, without the noise outside. You can enjoy wine here without thinking about anything and without any worries. It's like living the life of an immortal!" Lu Yu chimed in, "Yes, this is simply the paradise that people yearn for."
There was a small stream beside the table. Ji Meiqing sat on a stone bench, watching the fish swimming freely in the stream. Looking at Lu Yu beside her, she asked, "You know, this old man is really generous. He's addicted to alcohol, and he just wants to leave such a nice place without asking for money, only alcohol. If I were the landlord here, I would definitely rip him off."
"That's why they live so freely, while you're fighting with life every day," Lu Yu said incisively.
"Yes. I'd better just stick to making my own money honestly. I don't have that kind of magnanimity," Ji Meiqing sighed.
Looking at the beautiful scenery, Ji Meiqing was in a good mood and drank a few more cups. Although the wine was not harmful to her health, it was still wine after all, and as expected, Ji Meiqing got drunk in the end.
Lu Yu continued drinking, looking at Ji Meiqing who was slumped over the table next to him, and said with a puzzled expression, "You've drunk so much, and you're a liquor seller, how come your alcohol tolerance is so low? You always end up getting yourself drunk." Of course, Ji Meiqing couldn't hear any of this. The reason she only said this when she was drunk was because she didn't want others to talk about her when she was sober, otherwise she would have retaliated like a thorny hedgehog.
Lu Yu gazed at Ji Meiqing's sleeping face. In this beautiful peach blossom forest, no one would disturb them. How wonderful it would be if time could stand still at this moment! Without the disturbances of the world, without the pressures of life, only you and I remained.
A breeze picked up, and to keep Ji Meiqing from catching a cold, Lu Yu broke the beautiful moment. He picked up Ji Meiqing and frowned. Why was she so light? She had lost weight from being so busy lately. He needed to make something to help her recover. Thinking this, he walked towards the thatched hut.
The thatched hut was very simple, containing only a bed and some essential furniture. Lu Yu placed Ji Meiqing on the bed, took off her shoes, and covered her with a blanket to make her more comfortable.
Lu Yu wasn't sleepy at the moment. He sat on the bed, thinking about all the memories they had shared since he saved Ji Meiqing. Although there were many ups and downs, and they even almost lost their lives at times, they had both made it through. It was a testament to the saying that they shared both good times and bad.
Actually, he noticed that Ji Meiqing was different from other girls. Sometimes she would say things he couldn't understand at all, but he trusted her. He took Ji Meiqing's hand firmly and said, "No matter what the future holds, I will face it with you!"
About three hours later, Ji Meiqing sat up groggily, tapping her aching head. "How did I get drunk again? I used to be able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Could my alcohol tolerance have gone downhill?"
Feeling someone holding her hand, Ji Meiqing looked down and saw Lu Yu asleep beside her, gripping her hand tightly. It took Ji Meiqing a great deal of effort to pull her hand away without waking him.
Her stomach rumbled a few times, and Ji Meiqing rubbed her empty stomach softly, saying, "It's about time to eat, isn't it? Let's see if there's anything to eat here." She tiptoed out of bed and went to the kitchen. Because no one had been here for a while, even the brewers didn't come to this deep place often. So there wasn't anything to eat.
Just as Ji Meiqing was feeling frustrated, she looked out the window and ran out in surprise. "Wow! There's a vegetable garden here!" A bunch of lush green vegetables were growing healthily.
Ji Meiqing rolled up her sleeves, which were in the way, and rushed in, ready to get to work. She picked out some vegetables that both she and Lu Yu liked and went to the kitchen. She hummed a little tune she had just learned while cooking.
When Lu Yu woke up, he touched the empty space beside him. He got up to look for her and went into the kitchen when he saw smoke coming out. Ji Meiqing was too focused to notice that someone was standing at the door. Lu Yu crossed his arms and watched her busy figure until Ji Meiqing picked up a knife to chop vegetables. Then he went over and took the knife from her, saying, "I'll chop it. You go do something else."
Ji Meiqing looked at him and paused. "When did you wake up? I didn't even get to rest."
"I just woke up a little while ago. I didn't expect you to be such a lightweight. You sobered up pretty quickly. I was going to make you a hangover soup, but we don't have the ingredients here," Lu Yu said regretfully.
"Yes, I wanted to cook some meat, but there are only vegetables here. It seems that even the best places have their downsides," Ji Meiqing said with some disappointment.
“Yes, everything has two sides. But if you really like it here, we can always bring what we need next time.” Lu Yu couldn’t bear to see Ji Meiqing disappointed.
"Yes, you're right." Ji Meiqing wasn't one to dwell on things.
After a brief conversation, the meal was ready. "There are no steamed buns or dumplings here, but we do have some rice, so rice will be our staple food," Ji Meiqing explained to Lu Yu.
"Okay, let's go back after we finish eating. We've been out for quite a while. What if they need something and can't find us?"
After the meal, the two went back. Because they had arrived early, they hadn't run into any employees, but when they left, they happened to catch them working. Naturally, they had to greet each other.
The two lingered on the street for a while, strolling around since it was market day. Lu Yu looked around and his eyes settled on a jewelry stall. He pulled Ji Meiqing over, picked up a simple yet beautiful hairpin, and put it on her.
The seller exclaimed, "This young master has excellent taste! This is a top-quality hairpin, though a bit simple, which is why it hasn't sold yet. Look how well it suits this young lady. Perhaps…"
"This is it." The seller was interrupted before he could finish speaking. He paid and left with Ji Meiqing.
Ji Meiqing touched the hairpin in her hair. "Does it really... really look good?" Ji Meiqing didn't care about her appearance and didn't usually dress up. So wearing these kinds of jewelry naturally felt awkward. But after all, it was a gift from Lu Yu, so she still liked it very much.