Wine-scented Beauty

Chapter Twenty-Five: Jealousy

Her foot suddenly slipped, and she lost her balance and fell to the ground, her bottom landing squarely on a pile of stones.

A sharp pain made her want to cry, and she sat on the ground for a while before she could barely get up. She didn't know if it was bruised.

After taking two steps forward, she spotted Lu Yu. He was walking forward with his head down, and she didn't know what had happened. Ji Meiqing quickly ran over to him.

"What's wrong?" She tugged at his sleeve. "Did something upset you?"

Lu Yu remained expressionless, not uttering a single word. Ji Meiqing followed behind, jogging along, and soon began to pant.

He didn't know where to go, and Ji Meiqing followed him the whole time. Finally, she couldn't hold back any longer and grabbed his clothes, looking at him seriously: "Brother Lu, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm fine." His voice was wooden. Ji Meiqing frowned as she looked at him. His answer was completely perfunctory.

But Ji Meiqing remained persistent, "If Brother Lu is unhappy because of me, please tell me directly. I will change. I don't want Brother Lu to be angry because of me."

"I told you I'm fine." He frowned, his face clearly indicating that something was wrong.

"In that case, I'll head back. If you're hungry, Brother Lu, just go to the kitchen; I'll put the food in the pot."

She turned and walked back. Since Lu Yu didn't say what was wrong with him, she had no way to solve it.

But I rarely see him like this. Why is he suddenly like this today? Could it be that something happened?

She went straight home, her mind still racing, trying to figure out what had happened.

There were still some dishes left on the table. Widow Li and the others had finished eating and taken the bowls to wash. Ji Meiqing sat at the table and looked up to see Lu Yu, who had come back with her.

"You're back. I'll get you some food. You'll get stomach problems if you don't eat." She immediately jumped up, ran to the kitchen to get him the food, and didn't even ask him why he was angry.

Lu Yu remained silent, but his expression softened considerably.

"Eat slowly. If Brother Lu had come back earlier, he might have been able to eat something hot."

He ate in silence, and Ji Meiqing, also engrossed in her food, stopped talking to him. Only after he finished eating did she get up to clear the rest of the table.

Ji Meiqing carried them to the kitchen, then brought him some snacks and placed them in front of him, looking at him with excitement and anticipation. "Try them, I made them especially for you."

Lu Yu looked at the food on the plate, still steaming and sprinkled with some things, but the aroma alone was enough to make one's mouth water. Lu Yu was no exception; he picked one up and tasted it. After a while, Ji Meiqing followed up with questions.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

He nodded and said honestly, "It's delicious."

"That's good." She squinted her eyes, stood up happily, patted his shoulder and said, "I heard that eating delicious food can make you feel better. Are you feeling much better now?"

"Yes... it's a little better."

"That's good, that's good. I'll go do my work now. You can eat slowly." Ji Meiqing left. She was still thinking about getting a wooden cup mold carved for her by the carpenter.

She felt the money in her purse before entering the city with peace of mind. She found the person on the banks of the Willow River and explained her request.

After thinking for a moment, Ji Meiqing showed him the prototype of one of her cup drawings.

"You can pick up the thing the young lady mentioned tomorrow."

"Remember, it should be hollow inside, and it should be the kind that connects directly. Don't make any other changes to it. If there's anything else, just tell me when I get here."

"it is good."

The two quickly reached an agreement; Ji Meiqing paid in cash and then left.

She went home and was about to start making dinner when Li Ming suddenly approached her.

"I'll give you that thing in a couple of days, but I don't want money after it's done. I want you to give it to me after you're done with this cup; I want to keep it." He stated his purpose directly, and Ji Meiqing quickly realized that he wanted to keep it as a collectible, so she readily agreed.

When you have something to look forward to, you're no longer afraid of not doing it well.

She went back to her room, tidied up the table, and then came out to start cooking. Without the previous busyness, she spent the whole day like a housewife, but unfortunately, even though she was almost thirty, she hadn't seen a single suitor come her way.

She had finally found a promising young love interest, only to have it wither and die soon after. Ji Meiqing lost all hope in her love life, and upon arriving here, her despair only deepened.

If I can't get love, I'll definitely get wealth.

She has no love; she just wants to be incredibly wealthy, nothing more. Her past life was too stifling, so this life is much better. Her life is like having a cheat code; her intelligence and mindset are absolutely superior to everyone else in the world.

The wine was almost ready, and there were already some small quantities in the cellar. Ji Meiqing began to turn her attention to the wine glasses, wanting to transform them into complete works of art.

So he went out and found some more porcelain clay and made the cups in the shape of some molds he had made before.

She came up with many shapes, including one that combined iron and porcelain clay, with decorative patches on the outside and solid areas on both sides for drinking.

But that kind of flashy and impractical design is far less appealing than simply inlaying gold and silver onto the wine glass. It would be so much better that way. Unfortunately, she can't make glassware like that, because her own materials can't always be of such high quality. She still needs to improve upon them.

Thinking of the eggshell sculptures I saw in my past life, my hands started itching. The exhibits could be replaced by artworks made from these eggs. The only challenge would be how to make holes in them and then tightly join them together, without the eggshells breaking.

This was a very difficult thing, and she kept thinking about it while lying in bed at night. If there were something else to replace it, she probably wouldn't be in this situation.

She rubbed her hair, turned over, and closed her eyes to sleep.

Next door, Lu Yu sat by the window, a faint smile on his face. Thinking about the day's events, he felt a surge of excitement and joy. However, this feeling came somewhat inexplicably. Lu Yu looked at his hands, then at the gourd in them.

This thing has been with me for so many years, it probably knows something about me.

Under the moonlight, he took a big gulp of wine. The crisp, sweet aroma slid down his throat, and a hint of intoxication appeared on Lu Yu's face.