In the middle of the night, Yuxi woke up feeling hungry. When she opened her eyes, she saw the person sleeping next to her. She originally wanted to gently get out of bed and not disturb Yun Qing. She didn't expect Yun Qing would open his eyes as soon as she moved.
Yun Qing got up to help Yuxi when he heard her stomach growl and asked, "Hungry?" Just now, she cried like a flower cat, and her eyes were now red and swollen. [T/C]
Yuxi nodded. "Yes, I'm hungry. The kitchen should have left some food. I'll have someone bring them in." She was starving!
Yun Qing got up before her and lit the tung oil lamp. He then asked Mama Qu to serve the food.
Mama Qu first asked Zijin and Shiliu to bring water for the two to rinse their mouths, and afterwards, she served the food together with Mama Bai. The food was quite rich, with six dishes and one soup. Mama Qu explained to Yuxi, "Madam, I believe the General hasn't eaten either."
Yuxi looked unhappily at Yun Qing. "Why don't you eat too? You still don't eat properly even after bleeding so much?" This was too unhealthy.
Yun Qing laughed. "Didn't you send me the ginseng chicken soup? Why wouldn't I eat it?"
Yuxi said discontentedly, "How can one bowl of chicken soup be enough for a big man? Eat with me!" Yuxi usually ate two dishes and one soup when she was alone. She was very particular about food and clothing, which was also a habit that she had developed. However, since she had suffered some hardships, she cherished food and didn't like wasting it.
It wasn't good for them to go directly to sleep after eating. Thus, Yuxi paced inside the room while chatting with Yun Qing. "Husband, you don't mind what the Taoist priest said?" She wouldn't have the guts to ignore it if it were her. Probably because of her rebirth, Yuxi held supernatural beings with awe and veneration. She once said that she didn't pay much attention to what Monk Liao Tong said about her fate, but his words left a shadow on her. Otherwise, she would not have told Momo Quan that she might honestly have had a bad fate back then.
Seeing Yuxi was no longer as grief-stricken as before, Yun Qing felt relieved. However, after listening to her question, he was a bit amused and remembered that he had told her so much about his past. "Uncle Huo told me that if destiny truly existed, then why was there still so much injustice in this world? He reminded me not to believe the words from the so-called eminent monk and Taoist priest since they were all swindlers."
When Yuxi heard his words, she understood. "The one responsible for the Taoist priest's arrest was Uncle Huo, not you, right?" She wasn't saying that Yun Qing had one big heart. Nor was she implying that Yun Qing was being narrow-minded, but all people would react like this. People could easily become confused when they had to personally deal with matters involving themselves.
Yun Qing did not deny it. "I was the one who arrested him, but it was only after Uncle Huo told me what the priest had said about me." There were still things that Yun Qing did not ultimately tell her. Huo Changqing also informed him that the unjust death of thousands of souls in Tong City was the sin of the Song family. Sooner or later, the Song family would have to repay this blood debt. But Yuxi was currently pregnant, so he did not want to mention these nasty things to her.
Yuxi held Yun Qing's hand and said, "Fortunately, Uncle Huo was by your side." With Yun Qing's situation at that time, if it wasn't for such an elder protecting and guiding him, there was no telling what would have happened to Yun Qing.
As Yuxi thought of this, her heart gave a sudden jolt. Yun Qing was later rumoured to be a murderous devil. Although there were some exaggerated elements in it, there was a good saying, no wind would come from an empty cave. In fact, as of now, even without her terrible fate, Yun Qing would not have become a murderous devil, unless an unforeseen incident occurred later. Yuxi guessed this incident was likely related to Huo Changqing.
Seeing that Yuxi was dazed, Yun Qing asked, "What are you thinking about?" He was worried that Yuxi was thinking about those not-good people from the capital again.
Yuxi shook her head. "I'm not thinking about anything."
Yun Qing lowered his voice and said, "Great Old Lady is now gone, and the Third Old Lord has no more father-daughter relationship with you. So just let bygones be bygones and don't think about it anymore. Overthinking will only bring bad things to you and our child." Compared to Yuxi, he felt that he had a happy childhood. Although his parents were not around him much, he knew they loved him, and his grandfather spent all his heart and soul on him.
