Chapter 59 – Snow Embrace

The maidservants huddled together, chatting animatedly. Bai Tang’s face was lit up with laughter, insisting on adding a short rabbit tail to Cui Ti’s outfit. Haozhong playfully scolded her while Raoliang couldn’t help but slap her shoulder in amusement. The room was filled with a warm, lively atmosphere.

Cui Ti, touching her fake rabbit ears, smiled with her eyes crinkling, “You’re just talking nonsense. Should I punish you?”

Bai Tang, having served Cui Ti for a long time and sharing a bond closer than that of blood sisters, wasn’t afraid of her at all. She pretended to be scared, covering her head and running around playfully, shouting, “Oh no, oh no, my hat, where are my rabbit ears!”

Haozhong and Raoliang burst into laughter, and even Cui Ti blushed.

This peculiar hobby of hers had come on suddenly, and she dared not let outsiders know, lest rumors spread that “Young Madam Pei has a rabbit obsession and insists on having extra ears.” Such talk would be unpleasant and damage the Pei Family’s reputation.

So they indulged in this fun in private. The maidservants around her were all good-natured and loyal. Cui Ti was moved by their understanding and secretly arranged rabbit-themed outfits for them.

The room was filled with laughter and playful teasing, and no one noticed Pei Xuan standing outside the beaded curtain.

The curtain obscured the view, but Pei Xuan lifted it to see what was happening inside, and she was stunned!

Jiao, Jiaojiao?

Long rabbit ears, a snow-white outfit, only missing a short tail, looking exactly like the rabbit spirit girl from a thousand years ago.

Pei Xuan’s eyes moistened slightly as she felt a surge of emotion, wondering: Has Niangzi remembered?

Her heart was pounding when suddenly Haozhong exclaimed, “Gentleman?!”

The room quickly fell into chaos.

Bai Tang frantically tried to remove the rabbit fur hat from the Young Madam, but in her panic, the rabbit ears got tangled around Cui Ti’s neck and refused to come off. She was sweating with anxiety.

Haozhong and Raoliang didn’t dare to hide and dropped to their knees, ready to accept punishment.

After the chaos, an awkward silence filled the room.

Cui Ti’s face alternated between pale and flushed, her lower lip bitten hard. She kept her head down, not daring to look Pei Xuan in the eye, nor did she dare to imagine what Xingguang would think of her if she saw this scene.

She felt so embarrassed she wanted to cry.

Bai Tang quickly spoke up, “Gentleman, it was I who encouraged the Young Madam. If you must punish someone, please punish this servant maid!”

They scrambled to take the blame. Cui Ti, feeling a pang of guilt, slowly lifted her head to look at her ‘Fujun,’ who was supposed to be out socializing. Her eyes were red, “It was my idea; it has nothing to do with them.”

Pei Xuan, amused and exasperated by the loyal camaraderie of the four, said, “Do I look like some kind of villain? Get up, all of you.”

She stepped closer to untangle the long rabbit ears from around Cui Ti’s neck. The ears were quite long indeed. She gently pinched them—they were soft and fluffy.

Cui Ti’s face turned beet red, so embarrassed that she seemed ready to emit steam from the top of her head.

“You all may leave now.”

Bai Tang glanced at the Young Madam, who was clearly preoccupied, and hesitantly stepped out. Haozhong and Raoliang followed closely behind.

As they stumbled out, the cool breeze in the corridor hit them, making them belatedly aware of their embarrassment—how could they have been seen like that?

Yes, how did Xingguang see them?

Cui Ti felt extremely embarrassed.

Putting aside the rabbit ears and hat, Pei Xuan playfully admired the rabbit outfit Cui Ti was wearing, “Niangzi looks quite lovely in this.”

“…”

Cui Ti immediately covered her face and turned her back to Pei Xuan.

“I’m serious.”

Serious or not, all Cui Ti wanted was for Pei Xuan to forget everything she had just seen.

Seeing that Cui Ti still didn’t believe her, Pei Xuan placed the rabbit hat on her own head, “Niangzi, how do I look wearing this?”

She played with the rabbit ears, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Cui Ti, despite her embarrassment, turned back and tried to suppress her laughter. Pei Xuan, with her tall and slender frame, was better suited to play the part of an elegant bamboo spirit rather than a rabbit. Rabbits are supposed to be a bit rounder—where have you seen a tall and skinny rabbit?

Seeing Cui Ti laugh, Pei Xuan had an idea, “Niangzi, why don’t we reenact the first meeting of the immortal lord and the rabbit spirit?”

The first meeting?

