Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Day 3, cloudy, no rain.

Living a leisurely life, my heart follows my own desires; it is time to return to my peaceful home and reminisce about the old paths.

Freshly brewed tea was laid out on the stone table in front of the wooden house. Shen Xinyu sat on a bamboo chair, holding a small red flower that she had picked from somewhere.

Xie Xiaoyi exuded a faint aura as he slowly walked into the courtyard.

Shen Xinyu's eyes lit up, and she suddenly stood up, almost dropping the little red flower in her hand. She rushed towards him and grabbed his waist.

"Brother Xie, you're here!"

Xie Xiaoyi was knocked back half a step by her, reached out and steadily supported her waist, raised his hand and gently rubbed her hair, his eyes full of doting affection.

Shen Xinyu tilted her head back, her tone slightly coquettish, "Brother Xie, can you take me out to play?"

Xie Xiaoyi smiled faintly: "I've explored the mountains and sailed the seas, where else would you like to go?"

Shen Xinyu's eyes lit up: "Shall we go play in the sky?"

Xie Xiaoyi was taken aback: "What can you do in the sky?"

Shen Xinyu brought her mouth close to his ear, lowered her voice, and whispered with a blush on her face.

Upon hearing this, Xie Xiaoyi coughed somewhat awkwardly: "Going to play like that in the sky? It's so cold there!"

Shen Xinyu looked up at him and said confidently, "Haven't you already reached the state of oneness with heaven and man?"

"If your body can form its own world, you can isolate yourself from the cold air, and that will solve the problem."

"This is... Cloud Tremor? How did you even come up with that!"

As he spoke, Xie Xiaoyi lifted her into the air, their figures disappearing straight into the thick clouds.

A moment later, the fluffy cloud began to tremble slightly.

The clouds swayed and undulated, trembling gently in waves, shaking the surrounding mist into wisps that drifted away and then gathered again, never quite settling down.

......

The fourth day of the lunar new year, sunny with clear skies and loose clouds.

In peaceful times, with children around my knees, it's a good time to reminisce and recall our past encounters.

The peach blossoms in the courtyard were scattered all over the ground. Fu Yaoqin was sitting by the stone table, her fingertips lightly brushing the strings of the zither, the melody gentle and leisurely.

Not far away, a toddler of about three or four years old, clutching half a short wooden sword, stumbled towards Xie Xiaoyi, shouting:

"Father, teach me how to fly on a sword!"

Xie Xiaoyi bent down and picked up the child, placing him in the crook of his arm, and smiled as he looked at the woman playing the zither.

"Little Nian'an! You must run slower in the future, don't fall! Otherwise, your mother will punish your father again!"

"Father, what did Mother punish you for?"

"Hmm... how about punishing Daddy by not letting him into her room at night!"

Fu Yaoqin paused, looked up, her eyes gentle as spring waters of Jiangnan, but her tone carried a hint of anger: "You're a father now, and you're still so improper!"

Xie Xiaoyi approached, sat down beside her, and suddenly chuckled softly:

"Sister Yaoqin! Your anger reminds me of when we first met, how reserved you were and how you liked to get angry back then."

Fu Yaoqin lowered her eyes and plucked a string: "It's been so many years, you... still remember?"

Xie Xiaoyi looked at her and said softly, "How could I not remember? You know, at the time it seemed so ordinary, but looking back, it's unforgettable."

Looking back, it's unforgettable?

Fu Yaoqin sighed: "Xiao Yi! You're still the same as before, your words are always so moving, you haven't changed at all."

Xie Xiaoyi smiled slightly: "Back then, I attracted your attention with just a few lines of bad poetry."

Fu Yaoqin looked at him with deep affection: "It's not a bad poem, it's clearly a poem of extraordinary style, making it... unforgettable."

Xie Nian'an leaned on Xie Xiaoyi's shoulder and asked curiously, "Mother, what is poetry? Let Father read it to me too."

Fu Yaoqin was amused and was about to speak when Xie Xiaoyi put him down first: "Go find Qianyu to play, your mother and I... have something to do!"

Xie Nian'an paused, tilted her head, and looked back with a puzzled expression, craning her neck to ask:

"Father, why do you always send me away when you talk to Mother? Can't I listen or watch?"

Xie Xiaoyi coughed lightly, his eyes darting around, and casually made up a story: "My lord... my lord is talking about serious matters, children don't understand, go and play with Qianyu."

Xie Nian'an pouted and looked back every few steps as she ran to find Xie Qianyu to play.

Fu Yaoqin, listening from the side, felt her cheeks burning and punched Xie Xiaoyi in the chest: "Don't you dare talk nonsense in front of the children again!"

Xie Xiaoyi reached out and took her slightly warm hand in his, stroking the back of her hand with his palm.

"Sister Qin, there's something I've kept hidden for so many years, and I want to tell you today..."

Fu Yaoqin looked up, a hint of doubt in her eyes, and asked softly, "What is it?"

Xie Xiaoyi looked into her clear eyes, his tone carrying a hint of the cunning he had back then:

"Back when we drank Han Tan Xiang in Qingjiang City, I drugged you in order to get you."

Fu Yaoqin stiffened slightly, pulling her hand away from his grasp: "You drugged me? What kind of drug?"

Xie Xiaoyi lowered his voice and uttered three words: "Entwined by Love..."

Fu Yaoqin asked, puzzled, "Love Threads? What kind of medicine is that?"

Xie Xiaoyi whispered an explanation in her ear.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yaoqin blushed and gently shook her head: "I don't believe it! How could such a medicine exist in the world?"

"Sister Yaoqin! Then I'll prove it to you..."

Seeing the undisguised lust in his eyes, Fu Yaoqin snapped out of her daze, broke free from his grasp, and ran away laughing.

"No wonder you sent Nian'an to play with her sister, so... so you had ulterior motives!"

Xie Xiaoyi gave a roguish smile, moved slightly, and easily caught up with Fu Yaoqin, reaching out to pull her into his arms.

Fu Yaoqin gasped softly, reached out and hugged his neck, lightly punching his shoulder in embarrassment and annoyance, but he only hugged her tighter.

Xie Xiaoyi looked down at her, then turned and walked towards the wooden house. The remaining peach blossoms in the courtyard fell gently in the wind, quiet and tender.