He stood before the stove, a plate of simply stir-fried cabbage already dished out.
When Baobao was at home before, she had cooked this dish. He picked up some chopsticks, pinched a piece of cabbage, and put it into his mouth. He savored it, then lackadaisically set down the chopsticks.
It wasn’t right, still not right.
He couldn’t replicate Baobao’s flavor.
"Heh..." He covered his face, letting out a low chuckle, then picked up a bottle of wine, his mind lost in it.
He had been clean-living, abstaining from alcohol, but after Baobao left, more than five months had passed, almost half a year, and he found himself growing fond of the liquid in his cup. His tolerance shifted from getting drunk after just one drink, to being more lucid the more he drank.
Now, even his desire to get thoroughly drunk, to drown his sorrows in stupor, had become an unrealistic luxury.
In the afternoon, a horse-drawn carriage approached from the mountain road.
Dong Huiying sat inside the carriage, her heart becoming more and more anxious as they got closer to home.
She wished to busy herself, perhaps through work forget about time, forget herself, and no longer suffer this torment.
But burdened with heavy thoughts, she often found her attention wandering, her eyes involuntarily flicking to the outside of the carriage.
It had been five months since she left home.
Now, returning to this place felt like an eternity had passed.
Suddenly a large hand was placed on her shoulder, she turned her head and saw Liang Zhichen looking intently at her.
"Baobao, don’t worry."
He saw her unease; his voice held the power to steady a troubled heart.
"Yixuan will surely be delighted to see you."
The carriage was crowded. Returning from Qingfeng Mountain, Dong Huiying had brought many fragmented little objects. Like the bottles and jars used for Gu Refinement, as well as the poisonous plants and creatures she had gathered on Qingfeng Mountain. Moreover, the Tiger King Da Bai took up a lot of space with his huge body.
Only a hand’s width separated Liang Zhichen and Dong Huiying.
There was a musk scent on the man, a pleasant smell, not overpowering, rather comforting when inhaled.
She reassured herself, then took a deep breath.
What was she being anxious about? What was there to be anxious for?
She couldn’t help but laugh at herself, and with that, her mood finally settled.
The carriage stopped outside the Liang family’s residence.
Liang Haoming and Liang Yuening hopped off the carriage, then Liang Yuening lifted the curtain, and the eldest brother bent over to step out from inside.
After the eldest brother got out, he extended a hand, "Baobao, take it slow, mind your footing."
Dong Huiying hesitated for a moment, then placed her hand in Liang Zhichen’s palm.
Once she was on the ground, Liang Zhichen drew his hand back, but when no one was paying attention, he gently pinched his own palm.
At this moment, people inside the house seemed to hear the noise, and a clear-cut and handsome man emerged, reeking of alcohol, but his expression sober.
However, when he stepped through the door, looking up to see the newcomers in the courtyard, he suddenly became enraptured.
Yixuan gazed in dazed surprise, thinking, could this be a dream?
His lips parted slightly as if he wanted to call out ’Baobao’, but at the last moment, he chickened out.
He was scared, terribly scared!
Ever since Baobao left, he couldn’t find peace or sleep at night during the first days. Later, he got hooked on the bottle, only being able to sleep well after drunken stupors.
But five months had passed, over a hundred and fifty days!
Baobao had never once entered his dreams. Was this his hallucination, thinking he actually saw Baobao?
She looked a bit different; she had changed a lot compared to five months ago. And he didn’t even dare to blink, fearing that with just one blink, this person would vanish like an illusion right before his eyes.