Endless Fall

243 Marriage Tree

They scooped out the fermented wine from the wine jar and clinked bowls together.

The wine that spilled out of the bowl landed on the table and was covered by the light of the oil lamp.

The sound of dice colliding and music intertwined. The bead curtain swayed with the cold air, and the refracted light landed on everyone’s smiles.

The smell of alcohol became stronger and stronger. Pei Yilan, who was drunk, leaned against Jiang Ye. “Jiang Ye, stop swaying!”

Jiang Ye, who did not move at all, was confused.

“I’m going to ignore you if you keep swaying.” She grabbed his ear fiercely. “Answer me.”

“Answer you what?”

“I asked you if you wanted to kiss me.”

“I do.” Jiang Ye leaned over and touched her lips.

He fed Pei Yilan two sips of water and patted her back gently. “Are you sleepy? Let’s go upstairs and rest.”

“I’m not sleepy,” she muttered. In just a few breaths, she closed her eyes in his arms.

Seeing that she was gradually falling asleep, Lin Jiao, who was sitting opposite her, yawned and felt sleepy too.

She looked sideways at Pei Zhi. “What time is it?”

“A quare past one.” Seeing that they were almost done drinking, Pei Zhi put down the wine bowl and led her out.

The smell of alcohol dissipated with their departure, but laughter drifted from the bar to the top floor.

Doors closed one after another. The bright moon illuminated the corridor with cold lights, adding a peaceful vibe to the quiet night.

An environment that was quiet enough could easily lure people into a dream.

When the lights went out one after another, the thick darkness of the night quickly enveloped the villa, causing the entire ground to fall into a deep slumber.

The first ray of sunlight passed through the clouds and spread into the forest, urging the insects and birds to start a new chapter.

When Lin Jiao heard the song “Sweet Sensation”, she knew without thinking that Chu Yuzhou had already woken up.

She held the toothbrush and walked to the balcony. As expected, she saw Chu Yuzhou stretching. “Is this the only song on your song list?”

“Of course not.” He hummed along and swiped the song list on the screen. “What do you want to hear? I’ll play it for you.”

“Paris in the Rain.”

“Paris in the rain?”

Lin Jiao smiled. “Yes.” She went into the bathroom to rinse her mouth and came out with Pei Zhi. “Hubby, have you heard of it?”

“I have.” Pei Zhi put his arm around her soft waist from behind and rested his chin on the top of her head.

They looked at the long mountain range and listened to the gentle voice of a male singer.

Chu Yuzhou, who was next door, followed suit. He hugged Tang Ni, who had changed her clothes, and admired the scenery in the distance.

When the last line was sung, he held her flushed face and kissed her under the warm sun.

“They’re watching us.” Tang Ni’s eyes were glistening as she leaned against his chest shyly.

Seeing this, Chu Yuzhou wanted to bully her even more.

He leaned against the railing and asked in a hoarse voice, “Ni, don’t you want me to kiss you?”

“Yes… I do.”

“Then close your eyes.”

“Doves don’t even show love so early in the morning as you.” Qu Shao held a cigarette in his mouth and watched the two of them kiss. He did not forget to take a photo to commemorate it.

Hearing the voice, Tang Ni was embarassed and hid in Chu Yuzhou’s arms.

“If you still want to see it, we can continue.” Chu Yuzhou turned off the music that was still playing and a smug smile flashed across his eyes.

“I don’t have that hobby.” Qu Shao sent him the photo and stubbed out his cigarette.

He packed up and walked out. He met up with Shen Yi and the others at the elevator and slowly went downstairs to eat breakfast.

“How do we go up the mountain?” Qian Yue scooped up a spoonful of century egg porridge and put it into her mouth to savor the salty taste.

“On foot.”

“How long will it take?”

“About half an hour.” Qu Shao finished a dumpling in two mouthfuls and looked down. “You’re not wearing high heels, are you?”

“No.” After the last exploration in the forest, they did not even wear dresses when they went on an excursion.

Lin Jiao put down her bowl and chopsticks when she was half-full.

She asked the waiter for a bottle of mosquito repellent and sprayed it on their exposed skin to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes when they went up the mountain.

The path up the mountain was not difficult. The stone steps led to the temple. Halfway up, one could see what it looked like.

The air in the mountains was fresh. Birds flapped their wings and played on the branches of the trees, accompanying them up.

“Are you tired?” Pei Zhi held Lin Jiao’s hand and walked up the last step, stopping opposite the temple.

“I’m not tired.” She lowered her eyes and squatted down to tie his loose shoelace. “I can walk for another half an hour.”

“You have such good stamina?”

“Of course.”

Pei Zhi rubbed the top of her head, his fingertips landing on her cheek.

“I don’t believe you.” He whispered into her ear, his lips brushing against her smooth skin, “Unless you prove it to me tonight.”

...

Lin Jiao met his long and narrow eyes and caught an ambiguous meaning.

She suddenly realized something and pinched his waist with her fair fingers. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Hurry up.” Qu Shao, who had one foot in the doorway of the temple, turned around and called out to them.

After being interrupted by him, Pei Zhi stopped teasing the kitten and slowly walked into the temple.

Although the temple was small, it was filled with incense.

They took out the cash they had prepared in advance and put it into the charity box at the door.

After paying their respects to the three Buddha statues, Qu Shao and Shen Yi went to ask the monk for a fortune-telling. The remaining two couples went to the backyard.

The marriage tree was especially eye-catching.

Under the shade of the greenery, countless wooden tablets tied with red silk hung on the branches, fluttering with the breeze.

At this moment, not many visitors were around. They took a wooden tablet from the monk and leaned on the table to write down their names.

“How do we hang this?” Chu Yuzhou looked around the marriage tree but could not find the stairs.

...

“Simple.” Zhou Yanshen squatted down in front of Qian Yue. “Yue, sit on my shoulder.”

“Alright.” Qian Yue placed her right leg on his shoulder and raised her other leg. “Stand up slowly.”