Chapter 8: Sunshine Snow

As the next day approached, Yu Xie stood by the window, gazing at the expanse of white outside.

The sunlight streaming down from the sky, reflected off the snow, turned into a dazzling brilliance—this was the brightest sunlight since winter began, though the temperature still felt quite low.

Meanwhile, the snow continued to fall, though it was gradually lessening.

Yu Xie hadn't seen "sunshine snow" in a long time.

Outside the window, the branches of the trees were weighed down by heavy snow, seemingly on the verge of collapsing with the slightest touch. Footprints dotted the snow-covered ground—evidence of residents braving the winter weather.

As he looked out at the endless white, Yu Xie fell into a daze.

Suddenly, it seemed like he remembered something and turned to head to his basement.

He turned on the light and made his way to the wine cellar.

Inside, there were some fine aged wines—bottles he had been reluctant to open in the past.

Yu Xie wandered slowly through the cellar, selecting a bottle after a long deliberation before finally leaving.

Back at the window, he pulled up a chair, sat down, and poured himself a glass of wine.

The rich aroma wafted up.

Pairing the snowy scenery with good wine had become Yu Xie's way of finding enjoyment during the dull winter days.

But truthfully, he shouldn't be drinking at all; it would only burden his body further.

Yet, at such a moment, who cared about all that?

Yu Xie lifted the glass, inhaling the fragrance before taking a sip.

The liquid slid down his throat, and warmth flooded his body, but almost immediately, he felt a visceral rejection.

His aging body protested, and a fit of coughing followed.

"Cough, cough…"

It took a while for him to regain composure.

After hesitating, he took another sip.

This time, it was much better—only a slight cough, no more intense reaction.

The wine's fragrance lingered in his mouth, but his body continued to signal, "You shouldn't be drinking now."

Just then, a youthful face suddenly appeared outside the window.

A red-haired girl stood there, her expression seemingly displeased.

"Didn't I tell you to quit drinking?"

"Indarias…"

She was one of the celestial beings under the Rex Lapis, a fire Yasha named "Fire Rat General."

"It looks like I should just empty your wine cellar," Indarias sighed, appearing exasperated, then reached out to take the bottle Yu Xie had left on the windowsill, draining its contents in one go.

It was as if the bottle contained nothing but water.

"Ah—this is good wine, but you really should stop drinking. You need to take care of your health." After finishing the wine, Indarias spoke nonchalantly, as if it hadn't affected her at all.

"You didn't leave me a single drop…" Yu Xie replied helplessly.

Hearing this, Indarias glanced at the glass in Yu Xie's hand, which still contained some wine.

"Give it to me."

"No way, there's hardly any left." Yu Xie quickly pulled his glass back, spilling a bit on his collar.

"Hmm?" Indarias narrowed her eyes.

"...Fine." With no other choice, Yu Xie handed over his glass.

He always found himself unable to resist Indarias.

Taking the glass, Indarias didn't mind whether it meant sharing a kiss with Yu Xie, and without hesitation, she gulped down the remaining wine, leaving not a single drop for him.

"Hmph, I'll come tomorrow to empty your wine cellar." Indarias tilted her nose up and smiled triumphantly at Yu Xie. "You need to…"

"Quit drinking and take care of my health." Yu Xie interrupted, "You've said that plenty of times already."

"Just because I've said it many times doesn't mean you've taken it to heart. Drinking is bad for your health." Indarias insisted. "You're not an immortal; I don't want to see you suffer from a host of ailments because of drinking."

"Alright, I promise you, I won't drink anymore."

"You said the same thing last time."

"This time is different, I swear."

"It better be." Indarias smiled. "Now, come on, everyone is waiting for you."

"Waiting for me to do what?"

"Since it's snowing, of course, we're going out to play in the snow!"

Indarias pulled Yu Xie outside, where the courtyard was already filled with other Yashas.

Menogias and Bosacius seemed to be competing to catch the most snowflakes, with Menogias complaining that Bosacius had four hands, which was unfair.

Bonanus and Xiao were by the pond, watching the fish swimming in the water.

Ganyu was there too; she was sitting under the eaves, and when she saw Yu Xie come out, she quickly ran to his side, worry evident in her eyes.

Yu Xie smiled at her, conveying with his gaze, "I'm fine."

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's see who can build the biggest and best snowman!" Indarias seemed a bit excited.

The snow was gradually stopping, and the sunlight broke through, blending with the snow to create a picturesque winter scene in Gu Li Ji.

The snowman-building competition began in the courtyard of the General of Fushou.

Everyone busily engaged in the activity, while Ganyu didn't join in; she sat with Yu Xie under the eaves.

"I initially wanted to stop everyone from coming here so you could rest properly, but I promised not to tell them you were sick, and I couldn't think of a good excuse, so I didn't manage to stop them…"

"It's alright, I'm feeling much better," Yu Xie said with a smile as he ruffled Ganyu's hair. "Aren't you going to build a snowman? The snow has stopped, and the sun is out; the snow might melt soon."

"I…" Ganyu glanced at everyone busy building snowmen, her eyes clearly showing that she wanted to join, but she quickly turned her head away. "I'm not going; I'll stay with you."

"If you want to go, then go! I'll be fine sitting here," Yu Xie said, withdrawing his hand from Ganyu's head. "If you don't go, you might miss your chance."

"Well…" Ganyu hesitated a bit. "Then I'll just play for a little while."

"Go ahead." Yu Xie smiled gently.

"Just stay here and don't run around, okay? You need to rest well." Ganyu reminded him before heading off.

"I know."

Ganyu joined the group building snowmen.

The scene was lovely, and a smile unconsciously appeared on Yu Xie's face.

Though the Yashas were seen as stern, brave generals in the eyes of the public, in private, they could be quite playful.

They would draw on friends' faces while they slept or hold snowman-building competitions like the one happening now.

"Yu Xie, aren't you coming?" Menogias paused and called out to him.

"I'm terrified of the cold," Yu Xie replied.

"Alright, then you can be the judge later, but you can't favor Bonanus and Indarias!"

"Menogias, what do you mean by favoring me and Bonanus?" Indarias chimed in, her voice rising in response.

"N-Nothing…" Menogias seemed a bit flustered and hurried to continue his work.

As time passed, Yu Xie sat quietly under the eaves, watching everyone busy at play.

For him, moments like this were incredibly precious.

"Cough… cough…"

Suddenly, he couldn't help but cough a couple of times.

He quickly looked at everyone, relieved to find that no one had noticed his condition.

Just as he sighed in relief, he heard Xiao's voice beside him.

"If you're cold, go inside. Be careful not to catch a cold."

End of Chapter

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