Qinglian’S Heart Is Covered, Fate Meets Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Qinglian’s Heartfelt Words·The Cage is Warm and Soft (30,000 words·Qinglian’s Perspective·Fireworks and Deep Love)

1. Zhulou Prisoner Lotus, three meals in exchange for fireworks

When I woke up, the curtains of the carved bed were still hanging down, and the brocade embroidered with lotus patterns blocked most of the daylight. Only a few strands of broken gold leaked out, falling on the rosewood footboard in front of the bed.The first thing I smelled on the tip of my nose was not the familiar cold sandalwood mixed with sweet lotus seed soup, but a rich and alluring spicy smell, mixed with the mellowness of bone soup, which instantly made my stomach growl.

“Are you awake?” Bai Fei’s voice came from outside the tent, still gentle, but with a bit of unnoticeable embarrassment, “Try this, I asked the cook to learn it yesterday at the most popular restaurant in the capital.”

The curtain was opened by him, and he came over with a big blue and white bowl. The bowl was boiling with red oil, soaked with chewy rice noodles, and topped with fried yuba, sour bamboo shoots, and peanuts. It was the snail noodles that I had been talking about for a long time.The hot air with the spicy aroma went straight to the tip of my nose. My eyes suddenly lit up. I forgot that his arm was still around my waist. I sat up suddenly and almost ran into his arms.

“How did you…” I was stunned, looking at the snail noodles in the bowl, my throat felt blocked.I never told him that I liked eating these. I only occasionally murmured a few words about the fireworks at Jiangnan Night Market in my dreams. Unexpectedly, he actually remembered them in his heart.

He handed the bowl to me and took out a pair of new chopsticks. There was a smile in his eyes, but he still pretended to be calm: “I see that you are always bored these days. Let’s change the taste. Eat slowly, the soup will be hot.”

I took the chopsticks, picked up a handful of rice noodles and stuffed it into my mouth. The spicy taste mixed with the unique aroma of sour bamboo shoots exploded between my teeth, instantly dispelling the boredom in Zhulou for many days.Once upon a time in Jiangnan, I always loved to sneak away to the night market and have a bowl of hot snail noodles with freshly grilled beef skewers. It was the unique pleasure of fireworks in this world.Ever since Bai Fei brought him to this courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing, he has never gone down to the second floor and has never tasted this feeling again.

“Does it taste good?” He sat on the edge of the bed, propped up his chin and looked at me, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the old marks on my wrist.

I nodded fiercely, my mouth was full, and I said vaguely: “It’s delicious! It tastes better than the ones at Jiangnan Night Market!”

He smiled and reached out to wipe the red oil from the corner of my mouth. The temperature of his fingertips made my heart tremble.I suddenly remembered that in the past, I mentioned that I wanted to eat lotus seed soup, and he would go looking for the freshest lotus seeds every day before dawn. Now, if I just murmur a few words in my dream, he will send the cook to travel all over the capital to learn how to make snail noodles. His love has always been hidden in these details.

After finishing the noodles, I drank all the soup at the bottom of the bowl. He took the empty bowl and brought a plate of sliced iced watermelon and handed it to me: “Relieve the spicy food.”

I bit the watermelon and looked at his busy back, and suddenly felt that the prison in Zhulou didn’t seem so difficult anymore.But I still felt itchy in my heart, so I couldn’t help but say again: “Bai Fei, I also want to eat Malatang. I want it to be extra spicy, with more beef and lobster balls.”

He paused in turning around, then looked back at me, the smile in his eyes getting deeper: “Okay, let the cook do it tomorrow.”

Since that day, my meals have completely changed.In the morning, it’s freshly baked croissants with hot milk. At noon, it’s spicy hotpot rolled in red oil. A bowl full of my favorite beef, tripe, and prawns. In the evening, sometimes it’s steamed hairy crabs with garlic, sometimes spicy king crab. The crab meat is so sweet and wrapped in the aroma of garlic that even my fingertips are stained with freshness.

