Chapter 25 – Little Rabbit

As the sky darkened and shadows enveloped the surroundings, Cui Dai sat on the cold bench in Chenxiang Courtyard, her anger blazing. She glared coldly at Haozhong, who stood beside her, looking innocent. Haozhong had only mentioned that the gentleman and the Young Madam were taking a nap and hadn’t promised when they would wake up.

After all, they were newlyweds, and it was reasonable for them to be together even during the day. Her gentleman was, indeed, a gentleman, but even a gentleman needed to marry and have children. The Young Madam was beautiful, and it was only natural for the couple to indulge occasionally.

However, this Miss Cui had the audacity to come and linger without leaving. Did she really think the gentleman would get out of bed to greet her?

Cui Dai gritted her teeth. She couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t get a chance to meet the couple today. “I’m hungry. I want something to eat.”

Haozhong and Raoliang exchanged glances, and it was Raoliang who finally instructed the servants to bring the freshly prepared food from the kitchen. They served the shameless girl with good wine and dishes.

The maids inwardly criticized Cui Dai for her shamelessness, and coincidentally, Cui Dai was also inwardly cursing Cui Ti for her lack of decency. Sleeping since the afternoon, what a vixen she was, clinging to a man and not letting go. When she thought of Pei Xuan’s handsome and refined appearance, even the food in her mouth tasted bland.

The best gentleman in Xi Jing had fallen into the hands of that blind girl. Cui Dai couldn’t help but wonder what kind of husband her Mom would choose for her. No matter how good her future husband might be, how could he compare to someone from the Chancellor’s Residence?

Her tongue tasted bitter, and her heart was sour with envy and jealousy towards Cui Ti.

Cui Ti, however, was not having an easy time either. Like a startled bird, she stood there dumbfounded, trembling as if on fire, recalling words from her previous lifetime spoken by Dou Qingyue.

She said that Pei Xuan was clumsy. Despite her scholarly and refined appearance, she was adept at literary pursuits but not at mundane chores.

She had also mentioned that Pei Xuan, born into a noble family, appeared approachable but was inherently pampered as the legitimate son of the Chancellor’s Residence. Always surrounded by others, she had never seen Pei Xuan treat anyone with indifference.

These chaotic thoughts filled Cui Ti’s mind, making her too scared to move. Her head was spinning with Dou Qingyue’s whispered words and Pei Xuan’s declaration of “overwhelming emotions and deep guilt,” making her feel as if her head was about to explode.

She thought: Dou Qingyue must not know this person well enough. How could she say Pei Xuan was clumsy? To her, Pei Xuan’s hands were skillful. The first time peeling shrimp, she was faster than Bai Tang. And this time, this time…

A soft moan escaped her throat, and Cui Ti felt so embarrassed she could melt into a puddle. How could she, how could she…

Pei Xuan, emboldened by desire, expressed her affection and eagerness with extravagant flair. The usual clarity in her eyes was now tinged with worldly desire. She lowered her eyebrows and gently whispered Cui Ti’s name by her ear.

“Xingguang…” Startled, Cui Ti let out a small cry. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes as she closed them, biting her lip to stop those shameful sounds from escaping.

Her body no longer felt like her own, unfamiliar sensations questioning her heart. Cui Ti didn’t dislike this feeling, but not being able to see the person behind her made her afraid.

“Niangzi…” Pei Xuan called her intimately.

Even the spring breeze could coax a budding flower to bloom.

In the courtyard, night had quietly descended. Lanterns illuminated the elegant Chenxiang Courtyard. Cui Dai sat at the stone table eating, snapping chicken bones with a determined crunch.

Bai Tang cautiously lifted her gaze, watching as Cui Dai picked up a round, plump sweet-and-sour meatball with her chopsticks and bit into it, reducing it by half in one go. She seriously suspected that Cui Dai was imagining the meatball as her own lady’s head.

With this thought in mind, watching Cui Dai eat gave Bai Tang the eerie feeling of witnessing a gruesome murder scene.

The more Cui Dai ate, the angrier she became. Frustration lodged in her throat, making it hard to swallow the rice. She forced herself to chew and swallow, taking a few sips of sweet soup. But no matter how sweet the soup was, it couldn’t soothe her crazed heart.

“Is there anyone alive here?!”

The porcelain bowl clinked on the marble surface, but Cui Dai still wasn’t satisfied.

She was used to being domineering in this house, never having to wait for anyone, let alone for nearly half an hour.

Her lungs were about to burst with anger.

She picked up the large bowl of sweet soup and, without blinking, hurled it onto the ground nearby. The loud crash faintly startled the girls in the inner chamber, who were intertwining their legs uncontrollably.

