Little Drops of Happiness

At sunset, the courtyard was painted in a layer of gold.

Ou Junsan sat next to her father chatting beside the small banyan tree while she and her mother prepared dinner in the kitchen. Shen Mohua went out into the courtyard to retrieve the basket of vegetables her parents bought on their way home. The sight of her husband respectfully conversing with her father caught her off guards with a smile that snuck onto her face.

Shen Mohua stole another glance on her return by the kitchen doorway. The contours  of Ou Junan's back against the sun lingered in her eyes. With each passing day, being with him was becoming more and more familiar to her. So much that it was harder to think of how she'd have to leave one day.

"Mohua, have you been taking your medicine?" Meng Jia asked behind her.

She lowered her eyes to hide the sadness etched within. "Yes, mother."

"Stay inside on cold or rainy days, continue to take the medication as before, and tell us immediately if your old symptoms appear. You must be more careful now than ever."

Shen Mohua nodded. It wasn't just her family and herself anymore, there was another person who cared for her. She must get better for a future with him.

"Visit the pharmacy in another couple days so your father can take your pulse again," her mother reminded.

"En, I'll be there," she promised.

Soon, dinner was ready and served in the pavilion. The Shen was a lighthearted family with easy laughters. From the elders to the youngsters, everyone sat in the courtyard eating and conversing happily. Well, it would've been like that except for two people.

Grandma Shen and Grandfather Meng were seated at each ends of the table respectively, yet their mouths were going at each other's throats. The same topic was heavily debated for the past half an hour.

"Old man, what did you give to our precious Mohua?"

"And why would I tell you?"

"You don't have to say it, I know mine was better than yours," Grandma Shen boasted.

Grandfather Meng barked right back, "Ha, that's not even true. There you go, doing your favorite pastime— twisting things again."

Meng Jia shook her head. Shen Fai grumbled to himself, "Here we go..."

Shen Mohua filled her entire mouth with food. Ou Junsan, who was silently and obediently eating the endless food she placed on his plate, "..."

.......

"Let the girl speak for herself," Shen Liu interrupted at last when there was finally a pause.

Both elders set down their chopsticks and turned all their attention to a certain seat. Shen Mohua, thrown into the spotlight with all eyes on her, wanted to scratch her eyes out. Grandma Shen wanted her on one side and Grandfather Meng wanted her on the other. Moreover, the horror of the yellow book from the morning was still fresh in her mind. She didn't want to leave a chance for it to be mentioned aloud.

She pulled Ou Junsan deliberately. "Husband, I'm a bit tired... Why don't we rest early tonight?"

"Ending the night already?" Grandma Shen's eyes sparked. Everything from the previous topic was dropped as if it never happened. She was all smiles, "Alright, make sure to get a lot of rest."

"As Mohua is tired, we'll take our leave," Ou Junsan smoothly covered.

The supposedly sleepy one increased her pace as soon as the they disappeared around the corner. The voices of the two elders bantering came on once again in the distance. Ou Junsan was dragged hurriedly by the very energetic her across the courtyard and through a series of corridors. There was the sound of a door opening, then they entered a room.

Shen Mohua closed the door and slumped into a nearby chair. "I'm so sorry, it's always like this. Don't mind them, this is their way of talking."

"It's interesting at the very least..." Ou Junsan had never met elders quite like these two before. Did they disliked each other or were they in good terms? Socializing was not his strong suit, as Kong Yunru said it.

"I'll take a bath first," Shen Mohua announced as cue to let him know. She unlocked the chest of clothings brought over from their residence. When all she expected was soft fabrics, the discovery of something else sent her bumping against the table. "Ahhh!"

A certain yellow book showed itself again, except there was a small note on the cover.

Second edition in case you tossed the other one.

Grandma Shen's sloppy handwriting stood out shamelessly. Unbelievably, added towards the very end corner was a drawing of a crooked smile. Shen Mohua gritted her teeth in frustration, silently strategizing on how to get her family back when Ou Junsan's hands happened to grab the book.

Hearing her scream, he worriedly made his way towards her voice. In his haste, he bumped into the chairs, but continued with only a focus on mind. "Are you alright? What happened...?"

Panicked that he'd discover the book, Shen Mohua immediately hurled it across the room. The innocent Ou Junsan of this situation first felt something like paper, then it slipped from his hand and there was a loud thud against the wall. Something else unspeakably soft came into contact with his hand.

Didn't she just flung the book over, why was there still something right there? Shen Mohua's slow gaze carefully glided downwards. Her apricot eyes almost jumped out.

Ou Junsan was slightly leaning on her, who was leaning on the edge of the table. So when she suddenly tipped backward due to  a reason he wasn't aware of, he was thrown off balance. The certain softness from earlier met his cheek, a rhythmic thumping traveled to his ears, then his face was set ablaze. He instantly understood why she went silent.

Ou Junsan pulled himself upright. "S-sorry."