He always eats with me, but rarely moves his chopsticks. He only looks at me with his chin propped up. Occasionally he peels a crab shell for me, picks out the complete crab meat and puts it into my bowl.I asked him why he didn’t eat it, and he smiled and said, “Watching you eat it tastes better than eating it myself.”

That day, I was chewing on the shrimp claws of Daolong, and suddenly I caught a glimpse of the small opening scratched by the shrimp shell on his fingertips, which was oozing with blood.My heart tightened, I grabbed his hand and frowned, “Why are you so careless?”

He held my hand with his backhand, put my fingertips to his lips, and pecked it lightly, his eyes full of tenderness: “I’ll peel the shrimp for you, it won’t hurt.”

The delicious crab meat was still in my mouth, but it suddenly lost its taste. I looked at the seriousness in his eyes, and my throat felt clogged. I suddenly felt that the delicious fireworks on the table were not even half as warm as the palm of his hand.

2. Waiting for patients in front of the bed, fireworks warm the stomach

As autumn enters, it rains more frequently in the suburbs of Beijing. It hits the copper railings of the Zhulou Tower and splashes with tiny splashes of water.Maybe I ate too much iced watermelon in the past few days, and I actually contracted the cold. I coughed badly at night, and when I was groggy from the fever, I always felt like someone was watching over my bedside, and the breath of cold sandalwood enveloped me, mixed with the familiar aroma of bone broth.

When I woke up, it was already slightly bright, and Bai Fei was lying beside my bed, with his hair in a messy bun, and his eyes were green and black. He must have been watching over me all night.His hand was still holding my wrist, his fingertips were pressed against my veins, his brows were furrowed, as if he was worried about my health even in his sleep.On the low table next to the bed, there is a bowl of steaming beef soup, the aroma is enticing.

I moved my fingers, and he suddenly woke up and looked up at me. The fatigue in his eyes was instantly replaced by joy: “Are you awake? But you still feel uncomfortable? Take a sip of beef soup to warm your body first. The doctor said you need to warm yourself up because of the cold.”

As he said that, he stood up to bring the soup, but I grabbed him by the corner of his clothes.I said in a hoarse voice: “You stayed with me all night, so go and have a rest.”

He didn’t listen, but insisted on bringing the soup bowl, scooped out a spoonful of soup, blew it to cool down and put it to my lips.The beef soup was extremely thick, the meat was soft and rotten, and the warmth mixed with the ginger slices fell into the throat, instantly dispelling some of the chill.He fed me very slowly, checking the temperature of every spoonful, and occasionally wiped the soup from the corner of my mouth. When his fingertips brushed my lips, they carried the warmth of his palm with them.

“Bai Fei,” I said suddenly after swallowing the soup, “you have lost weight.”

He was stunned for a moment, then smiled, reached out and rubbed my head: “As long as you get better, it doesn’t matter if I lose weight.”

In the next few days, he stayed with me almost every step of the way.During the day, he made soups by himself, from beef soup to pork rib soup, and used different methods to replenish my health. He tasted every bowl to make sure it was not hot or salty before feeding me; at night, he lay fully clothed on the soft couch next to my bed. If I made the slightest movement, he would immediately get up to check on me.

That day I woke up coughing in the middle of the night, and as soon as I sat up, he came over with his clothes on, stretched out his hand to touch my forehead, and touched my back. His voice was hoarse with sleep, but full of concern: “Are you hungry? I’ll heat up a bowl of porridge for you.”

I held his hand and refused to let him go. I just leaned in his arms and smelled the cold sandalwood and bone soup on his body. I suddenly felt that the cold weather was not a bad thing.He froze, then put his arms around me, rested his chin on the top of my hair, patted my back gently, and said softly like coaxing a child: “Good boy, drink the porridge before going to bed, and add your favorite meat floss.”

The medicine is very bitter, but he always hands me a piece of freshly baked bread after I drink it. It has my favorite milky flavor.When he fed me bread, his fingertips would gently scrape the corners of my lips, and the tenderness in his eyes could drown people.Holding the bread in my mouth, I looked at the black and blue under his eyes, and suddenly said: “Bai Fei, I will never be greedy for coldness again.”

He was stunned for a moment, then smiled, lowered his head and kissed my forehead: “It’s okay, as long as I’m here, I can always protect you.”

