Drunken Flower Room - Chapter 67

Lan Niang clicked her tongue. 

Since Su Rong wasn’t going, she naturally lost interest as well. She stood up and said, “Alright then, if you’re not going, it’s no fun for me alone either. I’ll head back too.” 

Su Rong nodded. 

The two of them left Drunken Goose Tavern together. 

Su Rong packed two drunken geese to take home. 

Meanwhile, Zhou Gu had lunch at Xie Yuan’s residence and then spent the afternoon with Su Xingze. When he returned to the lord’s mansion and finished his dinner, he noticed that Su Rong was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t help but ask, “Where’s Su Rong?” 

The madam immediately replied, “She went out. She said a friend invited her out and that she’d be back after dinner.” 

Zhou Gu nodded but found it suspicious. A friend? Wasn’t Su Rong known for not having close ties with the young ladies of Jiangning’s noble families? 

After dinner, even though Su Rong hadn’t returned, Zhou Gu still went to the waterside pavilion to wait for her. 

He sat there idly for half an hour before suddenly realizing that, at some point, it had become a habit to spend time with Su Rong after dinner, walking and chatting together. That realization didn’t sit well with him. He immediately stood up, intending to leave. 

Just then, Su Rong arrived at the pavilion carrying an oil-paper-wrapped package. When she saw Zhou Gu, she beamed at him. “Zhou Gu, were you waiting for me?” 

Zhou Gu was just about to shake his head when Su Rong jogged over and handed him the package. “Here, this is Drunken Goose Tavern’s drunken goose. After Lan Niang and I had some, I packed one just for you.” 

She had climbed over the wall to sneak back in, and as soon as she heard from Yue Wan that Zhou Gu had gone to the pavilion, she hadn’t even bothered to change her clothes before rushing over. 

Zhou Gu reached out and took it. “Drunken Goose Tavern’s drunken goose? Brother Su took me there before.” 

“Yes, that one.” Su Rong smiled. “Eat it as a late-night snack. It’s not too greasy. Yue Wan and A’Le love it.” 

Zhou Gu, puzzled, asked casually, “Who is A’Le?” 

“My lazy dog.” 

Zhou Gu: “…” 

The two of them sat back down in the pavilion. 

Su Rong turned to Zhou Gu and asked, “You’re not mad at me anymore, are you?” 

Zhou Gu suddenly remembered, oh, right, he was supposed to still be mad at her. He quickly put on a stern face. 

Su Rong leaned in closer and tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft and sweet. “Brother Zhou, I was wrong. Don’t be mad, okay? I promise there won’t be a next time. I’ll never take you to that kind of place again.” 

Zhou Gu wanted to ask her, what about you? Would you still go yourself? But then he thought about their current relationship. Though they were engaged, the betrothal wasn’t truly set in stone. Did he even have the right to interfere in her affairs? 

So, he said nothing. 

Su Rong’s face fell. “My big brother already scolded me terribly. He was so harsh! I really regret it. I just wanted to help you relax, but I ended up making you upset instead. I was regretting it all day while learning etiquette.” 

Zhou Gu didn’t believe for a second that she actually regretted anything. Although he hadn’t known Su Rong for long, he had already figured out part of her nature. She might look pitiful on the surface and say the sweetest things, but deep down, she probably didn’t reflect on her actions that much, let alone truly feel remorse. 

This girl seemed soft and gentle, but she was probably as stubborn as a rock inside. If he really fell for her act, he might as well be a fool. 

He scoffed and pulled his sleeve away. In a deliberately sarcastic tone, he called her name, “Su Rong!” 

Su Rong immediately sat up straight. “I’m here!” 

Zhou Gu almost laughed in frustration at how obedient she suddenly became. He turned his head and stared at her for a long moment before finally saying, “You’ve been testing me for so long, have you gotten the answer you wanted?” 

Su Rong’s scalp tingled instantly. She didn’t know how to respond. Her eyes flickered uneasily, and a guilty conscience crept up from within. 

