What If...I Remember?

Chapter 31

"I really must emphasize once more that Feng Jiu's cooking is very good." Ye Hua glanced curiously at the cakes that adorned everyone's table, "These look far too intricate to be eaten." "Those?" Bai Qian winced as she reached across the table, and Ye Hua quickly reached out for it in her stead, handing her the plate of cakes as he lectured, "Don't move. Your wounds are hardly even healed, although bandaged and treated."

"Father, what did you mean? They are edible!" A-Li clambered onto Ye Hua's lap, taking a bite of the cake he had taken from the tray, a small smudge of cream smeared by the corner of his lip, and Bai Qian brushed it away with her thumb, then gently licking it from her thumb with a smile, "Yes, Riceball, of course they're edible. Your Father just meant that they are too precious to just be eaten, without being appreciated and savoured."

"Oh." A-Li looked at the remainder of his cake with a face full of guilt, and Bai Qian laughed, "You might want to wait for the main course, Little Riceball. I would rather you eat more meat later on." "Meat?" A-Li looked up from his second cake at once with keen interest, and even as Bai Qian reached for the flagon of fruit wine on the table, servants entered the hall again, and the main dishes were then served to every table.

"Gugu!" Feng Jiu suddenly appeared from nowhere, and Bai Qian took one glance at her dress, before she waved her hand hastily, "Xiao Jiu, your dress is dirty!" "Huh?" Feng Jiu blinked, searching it up and down for a stain, and Bai Qian sighed, "Xiao Jiu, right there. On the hem of your sleeve."

Indeed, on Feng Jiu's sleeve was a patch of liquid stain, and Feng Jiu turned a shade of red as she quickly cleaned it away with her magic, "Thank you for the reminder, Gugu." "Are you not going to Di Jun?" Bai Qian teased as she brought the flagon to her goblet, pouring out the wine, and Feng Jiu busied herself with the cakes, rearranging them in an attempt to not answer Bai Qian. After all, she had last seen Di Jun when he was still Song Xuan Ren, and she had tread on his heart back then because of his trial. Not the best last impression indeed.

"Mother, I want some." A-Li pushed away from Ye Hua and turned to Bai Qian, tugging on her arm that held the wine goblet to her lips, and Ye Hua wore an annoyed expression on his face, his chopsticks aloft and clipping a piece of meat. Bai Qian looked at Ye Hua over the rim of her goblet, analyzing his expression, before she set it down with a laugh, "Ye Hua, one sip won't hurt, would it?" 

"One sip..." Ye Hua almost refused. A-Li was merely around 300 years old; how could he be drinking alcohol? But a sudden thought struck Ye Hua. If A-Li did manage to get a little tipsy with that one sip of fruit wine, no one would bother him and Bai Qian...and then he could possibly put his plan to action. Careful not to expose that he had his own motives, Ye Hua pretended to agree reluctantly, "Fine. One sip, A-Li, then come back here and finish your dinner."

As predicted, one sip of wine from Bai Qian's goblet was enough to put A-Li into a slight stupor, and even as Bai Qian caught her teetering son back in her arms, she frowned at A-Li and tutted, "What kind of alcohol tolerance is this? He must have gotten it from you, Ye Hua." "I may have overestimated him as well." Ye Hua lowered his chopsticks, watching as A-Li's head tipped back against Bai Qian's chest, the little boy's eyelids fluttering as he fought a losing battle against sleepiness.

"I'll have Nai Nai bring him back, then." Bai Qian turned around, searching for the loyal servant of hers, and Nai Nai appeared at once, "Madam, the banquet is ending soon, would you like to wait a little longer?" "A-Li needs his sleep. Nai Nai, bring him back first. We will follow once the banquet is over." Ye Hua spoke before Bai Qian did, and even as she turned around to question him, Nai Nai had already carried A-Li and left their table.

"Ye Hua, what tricks are up your sleeves again?" Bai Qian muttered, resuming her drink from the goblet, and Ye Hua only gave a hidden smile, before he resumed his eating. His plan was going just perfectly indeed.

…

The guests slowly began leaving, and even as many came forward to give their well wishes, they insisted on having a drink with Ye Hua. "Crown Prince, this toast of mine is in your honour." A deity came forward, draining his goblet with a swift movement, and Bai Qian took Ye Hua's cup, "I'm afraid Ye Hua has poor alcohol tolerance. Let me toast in his stead." And with that, she downed the cup's contents as well.

The remaining deities all tried their own methods to get Ye Hua to drink, but alas, it didn't work.

"Crown Prince, do try this wine of mine." One deity shoved a wine pot forth, but it was almost instantaneously intercepted by Bai Qian, who uncapped the jar, brought it to her nose, took a sniff, and broke into a polite smile,

"Good wine, it is, I shall drink it for him."

"Crown Prince, I hope with this cup, we may have subsequent times to drink." Another one pushed to the front, a goblet already in hand, and Bai Qian quickly picked up Ye Hua's goblet and shifted in front of him at a speed that could rival that of light, "Oh, Ye Hua can't drink, I fear he might easily get tipsy. Maybe tea? He does enjoy sampling tea."

Eventually, the deities got tired. There was no way they could win when Bai Qian was this insistent on driving them off by drinking on behalf of Ye Hua. "Then, I take my leave. Have a good night, Crown Prince." The deities bowed one by one, shuffling out of the hall in defeat, and Ye Hua watched as Bai Qian set her goblet of wine back down on the table, the alcohol causing a pinkish blush to creep up her face.

"Qian Qian?" Ye Hua exclaimed softly in surprise when she suddenly leant against him, her eyes wide with tipsiness, and Ye Hua knew that she wasn't really sober anymore. Gently sweeping her up into a bridal carry, Ye Hua walked over to his grandfather, who had been engaged in a conversation with Bai Zhi regarding how to discipline younger deities in the family, and judging from how Bai Zhi was laughing and shaking his head simultaneously, Ye Hua easily guessed that Bai Qian's father disapproved of the Heavenly Lord’s method.

"Grandfather, I take my leave first." Ye Hua bowed, Bai Qian now seemingly asleep in his arms, and both Bai Zhi and the Heavenly Lord looked down at him, pausing in their conversation. "Ah, well. I wish you a good night, son." Bai Zhi smiled upon seeing Bai Qian in his arms, a certain mischievous gleam in his eye that Bai Qian must have inherited from him, and the Heavenly Lord wore an expression that suggested his words meant more than they were, "Indeed. Have a good night, Ye Hua."

"Thank you. I take my leave." Ye Hua bowed again, before he backed out from the hall, and even as Ye Hua left, Bai Zhi saw Bai Qian lift her head slightly, and he caught his daughter's eye, stifling a smile as she quickly placed her head back down. So she wasn't as drunk as she seemed to be, after all. It was yet another trick of hers she pulled on the Heavenly Lord to allow them to leave earlier.

And perhaps, like grandfather like grandson, Ye Hua had fallen for it. But as Bai Zhi observed Ye Hua as the Crown Prince left the hall, there was a certain rush in his steps, and Bai Zhi gave a slight snort of laughter, before he covered it with a cough and turned back to the Heavenly Lord.

Ah, so Ye Hua wasn't as gullible as his grandfather, after all. But then, after all, Bai Qian was one of the greatest tricksters; so Ye Hua was bound to learn to be sharper soon or later, with Bai Qian by his side.

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A/N: A relatively okayish length for a chapter, I guess, but the next chapter will probably be a little uhhhhhhhhhh cheesy? I mean the venue will be in either of their chambers so 😅😂🤷🏻

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed the chapter yeeeeeee

Z, out.