Cui Ti’s face grew warm, “Aren’t you supposed to go out?”

“I’m not going anymore.”

“…”

Pei Xuan’s enthusiasm was unstoppable. She even called a servant through the door to send a message to the Song residence.

After all the arrangements were made, Pei Xuan had plenty of time, “Niangzi?”

For some inexplicable reason, Cui Ti felt like she had set herself up for this.

Her beloved was Dazhao’s youngest Zhuangyuan, renowned for her literary talent and charm. Thanks to her writings, Cui Ti had ‘seen’ countless romantic stories. Among them, the tale of the eighth lifetimes of the immortal lord and the rabbit spirit filled hundreds of pages.

And their first meeting…

Cui Ti secretly thought that Pei Xuan had an ulterior motive.

In the story, the first encounter between the Literature Star and the rabbit spirit occurred when the immortal lord saw the newly transformed girl in a mirror.

The manuscript described it like this: “A sudden burst of white light, and the white rabbit transformed into a fourteen or fifteen-year-old girl, her eyes pure, her hair black as ink, her skin white as snow, embodying all the wonders of creation. As she stood up, still timid, she sensed the eyes of an outsider upon her and softly asked, ‘Who is watching me?’ The surroundings were silent, save for the rustling grass and the sound of the wind.”

That was their ‘first meeting.’

Cui Ti remembered it clearly, even recalling the emotional turmoil she felt when reading that passage.

She glanced at Pei Xuan and turned to flee, only to be caught by the waist.

Outside, snow was falling heavily, and every household was bustling with preparations for the new year.

In the study, Cui Ti felt so weak that she could barely hold a pen. Pei Xuan guided her hand to write Spring Festival couplets.

“Where should we hang this one?”

“Let’s put it in our bedroom.”

Cui Ti relaxed.

During this festive season, countless colleagues came seeking her calligraphy. After distributing couplets to friends, someone from the palace arrived.

The head eunuch, smiling, took the inked treasures that Imperial Lecturer Pei had written for His Majesty and departed. Pei Xuan rubbed her sore wrist. Cui Ti, feeling sorry for her recent hard work, scolded gently, “See if you dare to be so restless again.”

Restless?

The ‘restless’ ones didn’t have wives.

The Literature Star had been ‘restless’ for millennia, living a lonely life. After eight hundred years of watching through the mirror, holding onto that bit of reserve meant she hadn’t even touched a rabbit’s fur.

Reincarnated as a human, Pei Xuan wanted to fully experience life and not be a wooden block. She suggested, “Shall we make lanterns?”

It’s the New Year; we need the festive atmosphere.

In the afternoon, two rabbit-shaped red lanterns were hung at the entrance of Sushe Villa. Every passerby would look up and admire them for a while.

Before they knew it, the lunar month had dwindled down to its charming, final days. On the twenty-seventh day, Pei Xuan and Cui Ti hurried back to the Chancellor’s Residence to reunite with their family.

In Xi Jing, the sound of firecrackers had been constant for days. On their first day back, they received a wedding invitation from the Xining Count’s residence-Cui Dai’s marriage was finally settled.

Now, Third Miss Cui was not one to go unnoticed. Two months earlier, she had nearly choked herself to death while drinking tea, then caught a high fever that almost damaged her brain. After recovering, she fell hard on her first outing, losing her two front teeth in the process.

Such a streak of bad luck led to rumors that she had offended some deity.

During her days of seclusion, Cui Dai cried countless tears in her room.

In her tear-soaked moments, she reflected on how a bit of bad luck had earned her the label of a ‘jinx’ and how losing two teeth had made her a laughingstock among the other young ladies.

The more she thought about it, the more she thought of Cui Ti.

Cui Ti was born blind, branded as a ‘curse’ and abandoned in the dilapidated south courtyard. She never acknowledged Cui Ti as her eldest sister, and Cui Ti accepted this with calm indifference.

If their roles were reversed, even without Bai Tang, her little maid, Cui Ti would still live a better life than she did.

Because Cui Ti was a flower that bloomed from stone.

Tougher than her.

Cui Dai still didn’t much like her sister, plagued by jealousy and envy. Who would have thought that during her own ‘calamity,’ when Cui Ti learned of her plight, she would send a dentist to help her?

Initially, Cui Dai thought Cui Ti’s gesture was meant to mock her.

But she was wrong.

The dentist fitted her with dentures and encouraged her to venture out wearing them.

Cui Dai cried her eyes out that day, realizing that this blind sister was far better than the fair-weather friends she had tried so hard to cultivate.

Having suffered and subsequently awakened, she seemed to grow up overnight, no longer seeking to climb the social ladder or compete with Cui Ti.

