Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter 273: Involuntarily

Chapter 273: Against My Will

Zhang Xiaofei choked up as she spoke. Seeing this, Ji Meiqing was afraid she would choke, so she quickly patted her back and said, "Alright, alright, you're out now, aren't you?" Ji Meiqing changed the subject and said, "Didn't you want to have a snowball fight? I think we've almost finished eating, let's go now. My house doesn't have many advantages, but it has a lot of open space."

Zhang Xiaofei stopped crying and said, "Okay, okay, let's go." After saying that, she pulled Ji Meiqing outside and said to the room, "Don't just sit there, come on in." Lu Yu put down the steamed bun in his hand, feeling uneasy, as if he hadn't been having a good time these past few days.

Sure enough, that night, because Zhang Xiaofei insisted on sleeping with Ji Meiqing, Lu Yu had the honor of going to Yan Jinshen's room.

Zhang Xiaofei lay down next to Ji Meiqing and said in a deep voice, "Xiaoqing, actually I sneaked out. Although my father no longer makes me study this or that, he has started to force me to get married again. To be honest, I have never even met the person he is talking about, but my father still wants me to marry him. Isn't that ridiculous?"

Ji Meiqing thought this girl was nice and had long considered her a friend, so she replied, "How could I not know all that you're saying? We're actually quite lucky, you know? Xunhua, the former princess, now Princess Taiping, is such a noble person, but she's going to marry into the Xiongnu. It's not her choice!"

Zhang Xiaofei said, "I just don't like this situation. Why should I? My father is sending people to look for me now, and I really have nowhere to go. So could you please let me stay for a few more days?" Then she looked at Ji Meiqing with her eyes blinking.

"No, don't look at me like that. I have no objection if you want to stay here, but you still have to ask Brother Lu, whom you kicked out. I don't think he'll necessarily agree. After all, not only did you take his position, but you also stole his wife. Besides, even if you manage to avoid this for a few days, you can't stay away forever, can you?" Ji Meiqing said, covering her eyes with her hands.

"Oh no! What should I do? I really don't want to marry a complete stranger!" Zhang Xiaofei pretended to hold her head in her hands.

Ji Meiqing was also very troubled, but she wasn't pretending; she was genuinely worried. So she said, "Okay, don't think about it for now. But there will always be a solution. I'm tired; I'm going to sleep." Then she turned her back to Zhang Xiaofei.

Zhang Xiaofei looked at her back, made a face, and whispered, "What's wrong with you? It's been so long since we last met, and you haven't even caught up with me. You're like a completely different person. Oh well, never mind." She then closed her eyes.

The next morning, Ji Meiqing felt that her recent headaches might be due to a lack of exercise, and she had also gained quite a bit of weight over the New Year, so she got up early to go for a run. Lu Yu, who hadn't been with Ji Meiqing the night before and was feeling very frustrated, also got up early and saw her running out. He followed her.

As Ji Meiqing was running, she noticed someone else beside her. After glancing at the newcomer, she said, "Brother Lu, why are you up so early too?"

As Lu Yu ran, he said, "The street scene during the New Year is so beautiful, especially in the morning. How could I bear to miss it?"

Ji Meiqing then noticed the street scene around her. Although it was the end of the year, some vendors had already started making money. Every household had big red lanterns hanging on their doors. The capital was a wealthy place, and even poor families would hang big red lanterns and paste the character "福" (fortune) to pray for good luck in the coming year. The red of the lanterns and the white of the snow from yesterday complemented each other, creating a unique beauty.

Seeing Ji Meiqing stop to admire the beautiful scenery around her, Lu Yu leaned closer to her and said, "Anyway, we've completed our most important task. We've worked hard for a year, so it's only right that we relax a bit. Let's stay here until the fifteenth and then go see the lanterns. That'll be the most fun and beautiful time."

Ji Meiqing had seen ancient lanterns on TV before, and had the opportunity to do so last year, but it was delayed. Filled with great curiosity, she said, "Okay."

When the two returned from their run, Zhang Xiaofei was still not awake. Lu Yu was responsible for waking Yan Jin and Yan Shen, while Ji Meiqing's task was naturally to wake Zhang Xiaofei. Ji Meiqing called out to Zhang Xiaofei, "Xiaofei, wake up!"

Seeing no movement, she went forward and pulled Zhang Xiaofei's hand, saying, "Get up, Xiaofei." Still no response, Ji Meiqing used her last resort, "Zhang Xiaofei, get up and eat."

Then Zhang Xiaofei lazily stretched and rubbed her sleepy eyes. Ji Meiqing, panting beside her, said, "I always thought I was fine, but I didn't expect you to be even more reluctant to get out of bed than me. Getting you out of bed is more tiring than running for me."

Zhang Xiaofei said, "Hehe, you know me well." After saying that, she went to wash up. Ji Meiqing said, "I won't wait for you. I'm hungry. Remember to go straight to the dining hall for dinner later."

When Zhang Xiaofei finished tidying herself up and arrived at the dining hall, only she and Ji Meiqing were left. She sat down, picked up her chopsticks, looked around, and asked, "Where is everyone? Why is it just you and me left?"

Ji Meiqing thought the food was too salty, so she took a sip of tea before saying, "Miss, you haven't even mentioned how long it's been."

Zhang Xiaofei replied, "You can't blame me for this. Look at you, it was one thing when you were in the Ji family, but now that you're rolling in money, why don't you hire a few people to serve you?"

Ji Meiqing shook her head and said, "I'm nothing like you. I've been used to doing things for myself since I was little. Brother Lu also comes from a poor family. As for those two children, they shouldn't be spoiled too much. Besides, they don't like being waited on. So let's just leave them as they are."

Zhang Xiaofei ate slowly and carefully, so it was quite a while before she said, "Actually, I envy you. You're so lucky. Your family can't control you anymore, and you have such a good husband. Your life is so comfortable."

Ji Meiqing unconsciously tightened her grip on the teacup as she recalled the Ji family. "The Ji family is no longer my family. My family only consists of Brother Lu and the people I care about. Besides, you don't need to envy us. Every family has its own troubles, and many things are not as simple as they seem. The hardships we've faced on this path are because you don't know them. We've almost lost our lives so many times."

Zhang Xiaofei stopped talking after hearing what she said.

After everyone finished breakfast, Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu looked at the account books in their room, while Zhang Xiaofei, Yan Jin, and Yan Shen played hide-and-seek in the yard. After Ji Meiqing and Lu Yu finished their work, everyone sunbathed together in the yard.

They were enjoying themselves peacefully and comfortably when the gatekeeper came to report, interrupting them.