After getting into bed, Yun Qing suddenly remembered something. "Tianlei should arrive within the next couple of days. Have Mama Qu se...
After getting into bed, Yun Qing suddenly remembered something. "Tianlei should arrive within the next couple of days. Have Mama Qu send someone to prepare the guest rooms."
Yuxi replied, "Did that really need you to tell me? They were prepared long ago. Once they arrive, they can move straight in." Fu Tianlei had brought his wife and children with him this time. However, Fu Jian had remained in Yu City because he was unwell and could not accompany them.
Fortunately, Fu Tianlei and his family would only be staying at the Yun Residence temporarily. Yuxi could endure it, and it would soon be over. She would not have been able to stand it if they were staying permanently. Yuxi had nothing against Fu Tianlei; she just could not stand Chen Shi. Furthermore, despite her poor health, Chen Shi had travelled thousands of li1 to Haocheng. Yuxi could more or less guess why she had come.
Yun Qing remarked with a smile, "I was only afraid that you might forget because you were so busy!" Yuxi had always handled such matters very well. Of course, this was also thanks to Mama Qu and Zhang Shi. As long as Yuxi gave the instructions, everything in the inner household would be handled perfectly and properly, so she did not have to worry about it.
Yuxi teased him in amusement, "You are clearly the one who is always forgetting things, yet you make it sound as though I'm just like you." Yun Qing was the classic sort of person who forgot things whenever he became busy. He could be told about something one moment and forget all about it the next once he got busy. Yuxi was still manageable though; even if she forgot something, those around her would remind her.
Speaking of this, Yuxi commented, "Gao Song is married now as well. Shouldn't we send him into the army to gain some experience?" Gao Song had married Young Miss Sun at the beginning of the month. After being a bachelor for so many years, he had finally obtained a wife, a remarkably beautiful one at that. Words could not describe how dearly Gao Song treasured her.
Yun Qing replied with a smile, "I have grown accustomed to having him around, so I wouldn't want someone else replacing him." If he hadn't transferred Xu Wu away to protect Yuxi back then, he would never have let Xu Wu leave his side.
Yuxi suggested, "Then choose two more quick-witted men and keep them beside you. That way, if you miss anything, they can remind you."
Yun Qing nodded. "All right. When the time comes, I will choose two intelligent men from Uncle Huo's group to accompany me and receive proper training." Uncle Huo still had a group of men under him who were being specially trained for Yun Qing. They would eventually become Yun Qing's personal guards.
Two days later, it was Zaozao's third birthday. On that day, Yuxi personally went into the kitchen herself and made Zaozao a bowl of noodles with two fried eggs.
Seeing this, Yun Qing smiled and joked, "Do you think Zaozao is some great-stomach king2? Why did you make so much? If Zaozao can't finish it, it will go to waste." Zaozao was due to start martial arts training with Uncle Huo the following day, so Yun Qing had also stayed home to celebrate her birthday.
Yuxi gave Yun Qing a sidelong glance and retorted, "If Zaozao can't finish it, you can clean her plate for her!" Yuxi would not eat food that other people had left behind. Even though Zaozao was her daughter, she still wouldn't eat her leftovers.
Yun Qing replied cheerfully, "I would be happy to clean my daughter's plate." Yuxi was particular about many things, but Yun Qing was not. In the past, when he went out to war and there was nothing to eat, he had even gnawed on tree bark and roots. It was precisely because he understood the hardships ordinary soldiers endured that he now paid particular attention to this area.
That day, the husband and wife spent the entire day playing and romping with Zaozao, leaving her overjoyed. The lazy Liu-er merely watched from the side.
Zaozao did not go to bed until the beginning of the Hai hour3, at around nine in the evening. Holding Yuxi's hand, she requested, "Mom, I want to hear a story." Now that she was three years old, Zaozao could already express herself clearly.
Yuxi responded, "Your Dad tells stories better than Mom does. Let him tell you one." Yun Qing enjoyed telling the children stories about his battles. His experiences had been so difficult that Yuxi had once been moved to tears while listening to them.
Zaozao shook her head. "No. I want Mom to tell it." Yuxi's stories weren't as vivid or impressive as Yun Qing's, but her soft, gentle voice was extremely pleasant and perfect for lullabies.