The rain was still falling at night. He hugged me and leaned against the bedside, telling me interesting stories about Beijing. He told me that in order to learn how to make snail noodles, he went to three restaurants before hiring a chef. He told me that the first time he peeled a hairy crab for me, he almost got his hand pinched by the crab claws.I leaned in his arms, listening to his gentle voice, mixed with the sound of rain, and gradually fell asleep.In the dream, I returned to Jiangnan Night Market. He was standing in front of the snail noodle stall holding an umbrella, smiling and waving to me, with the smoke of fireworks filling the sky behind him.

3. Handmade aprons, hidden thoughts

After the cold wind subsides, I always like to sit on the soft couch by the window and stare at the green bamboos downstairs in a daze.Bai Fei was afraid that I would be bored, so he found various kinds of fabrics and asked me to learn to make gadgets to relieve my boredom.He didn’t know about female red, but he went to the best tailor shop in Beijing and bought the softest cotton. He also personally selected the color for me, saying that red matched me best, like the lanterns in the night market.

I held the needle and thread, looking at the green bamboo outside the window, and suddenly wanted to make him an apron.He always cooks for me and peels crabs for me. His clothes are always stained with oil and crab shell fragments. With an apron, he can be cleaner.

I did it very slowly. After all, in Jiangnan, I only knew how to go to night markets and eat delicious food, and I had never touched needlework.The first needle pricked my hand, and blood oozed from my fingertips. I quickly put my fingers in my mouth, but Bai Fei, who had just walked in, saw me.

He walked over quickly and grabbed my wrist. His brows instantly furrowed and his eyes were filled with distress: “Why are you so careless?”

As he said this, he went to get the ointment. I held his hand and said with a smile, “It’s okay, it’s just a minor injury. I’m making an apron for you.”

He was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared in his eyes, and he sat next to me, holding his chin up and watching me sewing my apron.He looked at it very seriously, and even if I occasionally crooked a stitch, he would remind me softly, like a strict gentleman.

During the day, he would accompany me to sew an apron after taking care of things in other courtyards; at night, he would sit next to me and tell me about his experience of searching all over the capital to buy fresh hairy crabs, and about the first time he made spicy hotpot, which was so spicy that the cook drank water.As I sewed my apron, listening to his words, the stitches on my fingertips became smoother and smoother.

It took half a month to sew the apron.When I handed him the apron that day, he was stunned for a long time before reaching out to take it.The apron was red, and there was a crooked crab pattern embroidered on it. It was not exquisite, and even a little funny, but he felt like he had found some treasure, carefully stroking it, and the smile in his eyes was so thick that he couldn’t hide it.

“Qinglian,” he looked up at me with a gentle voice, “This is the best gift I have ever received.”

As he said that, he immediately put on his apron and turned around in front of me. He smiled and said, “Does it look good?”

I looked at him wearing a red apron and couldn’t help laughing, but I still nodded: “It looks good, it’s the best.”

In the days to come, he would always tie the square apron on his body, whether he was making spicy hotpot for me or peeling king crabs for me, he would tie it neatly.Occasionally, when a servant teased him about the fact that the noble prince was wearing a red apron, he was not annoyed and just smiled and said: “My wife made this for me, and I won’t change it for a thousand dollars.”

I sat by the window and looked at his back wearing an apron, busy in the kitchen, and suddenly felt that this small apron tied my heart and his heart even tighter.

4. Midnight dream, fireworks repose the soul

Maybe because I stayed in Zhulou for a long time, I started to have nightmares.In my dreams, I always go back to the day of the flood in the south of the Yangtze River. The floods overflowed the lotus pond. The cries of the people mixed with the pain of the broken lotus heart woke me up.

The first time I had a frightening dream, I was covered in cold sweat. I sat up and gasped for air, but I ran into a warm embrace.Bai Fei woke up at some point and was hugging me, patting my back with his palms. The breath of cold sandalwood wrapped around me, mixed with the aroma of freshly baked bread.

