CHAPTER 242: CHAPTER 205

"I don’t know either. Guo Fu came by a couple of days ago and mentioned something briefly. It seems like something big happened in the military. Many officials in Shanghai have been arrested, and those arrested are connected to the military. Since you serve there, I thought you might know something. If you don’t, then never mind. We are just common folk, those matters don’t concern us much."

Lan Tian felt uneasy inside and gave a simple "Oh," before turning her gaze back towards the Heart-opening Grass. This matter wasn’t just related to them, it was hugely so. Mo Junhua was being investigated by higher-ups.

"Grandma told me to call you back for dinner. Let’s go, we can’t finish all this in one or two tries."

The uncle and niece headed back as they spoke.

...

The more Chunhua thought about it, the more she felt that something was not right with Chun Mei’s situation. After hesitating for a while, she still told Mo Junhua about it.

Mo Junhua listened in silence, his face cold and expressionless. Not being able to see any expression on his face made Chunhua feel nervous, and she somewhat regretted telling him.

"Third brother, actually, fourth sister is just being muddle-headed for the moment, she didn’t think it through. I’ve already scolded her for it..."

"I’ve got it in mind; you don’t need to worry about it," Mo Junhua interrupted Chunhua as she tried to plead for Chun Mei. "After we eat, I’ll take you back to the hospital. Don’t forget about your affair with Zhao Li."

Chunhua opened her mouth, glanced at Mo Junhua’s icy face, and swallowed the rest of her words, looking down at her own toes.

Chun Mei...

Mo Junhua sighed. Chun Mei had still followed the path of her dreams. He needed to have a serious talk with her soon. The girl was no tender-hearted fool; if someone crossed her bottom line, she wouldn’t give face to anyone.

"Who gave her the address?"

The room fell silent. Mo Junhua’s sudden question startled Chunhua, who looked up at him confusedly. He asked again.

"Fourth sister said she didn’t know. Someone wrote to her about it," Chunhua said. The person who wrote to Chun Mei obviously had ill intentions. A thought struck her, her eyes lit up. In the village, there was someone else who had a sketchy relationship with Lan, perhaps she would...

Chunhua’s expression suddenly changed, and Mo Junhua saw it too. "Do you know who it is?"

"I’m not totally sure yet, I need to see the letter to know. I’ll ask fourth sister if she brought the letter with her." Seeing Mo Junhua nod, Chunhua went outside to look for Chun Mei under the grapevine arbor.

...

When Mo Junhua returned, the whole family gathered together. Mo Yuanle especially dug out a jar of peach blossom brew from the backyard, and Grandma Sun Zhao Li was also happy. She poured a bowl of the clear peach blossom wine for everyone.

Lan could not drink alcohol. She herself was unaware of this, and Mo Junhua hesitated for a moment. Seeing Grandma Sun and Zhao Li so happy, he filled her bowl without stopping her. After all, it was alright to get drunk at home.

Grandma Sun and Zhao Li outdid themselves, preparing a full table of dishes with meat, chicken, fish, and a big pot of ginseng soup, tempting in appearance and aroma. Chun Mei and the others’ eyes gleamed, and they couldn’t stop salivating.

The family chatted while they ate, mostly Mo Yuanle asking Mo Junhua about what happened in the past few years. Mo Junhua answered what he could, and Mo Yuanle was tactful enough not to pry into things that shouldn’t be asked about. Grandma Sun and Zhao Li occasionally added a word or two.

Lan listened quietly to the family’s idle chat, gossiping about neighbors, glancing at Grandma Sun and then at the couple Mo Yuanle, feeling a warm, sweet bliss in her heart, unknowingly finishing a bowl of peach blossom wine.

At some point, Lan’s pretty face blushed like the glow of clouds at dawn, her eyes gleaming and rippling, her lips moistened by alcohol shining brightly, truly embodying the saying, "A beauty’s face and peach blossoms reflect each other’s hues."

Across from her, Mo Junhua took in Lan’s drunken state, his heart uncontrollably thumping in his chest, his mind becoming restless. He suddenly regretted letting her drink.