Yun Qing laughed and stroked Zaozao's head. "You heartless little thing, you have actually started rejecting your Dad. The next time you ask me to tell you a story, I'll refuse."
Zaozao was not afraid of Yun Qing at all. She raised her voice and exclaimed, "Momo said I am the little longevity star4, and I am the most important person today. Dad and Mom both have to listen to me."
The husband and wife found this highly amusing. Yuxi covered Zaozao with a thin quilt and said with a smile, "All right. You're the little longevity star today4, so we'll do whatever you say."
Yun Qing was about to stand up when Zaozao became upset and grabbed his hand. "Dad, you can't leave. Stay and listen to Mom's story with me."
Yun Qing sat back down and replied with a smile, "All right. Dad won't leave. Dad will stay here with you." This girl wasn't usually so clingy!
A little less than an hour later, Zaozao fell asleep.
The husband and wife walked out of the room quietly and cautiously. When they reached their courtyard, Yuxi said, "This girl won't be able to live so freely and happily after this." Martial arts training could not be interrupted for even a single day. She would no longer be able to play as much as she pleased.
The following morning, after breakfast, Yun Qing and Yuxi took Zaozao to the front courtyard and formally entrusted her to Huo Changqing.
Zaozao had no idea what this meant for her. When she saw Huo Changqing, she happily called out, "Yeye5!" She then threw herself at him.
Looking at the reluctance and guilt in Yuxi's eyes, Huo Changqing waved his hand and said, "Leave the child here and go attend to your work."
When the husband and wife were both at the residence, Yuxi would read whenever no one came to report official business, while Yun Qing reviewed the memorials submitted by his subordinates. When officials came to report matters, Yun Qing would usually step forward to handle them and discuss the issues with them. Yuxi only joined the discussions when a disputed matter arose or when Yun Qing did not fully understand something.
An hour later, Xu Wu entered the study and informed the couple, "Wangye, Wangfei, General Fu and Madam Fu have reached the city gate."
Yuxi put down the memorial she was holding and told Yun Qing, "I will return to the inner residence to change my clothes."
Yun Qing nodded. "Go ahead." He was well accustomed to Yuxi's habit of changing her clothes and applying make-up whenever she received visitors.
Half an hour later, Fu Tianlei arrived at the Yun Residence with Chen Shi and their three children. Yun Qing and Yuxi welcomed them at the inner gate.
Chen Shi was extremely weak. Her face was pale and completely drained of colour. She even needed the maid beside her to support her as she walked. When Chen Shi and Fu Tianlei saw Yuxi, they were both stunned.
Yuxi was dressed in a pale pink gauze robe and a trailing smoky-gauze skirt patterned with scattered narcissus blossoms. Her hair was arranged in a 'Flying Immortal' style📹, with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally on the left. Two lustrous pearls, each as large as a peanut, were set into it and gleamed brightly. The interplay of colours made her dark, cloud-like hair appear even softer, brighter, and more lustrous than ever. Her fair complexion was tinged with pink, and a faint smile played upon her red lips. Anyone who saw her would be unable to take their eyes off her.
The more Yun Qing thought about it, the more amazed he was. Yuxi seemed to be a natural clothes rack6. No matter what kind of clothing she wore, it always looked good on her.
Yun Qing could never pull it off. Put him in those refined scholar's robes, and he would look ridiculous.
Chen Shi remarked, "We have not seen each other for more than a year, yet you have not changed at all, Dimei7." Yuxi had done far more than simply remain unchanged. In fact, she was even more delicate and beautiful than she had been in Yu City.
It was no wonder that Yuxi could keep Yun Qing so firmly in her grasp. Even those sixteen-year-old maidens in the bloom of their youth could not compare.
Yuxi replied with a smile, "Saozi8, you flatter me." She had never expected to see the day when Chen Shi would praise her. She could not help marvelling at it.
Fu Tianlei's gaze fell upon Liu-er, who was being held by Momo Quan. He asked with a smile, "Is this my little niece? She has grown so big in the blink of an eye." Liu-er had still been small and thin when they left, but now, she looked completely different.
When Chen Shi heard Fu Tianlei's words, her gaze also fell upon Liu-er. Looking at the fair and tender child, a trace of jealous hatred flashed through her eyes. Her Qi-er had died in infancy a long time ago. This child had also been born prematurely, yet had survived with no problems. The world was truly unfair.
