Find a cabin

When Cheng Yayin was seven years old, her father Cheng Hongyi moved the whole family from Huai'an to Shengjing. The journey was long and she was young and not susceptible to fatigue, so she fell ill. At the end of the journey, she was still listless and had no fondness for Shengjing. She cried all day and wanted to go back to Huai'an.

When they reached the outskirts of Shengjing, with only a few dozen miles left before entering the city, the family rested for half a day to recuperate. She knew this journey was hopeless, and she was so exhausted she couldn't even eat.

At that time, the eldest brother Cheng Qiwang was just a twelve-year-old boy. He had been restless since he was a child. He walked around outside the city alone and came back with a beautifully crafted little wooden house for Cheng Yayin.

Although the cabin is small in every way, it has a courtyard in front and a waterwheel in the back, and it has all the necessary buildings and doors. Through the small window, you can see several wooden figures with different expressions drinking tea inside. Little Cheng Yayin fell in love with it at first sight.

The eldest brother said that this small wooden house was a gift from the land god of Shengjing. The land god also said that there are houses like this everywhere in Shengjing, and Xiao Yayin will definitely be able to settle down here.

Such an adventure immediately frightened Cheng Yayin. Holding the little wooden house in her hands, she couldn't help but imagine the houses and streets of Shengjing, all of which were exquisitely designed. She immediately felt a yearning for it and stopped crying for the rest of the journey.

Later, when she was older and knew there was no such thing as a "land god", Cheng Yayin asked her eldest brother about the origin of the cabin. Her eldest brother said that he found it near an elm forest outside the city. It looked very well made, but for some reason it was discarded. He felt sorry for it and brought it back to cheer his sister up.

Only now did Cheng Ya realize that the "gift from the land god" that comforted her confused childhood was actually the innocent enthusiasm of another abandoned child.

After leaving the Taifu Mansion, Cheng Yayin rushed back to the Cheng Mansion without stopping. She didn't even have time to pay her respects to her father. As soon as she got back, she went into the warehouse and searched everywhere.

She had always cherished the little wooden house and played with it until she was in her teens. Later, as she grew older, she no longer loved such little things, so her mother put it away, probably in the storeroom of the mansion.

Unfortunately, she and Lan Yue Yixing searched the boxes and boxes containing their childhood belongings but couldn't find anything, which made them wonder.

Seeing the young lady going straight to the storeroom after returning home, Chen Bo, the housekeeper of the Cheng residence, followed her and asked in confusion, "Young lady, what are you looking for? Why don't you talk to me? Perhaps I can help."

Uncle Chen was an old man who had lived in the Cheng Mansion since Huai'an. He knew all the affairs in the mansion very well. Cheng Yayin asked him about the whereabouts of the cabin from that year.

Unexpectedly, Uncle Chen actually remembered it. "Young lady, don't you remember? The winter you were thirteen, Shengjing was hit by a once-in-a-century snowstorm. It was freezing cold, and the orphanage in the east of the city was short of supplies, struggling to survive the winter. The director took the orphans to the prominent families in Beijing to ask for donations. Young lady, out of pity for the children's suffering, not only donated money and supplies, but also packed up her own childhood play equipment and gave it away, including the little wooden house."

As soon as Chen Bo said this, Cheng Yayin remembered it and couldn't help but slap her forehead in annoyance.

Uncle Chen asked in confusion, "Young lady, why are you looking for that cabin? Not to mention it's already been given away, young lady is already that old, what does she need that child's toy for?"

Before Cheng Yayin could answer, she saw her father walking towards her slowly with his hands behind his back. He was still wearing an elegant green robe. Although he was thin, he was as straight as a tree. Although there were deep wrinkles between his eyebrows and the corners of his eyes, it did not detract from his profound and elegant temperament.

Cheng Hongyi heard that his daughter had returned. When Xingzhi approached her, he saw that her sleeves were rolled up high, her silk skirt was stained with dust, and there was a streak of black and gray on her forehead. He couldn't help but frown and said, "You look so untidy. What a mess! Go wash your hands and face."

Her father always attached great importance to clothing, and Cheng Yayin knew that this look would be inappropriate in his eyes, so she went to wash herself obediently.

