Hua Jieyu was born with a gift for drinking—she never got drunk unless she wanted to. Thanks to this talent, s…
Hua Jieyu was born with a gift for drinking—she never got drunk unless she wanted to.
Thanks to this talent, she had tasted countless fine wines: Drunken Immortal Wine from Kaifeng, Spring's Bounty from Jiangnan, Bamboo Leaf from Shu... all sweet and delightful.
She'd only ever been drunk once, the year she first joined the Velvet Shade. That one time earned her the nickname "Crabapple Flower" for her tipsy beauty—but also taught her that the seniors hadn't lied: wine could be bitter too. She never got drunk again.
Until, after many years, she met a young wanderer.
He stood before her, sweating, clutching a jar of Crabapple Wine, eyes full of earnest warmth. As she looked into those eyes, she suddenly understood another lesson from her elders: in a chaotic world, innocence and kindness truly move the heart.
It felt as if all those years of resistance to wine came crashing down at once. She grew drowsy, so much so she didn't notice the jade ring she always carried fall into the cup.
"Just a little longer... drunk for a moment, as short as spring."
With that thought, Hua Jieyu lay beside him, and gently closed her eyes.