Chen Shi could not stop herself from saying, "This child is so adorable. Let me hold her!" If her Qi-er were still alive, he would certainly have been even more adorable than this girl.
For Fu Tianlei's sake, Yuxi had previously turned a blind eye to Chen Shi's inappropriate behaviour. However, that was only because Chen Shi had not touched her reverse scale9. Chen Shi had very clearly done it today.
Before Yuxi could say anything, Momo Quan spoke with a cold, insincere smile, "Liu-er is physically weak. Ordinarily, anyone in the inner household with even a minor illness is forbidden from entering the inner courtyard, because we are afraid they might pass their illness to the child." Her words were far from polite; she was basically accusing Chen Shi of deliberately exposing the child to illness by insisting on holding her despite knowing she was unwell. What vicious intentions could she be harbouring?
Upon hearing this, Chen Shi began coughing violently.
Seeing this, Momo Quan immediately carried Liu-er four or five steps backwards and looked at Chen Shi with hostility. Despite being unwell herself, this woman still wanted to hold the child. She was truly malicious. "Wangfei, Wangye, Liu-er is weak and cannot be exposed to the wind. I had better take her back inside."
Yun Qing did not think that Momo Quan had done anything wrong either. The only inappropriate thing was her unfriendly tone. Yun Qing nodded. "Take Liu-er back inside."
Only after Momo Quan had carried Liu-er away did Yuxi turn to Fu Tianlei with an apologetic expression. "Brother Fu, I am sorry. Because Liu-er is physically weak, Momo Quan and Mama Lan have cared for her with more than the utmost attention. They are constantly afraid that a moment's negligence might cause her to fall ill. Not only are the servants kept away, but Momo Quan also does not allow either Wangye or me to go near the child whenever we are unwell."
Fu Tianlei glanced at Chen Shi and then remarked, "We are the ones who should apologise. Your Saozi8 failed to think the matter through and asked to hold the child even though she is unwell."
Chen Shi's face became somewhat paler. In a hoarse voice, she apologised, "Dimei7, I am truly sorry. When I looked at Liu-er, I could not help thinking about my Qi-er. Had Qi-er remained healthy, he would now be about Liu-er's age." Perhaps he, too, would have been fair and tender and able to call her 'Mom'.
Yuxi's expression stiffened. What kind of thing was that to say? She forced a smile and suggested, "Saozi8, you are very weak. You should return to the courtyard and rest first."
Not to mention Yuxi, whose face turned sour at Chen Shi's words, even Yun Qing was rather annoyed. What parent would be happy to hear someone compare their living child to a deceased one? However, Yun Qing did not want to engage in a petty argument with a woman, so he turned his attention to Fu Tianlei, "Big Bro, should we summon a physician to examine Saozi8?" It was not only her body that was unwell, but her mind seemed sick, too.
Fu Tianlei was also furious inside. However, he was not angry with Yun Qing or Yuxi, but with Chen Shi. He knew that she constantly missed their son, but there was a proper time and place for expressing that grief.
Fu Tianlei nodded. "I brought your Saozi8 to Haocheng this time because I also hoped to find a good physician who could nurse her back to health."
Yuxi immediately instructed Gancao, "Go to the front courtyard and ask Physician He to come here." Physician He had conducted a follow-up examination on Qiu Shi that morning and subsequently returned to the Yun Residence.
Footnotes Full List
- 里 (lǐ) — ancient measure of length, approx. 500 m
- 大胃王 (dà wèi wáng) — a humorous expression for someone who can eat an enormous amount
- 亥时 (hàishí) — period of the day from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- 小寿星 (xiǎo shòuxing) — an affectionate name for the person celebrating a birthday
- 爷爷 (yéye) :(coll.) paternal grandfather; grandpa
- 衣架子 (yījiàzi) — a term that metaphorically describes someone whose figure and bearing make all kinds of clothing look good
- 弟妹 (dìmèi): literally, younger brother's wife; sister-in-law, but can also be used to refer to your husband's younger best friend's wife.
- 嫂子 (sǎozi) literally means 'the wife of one's elder brother'. It is used for your own older brother's wife and as a polite, affectionate form of address for a married woman slightly older than you (not necessarily a blood relative).
- 逆鱗 (nìlín) — based on the legendary reverse scale of a dragon that provokes its fury when touched, meaning a person's inviolable weakness or trigger
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