Yuxi nodded. "I actually had no expectations on them a long time ago, but it's just that Grandmother's way of doing things like this is a bit unacceptable to me." In fact, she felt that her grandmother had turned senile. Otherwise, according to her grandmother's usual action style, she would never leave such last words.
Yun Qing said, "You are now a member of the Yun family. So what if you don't observe mourning for her?" For a granddaughter to observe mourning for her elder was only etiquette. In fact, it wasn't that important whether she did it or not. After all, a married girl had become someone else's family anyway.
Yuxi did not want to talk about this anymore; hence she changed the subject. "Does Husband have something to ask when I talk about Chen Ran just now?" Now that she had mentioned his name, it was better to clarify everything to Yun Qing.
Yun Qing was speechless. "What do you think I should ask? You have already withdrawn your marriage with him. What else is there for me to ask?" Thinking about such things would only be a waste of time and create anxiety for himself. Moreover, he did not have time to think about this mess.
Yuxi was stumped with his reaction. She did not expect Yun Qing would have a big heart. But since she had started this, she might as well end it. "Chen Ran came to my house to propose marriage that day because he was trying to return the favour of saving his life." As for why she withdrew from the marriage, it was something she didn't need to say to Yun Qing. Please read this at xinshou blogspot com.
Yun Qing did not expect that there was such a back story. He thought the engagement between Chen Ran and Yuxi was arranged between their parents. "Don't let yourself indulge in flights of fancy again. I really don't mind it." He was also engaged at that time! It was also a strange fate that his former fiancée Chen Xue and Chen Ran were siblings.
In response, Yuxi said no more on that matter. She circled her arms around Yun Qing's waist and softly said, "Husband, I'm glad I married you." No matter what happened in the future, at least she felt very happy right now.
Yun Qing stroked Yuxi's head and said with a smile, "What a silly girl." It was undeniable that Yuxi's words still greatly pleased him.
Yuxi smiled. "Let's go to sleep! You still have to go to the army camp early tomorrow!" Although her heart ached for him, she also knew that the only way for Yun Qing to take his revenge was to climb to a high position. Therefore, rather than stopping it, she would help him achieve his wish as soon as possible. The only thing she was glad for right now was that Yun Qing wouldn't be blinded by hatred with Uncle Huo by his side.
It was a perfect night's sleep for both of them.
The next day at dawn, Yun Qing went to the military camp. By this time, Yuxi was still sleeping soundly! She slept until the beginning sishi before she finally woke up.
Just as Yuxi sat down to brush her hair, she heard the maid outside informing her that the Er Nainai Zhao had come. Yuxi looked at her puffy eyes in the mirror and said, "Please ask Er Nainai Zhao to come in!" She knew there was something wrong with her look. As it happened, she wasn't going to hide this matter from the world.
Er Nainai Zhao was relieved that Yuxi had just welcomed her in. When she heard that Yuxi was sick early that morning, she was shocked. Her anxiousness made her go straight to Yuxi's gate to visit her. Fortunately, Yuxi was not ill, despite noticing the depressed look on her face. "Meimei, why are your eyes swollen like this?" The news of Great Old Lady Han's passing was not known to outsiders for the time being.
When Yuxi heard her question, her eyes turned red again. "My Grandmother passed away......" Yuxi had deliberately practised crying back then. Although not up to the point of her being able to instantly weep, it was not a problem for her to at least fill her eyes with tears. Her tears would soon fall over if she let her eyes that way for a while.
When Er Nainai Zhao heard this, she hurriedly asked, "When did this happen?" According to the age, the Great Old Lady Han should be 60 years old. Those who pass away at this age could be considered dying of old age.
Yuxi choked up and replied, "Almost a month ago......"
Er Nainai Zhao comforted her. "Don't cry. The Great Old Lady passed away of old age. If you cry too much, it won't be good for your pregnant body, and your Grandmother won't be able to rest in peace while she is down in the Nine Springs."