"I-it's okay," Shen Mohua breathed, consoling both herself along with him. Snatching a bundle of clothes in hand, she dashed towards the connected bathing room without another word.

Laying in the bathtub with the steaming water, Shen Mohua was a ball of fire. They clearly knew Ou Junsan couldn't see, so they used it to their full advantage to tease her alone.

The bar soap she just grabbed was almost dropped. Even on this poor bar soap, stuck on it was a familiar white note:

Sleep well— or not at all. Dessert has yet to be served.

Shen Mohua held back the loud shrill threatening to explode.

Alone in the room, Ou Junsan settled by the window where the cool breeze slowly erased the redness on his face. Once Shen Mohua came out, he went to take a bath. For the rest of the evening, neither spoke a word. Two figures laid awkwardly on the bed blinking at the ceiling. The atmosphere was more tense than on their wedding night...

Then, a third person's voice broke the silence and made it difficult to even breathe for the rest of the night.

Shen Fai's jolly singing echoed down the corridor with the sound of his skipping. "Two cabbages floating down the stream..."

Shen Mohua, "..."

Ou Junsan, "..."

————

Early the next morning, the three culprits acted normally at breakfast. Shen Mohua glanced at each of them accusingly with her tired eyes, from Grandma Shen to Shen Fai and Grandfather Meng. What a splendid play it was... "Thank you for the lovely gift you've all have given me. I won't forget it."

"You're too kind, Mohua. No need to give back," Grandfather Meng laughed nervously.

Grandma Shen chimed in, agreeing with the old man for probably the first time, "That's right, it's our responsibilities as elders to bless you children."

Father Shen and Mother Shen both sighed in relief, not having a clue as to the storm brewing above the food.

Probably for her sake, Ou Junsan pretended as if everything last night didn't happen. To his credit, he finished eating breakfast and even bade farewell to her family politely. Once he boarded the carriage, Shen Mohua, who sneakily stayed back, whispered into her brother's ear, "A'fai tell me, how much did Nainai paid you to put on last night's show?"

Shen Fai pulled her to aside, then secretly showed his hands. Shen Mohua went to the carriage's window.  "Ou Junsan, could you pass me the pouch on the side? The one by the wall on the other side."

"Here..." His voice quieted as their hands unintentionally touched, both flashing back to the memory yesterday.

Shen Mohua cleared her throat. "T-thanks."

"A'mo, you're gonna buy my loyalty?" Shen Fai raised his eyebrows amusingly.

Shen Mohua threw the pouch towards him. "From now on, you're on my side."

"My pay isn't cheap—" Shen Fai's eyes widened. "Exactly how much do you have?! Just three days as the commander's wife and you've earned this much?"

"And you claimed your loyalty to be expensive," she snickered. "Just one hundred coins."

"No, look here."

Shen Mohua glanced at the pouch for the first time— a simple black bag with no designs. She peeked inside the pouch and her jaw almost dropped... She snatched the pouch back. "This, this isn't mine. I'll treat you another time, absolutely no teaming with Grandfather Meng or Grandma Shen from now on."

"You won't have to worry about it, they're leaving today," Shen Fai explained honestly. "Nainai though it'd be fun to pull a prank on you. It was for good laughs. They were worried you weren't treated well in your new home."

Shen Mohua rolled her eyes fondly of the two elders who really went all out to show their support in their own way. The two siblings laughed it off, but one thing was still puzzling her,  "Grandfather Meng and Grandma Shen... they're taking the same carriage?"

"En."

"That's absolutely suspicious..." Shen Mohua scanned him with strict eyes. "No more tricks?"

Shen Fai solemnly nodded, "Promise. That's all for now."

"Alright, I can take a few tricks sometimes so long as they're harmless." She strode towards the carriage. From inside, she poked her head out and said genuinely, "Take care of father and mother for me, A'fai."

"Will do. Take care of yourself, A'mo..."

Shen Mohua settled across from Ou Junsan. The outlines of his face, along with the dark robe shimmering with gold embroideries, remained steady among the sea of colors flashing by.

"You're happy again...?" Ou Junsan carefully asked.

"It's all good now," she responded. Remembering the pouch, she held it out. "Here, Ou Junsan you accidentally gave me yours."

"Accidentally?"

"Yes."

He turned to face her. "I didn't do it accidentally."

"Huh?" The pouch almost dropped out of her hand. 

"I intentionally gave you mine."

"Why—"

Ou Junsan suddenly reached out and pulled her. His hands cushioned behind her head as he pushed her onto the bench. It was a whirl, then a pair of dark eyes hovered just above hers.

Swish! An arrow whizzed by and struck onto the wall right where her head level was.

Shen Mohua slightly trembled. She was almost killed. No, murdered—someone just attempted to murder her.  A thousand thoughts seemed to swirl inside her mine endlessly, each one cruelly trying to break her down. Two arms wrapped around her, and all the thoughts disappeared. Her tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

He cradled her head onto his chest."From now on, stay beside me where I can protect you."