Moreover, the events that had transpired taught her that one must cherish their blessings, lest they lose even what they already have.

She worked hard to mend the fragile relationship between her parents, helped her mother with her appearance, and strove to win her father’s favor.

Though her initial efforts were clumsy, the Xining Count and his wife genuinely doted on their youngest daughter, if not their eldest.

Cui Ti was the one they had never truly loved, making any attempts at compensation seem cold and laughable.

Cui Dai was different.

From the day she was born, her parents had poured their hearts into her upbringing.

In the past, they couldn’t bear to hit or scold her, always indulging her. Now that she had come to her senses and was willing to change, the dark cloud hanging over the Cui Family gradually began to lift.

Everyone was trying to live their lives better.

After hearing the report from the Cui Family, Cui Ti held the wedding invitation between her fingers, her smile faint: “Alright, Xingguang and I will attend.”

Cui Jian, a close attendant of Count Xining, Cui Shao, was highly respected in the Cui Family. He respectfully said, “Third Miss specifically asked me to convey a message to you.”

“What is it?”

“Third Miss said that on her wedding day, she will sincerely apologize to her eldest sister. She hopes that, for the sake of family bonds, you will forgive her youthful ignorance. She knows she was wrong.”

In the past, Cui Dai often mocked Cui Ti for being blind and an unloved curse.

Now, she too was called a “jinx” and a “toothless ugly duckling.”

Having truly experienced the pain of cutting words, she understood that one should not wield a knife lightly.

The smile on Cui Ti’s lips broadened: “That’s rare.”

Cui Jian, still worried, recalled Cui Dai’s earnest plea before he left and spoke softly: “In my humble opinion, third miss has truly learned her lesson this time.”

When Cui Ti was eight, she had been deeply grateful for a meal given by this old servant and always remembered his kindness. She nodded: “Does she like this marriage?”

“She does, very much! Though the groom’s family isn’t as prominent as the eldest son-in-law’s, they are honest people, and third miss is quite satisfied.”

“As long as she’s satisfied.” Cui Ti said gently, “I will remember what you said.”

“Good, good… I will take my leave now.”

She stood up to see him off.

Cui Jian, feeling embarrassed to accept her courtesy, hurriedly took his leave.

Bai Tang, astonished, asked, “Has she truly changed for the better?”

“Perhaps she has.”

Cui Ti remained lost in thought.

She had resigned herself to a life without parents or a sister, never expecting fate to take such a turn.

After this New Year, Cui Dai would soon turn sixteen.

She would be a grown woman.

Cui Ti’s emotions were complex. In the past, Cui Dai had opposed her in everything, being both willful and rude. Now, she was willing to call her “sister” and admit her mistakes.

The long-overdue “sister” and “I was wrong” stirred a mix of emotions within her.

Keeping her thoughts to herself, she put on a cheerful facade, not wanting to dampen her family’s spirits.

But Pei Xuan, with her keen sensitivity, still noticed something.

On New Year’s Eve, after the family had finished their reunion dinner, Madam Pei, dressed in her elegant finery, approached with a smile: “Titi, Xuan’er is waiting for you in the room.”

“Waiting for me?”

Cui Ti looked puzzled.

She couldn’t see the joy in her mother-in-law’s eyes, but Bai Tang, standing by, noticed it clearly: “There must be a surprise waiting for you, Young Madam.”

“Mind your tongue.”

Madam Pei scolded the little maid with a playful glare.

A surprise indeed.

Cui Ti couldn’t wait and urged, “Tangtang, quickly, help me over.”

She loved surprises the most.

Although it was early spring, the weather was still cold. Wrapped in a thick cloak, Cui Ti arrived at the door. Bai Tang said, “Young Madam, it’s here. Please go inside!”

She then darted off, torn between playing with Haozhong or watching the sunrise with Raoliang the next day.

Cui Ti had no such dilemmas. Just as her hand touched the door, it opened from the inside. A slender, fair arm reached out and pulled her into the room.

Click!

The door closed and was bolted from within.

The inner chamber was warm like spring, with snow-white carpets covering the floor. Pei Xuan, dressed in women’s attire, stood barefoot on the soft wool rug. Her slender brows, rosy lips, and graceful figure were adorned with a skirt that blossomed with delicate lotus flowers, each silver thread imbued with tender affection.

“Xing——”

The word “guang” was barely uttered before it was swallowed by her lips.

Pei Xuan took her hand and placed it on her enticing, slender waist, sealing their lips together.

At that moment, the sky was bright, and the world was filled with love.