The Slender Waist-Chapter 22 - 18 Snow Plum Makeup

"The grain that was seized needed to be transferred into the estate, and even if it could escape the eyes of the Northern Yong Army, it couldn’t elude Ao Qi.

Thus, when Feng Yun went to Huayuejian, she already had a plan to "whitewash" the grain.

The small boats carrying the grain would circle around to the rear of Huayuejian. By the time Ao Qi came frantically searching, the seized grain would appear with a legitimate origin, and this act of merit would fall upon the shoulders of the Crown Prince of Yunchuan, Chunyu Yan.

"That day I was in good cheer talking with the owner of Huayuejian. He pitied the scarcity in my estate and generously donated..."

Feng Yun spoke in a light and breezy manner, with even a hint of tender sentiment in the words "in good cheer." Ao Qi’s mind was instantly brought back to that night on the elegant pavilion, where he saw her with disheveled clothing and a flushed face...

What good cheer? Without thinking, one would know what they’d done.

The young man watched her, nonchalant, too angry to speak.

With a smile, Feng Yun calmly ordered Meiling to transport the grain back to the estate.

She then said, "Let’s celebrate with a feast tomorrow! Guard Ao must surely come."

Ao Qi saw her being fawned over by a group of youngsters, laughing so radiantly that he almost ground his teeth to dust.

In this era of frequent wars, social customs were exceptionally open, unprecedented in history. The endless conflicts led to lax adherence to customs and a chaotic order, allowing men and women to freely mingle. If they took a liking to each other, they could secretly meet up, and there were many who indulged in their desires.

Ao Qi had not expected her to be such a woman.

He was very angry, yet did not understand why he should be angry.

Having grain and meat was a good thing, wasn’t it? He no longer had to dive into filthy ponds to catch fish and end up stinking all over.

—

The next day, just as dawn broke and the sun began to rise, the sound of pigs being slaughtered came from the kitchen, along with the thumping of wooden barrels and the sharpening of knives; the entire estate was filled with joy.

Feng Yun woke up very early and sent Xing Bing out to gather some information.

Wang Dala, the head of the Wang Family, returned home at noon, and about last night’s events, the Wang Family reconciled themselves to their bad luck with not a peep heard about it. However, that concubine surnamed Shan was carried out of the Wang Family estate before daylight, her whereabouts unknown.

As Xing Bing walked in the streets, he could not buy anything as the market was not open yet, but he overheard plenty of gossip. It was all about the scandalous affair between Feng Yun, the Governor’s Shi’er Niang, after she defected to General Pei. Some despicable characters, who would stoop to eating, drinking, soliciting, and gambling at any other time, suddenly turned sanctimonious, nearly infuriating Xing Bing to death...

"They blabber without knowing the facts, I really want to slaughter them with my own hands."

Feng Yun was watching swallows fly under the eaves, and upon hearing Xing Bing’s report, she seemed unaffected, offering a smile before asking him,

"Does your new wife know how to read?"

Surprised, Xing Bing took a moment to realize what she was asking and chuckled softly.

"My wife comes from a farming household; she’s practically blind to the world."

Feng Yun appeared contemplative and then, ascending the steps, suddenly turned back.

"Today there is a banquet at the estate, have your new wife bring the children along. In the future, there will be many places where we will need help, both inside and outside of the estate. I still trust our own people more."

Xing Bing agreed, deeply touched.

Though the estate provided them with their daily necessities, he had three children, and the older one was eating him out of house and home, nearly leaving them without a pot to boil in. His wife had mentioned several times doing odd jobs around the estate to scrape by, but Xing Bing was too timid to speak up.

The young lady had bright, perceptive eyes, as if she could see through everything and let everything go.

This generosity and boldness left Xing Bing in complete admiration.

—

This was the first family banquet organized by Feng Yun since she took charge of the household. She specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare several grand dishes: braised and steamed delicacies, big pots of hearty food. The cheerful atmosphere lasted well into the evening.

A good feast could not be without good wine.

Feng Yun had the servants bring up the cellar’s stored wine to the pavilion, setting out more than twenty full jars. She even personally went to the kitchen to instruct the cooks on braising pigskin, pork, and pork bones to accompany the drink. The aroma wafted out of the estate, tantalizing passersby...

To liven things up, Wen Hui played with the string and bamboo instruments to accompany the drink with music, and two dancing girls started swaying in lotus steps on a whim, toasting to the lady’s happiness.

Feng Yun was in high spirits, feeling as if the beautiful company and fine dishes were intoxicating.

Experiencing for the first time the joy of being a man, she drunkenly raised her cup to the sky.

"If I were a man, with beauty before me, could I remain calm and composed?"

Ao Qi frowned at her loss of decorum.

Initially determined not to bother with her again, he couldn’t help himself from intervening, stepping forward to instruct the maids to take away the wine jug, "The lady is drunk."

Feng Yun snorted with laughter, gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, her eyes beguiling as silk.

"Fool, how could I be drunk? I never get drunk after a thousand cups!"

Those who claim not to be drunk are usually deeply intoxicated. Ao Qi watched her speak with a thick tongue, her cheeks flushed like the dawn, her eyes like blooming peach blossoms. He felt his breath catching inexplicably and his heart, which he had managed to calm, seared as if by high heat, leaving him feeling breathless.

He remembered what Ye Chuang had said about being in heat and clenched his palm, impatient and irritated, he rebuked.

"Quickly, help her to rest."

Daman and Xiaoman were a bit afraid of Ao Qi, for he was the confidant of the Great General.

