Xue Zhongfu had guessed her intention a long time ago, but pretended not to know and instead began to lecture her seriously.
"Look at your eyes, they're red from crying. I heard from the servants that you and Shanqiu stayed by the coffin all night, refusing even to eat. Your father's last words were for you and Shanqiu to take care of yourselves. Are you crying yourself to the point of hurting yourselves? Are you trying to make your father rest in peace?"
"...and even wearing the clothes from the Taoist temple when returning to the mansion, I'm not afraid of being impolite."
When Xue Huichun heard what her second brother said, she felt a surge of sadness in her heart, her nose felt sore, and she almost couldn't hold back her tears.
However, she knew that her second brother was actually more sad than herself, but she had been trying hard to pretend to be strong and hold on.
What the second brother feared was that once he relaxed the stubbornness in his heart, all the sadness and helplessness would come flooding in like a tide. Someone in the family had to help his mother support the Xingyuan Marquis Mansion after the storm.
Xue Huichun sniffed and stopped crying, then walked around behind Xue Zhongfu and patted her brother's shoulders with heartache. After hesitating for a long time, she asked about something that was on her mind.
"Second brother, among the condolences sent by various prefectures, states, and counties these days, is there any from the Qingzhou County Government?"
Xue Zhongfu leaned back in his chair with a pensive expression on his face.
"Qingzhou County is under the jurisdiction of the Southwest Metropolitan Government. Even if there was a eulogy for my father, it was included in the memorial of respect sent to the Metropolitan Government. How could it be sent directly to the Marquis' Mansion?"
Knowing that Xue Zhongfu was deliberately trying to anger her, Xue Huichun hit her second brother's shoulder hard, then sat down at the tea table angrily.
"Oh, you girl, you are trying to murder your own brother!"
Xue Zhongfu rubbed his shoulders exaggeratedly, then stood up and walked to his eldest sister and pushed her gently.
"Angry?"
"Hmph!" Xue Huichun turned around and ignored him, picking up a green leaf lychee tea pet on the tea table and started playing with it.
She knew that her father had just passed away and she shouldn't worry about other things, but if she didn't ask now, she didn't know when the next time would be.
Seeing her listless look, Xue Zhongfu's expression became serious and he took out an unopened letter from his wide sleeves.
"Give!"
An envelope with black writing on a white background was handed to him, with the words "Presented by Liang Fushan, the Qingzhou County Magistrate" written on it.
Even though the thing she had been longing for was right in front of her, Xue Huichun didn't dare to reach out and take it.
It had been three years since she last saw Liang Fushan's handwriting. At that time, he had passed the imperial examinations in two categories and ranked seventh in the first class. He was then sent to be the magistrate of Qingzhou County.
Afterwards, Liang Fushan took his newlywed wife and his family and set off for Qingzhou to take up his post. Before leaving, he personally wrote a farewell letter and sent it to the marquis's mansion.
There was not a single word about Xue Huichun in the post, it was just an expression of gratitude to the old Marquis Xue Yonghuai for sponsoring her studies when she was young, and thanking the Marquis's mansion for their protection and kindness over the years.
The farewell letter was passed around and eventually came into the hands of Xue Huichun, who has kept it well hidden in the deepest part of her dressing table drawer.
"Keep it well and don't let others see it." Xue Zhongfu reminded, fearing that something unexpected might happen.
"I know what's going on." Xue Huichun put away the envelope and thanked her second brother sincerely.
"Next month is the anniversary of my second sister-in-law's death. I've already copied the Rebirth Sutra at Baiyun Temple and placed it before the statue of Taiyin Zhenjun. I'll have someone deliver the sutra to you when the time comes. You can burn it at my second sister-in-law's grave, so that her soul can be reborn soon."
There was a solemnity and warmth in the eldest sister's words, which made Xue Zhongfu's mood fluctuate.
As the young masters and young ladies of a marquis's mansion, they were treated like royalty and were envied by outsiders.
However, when it comes to emotional matters, the brother and sister encountered many twists and turns and felt sorry for each other.
In the second year after his elder brother got married, Xue Zhongfu also got married. He married Shen Yunniang, the eldest daughter of the Jiangning weaving family.
After marriage, Xue Zhongfu and Chen Yunniang lived in harmony and had a deep love for each other. Half a year later, Chen Yunniang became pregnant. The news made the entire marquisate immersed in joy, and the old marquis and the old lady were looking forward to holding their grandson as soon as possible.
Before the birth, the couple decided to go to Xiangguo Temple outside the city to pray for a safe delivery.
However, just as they arrived at the temple, it suddenly started to rain heavily. A mudslide occurred on the mountain road on the way back, trapping the two in the temple.
Chen Yunniang, who was originally due to give birth in half a month, happened to have a miscarriage at this time.
Because the mountain road collapsed and they couldn't go down the mountain, they could only find a servant girl in the temple who had experience in childbirth to deliver the baby.
Unexpectedly, the fetus was in an abnormal position and lasted for a whole night, and eventually both mother and child died.
To this day, apart from being busy with his work at the Ministry of Works, Xue Zhongfu mourns his deceased wife on the first and fifteenth day of every month and has no intention of remarrying.
This incident also became a taboo in the Marquis's Mansion. The new servants only knew that the second young master had a wife who died in childbirth, and they knew nothing else.
Xue Zhongfu couldn't let go of his deceased wife for many years, but he had some good memories with Chen Yunniang, which comforted him every time he thought about it.
However, in his opinion, the fact that his eldest sister Xue Huichun and Liang Fushan were not destined to be together was his real lifelong regret.
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