Hearing these words, Yuxi's tears became even more raging.
Seeing this scene, Mama Qu sighed and told Er Nainai Zhao. "Er Nainai, what you don't know is that my Madam's heart is currently suffering. Before the Great Old Lady passed away, she left her last words, forbidding my Madam from observing mourning for her. After my Madam found out about this, she fainted and cried her heart out yesterday."
Er Nainai Zhao let out a cry of surprise and asked Yuxi, "The Great Old Lady forbade you from observing mourning for her? Why did she do that?" These last words were really baffling!
Yuxi choked up as she explained. "My Dage said that my Grandmother thought I had been taken away by the barbarians, then lost my innocence and life in their hands. She thought I had tarnished the Han family name and wanted to remove me from the clan. My Mother opposed her, causing my Grandmother to have a stroke, and she had been in poor health ever since. My Mother told me that my Grandmother left this kind of last words because she felt that if it weren't for us, she would not have had a stroke, collapsed and suffered so much. She hated my mother and me."
Er Nainai Zhao was dumbfounded. "She could even blame you for this?" Not to mention that it was just a body double. Even if it was the real person, that person was already dead. Despite that, it was despicable for someone to request to expel the deceased person from the clan. [+]
Zijin could not help but persuade, "Madam, don't cry. If you continue to cry, it will not be good for your health. Even if you do not think of yourself, you should think for the child!"
When Er Nainai Zhao heard this, she hurriedly joined in. "Yes, yes, what Miss Zijin said is right. You must take care of yourself. The older your Grandmother was, the more heretical her temperament would be. I suspect she had lost her mind and became confused because of her illness. Otherwise, she certainly would not have left such last words."
Yuxi's face was filled with grief and indignation. "Since childhood, I have always been respectful to my Grandmother. I even prepared hand-sewn clothes for her throughout the year. I do not understand how she could do this to me? If word of this spreads, those who know will say she is sick and confused, but those who don't know, won't they think I'm being unfilial?"
Er Nainai Zhao quickly said, "Meimei, don't overthink it. People will know something is wrong as soon as they hear this. A grandmother would never say that her married granddaughters were not allowed to observe mourning unless she had an unclear mind." If a daughter-in-law was not allowed to observe mourning, outsiders might think the daughter-in-law was unfilial. However, for a married granddaughter, it was not even her turn to perform any filial duty for her grandmother.
Yuxi wiped her tears and said, "My Grandmother used to be nice to us sisters when I was still in the state residence. She even gave me her treasured jewels for my dowry as I got married. When I received this news yesterday, I felt the sky was falling on me." It was natural to tell the truth to Yun Qing, but she couldn't do the same to outsiders. On the contrary, one must tell the others how loving and amiable Zhou Shi was. This way, people would think she was genuinely sick and became muddle-headed for leaving such last words.
After listening to Yuxi's words, Er Nainai Zhao exclaimed, "You see what I said, right? Since the Great Old Lady loved you so much, she must have been so ill that she left such ridiculous last words. She probably didn't even know what she was saying!"
After talking for a long time, Yuxi's emotions finally eased down. "Jiejie should stay until noon and have lunch here!" Er Nainai Zhao had rushed to see her immediately after hearing something had happened to her. For this reason, Yuxi would surely remember this mutual affection from Er Nainai Zhao.
Er Nainai Zhao nodded. "Okay. Since you're not afraid of me chattering away, then I'll stay."
Shiliu brought water to clean Yuxi's face. After freshening up, Yuxi went inside and put on some rouge and moisturising powder, and her face looked much better.
Er Nainai Zhao looked at the moisturising powder on the dressing table and asked, "This moisturising powder is really good. Where did Meimei buy it?" When she heard it was brought from the capital, Er Nainai Zhao ceased asking about it.
きつね's Musing
Ah~moisturing powder. The powder of my childhood. I used to wear it before going to sleep, and it felt cool on the skin.
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The Rebirth of Han Yuxi