The two escorted Feng Yun out, one on each side, making her seem sandwiched in between like a meat bun as they departed. Still, she had the strength to grab Ao Qi’s arm as they passed by and scoffed coldly.

"General Ao? It is indeed you."

Ao Qi: ...

A drunken woman is truly mad.

Even the anger is inexplicable, but it makes the heart tenderly flutter, reluctant to see her let go..."

"Ha!" Feng Yun stared at him intently, completely unaware of her lapse in decorum, wanting only to torment and bully him to reciprocate for General Ao’s spite and mischief in their past life.

"Why don’t you like me? What gives you the right to look down on me? Do you hate me that much... Well, then I will have to... show you some colors..."

Ao Qi’s cheeks were flushed red, and he glared at her, unable to utter a word.

Not like her? Look down on her, hate her? What is she talking about...

Ao Qi’s expression was awkward, "I didn’t..."

However, Feng Yun wasn’t really looking for an answer; she didn’t even hear clearly what Ao Qi said. With the experiences of two lifetimes mingling in her mind, she couldn’t distinguish reality from illusion and was muttering to herself as she was supported back to Changmen Academy.

Ao Qi stood under the moonlit, breezy corridor, his heart struggling as if in purgatory. Unwanted youthful thoughts caused a faint sorrow to glide across the depths of his heart.

—

Feng Yun was very different when drunk, unruly during her bath, fussing about for a long time like a little duck splashing in the water, scrubbing herself and chuckling coldly.

"The plum grove outside, chop it down... plant it entirely with... green vegetables..."

"What’s the use of flowers? Pleasing to the eye... but of no practical use... Beauty is fleeting!"

The maids cajoled her, continuously agreeing with a "yes, yes, yes," "we’ll chop them all down," and it took some effort to coax her like an ancestor into bed. Only then did they draw the curtains and brought out the food and drink awarded by their master for a midnight feast.

Savoring the delicacies, they all sighed when thinking back to the harrowing days in jail waiting for death.

"Who would have thought we’d live to see this day? Not only do we have enough to eat, but we even get meat!"

"Nowadays, those who are alive, it’s all thanks to Heaven’s generosity."

"Clearly it’s Shi’er Niang who’s giving us our food..."

"Ah! I still have ten large coins in my pocket. Ten, you know, I earn two shi of grain a month for my work, and the young lady keeps track of it..."

"I have some too. The steward extra rewarded me half as he said the handkerchief I embroidered was well made and the young lady liked it."

When the markets were closed, money couldn’t buy anything, yet the little maids found joy in earning their keep through work, their little faces flushed red with drink, each vying to show their loyalty.

"I must serve my master well."

"The young lady’s life... is my life... I will protect her completely."

"Ah... my head... it’s so dizzy!"

Feng Yun had trouble sleeping after drinking; in the middle of the night with a parched throat, she huskily called out for Daman and Xiaoman for water...

After several calls, a door finally opened.

Someone slowly approached; the footsteps were much heavier than usual...

If Feng Yun was sober, she could have identified them as a man’s footsteps.

But she was drunk.

When the celadon cup was brought to her lips, she was too lazy to even lift her eyelids and drank eagerly from the hand that offered it.

"I need... to use the restroom."

Feng Yun, dazed and wobbly, saw that the maids did not move; she stood up herself but staggered towards the chamber pot, and with a thud, she bumped into someone and clutched at their arm forcefully.

So sturdy!

Drunk but not foolish, she immediately took a step back, feeling wary, "Who is it—mmph—"

The newcomer covered her mouth with his hand and half-embraced her to steady her.

"Don’t make a sound."

The arm wrapped tightly around her waist was strong, and a scent as refreshing as "snow-dusted plum blossom" crept into her nose, reviving a familiarity etched deep in her bones within the soft fragrance...

To an indifferent general who had been through battlefields and seen mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, the refined aroma of snow-dusted plum blossom was too delicate and ill-suited, yet it could perfectly mask the fierce air about him...

Feng Yun from the past life had a fondness for this scent.

When she first smelled it on Pei Jue, it was like discovering a treasure, a mad, infatuated love.

Only later did she learn how rare that fragrance was.

Not to mention the expensive materials like aged agarwood and white sandalwood cloves, but even just the plum blossom petals used in the incense, that one spot of snow amidst the flowers, required countless people to endure the cold and frostbite to pick them amidst the swirling snowflakes...

Therefore she concluded that it wasn’t a fragrance Pei Jue would have collected.

He didn’t care for such things, nor did he concern himself with appearing cultured.

It wasn’t until she also detected this scent on Li Sangruo that she realized in the world only these two men used this snow-dusted plum blossom fragrance...

Once, Feng Yun acted petulantly, spreading the expensive fragrance powder on the bed, giggling as she stepped on it with her toes to create haphazard patterns, then rolled over it laughing defiantly, waiting for Pei Jue to erupt in fury...

Unexpectedly, he said nothing, pulled her out of the fragrant dust to clean her, took her fiercely all night, and never used that scent again.

Later, Feng Yun thought back with annoyance and regret, even trying to reproduce the fragrance to no avail; thus remained her sorrow.

Now smelling again the long-missed scent of snow-dusted plum blossom, her spirit was completely intoxicated, and she couldn’t help but become disoriented. She did not know where she was for a moment and clinging to the memory, she clung to the man before her, sniffing him lightly as if she were a little puppy in his arms, feeling both aggrieved and melancholic.

"You’ve come to get me?"

"Weren’t you the one who didn’t want me anymore? Why have you come again?"

A single query spanned two lifetimes of sorrow.

Then she laughed again, "Dreaming..."