“Don’t be afraid, I’m here.” His gentle voice sounded in my ears, with soothing power, “It’s just a nightmare, it’s over. The bread is still warm in the kitchen, do you want some?”

I leaned in his arms, tears falling uncontrollably and wetting his clothes.I choked and said: “Bai Fei, I dreamed about flooding, I dreamed about the lotus pond being flooded…”

He tightened his arms, hugged me tighter, lowered his head and kissed the tears from the corners of my eyes, and said softly: “It’s all over. The lotus pond is fine, the people are fine, and you are fine too. As long as I am here, no one can hurt you.”

As he said that, he got up and went to the kitchen to get bread. I held on to the corners of his clothes and refused to let go. He then sat on the edge of the bed with a smile, held me in his arms, and told me embarrassing stories from his childhood. He told me about the first time he went to Jiangnan, and how he drank water because of the spicy snail noodles in the night market. He also talked about how he went to the seafood market early in the morning to buy me fresh Taiaolong.

I listened to his words and smelled the cold sandalwood scent mixed with the milky scent of bread on his body, and gradually calmed down.When he saw that I was no longer shaking, he breathed a sigh of relief, lowered his head and kissed my forehead: “Go to sleep, I’ll watch over you.”

After that night, he slept with me on the Babu bed. As long as I made the slightest movement at night, he would wake up and either hold me and comfort me softly, or go to the kitchen to heat me some snacks.

One time I asked him: “You are always like this, aren’t you tired?”

He lowered his head and kissed the top of my hair, and said with a smile: “How can I be tired from guarding you?”

Later, he was afraid that I would have nightmares again, so he peeled off a plate of crayfish tails for me every night before going to bed, soaked them in garlic soup, and let me eat while listening to his stories.I gnawed on the sweet shrimp tails, rested my head on his arm, and never had a nightmare again.The Jiangnan in my dream was still filled with green lotus ponds. He was standing in front of a night market stall holding an umbrella, holding a steaming bowl of snail noodles in his hand, smiling at me, with fireworks filling the sky behind him.

5. Dress up in front of the mirror, celebrate the birthday with fireworks

My birthday is coming soon, and Bai Fei is busy decorating the courtyard to look like a Jiangnan night market.He found red lanterns from Jiangnan and hung them by the window of Zhulou; he also had fresh seafood brought and filled the kitchen; he even invited a chef from the Jiangnan night market to prepare a birthday banquet for me.

On the day of his birthday, at dawn, he got up and went to the kitchen to make longevity noodles.When I woke up, he was coming back with noodles, still wet with morning dew, but smiling with crooked eyes: “Happy birthday, try my handiwork, add your favorite fat beef and shrimp paste.”

I took a bite and found that the noodles were cooked just right, and my favorite poached eggs were in the soup. The delicious taste mixed with warmth fell into my heart.He sat across from me and watched me eat the noodles, but he didn’t move. He just smiled and said, “Eat slowly, there are a lot of delicious things.”

In the afternoon, he took out a set of fiery red dresses, which he specially customized in Jiangnan. The material was the best Yun brocade, and it was embroidered with the fireworks pattern of the night market.He changed my shirt and skirt for me, and fetched me hairpins to add flowers to my hairpins.

He was so clumsy that he almost hit my scalp with the first blow, which made me laugh out loud.He wasn’t upset, he just scratched his head and started writing again. This time, the hairpin was in style.He stood behind me, looking at me through the bronze mirror, the hairpin on his fingertips gently brushed the top of my hair, and his gentle voice was wrapped with a smile: “We Qinglian, no matter what, we are beautiful.”

I looked at him in the bronze mirror and the tenderness in his eyes, and suddenly I felt that this birthday was even more perfect than when I was in Jiangnan.I turned around, put my arms around his neck, kissed him gently on the corner of his lips, and whispered, “Bai Fei, thank you.”

He froze, then put his arms around me and deepened the kiss. The smell of cold sandalwood mixed with the aroma of fireworks filled the room.The red lanterns outside the window shimmered, the fresh aroma from the kitchen filled the air, and the warmth in the Zhulou was more intoxicating than the spring breeze in the south of the Yangtze River.