Seeing her like this in front of others was unsettling to Mo Junhua, even if these people were Lan Tian’s family.

Mo Junhua quickly averted his eyes, took a deep breath to compose himself, and struck up a disjoined conversation with Mo Yuanle, his mind elsewhere, while his gaze unconsciously flicked towards Lan Tian.

Chunhua was preoccupied with thoughts of Chun Mei, and as Chun Mei buried her head eating voraciously, in her spare time she kept adding food to her sons’ plates, piling it up like a mountain.

"Hua Zi, eat more, you’ve lost a lot of weight."

Grandma Sun and the two others were worried whether Mo Junhua ate well or suffered hardship outside and whether the military training was going smoothly. They failed to notice any of Mo Junhua’s distress.

Peach blossom brew was mildly sweet and rich in flavor, exactly Lan Tian’s preferred taste. After one bowl, she wasn’t satisfied and poured herself another. She took a small sip and then squinted her eyes in bliss.

Mo Junhua noticed her gluttonous behavior and his brows slightly knitted, thinking that the night would be tough for the girl if she continued this way. It was rare to see her girlish demeanor, he sighed silently. The girl was having fun seldomly, so he let her be.

While eating, drinking, and chatting away, the meal went on until after 3 in the afternoon. By then, Lan Tian was a little tipsy and the flush on her cheeks had faded, but she handled herself well. Except for Mo Junhua, no one noticed that she was drunk. When she got up, her body swayed and she nearly bumped into the bowls and chopsticks on the table.

Grandma Sun noticed something was off. Only when she saw Lan Tian walking unsteadily did she realize the girl was drunk, and hurriedly asked Mo Junhua to take her back to her room.

"What’s wrong with the girl?" Mo Yuanle glanced at Lan Tian and then at Grandma Sun.

"The girl got drunk," Grandma Sun said with a laugh, "Greedy girl drank most of a jar of peach blossom brew. No wonder she’s drunk!"

Zhao Li looked toward Lan Tian’s room. "I didn’t notice; Tiantian’s face isn’t even red!"

Zhao Li couldn’t believe it, "Peach blossom wine isn’t very strong; it’s almost like drinking sugary water. She got drunk on that, really..."

Grandma Sun laughed, "It’s just like sugary water. Everyone at home can drink a bit of rice wine. Who would’ve thought the girl can’t hold her liquor? If I hadn’t seen her staggering while walking, I would’ve had no idea."

Chunhua wanted to help clean up, but was shooed out by Zhao Li. Since Chunhua didn’t drink often, she also felt a bit dizzy and went to the grape arbor in the yard to cool down and sober up.

Chun Mei, having her fill, took her son back to their room to sleep.

Lan Tian staggered toward her room, her vision blurred. Each step made her head spin. She shook her head, which only intensified the dizzy spinning. As a cultivator with heightened senses, the repercussion of the peach blossom wine hit her, and Lan Tian had a vague sense that she might be drunk. Stepping into the room, she almost stumbled over the threshold.

From behind, Mo Junhua took quick steps forward and embraced her, holding soft jade in his arms, the fragrance of the young girl wafting into his nostrils...

Damn it!

Mo Junhua lifted her horizontally in his arms and strode across.

The intoxication from the wine hit Lan Tian hard; she couldn’t hold on any longer. Her eyelids drooped, and being held, she was unaware. She blinked, only seeing blurry figures that resembled Mo Junhua.

In a low murmur, "Mo Junhua."

"It’s me!" Watching the girl soft and limp in his arms, Mo Junhua’s heart melted completely.

Assured that it was Mo Junhua, Lan Tian closed her eyes completely and sank into darkness.

The first time Lan Tian had grown up and Mo Junhua had held her, his actions were cautious as if holding a treasure. He gently laid Lan Tian on the bed, removed her shoes, covered her with the quilt, and sat quietly by the bed, watching her. His gaze slid over Lan Tian’s clear skin, her full and glossy forehead, her picturesque brows, her delicate butterfly-wing-shaped long lashes, her adorable nose, her slightly parted cherry lips, and her sharp chin.