When she came out of the room, Uncle Chen had already told Cheng Hongyi what had just happened, and her father asked her in confusion why she was looking for a childhood toy.

When Cheng Yayin mentioned this, her eyes lit up and she took her father's hand and said excitedly, "Father, what a coincidence..."

After telling the whole story, even Cheng Hongyi, who was always as calm as water, couldn't help but marvel at it, and lamented that the two of them had a previous connection. Uncle Chen was always eloquent, and he also took the opportunity to say that the young lady and her husband were a match made in heaven. Cheng Yayin got goosebumps when she heard it.

It's a marriage destined by heaven, but it's clearly a bad fate.

Cheng Hongyi looked at the sky and asked his daughter, "So you plan to go to the Salesian Home to look for her?"

Cheng Yayin nodded, and Cheng Hongyi said, "It's getting late. There's no need to rush to look for him. Let's go tomorrow. Stay home and have dinner with your father today."

Since there were only the father and daughter for dinner, the dishes were simple but carefully prepared, and they were all Cheng Yayin's favorite dishes.

My father has been getting older in recent years and has stopped teaching and recruiting students. In the past, students who came to study in the mansion would have broken down the door, but now it has become quieter.

The eldest brother Cheng Qiwang has been determined to be a soldier since he was young and has been guarding the border for seven years; the second brother Cheng Qigu inherited his father Wenzhi and now works in the Wenyuan Pavilion in the palace, specializing in editing and proofreading. He often stays in the pavilion and seldom returns home; and since Cheng Yayin got married, her mother has also confined herself to the temple. In recent years, the Cheng Mansion has become increasingly deserted, and it is often only her father who guards the huge house.

Although he didn't say it, Cheng Yayin knew that he was lonely. When she first got married, she always ran home, but her father didn't appreciate it and only wanted her to take good care of her husband.

This disheartened Cheng Yayin—after getting married, was she no longer a member of the Cheng family? Why was she being driven out when she returned home? Over time, she rarely returned. But as a father and daughter, seeing her father's increasingly thin figure, she couldn't help but feel distressed. She endured his nagging and wanted to spend more time with him.

As expected, after the father and daughter finished their meal quietly, Cheng Yayin took her father for a walk in the garden to help digest the food. Cheng Hongyi suddenly said with relief, "You've finally gotten the hang of it. You know how to care about your husband's preferences."

Cheng Yayin lowered her head and silently accompanied her father for a walk without making any comment.

She didn't dare confess to her father that she had written some not-so-presentable books that had confused Pei Songsheng. She also didn't dare tell him that she had caused Pei Songsheng to have his brain damaged, and now she was studying his preferences and looking for a cabin, all to make up for it.

It is said that a son-in-law is better than half a son, and Pei Songsheng is his father's most valued student. If Cheng Yayin knew that this good seedling was almost going to be killed by his own daughter, she would probably have sacrificed her own son for the sake of justice.

Seeing his daughter remain silent, Cheng Hongyi sighed and said, "This marriage is not of your free will. Father knows that although Moxing is a rare and good match, you have never met him before. If it weren't for the urgent situation, I would also like you to marry someone you like. I have seen how unfamiliar you have been with Moxing over the past three years. My child, it's not that I'm partial to my own students. I know Moxing's character very well. If you were willing to get to know him, you would definitely like him."

Cheng Yayin listened absentmindedly, secretly complaining: I understand, but we are about to get divorced.

Seeing that his daughter was still as nonchalant as before, Cheng Hongyi couldn't help but say anxiously, "Child, I know you've always been unhappy with this marriage, but it's done. If you're still upset, just blame the elders who made the hasty arrangement. Don't blame Mo Xing..."

Cheng Yayin looked at Cheng Hongyi in surprise. Her father was always calm and composed, rarely getting so excited. Thousands of words seemed to be swirling in his chest, but in the end, he just sighed and said earnestly, "Moxing is not only your husband, but also your benefactor. You must not let him down."

With her father so agitated, Cheng Yayin dared not disobey him. She could only pat his back to calm him down and respond soothingly. But she felt aggrieved and couldn't help but say, "Father always says he's not partial to his students. When have I ever come home without hearing his nagging? You only care about whether I'm a good wife to Pei Songsheng. Do you really not care at all about whether I'm happy in the Pei family?"