At the birthday banquet, he didn’t invite anyone from the capital, only servants from other courtyards, but he made the banquet extraordinarily sumptuous.The table is filled with my favorite delicacies, including spicy king crab, garlic big Australian dragon, red oil spicy hotpot, delicious hairy crabs, as well as freshly baked bread and sweet-scented osmanthus stuffing.

He peeled crabs for me and spooned soup for me. The tenderness in his eyes never changed.After three rounds of drinking, he suddenly took my hand, walked to the window, pointed to the red lantern hanging downstairs, and said softly: “Qinglian, when you feel better again, I will accompany you back to Jiangnan, visit the night markets, and eat all your favorite delicacies, and we will never be apart again.”

I looked at the red lantern downstairs and the seriousness in his eyes, and my eyes suddenly turned red.I know that his imprisonment is because of love; his protection is because of fear.He was afraid that I would get hurt again and that I would leave again, so he protected me in this Zhulou, under his wings.

I leaned in his arms, smelling the cold sandalwood on his body mixed with the smoke of fireworks, and said softly: “Okay, let’s go back to Jiangnan and visit the night markets, year after year.”

He tightened his arms, hugged me tighter, and rested his chin on the top of my hair. His voice was gentle but firm: “Well, I will accompany you to eat all the fireworks in the world every year.”

6. Remove the bronze fence and move toward freedom

A few days after my birthday, when I woke up in the morning, I suddenly discovered that the copper bars on the window lattice of the Zhulou Tower were missing.The sun shines in without any obstruction and falls on the low table beside the bed, making the beef porridge in the bowl glow with golden light.

I was stunned, then turned to look at Bai Fei who had just walked in. He was still holding the freshly peeled crab meat in his hand. When he saw me looking out the window, there was a smile in his eyes: “The copper fence has been removed. If you want to go downstairs, you can go downstairs at any time.”

My heart trembled, and I rushed to the window. The green bamboos downstairs were glowing green in the morning light. The stone tables and benches in the yard were clean, and there were even some of my favorite snacks on them.I turned to look at him, my eyes red: “You…”

He walked up to me, handed the crab meat to my hand, and whispered: “In the past, I was too paranoid. I was afraid that you would get hurt, so I trapped you upstairs and ignored your wishes. From now on, I will accompany you wherever you want to go, go to the night market, eat delicious food, and will never stop you again.”

I took the crab meat and stuffed it into my mouth. The delicious taste mixed with the saltiness of tears fell into my heart.I know that he really understands and understands that what I want is not Zhu Lou’s prison, but to be able to see all the fireworks and taste all the delicacies in the world with him.

That afternoon, he accompanied me downstairs.This is the first time I have set foot on the land of another courtyard in three months. The smell of green bamboo mixed with the fragrance of flowers in the courtyard goes straight to the tip of my nose.He held my hand and took me around the whole courtyard. He pointed to the open space in the corner of the courtyard and said with a smile: “From now on, we will set up a small stove here. I will make spicy hotpot for you, and you will sew an apron for me.”

I leaned in his arms, looked at the open space in the corner of the courtyard, and suddenly smiled.The wind blows through the green bamboos, carrying the breath of the south of the Yangtze River. I know that the cage of Zhulou has finally been torn down by his love; and our fireworks years have just begun.

In the evening, he personally cooked and made me a big pot of Malatang, which was full of my favorite ingredients.We sat at the stone table in the courtyard, enjoying the evening breeze, sipping Mala Tang, nibbling hairy crabs, and occasionally having a cup of sweet-scented osmanthus stuffed wine. It was even more pleasant than Jiangnan Night Market.

“Bai Fei,” I said suddenly while biting the crab leg, “how long do you think we will stay here?”

He put down the wine glass, reached out to hold my hand, and intertwined his fingertips with mine. His eyes were full of seriousness: “Stay here until you don’t want to. If you want to go back to Jiangnan, we will leave immediately. If you want to stay in the capital, we will set up a night market here and eat all your favorite delicacies with you.”

I looked at the tenderness in his eyes, and suddenly felt that this life was complete with him, fireworks and food, and every passing year.I raised my wine glass, touched the rim of his glass, and said with a smile: “Okay, then we will eat all the fireworks in the world together year after year.”

