Love Beyond the Grave – CH 108

Chapter 108. Springtime Intoxication [Bonus Chapter]

On her third Lantern Festival as a human, He Simu got drunk for the first time.

Duan Xu noticed something was wrong with her while they were on their way to the lantern market. At dusk, Daizhou City was brightly lit with lanterns, and pedestrians thronged the streets. Fine snow drifted down from the sky, and lanterns flickered to life, like stars fallen to earth.

He Simu and Duan Xu walked hand in hand through the snow.

As she walked, she suddenly released Duan Xu’s hand and, without warning, turned and headed into a side alley.

Duan Xu, puzzled, followed her and asked, “Simu, where are you going?”

He Simu didn’t answer but simply continued walking, winding left and right, turning this way and that, seemingly without a destination. Only then did He Simu turn around. She sized him up for a moment, then asked, somewhat unclearly, “Who…who are you?”

She wore a red dress, her hair adorned with jewels, her cheeks slightly flushed, her eyes hazy.

Duan Xu was taken aback, then waved his hand in front of her eyes, saying, “Are you perhaps… drunk?”

It was no wonder Duan Xu was slow to realize; He Simu’s alcohol tolerance was simply too high.

More than three years had passed since she became human, and during this time she had collected and tasted fine wines from all over the land, yet she had never been drunk. Even a wine immortal descending to earth would marvel at her drinking capacity.

This year, she had found a famous strong liquor from the Jiuzhou—Half a Cup of Dreams. True to its name, after drinking half a cup, you should be dreaming.

He Simu, however, didn’t believe its reputation. She drank half a pot at lunch, her face not flushed, her hands not trembling, and she even cracked melon seeds with ease. If Duan Xu hadn’t stopped her, she would have downed the entire pot of wine.

Before leaving, He Simu was still marveling at her incredible alcohol tolerance, wondering when she’d ever taste drunkenness herself. Who would have thought the wine lived up to its name? They walked for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and He Simu became increasingly drunk, finally getting what she wanted.

However, her intoxication was so subtle that it went unnoticed at first.

He Simu asked again, “Who are you?”

Duan Xu had never seen her like this before and found it strange.

He smiled and said, “I’m the person you like.”

But He Simu looked him over for a moment, shook her head, and uttered a startling statement.

“You’re not. You’re more handsome than him.”

The north wind carried the scent of plum blossoms, and a moment of silence fell between them.

Fine snowflakes drifted across He Simu’s eyes, her gaze veiled by a layer of moisture, her thoughts lost in some distant past. After a long pause, Duan Xu smiled and asked, “Who is he?” He Simu didn’t answer.

He continued, “Which senior does My Lady favor? He’s not even as handsome as I am. What does My Lady see in him?”

He Simu remained silent, only staring intently at Duan Xu.

Duan Xu hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Finally, he chuckled softly, turned his head, and said, “Never mind, I don’t really want to know anyway.”

He grabbed He Simu’s wrist, trying to lead her back to the right path.

“We agreed to meet at the lantern market. You’re drunk now and don’t even recognize me. How about we just…”

But he felt a strong pull on his hand. He Simu suddenly pulled him back, so close that Duan Xu was almost touching her toes.

Just like when she first became human, she looked Duan Xu up and down again, then reached out and pinched him from arm to face.

Her eyes slowly widened, a mixture of confusion and joy filling her.

“How strange. What’s going on? What is this?”

Duan Xu raised an eyebrow in surprise, letting He Simu knead him. She pinched his face, turned her head, and spoke to the large broom leaning against the wall.

“Dad, I don’t like the previous one anymore. I want this one.”

Duan Xu’s eyes widened.

“I want this one. One isn’t enough. Make me another one. I want the exact same one!”

Duan Xu paused, then said thoughtfully, “Make one? The person you like… wouldn’t be a clay figurine, would it?”

He Simu turned to look at him, saying, “Father, look, he can even talk.”

Duan Xu lowered his head, suppressing a laugh.

“There’s nothing else, just this one.”

“Just one?”

“Sigh…” Duan Xu lifted her hand, placed it on his face, and said shamelessly, “There’s only one good-looking clay figurine. If you like it, take it.”

