Chapter 5 — One Dream of Peach Blossoms, Two Ways of Carrying Flowers

When I went outside, I raised my head and looked at the sky. I just realized that this wedding party was really long, and suddenly it was already sunset. I rubbed my forehead, feeling a bit dizzy from the alcohol. Or it's better to go home first. I followed my memory to find Mac Niem's location. When I vaguely saw a figure ahead, I thought it was him. I patted that person's shoulder: "So you're here." The other person turned his head, paused for a moment, raised his eyebrows and looked at me. I was stunned, the wine also sobered me more than half. It's not Mac Niem, it's clear that Manh Ngoc is clinking glasses with guests. I quickly withdrew my hand. A vague smile appeared at the corner of Manh Ngoc's lips: "Looking for me, is something wrong?" He turned back to look at me, his eyes glanced at the hand I had just taken back, and then casually said:

“Tang Tang, it's too late for you to regret it now.”

He seemed to be in a very good mood, raising his glass: "Let me also buy you a drink, okay?"

“No way.”

I looked over his shoulder and looked back, just in time to meet Mac Niem's eyes. He stood up and looked at me blankly. On the way home, Mac Niem didn't say a word. I hastily explained: "I drank too much just now, I just mistook him for a guy." Mac Niem sullenly said: "Who dares to compare? People are now rich and wealthy, I am just an ordinary teacher." He drinks more than me. Alcohol tolerance is not good. When I got home, I had long since sobered up, but he still held my hand tightly and didn't let go, just staring blankly at me in the candlelight, with hurt in his eyes. I couldn't bear it, so I quickly softened my voice and explained:

“I am just an ordinary person, living a simple life, having food and clothing is enough, I don't want anything more.”

Mac Niem turned his face away, the firelight flickered on his profile, following the rhythm of his emotions, making it dim and uncertain. After a while, he said softly:

“Tang Tang, if you don't like it... don't force yourself.”

He turned around and said:

"If you want to leave, just tell me, I won't hold you back."

“Go? Where do you want me to go?”

“I can see it.” Mac Niem was silent for a moment and then said, "Manh Ngoc still has feelings for you. If you follow him, with the wealth of Manh Palace, it would be better than living with me."

I looked at his tense profile under the candlelight. His palms were clenched so tightly that they trembled, nothing like that pretended calm appearance. I looked left and right, until he couldn't stand it anymore and asked:

“Is there something on my face?”

I couldn't help but burst out laughing:

“Mac Niem, why are you still the same as before?”

Ten days without seeing each other, or should we say ten years without seeing each other, Manh Ngoc has become a stranger. I thought Mac Niem would be a little different. Unexpectedly, he is still the same person from childhood. Confidences are hidden deep in the heart. In the past, when Manh Ngoc pursued me, he always swore and said he liked me. As for Mac Niem, he just quietly, year after year, picked the tallest peach branches to give to me, like a silent jar of wine, delivered one flower at a time. Mac Niem was made fun of by me until his face turned red and he felt awkward and restless. I found it so adorable that I couldn't help but walk closer. He grabbed the wall and stammered:

“What... what are you planning to do?”

I stood on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the cheek. Mac Niem immediately turned into a red rock. I was interested in looking at his evasive eyes:

“Mac Niem.”

“What is it?”

“Tell me the truth, For the past few years, you haven't been able to get married, is it... because of me?"

Mac Niem suddenly turned his head and looked at me in surprise:

“How do you know?”

I smiled:

“When I was in Dao Hoa Nguyen, I heard him tell a story like that.”

At first I didn't believe those stories. It's just that the things that have happened in the past few days, every single thing coincides with what the teacher said. It turns out that ten years after I left, Manh Ngoc initially looked for me for a while. But after passing his doctorate, he gradually forgot about that. Only Lady A, brother, and Mac Niem never gave up looking for me. People's hearts are easily changeable, I actually don't blame Manh Ngoc for breaking his promise in the past, that no matter how poor or rich, he will not change his heart. After all, in his world, I have disappeared for ten years, and he now has a noble status, and it is only natural that he wants to marry a famous lady. But Mac Niem, once glorious, still did not give up looking for me, which was beyond my expectations. Mac Niem was silent for a long time, then asked softly:

“If you really don't care, then why did you follow the Lam family that day? I married her without being as sneaky as him marrying the young lady of the Lam family..."

Forestry? What is the Lam family's palace? I looked at Mac Niem, and after a while I reacted and woke up:

“So you were following me? Mac Niem.”

“No wonder I saw someone that looked familiar that day.”

Mac Niem didn't deny it, it's just that being discovered following him made his ears turn red. I laughed and explained:

"I'm just curious, because the storyteller once mentioned Lam Dao."

I approached him and told him everything. Manh Ngoc has been married for two months. He often sent servants out to inquire about news.

“You didn't come to find me?”

“Isn't there a commotion in your house?”

“Are you sure? You didn't come to the palace, didn't you say you wanted to see me?"

Every time the servant only answered "no". Manh Ngoc gradually became restless. No matter what, Tang Tang was the person he first loved when he was young. Later she disappeared for ten years. During those ten years, he really gradually forgot her. But when she reappeared, his heart, which had been sleeping peacefully, seemed to once again bloom like a spring day. The fluttering emotions of when I was a teenager, as if I had just come back to life. It's okay if she doesn't appear. As soon as she appears, he feels a little unwilling. Especially when he really didn't expect her to marry Mac Niem. The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. Mac Niem was originally defeated by him in the official field. Manh Ngoc thought about it and still couldn't understand what Mac Niem had that could compare to him. Tang Tang choosing Mac Niem really made his heart feel like it was pricked by thorns.