41 Autumns Fragrance, A Frigid Heart of Snow 3 (1/2)
”He's…gone?”
Two trembling hands slowly peeled back the violet curtains, exposing a pale but pretty countenance, the pair of scarlet irises observing every inch of the interior of the study room. After confirming that there was nobody else present, the girl dragged herself out of the bed, staggering as her feet stood again in what must have been weeks.
”This…really isn't good,” An Fei murmured to herself, grabbing onto the ribs of a wooden chair for support.
”If this continues for much longer, there's bound to be permanent repercussions…”
Massaging her still sore neck, the girl ambled towards the drawing table in the depths of the study, a sigh of relief escaping her parched lips as a pitcher of water entered the fringe of her vision. Exerting her strength to precariously lift the pitcher into the air, she blatantly ignored the cup placed directly to the right and drank straight from the spout of container.
What was contained within the ceramic pitcher was a dense tea, fully cooled due to sitting in the open for far too long. As the liquid gushed down her throat, An Fei reveled in the airy and sour taste of lemongrass tea, her eyes closing in bliss as she finished a long draft of the tea.
Smacking her lips in contentment, the girl carefully examined the drawing table with renewed vigor.
She didn't have to exert much effort, for just within an arms reach was a blue cloth pouch embroidered with dipping swans and river streams. Loosening the drawstring, An Fei discovered eight light green pastry cakes stacked on top of each other, a delicate flower pattern on the top of each cake.
...munch.
The soft mung bean cake disintegrated within her mouth, a faint sweet taste enveloping her taste buds. To the famished girl, such a pastry cake was akin to a hot coal dispatched during a fearsome winter, almost making her stagger from the fulfilling aftertaste of the unsweetened red bean paste packed inside the center of the cake.
When An Fei had returned to her senses, she found herself staring at the contents of the embroidered pouch with a predatorial gaze. Her fingers instinctively flexed as they reached for another pastry, and she barely reined in her self-control with conscious effort.
”This…”
Gulping down a mouthful of saliva, the girl whispered consolations to herself as she reached for a second pastry, her fingers caressing the top of the cake. Raising it to her dainty mouth and biting off half, the girl quickly accompanied the pastry with a mouthful of cooled tea, releasing a sigh of contentment as she eventually finished the remains of the cake.
Staring at the blue pouch with a forlorn gaze, An Fei retied the drawstring to close it once more, tucking it under a fold within her gown. Hearing a series of nimble footsteps resound near the walls, the girl flurried over to the linen bed in a rush, climbing in with great haste whilst throwing the blanket over her body.
Moments later, the sound of a window slowly creaking open could be heard, and a rough thump echoed in the study within a few seconds.
”Father really didn't hold back with his punches…”
The complaining of a male youth filtered into An Fei's ears, causing her to narrow her eyes in confusion and alertness. Snuggling deeper into the warm blankets, the girl drifted into a light sleep in an attempt to minimize her presence.
But more importantly, the temptation of a lazy, slothful life was too hard to pass up.
-
”Just an incense's stick of time. Perhaps not even half of that if he's quick about it.”
Wei Chang Luo whispered to himself as he righted his clothes, peering at his appearance in the copper mirror on an adjacent table near one of the walls of the study. Though the face hadn't received injuries that couldn't be quickly restored with high-quality medicine, the poor youth was agonizing over the creaking, painful sensation surging in his bones.
Each movement he made would introduce a fierce spasm of pain, causing Wei Chang Luo's countenance to momentarily distort, an unhealthy shade blazing across.
”One day!” the youth fiercely whispered to himself as he hugged his right shoulder. ”One day, I'll triumph over Father. Then he won't have to beat me so fiercely, nor do I have to be confined by so many rules!”
Shaking his head twice to clear the unnecessary thoughts floating around in his mind, Wei Chang Luo began to tiptoe around the various articles of furniture. Diverting spiritual essence towards the pads of his feet, the youth quietly stepped over the many willow, half-moon, and oaken chairs haphazardly laying around in the study.