The drunken He Simu stared at him for a long time, then suddenly raised her arm and stretched out her sleeve: “Then I’ll have to hide it.”

She pressed down on the back of Duan Xu’s neck and stuffed his head into her sleeve. Duan Xu was caught off guard and was pulled inside.

His head struggled inside the sleeve, rippling with red waves, until Duan Xu finally reached out and grabbed He Simu’s wrist. A sound came from the wide sleeve. “Can’t you just hold me in your hand?”

He Simu replied matter-of-factly, “What if I drop it?”

The exquisitely handsome clay figure emerged from her sleeve and grabbed her hand.

“Then hold on tight.”

“What if someone snatches it away?”

“Who can snatch it from you?”

He Simu thought for a moment, tightened her grip on his hand, and said, “Yes, who can snatch it from me?”

The clay figure chuckled and said, “Simu, were you like this when you were little?”

He Simu looked at her new clay figure, wondering when her father’s craftsmanship had improved so much. What were the mottled light and shadow on this clay figure? What was the power pulsating on its wrist?

This unique clay figure smiled brightly and vividly, strangely rich, strangely alluring, just like the human world she had heard about.

He Simu had a dream.

In her dream, she was still very young, visiting her aunt’s wine cellar with her aunt. Her aunt, with an air of expertise, showered her with praise, pouring her a glass of each wine she mentioned. She walked through the entire wine cellar, drinking over a dozen glasses of various wines, yet despite her careful tasting, she couldn’t discern any flavor.

Growing increasingly frustrated, she refused to drink any more, saying, “I can’t taste anything at all; what a waste of these fine wines.”

Her aunt turned around, her hair ornaments jingling: “What waste? My precious wine is for precious people. How is that a waste?”

It was the dead of winter, the wine cellar dimly lit, snow swirling outside the vent. Her aunt, carrying a wine jar, her expression blurred, only her voice clear and distinct.

“It doesn’t matter if you can’t taste it. Even a living person, in ten or twenty years, will have their taste of these few sips fade. But you will remember that morning when your wine-loving aunt was so enthusiastically telling you about her fine wines, offering them for you to drink.”

After saying this, her aunt burst into laughter, adding, “If you were truly alive, you’d have inherited your mother’s meager tolerance for alcohol. You’d be completely drunk by now, and I’d have to carry you out! If your mother saw you, she’d draw her sword and chase me all over the courtyard!”

Her aunt’s laughter echoed in the wine cellar, making her laugh heartily as well. Then, her aunt, carrying her in one arm and the wine jar in the other, stepped into the heavy snow of early spring.

Her parents were waiting in the snow, their arms outstretched to her.

He Simu opened her eyes. The snow was still falling. Before her was a broad back, the area pressed against her warm and inviting. That person, always perceptive, spoke almost the instant she opened her eyes: “Awake? My Lady, you’ve woken up just in time. We’ve arrived.”

The surroundings were bustling with noise and brightly lit. The person carrying her chuckled, “What did you dream about?”

He Simu’s eyes gradually cleared, and her lips curved into a smile. She said, “I had a beautiful dream.”

Her aunt had misjudged her. She didn’t share her mother’s low alcohol tolerance. Now, she could drink with her aunt from one end of the wine cellar to the other, chatting and laughing together. She wouldn’t need her aunt to carry her out of the wine cellar when she was drunk. Of course, her parents would no longer reach out their arms to her in the snow.

The beautiful dream was over.

He Simu wrapped her arms around Duan Xu’s neck and raised her eyes. At the end of the bustling road stood Jiang Ai, Chenying, and Fengyi. Jiang Ai was dressed in her finest attire, practically resplendent in gold and jade. Fengyi leaned on his cane, carrying a lantern in the other. Chenying stood with his hands behind his back, watching her, the Ghost King Lantern at his waist gleaming brightly.

They stood at the end of the lantern market. The fragrance of plum blossoms filled the air, and the dazzling lights illuminated the heavens and earth; they had come to keep their appointment with her for the Lantern Festival.

Now, someone carried her across the brightly lit road, and someone still waited for her at its end.

Riding on old dreams, new dreams greeted her here.

In a vibrant, dazzling world.