The evening breeze blew through the green bamboos, carrying the aroma of spicy hotpot, and the light of the red lanterns reflected on us, making us feel the most stable in our lives.

7. Return to the lotus in the south of the Yangtze River, and the fireworks will last forever

Bai Fei really didn’t lie to me. A few days after my birthday, he started packing and said he would take me back to Jiangnan.He was afraid of the bumps on the road, so he specially customized the most comfortable carriage. The carriage was filled with my favorite snacks and seafood. He also invited the best cook to accompany him. Even the snail noodles I wanted to eat on the way, he had prepared soup ingredients in advance.

I sat by the window and watched him busy, and suddenly I felt that all the grievances and annoyances I had felt in the past had become a thing of the past.His love may be paranoid or clumsy, but it is sincere enough and hot enough. Like a bowl of hot snail noodles, wrapped in spicy warmth, it warmed my heart.

The day before departure, he went to the largest seafood market in Beijing, bought the freshest big Australian dragon and king crab, and made me a last farewell feast.I gnawed on the fresh and sweet crab meat, looked at his busy back wearing the red apron I made, and suddenly said: “Bai Fei, I used to blame you for not letting me go downstairs and for imprisoning me in Zhulou. Now I understand that you are afraid that I will be wronged and afraid that I will be hurt again.”

He paused while packing his luggage, turned around and hugged me, his eyes were red, but he said with a smile: “It’s my fault, I’m too paranoid, and I made you feel wronged.”

“No,” I shook my head and reached out to touch his eyebrows, “It’s my fault that I don’t understand your heart. Your love is warmer than the fireworks at Jiangnan Night Market and sweeter than all the delicacies in the world.”

He lowered his head and kissed me, and the warmth of his lips made my heart tremble.The red lanterns outside the window were still on, the fresh aroma from the kitchen filled the air, and the warmth in the Zhulou enveloped us, wrapped in this clumsy but deep love, and became the most stable destination in this life.

On the day of departure, at dawn, the servants from the other courtyard loaded the luggage onto the carriage.Bai Fei hugged me and carefully put me into the carriage. He covered me with a blanket and said with a smile: “Go to sleep for a while. When you wake up, you will be almost in Jiangnan. The snail noodles in the night market are still waiting for you.”

I leaned in his arms, smelled the cold sandalwood on his body mixed with the aroma of snacks, looked out the window at the distant courtyard, looked at the green bamboo planted by myself, and suddenly felt that the bumps along the way were worth it.

The carriage traveled for half a month and finally arrived in Jiangnan.As soon as I entered Lianchi Town, I smelled the familiar smoke of fireworks. The hawking sounds of the night market mixed with the spicy taste of snail noodles instantly aroused my greed.Bai Fei hugged me and got out of the carriage. As soon as his feet touched the soil of Jiangnan, my eyes became red.

The lotus pond is still the same, full of green lotuses in bloom, the night market on the bank is brightly lit, and the sounds of cries and laughter come and go, just as I remember it.Bai Fei hugged me and walked to the snail noodle stall in the night market. He smiled and said to the stall owner: “Boss, please have two bowls of snail noodle. It’s very spicy. Add more sour bamboo shoots and beef.”

I leaned in his arms, looked at the boiling soup pot, looked at the tenderness in his eyes, and suddenly felt that this was the perfection of this life.He wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes, lowered his head and kissed my forehead, and said softly: “From now on, I will accompany you to every night market and eat every kind of food you like. Year after year, we will never be apart.”

I nodded, put my arms around his neck, and kissed him gently on the corner of his lips. Mixed with the aroma of snail noodles, I said softly: “Okay, year after year, we will eat all the fireworks in the world together.”

The lights of the night market reflected on us, the aroma of snail noodles filled the streets, and the fragrance of green lotus in the lotus pond mixed with the smoke of fireworks became the warmest background for the rest of our lives.I know that in the days to come, there will be endless delicious food, endless night markets to visit, and him who will always be by my side. Our years will be wrapped in the warmth of fireworks until forever.