Half of Cui Ti’s soul had already been taken by the person behind her; the remaining half struggled, trying to stay clear-headed for a moment.

She didn’t want to give herself away in this heartless place.

Anywhere would be better, as long as it wasn’t here.

Sensing her slight resistance, Pei Xuan reined in her boldness. They remained in their previous position, with Pei Xuan taking a deep breath of the soft fragrance at Cui Ti’s neck. “I was too impulsive.”

“No… no…”

Cui Ti feared she might retreat back into her ‘gentleman’s’ shell, and in her panic, she held onto Pei Xuan’s hand, stumbling over her words. “I… my heart is responding to you.”

In that instant, the self-reproach and guilt in Pei Xuan’s heart blossomed into a flower. Her heart felt like a bright sunny day, with the breeze gentle and the sunlight soft. The flowers swayed in the wind, and her eyes, clear and bright, were filled with joy. “Niangzi, you’re so good.”

Cui Ti didn’t quite understand what she meant by “good.” She shyly lowered her head and caught a glimpse of Pei Xuan’s hand, which had been lingering on her chest for a long time. Jiaojiao timidly glanced twice more and saw that Pei Xuan’s fingers were slender and exceptionally beautiful.

The fabric on her chest was already wrinkled, and a light sweat had formed on her nose. She used her finger to poke the back of Pei Xuan’s white hand, prompting Pei Xuan to sigh contently and let go, straightening Cui Ti’s disordered clothing.

“Don’t ever wrong me again.”

With this reminder, a blush spread across Cui Ti’s cheeks. She silently protested: How had she wronged her? In her previous lifetime, Pei Xuan had found ways to avoid consummating their marriage. She feared history repeating itself, afraid that this budding love might be in vain.

Up front, Cui Dai was fuming, having smashed a bowl in anger. She rolled her eyes in exasperation and looked at the silent maids behind her, her fury rising. She felt like an idiot for waiting here so long!

She should have barged in, slapped the door, and disrupted this pair of ‘adulterers’!

Having made up her mind, she rose aggressively. A nearby Momo’s eyelid twitched, and she stepped in front of Cui Dai to prevent her from acting rashly.

Waiting a little longer wasn’t a big deal.

After all, Chenxiang Courtyard now belonged to Cui Ti.

Coming uninvited, catching them in their intimate moment, and creating a scene would be disgraceful and unpleasant to hear.

Moreover, for a younger sister to openly intrude on her elder sister and Brother-in-law’s private quarters, what would become of the Xining Count’s residence’s reputation? If word got out, who would side with Cui Dai? Everyone would just say that the Xining Count and his wife had failed to raise their daughter properly.

At such a critical moment of arranging a marriage, Momo couldn’t let the girl act recklessly.

“Move aside!”

“I cannot…”

“Oh, you dare not treat me as your master?” Cui Dai drew the soft whip tied at her waist. She raised the whip and struck Momo, who was blocking her way.

Haozhong and Raoliang were taken aback by the display, while Bai Tang, accustomed to such scenes, merely curled her lips in a smirk—showing off in front of Gentleman Pei? Ha, fool.

The sounds of cursing, pleading, and admonishing filled the air, reaching Pei Xuan even before the people arrived. Displeasure already lingered in the wind.

“What’s all this commotion?”

Cui Dai’s hand, mid-swing, froze. She looked up at the voice. “Brother-in-law?”

She didn’t acknowledge Cui Ti as her eldest sister, but she was willing to recognize Pei Xuan, whose future seemed promising, as her Brother-in-law.

Pei Xuan, supporting her newlywed Niangzi, walked unhurriedly to the scene. By this time, Cui Dai had already put away her whip and respectfully saluted her sister and Brother-in-law. The shards of broken porcelain on the ground had been cleaned up by the servants, though a puddle of sweet soup remained.

Cui Dai, at least somewhat clever, noticed Pei Xuan’s slightly furrowed brows and quickly said, “Sister, I have a gift for you.”

The whole family was having a meal together, yet Cui Dai had hidden away in Baishao Courtyard. She had been brought here by an old servant under Count Xining’s orders. In front of everyone, she claimed she was delivering a gift to Cui Ti.

Cui Ti’s heart was still fluttering from Pei Xuan’s presence. Hearing this, she ‘looked’ towards the source of the voice.

Cui Dai clapped her hands. “Bring it up.”

Strictly speaking, today’s visit was her following her father’s orders to deliver a gift.