She had always been thick-skinned since childhood, but even so, that didn’t apply when she was in front of Zhou Gu. 

Seeing that she seemed caught off guard, Zhou Gu raised an eyebrow. “What? You dare to do it but don’t dare to admit it?” 

Now he understood, coming to Jiangning was like stepping into a dragon’s den. Everyone around Su Rong, openly or secretly, had been testing him. Her family aside, even those who secretly admired her were helping her probe him, like Jiang Xing, who wanted to marry her. 

Su Rong lowered her head, her hands fidgeting as she nervously tugged at the hem of her clothes. “Well… it’s not that I don’t dare to admit it…” 

Zhou Gu stared at the top of her head. “Su Rong, do you think I’m easy to fool?” 

“No, no, no!” Su Rong quickly denied it. 

Zhou Gu scoffed. “You say no, but your actions say otherwise.” 

Su Rong had no words to refute that. 

Zhou Gu clenched his teeth slightly as he looked at her. “Fine, I’ll let you test me. There are only three days left until your coming-of-age ceremony. Once that’s over, I’ll return to the capital. I hope by then, you’ll have made up your mind.” 

With that, he turned and walked away. 

Su Rong lifted her head, wanting to call out, “You forgot your drunken goose!” But before she could, Zhou Gu, after taking two steps, suddenly seemed to remember. He turned back, snatched the oil-paper package, and strode out of the pavilion. 

Su Rong: “…” 

Well, he couldn’t have been that mad, he still remembered to take his drunken goose. 

Zhou Gu walked fast, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared from sight. 

Su Rong sat alone in the pavilion for a long time, then let out a deep sigh. 

She liked Zhou Gu a lot. He fit everything she wanted in a person. She had never been the type to fantasize about the future, but even if she had dreamed of her future husband, she never would have imagined it would be someone like Zhou Gu. 

Brilliantly intelligent, perceptive, worldly but not cynical, he embodied all the best qualities of youth. 

She pressed a hand against her chest, clearly hearing her own rapid heartbeat. Through the fabric, she pinched the soft skin over her heart, squeezing until it hurt, yet it did nothing to calm her. She let go and chuckled softly to herself. 

She figured that the old Duke must be a wise man. Sending Zhou Gu to Jiangning was probably not about keeping a marriage promise but rather about letting his grandson and her, who was engaged to him make their own choice. 

Zhou Gu’s choice was uncertain for now. As for herself… as he had pointed out, even after all this time testing him, she still hadn’t made up her mind. 

Zhou Gu was too good. So good that she wanted to get closer, but didn’t dare to. 

She stood up and left the pavilion. 

The cool night breeze brushed against her face as she strolled back to her courtyard. 

A’Le, her dog, wagged its tail and trotted over to greet her, probably still craving more roast goose. Yue Wan was sitting by the window, gnawing on half a chicken. 

Su Rong nudged Ale’s head aside with the top of her foot. “I don’t have any left. Go ask Yue Wan.” 

A’Le took one look at her empty hands and immediately abandoned her, scampering over to wag its tail at Yue Wan instead. 

Yue Wan sighed and tore off another chunk of roast goose, tossing it to A’Le. Then, cheeks bulging with food, she mumbled, “Miss, this roast goose is just too delicious!” 

Su Rong’s mood instantly lifted. She rolled her eyes at both the girl and the dog. “Gluttons!” 

Yue Wan had been called that so many times she was immune to it by now. She just kept eating happily. 

“Aren’t you afraid of getting fat? You finally slimmed down, and now your face is going to round out again,” Su Rong reminded her. 

Yue Wan paused for a moment but then continued eating. “I need energy to lose weight. I work really hard every day, sometimes I get so hungry at night that I can’t sleep. Eating just this once won’t make me gain weight.” 

“Fine, whatever makes you happy,” Su Rong said as she walked into her room. 

After Yue Wan and A’Le finished off the roast goose together, both were satisfied, one licking her lips, the other wagging its tail, as they each went off to rest.