Chapter 1174, The Last Snow Season

Translator: Silavin

 

Yan Hua’s delicate face had been covered in all manner of drawings. Geometric shapes of every peculiar variety, flowers and grasses and little scribbly things.

 

The one that commanded the most attention, though, was the large tortoise drawn on her left cheek. No one needed to ask whose handiwork that was.

 

Only Su Bai would know the true spirit of the game. If one lost, a large tortoise went on their face. That was simply how it worked.

 

That was what made it interesting. Drawing flowers and little grass fields would just be too dull.

 

“You people really didn’t hold back at all, did you? Not even the slightest bit of mercy?” Yan Hua looked at herself in the mirror and rolled her eyes.

 

It was not as though her entire face was covered, but was there really a difference? Both cheeks and her forehead were accounted for. Only the area around her eyes, her chin, and her nose had been spared.

 

“We just got a bit carried away. Once you start, it’s hard to stop.” Sha Lan laughed, a little sheepish, though she did not look particularly sorry.

 

“I only drew a few small flowers and little grasses.” Yu Ying stuck out her tongue playfully.

 

Yu Ying had thought about drawing something silly, but she had not been able to decide what.

 

“This game is called Tortoise Cards, after all. So drawing a tortoise on your face is only fitting, isn’t it?” Su Bai shrugged, smiling.

 

He enjoyed this. A face full of drawings against a face that was usually so composed. The contrast was really something else…

 

“All right. Next round! You’re all finished! I’m going to be the first one to win!” Yan Hua squared her jaw with fierce conviction.

 

She was the only one with a painted face right now. Everyone else was still clean. That was more than enough to ignite her competitive spirit. She intended to put something on every single one of them.

 

“Is that so? Funny, I’ve just remembered I have something to attend to.” Su Bai said it with exaggerated seriousness.

 

“Ah! Me too. There’s still something unfinished in the kitchen.” Yu Ying immediately made a show of getting up.

 

“I’ll head over to help in the kitchen as well. It’s been quite a while since I last looked in on things.” Sha Lan swished her cat tail with a grin.

 

“No! No! None of you have been drawn on yet! How can you all leave?” Yan Hua froze.

 

She looked at the ones rising to their feet, her large red eyes helplessly blinking. She stood up, then sat back down. Sat down, then stood up again. She could not settle on what to do, the expression on her face was truly one to remember.

 

“All right, all right. We’re only teasing you. There are still a few rounds left.” Su Bai laughed openly.

 

Seeing Yan Hua caught so completely off guard was genuinely endearing. He did not have the heart to keep teasing her.

 

“I knew Ah’Hua would fall for it. The look on her face just now was too cute.” Yu Ying covered her mouth laughing.

 

Yu Ying had caught Su Bai’s expression and caught on immediately, playing along without missing a beat.

 

“I’m not going anywhere. I still want to draw on you a few more times.” Sha Lan said it without any pretence whatsoever.

 

Sha Lan had been thinking about what to draw on Yan Hua’s face for a while now, and she’d already decided on the pattern.

 

“It won’t be that easy. I’m not going to lose so quickly in the next round. I’m going to be the very first one to win.” Yan Hua declared it with complete certainty.

 

“All ready? Then I’m about to shuffle.” Su Bai gathered the scattered cards and tidied them.

 

He sorted the deck in a few quick movements, then began to shuffle with easy, fluid motion.

 

“Right. Who wants to draw a card from the bottom first? Don’t peek.”

 

“Me, me. I’ll take it. I refuse to believe I’ll lose again after going first.” Yan Hua’s hand went up immediately.

 

“This is all luck. Going first doesn’t change anything.” Su Bai said. “That said, I do hope your luck holds. Your face is running out of room.”

 

“Don’t worry. Even if you lose, I won’t show any mercy. I’ll just draw a little smaller.” Yan Hua looked entirely confident.

 

“Many thanks then. Though you’ll need to win first. Don’t let me be the first one out again.” Su Bai blinked his dark eyes at her.

 

*Fwish fwish fwish…*

 

Su Bai shuffled the deck in a few brisk passes and dealt the cards evenly amongst the others.

 

He sorted through his own hand and said, “Right. Pull out any matching pairs you have.”

 

The others started sorting immediately. With one round already behind them, they were quicker now, pulling out their matched pairs without much fuss.

 

“Who goes first this round? I started last time.” Su Bai asked.

 

It did not matter much to him who went first. It all came down to luck in the end.

 

This was a game where one could not see anyone else’s hand. The cards were dealt at random. Whether what one drew would make a match was entirely out of their control.

 

“Me!” Yan Hua’s hand shot up again. Her competitive spirit was at its peak. She had no intention of ending up with a painted face a second time.

 

“Good. Then draw from my hand first. I’ll draw from Xiao Yu’s after.” Su Bai turned his cards to face her direction.

 

“Right.” Yan Hua studied the backs of his cards for a long moment, deliberating before finally pulling one free.

 

It did not match anything in her hand. These things were entirely down to luck.

 

“You see? Going first doesn’t guarantee a match. My turn.” Su Bai smiled.

 

He drew from Yu Ying’s hand and came away with nothing either. Which meant the game was about to get genuinely interesting.

 

“Two in a row with no match? Then it’s definitely my turn.” Yu Ying poked out her tongue with a cute little look.

 

She drew from Sha Lan’s hand and landed a match at once, immediately breaking into a smile.

 

Simple, genuine happiness over a small thing. That was just how she was.

 

“Me next.” Sha Lan reached eagerly into Yan Hua’s hand. Also a match.

 

“One less card means a little more safety for us, and a little more danger for them.” Yan Hua turned back to her own hand and studied the cards with extreme seriousness.

 

She always felt that drawing cards should not be rushed. A careless grab was how one ended up with nothing.

 

“Finally. A pair.” Yan Hua happily dropped a matched pair of sevens into the pile.

 

“Don’t celebrate too early. Winning at the end is what counts.” The corner of Su Bai’s mouth lifted slightly.

 

The game continued in laughter and noise, each player drawing in turn as soon as the previous one finished.

 

It moved quickly toward the critical stage. Su Bai remained the first to be relieved of his cards again.

 

By the final stretch, only Yu Ying and Sha Lan remained. Yan Hua was already grinning so wide she could not close her mouth.