Count Xining had somehow learned that Cui Ti liked raising long-eared rabbits. He had put in some effort to find a bunch of small, white, fluffy, lively creatures and strictly instructed Cui Dai to present the gift in front of Gentleman Pei.

Cui Ti, unable to see, asked Pei Xuan, “What is it?”

In a finely crafted cage were at least seven or eight baby rabbits. Seeing them, Pei Xuan’s heart lightened. A servant from the Cui Residence, with a sycophantic smile, handed one over. “Son-in-law, look.”

Count Xining, being a man, found it inappropriate to deliver the gift himself. So, he handed it to his youngest daughter to please his eldest daughter, ultimately aiming to win favor with his Son-in-law.

Everyone has their preferences. Upon receiving the rabbit and confirming it was a tame, non-biting one, Editor Pei, beaming with joy, handed it to Cui Ti. “Niangzi, open your hand.”

The spiritual eye existed for Pei Xuan. Through Pei Xuan, Cui Ti saw a long-eared, red-eyed baby rabbit.

It fit in one hand, fluffy and soft.

“Fujun, you hold it.”

Pei Xuan, smiling, took the rabbit and placed it back in Cui Ti’s palm. Once again, Cui Ti could see the plump, white little bunny. “Thank you, sister.”

Cui Dai didn’t like animals and couldn’t understand the fondness for fluffy creatures. Seeing Cui Ti pass the rabbit back to Pei Xuan, she assumed Cui Ti was merely being polite and didn’t actually appreciate the gift.

Reflecting on the time she wasted and the grievances she endured to deliver a bunch of baby rabbits, her anger flared.

“No need to be so polite, Sister.”

She added a few more affectionate remarks, which did not move Pei Xuan. Bai Tang, who had seen Cui Dai’s true nature, rolled her eyes repeatedly.

Not to mention, Cui Dai immediately went to complain about Cui Ti to their mother after leaving. Shortly after she departed, Haozhong nudged Bai Tang’s arm. “That’s enough, aren’t you tired?”

Bai Tang’s eyes seemed to roll to the sky.

They were all trusted servants of Cui Ti. In terms of affection, Bai Tang was naturally closer to Cui Ti. In terms of status, Haozhong and Raoliang were sent by Madam Pei, far above Bai Tang, who had never received a proper education.

All of them entertained Miss Cui together. Haozhong and Raoliang understood the hardships Bai Tang had endured over the years with the Young Madam, and any slight tensions between them naturally dissipated.

Loyalty was the primary criterion for selecting servants in the Pei Family.

No one is perfect, and while Bai Tang could be crude and unrefined at times, her devotion to Cui Ti was admirable.

Her unwavering loyalty and protection for over a decade even earned her the Gentleman’s favor.

Bai Tang pouted. “You have no idea how much suffering the Young Madam and I endured in this household. Out of ten hardships, at least half were—”

“Tangtang.”

Cui Ti tilted her head, speaking softly.

Without her permission, Bai Tang dared not continue, becoming as silent as a novice nun practicing a vow of silence.

A faint, ambiguous smile tugged at Pei Xuan’s lips. How naive Count Xining was, thinking a bunch of rabbits could make up for over a decade of neglect and cold treatment.

Not wanting to bring up past disappointments and heartaches for Cui Ti, Pei Xuan shifted her Niangzi’s attention by holding the baby rabbit.

This strategy worked wonders.

Cui Ti’s heart filled with joy. Watching her hold the rabbit, her slender fingers brushing over its ears, she suddenly blushed and snatched the rabbit back, secretly cherishing it.

“Tangtang, help me back to my room.”

Bai Tang immediately scurried over, casting a discreet glance at the gentleman and then stealing a look at Cui Ti’s fair, jade-like neck. She couldn’t fathom how the atmosphere between the two had suddenly become so subtle without any apparent reason.

Returning to the room, Haozhong and Raoliang also couldn’t remain idle. They stepped forward to follow, attending to the Young Madam’s needs on either side.

In the vast Chenxiang Courtyard, Pei Xuan was left standing alone, feeling somewhat abandoned. She spread her hands innocently, looking at her palms and the backs of her hands, trying to figure out what had gone wrong.

Why was her Niangzi embarrassed?

Why did she take the rabbit and ignore her?

Repeating the earlier motion of stroking the rabbit’s body and brushing its ears, Pei Xuan blinked, and suddenly, the realization dawned on her. Her fair face unexpectedly flushed with heat.

She…

Pei Xuan tried to suppress the warmth spreading in her lower abdomen, slowly adjusting her rapid breathing. She looked up at the stars rising in the sky.

She truly didn’t do it on purpose!