Thinking of what happened on Mrs. Pei's birthday, Cheng Yayin felt a surge of grievance in her heart, "No matter how good Pei Songsheng is, it's not that easy to be the daughter-in-law of the Pei family."

Seeing his daughter's dejected expression, Cheng Hongyi was shocked: "Did your father-in-law wrong you?"

"No." A gust of wind blew by, and Cheng Yayin blinked away the moisture in her eyes while turning her head to adjust her hair. She turned back and regained her previous composure. "I don't see the Grand Tutor very often, so how could he have wronged me? I'm just dissatisfied with my father. He clearly misses his daughter, but every time he comes back, he nags and drives me away. In my opinion, my mother didn't go to Ganye Temple to pray for the family. She clearly went to the temple to escape the hustle and bustle because she was annoyed by my father's nagging for so many years."

Cheng Hongyi glared at him: "Nonsense!"

The somewhat heavy topic was finally over, and the father and daughter continued to talk and laugh. Cheng Yayin did not return to the Pei Mansion until dusk.

As soon as I entered the room, I saw Jian Zhu coming over with a bitter face and saying, "Madam is finally back."

Cheng Yayin's heart tightened: "Did your parents go out and run around again?"

"That's not the case." Jian Zhu explained quickly, "I told the master that you were out visiting friends as arranged by my wife, and before leaving, I specifically asked him to wait at home. But I feel like the master didn't listen to what I said at all."

"What's the meaning?"

"My Lord has been acting strangely today. He's been absent-minded all day. I don't know what he's thinking about. He's giggling and sighing. I've called him several times, but it took several calls before he came back to his senses. After a while, I don't know what he's thinking about again. His face is as red as if he's been wearing rouge, and he's covering his face with his hands and laughing."

Jian Zhu scratched her head in embarrassment: "Madam, what's wrong with the master? Could it be that his illness has become more serious?"

Cheng Yayin laughed dryly. "It's okay. His condition is just fluctuating. Where is he?"

"He's waiting for Madam in the front hall. Madam didn't say when she'd be back, so Master hasn't had dinner yet, saying he'd wait for Madam to come back and eat together."

Cheng Yayin paused as she was heading towards the front hall, turned around and walked towards the inner courtyard. Without even looking back, she said, "I've already eaten outside. Tell your master not to wait for me. Just enjoy your meal."

Cheng Yayin took off her hairpins and rings early that night, took a bath, put on a thin shirt, and sat under the lamp to read.

She decided not to leave the house tonight, to prevent Pei Songsheng from watching her, and she would not perform the ritual of circumambulating the house anymore. She hadn't managed to bring Pei Songsheng's soul back in the past two days, but she had almost ended up wandering herself to the border.

Cheng Yayin always reads a book to help her fall asleep before going to bed. Perhaps it was too early tonight, and she read most of a travelogue but still felt no sleepiness at all. So she called Lanyue and asked her to make a bowl of lily and lotus seed soup to calm her nerves.

After flipping through more than ten pages of a book, Cheng Yayin felt it was boring, so she put it back on the shelf. Just as she was about to find another one, she heard a few noises coming from outside the window. She listened carefully, but there were no more noises.

Cheng Yayin thought it was just the branches outside the window being blown by the wind, so she continued looking for a book on the shelf. But after a while, the sound started again. This time it was not sudden, but a continuous rhythmic sound, like someone was knocking on the window.

Cheng Yayin shuddered and ran to open the window. Sure enough, she saw Pei Songsheng standing outside the window, his fingers still in the position of knocking on the window. Seeing her coming, he put his hands behind his back and called out with a slightly red face, "Sister-in-law."

Cheng Yayin was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why are you here so late at night?"

This question made Pei Songsheng blush even more. He lowered his head, as if it was difficult for him to speak: "I came to my sister-in-law to steal, steal..."

Cheng Yayin continued: "Affair?"

Pei Songsheng's ears were red as if they were about to bleed, and he nodded.

Cheng Yayin: “…”

Are you serious?!