tallest building

Chapter 176 Sweetness

Yuanshanzhai is located in the eastern suburbs of Beijing, nestled against the mountains and beside the water, a very quiet and secluded place.

This place was originally the private villa of a high-ranking official of the previous dynasty. It was later sold to a major tea merchant in Fuliang, and after changing hands several times, it was eventually transformed into a teahouse.

It's just that it opened at the wrong time of year; in the dead of winter, very few people would come to the suburbs to drink tea.

Liu Cuiyi hadn't left the house for many days. On this day, her mother-in-law and husband went out to a banquet, so she asked Zhao Mama to prepare a car so she could go out for a walk.

The carriage left the city and arrived at Yuanshanzhai.

Liu Cuiyi ordered a tea room called Pine Breeze and Bamboo Dew. The tea server smiled broadly and said, "This tea room is in the southeast corner of the garden, which is a bit out of the way. Let me take you there."

"No need to trouble you, I was going to take a walk anyway," Liu Cuiyi said. "I'll just walk there slowly."

With Zhao's mother by her side, the two of them strolled leisurely toward the southeast corner.

From afar, you can see a serene and elegant house with a plaque hanging above it.

"Young lady, you can go inside. I'll stay outside and keep watch," Zhao's mother said softly.

Liu Cuiyi nodded without speaking. The door was ajar, and she gently pushed it open and went inside.

The room was furnished with great elegance, complete with musical instruments, chess pieces, calligraphy, and paintings, and a censer of fine incense was burning.

A large screen stands on the ground, depicting a scene of crabapple blossoms in spring slumber in Suzhou embroidery.

Liu Cuiyi moved gracefully past the screen and saw an ebony eight-immortal table, which was filled with fruits and dishes, each one of which was her favorite.

She had just smiled when someone gently hugged her from behind.

Liu Cuiyi was not flustered at all; instead, she leaned even closer into the man's arms.

"You've finally arrived," the man whispered, nuzzling his cheek against her ear. "How have you been these past few days?"

“It’s good and it’s bad,” Liu Cuiyi said, closing her eyes slightly. “If I can’t be with you, even the best things are not good.”

"Has the baby been bothering you?" Sang Sanyang helped her sit down and thoughtfully placed a soft pillow under her waist. "I've heard that pregnancy is the hardest time for women, often causing nausea and vomiting, and making it difficult to eat."

"This pregnancy has been alright, probably because this child is filial and doesn't want to cause me any trouble," Liu Cuiyi said sweetly. "It's just that I'm a bit greedy and sleepy; haven't you noticed how much weight I've gained?"

“It’s good that you’ve gained weight,” Sang Sanyang said, squatting there and looking up at Liu Cuiyi, her eyes full of her. “Do you like the food on the table? Is there anything else you want to eat? I’ll have someone prepare it right away.”

"This is enough. Even if I can eat a lot, how much more can I eat?" Liu Cuiyi was amused by him. She could never help but laugh when she was with him.

Sang Sanyang gently placed his hand on her lower abdomen, and Liu Cuiyi couldn't help but touch his with her own hand: "He's still small, he can't feel it yet."

“But he’s already here, isn’t he?” Sang Sanyang said. “This is my first time being a father, it feels like a dream.”

Looking at his handsome face, Liu Cuiyi suddenly felt a pang of heartache. She reached out and stroked his face, saying, "I'm so sorry. I'm disabled and can't have a proper relationship with you. In the future, this child won't be able to be recognized by you either..."

“From the very first day we got together, I told you not to be bound by these old worldly conventions,” Sang Sanyang said. “You have feelings for me, and I have feelings for you, that’s enough. As long as you and the child are doing well, what does it matter whether we acknowledge each other or not?”

Liu Cuiyi smiled with satisfaction; her life only became interesting after she met Sang Sanyang.

Before, she felt like she was drowning in bitterness, with no choice but to struggle. But now it's different. Every day feels like she's living under the sun, so warm and bright. Her heart is always filled with joy, so much joy that it always shows on her face.

"I only had the dishes brought out after you entered the courtyard, so please eat them while they're hot." Sang Sanyang handed the chopsticks to Liu Cuiyi.

"This taste..." Liu Cuiyi exclaimed in surprise after taking a bite, "You invited the head chef of Zuixianlou?"

"Yes, isn't his food your favorite?" Sang Sanyang affectionately pinched her cheek. "But it cost a lot of money!"

"Really..." Liu Cuiyi didn't know what to say for a moment, "Why go to such lengths?"

“It’s not all for you. This teahouse will definitely have more customers during the first month of the lunar year, and it’s located in such a remote place, so it needs to have something to keep customers here,” Sang Sanyang said. “But in the end, half of it is for you.”

"You're so glib." Liu Cuiyi couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.

In the few months I spent with Sang Sanyang, I heard more praise and heartfelt words than I did in the six or seven years I spent with Zhou Jingsan.

“I’m afraid this is the only time we’ll see each other before the New Year,” Sang Sanyang said, taking out a brocade box. “This is my New Year’s gift to you.”

"What is this?" Liu Cuiyi asked curiously as she opened it.

“This is the secret document I deposited for you at Maoyuan Money Exchange,” Sang Sanyang said, pointing to a red paper fold. “It contains ten thousand taels of silver.”

"No, no, no, this is too much." Liu Cuiyi hurriedly put the box on the table.

“I still think it’s not enough. I’m a little short on money these days. I’ll deposit more into your account in a few days.” Sang Sanyang picked up the booklet and stuffed it back into Liu Cuiyi’s hand. “This is for you and the child. I can’t give you a title, but I can give you confidence.”

Liu Cuiyi lowered her head and remained silent, tears welling up in her eyes.

“These silver notes are worth a thousand taels. You can use them for pocket money.” Sang Sanyang handed her another stack of silver notes. “They’re all fifty or one hundred taels each, for your convenience.”

"If you give me this much money, won't you empty your savings?" Liu Cuiyi asked, wiping away her tears.

"I've only emptied most of it," Sang Sanyang laughed. "I'll leave a small portion for myself to slowly earn more money from."

He then asked Liu Cuiyi, "The Zhou family didn't give you any trouble, did they? They didn't notice anything suspicious either, did they?"

“No,” Liu Cuiyi shook her head. “After all, he came into my room three times, and I gave him some wine and lit the incense that Sister Wen gave me. He was so confused that he thought he had done something, how could he have known?”
Now that I've confirmed I'm pregnant, I absolutely forbid him from entering my room. Let him go and fool around with his mistresses!

My aunt's family hosted a banquet today, but I declined, saying I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't go with them. I couldn't be bothered with all the formalities there, trying to make their family seem so prestigious!

Liu Cuiyi truly felt that she had been incredibly foolish in the past, knowing nothing but to accept her fate like a sheep. But when pushed to the limit, even a sheep can grow horns.

“That’s good, we don’t need to spoil them,” Sang Sanyang said. “Now it’s your turn to set rules for them.”

"By the way, I saw Sang Er the other day, and she seemed to have noticed something," Liu Cuiyi said with a smile, covering her mouth.

"She found out, didn't she? She even confronted me to my face and yelled at me for being shameless," Sang Sanyang said with a wry smile.

"She didn't scold me?" Liu Cuiyi asked with a smile.

“No, she’s convinced I seduced you,” Sang Sanyang said sullenly.

Liu Cuiyi smiled even more happily.